Annie checked her things one more time. It was graduation day. She’d be leaving for MTSU in less than 24 hours. She was more than relieved. V had told her she should leave, that there’d be trouble soon, and she was more than ready to comply. Lately she’d been getting messages from both Jeff and Juan. She didn’t like to admit that she was scared, but she was. Jeff kept telling her that he wanted to take her somewhere and ‘fuck her good.’ He said it’d teach her a thing or two about her role in society. Juan was just trying to scare her.
At the track banquet, they had both teamed up with Seth to terrify her. She didn’t want to be so scared of them, but she was. Jeff had made her do his homework, she skipped school twice to try to get out of it, but she still had to do it. He drove the work to her house. Proving two things: one, he didn’t care what she wanted, and two, he knew where she lived. She did it without arguing then, she really didn’t want any trouble with them. Valentino had warned her not to push them. But she was leaving, and she couldn’t wait.
Mark told me it would get easier. It never did. The things I had to do…or had to see. But that wasn’t even the beginning. I was the only girl in a gang of guys. They were always messing with me. I wasn’t necessarily “the most beautiful thing ever.” (Mark’s words) but I was a head turner and the guys wouldn’t leave me alone. I was too weak to be of much use in the fights. I was smart though, I would tell them how to make sure they won and they would do it. I just watched. It killed me to see the result of my help. Other times they used me for carrying weapons, and later, espionage…I was their puppet, and back then, I would do anything to make them happy.
With Mark though, things were getting bad. It was the middle of the summer of our eighth grade year, and he wanted to be with me. I had liked him before, but now I couldn’t even bear to look at him.
It was my first time out with them that I started not to trust him. We caught one of the guys from a rival gang in our territory. Actually, I had been the one to see him, which made things worse. Juan, Jeff, and Mark all chased him down and tackled him. Juan called me over, handed me a blade, and told me to question him. I didn’t have it in me to cut up someone who I didn’t know, who really hadn’t done anything wrong. He seemed to sense it, and mocked me. It made me mad, but I didn’t want to hurt him. Mark angrily told me to help Jeff hold the guy and grabbed a board from one of the dumpsters. He threatened the guy with it. I noticed instantly that it had rusty nails sticking out of it. I don’t think the guy did, or if he did, he didn’t care.
“Why are you here?” Mark asked in a dark voice that I had never heard him use before. The guy spit at him. “Who are you with?” The guy looked at him hard in the eyes.
“None of your fucking business, asshole.”
The first hit took him in the face. Three deep gouges grew across it.. Dark blood started pooling out. “You can’t break me,” he said, spitting blood at him.
“Yes I can.” Mark snarled. I never had seen anyone look as feral as Mark had looked when he swung the board a second time, and then a third. He didn’t stop. Juan laughed. My face was frozen in terror. “Stop it Mark!” I said faintly. Then I managed to scream it. “Stop it!” Mark looked at me for a moment, anger written on his face, then he slammed me in the face with the board. He turned it so that the nails wouldn’t hit me, but he still hit me. Juan laughed.
“You don’t ever wanna come between an animal and his prey.” He said. I let go of the guy. “You’ll kill him!” I screamed.
“So.” Juan said with a sickening smile. I lunged at him, started kicking and punching, he knocked me down and before I knew it I was laying flat on the pavement with him on top of me. “You’re so weak Annie. You can’t hurt me, but I can hurt you.” He eased up, held my arms with one hand, and punched me hard in the chest, right where he knew it would take all of my air and make me faint. I blacked out to Jeff and Mark’s hysterical laughter.
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