“Mr. Hopely,” I said, my voice so small I could barely hear it. “I … um … I kind of have to pee.”
He made no indication of moving. His fingers turned on the lock instead, twisting the little gold knob to make sure it wouldn’t budge.
“You know,” he said, his words slurring, “I couldn’t stop noticing earlier, at the graduation. You have such perfect tits.”
I waited for him to laugh, to land whatever joke he was trying to make, or to correct himself. I had to have misheard him, right? But he doubled down.
“I couldn’t help noticing that dress you wore to the graduation. You’ve got a body on you, don’t you?”
I shivered. “Mr. Hopely,” I managed, my voice cracking. “I … I think you should leave.”
“And I think you shouldn’t tell a man what to do in his own house,” he snapped. “Especially when he’s complimenting you.”
Mr. Hopely was blocking the main door still, but as he moved a step closer, I let my eyes find the door that led to the pool. It was on the other side of the room, past the toilet and the shower. Could I make it?
As I considered the possibility, my head turned slightly in that direction. Gary took a quick step forward, shoving me over the bathroom vanity. His large hand clamped over my mouth, and he breathed into my ear as he pressed himself against me.
“Shh,” he ordered. “It’s okay.”
The scent of wine coming off his breath was so strong that I almost wished he’d covered my nose too. It filled my nostrils and made me want to be sick.Mr. Hopely kept me pinned between him and the counter, half bent over as one of his hands slipped under my shirt, grasping at my right breast. I could see him in the mirror in front of us. I could see his look of dazed pleasure as he squeezed me again. He pinched my nipple, and I let out a muffled cry of pain. His hand instantly tightened over my mouth in response. My eyes filled with tears.
“Be quiet,” he whispered. “It’s okay. We’re all right.”
He pushed himself even harder into me from behind, and I felt paralyzed. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t push him off me. He was too heavy and his hand on my mouth was too tight. I was trapped between him and the vanity. I shivered as he continued to touch me.
“You’re a beautiful girl,” he whispered, low and guttural.
I felt like I had detached from my own body and Mr. Hopely was touching someone else. It couldn’t be me. This couldn’t be happening.
His hand moved down out of my shirt, grazing my stomach. I took a deep breath, relieved that it seemed to finally be over. I waited for him to remove his hand from my mouth, to let me go now that he’d clearly gotten what he wanted, but instead his hand slipped lower, into the waistband of my shorts.
“Shh,” he hissed as I struggled against him. “Stop … moving.”
My body betrayed me and I froze. I couldn’t focus on anything. I squeezed my eyes, not wanting to watch in the mirror as he kept going. Tears were streaming down my face. I could feel them sliding down my cheeks.
I tried to drown it all out. The pain. The sounds. It had to end soon. The quieter and more unresponsive I was, the sooner it had to end. And it would end. I would run straight for the door. I just had to be patient.
I didn’t know how long it had been, seconds or minutes. Time was bleeding together the longer I felt his hands on me. And then—
“Gary?”Mrs. Hopely’s voice from the hallway, coming closer. “Are you in there?”
Her voice sobered him. Mr. Hopely’s eyes widened in the mirror and he quickly pulled away from me. I was still clinging to the bathroom counter, shaking profusely.
“One second, Deb!” he called loudly. “I’m pissing!”
I came back to myself, my eyes looking toward the second door, the one to the patio. I didn’t hesitate this time. I bolted, wrenching it open. I could feel Mr. Hopely watching me, his stoicism a warning:Stay quiet.
The Hopelys’ patio was completely dark. I stood and asked myself whether I wanted to go home or back inside their house. My entire body resisted the idea of going back in, screaming for me to leave through the backyard and run to my house. But I knew if I did that, I would have to tell my parents why I had come home. Cassandra would wonder why I left early. There would be no way to hide what had just happened. I tried to picture walking into my home and telling my mother what Gary had just done to me, but the words caught in my throat.
I couldn’t tell them now, not like this. And Cassandra? She was going to hate me enough already after what had happened with Will and Alex earlier. I couldn’t put this on her too. I had to go back into the Hopely house and wait it out.
I could get through the rest of the night and leave first thing in the morning. I would figure out what to do tomorrow. I wiped the tears from my eyes until I was sure all was quiet inside. I crept my way back to Cassandra’s room.
Cassandra was waiting for me, awake and staring at her door. We were both silent for a moment looking at each other.
“Are you okay?” she asked, surveying me. There was something strange about her expression. I nodded, still shaking, and crawled back into the bed beside her.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
