Rumors and Truth

Chapter 1:
When the girls pulled up to the clearing in the woods, the bonfire was already in full swing. Each girl got out of the car and went their own way to meet each of their boyfriends, everyone except Jean, so she headed towards the bonfire. She sat down on the log about 10 feet away from the fire. The fire was blazing high into the night air, but the flames felt good on her face. Behind her, a few trucks had parked and had their tailgates down to sit on. Rap music was blaring from someone’s truck. Jean looked around and noticed the bonfire was scattered with the usual high cliques: the jocks, the preps, the druggies, potheads, and the misfits. Jean felt like she did not fit in with any of them, and she was lonely.
Jean really had not wanted to come to the party, but several of the girls she worked with at the pool, had convinced her it would be a great party. Jean realized after they got there, the party was just another excuse for everyone to drink, smoke, and make out away from their parents. Jean was not against any of those things, but she did not have a boyfriend right now, and she hated the taste of beer.
By the time she got there most of the people were already drunk. Jean felt uneasy about being around people she really did not know. She went to school with most of them but did not really know them. Jean was the studious person, mostly because of her parents demanding it of her. She was to shy to go up to a group of people and try to make new friends. She felt awkward and insecure until she knew a person, but once they were her friend, she was very chatty. Jean had a small group of friends that she had known most of her life, and she was happy with that except on nights like tonight.
Jean tried to block out everything going on around her and enjoy the beauty of the night. She looked up watching the smoke from the fire and noticed how the sky was glittering with stars. The humidity had been plaguing the city for several weeks, had broke earlier in the day by a huge rainstorm. Everything smelled fresh and cool to the touch now just several hours later. For the end of June, the night air still had a chill in it.
Jean sipped on a can of beer even though she hated the taste, but she thought it was safer than some of the other drinks she was offered. She knew some of the guys sometimes slipped things into girl’s drinks so the girls would agree to anything they wanted. She smiled when she thought about the first time she drank beer. Jean and her best friend, Kenneth, were about ten years old. They sneaked a six pack of beer from a bar-b-que that their families were having. Then they hid in the basement. They both agree to dink three beers. Jean hated the taste from the first sip, but they both agreed. And when they made a promise to each other, they always keep it.
They were both feeling dizzy and woozy by the end of their first beer. They laughed so hard that Jean was crying about how easy it was to sneak the beer. They sat Indian style on the basement floor. They tired to listen to see if someone was coming. They both froze as they heard foot steps above them. After the footsteps above them passed, Jean relaxed and Kenneth leaned in and kissed her softly, barely touching her lips. It was Jean’s first kiss. The kiss was sweet and simple. When Kenneth pulled away Jean leaned in and kissed him back. She thought she was in heaven until Kenneth turned away and threw up. Jean smiled to herself at the memory while she took another sip of beer.
Jean thoughts went to Kenneth, and she knew Kenneth was at home in bed asleep. He had been teaching at the junior basketball camp during the day and then had to go to practice himself in the afternoon. Kenneth was going to be the captain of the basketball team this year and hoping to take his team to the state championship. A couple of colleges had already told him if he had a good year with no injuries, he would get a full scholarship to college. Kenneth’s mother had put a lot of pressure on him to go to college since his father had left them.
Kenneth had been her best friend since they were eight years old, but since they entered high school, it seemed harder and harder for them to spend time together. They each had their own interest in and out of school, including the romances each had over the years. Kenneth was busy with sports, while Jean, the studious one, focused on her classes and the academic clubs at school. They would try to spend time together at least once a week, even if it was just to study at Jean’s house. Kenneth was smart, but needed help with his time management. He had so much on his plate with work, school and sports that he became overwhelm sometimes. Jean was the one to let him know when things were due and what he had to accomplish. Kenneth teased her about being his personal secretary. They seemed like the perfect couple, but they had never dated each other. They would tell everyone that they were “just friends”.
They had dated other people, but it never seemed to work out for either of them. When they would break up, then the other was there to help pick the pieces. They were the type of friends that no one could put a wedge between them.
They had gone through Kenneth’s parents getting divorce, through Jean’s mother having breast cancer, and the death of Jean’s brother, Ryan. They were planning on going to the same college. They joked throughout high school that if either of them never married by the time they were thirty they would marry each other. Jean loved Kenneth, but they would always be just friends.
