Relax

August
I shoved the book into my bookbag and swung it over my shoulder as the bell rang. Aubrey elbowed my side and winked as she sidled up next to me. “Heard about you and Connor,” she smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. My green eyes widened but I tried to keep my nerves calm and my pulse steady. Gulping a breath in, I crossed my fingers and hoped she would give me details instead of vague answers like the rest of my friends had.
“Yeah? Whatcha hear?” I casually asked, breaking into the flow of the hallway and easing my pace, hoping it didn’t look as awkward as it felt. My neck began to bristle from the heat and my palms would definitely not be written on today, not unless I wanted ink smeared all over my hands.
“You and Connor. I mean, I never thought you’d go that far. And you looked knocked out, totally. You never get drunk, Chelsea. What’s up with that?”
I tried to stay calm but couldn’t ignore my racing pulse. Something had happened that night at Jason’s party, I was sure of it, but it was so blurry…The last thing I clearly remembered was deciding which cup of Pepsi I thought was mine. I had gulped it down, for some reason felt dizzy, and then Connor had taken my arm…blank.
That far? But that couldn’t mean…Connor went to church, I justified my fear with. He got straight A’s, and was not to mention Owen’s best friend. There was no way he would have taken advantage of me at that party.
“Aubrey, did we…?” I glanced up, but my best friend had disappeared into her science class. I sighed and turned into my own geometry class.
Connor slid into the seat next to mine and winked in my direction. My stomach twisted and I didn’t acknowledge him, instead reaching into my bookbag and shuffling through it for my homework.
“Chels,” his voice said from above my head. “Can we talk about this whole dumping me thing? I just figured that you were strung tight…you know, you weren’t serious, right?”
I straightened but still didn’t glance his way. “Hey, Alexa, do you have a pencil?” It took all of my strength to keep my voice from shaking, but I managed. What did he mean, I wasn’t serious? Of course I had been…and he knew why…oh, he knew why, all right.
The girl in front of me dug into her pouch for one, but a red pencil flew across my desk a second later. From him, of course. I gritted my teeth and handed it back to him, then took Alexa’s. “Connor.”
“Yeah?”
“The only reason I’m talking to you is because you’re Owen’s friend. And you know why I broke up with you, all right? Don’t play dumb.” I bit back another insult and let our geometry teacher’s monotonous tone take over before he could respond.

Ring, ring. The school year had just begun as tomorrow would be Labor Day. The thought was somewhat disheartening, and last Friday’s party still clouded my mind as I exchanged books at my locker and threw on a hoodie before venturing outside. A steady drizzle pattered down on me as I strode down the sidewalk and towards the main road.
Tires squelched as a car skidded to a stop beside me. “Hey, Chels,” Owen’s voice called. “Get in.” I glanced enviously at the Cadillac he’d gotten for his sixteenth birthday and headed over to it. After swinging the door open, I slid in and tugged my backpack in after me. My door slammed and then he lurched down the road towards my house.
“Chels, we have to talk,” Connor’s voice from the backseat plunged in. Startled, I gripped the armrest and glanced behind me. Where an empty seat had been two seconds beforehand, he now vacated. “Aren’t we gonna get back together?”
“Connor,” I groaned, slouching in my seat. If only Owen wasn’t sitting in the driver’s seat, intently listening, probably for leverage in later bickering. “Get over it.”
“C’mon, Chels,” he protested, a whiny edge to his voice. “Why’d you dump me anyway?”
“You know why!” Why did Owen have to pick me up? “Jason’s party.”
“Dude, nothing happened, I swear. Why would I do something that I know you wouldn’t like?” he asked.
I paused. Maybe Aubrey was wrong, or it was just gossip. Besides, I didn’t recall her standing in the same room when it turned blurry. It was possible. She hadn’t even given any details. Maybe the drink had been messed with, and I had gotten drunk by accident. Actually, it made more sense this way. Connor seemed clueless, more than usual anyway…I mulled over the idea of getting back together…
“How does the Labor Day picnic sound?”

