Fighting Faith

1.1

“What is it?” I found myself asking knowing that if it was something big she wouldn’t say it here, but she looked nervous.

“You’re still taking the shift at the gas station tomorrow?” she suddenly asked changing the topic, I don’t understand where all of this is coming from.

I nodded as we already talked about this, she wanted me home to prepare everything together. I still don’t know what is the whole preparation for. We’ve done this before, movie night, popcorn and pizza. Not a big deal.

“We need to talk before you go to the party… eighteen, there’s this thing…”

“Do you ladies need anything else to drink?” we were suddenly interrupted by the waitress with a big smile so both of our heads looked at her which made her switch her weight from one leg to the other.

“Another one of this and the check please?” grams asked. She now looked annoyed.

Apparently this was a conversation she didn’t want to hold but still needed to mention it.

“I wanted some dessert” I whined knowing that we were leaving, she laughed but her laughed sounded nervous and empty.

When we got home I saw a present box on the coffee table in front of the TV, it was small and the size of it looked perfectly fit for a phone.

“I was actually giving you one as a graduation present. Same rules as the computer applies, only the home internet and not weird public networks; it only has a call and text plan, WiFi is…”

“Dangerous, I know” I interrupted her excited for getting a phone, I was soon-to-be 18 but she still had some weird rules.

While opening the box excited like a girl getting her first Barbie doll, I noticed she got me an iPhone, everyone at school use this brand. I’ve seen it around and I know how to use a phone but still, I am very new to this. This was not the latest model, it still had the little button to unlock the phone which meant it was not new, I’m pretty sure the ones I’ve seen around my fellow classmates didn’t look like this, but a phone nonetheless. This will work.

I added Jake’s phone number and texted him a shy ‘Hi, this is Faith’.

He didn’t answer right away and he didn’t answer until I was outside of the shower deciding what to wear. I heard the ping from the phone, that being honest, freaked me out; it sounded piercing and loud.

‘Almost heading out with my mom, be there in 20’

I think I spent too much time in the shower, grams said she wants to talk to me about something important but if we have just 20 minutes the time won’t be enough.

I guessed he meant 20 minutes, I didn’t reply but reacted with a thumbs up emoji.

I decided to wear my black ripped jeans, a white crop top I never wore before and was hidden at the bottom of my closet and a camo jacket which I zipped up afraid of showing too much skin.

I went downstairs with my purse in hand ready to head out but I still needed to wait for Jake.

“No alcohol, you’re underage. No letting guys play you and careful with that douchebag that invited you, most likely he’ll have dark intentions” she mentioned when I came across her in the kitchen.

She looked at me with those same blue eyes my mom had, I inherited from them but I looked pale and skinny like my dad, even though my grams said he was bulky, the only picture I held from them he looked pretty skinny to me.

“I’m not a kid grams” I said rolling my eyes and she laughed timidly, I was blushing due to the excitement of going out, this was actually my first outing that involved other people outside of my house.

“No, you’re not-she said with a smile caressing my cheek with her thumb. “I need to talk to you before you…”

A honk interrupted her midsentence, we both looked towards the door when the bell rang. She walked over to open it, Jake’s mom was there and he was inside the car on the front seat, no one else was with them.

“Talk to you later grams” I kissed her forehead heading out.

“Take care, we’ll talk later” she said waving goodbye.

“I’ll pick them up at 11:30. He thinks because he just got out of school he will be partying all night” I heard her mother say before my grams closed the door saying goodbye.

We headed to the meadow where every now and then, kids hanged out to party wild. Her mom looked at the scenery before we went out the car.

“No alcohol guys, I’ll be here before midnight” she reminded us and we nodded our head thanking her.

It was super dark, only the moon and stars were shining upon us, yet in front there was a huge amount of wood which was not ignited yet, people were talking, drinking and hanging out.

“Hey boys, this if Faith. She helped me with my lit essay” he introduced me to the other guys from the team.

