*All characters in this story are fictional and above the age of 18.
**The world depicted is purely fictional and the ideas presented should not be taken literally.
***Please do not read if you are offended by misogyny, and non-consent.
By the time I got back to the car, a half hour had passed. Despite promising to be quick, Mr. Lunder had savored violating me. Now I was late for school. My body shuddered as I relived the sensation of being pinned down. I wanted to shower and wash the experience from my mind, but there was no longer time. I couldn't afford to be late to school. Extra attention was the last thing a girl needed on her 18
th
birthday.
I knew my birthday would lead to heightened interest in me at school. If I didn't show up on time, friends would talk and people would think I'd skipped out. Girls had tried running before, and they always got caught. Sometimes judges were lenient with first time offenders, but not always.
Mom looked me over when I entered the car, then pulled me into a hug, "Oh Jessie, I can't believe he did this to you." I returned the hug, but I knew she was lying. I wasn't naΓ―ve enough to think a man like Mr. Lunder hadn't done anything to my mom.
I knew it was selfish, but I couldn't help crying. Mom held my face to her chest and waited for me to pull myself together. Some of Mr. Lunder's semen still clung to my face, but she pretended not to notice.
"Let's get you cleaned up. I always carry some wet wipes, just in case," mom said, "It might be good to get you your own too, now that I think about it."
Using the mirror, I carefully wiped off my face. The task was made difficult by the fact his semen had started to dry. When I was done, I put the remaining wet wipes into my backpack. The whole process was humiliating. I couldn't believe how fast my life had transformed. I felt like a different person, and my first full day of school still loomed ahead of me.
As mom put the car in reverse, someone slammed a door making me jump. Mr. Lunder stood on his porch looking directly at me. He wore a gigantic grin on his face. I looked away; I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact. Suddenly, I felt very small. My brain screamed out to defy him somehow, but I was too weak. Thankfully, my mom started pulling out of the driveway.
"Have a great day at school Jessie." I tried to hide my face as he called after me.
"Just ignore him," said my mom.
I applied eye liner and make-up to my face as we drove. As a former Tom boy, I despised wearing make-up, but I had no choice in the matter. When I first reached high school, I was horrified to learn girls attended a mandatory personal grooming class.
Since the Right to Reproduce Act passed, some women had tried to subvert the law by completely letting themselves go. In doing so, they hoped to make themselves as undesirable to men as possible. Naturally, the men in charge decided to legislate the problem away.
In the present day, if a woman didn't attempt to maintain her appearance, the police could issue her a citation. It was like a speeding ticket just for women, and a daily source of embarrassment.
After fixing my face, I took stock of my clothes. My skirt sported conspicuous stains from wiping off Mr. Lunder's cum. There wasn't any time to wash it. I'd wear it and hope no one noticed. On the other hand, my blouse was completely ruined. Buttons were missing from where Mr. Lunder tore it loose. Hatred brewed inside of me. This was my only uniform, I had no choice but to fix it.
I borrowed mom's sewing kit, but there weren't enough buttons. As a result, I had to pick and choose which spots to cover. When I finished, my blouse looked partially unbuttoned. My uniform was going to show even more skin than usual. I cursed. This was bad.
By the time we pulled into school, the entryway was vacant. Classes must have started. Seeing the school sent a flutter of anxiety through my chest. I forced myself to take several calming breaths.
"You'll make it through this sweetie, and I'll be right here after soccer practice to pick you up," mom said. Mom's support made me grateful, but I couldn't take her with me.
My feet felt like lead as I said goodbye and shut the door. If I could get through the halls unnoticed, I could apologize for my tardiness and get through first hour with little drama.
The moment I walked through the door; my heart sank. Mr. Stevenson, the Compliance Counselor was talking to a student in the middle of the lobby. The second I entered; he broke off his conversation.
"I'm going to let you go with a warning Thomas, don't be late again," said Mr. Stevenson. I silently hoped he would walk away, instead he turned directly towards me. Thomas, the boy he had been lecturing looked relieved, but the moment he saw me his expression changed to a smirk. I tried not to notice him.
"Jessie Gartner, you are very late. This is unacceptable," said Mr. Stevenson, "I was just looking at the October file, it's your birthday today isn't it?" Something in his tone changed when he said it. He was staring at me intently.
"Yes," I mumbled.
"In that case you need to go to the office right away and get your pin," he said. Shame and embarrassment flooded through me when he mentioned the pin. Adult women were required to wear the pin whenever they were in public. Some of my friends already had theirs. I was hoping to conveniently "forget" to pick mine up until the end of school. It would be impossible now.
I turned to go to the office, but Mr. Stevenson called after me, "We still haven't talked about your tardiness young lady. I think a detention is in order."
"A detention?" I couldn't keep the resentment out of my tone. The last student had gotten away with a warning.
"Yes, well perhaps detention is a little too harsh, but we do need to have a serious discussion about timeliness," said Mr. Stevenson. He looked me up and down, "Do you have a free period?"
The way he was looking at me made me nervous. I plucked at my skirt to relieve the stress. He had access to my schedule, so I shouldn't lie, "Yes, I have third period off."
"Good, I'll see you third period in my office," said Mr. Stevenson, he flashed me a smile, "And Happy Birthday Jessie." His footsteps echoed through the hall as he walked away. I could hear him whistling.
The receptionist raised an eyebrow when I entered the office, I could see her staring at my shirt.
"It's my birthday," I explained.
"Well you're certainly getting in the spirit, aren't you?" She was still staring at my shirt as she handed me my pin. Fixing the pin to my shirt, I left the office as quickly as I could.