Blistering heat poured down from the sun that had only last week hidden behind clouds that sent icy rain pouring to the pavement. I smiled as I posed for a picture with Owen and Connor, then scooped up my plate full of hamburgers and chips and followed them to a table. Owen snatched a couple of chips from my plate and merely grinned when I batted his hand away.
“Anyone up for Ultimate Frisbee?” Kevin’s voice yelled over the congregation’s racket.
I groaned as Connor and Owen ditched their mountain-high plates for the game that excluded most of the girls, particularly me, who could aim and miss a target as wide as a football field.
“Chelsea!” Mom’s shrill voice called as glanced around.
“Over here, Mom,” I yelled, waving her over. She hurried over, forehead wrinkled, and plopped into the seat next to mine.
“There’s a forty percent chance of rain in about thirty minutes, so I’m leaving you a rain jacket,” she explained, grabbing a chip from Owen’s abandoned plate and crunching loudly. I winced.
“Where you going, Mom?”
“Oh, your Aunt Ruthie’s having a minor crisis with her kids, and I volunteered to take Lucy to the hospital. They’ll be fine. But your father and brother are at a baseball game and…”
“It’s fine, Mom,” I reassured her. “Owen or Connor’ll give me a ride, okay?”
Mom breathed out a sigh of relief, forked over the jacket, and rushed off to her car. Glancing around, I found Owen and Connor still absorbed in their game, and finished off my plate. All of my other friends had voted to spend Memorial Day at the pool to work on their tans, and now their absence seemed vital to my survival…or something like that, anyway. I grinned as the two guys sauntered over, cocky about their win, and polished off their own plates with eagerness.
“Hey, I need a ride home,” I said, watching ketchup dribble down Owen’s chin and laughing.
“I’ll give you one,” Connor offered, winking at me. A chill started up my spine, but I ignored it and nodded at him, grinning. Nothing was wrong, I told myself. It was a normal day.
The picnic eventually wore down, and before I knew it I found myself hugging Owen and traipsing away with Connor. He took my hand and I squeezed it, blushing. We climbed in his car and he started the ignition. I barely noticed our direction as he putted off, meandering through the streets. Staring out the window, I marveled at the past week and wondered if I had made the right choice. I had nothing now but to accept it.
“Chelsea,” he said, pulling over to the side of the road.
It was only then that I noticed we were in an abandoned part of town that barely anyone vacated. I sat up straight, eyes wide, and turned to Connor. Suddenly his lips were on mine, hard and forceful. I struggled for a second, then remembered he was my boyfriend of all things, and kissed him back, settling into the seat. He went further, and I pushed his hands away for a second, trying to catch up with my thoughts. It was going to fast, and I couldn’t comprehend what was happening…his hand were at my jeans, unbuttoning the snap. “No, Connor,” I protested, scooting as far away from him as I could.
He smiled gently and kissed me again, his hands still at my jeans. I flailed my arms at him and wiggled away from his grasp. “Stop it, Connor!” I exclaimed, terror seizing my heart. My heart began to pump faster and my pulse was racing. “No!”
“You did it before, Chels,” he whispered, grinning somewhat wickedly as he continued to fumble at my waist.
“What?” My shirt was soaked with perspiration. “You said…”
“You gave in, Chelsea. You must not remember. But I do…”
“No, Connor, no, stop it,” I wailed. He placed his hand over my mouth and pushed even further. Slowly he pulled me into the backseat, unbuttoning my blouse.
“No one can hear you, Chelsea,” he said. “And if you did it before, why won’t you do it now?”
His calmness unnerved me. “Someone drugged me!” I shouted. “That wasn’t me!”
My voice sounded strangely loud. I looked into Connor’s eyes and saw something that I had never even glimpsed of him before. Fury welled in his eyes, burning…and it was then that I knew I wouldn’t escape. “Connor,” I whispered weakly, falling back into the seat. “Stop…”
I groped for the handle of the car door near me, and suddenly the door popped open. I struggled to pull myself out of the car. Suddenly I fell out onto the pavement and I sat up, re-buttoning my jeans and the few buttons at the top of my blouse. Quickly I stood up and wobbled a few steps away from the car, glaring at Connor.
“You won’t get away with this,” I yelled, suddenly shivering in the heat.
He smirked at me; it sent a chill down my spine. “Who would listen to you? Not even Owen would.”
I felt a knot in my throat. He was right. Who would listen? Connor was the perfect example of a prime junior. Valedictorian, football quarterback, all-around jock, friendly, rich, and he even went to church. A sickening sense of dread engulfed me. “It’s over, Connor,” was I all I managed to choke out, and then I was stumbling away from the car and towards my house.
All I wanted to do was take a shower and then climb under my covers and cry.

“Honey? Chelsea, you have to wake up…Chelsea?”
My eyes cracked open and I groggily sat up. “Mom? What time is it?”
“Chelsea, it’s seven o’clock! And a Monday night…” she trailed off, letting me catch the hint.
I groaned. “Oh, God. Has he called?”
Monday nights was hangout time with Owen. We mostly just watched movies, occasionally went bowling, and in a rare moment we did something outrageous like putt-putt, ice cream (which didn’t last very long because it’s not possible to eat one cone of ice cream in a period of five and a half hours), or baseball games.
“Yes, Chels. He just did. And he wants you over at his house right now.” Mom sighed and headed out of the room, grinning slightly. Slowly I sat up and stretched, rolling my shoulders, and then it all hit me.
Connor. The back seat of his car.
I fell back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t tell Owen, but could I hide it? I didn’t trust myself.
Snatching my cell phone, I dialed his number and waited for him to pick up.
“Chelsea?”
I had forgotten he has caller ID.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded. “You’ve never missed a Monday night. I mean, c’mon here, I’m tempted to even watch the OC show, which is totally against the rules.”
Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. I rolled my eyes.
“Owen, I really need to skip tonight.”
“Whaddya mean? We never skip, it’s part of the rules,” he whined.
“Please, Owen…something happened. Major. And I don’t think…”
“What, did you break up with Connor?” he laughed from the other side. “Well, whatever it is, it’s nothing a batch of cookies can’t fix. C’mon, Mom fixed ‘em just for you.”
I weakly grinned and shook my head before remembering he couldn’t see me. “Owen, it’s serious.”
“And I’m being serious.”
“Owen! I really need my space tonight, okay?”
“Fine. Abandon me. Are you sure you don’t want cookies? They smell realllly good.”
“No,” I sighed. “Thanks, but no.”

