Ashley's Campaign

Chap. 10 The Downward Spiral

Ashley's innocent decision to campaign for Homecoming Queen has reopened an ugly rivalry. Ashley is obsessed with rage and a desire for revenge.

I would like to thank

DWS1973 for editing this chapter.

Ashley sobbed in her friend Emily's arms. It took Emily a few seconds to comprehend that Ashley had been raped. Emily immediately made a phone and grabbed the keys to Ashley's car. She drove her friend to the old part of Riverdale's downtown and parked in the back of a brick building. She led Ashley up the stairs to a metal door and rang the bell. A receptionist led the two young women into a well-lit waiting room. The old woman apologized and said that the nurse on duty would be with them as soon as she finished with her current patient.

Ashley sat next to Emily and clung to her friend as she waited. The terror that had gripped her gradually formed into a molten mass of fury. At first, she directed her anger at herself. 'How could I have been so stupid to trust Ellen? Why made me think that Ellen had changed after their previous clash over Ashley's boyfriend Ryan?' The bitch had fed Ashley a tale of suffering to win her sympathy. Ellen had then proceeded to seduce Ashley with her charms assisted by drugged tea. Ashley remembered how her initial mistrust had melted away in Ellen's arms. She had even begun to think that they could be friends. Then Ellen had handed her over to her basketball friends who were waiting to rape her. Only the arrival of her friends had saved her virginity. As her anger grew, Ashley's body became rigid and her hands clenched into fists. Ashley recounted the names of Ellen and her basketball followers: James, Travis, Ben, Stan, Larry, and Hugh. She added Ellen's fellow cheerleader, Stephanie, to her list of enemies. Ashley found herself reliving the events over and over. With each recount of her attack, Ashley's anger grew. She promised herself that she would get revenge.

Finally, the receptionist said the nurse was available. She led the two young women into the examination room where they were greeted by a middle-aged woman in a nurse's uniform.

The woman said, "I'm Joyce and I am a registered nurse. Your friend called to report that you had been assaulted. Emily is a volunteer for our suicide prevention and rape crisis hotlines. She did the right thing bringing you here. You may be undecided about how you want to proceed, but we need to collect the evidence while it is fresh. If we don't do it now, your options in the future will be limited. I would like to conduct a sexual assault forensic exam. The first step is to treat you for any injuries. Then I'll talk to you about your medical history. After that, I'll perform a head to toe examination and collect evidence. Depending on what we find, we will provide follow-up care. I'm sorry, but it will take around two hours. Do you have any questions?"

Ashley looked at Emily and asked, "I'm not sure I want to prosecute anyone. I'd have to testify and my parents would be devastated. It would be even worse if they showed the movies as evidence."

Joyce said, "You don't have to make that decision now. Let's take it a step at a time. First, we need to see if you are injured. I think you'll be more comfortable if Emily stays stay with you."

Ashley said, "OK."

Two hours later, Joyce secured the evidence from the rape kit and said, "Fortunately, you didn't have any serious physical injuries. The lab work will tell if you were exposed to any STDs. We'll do a follow-up visit in a week. Since you are not a minor, reporting the rape is up to you. You can take your time making a decision, but don't delay more than a couple of weeks. Any questions?"

Ashley shook her head, but Emily asked, "What about long-term emotional trauma? Ashley's description of the attack showed she suffered severe distress."

Joyce said, "I'm glad you asked. This clinic is participating in trials to mitigate post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Recent studies in long-term memory formation have indicated that certain drugs can significantly reduce the risks of PTSD. It's a two-step process. First, the victim describes the event in detail and then takes a memory blocker. Since Ashley hasn't slept, she hasn't formed any long term memories yet. That fact makes her a prime candidate for the study. If you are interested, we can sign you up for the study. Since you just spent the last hour describing the attack, all I have to do is to give you the medication. MDMA is a well-known drug with moderate side effects. You may know it as ecstasy. Emily can take you home and you can just go to sleep. Are you interested?"

Ashley looked at her friend, "What do you think?"

Emily said, "You've had a horrible attack. I think it's a good idea.

Joyce said, "I have a recording of your interview. Even if you forget everything, it provides a legal account of the assault. If you decide to prosecute, it's all of the testimony needed."

Ashley said, "OK, I'll do it."

Joyce got out the release form and Ashley signed it. Ashley took the two pills Joyce gave her with a glass of water. Joyce said the second one was a sleeping pill since she didn't need to be awake for the ecstasy to work.

