To Trust a Stranger

“Throughout the course of history teenagers have always made wrong decisions, and with these choices have come with consequences. It is never really known why they make the wrong decision at the wrong time but if you think back to your own younger life, would you have changed your answers? And if you could go back in time, would you actually do it no matter what the risk? These questions flood the mind of many and most wish they could change the outcome of some unlikely and cruel event. I bet most of you are nodding your head thinking of the better outcome with more or less the same great end result. Well I am sorry to say that if you were to change what you did back in the past the reality you live in now may never exist. Every choice you make is a decision of the next path you take, like a fork in the road.

But what happens when that fork merges with the other lane in the end? That would mean that no matter what road you took or the things you did would stop fate and destiny from sneaking up and making the outcome you have now to ever change. Now that you know all that would you take the risk of making that other choice?”

Sitting in the kitchen table of her mothers flat was a young woman-child twirling the sterling silver fork in the plate of spaghetti set before her. Beside her laid a folded crisp white paper with a twenty dollar bill sticking out of the open flap. She lifted the fork full of spaghetti to her lips though never taking a bite. The utensil fell with a loud clatter bouncing off the empty walls of the unfurnished kitchen.

She opened her eyes to stare again at the note left on the wooden table. Hesitantly she picked it up and read it to herself.

Jennifer,

Left to pick up the rest of the boxes. Do your homework. And don’t leave the house. I’ll be back on Sunday. Don’t open the door to strangers.

Love Mom.

It has not been long since the two moved from their home in the outskirts of the city to the flat closer to her mothers’ job. Only a good two weeks. She looked at the boxes stacked high and pushed up against the cream colored walls of the kitchen and adjacent dinning room waiting to be unpacked. ‘Should I?’ she questioned herself.

No. Her mom was not home and the urge to just do the opposite of the note was starting to take effect. Now she always did everything she was told but that didn’t mean that she didn’t like to do more secretive, adventurous stuff once in a while. Jennifer was not a bad daughter but she did like to test the limit’s a bit. See how much she could do before her mother found out. Not that her mother ever did.

She crumbled the note in her hand and threw it towards the garbage can, she missed. She moved her hand as if to swat a fly down to the ground in a gesture of ‘what ever’ and made a mental note to pick it up later. She stood from her seat, the short light pink spaghetti strapped dress she wore smoothed out as she made her way to her purse. Unzipping the main compartment of the small bag she flung her hand in and started to fish around for something. With a smile tugging at her lips she pulled out her cell phone. Flipping it open she saw the batteries were dieing, she needed to hurry. She quickly punched in the numbers and flipped her mid-back straight brown hair away from her ear. The phone ringed a few times before a voice groggily answered it.

“Hello?”

“Oh hey Josh its Jennifer, I just remembered that you were all alone.” the seventeen year old replied.

“Yeah what does that have to do with this call, I know I am your boyfriend and everything but calling near midnight is not a call I would want to get unless it is an emergency not chitchat.”

“Well it turns out that my mom went back to our old house to pick up some left over boxes and won’t be home till Sunday. Do you think it would be okay if I spent the night over there?” She said, sugar coating the last sentence to emphasis the hidden message.

“Well now this call I don’t mind then. Sure come on over. Oh do you need me to go over there and get you?”

“No it’s okay I’ll be fine I only have to walk one block to get to your house and these roads are always deserted at night.”

“No! You wait there I’ll come and get you.” she could hear his bed sheets rustling as he slid out of them.

“I’ll be fine! Really what’s the worst that could happen, a cat come and run by me. Please!”

“Okay, but hurry up. If your not here in half an hour I’ll be taking my car.”

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you too.” he answered as he hung up the phone.

Just then she heard the loud beep as her cell died. Sighing she went to the bathroom to freshen up before heading over. She had no car because right now it did not fit her budget so she slid on her pink sandals, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

The night air was cool and just like she said nobody was on the streets. She walked for fifteen minutes before it started to rain. She started to fish around her purse again for her cell phone, “Great, and just when I forgot to bring my umbrella, plus my cell phone’s dead.” A few more steps and a man dressed in black came out of the ally. He turned to her and stared.

His eyes swept her small soaked figure a few times before he made his way towards her. For some weird reason she got a creepy feeling from him. She couldn’t place it but something was wrong about him. As he walked towards her she took in his appearance. His long black hair was tied back in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had steely gray/blue eyes and a lean figure.

“Hey do you need a lift?”

“Um…” she sputtered out dumbly. She looked at him yet again. The feeling did not leave.

“My truck is not far off from here just behind that ally back there.”

With the promise of a warm, dry ride to her boyfriend’s house she accepted. It was then she remembered her mothers note and her boyfriends warning. ‘Do not leave the house.’ ‘No! You wait there I’ll come and get you.’ She did not know why they said that. This man was nice; it wasn’t like he was going to rape her.

Once the two reached the middle of the dark ally he turned to face her. She thought nothing of it till the man grabbed her shoulders and threw her against the brick wall.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to walk off with strangers?” he asked smirking as he knelt down to grab her chin.

She was frightened, and utterly lost. She could do nothing to fend against his assault of kisses and touches. In her head she laughed at the irony. This is what she was going to her boyfriend’s house for and here in the ally she is being felt up by this man. She was brought out of her revere when his hand went over her right breast. Throughout the whole thing she was struggling but she could do nothing. Then she went ridged as he took hold of her breast, then somehow she finally found her voice and screamed. With the hand that was not kneading her breast he brought it up above his head and was used to smack her face.

Then headlights of a tuck came into the ally. She was so relieved to see them, like and angel from god. The man startled pulled out a butterfly knife and stabbed her twice in the diaphragm before bolting. That would keep her silent.

The headlights were still on and she heard footsteps. To her they were too loud. Then the pain shot through her system. She could see the scenery change to that of the face of her crying boyfriend. His sandy hair dripping water and green eyes expressing every emotion she could find. Anger, happiness, hatred, relief and love.

For some reason she no longer felt any pain, but her body was gasping for air. She lifted her hand weakly to Josh’s face caressing his cheek. Her body shook violently. She was now crying with him. She knew she was going to die here in the arms of her lover. If only she wasn’t so stubborn and had done what her mother had told her, or waited for Josh.

“Jennifer hang on I’m going to get some help.” he said as he dug deep into his pockets. No luck. He would not be able to reach his cell phone if he stayed kneeling.

The muscles in her face made her smile. A genuine smile, one full of love as she looked into his eyes. Her body shook yet again as she took her final attempt at air. She got what she wanted. This was her only shot.

“Tell mama I love her.” she choked out with blood muffling some of her words. She could see his tears streaming down like rivers nonstop. And with her last of her breath she whispered “I love you.” then went limp in his arms.

Hey hope you like my recent addition to the collection of short stories. Had to do this for my English class but it came out quite well that I posted it. Hope you liked it.

This is not done!!!!!!!!!!!

I have one more chapter of this to post before it is completed.