Most of my life I had several assumptions about college towns, most of which I found to be correct. The first was that they always seem to be either bustling constantly or utterly dead. When I moved to the northern part of the state to go the big university here, I found it dizzyingly busy from the outside but as soon as I moved here I actually found out that there isn't terribly much to do unless you are a party person. Which I'm not.
So for the most part I spent my time either in class or at my apartment, and then after a few months at my job. I could have not been a more boring college student if I tried. If college was supposed to be the time of my life, I was going to have a lackluster life. But I finished up with school in record time, quickly moving on as my friends dawdled. I graduated with honors and decided to stay in the town simply because I didn't want to move back home.
I had a fairly easy existence too, I still worked the job I had found and looked to start my career when I wasn't working. That might be what made me a target, besides the fact that I was mostly a loner.
Let me backtrack a bit and tell you about my work. I did data entry at a construction company. For about five hours out of the day I sat in front of a computer and typed everything in by hand, aside from that I would give the workers their checks at the end of the week, which I privately dreaded.
I'm not exactly a beautiful woman but I stay clean and I'm fairly fit. I keep my black hair shoulder length so it frames my face and I've been told that my brown eyes are so dark that you can get lost in them. I'm a little on the tall side, being just shy of six feet and my brown skin seems to attract guys who are looking for their first experience with someone outside of their race.
A combination of my looks and quiet nature encourage guys to mess with me. I get catcalled which I find flattering in an annoying kind of way but never respond to it. No refusal, no scowls. I just go about my business and accept it as a part of working where I do.
It was a fairly typical Friday, nothing out of the ordinary for the most part. Everyone was getting sent home early because of some incident in the shop so I finished up my work early so I could take everyone their checks before they headed home.
To my surprise most of the guys were right outside my little office when I opened the door to take them the checks. I greeted them all quietly and invited them in so I could hand out their pay along with a memo from the owner. I should have noticed something was wrong when they shut the door behind them, but I thought nothing of it as I sat back down at my desk and called the first name out so I could hand him the small envelope with his name on it.
The first worker I called was Brandon, a stocky white guy with brown hair and a beard that made him look about ten years older than he was. I didn't even look up as I held out the envelope. When he didn't immediately take it I looked at him puzzled, to see him with the scariest grin I had ever seen.
"Me and the guys have been talking about you Tara." His grin widened as I continued to stare at him, unsure of what to say.
"You've been here for two and a half years and you barely talk to us. Do you think you're too good to talk to guys who get their hands dirty?"
When I began vigorously shaking my head no, I was pulled up by my collar and slapped.
"Don't fucking lie to me bitch. You walk around here looking like a slut and then won't even say fucking hello. We thought maybe you were just shy but you're just a damn tease."
"N-n-no its nothing like that." I began and was treated to another slap for my trouble, tears sprang into my eyes as the others moved in closer, chuckling as they advanced.