Ashley looked at Joyce and said, "Thank You."

Joyce gave Ashley a hug and Emily drove her home. Earlier, Emily had texted Ashley's Dad to say that they were doing research at the library and eating dinner out. When they got home, Emily helped Ashley take a thorough shower. Emily got Ashley ready for bed and slept next to her through the night.

Friday morning, Emily turned off the alarm, but Ashley was already sitting up.

"I feel like my brain is full of fog. Something horrible happened yesterday. Oh, shit! I know those bastards raped me. It just feels so far away."

Emily said, "Ashley, you should go back to sleep. You can call in sick from school."

"I can't do that. Tamiko's is coming to my soccer game on Saturday. The school is very strict; if I miss school today, I'm ineligible to play on the weekend. I have to go."

Somehow Ashley made it through the day at school. She was exhausted, but she put one foot in front of the other and plodded along. The hardest part of the day was meeting with the principal and Ellen. The teacher congratulated the girls on resolving their differences over the homecoming queen campaign. Ashley had a hard time remembering the details of the agreement, but the principal gave each of them a copy after they signed the original copy. Ashley glanced at Ellen, who appeared nervous. Ashley made a vow to herself; I'm going wait for the right time and get revenge against Ellen and her friends.

Fortunately, the football game was at home. Ashley insisted on going with Emily and the protective group of the nerds who had rescued her. Emily cautioned the nerds not to talk about the events of the previous day since Ashley didn't want to relive the events.

It was a close defensive game. Riverdale won and the final score was 17-10. Ashley's brother, Josh, scored a touchdown on a long pass from Ashley's boyfriend, Ryan. Riverdale was trailing with three minutes to play when Ryan kept the ball on a fake and scored with a long run up the sidelines.

After the game, Ryan said, "Ashley, you look more exhausted than me. Maybe we should call it a night. I'll come to your soccer game tomorrow and we can go out tomorrow night. Promise me you'll get to bed early."

Ashley said, "I have Tamiko, my 'Little Sister,' coming over tomorrow. I'd love for you to join us for dinner and a movie. Please say yes. It would be good for Tami to see some positive male role models. Her brothers are real jerks."

Ryan said, "Can we, at least, cuddle while we watch the movie?"

Ashley laughed for the first time in days. "I think I can manage that without giving Tami nightmares."

Ashley was more than happy to follow Ryan's advice and she slept almost 12 hours. She was still a little sore from her ordeal, but a hot shower and one of her Dad's mega breakfasts put her into a good mood. When she picked up her 'little sister', she talked with Tamiko's mother, Cathy, alone.

Cathy said, "I'm worried about you bringing Tamiko back late at night. I'll be working and I'm nervous about how my son, Zach, behaved toward you the last time. He is bad enough by himself, but he'll probably have friends over."

Ashley said, "I appreciate your concern. I'd be happy to have her sleep over. I can bring her home early Sunday afternoon."

Tamiko was excited to ride in Ashley's Miata. It was a warm Fall day and Ashley had the top down. The two young women headed straight to the soccer field. Tamiko joined the team for their warm-up. Ashley was happy to see her little sister keeping up with the team when they ran around the track. Emily gave Tamiko a few pointers for putting more power into her kicks. Ashley's teammates quickly adopted Tamiko as their mascot. When the game started, an excited Tamiko joined the reserve players on the bench. Josh and Ryan were in the stands to cheer the women on.

Ashley was worried that her head was not in the game. She was thrilled when Riverdale scored first and provided a strong defense. She only had to make two saves in the first half. Riverdale scored another goal early in the second half and the team went into a defensive stance. Ashley let out a sigh of relief when the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

Ashley joined the team in a group hug. She asked Tamiko, "Tami, I hope the game wasn't too boring."

Tamiko said, "I was focusing on the attack. It was exciting. I guess you had it easy in the goal."

Ashley saw Ryan and said, "Can you come over about six? I want to spend some time swimming with Tami."

Ryan said, "Swimming? We closed our pool weeks ago."

Ashley said, "My Dad had an inflatable dome installed over the pool. He likes to get his laps in every morning. He hopes to keep the pool open all winter. The heated dome is awesome. You should talk to him about it."

When Ashley got to her home with Tamiko, she took her to the basement to look through Ashley's old clothes. The storage room was just off of the large exercise room. Tamiko was surprised at all of the weights and exercise equipment.

