It was a normal Friday night for Amanda and Claire. They had gone over to Amanda’s house after school and almost immediately started getting ready for Jake’s party. Amanda wasn’t a huge fan of the entire party scene. Don’t get me wrong she loves seeing her friends and dancing to loud music, but she felt all the alcohol and drugs were unnecessary. Drinking wasn’t really her thing and she would never drink very much if at all. She knew how to have a good time and didn’t need anything to help with that. Amanda was a very caring girl and loved helping anyone out. Her long skinny body, short brown hair and hazel eyes made her seem as if she was a soft flower on a warm spring day. No matter what she always liked to see the best in everyone and no matter how badly they treated other people. Amanda was very mature for her age and knew that all that anger stemmed from a disrespect for themselves. She understood that someone cannot treat other people with respect if they do not respect themselves. She never blamed people, especially young people for the way they behaved because she knew their actions sprung from somewhere else (to an extent). Amanda also understood that there are limits on what someone can blame on emotional damage and what someone simply has to own up to.

Claire was a little more different in her ways. She loved partying. Every aspect of it. She didn’t understand Amanda’s views on alcohol and drugs but she respected it and never pushed her to do something she didn’t want to. Claire believed that anyone who disrespects another human in any way doesn’t deserve to be treated with kindness. Her style and personality was presented in a more masculine way. She loved boxing and was more muscular than 95% of the boys at their school. It scared the boys to know that they could get their shit rocked by a 18 year old young woman. Claire always and I mean ALWAYS made it clear she will protect any girl at our school. She believed strongly in girls supporting girls. The girls loved her. She made them feel safe in a way. They balanced each other out perfectly.

They walked into the party that night and as soon as you stepped foot through that door you could feel the positive energy radiating through the entire house. Amanda loved this feeling more than anything. To her it was better than any drug. She made her way to the kitchen with Claire and picked a spot on the counter to sit.

After talking with their friends for a while Jake interrupted and asked them to come play a game in the living room with him and “the boys”.

“The boys” were a group of boys from our school that were practically obsessed with themselves and would probably marry themselves if they could. In that group was Asher. Asher’s name will forever give me and everyone at our school chills now since that night. He was always a little on edge but everyone just assumed it was because his father was never home and because his mother left his family behind for a new family. No one thought he could actually be dangerous.

Everyone agreed to go play except Amanda. She loved just sitting alone during parties. It gave her a sense of peace. She closed her eyes for a little while enjoying the sound of people's voices mixed with muffled music in the other room. But this peace was soon interrupted. Out of nowhere water was all over her face and shirt. Asher had ran into the kitchen to fill up a cup of water but accidentally tripped on his way back and spilled it all down the front of Amanda. He apologized about 500 times and Amanda kept on insisting it was okay.

“Stay right here, I’ll be right back.” he said to her. She stayed of course. She didn’t want to piss him off. She was scared of him in a way. He came back with a drink for her. It was a mixed drink. She took a sip and noticed how sweet it was but had a salty after taste to it in a way. It felt off to her but she drank it anyway.

After talking with him for about a half an hour she started to feel a bit groggy and tired. She stood up and almost immediately fell over. Asher grabbed her and asked if she was ok. She responded in slurred words and said she needed to lay down. It was already almost 1 and her and Claire were supposed to be home by then. But it didn’t matter right then. All she wanted was to sleep. She felt as if she had drank an entire handle of vodka but all she had was one drink.

She somehow ended up in a bed. She was so happy. She could finally sleep. After a minute or so of just laying there she suddenly felt someone messing with her belt. She thought it was Claire trying to undress her for bed.

“No no Claire no it’s ok I’ll just sleep in my clothes. I’m ok in my jeans. No no bedtime. Night night.” But they didn’t stop. She felt her belt come off. “No I want my pants on Claire! You’re not listening to me!” She was getting frustrated. She thought to herself, “Claire would never not listen to me.” She opened her eyes to try and see who was there but the room was too dark. She started to sit up and try and leave but he grabbed her arms and forced her down onto the bed.

“You’re not leaving right now.” She froze. She knew it was Asher now. She started yelling, but he just covered her mouth. He was messing around with her jeans trying to get them off but he couldn’t unbutton them. She was trying to get out from his grip but he was just too strong.

Downstairs they had just finished their game and Claire was getting tired and wanted to go home. She walked into the kitchen to tell Amanda she was ready to leave but she wasn’t there. She walked into the bathroom thinking she was just peeing or something. No one. She walked back into the living room.

“Have you guys seen Amanda?” she asked.

Jake responded, “honestly not for a while I know she was in the kitchen with Asher for a whi- actually I haven’t seen them both for a while. Maybe they’re… you know,” he smirked. Claire knew she would never. She was terrified of him. She decided to check upstairs. She walked by one of the rooms and heard some muffled chatter. She knocked on the door.

*Knock knock*

“Amanda you in there?” Claire questioned from outside the door. Asher muffled her mouth.

“Don’t you dare make a sound. You will regret it,” Asher demanded. She was exhausted from whatever he drugged her with, mixed with fighting to get free, but she knew if she didn’t scream now, nothing he did after that would compare to what he would do if she just laid there silent. With all the energy she had left in her body she screamed as loud as possible through his hands muffling her. She felt a sting across her face and then everything went black.

Claire started to walk away until she heard a muffled scream from the room. She tried to open the door but it’s locked. She started kicking at the door handle trying to break it down. Everyone from downstairs came running upstairs.

“Help me break down the door it’s Amanda!” she exclaimed. Everyone started kicking until it caved in. As the door fell to the ground they stood in shock as they stared at Asher with his pants around his ankles. Claire scanned the room from Amanda’s belt laying on the ground, to her unbuttoned pants, to her pale face knocked out cold. Claire charged at him. One punch and he’s on the floor. She jumped on top of him and started beating on his face. “Don’t you EVER touch her!” tears were pouring down her face by the time Jake and a few friends pulled her off of him.

Jake called the cops and Amanda's parents came and picked them up. The cops cuffed him and walked him out of the house that night. That was the last our high school would ever see him again.

Amanda woke up in her bed with Claire right at her feet. She was very groggy but happy to be home. As she looked at Claire she noticed her cheeks were wet with tears and it looked as if she had been up all night. Amanda grabbed her hand and pulled her close.

“Please don’t cry hun.”

Amanda pressed Claire's head onto her chest.

“I should’ve been there with you. You were all alone. I was too caught up in the fun. I shouldn’t have left you. This wouldn’t have happened if I was there”

Amanda wiped away her tears.

“You were! You made sure nothing else happened. You cannot blame yourself for this. This is on Asher not me or you. I am so grateful you were there. Nothing happened because of you. You saved me claire. Thank you.”

Amanda was frightened but was more grateful than anything that nothing worse happened to her that night. It all could’ve changed if Claire was a second too late.