Part 2 (1/2)

”Something like that.”

She nodded, as if she knew it all along. ”I'm sure whatever he's done, honey, he didn't mean it. Boys just don't think the same as girls.” She chuckled. ”We all know that their brains are in their pants, don't we?”

I smiled at her.

”You don't worry about it. He'll be back. If he wants you bad enough he won't ever let you go.”

The bus pulled up and I watched as the little old lady got on. As it drove off, I s.h.i.+vered thinking about what she'd just said to me. He'll be back. For some reason I felt an ominous shroud cover me. As if something even worse was going to happen. Although I couldn't possibly imagine what. The possibilities of what had happened to me were already pretty bad.

Pulling my legs tighter to my chest, I started to shake, with teeth chattering, and I didn't stop until Chloe's car pulled up to the curb.

Chapter 4.

”Were you, you know...”

I glanced at Chloe as she drove. It had only taken her twenty minutes to drive downtown to pick me up. By her appearance I a.s.sumed I'd woken her when I called. She still had on her PJ bottoms-h.e.l.lo Kitty smiled at me. ”What?”

She pointed to her crotch.

My cheeks flushed. ”I don't know.”

”Well, how do you feel? Are you hurting there?”

For a few seconds I gauged my body, detecting the different places where I was sore and achy. I shook my head. ”My legs are sore. My back and neck hurt. My stomach feels hollowed out. But that could be just because I'm hungry.”

”If you had s.e.x, you'd definitely be feeling it. I was sore for three days after doing it with Nick.”

I looked out the side window as we drove. ”TMI.”

”Do you want to go to a doctor just to make sure?”

I shook my head. All I wanted was to go home, have a long hot shower and sleep for about thirty-six hours.

”Are you sure? If you were raped-,”

”The doctor will call the police. I don't want that kind of problem.” I tugged at my bangs again. ”It's too d.a.m.n embarra.s.sing. I don't even know if anything happened.”

”They won't, if we just go to the free clinic and you tell them you want to be tested for an STD.”

I eyed her incredulously. ”And that's not embarra.s.sing?”

She shrugged. ”At least you'd know.”

I looked out the window again and chewed on my thumb nail. The truth was I wasn't sure I really wanted to know what happened. Maybe I was better off not knowing. I could keep my fantasy and my sanity.

”I just want to go home and shower and sleep. Oh and eat. I'm starving.”

”Okay, but I've got your back if you need me.”

I smiled at her. She was my best friend and had been since eighth grade. There wasn't anything we hadn't shared. ”I know. Thanks.”

We drove in silence, well, except for the Sum 41 CD playing, for the last six minutes it took to get to my place. Chloe pulled to the curb on the treed lined street.

She squeezed my hand before I got out. ”Call me later, 'kay?”

”I will.” I opened the car door, slid out and trudged up the neatly cut front lawn to the light blue bungalow. When I reached the door, I put my hand on the k.n.o.b but hesitated. My mom was going to be on me within seconds of entering. I had to prepare and get my game face on.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the k.n.o.b, opened the door and went in. After I pulled off my boots, I tossed them in the front closet then padded into the living room. Our cat, d.u.c.h.ess, a seal point Siamese, slunk across the hardwood floor toward me. She squeaked at me as she jumped onto the arm of the sofa so I could pet her. I ran my hand over her silky fur.

”Where's mom, kitty?” I murmured to her.

The cat just purred.

Then I heard footsteps coming down the hall from the kitchen. ”Salem?”

”I'm in here.”

She came around the corner, her fierce green eyes flas.h.i.+ng in her little pixie face. ”Where the h.e.l.l have you been? I called you like five times on your cell?”

”I lost my cell.”

She stomped toward me, her bare feet smacking on the floor. ”Where did you spend the night? I was worried to death. I just about called the cops.”

I could feel tears starting to well again, so instead of looking at my mom I continued to pet d.u.c.h.ess. She arched her back and rubbed against my hand, purring happily.

”Salem, are you going to answer me?”

Mom was just a foot away from me, but I didn't dare look up at her. I knew the tears would come then and I wasn't certain I would be able to stop them. But my mom had an emo radar. She knew when I was feeling down or angry or anything. It was probably because we were a lot alike. And she'd also been a rebellious teenage. So she knew all the tricks of the trade. By some of her stories, I believed she invented some of those tricks.

She put her hand on my bent head. ”Are you all right, baby?”

I shook my head, and moved into the safety and sanct.i.ty of her arms. She was little like me, no more than five feet three, but I always felt safe when she hugged me. I buried my face into her neck, inhaling her familiar mango scent-it was her shampoo-and then let the tears fall.

She rubbed a hand up and down my back which always soothed me. ”What happened, love? Did you and Chloe have a fight?”

Too choked up with tears, I couldn't speak. I just shook my head.

”Did someone hurt you? You can tell me.” I could hear the quiver in her voice. ”Don't be afraid to tell me, whatever it is. I'm won't get mad, I promise.”

My mom was fierce that way.

When I'd been in fourth grade, two older boys had been picking on me, calling me names, shoving me around at recess. At first I didn't tell my mom, thinking I could handle it or thinking it would only get worse if I did. After three months of it, I had to tell her, I couldn't keep it in any longer. She'd known something was up since I would often be in my room crying after school or I'd fake being ill so I didn't have to go to school.