October
“What’s up, Chels?” Owen shouted from across the hallway. I rolled my eyes and high-five him before ducking into Spanish. Aubrey waved me over to a seat and giggled as I slipped into the seat next to her. Her eyes darted from Owen as he sauntered into the room, to me, expectantly glancing at her.
“He likes you, you know,” she whispered as Owen slid into the seat in front of me and started to turn around.
“What? No way,” I managed to say before his body completely faced us.
“No way what?”
I blushed. “Nothing. Some dumb math problem that Aubrey figured out.”
He eyed me, and then nodded. “Aubrey’s a math genius, huh?” He winked at her. “Sweet.”
“Como estas, Owen?” Senora Hernandez called from across the room.
“Muy bien, gracias,” Owen called back, his ears turning slightly pink.
“Las chicas muy bonita, no?” she smirked back. The class laughed as Owen slid down in his seat and hid behind his Spanish textbook.
“Si,” he mumbled. Aubrey elbowed me and I shot her a dark look.
The last thing I needed was romance problems, believe me.

“Are you gonna show tonight?” Owen asked, bumping my shoulder on the way out of school.
“You bet,” I grinned.
“Cool. Catcha later.”
“See ya.”
I turned the opposite direction to head to the sidewalk for my walk home, and came face to face with Connor. Gasping, I felt my books slip out of my arms and tumble to the sidewalk. “Oh. Hi.”
Connor leered at me, his arm dangling around Vanessa, his new girlfriend. He stooped down and handed me my books one by one, letting his fingers brush mine slowly as he did so. Shivers ran up and down my arm and I slowly backed away. Connor’s arm returned to Vanessa’s shoulders. “What’s up, Chelsea?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
“How about never,” I mumbled, brushing past him and scurrying down the sidewalk.

“Okay, Mom, I’m going to Owen’s,” I yelled.
“Okay, honey. Have a nice time.”
I ran out to my car and slid in, slamming the door behind me. After the keys fumbled in my hands and then slid into the ignition, the engine rumbled and rock music blared in through the speakers. I winced and flicked the radio off. Slowly I rumbled out of the driveway and down the street. Two streets later I pulled up Owen’s driveway and frowned at the two extra cars that I didn’t recognize. Did his brother have friends over or something?
I slid out of the car and headed up his front steps, then knocked and walked in. Owen’s mom peered in and grinned at me, then pointed down the basement steps. “Hello, dear. How’s your mom?”
“Great.”
Heading down the steps, I grabbed a bag of pretzels on the way and frowned as I distantly heard…Connor’s voice? My stomach was swarmed by butterflies and my pulse began to race. No way, I thought, freezing halfway down. No way. Not tonight.
“Chels? Is that you?” Owen’s voice called from I guessed the couch.
Suddenly Connor’s face appeared from the bottom of the steps and I sharply breathed in. My stomach began to heave but I forced it back and stared at my feet, hoping I could keep the secret alive for one more day…
“Hey, Chels, is something wrong?” Connor asked in his most perfect gentlemanly voice. He actually sounded concerned.
“Um, no, I’m fine,” I gasped, awkwardly half-tripping down the stairs again. I grasped the railing and finally made it to the bottom. Glancing at Connor, I weakly smiled and swept past him and into the main room of the basement. Owen smiled up at me from the couch (as I had predicted) and motioned to Connor and Vanessa, who was fiddling with the TV.
“That’s okay with you, Chels? They had nothing to do…so, you know, I just invited them.”
My mouth refused to move. I couldn’t even smile. Numbly I placed the bag of pretzels on the table.
“Why wouldn’t it be? We’re all friends,” Connor grinned from across the room. His voice startled me, and I breathed in deeply before settling into the couch next to Owen and nodding.
“I’m just a little hot…and my mind’s a little slow from all my math homework,” I lamely said as my excuse, spreading a blanket over my legs.
“Yeah, it’s a little warm in October,” Owen sarcastically said, pretending to feel my forehead. “Nope, no fever. Are we both living in northern Michigan?” He whipped the blanket off my legs and laughed. “C’mon, Chels, brighten up a little.”
Vanessa smiled brightly at me from her position in Connor’s lap. Connor himself was situated on a large chair next to the television. I began to relax as a movie flicked over the TV screen and a comfortable silence settled over the room. Halfway through I got up to go the bathroom, and noticed my cheeks were drained of all color. I pinched them and tried to smile. My stomach was still a little shaky, but I pushed the feeling away and swung the door open.
My stomach leaped and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as Connor’s face met mine from behind the door. “Connor!” I gasped, stumbling away. “What the heck—,”
“Shah,” he warned, stepping into the bathroom. “I just want to make something straight. You’re not telling anyone about you know what, right?”
“Um, yeah,” I faintly affirmed, wishing I could just act as laid back and casual around him as he could around me.
“Good,” he said, and then strode for the door. His tone of voice completely changed as he met someone in the hallway. “Vanessa,” he sweetly said. She giggled and I heard her say something like where were you? He had a witty answer up his sleeve and his voice faded as I stared into the mirror. Red hair, green eyes, freckles, an altogether pretty much plain face, plus a slim but not shapely figure…there was no reason for him to pick me. So why had he? It hit me.
Because I wouldn’t tell anyone.
The door opened again, and this time Vanessa slipped in through the door. She looked startled, and then backed away, laughing slightly. “Oh, hey, sorry.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “C’mon in, I was just leaving.”
“Okay.” I pretended to brush away a stray hair, and then dove in. “Has Connor…ever…like, made you uncomfortable?”
Vanessa glanced curiously over at me from where she was re-applying mascara. “Um, no, not that I can remember. Why?” She paused, and then glanced back. “Oh, wait; you’re his ex-girlfriend, right?”
“Yeah.” That’s me. His little tool that won’t say a word, I thought, gritting my teeth. “Well, I just wanted to warn you.”
“Excuse me?” Vanessa said, squinting at me without managing to mess up her mascara. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“Just that if he makes you uncomfortable…break up with him.”
She laughed shortly. “There is no reason I would ever break up with Connor. He’s an amazing guy. I’m sorry if you didn’t have the same experience.” Her face red, she stalked out of the door and slammed it behind her. I took that as my cue to leave.