Tamiko spun around a pole and said, "It looks like you have as much equipment as the school gym. What's the pole for?"

Ashley laughed and said, "We put it in for Emily. She uses it to practice her pole dancing. It's great exercise. She has even been giving me lessons. She said I'm getting good enough to enter an amateur night contest. I'll have to get her to give you a demonstration and maybe even a lesson."

Ashley opened the door to the storage room and pulled out a box. "It seems that my Mom never throws anything away. I found some old swimsuits when Emily and I were going through these boxes."

The boxes of Ashley's old clothes were organized by age. There were three boxes marked age 8 to 9. Ashley found a couple of swimsuits that were about the right size. The boxes also held several tops, pants, skirts and even a couple of winter coats. Tamiko spent the next half hour trying on Ashley's old clothes.

Tamiko said, "I like this top and skirt. Can I have them, please?"

Ashley laughed, "Tami, you can have anything that fits. You don't have to choose. You can take the whole lot."

Tamiko's eyes were wide. "Really? All of them? I don't think I have room for all of them."

Ashley said, "Why don't you pick out a couple of outfits to take home along with the winter coat. You can store the rest of them here and wear them when you visit."

Tamiko threw her arms around Ashley and gave her a hug.

Ashley said, "OK, let's get our suits and go swimming."

Josh and Emily were already in the pool doing laps. Tamiko jumped in feet first and shouted to Ashley to join her. Ashley was impressed with Tamiko's swimming abilities. Evidently swimming in the river was a good way to hone your skills. Ashley was happy for the exercise since soccer had not been very strenuous. Ashley and Tamiko were showered and dressed by the time Ryan arrived. Tamiko was wearing one of Ashley's old colorful outfits. Ashley was braiding Tamiko's thick black hair while Ashley's Dad was working on dinner.

Ashley said, "I really love your hair, Tami. It's got a lot more body than my thin blond strands."

Tami laughed, "Ashley, I was just thinking how much I wished that I had your hair."

Ashley said, "No woman is ever satisfied with her hair or her body, but least you can dye your hair."

Tami said, "Do you mean it? Could I dye my hair?"

Ashley said, "I guess we could if your Mom says it is OK. Now, let's go get dinner. My Dad is a great cook."

"Your Dad cooks?"

Ashley was astounded at how much food Tami managed to put away. She ate almost as much as Josh or Ryan. Ashley's Dad was always happy to have an appreciative guest.

After dinner, Josh and Ryan groaned when Ashley informed them that the movie for the night was 'What If.' The romantic chick-flick had Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe faced with the question 'what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?' Ashley sat between Ryan and Tamiko while Emily shared an overstuffed recliner with Josh. It was close to midnight when the movie ended.

Ryan got Ashley alone for a moment. "I admire that you are mentoring Tamiko. She seems like a good kid and boy is she sharp. Since she is spending the night, I may as well leave now and catch up on my sleep. I got hit hard in the football game and my ribs hurt. Maybe you can come over for dinner tomorrow night?"

Ashley said, "I'm sorry Tamiko is cutting into our alone time. I think I can break away for dinner tomorrow since I finished most of my homework in school. All I have left is writing a thousand-word essay and studying for a quiz. I'm hoping to finish those tasks in the morning. So, I'd love to come over as long as you know I won't be able to stay out late. You know my Dad considers Sunday a school night."

Ashley walked Ryan out to the driveway. Ryan held her in his strong arms and gave her a long kiss. After a moment's hesitation, Ashley melted into his arms. She felt safe in his warm embrace.

After Ryan had left, Ashley and Tamiko got ready for bed. Tamiko was used to sharing a small bed with her mother and was thrilled to share a queen-sized bed with her new big sister. Tamiko was exhausted and fell asleep quickly. Ashley was awake only a little longer. Her mind turned to thoughts of revenge against Ellen and her basketball player friends. She surprised at her strange capability to plot retaliation for her attack as an intellectual exercise. She decided she needed to thank Joyce for her experimental treatment at the Rape Crisis Center. She found herself reciting the names of Ellen and her attackers as if she was Arya Stark in "A Game of Thrones." Somehow, she was going to vengeance against her enemies: Ellen, Stephanie, James, Travis, Ben, Stan, Larry, and Hugh.

