Chapter 2 BETRAYAL

Darkness greeted my eyes as I opened them slowly, everything was oddly unfamiliar for the first few seconds. I tried moving but my leg snapped with a great pain that sent a groan of agony out of my throat. A rush of pain gathered at my lower part as I struggled to sit, everywhere down there was aching so much.

Confusion set on my face as I wondered what was going on with me, a sudden blow on breeze kissed my inner thighs and that woke me up with a full force. I shakily stared down to see what was happening to me and a piercing scream left my mouth. I jumped up ignoring the throbbing pain as I held unto my naked self.

Shame washed over me as I gazed at my below that was bare, the only cloth on my body was my top that had even been torn by the side. Blood trickled down my thighs as I wondered what happened to me but wasn't it obvious? I have been raped! But by who? Was the question running through my mind.

"You should cover up and go home, will you leave the blood dripping down on the floor of my house?" was what cut through my thoughts as I raised my head to see the culprit in front of me. It was Dan.

He stood in front of me with a disgusting look, he folded his arms staring at me with the bitterest disdain in his eyes. "You.... You... what.. did.. what did you do to.. to me?" I asked, crying with a shaky voice but he only chuckled.

He was laughing? What was funny? The helpless and shameful sight of me? My disbelief? My confusion coupled with shock? What exactly was making Dan laugh?

My lips trembled as I struggled to find the right words, my mouth parted several times but nothing came out of it. I was overwhelmed with shame, it was traumatizing and tragic. My chest constricted in pain as I clutched my hands on my chest, pain of betrayal shook through my entire body and my whole world went dark.

"Why? Why did you do this to me? You are my best friend so why?" I questioned, tears streaming down my cheeks endlessly. "Friend? Did you just say best friend? We were never one! You only thought I was your friend because I was your box that contained your rants, that allowed your emotional downpour. You only remember me whenever you were in need of someone to rant to. I was never a man to you, you never saw my feelings no matter how I tried to portray them, you were too comfortable to see me as someone who loved you" he shouted at me but the words coming out from his mouth were too ridiculous to believe.

It was true that I always told him my emotions freely, there was barely anything he didn't know about me. He was my confidant and the best person after my parents and Larry. Never have I ever underestimated him or thought of him as nothing but my rant box, why should this happen between us? What went wrong?

"I never.." I started to explain but he just cut me short with a loud "I don't want to hear anything from you, get out of my house" and that shocked me. He was the one brimming with happiness few hours ago but he was now talking to me with spite? Where was the Dan I knew?

"Dan" I called softly but I was only met with a slap. "Don't call my name with your dirty mouth, you slut" he glared at me and shoved me out of his house. I only managed to gather my clothes as he threw me out into the dark night, naked!

After dressing up in heavy tears, I headed home with a ripped heart. I was shattered to pieces, everything felt like a dream that I pinched myself so much to see if I would wake up but the sting from the pinch was reminding me every time that I was not dreaming at all, I have been raped by my best friend, just few days to my wedding.

Thankfully my parents were not around when I got home, I crawled into my bed where I unleashed fresh tears under my blanket. I felt useless, betrayed and stabbed in the back. There was no way this stigma would be washed away no matter how I tried to shower it off many times, the guilt just stuck with me.

"What will I tell my parents? What will I tell Larry? I was a virgin until few hours ago. What will I tell him happened to my virginity? How will I explain to him that it was taken away by my best friend? Who will believe my story?" were what I kept thinking about as I stared helplessly at the roof of my room, I was doomed.

My mother noticed my mood since I refused to come out of my room or even eat and that made her troubled. She kept pressing me to tell her what was wrong with me but how could I tell her such a thing? She will be totally disappointed in me, I was her pride but I had messed myself up.

"I am just feeling tired, nothing else" I lied but she was not buying it, she knew something was wrong with me. "I am your mother, no one will understand you like I will so let me know what is wrong" she persuaded me but my lips were tightly shut, I couldn't bring myself to open up to her.

"You are going to get sick at this rate, did something happen between you and Larry?" she queried and that struck my heart. I still don't know how to face him, he might be a gentleman but will he even listen to the absurd story not to talk of accepting me? My life was on a cliff.

My mother left my room after trying all she could to get me to talk but I didn't. Series of lies flowed through my head as I thought about what to tell Larry but there was no one making sense, he is not dense to believe those kind of lies. "How exactly do I go about it? Should I just keep quiet about it and get married? He wouldn't throw me out when we get married, will he?" I thought to myself but my heart almost jumped out of my mouth when I heard my mother announced that Larry was here.