In Plain Sight - Part 1

18

"So I'm thinking of joining Kappa Phi," Rebecca said as she read through a small booklet given to her by the girls at the event. "I never really saw myself as a sorority girl but hey, maybe."

The two of them sat at a Starbucks sipping their vastly different coffees. Hers was a decaf venti iced skinny hazelnut macchiato, sugar-free syrup, double espresso shot, light ice, extra whip – half the order contradicted itself, while Ian got a latte. Just a latte. He sipped his basic latte, not able to shake the encounter he had with Joshua.

"What's wrong?" Rebecca asked. "You seem distracted. You've been distracted since yesterday." She lightly rubbed his arm.

Ian felt defeated by the encounter and didn't know how to tell Rebecca without him sounding weak – but honesty was the best policy. "When you were talking with the sorority girls yesterday, I had a little run-in with Josh." His heartrate started to increase. "I mean – I saw his hand sliding down a little too close to your ass and it was making me uncomfortable."

Rebecca laughed lightly but obliviously. "Yeah I noticed that too. It was kind of weird."

"Well see, that's what I mean," Ian continued. "So after you went off with the other girls, I confronted him about it." Rebecca's face turned more serious. She had a sort of please tell me you didn't really do that expression on her face. "I told him that, you know, you're taken – by me – and that he shouldn't try to make passes at you."

"Oh Ian," she said, shaking her head. "I don't think he was trying to do that. I think you're just being –"

"No but it wasn't just that," Ian's hands began to sweat. "He suddenly started badgering me about being a loser, not going to college and not doing anything with my life after high school but then," he paused and lowered his voice, "He started getting in my face and telling me that he could easily take you and there's nothing I could do about it." Rebecca raised her eyebrow in apparent slight disbelief. "He said that I don't deserve someone as beautiful and sexy as you and that nothing I could do can stop him from fucking you if he wanted to."

There was a pause. It was out in the open at that point. Rebecca sighed and looked out into the distance. Ian tried to read her face but there wasn't much to comprehend.

"Are you sure you weren't just, I don't know, misreading his sense of humor?" Rebecca said. Ian's face contracted in shock. "I know he can be a bit bold at times but that really doesn't sound like something he would do."

"What?!" Ian was stunned. How could she not believe him? "No, babe, listen. He got in my face and said that to me. I got pissed. I got really mad but, I mean, what could I have done? He got like, two inches away from my face and even showed off his stupid gun as if he was going to shoot me or something!"

Rebecca smiled, "Babe, I think you're getting a little worked up. I promise you, I would never ever do anything with that guy. Ever. I love you and only you. Nothing he could do or say would ever make convince me to –"

"Yeah but he actually," he paused. He felt a jab in his conscience that she wasn't believing him.

"Do you not trust me, Ian?" Rebecca said more sternly.

Ian shook his head, "It's not about whether or not I trust you. It's that he threatened me and he said that he could just take you if he wanted and nothing I could do or say would stop him. Shit, remember that party the other day? Did you see that girl coming out of his room? Crying?"

"Ian, listen to me," Rebecca grabbed his hands from across the small table. "I believe you. I believe that was your interpretation and if he really did say those things in that way, then that's terrible and that makes him a horrible person." Ian wasn't very satisfied with her wording, but it was better than before. "He can't just take me, Ian, that would require me to agree. To consent." She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, "Do you think I would consent to him?"

"No I don't," Ian said.

"Do you believe me?" She asked sincerely.

It wasn't even that. It wasn't whether or not he trusted her. Of course he trusted her. He just didn't trust him. Joshua Rhuvan was the vice president of a very successful and renowned fraternity at their university. He had taken dozens of girls before from their boyfriends and the power went to his head. Ian vividly remembered the crying girl leaving the room at the party – what could have happened there? What could Josh have done to have caused her to storm out of the bedroom in tears, covering her face? She was probably humiliated. Maybe she was coerced or pressured. There was no telling – and there was no telling how many other girls may have been abused in the same way.

"Yes I believe you," Ian said, still feeling like there were points missing and details still needed to be said – but he didn't feel it was worth it at that point. He considered telling her to be careful or to carry a taser or a pepper spray with her but he didn't want to overdo it.