One Too Many

         A dark, muggy room surrounded her. Kathy lay in a mess of tangled sheets that smelt of beer and vomit. The sight of this room sent a chilling shiver up her spine. Dazed and groggy, she had no idea where she was or how she got there. Her head pounded as she tried to remember what had happened to her.

         Kathy stared in the mirror. She hated the way she looked but knew she had kept her friends waiting for too long.
         “Are you coming?” An impatient voice called from downstairs.
         Sarah, Becky, and Natalie had patiently waited for her but now they just wanted to get the party started.
         “Yeah, I suppose.” Kathy answered, slowly leaving her bedroom, keeping her eyes on the mirror until it was no longer in sight. This was an important night, it was her 21st birthday and she wanted it to be perfect.

         ‘Where am I?’ Kathy thought as she looked around the room. The curtains were closed. The floor was scattered with dirty clothes, food scraps and empty beer bottles. The stale air made Kathy want to throw up.

         The music was blasting in the club. Kathy left the dance floor, her body glistening in a sheen of sweat. Kathy took a mouthfull of water as she looked around; all of her friends were still mingling on the dance floor.
         “Is this seat taken?” A smooth voice asked as a shadow of a guy leaned over her.
Kathy turned her eyes to meet the gaze of the man standing in front of her. His dark brown hair stuck to the patches of sweat on his face. His green eyes were sparkling beneath the flashing lights of the nightclub as he smiled at her.
         “No.” Kathy answered as she smiled back. He was cute and it wasn’t everyday that a cute guy would hit on her.
         “I couldn’t help but notice you on the dance floor,” he continued as he sat. “You looked great.”
         “Thanks.” Kathy fidgeted in her chair, blushing from this compliment.
         “Hey by the way I’m Jeremy.”

         Kathy stumbled toward the door. Her legs felt like lead and she was barely able to lift them as she moved across the room. Panic flooded her body as she turned the door handle only to find it locked. She was trapped. She could not remember what she had done or anything that had happened.
         “Help,” she whimpered as she scratched at the door.

         “You want another one?” Jeremy shoved another vodka cruiser into Kathy’s hand.
         “No I really shouldn’t” Kathy slurred.
         “Come on, you only live once,” Jeremy coaxed in a cool voice.
         Kathy, still shaking her head, took a swig of cruiser when suddenly she became nauseated.
         “I have to…” Kathy dashed away from Jeremy and headed towards the restrooms.

         The doorknob was turning. Someone was coming for her. Her heart was pounding wildly, as if trying to escape the confines of her chest. Slowly, the door opened. Without waiting to see who was there, Kathy rushed through the opened door. In doing so, she knocked the stranger to the ground.

         Kathy was disoriented, the room spinning to the beat of the music, the loud bass thumping through her head. There were so many people around her. Staring at her. Pointing at her. Talking about her. Kathy staggered across the room and collapsed in a vacant chair. With her head in her lap, she just sat.

         Blinding white light burned Kathy’s eyes. The world around her was blurred. Kathy felt her way along the smooth wall, stumbling over bags of trash, empty beer bottles and passed out bodies as she tried to find her way out of this nightmare.
         “Somebody help me,” Kathy hoped that someone would hear her.

         “Are you okay?” Kathy didn’t need to look up to know who was expressing their concern. Sarah was gently rubbing her back but not even that would make her feel any better.
Kathy tried to lift her head but this made everything around her spin.
         “We can leave if you want.” Natalie crouched down to look Kathy in the eyes.
         “No. I’ll be fine,” Kathy managed to spit out. She knew that her friends had been looking forward to this night and she could not let this entire evening be ruined because she could not hold down a drink.

         Noises filled her head. Snickering. Laughter. They were laughing at her. There had to be a way out. The world was now ferociously spinning. Kathy continued to fight her way down the long hall her body swaying like a boat on the ocean.
         “Come back here.” A voice called after her.
         They were coming for her. Her heart was racing, drowning out all of the other sounds. The consistent thumping was coming from every side of her. It was getting louder. It was getting faster.

         “Come on.” The cool voice of Jeremy echoed around Kathy’s head. His strong hands pulling her from her seat and leading her out of the noisy nightclub.

         Sweat dripped down her face. Kathy’s hands were furiously shaking. They were coming to get her. Everyone was out there; they were getting ready to pounce.
         “Get away from me,” Kathy screamed as she spun around. The sound of her heart had reached a deafening volume.

         Hands smothered her. She had no strength to push him away.
         “Come on I know you want this.” He pulled her against his firm body and forcefully kissed her. The cold metallic car behind her sent chills up her spine.
         “Leave me alone,” Kathy tried to scream but all that escaped was a hoarse whisper.

         Kathy could see a blurred figure approaching. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. Kathy pushed at her assailant. A firm hand caught her wrist. Kathy struggled to get out of the grip.

         A car door opened. Kathy pushed away as he forced her into the car.
         A strike across her cheek knocked her to the ground. Jeremy stood over her. “Be good and get in the car.”
         “Where are we going?” Kathy mumbled.
“We are only going for a little ride,” Jeremy answered smugly. “There is another party which we must attend.”

         Kathy’s hand fell away from her attackers. Her balance lost she collapsed backwards. The ground fell from beneath her feat. She was now falling.

         Kathy leaned her head on the window. Her eyelids were heavy. No matter how hard she tried, she could not keep her eyes open. Slowly, she faded into nothingness…

         At the bottom of the stairs she lay bruised and bloody. She could not move. She could only look as people started to crowd her. The blurry images slowly became clear. Her friends surrounded her as they crouched over her limp body and looks of shock and melancholy spread across their faces.
         Kathy was exhausted. The sounds around her blended into a soft humming. Her eyes slowly closed. The shadow of darkness engulfed her as everything went silent.