It was Spanish class again. “Chels, why’d you leave so early? You could have just told me,” Owen complained, flicking me with his pencil. I avoided his eyes.
“I know. I just had to leave. I felt sick.”
“Oh,” he said, warily eyeing me. “Are you okay with Connor? You guys don’t seem on the best terms.”
“Um, I don’t think any girl is comfortable with her ex-boyfriend,” Aubrey sarcastically piped in, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah,” I tossed in, and then returned to my textbook. My mind was swarming with thoughts. I should have told someone immediately about what had happened. But he was right…no one would believe me. I mean, compared to him, I was an outcast. And not even Owen would believe me…because, well, Owen was Connor’s best friend. It wasn’t fair.
“What’s not fair?” Owen asked.
Startled, I realized I had said that last part aloud. “Um…this Spanish thing. Never mind.”
“Chels, are you okay? You’ve been acting weird ever since…ever since you and Connor broke up.”
I laughed a little too loudly. “Nothing’s wrong,” I assured him.
But I wasn’t so sure myself.

November
My cell phone rang, and I flipped it open and pressed the Talk button. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Chelsea?” a shaky voice responded.
I frowned, not recognizing the voice. “Yes, who is this?”
“Vanessa.”
It took me a second to realize who Vanessa was, and then it clicked. Connor’s girlfriend, right. “Oh, hi, what’s up? Are you okay?”
I heard her take a shaky breath before answering. “No, I’m not. Do you think I could come over?”
Glancing at my watch, I saw I still had two hours before Owen’s C and O, not the OC show. “Sure. Do you know where I live?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Confused, I waited on the front steps until her car pulled up into my driveway. Vanessa climbed out and hurried over to me, shivering in her thin jacket. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and she had large circles under her eyes. Concern shot through me, and I stood to greet her. “Vanessa? Is everything all right?”
“We can sit here,” she breathlessly said. Slowly she plopped onto my front steps and took a ragged breath. “I’m so sorry for just up and coming like this, but it’s important.” She stopped.
“Okay…?” I prompted, leaning forward.
“It’s Connor.”
A wave of surprise washed over me. This couldn’t mean…my stomach clenched in fright. “What happened?”
“He…he forced me to…” Suddenly she burst into deep sobs, and I felt dread consume me. Connor had struck again. I put my arm around her and waited until her tears subsided.
“I know,” I whispered, watching her sit up and wipe her face. “It happened to me too.”
“Sometimes I feel like I won’t get over it,” she whispered.
“When did it happen?” I asked.
“Last week.”
“You’ll get over it,” I assured her. “But it won’t be the same. Have you told anyone?”
I discerned fear in her eyes. “No. I can’t. No one would believe me, not even my friends. They think Connor’s a god.”
“Same here. Vanessa…I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” She glanced away. “I should have listened to you.” I shivered and tried to smile at her, but couldn’t. We sat there for a few minutes in silence, and then she got up and walked slowly to her car.
“We could bring it to court, you know,” I mentioned. She glanced up at me from her front car door.
She shook her head and smiled sadly. “No, we can’t. We don’t have evidence…I mean, I don’t even have proof that he raped me at that party. I was too drugged to remember anything.”
Evidence. The word rang in my ears for the rest of the afternoon.

