Emerald Eyes 2

It was getting late, and I was getting a bit down. I sat by myself in this swanky restaurant, trying to resist the urge to get pissed off enough to drink. This was the second time I'd been stood up by just one girl, and I swore it would be the last time. I didn't feel like eating, so I asked the waiter for the check, paid it, and left the place. This girl had seemed like somebody I could be with, somebody nice for a change. Whether she'd changed her mind, or was too nervous, it didn't matter to me.

I wanted to just go back to my dorm room and chill for a while, maybe catch a movie on TV. However, when I got to the dorms, I saw that there was a major party going on. Music with a heavy beat rattled the windows, and it seemed as if my room was just above the biggest set of speakers on campus, so watching TV was out of the question. I decided I would work on my art class project. I looked around the room for some kind of still-life that I could capture on my sketch pad. I finally settled on the computer and the litter of junk surrounding it. Opening a case of pencils, I started on it, trying to use the tips and techniques I'd picked up in class.

I'd just traced the outline of the computer monitor when the door to my room flew open and this girl rushed in. Not appearing to notice me, she slammed the door behind her, slid down it to the floor, and began sobbing. All I could think of at first was that I had forgotten to lock the door. She sobbed there for two minutes, cursing some asshole intermittently. Finally, I spoke up.

"Bad night?"

Her head flew up, and she gaped at me through her tears and smeared mascara. For almost ten seconds she just stared at me, unable to speak. Then she turned her head toward the door that she sat against. Somebody could be heard by both of us, ranting and raving, seriously pissed off.

"You stupid bitch! I told you I get what I want, and you become a fucking cock-tease! When I find you I'm gonna fuck your brains out whether you want it or not! Oh, you fucking bitch, you just wait and see!"

He slammed up against my door, his fists pounding the other side. I got up, motioned her to get behind the door, and opened it.

"Where the fuck is she?" the asshole snarled.

"Where the fuck is who?" I replied.

"Did she come in here?"

"No," I lied, getting a little riled up myself, "So quit banging on my fucking door!"

With that, I slammed the door in his drunken face. I could hear him cursing as he stomped off to look elsewhere.

I locked the door in case he came back to try again, went back over to my bed, and picked my sketch pad and pencils up.

The girl stood there in the same place she had when I opened my door, incredulous. When she managed to find her voice, it was low, stunned.

"You didn't tell him I was here."

Looking up at her, calming down a little, I answered, "Why would I tell him? He seemed thoroughly pissed off at you, and there's no telling what he would do to you besides what he promised."

She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself, "I think he meant it."

"He may mean something else when he sobers up, but if you want to hang out until then, it's fine with me."

She wiped her black-streaked eyes, looked at her hand, and winced, "Is it okay if I use your sink?"

I shrugged, "Sure, go ahead."

She disappeared into the bathroom, and the sink ran. During the time she was in there, I'd managed to finish the outline for the entire computer, keyboard, and mouse, and I was about to start on the junk surrounding it when she emerged. I looked up at her and saw that she looked pretty cute without the raccoon mask on.

She smiled tremulously at me, "I see I don't look I was ran over by a truck now. I still feel like I did, though."

I repeated my offer for her to hang out.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I appreciate it. I'd rather him not find me right now."

She came over to where I had my sketchpad out, brushing her long, red hair away from her face. She was pretty tall, almost five-nine, only two inches shorter than me, and looked to be maybe one twenty-five pounds. I recognized her. She was on the swim team; I'd seen a few team pictures hanging around campus. I couldn't remember her name though. Her eyes were green, almost emerald, like pictures I'd seen of the ocean down in the Bahamas. There were faint pigmentations on her face, where a bunch of freckles had faded almost completely, and they made her look cuter, still. She pulled down on the hem of her silver and green skirt as she sat next to me, looking at the sketch I was working on.

"Art major?" she asked, the tightness and worry leaving her voice.

"Minor, I'm studying law enforcement. Of course, I'm thinking of trying another major."

"Like what?"

I shrugged. I hadn't really given a lot of thought to it.

She smiled a little, relaxing some. Sitting next to me, I could smell her perfume, which smelled a bit like the ocean, not the saltiness as much as the freshness. It made me look up into her emerald eyes.

I asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

Her eyes clouded a little, and her smile slipped from her face, "I probably shouldn't. I'm not a big drinker."

She was clearly suspicious of my intentions, so I corrected, "I mean, like a soda, or some water."

She laughed, slightly embarrassed, "I'm sorry. I guess tonight just put me on edge. Sure, I'd like a soda if it's okay."

I got up and went to my fridge and pulled a Dr. Pepper from the case, and then another for myself. I got a glass for her, and handed it to her.

"Thank you. I'm really sorry if I offended you. I wasn't trying to."

I smiled a little, "After what you've gone through tonight, I'm surprise you didn't hit me with a Tazer."

Her eyes began to tear up, and she hurriedly blinked the threatening tears back, "Some night I've had! Rick's been asking me out for a week straight. I told him no, but he doesn't get it. He asked me to come to the party with him tonight, and if I don't want to stay, it would be cool with him. So he meets...Oh shit..."

Her eyes became unfocused, and she swayed, dropping her unopened can of soda.

I'd seen this before, when an ex-friend of mine had slipped some girl a pill and raped her while she was drugged. He'd gotten kicked out because of an anonymous tip to the police and the Dean of the college. I'm not a rat, but there're some things I can't stand. Yeah, my conscience is pretty strong about that sort of thing. It was probably that same stubborn conscience that stepped in between this girl and a future rape.

"Okay," I set my drawing stuff aside, and crouched down in front of her, snapping my fingers in front of her face to get her wavering attention, "I think this Rick must've slipped something in your drink. It's probably why he was searching for you so quickly. Hey, look at me, come on, don't fade off."

Her eyes slipped closed, so I gently slapped her face, and they snapped back open, "Oh, fuck, room's spinning. Please, don't... don't do..." she fell back against my bed. I knew what she was trying to say, but before I could reassure her, she was out. The bastard must have given her more than one dose. She was unconscious on my bed with her long legs hanging out over the bed. I swung her legs onto the bed, slid her sandals off, and grabbed the blanket from where it'd hung off the end of my bed. I covered her, sat down next to her, and checked her eyes. They were rolled up into her head. "Those fucking bastards," I muttered. She was down for the count. I sighed and sat down on the floor in front of the bed, and worked on my sketch for the still-life.

I must've fallen asleep at some point. I suddenly felt the bed move, and awoke to find her sitting there on my bed, grasping the blanket and pulling it to her chest, panicked.

"Relax," I rubbed the grit from my eyes, "The drug must've worn off. I think he might have used double the dosage. It knocked you out."

She clapped a hand over her mouth, "Oh my God! I've heard of girls getting stuff slipped in their drinks, but...why me?"

"Do you remember anything prior to passing out?"

She moved her hand from her mouth to her eyes, "I remember coming in here, running from Rick. You...you didn't do anything to me...right?"

I didn't know whether to be outraged or what. I had to keep in mind that she'd gone through a lot, so I shrugged it off, "No, you passed out, so I covered you up and, I guess I fell asleep, drawing."

Her face calmed, and her hand fell away, "Th-thank you. You've been so nice...What time is it?"

I yawned and checked my watch, "It's a bit past five. Do you need to go?"

She laughed nervously, "Probably not. I don't have any classes today, and I really don't want to have to face Rick. I'm so embarrassed. I almost hate feeling so...helpless."

"You're on the swim team, right?"

She blinked, confused, "Uh, yeah, I am. Why?"

"I thought I recognized you from the team picture. I can't remember your name, though."

She held a small hand out, "I'm Valerie. And you?"

"Stephen...Well, Valerie, you're welcome to stay as long as you need to, okay?"

"Why are you doing this for me?" She seemed so surprised.

I almost let my mouth spout off some smart-ass remark, and I stopped myself. Finally I said, "Nobody deserves what that guy had planned for you, least of all, you."

"But you don't really even know me."

"Maybe not, but should it make a difference?"

She put her hand to her hair, trying to brush it back with her fingers, "No, I guess not. Thank you so much for looking out for me."

I reddened a little, "It's cool. You know, that diner down the street from here should be open for breakfast. If you'd like, I can go grab something for breakfast."

"You don't have to, unless you're hungry, too. I don't want you to go out of your way."

I laughed a little, "Really, it won't be too much trouble. Besides, there's nothing in the fridge that would make a good breakfast."

