"Jess, honey? You have to come out of there. Please Jess. You need to talk" Mrs. Hanson said through Jessica's closed bedroom door.
"Go away!" Jessica yelled back. It was now three days after the rape and Jessica had shut herself in her room. She hadn't eaten or slept and when she did come out, she looked half dead. Jessica was refusing to talk to Taylor or even see him. Mrs. Hanson sighed. She and Mr. Hanson had been told not to pressure Jessica into talking, they could only try. She walked away and down the stairs. Once Jessica heard her mothers foot stepps fade, she slowly opened her door a crack and peeked out. No one was in the hall. She opened the door further and then stepped out into the hall. She slowly walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen. She was dismayed when she saw Taylor in there. He had Zoe with him and he was playfully talking to her. Jessica remembered when he did that with her. Jessica watched as Taylor lifted Zoe up and spun her around. Zoe shrieked with laughter and Taylor was laughing to. Jessica cleared her throat and then ventured into the kitchen.
"Jess, hi.. how you doin?" Taylor asked once he saw his little sister. Jessica ignored him and walked over to the refrigerator. "Jess, you have to talk to me.. I did nothing wrong." Taylor said. Jessica slammed the refrigerator door shut and faced him.
"You told our parents what happened to me!" She hissed. "I didn't want them to know! Having all of you know was bad enough! But them to? you just had to tell them didn't you?" She yelled.
"You needed more help than what we could give you!" Taylor yelled back. Zoe looked at Taylor and then at Jessica and then back at Taylor again. Confusion plastered on her face.
"Help? I dont need help Taylor! I'm fine by myself!" Jessica said more softly for Zoe's sake. Taylor followed her example.
"That's where your wrong Jess! C.J couldn't get though it by heself!" Taylor exclaimed.
"C.J got though what?" Jessica asked. Taylor took a deep breath, He knew he should leave it up to C.J to tell her, but Jessica was talking to him! even if she still hated him it was a start!
"When C.J was 10, her brother raped her. She kept it to herself until she was 12 but broke down while watching a movie and confessed all to Zac. By then it was really to late to take legal action against her brother so nothing was done." Taylor explained. Jessica's eyes went wide. She had been to the hospital and been tested, all came out negative so she was safe. The boys that had raped her had been charged also.
"C.J... C.J was raped? Oh my god.." She said, more so to herself. She then truned and walked out of the kitchen, to Taylor's relief, she had a beef sandwich Mrs. Hanson had made earlier for her. It looked like she was finally eating again. Jessica made her way upstairs to her room. She was starving and was glad she grabbed the sandwich. She closed her door and locked it again. She just wanted to be alone forever.
"Ike! Honey! The baby's kicking quick, come here!" Jaymi exclaimed excitedly as she felt the first kicks from her baby. Isaac, who was sitting at the kitchen table, jumped up and ran over to where Jaymi was sitting on the sofa. "Wait! oh, to late.. she's stopped." Jaymi said, rubbing her tummy. Isaac groaned.
"Oh well, there'll be plenty of times..anyway, how do you know it's a she? " He said, but Jaymi could tell he was disapointed.
"Of course there will! I just do.. I can feel it!.. Ike.. do you have to work all afternoon? This is meant to be your time off!" Jaymi complained. Isaac sighed. He knew he had to get a shit load of work done.. but he had promised Jaymi some time to.
"I know sweetie.. I just have to finish this last report and then we can go out somewhere.. how bout I take you to dinner?" Isaac asked, hoping she would agree. Jaymi looked like she was thinking it over.. then smiled.
"Ok, but I'm keeping you to that promise!" She said, playfuly punching him.
"Ok," He said, laughing.
"I've got to go see Kayla anyway.. I'll meet you back here at 7?" Jaymi asked, getting up from the couch.
"You bet.. be carefull!" Isaac said, kissing Jaymi's forhead. He had become very protective over her lately and Jaymi had no idea why.
"I will! bye" and with that, she walked out the door. Isaac sighed again and truned to face the high stcks of paper on the table. He groaned.
Jessica suddenly shot up in her bed. She looked at her alarm clock and saw it was only 6:30pm. She groaned and flopped back down onto her bed. She was still dressed and realised she must have drifted off. She hated her life.
Why me? .. why did they pick me? why not some other girl at that party? did they know I was Zac's sister? did they have something against Zac? was I giving signals and not even know it? What if I had gone to find Zac myself? would it have happened? what if I had screamed or something? would someone have come to stop it? do any of those guy's feel sorry for what they did to me? what would have happened if I had stuck with Coldan?
They were the questions running through Jessica's head 24/7. She couldn't answer any of them and it was driving her crazy! She had had plenty of visitors but she didnt want to see anyone. She just wanted to be alone. She felt bad whenever she truned her mom away, but she couldn't talk about it. No, that was way to painful. She reached over and grabbed the remote to her T.V. She truned it on and started flipping the channels. Suddenly she saw her face flash across the screen. She had stopped on a news channel.
"Just three days ago, a brutal rape took place in this house (picture of the house flashed up on the screen) at a teenage party. The victim was only 13 years of age when four boys (a picture of the boys being lead into the police station) took truns in having their way with the young girl. Police aren't giving any names but it has been said that the four boys have been charged. Our sympathy goes out to the young girl."
Jessica truned off the T.V and threw the remote across the room. She was fuming with rage.
Chapter Eighteen
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