Shatter .:2: Him:.

“I’m scared.” Ami tells me.

“You don’t have to be.” I whisper, braiding her hair. I sit on the couch while she sits on the floor, holding her knees to her chest. “Nothing happened.” My voice won’t go above a whisper.

“Yeah. Nothing happened three times!” She suddenly shouts.

“Promise me something. PLEASE!” I say, the words slipping out before I can stop myself. She looks back at me with confusion.

“What is that?” She asks quietly.

“Don’t go back to drugs, Ami. Please.” Silence. “Ami?”

“I can’t promise you that.” She says. My phone buzzes at the exact moment Ami’s does. We both check the new message. “Party!” She gasps “PLEASE?!” Who am I to deny my friend her escape from terror?

“Of course.” I say, getting up and walking towards her room. I pick out a black tee, some dark gray skinny jeans, and her buckle boots that go halfway up my calf. I pull my hair into a messy ponytail and glide on some eyeliner. “Ready.” I call to her. She walks in with a smile.

“Aw MAN! This is going to be so awesome. Jeremy’s going to be there. I’m SO in love with him!” She says, suffering from amnesia apparently. I don’t question her sudden change from terrified to excited. I wait in the living room, dosing off on the couch while she spends the next hour getting ready.

My foot presses down on the accelerator, ignoring the panic in my stomach, the ‘voice’ in my head screaming at me to cease and desists. Into the intersection, the semi hits us despite the panicking drivers attempt to slow it by slamming on the break. Ami opens her mouth to scream but is dead before noise can escape. My stomach lurches and I scream.


I black out.

When I come to, it hasn’t been more than three minutes. I can’t open the door so I try crawling out of the destroyed window. I can be compared to toothpaste being squeezed from the tube. My shoulder collides with the ground as I scream in pain. It will be over soon, I know. I scream out for help. Looking behind me I see the mother and daughter in the car behind us have been killed. The semi had spun and hit them. I scream again, feeling tears mixing with the blood and glass shards in my face. I scream again. I place both palms face down on the glass covered road. I feel the glass pierce my skin and scream as I lift myself only and inch above the ground. My arms give out and I give into the sobs.

From behind me I hear chuckling. I force myself to turn my head around to see who it is. The back car door opens and out steps Dash. He has no cuts, no glass on him, no nothing. He looks as if he’d been safely at home the entire time. Walking past me, he chuckles again.

“You made this too easy.” he tells me. He looks to the car where Ami is and smiles. Then he looks to me. “Shame, we could’ve used you.” He says and walks away. I scream and writhe in pain, feeling myself fading.

“WAKE UP!!!!” Ami is screaming at me. I wake up dizzy and very much out of it. I breathe in deeply for quite some time before allowing myself back into reality.

“What?” I ask. She feels my forehead.

“It was only a nightmare. Come on, lets go.” I sigh and get up, off the couch. I wipe the drool with the back of my hand and follow Ami out to her car. She looks to me and I shrug.

“Safe enough.” I answer her unasked question. I take the keys and start the car. Everything feels the same. I rest my hands on the steering wheel and take a moment to calm my beating heart. I adjust the mirror and see Dash. His eyes locked on mine through the mirror. “Where are we going?” I ask Ami, keeping eye contact with Dash while remaining calm. It simply isn’t real. He isn’t here.

“Lady Macbeth’s house.” I look to her. “Oh come on! You know Zoe played Lady Macbeth when we read it in class.” I nod and look back to Dash. Who isn’t here. I turn around as I back out and am proven right. He isn’t here.
. . . . . . . . .
I sit on the stairs and rest. A drink in my hand, a pain in my side, I sigh. The music is playing loudly, Ami is consumed by the crowd along with everyone else. I rest my head against the wall and close my eyes. I hear the dance beat, the nonsensical lyrics of some rapper, the sound of material rubbing against another as the people grind up on each other. I bring the drink slowly to my lips when I feel the strangest thing. Fingers on my lips. I open my eyes to see Dash.

“I think you might want to look in the bottom of that cup.” He tells me. I do. I can’t see clearly. I dump the alcoholic drink into the plant, draining it slowly. When it’s low enough I see a half dissolved white pill.

“Looks like that plant’s going to have one hell of a night.” I joke, my voice barely carrying the joke. “Thanks” He nods and walks off. I don’t even wonder who put it in my cup, I simply decide to go to the kitchen for a sealed drink.

