✮Ｓｔｅｐｈａｎｉｅ✮

CH.25: DEFILED

My eyes were heavy, difficult to open. I blinked multiple times and opened them. There on my left-hand side was Melody, but there was no melodic sign coming from her appearance; she looked anxious. There was tension in the atmosphere and the anxious voices pierced my hearing.

Again my eyes were opened. I found myself in a room and a nurse attended to me. Hospital?

The memory of the experience the night before struck my heart with a heavy blow, filling my mind with trauma.

Abruptly, I gave a loud shout.
I screamed violently that I almost collapsed the building.

                      ***
I sat in the car and silently sobbed.

I had been in Lake city the previous day, about five miles away from Olive Valley. I was with Nicole, Crystal, and the others. They threw a crazy party, the wildest I had ever seen.

My heart was strangely burdened and I called Melody, inviting her to the party. I promised her that Nicole wouldn't freak and that she would have an enjoyable time. I sent her the address and she was on her way.

Then Crystal came to me where I sat in isolation from the party and from everyone.

" 'Sup?" He smiled.

"I don't feel safe here."

"Why?"

"This party is in the middle of nowhere, with no adult supervision and everyone is going wild."

Suddenly, I heard a boy cry out passionately, "Let's do a Mile High Club!"

"See what I'm talking about?" I told Crystal.

"Again with this? I thought we were over this, girl. It has to be that goody-goody poisoning you with moralistic sh*t."

Then he got closer and tried to touch me immorally. I demanded that he stopped but he wouldn't listen.

"Stop, Crystal. I'm serious."

When I became really serious, he tried to force his way into me and I smacked him heavily on the face.

"I said don't touch me!"

I watched him arise in fury and go down to Nicole, probably to report my case.
Then, in few minutes, Nicole approached me with drinks in her hands. She was wearing a beautiful night dress, prancing like Delilah on her way to seduce Samson.

"Here," she stretched forth her left hand to me, offering me a drink, and I accepted the drink. "What's wrong? Don't you trust him?"

"This isn't a matter of trust, Nicole. I just wanna be alone, don't you get it? I don't even know why I came here in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm tired, alright!" I said on top of my voice, my voice was shaky and my face, tensed. "I'm tired of everything! I just want to be happy and none of these stuff is making me happy! I want peace of mind. I want to think."

Nicole watched me closely and she slowly sipped from her glass of wine. Suddenly, by watching her, I felt compelled to do the same and I took a sip.

"Call me crazy but you're crazy, and he's crazy, and everyone's crazy. You're all nuts! Out of your stupid minds!" I continued to rant. "This is how you define living life to the fullest, huh? Acting foolish and being heedless of the future, of eternity! You say YOLO—that's the motto—You Only Live Once, therefore act reckless and worry not about the beauty of your future. Living the moment in concupiscence and waywardness is all that matters. Foolish fools."

I watched Nicole smile from time to time. I myself, I couldn't tell if it was alcohol-talk or me just pouring my heart out in sincerity.

"I understand you," she said and stood up on her feet and left.