December
Owen honked his horn at me as he pulled up to me as I stood on my street. “When are you going to get your mom to buy you a car?”
I grinned and tossed a snowball at him. “Can I get a ride? I think I’m going to be late.”
“Sure.” I hopped in and shoved my bookbag to my feet. Rubbing my hands together, I blew on them and glanced over at him. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” he said, shifting the car into drive and pulling away from the curb. “I’m just glad to be with you.”
I grinned. “You’re with me almost every day, dork,” I pointed out, laughing and turning up the radio. Dancin’ In the Moonlight by Toploader came on and I sang along, tossing my hair around, bouncing up and down in my seat, and pretending my fist was a microphone. Owen eyed me, an amused smile tugging on his lips.
“American Idol, watch out!” he joked, leaning over and squeezing my hand, laughing.
I froze and glanced down at his hand. Slowly I looked over at him and cocked my head questioningly. “Are your hands cold or something?”
He jerked his hand away and I watched as his cheeks turned a shade of red. “No,” he croaked. I examined him for a second, and then shrugged.
“Dancing in the moonlight…everybody’s feeling warm and bright…”

“Oh my God!” Aubrey shrieked as I entered Spanish class. “Chels, get your butt over here!”
I laughed and slid into the seat next to her. “Yeah? What’s up?”
“Connor asked me out!” she shrieked, clutching her notebook to her chest. My heart sank and I sat up straight, eyes wider.
“What?”
“Yeah! He asked me to Winter Formal! Isn’t that amazing?” She paused, her blue eyes bright with emotion. “But it’s all right with you, right? I mean, you broke up ages ago.”
I stared at the floor, my stomach twisting. Aubrey? He was actually heartless enough to go after Aubrey? “Um, Aubrey, I don’t know…” I shrugged a little, trying to hide my emotion.
“Oh, thanks, Chels! You’re the best!”
“No, I’m not,” I whispered.
“Buenos dias, clase!” Senora Hernandez exclaimed, clapping her hands together twice. As the class quieted a little, I glanced up and noticed that Owen was sitting across the room with some other guys. I caught his eye, and he waved a little before laughing at something a guy said and slapping a high five with him. What was up with that?
I shook my head and tried to concentrate on my textbook.

January
“Can’t you get some heat down here?” I joked, exaggerating my shivers and grabbing the blanket over Owen.
“Hey,” he complained, snatching it back from her. “It’s not my fault.”
“Um, we’re at your house…?” I laughed.
“Yeah, well,” Owen shrugged. “If you’re really cold, you could slide over and stop being so isolated over there on the other end of the couch.”
I stared at him for a second, trying to decide if he was flirting with me. “Um…”
He grinned over at me and then shifted himself until he was pressed up against me, pratically suffocating me.
“Oof! Owen, get off me!” I yelled, giggling. “I can’t notice the warmth if I can’t even breathe…” Suddenly I couldn’t breathe at all, but not from his closeness. His body seemed to contort until all I could see was Connor. I gasped. Connor’s face leered over at me. “Chelsea,” he whispered, his mouth twisting into an evil grin. I struggled to get out of his grasp.
“Stop!” I shrieked. “Connor—,”
In an instant his body shifted off mine and my mind cleared. Owen, not Connor, was sitting next to me, questiongly staring at me. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern etched in his voice. My eyes began to brim with tears, and I shook my head.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be,” he said. Owen draped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me in a half-hug. I buried my face into his sweatshirt and let a few tears slip down my face before closing my eyes to block them out. It all had come swarming back at me in one instance…what if this never stopped? What if when she was married she still had these nightmares, haunting her for the rest of her life? My shoulders shook and my legs trembled as I tried to gulp my fear down and sit up.
Owen’s arm still remained around my shoulders, but for the moment I didn’t care. “You want to tell me what’s going on?” he asked.
I avoided his gaze. “Not exactly.”
“It has to do with Connor, I guess.”
“Yes.”
An awkward silence filled the room, and finally I stood up and grabbed my winter coat. “I probably should go.”
I expected him to protest, but all he did was sadly shake his head and mutter, “Yeah, you probably should.”


February
There’s nothing like winter to slow you down. I mean, February has to be the worst month of the year, even though it’s the shortest. The momentum of school wears down until you’re dying to get home and just…do absolutely nothing. When you walk outside, all you can see is that gloomy slush that oozes on the sidewalk, and even though it’s all gray skies and barely a wind chill, you still have to wear your winter coat. Besides the gloom and school sickness (both mentally and physically), I had Owen to worry about. He hadn’t talked to me since that night when I avoided the subject of Connor, and since then he only waved at me from a distance. As if we were just acquaintances, not best friends since kindergarten.
“Chelsea!” Aubrey gushed, scampering over to me while trying to balance her books in her arms at the same time. Her cheeks were tinged with red and she bounced on her toes as she stood in front of me, pratically glowing. “Oh my God, Chels, guess what?”
“You got a B on a biology test,” I guessed, heading towards the cafeteria for lunch.
She scowled at me and shook her head. “Nooo, Chels, not that. Connor asked me out for real! We’re going to a party tonight!”
I winced and stared at my shoes. “That’s great,” I managed before quickly changing the subject to our geometry test next week. My friend merely shrugged and babbled on about areas and whatever related to math.
My mind began to swim. How could I do this to my best friend? Here she was, dating a loser who had hurt me in the worst way possible, and I was just going to stand by and watch her be obliberated by his callous relationship skills too?
“Hey, Aubrey,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“Where’s this party at?”