It was light when Ashley woke up. Tamiko was curled up against Ashley's side breathing softly. Through the open door to her bedroom, Ashley could hear her Dad preparing breakfast in the kitchen. A whirl from the coffee grinder was soon followed by the welcome smell of freshly brewed coffee. The next smell was of melting butter that accompanied the sound of her Dad beating eggs. Ashley's stomach was grumbling by the time she smelled pancakes and sausage cooking. Ashley used the bathroom before rousing Tamiko.

"Time to get up little sister. My Dad will be yelling soon for everyone to come to the table. If you go now, you'll beat Emily and Josh to the bathroom. I'll be in the kitchen helping set the dining room table. Please wake up Emily when you are done and join me in the kitchen."

Tamiko surprised Ashley by springing out of bed and walking briskly to the bathroom. When Tamiko made it to the kitchen, Ashley's Dad, Robert, called out a hearty good morning. Ashley handed Tamiko a glass of orange juice and went back to setting the table. Emily soon wandered into the kitchen and headed for the French press.

Robert said, "No reason to wait for Josh. I'll serve people as they get up. The first batch of pancakes is ready. You three can start with two each."

Robert set three warm plates on the table along with a plate of pancakes. A plate of sausage links soon followed.

Ashley offered the pancakes to Tamiko. "Tami, help yourself to two. There will be more to follow. If you want an egg with the pancakes, my Dad can fry up some in the sausage grease. Help yourself to the sausage."

Tamiko was smiling as she took two sausage links. Ashley offered her a container of warm maple syrup for the pancakes. By the time Josh came to the kitchen, Robert was putting another six pancakes on the table. Josh quickly snagged two of the fresh pancakes.

Tamiko looked at Ashley and asked, "Can I have another one, please?"

Ashley said, "Help yourself to two if you want. I'm going to have an egg. Do you want one?"

"Yes please!"

Ashley turned to her Dad and asked, "Can the chef fry up some eggs?"

Emily and Josh quickly jumped in to request some eggs for themselves. Soon fried eggs began to appear on the table along with more pancakes. Ashley knew her Dad had eaten earlier after his morning run and swim. He had probably gotten up at 0500. It was now 1000 and he would join them at the table after everyone was filled up. He viewed this as his second breakfast.

After breakfast, Ashley cleared the table. Emily and Josh loaded the dishwasher.

Ashley said, "Tami, we both need to work on our homework. I have to study for a quiz and write an essay. What do you have?"

Tamiko dug into her backpack and said, "I have science, math, and English. I might need some help with the math. I'm supposed to write a story for English."

"Do you want to write the story on a laptop?"

"I don't have a laptop. We learned to keyboard at school, but a lot of the kids don't have a computer at home. The teacher lets us turn in handwritten assignments."

Ashley said, "I think we have an old laptop that you can use when you are here. The battery is dead, but it works just fine plugged in."

Ashley dusted off the old laptop and set it up on the dining room table. Soon Tamiko and Ashley were hard at work. Ashley helped Tamiko understand how to work a couple of math problems. By two o'clock Tamiko was done with her homework. Ashley had made some suggestions to improve Tamiko's story and her little sister had a printout of the revised effort.

Ashley called Tamiko's mother on her cell phone. It rang a couple of times before going to voicemail. Ashley tried several more times during the next couple of hours. She was getting concerned because she had promised to join Ryan for dinner at his parent's place. She knew she had been neglecting him and after the assault at Ellen's house, she felt she needed him more than ever.

Finally, at just after five, Cathy called. "I'm so sorry. I'm working a private party. I won't be home until late. You should drop Tami off at the house without coming up. My son, Kyle, got out of prison Friday and may be home with Zach. You don't want to run into Kyle. He was sent to prison for beating up another drug dealer who was poaching his users. Tami is safe around him, but I'm worried about you."

Ashley said, "Tami could stay the night here. I can drop her off at school. It wouldn't be a problem."

Tami said, "But, Ashley, you are going to Ryan's for dinner."

Cathy heard her daughter's objection. "Ashley, Tami has imposed on you enough. Please just drop her off in front of the house."

Ashley said, "OK."

Ashley decided to get dressed for dinner at Ryan's place and head straight there after dropping Tami off. She put on a fresh pair of khaki pants and a simple blouse. Ryan's parents were a bit conservative so only a hint of cleavage was on display with the top button unfastened. If she got alone with Ryan, he could easily undo more buttons.