He grips me slightly tighter, nuzzles my neck, and groans.“Damn, you smell good.”
A second later, he bends just enough to set me on my feet.His arm is still wrapped around me.“Are you going to be my good girl?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to turn you around.I want you to face the back of the pantry.Stay in here for one minute, and then come out and go home.”
I nod.“Okay.”
He spins me to face away from the door.The moment he releases his grip, I feel an odd sense of loss.I nearly stumble forward.My lungs finally expand fully.
Before I can get my balance, the door opens and closes at my back.It happens so fast, I doubt if I could catch up with him even if I spun around this very second and yanked the door open.
It doesn’t matter.There’s no way I’m going to disobey him.I wouldn’t dare.
Three
Briana
“Oh my God.That was so fucking fun.Did you guys not have a blast?”Desiree asks as we make our way back to our house.
I’m shaking violently and looking in every direction.Scared out of my mind.Unnerved beyond belief.Is he following me?Lurking in the shadows?
Luckily, I’m not required to answer.The three of them prattle on and on about the guys they flirted with, the fruit punch, and the dancing.They don’t seem to notice I’m two seconds away from losing my composure.
“Oh, hey,” Ronie suddenly interjects, twisting around in front of us to walk backward like she did on the way to the party.“Did you guys hear about the freshman prank?”
“No.What prank?”Taylor asks.
Ronie’s face lights up as she starts talking.“So, supposedly, there are these guys who like to scare freshman girls at the beginning of every school year.Like, I heard they grab them, pull them into a dark corner or behind a bush, and say filthy things to them.Some girls end up peeing themselves out of fear.Nobody’s ever caught the guys.”
Desiree gasps.“Holy fuck.That would scare the shit out of me.Can you even imagine?”She glances first at Taylor and then at me.
I shake my head.I have no idea how I school my face, but I must do a good enough job because none of them seem to notice my distress.
“How do they know it’s more than one guy?”Desiree asks.
Ronie shrugs.“Rumor has it that it happens at multiple locations on random days during the first few weeks.I guess they’ve pieced together enough information to know it’s not always the same guy.”
My teeth are chattering, but it’s not cold out here.I just want to get home, go to my room, and shut myself inside.I need to be alone.
I consider telling them that the rumor is true because it happened to me, but I don’t feel like talking about it.I’m too shaken up.Exhaustion is tugging at me.The last thing I want to do is answer fifty questions from my housemates about every detail.And what if they insist I tell the police?
No.Bad idea.He made it clear that I was not to talk about our “chat,” as he called it.I’m going to obey him.
Apparently, not everyone does, though, if there are enough rumors of these incidents that it’s common lore.
And who am I kidding?It’s not lore.I just experienced it.
The good news is, hopefully, it was a one-time thing.He grabbed me, scared the fuck out of me, and let me go.Ronie didn’t mention it ever going any further than that.If anyone had been seriously harmed, it would be widespread knowledge.
Taking deep breaths, I remind myself it’s over.I hate that it happened to me, but it’s over.
Except I’m struggling to believe I’ll never encounter him again.He didn’t pick me at random.He stalked me.He knows where I live.He knows what’s in my fucking underwear drawer.Granted, that part was a guess.It wasn’t an unreasonable guess, either.
It shouldn’t surprise me that I look innocent.I am.The fact that it’s written on my face isn’t shocking.
I’m beyond relieved when we enter the house.Ronie locks the front door.“Should we eat ice cream?”