Rock music blared from speakers as half the crowd of teenagers danced in a huge crowd. I personally winced and weaved in and out of the crowd, looking for Aubrey and Connor. Finally spotting them by one of the refreshment tables, I casually approached them and blurted a hello. Aubrey squealed and flung her arms around me, her legs slightly wobbling. She was obviously a little tipsy already, and I grabbed her drink from her hand and handed her an unopened Coke. While her fingers fumbled to pop it open, I coolly nodded at Connor and started up a conversation with Aubrey. Soon she was chatting nonstop about some play her mom was forcing her to go to next Sunday and I shifted my weight, content at my intervention so far.
Eventually, though, I had to use the restroom and left the two alone for a couple of minutes. As I dried my hands off on a rough paper towel, I ventured outside and instantly glanced to where Aubrey and Connor had been. I made a face as I saw them making out, and I turned away to throw my towel away. Suddenly something caught my eye, and I swiveled back.
A boy around my age was dumping something into…was that Aubrey’s Coke? “Hey!” I yelled, trying to push through the crowd. “Hey, you!” My heart started pounding as I saw Aubrey step away from Connor and turn back to her drink. She lifted it to her mouth and began to tip it back.
“Aubrey!” I screamed, but the rock music blared and not even the guy next to me could hear me. As if in slow motion, I watched as my friend gulped down part of her Coke, and then set it back down on the table. She laughed at something Connor said, and then slowly turned back to him. Her eyelids began to droop and her legs to tremble, and gradually she staggered over to her boyfriend, reaching out to steady herself. The drug was a fast worker.
My own legs refused to move. I felt a sharp, piercing pain in my gut but I was unable to cry out. I watched as Aubrey clung to Connor’s shirt, dreamily grinned, and nodded to something Connor whispered in her ear. He glanced around, took her hand, and led her along to what I assumed was a hallway. Once they left the room, I finally was able to breathe.
Gulping in air, I leaned over and felt like throwing up. The stale air filled my lungs but provided enough for my brain to comprehend that Connor was doing exactly to Aubrey what had happened to me and Vanessa. In Vanessa’s case, I didn’t know her that well, but for God’s sake, this was my best friend. My legs finally lurched forward and suddenly I was tripping over to where my friend had disappeared. My surroundings blurred as I turned around the corner into…an empty hallway.
I leaned against the wall for a moment to catch my bearings, and then slowly approached a door. My hand reached for the doorknob, twisted it, and the door popped open and swung gently open. I breathed in, glanced in, and then disappointedly shut the door that apparently led to an empty library. Sighing, I moved towards the next door…and then the next. For the next door I barely even glanced in the room, but then double-taked.

POSSIBLE ENDING NUMERO UNO
Connor and Aubrey were in it, but just sitting on the bed and talking. Neither of them noticed me, so I quitely crept in the room and huddled in a shadow, trying to catch their whispers. “Hey, are you ready?” he whispered, gently holding her hand.
I sucked in my breath. This was it. Aubrey was obviously not her normal self and—she was nodding? This was a very, very bad sign.
“Yeah, I think I’m ready,” she whispered back, giggling. Connor shifted and reached towards her…and then just laid his arm around her shoulders.
“You can do it, you know. You have amazing grades and intelligence.”
I frowned. What were they talking about? Even from across the room I could see her blush and glance away. “Oh, stop it, Connor,” she mumbled. “You know it’s nearly impossible to get into an Ivy League school.”
They were talking about college? The SAT’s were coming up, but this was ridiculous. Suddenly I felt really foolish. Slowly I crept back out of the room and leaned against the shut door. For an hour I just stood there, waiting to hear anything besides their whispers about various futures or the latest movies. After that, I gave up.
Did this mean…did this mean that what had happened between me and him…had it all been made up by my imagination? I shuddered and crumpled to the ground. My shoulders shook as I buried my face into my jeans and felt tears slide down my face. There was no way I was insane. That scene with Connor had really happened! But what if at that party…what if…we were just talking? Like Aubrey and Connor were doing in there? It didn’t make sense! Fumbling for some sort of an answer, I squeezed my eyelids shut and concentrated. Suddenly, it all came flowing back.
It was Jason’s party. Teens were dancing and talking just like at a regular party, and I was just about to make my way over to Aubrey, Owen, and Connor when someone bumped into me. “Ouch!” I complained, turning around to see who had jabbed their shoulder blade into my side. A boy about the age of seventeen glanced down at me, his lips parting to apologize. As he did so, I noticed from the corner of my eye some hand brush near my drink. I sharply turned but when I fully faced where it had been, the hand had disappeared. By then the other boy had vanished too, and I simply shrugged and made my way over to my three friends.
Back then, I hadn’t noticed the flash in Owen’s eyes when I approached Connor and smiled, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. But now, recalling the scene, I observed it with alarm. Connor slipped his arm around my shoulders, and I dipped my head back to sip from my Coke. Then, what I couldn’t remember before…it all came back.
“Hey, Chels, let’s get away from this place. It makes my head ring.”
I giggled. “Sure, Connor.” We ambled away from Owen and Aubrey and into the spare bedroom unoccupied by anyone. And then for the next hour, we…talked. About Connor’s dead father and my own troubles at the time. That was it.
Slowly slipping back into reality, my body began to tremble and I felt a deep sob well up within my chest. But what about Vanessa? She had gotten raped too….
Ring, ring…ring, ring. I fumbled to open my purse and grabbed my cell phone, checking the caller ID. Owen. Sighing, I flipped open the top and said, “Hey, Owen, what’s up?”
“Chels, where are you? I’m outside Kayla’s house. Can you meet me here?”
“Yeah, hold on.” I hung up and slowly made my way through the crowd still dancing, talking, and laughing and who probably would for the next hour or two. Evenutally I ended up stumbling out of the front door and to Owen, who was standing outside by the front steps. “Owen, what’s wrong?”
“You. Chels, what is wrong? Can you just tell me?”
Tears filled my eyes and I turned away, shivering in the cold. Suddenly I felt his arm drape around my shoulders. “Is it me?”
I jerked my head in his direction in surprise. “What?”
“You must have noticed…”
“Oh.” He was talking about his change in feelings about me. “Yeah, I noticed. But…no. That’s not it.”
“So you’re not still in love with Connor?”
I broke away from him and sharply laughed. “Connor?” I choked on my question and my knees buckled. “Connor?” I buried my face into my jeans and huddled there for a second, trying to gather in my emotions and thoughts. “No. I never…loved…Connor. Trusted, yes, but never loved.”
“Did you…did he…break your trust? C’mon, Chels, you can tell me.”
C’mon, Chels, you can tell me. You can tell me. This whole time, I could tell no one. And now, I was going to tell Owen, Connor’s best friend? But, he was also my best friend, I reminded herself. Breathing deeply in, I shakily stood, faced away from Owen, and the whole story came tumbling out. The party, the backseat of Connor’s car, Vanessa’s same story…all of it.
“Oh my God.”
“Owen, I know you don’t believe me…”
“Chels.”
I turned back. “Yeah?”
“I believe you.”
I let out my breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding and turned fully around to face him. “You…you do?”
“Yeah.”
A rush of relief washed over me and suddenly all the tears I had been holding back came flowing out all at once. I buried my face into his coat as I completely melted, wishing I was anywhere else, wishing I had never ridden home with Owen from that Labor Day picnic. It was my fault. I never should have trusted him. But I was so afraid…so afraid…that no one would believe me.
“I believe you, Chelsea,” Owen whispered as he wrapped me in a hug.
We stood there like that for ten minutes and at the end, I was able to shakily whisper, “Thank you.”
And that’s when it clicked. The party…why we had only talked…and why I couldn’t remember it…
Connor knew that people would talk. For instance, Aubrey herself told me that we had probably had sex or at least had been doing something in that room, when in fact nothing had happened. But he had gotten that guy, whoever had spiked or drugged Aubrey’s drink, to spike and drug my drink, just so I would think that it already happened. And so I would become afraid…and fear would be his motivation to…to…to do what he had done in the backseat of his car. It made sense.
“Owen?”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s get out of here.” I took his hand and led him back to his car. “Take me home.”
And in the morning, when Aubrey would lay awake in her bed, wondering what had happened the night before, she would have me to tell her the truth. And maybe the three of us girls would have enough courage to stand up to Connor together.

