Chapter 128 - Absolutely, Positively 2: Something Vile (1/2)
Jena stepped in under the shower and gloried on the hot spray of water cascading on her skin. She hadn't done much physically today and yet she still felt exhausted.
Reaching for the bar of soap, she started on cleaning and scrubbing the day's dirt off her body as she let her mind drift on the events of the day. Having done so, she set her lips into a grim line and let out another frustrated sigh.
Sam's growing too fast, and the day that he would really ask about his father was coming sooner than she had expected. Her son acted too old for his age, and she worried. She loved Sammy so much that it would hurt her to lie to him, but lie she must if that would stop him from asking too much questions she wasn't prepared to nor she wanted to answer in the first place.
She had already made Sam believe that his father was dead— died before he was born. It was a lie of course. The truth was that Jena had no idea who his father was.
Exposing her soul as she ripped open her box of memories, Jena's lips trembled as she remembered that one night eight years ago. She was still on her sophomore year in university back then. She was such a timid person, and she had been bullied into attending a party at a club by people who called themselves her friends. Like a naïve little lamb, for the sake of trying to belong, she had forced herself to bear with that one single night, and learned too soon the harsh reality of other people's deceit.
Eight years ago…
The place was dark save for the flashes of light in tempo with the blaring music. Like a sore thumb sticking out, she sat awkwardly at one of the tables trying her best to make herself blend in the background but to no avail.
”Why won't you dance?”
Her 'friends' had long since abandoned her at the table for the dance floor to watch someone called 'king' perform and she was left on her own device with this guy who seemed to have been born with eight hands. The guy was forever trying to grope her since meeting her but she had managed to fend him off so far.
”I don't know how to dance,” she answered a little stiffly as she shifted on her seat, as far away as possible from the octopi.
She prayed the others would come back to their table before she'd be forced to slap the 'nice guy' she'd been hooked up with. She really wanted to go home. She already regretted coming here just to experience a sense of belonging with her own peers. She realized too late that it was a huge mistake. She shouldn't have cared.
A few minutes passed and some of her 'friends' returned to the table and she hastily tried to bid farewell.
”What? You're going home already?” they asked incredulously as if she'd grown mad but Jena was adamant about leaving.
”Yes. I forgot I have a report to finish,” she excused just as she stood, but a hand snaked on her arm and clamped on it hard.
”You can't leave yet,” the irritating guy said and Jena bit her lip.
She was really getting angry but stopped herself from speaking her mind when a glass of wine was suddenly shoved up her face.
”Drink this first before you go,” one of the girls ordered as she handed her the glass which Jena studied with a frown. ”There's no use attending a party if you won't have even just a glass of drink right?” she taunted and she reluctantly took it and drank its contents just to make them shut up and let her go.
It's just one glass, right? And it wasn't even full. The alcohol was just a third of the glass they had given her. With a sigh, she placed the glass against her mouth and drank.
The amber-colored drink tasted bitter and it stung her throat, but the others coerced her into finishing the glass up. Soon, the crystal container was empty.