“The pigs are going on and off around here” said one of them ignoring the introduction but the other guys at least acknowledged my presence.

It was weird and felt totally out of place while they were talking about college and football. I didn’t even know what he meant by pigs, was that a term used to refer to cops?

I looked around where people were hanging, checking I could see a familiar and more friendly face than these guys but this was filled with all the “popular” kids, I didn’t know where to move or what to say, I was just there in silence with my hands inside my pocket, I should have said no, but again; who could have said no to the beautiful face Jake held around?

Jake’s ex was looking right at us, I felt even more uncomfortable knowing that probable she was mad I was around him and his gang.

She looked mad and jealous and I was a bit jealous too. She was gorgeous and I didn’t know what Jake saw in me to invite me here. I was skinny, pale and silent. I had curves but not like her, her body looked like a sculpture and Jake’s too, they were meant for each other.

I looked at him and suddenly our eyes crossed, I avoided his look and tried looking somewhere else but soon I felt his hand coming inside my pocket where my hand stood hidden, I looked at him in shock when his fingers intertwined with mine, I was blushed, in shock and inexperience on what to do in these cases, grams was keeping all safe and now I don’t know what to do, though his hand made me feel butterflies in my stomach.

I was feeling and acting like a kid, I’m moving so this should not affect me, I was trained to avoid guys like him but why was I looking at him so… in awe.

“A beer, Adler?” I couldn’t find my voice so I just nodded taking it from his hands, he also took one. I don’t think I could get wasted with just one beer, right?

“What will you do after? We just graduated, do you have a date for prom?” one of the guys I didn’t know asked while I looked at him confused, I didn’t even notice he was talking to me.

“I’m not going to prom, I’m moving out of the state in three days” I answered timidly, I was actually intimidated by these 4 guys. That was the day after my 18th birthday.

“Can’t you postpone it? After prom?” Jake’s voice almost sounded as if he was begging me, I looked deep into his blue eyes confused as of why he was getting this close to me.

“I… can’t” I said blushing again, how can he be causing this to me? I haven’t blushed for a guy in what seems like a lifetime. He just sighed and we continued with the conversation about colleges again, this time I was actually participating and getting excited about the stories told by the guys that they either heard of or someone closed to them told them about.

I wished for a second I could go to college, no issues, no overthinking, just classes and partying.

Who would have thought I’d like parties this much?

Was the alcohol hitting me already? I haven’t even drunk half of the bottle.

“Guys, that’s my queue” I heard Jake’s voice but it was sounding distant, I started to feel dizzy out of the sudden.

“Jake, I… don’t feel the floor” he was walking and almost carrying me inside the woods far from the fire and far from the people.

“I will make you feel really good” he said in a mysterious voice.

“The… party… the party is ove… over there” I was feeling my tongue numbing and my thoughts were all over the place, where were we going? Where was he taking me?

I tried to pull away from his hold but he was stronger than me, he was pulling me so strong I couldn’t fight back. Did he put something in my drink? Why was so innocent to think that he would be even interested in me?

He pushed me against a tree far away from the igniting fire, I could only feel the warm breeze against my face and hear his laugh, it was like a sick laugh. I tried to fight throwing a kick to where I know it would hurt him the most but he just laughed again.

My vision was starting to get blurry.

“You need to be less… dressed” I could only hear his voice but I didn’t know where it was coming from.

I felt his hands against my jacket, pushing it away from my body and his hands getting his way through my skin, his lips were attacking my neck, even when I pushed I couldn’t get him away from me, he was just too strong.

Until I heard it.

Steps coming from everywhere, fast steps. it looked like a lot of people were running towards us.

He stopped complaining about the privacy until I heard it something again. I was not hallucinating as he also heard it.

A growl.

A howl.

Jake turned scared, finally letting go of me and tried to run away but his foot got stuck on a tree branch causing him to fall. Out of the sudden my skin was feeling hot but at the same time I had goosebumps all over my skin when I saw what was in front of me…