It was a cold night, the hot summer day before long gone, the heat escaping into the cloudless sky. Jess was regretting her outfit choice now, short shorts and a crop top might have kept her feeling cool, and looking hot, when she was out drinking at the beach in the afternoon, but it was gone midnight now, and she was alone. Totally alone it seemed, as if she was the only person in the whole town still out, and she loved it. Her phone buzzed, the only noise in the dead night, and she pulled it from her pocket
"Who's still up at this hour?" She thought, trying to unlock it. "Oh, nobody," she realised, feeling both disappointed and relieved, "it was just it going flat. Great." Nobody messaged her any more, not since she broke up with Alex, turns out all of her friends preferred him over her and took his side in all the arguments. The only messages she ever got these days were from annoying ex's and horny school friends trying to get in her pants. Suddenly she realised just how alone she was, not just right now, but in her whole life. She had nobody, no friends, nobody who wanted her for anything but sex, even her parents seemed to be sick of her. A wave of sadness washed over her, and she couldn't help but sob. A few tears ran from her big brown eyes, dragging makeup down her pale cheeks, as she slumped into a bench that was by the path. She had no idea how long she had been there when a stranger appeared, but she'd been crying long enough that her eyes were red and sore.
"Hey," he said softly, "what's up? Are you okay?"
"Oh," she said, startled, "I... Yeah, I guess I'm just drunk."
"Hey just drunk," he joked, sliding onto the bench next to her, "I'm Jack."
She just gave a long sigh, and frowned over the top of her glasses at him. "Really? That's how you're gonna introduce yourself?"
"I guess so," he laughed, "now what's up?"
She sighed again, a long, sad sigh, "I dunno, I guess I just feel so alone..." For a long time they talked, sat on that bench, as she explained what felt like her whole life story to him, and he sat, and listened, and reassured her. The more they talked the more she liked him, the more she trusted him, and slowly they edged closer to one another.
"C'mon, just drunk, let's get you home. Where do you live?" He asked, eventually, with a caring tone.
"Oh," she laughed back, "yeah we should. I live just over from the school, it's a bit of a walk. And I'm Jess, by the way."
"Well we best get walking then, won't we Jess?" As he stood he stretched out a hand for her, and taking it she stood up too. Even in her heeled boots, she was nowhere near his height, he was tall, and as they slowly walked under a street light she saw he had dark hair and green eyes that seemed to light up like emeralds in the yellow light. He, in turn, looked down at her, and saw her short red curls and big brown eyes, set in a pale, youthful face. He saw her long fit legs and slender waist, shown off by her revealing outfit, and couldn't help but stare for a moment at her chest, admiring her generous breasts squeezed into the fabric.
"You must be freezing" he realised, noticing her arms pulled in tight by her sides and crossed over her stomach. Taking off his leather jacket, he told her "Put this on." Immediately she felt warmer, safer, as the coat covered her shoulders, and she pulled it tight around her like a cape.
"Thank you," she whispered, enjoying the smell of real leather mixed with his aftershave.
Slowly they walked through the town, her drunken staggering making their pace even slower than normal, and he was beginning to get annoyed, she could tell.
"Hey, let's cut through the park, it's a shortcut," he said, wrapping an arm around her and directing her that way before she had a chance to protest. His grip was firm, and controlling. Immediately she felt something wasn't quite right, she felt safe with his arm around her, but also uneasy. He was strong and tall, she was neither, but she didn't have a choice but to stick with him. As they walked further into the dark, empty park his grip grew tighter, holding her closer. She'd try to pull away but every time he'd pull her back in, gently, but forcefully. At first, he had seemed powerfully protective, but now she was getting more and more worried. Every time she tried to distance herself from him he'd hold her tighter, he said he just wanted to keep her safe, but she suspected that was the last thing he wanted. Her mind was made up. Suddenly she pulled away from him hard, and with a shout of "Get the fuck away from me!" she darted away. But it was no good, his hand grabbed her tight before she'd taken more than a few steps. He pulled her in tight, and she screamed. Not for long though, soon a strong hand covered her mouth, muting the scream and filling her body with panic. Desperately she struggled, clawing at his hand, trying to kick him, hit him or scratch him, but he didn't react. He simply kept his hand pressed over her lips and nose.
"Hush now, little kitten," he whispered into her ear, his words chilling her to the core, "no fighting."
She couldn't fight now, her lungs were burning and she was running short on breath. She was going weak, her vision blurring. More and more she panicked but there was nothing she could do. Consciousness slipped away from her for a moment, and she fell, supported only by his hands.
When she came to a few seconds later, he had already carried her from the path, and laid her down in the trees. Again she screamed, as loud as she could, desperate to get anyone's attention. But she knew there'd be nobody nearby, not at this time of night, and she was out of earshot of the nearest houses.
