TRAPPED IN SILK ( ON HOLD )

I

Hey sweetheart, you want to sit your fat ass on my face? I'll show you a time you'll never forget. " One of the weekly customers slurred.

It's the tenth time you asked me that this week, and it's only Tuesday. My kids could do better than you ever could. Now shoo and go bother someone else. " Raven said in annoyance as she cleaned the liquor off the table that the man spilled because he was too drunk to know where his mouth was.

Raven never in a million years thought she would end up working at a nightclub, wearing a uniform that felt like a second skin, and serving perverted, middle-aged, divorced men five times a week. She was a good girl in high school, had good grades, had good friends, and had a supportive family. Then she made a mistake and it all came crashing down on her. The nightclub was the only place that took her. After her family disowned her and kicked her out, this place became her new home.

"Raven! Will you come over to my place and have a few drinks? I bought your favorite ice cream. " Camille, Raven's best friend, yelled over the loud music that blared throughout the building.

Of course! I've been dying for a girl's night. " Raven yelled back. Moments like these show she enjoyed where she was in life. Camille was more accepting and understandable than anyone she'd ever met. With Camille's brown eyes, curly brown hair, and smooth dark body, Raven couldn't help but be jealous of her friend's appearance. Raven's only features were dull blue eyes, thin straight black hair, and pale white curvy skin. Not that any of it was bad, she just didn't see the beauty everyone told her she had.

The rest of her shift consisted of turning down drunk men and cleaning their messes. It was just a normal day. The second the clock hit nine, she had her bag in her hand and was out the door.

It was early December, and as tiny snowflakes began to fall, Raven cursed herself for not dressing properly. She quickly pulled out her phone with her numbing hands and ordered an Uber. She couldn't afford her own car since rent and groceries took most of her pay, but she was grateful to have a roof over her head. Once the Uber finally showed up, Raven quickly got in and rubbed her hands against the heater. She sighed in relief as her hands began to unthaw.

Walking into Camille's apartment, Raven immediately felt the stress leave her body. The apartment was decorated beautifully with calm tones, cream colors, and house plants that covered almost every wall. A sweet vanilla scent wrapped around Raven.

"Mmm, what are you baking?" Raven asked as she put her bag down on a table and walked towards the kitchen.

"Well hello! I found this delicious vanilla cookie recipe online and thought it would compliment the wine very well," answered Camille, dividing the cookies evenly on two plates and pouring Raven's favorite red wine.

Taking the cookies and wine to the living room, they sat on the couch and began watching their favorite romance movies.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It didn't have to end like that. Camille sobbed, blowing her nose in a tissue.

"The main character was so lucky to find a guy as sweet as him. Why did she have to ruin it?" Raven screamed into the pillow. Romance movies that didn't have a happy ending always hurt her the most. "It's getting late. I should get back to my place." As Raven stood up, the world began to spin and she felt like a million pounds.

"Are you sure? You had a lot to drink and went through one bottle of wine on your own. You can stay the night if you want to. " Camille offered.

No, it's okay. I'll be fine. My apartment isn't that far away. Raven grabbed her bag and began to walk to the door. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for tonight. I needed it. "

Walking down the street was one of the hardest things Raven had to do. She felt like the ground beneath her was moving in circles, and she had to stop every once in a while to focus on breathing. As she continued down her street, she heard voices. One of them sounded like they were in need of help. Raven began to walk towards the voices down an alley, leaning against the brick building for support.

"Well, well, now I've got two pretty ladies to please me, and one of them has already completed my task for me." the voice said in the dark."

As Raven got closer, she saw a woman with makeup running down her face and a man with his pants halfway down with a knife to the girl's neck. Her heart started to beat nervously. Although she took self-defense classes, she was not in the right state of mind to be dealing with this situation. The world began to spin faster.

"Get your greasy hands off her." Raven stuttered, trying to sober herself up and calm herself down.

"Please! Help me! " The young woman cried as the knife began to slide against her neck.

And what makes you think I'd listen to a drunken whore? The man sneered, "This pretty lady and I were about to have a good time before you came here, so how about you leave us unless you want to join us?"

Raven could see the evil smirk on the man's face, but she didn't move. "Or you can just watch."

The man forced the girl onto the ground by her hair and pushed up her dress, dropping the knife on the ground.

"Please! Please stop! " The girl cried. Raven felt frozen. She wanted to do something but didn't know what to do. When the man was about to push himself in, something came over Raven as she rushed towards the knife that the man had dropped and picked it up.

"What are you-" The man couldn't finish his sentence as Raven inserted the rusty knife into the man's eye. Blood squirted onto Raven, drenching her clothes, and the man fell to the ground dead. The girl screamed and ran from the scene. Raven's heart began to beat faster. Horror spread across her face.

"What have I done?" Raven began to shake I can't have someone see me like this. She said to herself. Raven ran the rest of the way to her apartment. Once she arrived, she locked her doors, took off all her clothes, went into the shower, and scrubbed the dried blood off of her skin. Her mind sobered up as she watched the red water flow into the drain and got out once the water ran clear.

Raven didn't know what to do. Should she go to the cops? Should she go back to the scene and bury him? He tried to rape her. He deserved it. She didn't have the authority to decide to take a life no matter what the guy had done. Raven's mind was running at a million miles per hour.

Coming out of the shower and putting on some fresh clothes, Raven put the bloody clothes in the sink and grabbed a lighter. As the clothes went up in flames, she began to cry on the kitchen floor and drifted off to sleep.