Jake was walking down the hallway before class when he noticed Emily struggling with a large book. She was trying to juggle it in one hand, its cover barely peeking out from the stack of folders in the other. Jake rushed over to help her.
"Hey, Emily, let me get that for you," he said.
Emily looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Jake, but I think I can manage."
Jake shrugged. "No problem. It looks like it's pretty heavy. You sure you don't need any help?"
Emily shook her head. "No, I'm ok. I don't want to be late to class, so I better get going."
Jake smiled. "Alright, I'll see you in there. Let me know if you need anything."
Emily nodded. "Will do. Thanks again!"
Jake watched as Emily walked away, the book clutched tightly in her arms.
Something about Emily had changed. She wasn't the bubbly Belle he knew back in high school. He had traveled for his granddad's burial and when he returned, he heard that Emily was no longer going to be attending Charleston High School. No one told him what happened. He tried to get information out of everyone but no one spilled anything. Even Meghan never spoke about Emily and that was the end.
He searched for her for a year but it seemed as if she had been wiped from the surface of the earth. Something just happened to have changed. He wished he could help her, but he knew she was stubborn enough to do it on her own. With a sigh, Jake continued on his way to class.
Emily was curled up on her bed with a notebook in her lap and a pen in her hand. She had been going through her options for the past hour and still felt overwhelmed. She stared at her notebook with a furrowed brow, trying to come up with ways to avoid her excitement for Jake.
First, she thought about talking to Jake and telling him that she didn't appreciate his friendly manner and would like him to keep his distance. But she knew that would be too difficult. She wasn't sure if she could bring herself to have that conversation.
Then, she thought about avoiding him altogether. If she stayed away from him, she wouldn't have to deal with her excitement. But that would mean she would have to give up spending time with her friends and the people she loved. She couldn't do that.
Next, she thought about moving away. But that felt like running away, and she knew that wouldn't solve anything. Besides, she had school. They would always see in school.
Finally, she decided to not read much meaning into anything and rather act meanly to him. Maybe it was because she was welcoming that prolonged this, she would stop. She knew it wouldn't be easy and it would take some time, but she was determined to try. She sighed and closed her notebook.
Emily was hell-bent on not being friendly to anyone and she would achieve her goal. That was who she was.
She kept pondering the thought and decided to get a snack at the local store. It was just six in the evening when she decided to take a stroll to the local store to get some snacks. While walking back, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Before she could process what was happening, she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She whirled around to see two men towering over her. She could feel her heart pounding as the men began to circle her.
One of them stepped forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her closer. She started to scream but one of the men clamped his hand over her mouth, muffling her cries for help. The other man began to search her pockets, taking out her wallet and phone.
The men then stepped back and Emily felt a wave of relief. She thought they were done until one of the men lunged at her again. He grabbed her shirt and ripped it off her body, exposing her bra. Emily felt a surge of fear as she realized what they were about to do.
Just then, she heard a growl as something dragged one of them away. Emily wasn't too sure what she had seen but it was big and hairy and had feet that looked like a dog's. She was too scared to even think about it. She picked herself up and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She did not stop until she was safe inside her house.
Emily had just re-lived her fear of almost being violated but this time, someone or something helped her. She was thankful for whoever that was, he had shown up at a good time, or else she may have been a victim of another rape.
Jake was startled awake by a sudden chill that ran down his spine. He opened his eyes, squinting in the morning light, and slowly sat up in his bed. That's when he noticed the large stain of blood on his shirt. His heart skipped a beat as he tried to remember where it came from. He racked his brain for any memories from the previous night, but there was nothing.
He slowly stood up and examined the stain more closely. The dark red color was unmistakable. He was certain it wasn't his blood. He was equally certain that he hadn't been in any sort of altercation the night before. He could only assume he had been in some sort of accident, and the blood was from someone else.
Jake felt a wave of panic wash over him as he tried to piece together what had happened. He had no idea who the blood belonged to, or if the person was still alive. He was scared and confused, and he knew he needed to find out the truth. He quickly changed his shirt and headed out.
Jake had been stalking Emily for weeks, and yesterday was no different. He had followed her from her house to the park, keeping his distance and making sure he wasn't seen.
He had watched her from a distance as she walked quietly after getting her snacks, seemingly lost in thought. He had been tempted to approach her, but he had restrained himself. It seemed she didn't want him. She avoided interaction at every opportunity and was somewhat cold.
He had followed her as she walked to the grocery store. He had watched her with a mixture of fascination and fear, both excited and terrified by the idea of being discovered.
Usually, he would then follow her back home and watch her go inside, and then, he would stay outside for a few moments before walking to his apartment but he couldn't recall following her back home yesterday.
What had happened? Last time it was a warning of someone watching him and now, it was this.
Who was playing tricks on him?
What do they want?
What is going on?!
Wait. Did he hurt someone?
Or was it Emily?!.
'Oh No'! He gasped as he ran to Emily's apartment.
Well, he was about to find out.