"Okay," she looked around for her purse, and then threw her hands in the air, "Damn it! I didn't bring my purse to the party. My money's back in my dorm."

"It's no problem. Just tell me what you'd like for breakfast."

She blushed, "I can't let you pay for me! I've already overstayed my welcome, and I can't impose on you anymore."

She began putting her sandals on, still blushing.

"Hold up a sec," I put my hand on hers as she was strapping the back of one sandal.

She stopped, and looked at my hand on hers, and then at my eyes.

Clearing my throat a little I explained, "You're not imposing. In fact, you saved me from a pretty boring night. It's the least I can do to buy you a meal. Please, just stick around, and I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

I picked my hand up off hers, reluctantly, I realized.

"Wait a minute, how come you weren't at the party?"

I reddened a little, "I was on a date."

Her eyes dropped a little, disappointed, "You have a girlfriend?"

"No...it was just a date, but she never showed."

"She didn't show? Why?"

"I don't know, but it was the second time. I got tired of waiting and came back here. I didn't feel like partying."

Although I wasn't sure she was, she said she was sorry, "It's such a mean thing for someone to do. I mean, if she wasn't going to show up, then why bother agreeing to?"

I threw my hands up in the air, resigned, "Story of my life! So, you see, your being here, and even my treating you to a meal is no imposition. So, please just sit tight and I'll be back, okay?"

She nodded, "Alright, I'll be here."

The diner was mostly empty, except for those partygoers that hadn't gotten completely hammered. I had forgotten to ask her what she wanted, so I got a little bit of everything that looked good. Carrying the Styrofoam containers in three plastic bags and lugged them back to my dorm room. I hesitated at the door, my key almost in the lock. I realized that she might have taken off when I left, despite her word that she'd wait. Finally, I shrugged, socked the key home, and turned the doorknob. I went inside, relocked the door, and set the containers down on the table. And, when I looked around, I saw that she wasn't there. I sighed. Three times in less than twenty fours I had been stood up.

The toilet flushing startled me, and I almost knocked over one of the containers. I barely caught it before it slid off the table. She came out of the bathroom shortly afterward. She smiled, and walked over to the table as I grabbed two plates from the cabinet and some forks and knives from the drawer. As we ate, she told me what all had happened, the story she had been telling me when the stuff in her system had kicked in.

"So I met him at the party, he brought me a beer, and I guess he added a little something to it. He probably thought doubling the dose would get me ready for him faster. When he started trying to take my clothes off, I fought him off and ran. You know the rest."

The sun was coming up when we finished eating. However, she appeared to be reluctant to leave.

"Yeah, I guess you probably need your sleep..."

"Maybe I can walk you home. That guy, Rick, looked way bigger than me, but I think I could hold him off long enough for you to get a running start."

She was horrified and a bit delighted at my offer, "I couldn't ask you to fight for me. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"Still, it would be safer. You could protect me, if it'll make you feel better."

Giggling she rolled her eyes, "Yeah right. Okay, you can walk me home, if you really want to."

I grabbed my key, and we walked down the hall, stepping over a few partiers sleeping it off on the floor. As we were walking out the front door, Valerie froze. I followed her eyes, and saw a big guy slumped over one of the three picnic tables that sit outside the dorm. He, apparently, was Rick. As we passed the would-be date-rapist, he snorted, buried his head deeper in his meaty arms, and continued to sleep like a drunk. Valerie cast repeated glances back at him, afraid he'd wake up.

"We should turn him in," I insisted as we reached the door to her building.

"He's here mostly on a football scholarship! If we turn him in, he'll lose all that, and get kicked out of college, maybe even put in jail. I can't ruin somebody's life like that!"

I laughed, amazed at her reluctance to turn a guy in that had attempted to rape her,

"That's exactly what he tried to do to you! Listen, if we don't stop him, then he'll either keep his sights on you or find someone else. I've seen firsthand what something like that can do to a girl. I'll tell you what...I'll just make an anonymous call, they'll search him, maybe find some suspicious pills, arrest him, and he won't be able to blame anyone but himself. You'll be blameless, just as you are now."

"Okay, there's no way you can be this good of a guy!"

I was a little surprised, and yes, my ego took a little boost, "I'm serious. He needs to be stopped."

