I don’t want to do it. The whole thing is so lame. But I know I’ll be ridiculed forever as the girl who couldn’t even pass the first test if I don’t. And then my mother will be on my case about destroying generations of our family’s hard work and reputations.
So, I drink the liquid.
And it hits me hard.
Not that I ever really drink, but it feels stronger than it should. Within moments, I’m dizzy and confused and my entire body is weighted down in the seat.
Alexander says something, but I don’t understand the words. I slump against him, and then there is laughter all around me.
I fall asleep.
I don’t know how long we’re in the car for. Because when I wake up, we’re somewhere else. It’s cold, and it smells like pine.
The moon is above me, and there’s dirt and rocks digging into my skin beneath me. Grunting and slapping.
“Fucccccck yeah,” someone says.
And it’s too close to my face. Something heavy falls on top of me, and when my eyes adjust, I realize it’s Duke.
And then I realize that I’m naked, and he’s inside of me.
My mouth opens, and a scream erupts.
“What the fuck?”
That’s Alexander’s voice.
A hand clamps over my mouth, and he’s closer now, speaking into my ear.
“Shut the fuck up, Ten,” he whispers. “You just need to get through this, and we’re both in.”
All his friends are here. I see them and feel them and that’s betrayal slicing through me like a hot iron. I’m still screaming beneath his hand when Duke moves off of me and Alexander takes his place. He grunts and pushes himself inside of me, smothering my face with his hand.
“Dude, you need to make her shut up,” someone says.
There’s a hand in my hair, and my head is slammed back into the ground. Once, twice. Dizziness threatens again.
“Put some more shit in a drink and give it to me,” Alexander tells them.
A couple minutes later, my mouth is being squeezed open and more liquid is sloshing down my throat. I almost choke on it, but they keep forcing it down, anyway.
Whatever it is, it renders me limp and useless again.
“Finally,” one of them mutters. “Now flip her over so I can have some too. Don’t be a greedy pig.”
There are so many hands on me. Bodies crushing me.
I only get fleeting glimpses of the nightmare, interspersed with bouts of unconsciousness. I don’t know how long it is before I start to feel something in my limbs again. But the moment I do, I try to fight back.
This time, someone clamps a hand over my mouth and my nose.
I can’t breathe.
And I can’t fight back.
Not anymore.
The last thing I hear when it all goes silent around me, is Alexander’s voice.