As her mind was wandering, people started throwing things into the fire, making it flare up. Jean decided she could not take the heat anymore and wanted to walk into the woods. She was feeling a little dizzy from the beer and the heat of the bonfire. She walked away from the clearing and walked into the woods. As she walked, she noticed several of the girls she came with had found a guy to make out with. She knew she should have driven herself, but it was too late. She was stuck out here with nothing to do.
It was a full moon, so once her eyes adjust to the darkness, she could see enough to keep herself from running into a tree.
When Jean go far enough away from the groups that she could barely hear the music, she let out a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes to feel the peacefulness of the night. As she took a step, she tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. She tumbled to the ground landing on her hands and knees.
“Great.” Jean stood up and brushed off her hands and knees. She noticed that she ripped her jeans.
“Are you okay?” A voice from behind her made her jump. She quickly spun around. When she saw a figure in the shadows standing a few feet away from her, but she could not tell who it was.
“Yes, I just wasn’t watching where I was going.” Jean was embarrassed to get caught tripping.
“I saw you come out here and I want to hang out with you without Kenneth around.” He gave a slight chuckle.
Jean still could not tell who it was or even recognized his voice. He was taller than her; she guessed he was about six feet, which was the height of most of the guys at school.
“I’m fine. I just need to get back to the party to find my friends. Do I know you?” Jean let out a sigh as she tried to wipe the dirt off her hands. As she looked up, the guy had a hooded sweatshirt on with the hood covering his face. He was making Jean uneasy. “Thanks for checking in on me, but I think I’m going to go back to the party.”
She walked past him to get back to the crowd of people. She had only taken a couple of steps before he spoke again. “I don’t think so, honey.”
“Please, I just want to get back to the party and my friends.” He stepped in front of her to block her path.
“Do you not want to spend time with someone if they’re not the star basketball player? Or is it because you have nose stuck in a book like a little snob, or maybe because you follow Kenneth like a little lost puppy.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.
He was squeezing tight enough that Jean became scared. “Please, let me go.” Jean tried to have strength in her voice, but he just laughed at her.
“Let’s have some fun.” He pushed her against the tree that she had just tripped over.
“No, stop!” She pushed him back with all her might and tried to run back to the bonfire. He fell over the tree roots and cursed. Before Jean could take two steps away from him, he pulled her to the ground. She was crying as she squirmed to get away from him, but he was stronger than she was. She kneed him in the groin. She heard him wince from the pain. She was almost free of him when he got his strength back.
“You’ll pay for that, bitch.” He growled. He pinned her against the nearest tree with her face press against the bark. He roughly kissed the back of her neck, biting and pulling on her skin. Jean tried to move around to avoid him, but he had her pinned against the tree. Jean felt him reach around and unzip her pants. Jean’s mind was racing. She could only imagine what he was going to do next. She started screaming for help. He covered her mouth with his hand. She could taste the sweatshirt that covered his hand. “You need to stop screaming. No one can hear you over the music. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.” He held her arms behind her with one hand while he unzipped his pants with the other.
“Please. Please don’t.” Jean begged until he pushed himself deep inside her. She closed her eyes and cried as he sent pain through her body. She whimpered in pain. His sweat was dripping down her neck, and could feel his heavy breathing on her neck. She wanted to vomit, because she was disgusted. She cried out for him to stop again, but the guy did not pay attention to her. She tried to see who it was but he kept her face against the tree.
Once he finished, he did not move. She was terrified to think about what he might do to her if she did anything wrong. She stood there quietly crying praying he would leave soon.
After a few minutes, which seemed to be a lifetime for Jean, He pulled himself apart from her and zipped up his pants. Jean crumpled to the ground.
“If I were you, I would not tell anyone about this.” The guy turned and walked away. He left Jean feeling exposed and dirty, and that was exactly how she felt inside. She curled up into a ball and cried.
After she had no more tears, she realized she was exposed. She pulled up her jeans and underwear. She felt pain as she zipped her jeans. The clouds were now covering the moon so she could barely see. She finally found her purse several yards away. She wanted to run to the bonfire and tell someone. She took a few steps towards the party, and then stopped. She panicked that the guy was still at the party, and he might hurt her again.
Jean sat on the ground and leaned against a tree. She waited until she was sure everyone had left. She could barely move because her thighs were hurting. She made it over to the log where she started the party at. She knew she needed help, and only one person could her through this.