The kitchen is only mildly crowded. The girl sitting on the counter, the guy pushing her legs apart and moving in closer for a kiss. The small group of guys discussing who to ‘hit’ and who should be left alone. They place wagers on who can sleep with the most girls.

I open the fridge and grab a diet soda.

“Hey doll, why you drinking diet? You’re skinny as hell.” I look to the burly football player. He’s wasted and I can barely stand the smell clinging to him.

“I like the taste.” I say, my face scrunching up in disgust. He places his hands on either side of my head against the fridge. I go to duck under but he keeps his face with mine. “I’m sorry, my boyfriend is waiting for me. If you don’t mind.” 


“But I DO! Because you’re lying. I know you’re single and I ALSO know you want me.” He says, stroking my face. I make to shove him back but I’m a scrawny girl while he’s a football player and I get nowhere. I seem to be in a predicament.

“Back off!” I tell him. He laughs at my ‘tough voice.'

“You won’t regret it.” He tells me, trying to stroke my face gently

“Go away. I’m DENYING you!” I spell it out for him. He frowns.

“No, you’re not.” He takes my wrist and starts to drag me away.

“Let GO!” I say, and start to yell. Of course, nothing is heard over the dance track. I grab onto people. One gives me a dirty look, another a thumbs up. We’re upstairs now.

“STOP!” I yell, hitting him. He shoulders a door and it pops open. He smiles, seeing it empty. “HEY!” I say, beginning to panic. I pull out my phone and begin to dial. He snatches it and tosses it down the stairs. It hits the wall and I see the battery has fallen off the back. I stare down at it in sudden realization that that was my last hope. “Stop it now! I don’t want to!” I tell him. He pushes me into the room and shuts the door.

“You’ll change your mind.” He says

“I’ll call the cops and tell them you raped me!” I tell him

“No, once we’re through you’ll be begging for more.” He says. I look into those glazed over brown eyes and feel like crying. There’s no hope. He’s too drunk. “Come on now, take off your clothes.” He says, taking off his shirt. I make a run for the door and he catches me, wrapping his arm around my waist and carrying me to the bed in the most awkward, uncomfortable position.

“HELP!!” I scream. He places his big, bear-like hand over my mouth. His hands fumble with the button on my pants. I try to kick him but he pins my legs down.

“HEY!” I look to the door and thank whatever god has answered my prayer.

“ROOMS TAKEN!” He snaps. The guy walks in and places a hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t squeeze it, doesn’t do a damned thing. Yet, somehow, the football player on top of me slides off and hits the floor with a thud. I jump up and stare at the body. I kick him really good in the gut. He’s passed out. I look up, wide eyed and extremely thankful.

“Your welcome.” Dash says as if he’d simply picked up a pencil I had dropped in the middle of class.

“How?” Is all I manage. He tilts his head, examining me at a different angle.

“I was watching the entire time.” He tells me.

“Why?”

“You . . . fascinate me.” He says. I don’t know what to make of this.

“Thanks.” I say. I want to leave. Right now. He offers me my phone. I take it and text Ami: I want to go. NOW!

She replies: Too much fun. Two more hours!

I send back: NOW!

She replies: Find a ride. I’m having too much fun.

I get so angry I toss my phone against the wall again. I have to WALK?! I should’ve never given her her keys back. I sigh, go pick up my phone and put the back on it again.

“Why did you do that?”


“Because I know my phone won’t break. For a piece of junk, it’s pretty indestructible.” I say and sit on the edge of the bed. I’ll call Lira. “Thanks for everything.” I grumble, looking up the contact. I press send. “Lira it’s Trinity. I’m at this party, some stuff went down and I’m not in the partying mood anymore. Could you PLEASE pick me up? I promise to tell you everything.” I say. “K. Thank you. I love you SO much! It’s at Zoe Grimbal’s house.” I hang up and walk toward the door. Dash follows. He follows all the way outside, to the sidewalk where I wait. “Why are you still watching me?” I ask him.

“I just saved you. It’d be a shame for me to take my eyes off you for but a moment and have you be raped.” He says, then adds with a hidden smile “Or worse.” I shiver at the cold of night, and at what he said, and stare down the street. It takes Lira five minutes to get here and when she does, she’s giggling.

“I almost DIED!” She says, breaking into another fit of laughter. I get in and buckle up.

“Leave as fast as you can!” I tell her quietly.

“OOH! Who was he? He was hot!!”

“Him? No one. He's . . . no one.”