She held up her hands, "Just give it a few days, okay? I think I need to recover from all this. It's just so much, getting drugged, meeting you...just give me a few days."

I shrugged, "Okay, Valerie, I'll wait...but if you have any trouble with him, or need to talk, or even to hang out, you know where I live now."

She hugged me tightly for a few seconds, and then backed away, blushing for having hugged me. I waved, and she disappeared inside. I walked back to my room, noting that Rick still slumped over the picnic table, still passed out. I resisted the urge to kick him in the head.

In my room, I cleaned up the empty containers from breakfast, and put the leftovers in the fridge. I was tired and a little sore from sleeping while sitting, so I crawled into my bed, and the fragrance of her perfume was still strong from where she'd lain in her drug induced sleep, that fresh ocean smell. I fell asleep quickly, still breathing the scent.

I slept for a good while, about six hours, and woke suddenly to a knock on my door. I opened it to find Valerie standing at my door, her eyes wet with tears, her face red with shame, almost as red as her hair, which was done up hastily in a ponytail. I let her in, and she let out a shuddery breath, wiping her eyes.

"He was at my door," she began.

"What did he have to say for himself?"

"He insisted that I'd been asking for it, and that he was just trying to give me what I wanted. He blamed it on me, in other words. He also threatened to tell everyone that he and his friends...gangbanged me at the party, and that his friends would corroborate the story."

I was speechless. The lengths he'd go to just to justify his actions. It seemed a bit over the top to me.

"Come have a seat, okay? Would you like something to drink?"

She nodded, so I brought her a Dr. Pepper. She opened the can and drank thirstily.

"Something's going on with that guy if he's going that far to keep it secret. I'm willing to bet that it's not the first time he's tried this."

Valerie shook her head, "Please, I don't want to talk about this right now. I was already on my over. I wanted to pay you back for breakfast."

I let her in, yawning as I locked the door behind her, "It was my treat."

"Well, I knew you'd say that, so I was thinking maybe we could go and have a late lunch."

"Well..."

She moved closer to me and put her hand on my chest, sending an electric shiver through me. From this close, I determined that that ocean-smelling perfume was most likely her personal favorite. I breathed it in, and relented.

"All right, we'll go have lunch. Where'd you have in mind?"

She dropped her hand and suggested, "There's a deli in town that does great subs. What do you think?"

I conceded, "Sounds good."

We had lunch, and I grudgingly let her pay. As we were leaving the deli, we heard an angry and indignant voice behind us, "It figures, you fucking slut!"

Valerie knew that voice, and it stopped her dead in her tracks. She winced, her shoulders hunching slightly as if she expected to be hit from behind. I whirled around to find Rick standing there in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. His hair was jet black, slicked back with gel. His face, which could most likely be charming when he wanted something, was presently contorted into a belligerent sneer. He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.

Valerie narrowed hers in return, and as I watched her reaction, she resembled one of those legendary Amazons, a warrior facing her enemy.

"Why don't you just go away, Rick?"

Rick's sneer deepened, "Just a little slut and her new fuck-buddy. How disgusting!"

Valerie replied, "I don't appreciate being drugged. It's pretty sad that you have to go that far to get laid."

I watched Rick's face cloud with rage. His hands dropped to his side, and his hands clenched and unclenched, "It's the only time I can get you to shut your slutty mouth up, you stupid cunt."

Valerie, unwilling to back down and show her fear, which must have been immense, shot right back, "You know, I doubt if that's it. I think it's because you're lacking down there and you don't want the girls to laugh."

Rick appeared to be at a boiling point, "I'd bet it would have to be huge to fit in your loose cunt."

"It didn't stop you from trying. I doubt you can even piss without getting your pants wet."

Rick had taken enough abuse. He grit his teeth, "Oh, that's it, you fucking whore, I'm gonna kill you for that."

"Excuse me?" A very outraged voice caused us all to jump. Rick whirled around to find Professor Juneau, a large bear of a man, the astronomy professor.

"Uh, Prof. Juneau..." Rick took a step back, nervous.

"Don't 'Prof. Juneau' me, did I just hear you threatening this young woman's life? I could have you brought in front of the dean, and your scholarship revoked."

Rick was aghast. Apparently, he had thought he was untouchable.