Hustle Vs Muscle

Chapter 30: Snitch

We have a game against Racine High School. Their boys look like they have an insane defense. We huddle to discuss our game plan. "Cut around them." Coach Roxanne says. "If they can't catch you, they can't steal the ball no matter how short or tall you are." D'amato rolls his eyes as if he can't see how short kids can play basketball. At one point, he jumps up, grabs the rim and pulls down on it, as if to remind us that he towers above us all.

We win the game, but something is wrong with my game. I was fast but I lost the ball a few times and missed lots of easy shots. "D'amato," says Coach Ricky. "Make sure you pass when you need to. " "What about Christina?" says D'amato. "She's effing stupid. A hot mess!" "Don't say that about your teammate!" scolds Coach Roxanne. "So I can get yelled at for not passing and Christina can f*** up all her shots and lose the ball and not get in trouble?" says D'amato hotly

"We don't use the f word on this team." says Coach Roxanne. "Next person who says the f word is off the team. Cussing is for losers." With everything that's been going on, it's a relief to focus on the game and the win. I hate walking through the hallways, despite people congratulating me on how well I play, because everytime I walk down the hallway, I see D'amato and his friends staring at me like I'm a meal. I hate being looked at that way. "Damn." says D'amato as I pass by him. "Nice legs." I ignore him.

Things go from crappy to bad on Friday when the D'amato's invite us over. I wear heels, a two piece red dress, a black jacket and do my hair. D'amato is making eye contact with me, a rakish smile crossing his face. "Why don't you and D'amato go upstairs?" suggests D'amato's mom. My eyes meet Luke. He nods. I want him to come with us. I don't want to be alone with this boy.

We go upstairs to D'amato's room. He locks the door behind me and grabs Sorry off the shelf. We play for twenty minutes until D'amato throws down the plastic dice in his hand and stands up. "This is getting kind of boring." he says. "Yeah, wanna play something else?" I say. "I was thinking Dare." D'amato grins. I notice the four-poster bed behind me. Things go from bad, to the worst it can possibly be.

D'amato pushes me down on the mattress. His weight pins me down. I hit him but he places his feet on top of my hands so I can't hit him. D'amato traces his fingers along my face. My heart races and I begin to panic. I try to push him off but he's too heavy and his grip is too tight. He continues tracing his fingers down my body from the collarbone down to my lower back, despite my pleas to stop. "Where's your Wifi hotspot?" says D'amato as he squeezes my thigh. Bile rises inside my throat. "Can you give me the password?" he asks.

Overtaken by a sudden burst of rage, I free my right hand and I punch D'amato in the chest. I yell at the top of my lungs but D'amato just claps a hand over my mouth, silencing me. Nobody appears to rescue me. He unzips my jacket and tosses it aside. The door is locked. I am trapped in this room with only one window. Nobody can hear me. I shove D'amato back and try to stand up, but he pulls me back down again.

"No." I groan. "Stop..." D'amato slides his fingers down my hair. I clock him in the jaw and try to get up but D'amato simply pushes me up against the bedpost. "What will Aiden say if he saw you now?"  taunts D'amato
I've had it. I can't be silent anymore, because my silence is only giving D'amato power over me, which is the only thing he wants.

Instead of telling my mom directly, I put it into a note that I left on her bedside table. She looked concerned and shocked as she realized what kind of person D'amato is. "I'll call the school." she says. "They can't get away with this."

They said "Snitches get stitches."
But I would prefer anything over my current situation.