POSSIBLE ENDING NUMERO DOS
It wasn’t even Connor and Aubrey…it was Kayla and Liam. Disgusted, I turned away and shut the door behind me, wondering where the two of them had gone. A sudden flood of panic seized me, but then suddenly I heard a familiar voice…
“Chelsea,” Connor whispered, his breath brushing the back of my neck. A chill shivered down my spine, and I backed away, slowly turning around to face him.
“What do you want, Connor? Where’s Aubrey?”
He chuckled menacingly under his breath. “Don’t worry about her, Chelsea. She’s fine…in the backseat of my car.”
I stiffened. “What have you done to her?” I nearly shouted, my voice trembling.
“Nothing, relax,” he said, grinning. “She just got a little…tipsy.”
“You drugged her!” I accused.
He shrugged. “No, I didn’t. That was taken care of. But he put in a bigger dose than I expected…” he said, and then shrugged again. “So I’ll have to wait for another night, big deal. But you, on the other hand, are right here, right now.”
“But I’m not drugged,” I assured him. “And I can run, just like last time. And this time, someone will hear me.”
“But just like last time, you’ll be too afraid to speak out,” he snarled, grabbing my arms and pinning me to the wall. My knees buckled under his strength and I groped for the wall, anything…he grinned again and brought his face within two inches of mine. “Remember this?” he asked. He jerked me to the entrance of another room, and kicked the door open. It was empty, and he dragged me to the bed in the middle of it, despite my furious struggles to get out of his grip. It was too strong, too overpowering…
“Connor, what the hell are you doing?” yet another familiar voice commanded from behind us. Relief swept through me and I felt his grip on my arms loosen. I fell to the floor and then scrambled away from him, in the process turning and hoarsely whispering, “Owen…”
Owen stood in the doorway, his legs spread apart and his eyes flashing. “Get out of here,” he growled at Connor.
“Hey man,” Connor said, holding his hands up in defense. “I wasn’t doing anything.” And with his head high he started to saunter out of the room left the room.
Owen merely motioned to me. “I think I know who to believe,” he sarcastically said, then drew back his arm. In a flash he punched Connor right in the gut. He doubled over, gasping in pain.
“Owen,” he groaned. To that all Owen did was punch him again, this time in the jaw. His head snapped back and then he was lying motionless on the floor. Owen shook his head in disgust and turned back to me. My mouth gaped open in surprise.
“How did you know?” I asked, trying to stand up, but my legs trembling too much to even support myself. Owen rushed over to me and helped me up, his arm around my shoulders.
“Chelsea, what happened? Are you all right?” I nodded feebly, and then leaned my head into his shoulder.
“How did you know…?” I whispered.
“How did I know?” he repeated questionigly. “You called me, Chels.”
“I did?” I fumbled in my purse for my cell, and then saw that it was flipped open, and somehow I had called Owen’s number. “That’s…that…”
“That saved you from him. God, Chels, why didn’t you tell me? That’s why you were sick that night when I invited Connor and Vanessa…”
I nodded.
“Chels…I…I’m sorry.”
I ruefully grinned. “It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.”
“But—,”
I put my fingers over his lips and shushed him. “No. It’s not your fault. I should have told you, but I was too afraid…”
“Chels, you…you’re way more important to me than Connor. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t trust you.”
“Well you won’t have to worry about that.” He squeezed my hand, and the comfort felt unbearable and totally secure all at once. We slowly made our way outside and into his car, leaning on each other for support in complete, wonderful silence.

