Tiffany Marie Andrews was 21 and a recent transplant to California. She had been there almost six months. She had taken her two-year accounting degree and moved from the Midwest out to the land of sun and movie stars. An attractive auburn-haired woman, she had curves but wasn't fat. She had met a few people in her new area, and along with some work friends, had thrown a small party at her simple little apartment that Friday evening.
She had gone out with Troy a few times, but it was certainly nothing serious. He was at the party, and while they had danced a few times they had never progressed beyond an occasional kiss. She was preparing to break up with him, as she just really didn't feel anything for him. As the party wound down, people were leaving. Eventually is was down to her and Troy. She was picking up, when he came out of the kitchen with two more drinks in his hand. He handed her one, telling her it was a nightcap. She didn't really want another drink, she figured she wanted to be pretty sober when she broke up with him. In a way, she was glad he had stayed so she could talk to him.
"Drink up, baby! There's still some night left, let's have some fun!"
"Troy, I... I really didn't want another drink. I want to talk to you though."
"I want to talk to you too... but let's have this one last drink!"
"Ok..." She took it in the kitchen and drank about 1/3 of it before pouring the rest down the sink. She put some dishes in the sink and came back out where Troy was on the couch. She was feeling a bit loopy as she sat down next to him.
"Look, Troy... I... I like you. You're a nice guy, but... it just isn't working out. It's me, really. I thought... Woah..." Her head began to spin. She looked over at him, and it took a massive effort to turn her head. He was smiling at her.
"How you feeling, babe?"
She tried to talk but couldn't.
"Babe... I think I know where you were going and why. You wanted a piece of Troy-boy and he has been denying you. Good news, though, because tonight you get the whole treatment!"
She tried to scream, tried to run, but couldn't move. She knew he had drugged her, but she hadn't drank the entire thing. She was conscious but couldn't physically move. He murmured sweet nothings at her as he undressed her, kissing her unmoving lips. He carried her to her bedroom, where he took in in every way. He took her anally, he took her vaginally, he put himself in her mouth. After the third time he came, all over her c-cup breasts, he laid back. "Babe... you're great. We have got to do this again sometime soon!"
He got up, got dressed, kissing her forehead before leaving. "I'll call you tomorrow. Love ya!" he said as he left the room. She was crying on the inside, laying on the bed. Her phone rang, but she couldn't answer it. She laid there, passing out mercifully an hour later.
She woke up in the morning with an enormous headache. She had a full memory of what happened to her and began moving slowly to see if it worked. She was not very coordinated, but she managed to get to the shower and wash herself. She felt only slightly better as the scalding water failed to wash her memories away.
She put on clothes, debating on what to do at that point. Her phone rang again, she checked and this time it was Troy.
"You fucking bastard!"
"Hey, babe!"
"Don't 'hey babe' me! You... you raped me! You drugged me! I'm going to the police!"
"Oh, babe, that's not a good idea. I know most of them anyway. I'll have all my friends testify that you're the biggest slut in Cali, and that you told them that you want my money. Bad Idea. How about we go out tonight instead?"
"Are you fucking nuts? Leave me alone!" She hung up. She was shaking, knowing that he would drag her through the mud in she tried to turn him in. She sat on her floor, crying. That was where her best friend in the area, Christine, found her that evening. After a lot of cajoling, Tiffany broke and spilled her guts about what Troy had done. Christine had bundled her up into her car and taken her to her house, calling a few of her other friends. They stayed up most of the night, trying to convince Tiffany to go the police. She knew exactly what Troy would do, and she didn't want to go through that. Troy called her several times, and she never answered.
Sunday morning, her phone rang again. She almost threw it, but she checked the screen first. It was her brother, Mark. Mark was her fraternal twin. He had stayed back in the Midwest, doing factory work. He wanted out of the house as soon as possible, and that was the quickest way out. He always knew when she was upset, and he always called. She answered it.
"Hey Tiff, you didn't call back. I was thinking about you Saturday. How's things?"
"Hey Mark... not doing great, but... I... I don't really want to talk about it now. How are you doing?"
"Had worse days, I guess. Roommate decided to move out at the end of the month. It's gonna make it really tight until I find someone else. Hoping for a promotion soon, might be enough money to overcome it all. You spending every day at the beach, waiting for a movie star to come marry you?"
"You're not funny. I'm too fat for them, and... I don't know if I even ever want to marry right now. I... I'm having a rough day. Can I call you back later? I... I miss you, Mark. I wish you were here right now."
"Miss you too, Tiff. Maybe this summer I can afford a plane ticket. Call you next weekend?"
"Sure, for sure. Love ya, Marky."
"Love you too, Tiff." He hung up and she started to cry. She wanted to tell him, but just couldn't.
The work week came. She went back home, and Troy kept calling. The messages began to get an ominous tone. He told her she was his now, and that he could take her whenever he wanted. She was badly off-balance, and her work was suffering. Her friends still wanted her to call the police, and she still refused. Troy had tried knocking on her door a few times while she sat in her house cowering in fear. She knew she couldn't live like this. She was almost at the end of her rope.
