I finally got the promotion! I had been waiting for this for so long, and I'd worked incredibly hard to get here. It was a total win. Successes like this don't happen every day, so my best friend and roommate, Lily, and I decided to celebrate at our favorite bar.
No sooner said than done. We got dressed up and headed out for a night on the town. The place was welcoming, its neon sign flickering, and the lounge was packed. Lily and I managed to snag two high stools at the bar. The bartender was quick with some delicious cocktails. It was perfect. What more could a girl ask for?
We sat there, happily chatting about guy trouble and work gossip, when a man who had just walked in caught my eye. He looked familiar.
"Amy, why are you staring at that handsome guy with the dark hair?"
"You know, I think he went to our college. He was in the same year as us." At that moment, the young man looked over at me and immediately started heading our way.
"Hi there! Do we know each other?"
"I think so. Weren't you in the engineering program?"
"Yeah! Civil engineering."
"I was in the architecture department!"
"Small world!"
Jack pulled up a stool, and we immediately dove into old memories.
"Listen, girls. My friends are inviting you to join us at a club. It's not far from here. They've already reserved a table. So, what do you say? Want to come along?"
"Of course! We'd love to!" I started to say, but Lily gave a performative yawn.
"Actually, I'm gonna pass. I'm suddenly hitting a wall. But you guys go ahead and have fun," she said, giving me a meaningful wink. Good old Lily—she picked up on the fact that I liked Jack right away and decided to give us some space. The club was crowded, but Jack found his friends without any trouble. He introduced us, and then, without missing a beat, he asked me to dance.
"Do you want something to drink?"
"Maybe a beer."
Literally five minutes later, he brought over two frosted glasses. I took a grateful sip of the ice-cold drink, and... that was the last thing I remembered from that night. After that—nothing but darkness.
***
I was woken up by a foul smell. Struggling to open my eyes, I tried to figure out where I was. I looked around. It looked like some dingy apartment stairwell. That explained why it reeked of trash and damp. Pushing myself up, I looked at what I was lying on: a filthy, stained floor. My skirt was tossed in a corner, my purse was gone, and my underwear was missing. My head was spinning violently, I felt nauseous, and my mouth was bone-dry.
"What happened?" I thought sluggishly, looking myself over. I saw blood on my inner thigh. Putting two and two together, the realization hit me. Oh God, I've been raped. But how? How?! I can't remember a thing...
Leaning against the cold wall, I tried to summon the images of the previous night. Lily, Jack, his friends, me, the club, dancing, the glass of beer, the sip, and... nothing. The trail went cold right there. Okay, I couldn't just sit here; I had to leave before whoever did this came back. I managed to pull myself together as best I could and stepped outside. It was already starting to get light. By some miracle, I made it home on foot. It was lucky that there were hardly any people on the street at that hour, but even the few I passed stared. It wasn't surprising—I looked horrific.
"Amy, what happened?!" Lily screamed when I appeared in the doorway.
"I think I was raped... but I don't remember anything!" I replied, breaking down in tears. "Absolutely nothing!"
"Oh my God... you poor thing... how could this happen? Why didn't that guy you knew look out for you?"
"Jack and I were having a beer, and then... it's like the film just snapped."
"Could it have been him?!"
"I don't know..."
"Okay, you need to go to the hospital right now. There's no telling what they did to you." After the examination, the doctor confirmed my worst fears.
"Within the last twenty-four hours, you have had sexual contact with approximately three men. There is evidence that this was non-consensual: multiple vaginal tears, bruising on your thighs... and judging by how you feel—the nausea, the weakness, the dry mouth—you were drugged. If you like, I can order a toxicology screen."
"No, doctor, thank you. There's no point."
"But you'll need my report when you go to the police..."
"I'm not going to the police."
"As you wish. I understand completely. I'm not sure I'd do it myself... Here is a prescription for some pills you need to take immediately to prevent pregnancy."
"Thank you so much."
"And you should come back in a month for follow-up testing to rule out any STIs."
"Yes, of course..."
"And don't keep this bottled up. Please see a therapist. Good luck to you."
Lily and I went home. She held my arm gently, supporting me. She clearly felt guilty.
"Amy, I'm so sorry..."
"For what?"
"If I had known, I never would have left you alone..."
"Stop it! This isn't on you..."
"Are you sure about not reporting it?"
"Yeah, there's no point. They'd just humiliate me all over again. They'd say I asked for it. Remember that case in the news last year? Everyone blamed the poor girl—saying it was her fault for wearing a short skirt. No, I don't want that."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet. I haven't decided. I need to find out who did this. The doctor said there were three of them. Jack had two friends with him—that makes three. But how can I know for sure?"
"We could follow them..."
"Exactly. Finding out where Jack lives shouldn't be hard. And I'll make him talk!"
"How? Are you going to torture him?"
"If I have to, yes..."
"Amy, you're scaring me."
"Don't worry, I'm just... I'm just venting."
***
Three days later, I decided to go back to the club where Jack had taken me (his address had been in my pocket for days). I hoped I'd catch him there with his friends. Unbelievably, they were sitting in the same spot, at the same table. Drinking, laughing, checking out girls. They looked so casual, so untouchable. Okay, time to move.
I discreetly sat at a nearby table. I was wearing a dark turtleneck, black slacks, and tinted glasses, with my hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. I was certain they wouldn't recognize me like this. I was right—the guys were acting like nothing had happened. After ordering a bottle of mineral water, I started listening intently to their conversation. Without any shame, they were loudly rating every woman in the room. Then, one of them suddenly spoke up.
"Hey Jack, look at that chick, she looks like that girl you knew," he said, nodding toward a girl walking past. "Wonder if she's like the other one: sleeps with all three of us and doesn't even remember it?" The guys burst into loud laughter. It felt like I'd been doused with ice water. So, I was right—it was them.
I don't know how I managed to sit there until the end of the night. I decided to trail Jack's two friends. From their conversation, it sounded like they shared an apartment. Finally, the trio stepped outside. Fortunately, they weren't with any girls tonight; apparently, their hunt for a victim had failed. Jack hailed a cab, and they all piled in and sped off. I immediately flagged down a car. Jumping into the front seat, I told the driver:
"Follow that black sedan!"
"What, tracking a cheating husband?"
"You guessed it. Hurry, don't lose them!"
"They won't get away from me," the driver said, his competitive streak suddenly flaring up.
An hour later, I knew exactly where my attackers lived. I'll go back during the day. There are plenty of benches around there where talkative neighbors hang out. I'll find out everything I can, and then I'll see. No one is getting away with this. I remember that old movie where a man took justice into his own hands for his granddaughter... Well, I'm not exactly a pushover myself.
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