POSSIBLE ENDING NUMERO TRES
And then I blacked out.

A faint, but bright light seemed to lie just on the top of my eyelids. One of my eyelids fluttered open in protest, and then suddenly my eyes squinted underneath the light. “She’s awake,” I heard my mother’s voice exclaim, but the noise was so distant…
I was lying on a thin, hospital bed, my parent’s faces, etched with concern, above mine. As soon as I understood what was happening, a flood of questions rose to my lips...why was I in a hospital? Then it all came flooding back. Where was Aubrey and Connor? And Owen? Was Audrey hurt? I struggled to sit up but Mom pushed me back gently and started scolding me.
“Chelsea, you scared all of us to death. What were you doing at that party? Where there was alcohol and drugs…” She shook her head and I winced. “Obviously you got hurt. Chels, what happened?” she said, her voice softening a bit.
“I…I don’t know,” I honestly replied, trying to search my brain for a reasonable answer. “Um…I felt lightheaded…and then, I just passed out. I must have been looking for a bathroom?”
Dad shook his head. “Well, you’re grounded, that’s for sure. For at least two weeks. Even from going to Owen’s house.”
“Dad!” I exclaimed in protest. “But we always—“
“I don’t care,” he firmly said. “You go straight home from school, do your homework, eat dinner, and then stay in your room for the rest of the night.”
“Well, Howard, maybe that’s a little too harsh,” Mom said, laying her hand on his shoulder. “I think she’s punished enough with a broken leg. Just don’t let it happen again, okay?”
“Wait, what? My leg is broken?” I craned my neck and vaguely saw a white cast set upon my right leg, from my upper thigh down to my foot. “What happened?”
“When you fainted, you fell on your leg wrong. It twisted and broke. Oh, and honey, Aubrey is here, would you like to talk to her?”
I brightened. “Yeah.”
“Owen was here earlier, but he left about thirty minutes ago to get some sleep. He told me for you to call him.”
I grinned. “Sure, now bring Aubrey in.”
My friend appeared in the doorway about thirty seconds later, weakly grinning at me. I noticed large, dark circles under her eyes and immediately sat up, concerned. “Aubrey, what happened?” Then understanding set in. “Oh.”
Her eyes filled with tears and she rushed to me. “Oh, Chels, did he do it to you to? I didn’t want to believe it until Mom took me to the hospital to do a test on me…and it came out positive.” She burst into sobs. “Oh my God, Chels, what are we going to do?” Her shoulders shaking, she buried her face into her arms on the side of my bed. “I…I don’t know what to do.”
“You mean…you mean you have evidence?”
“Yeah,” she said, slowly sitting up and wiping her tears away furiously. “You think I should go to court, don’t you?”
“Well…we have evidence!”
“I can’t! I’m not strong enough! No one will believe me!”
A shot of pain rushed through my back as I quickly sat up and grabbed her hand. “Aubrey, look at me.”
Her eyes, brimming with still more tears, peered up at me as her mouth quivered. “Aubrey, you have to know, that I will always support you. If you can stand up against Connor, then I can too. And Vanessa will. You’ll have three people to support you, and we have evidence. Do you realize that no matter what happens, Connor will get convicted? It’s happened to three girls, so how many more will we stand by and watch get taken advantage of?” I felt a strong, deep emotion well up in my chest as I stared at her. “We have to take him to court!”
“I agree,” someone said from the doorway. My head jerked up and my mouth dropped open as I gazed into Owen’s eyes.
“Owen—what? How…?”
“Chels, why didn’t you tell me?” he directly asked, striding towards me and taking my other hand. I began to feel my own eyes brim with tears, and I squeezed his hand.
“I…I don’t know. But…you believe me?”
“Of course. And you, Vanessa, and Aubrey, will have another support, which would be me,” he said, grimly staring at me. I feebly nodded, then felt my stomach be capsized by butterflies as he squeezed my hand even tighter, and then slowly let it go. I grabbed it again, felt the security of my two friends, and wished it to last through the next months during the trial.


(please tell me which ending is best! or if they all suck)