Friday evening, Mike called again. They talked of nothing important for a few minutes. He knew something was wrong but was waiting patiently for her to finally tell him. He mentioned his roommate one more time, and Tiffany asked when he was leaving.
"Five more days, last day of the month is his last day. Why, do you know somebody out here looking for a place?" he laughed.
"I... I think I do know someone."
"Really? I mean, that would be great, but I don't want to live with somebody I don't know."
"Oh, you know them. You know them well."
"If you're serious, tell me now. Who?"
"Uhhmmm..... me." she said in a small voice.
After a pause, he talked. "Tiff, you're always welcome to stay with me... but what happened that you want to abandon your California dream? It had to be bad..."
"Mark... I can't. I just can't. Can you pick me up at the airport next weekend? Once I get everything settled I'll text you the flight information. Are you sure this is OK?"
"Tiff... you know it's OK. Can't wait to see you, honestly.... Just, just be careful. Talk to you soon, OK?"
"Bye Mark..."
"Bye Tiff."
She called Christine and started telling her of her plan. Christine wasn't happy but saw that it was what she wanted. They gathered her friends at Christine's and divvyed up what was necessary. One girl bought her car and the furniture was split among the others. Anything unsold was given away. Tiffany was taking her clothes and nothing else, and there would be no outward signs of a move.
Tiffany used her savings on a plane ticket and texted Mark. He let her know he would be there. She told her landlord she was leaving, and on Friday told work it was her last day. She used the "Family Problems" excuse, saying she needed to take care of her mother. They did give her a nice recommendation letter. Saturday morning, the new owner of her car dropped her off at the airport with her carry-on bag and one other large bag.
When she arrived, she was looking around the baggage claim for Mark. She was beginning to panic when a hand landed on her shoulder, spinning her around. Mark pulled his sister in tight and felt her tense up, so he let her go. She had a look of fear in her eyes as he looked at her. "Hey, Tiff, you ok? I was at the wrong baggage claim number for a minute, then the flight numbers changed. Are you OK?"
"Y-yeah... I guess. Let's just get my bag."
Once they had her bag, they went to Mark's old truck. He put the bags in the back and looked over at her. "Didn't bring much with ya... sure you're planning on staying?"
"It's all I have left, so I'd better stay. I have a little cash. I can pay rent this month if you need, but I have to find a job soon."
"All you have... really? Wow... Tiff, let's go home now. You might regret your choice after you see this dump."
"As long as you're there, I'll be ok."
He drove them to his apartment. It was the lower story of an old house, nothing very special. The owner would let them paint and such, and he had it looking decent. He kept it clean, at least. He showed her the bedroom. It was small and empty.
"Where am I going to sleep?"
"I... I guess I figured you had furniture. We'll go out tomorrow and find you something, tonight I can take the couch. You can use my bed."
"You don't have to, I can take the couch."
"I wouldn't do that to you. It's only a night anyway. Hey, since you're here, want me to make you something to eat? I have some leftovers I can heat up. Want a drink?"
"NO! Uh... I mean... yes, please warm me up some food. Nothing to drink, just a water."
He looked into her wild eyes. He knew then that something very bad had happened, although he didn't know what. He took her hand lightly. "Tiff... whenever you're ready to talk, let me know. You can't keep it inside forever, it'll eat you alive." With that, he took her to a chair and sat her down, going to the kitchen and getting out some food. He brought her a glass of cold water and some lasagna that he had made, hoping it was good enough for her to eat.
She stared at both for a minute before drinking some of the water. She took a small bite of the lasagna, then a second larger one. "When the hell did you learn to cook?"
"Self-preservation, Tiff. Learn to cook or starve, I can't afford to go out to eat every day. I made this with low-fat cheese and spinach, it's a little healthier. I usually make enough of something to last for a week of lunches at work, it's cheap and easy that way."
"This is actually really good Mark... thanks. I didn't realize... this is the first thing I've eaten all day."
"I have one more serving if you're hungry!"
"I don't want to get any fatter...."
"You aren't fat. You look good, really good.... Except your face. You look upset, scared, something."
"We aren't talking about that right now.... Maybe not ever. Just... just thank you, thank you for letting me come back. I really needed to come back, Mark."
"We are all each other's got, Tiff. I'll always have your back, you know that. Just... does this have anything to do with what happened two weeks ago?"
"Wha..uh... why?"
"I knew something happened... you know what I mean too. Something bad, very bad, happened to you. I... I wanted to fly to Cali. If I had more money, I would have."
"Mark... I said not now. Please. I just can't."
"Tiff... ok."
She got dressed and went to bed as she was exhausted. He stayed out on the couch, worried about her and not sleeping. Around three am, she got up and went to the bathroom. When she came out, she saw he was awake and came to sit with him. He put his arms around her and she tensed up.
