Chapter 2

Rose took a deep breath and looked at me as she finally began her story.

"It started the third week of school in my PE class. I stopped on the way to class to go to the bathroom. It took longer than I expected, and I was a couple of minutes late getting there. It was a nice day, and Ms. Driscoll had the girls outside playing games. She saw me come out and yelled at me for being late. Then she told me to run five laps around the field as punishment. I didn't think it was fair but knew not to say anything, so I started to jog around the football field. There's a track around it, so it's easy to run on. At the far end of the field as you turn to head back there is a small shack that used to have the groundskeeper's supplies in it before they built a new bigger one. Now it's empty and kept locked."

She took another deep breath and looked even more scared. I told her to take her time and tell me the rest.

"The door to the shack faces away from the school, so nobody can see what's going on there. It's kind of a blind spot. When I jogged past it the first time, I saw four older boys, maybe seniors, sitting there leaning against the shack. One of them whistled at me but I didn't pay any attention to him. The second time I passed them, they started to make nasty remarks to me about my body. One of them kept calling, 'Here pussy, pussy, pussy.' I just kept running. The third time I passed them, one of them stood up and exposed his ... uh ... his thing to me. He was playing with himself. I was scared and ran faster to get away. When I got to the starting line, I stopped and told Ms. Driscoll what happened. She looked out toward the shack and then back at me. She looked real mad and said I was lying so I wouldn't have to run the rest of the laps. She said that nobody was out there and couldn't be without her knowing it. She told me to run four more laps because I lied. But I didn't lie Sam. Honest I didn't."

Rose had started crying and Mary put an arm around her to comfort her.

"I know you didn't lie Rose. Now take another deep breath and tell me the rest."

She did as I asked and then continued. "The next time I reached the shack, one of the boys grabbed me and dragged me over to where the others were sitting. He said they saw me talking to the teacher and didn't like snitches. He held my arms, and the others got up and started to rub their hands all over my body. They touched my breasts, and one even rubbed between my legs. I tried to get away, but he was too strong. I started to scream, but one of them put a hand over my mouth. They said they'd beat me up if I told anyone what happened. They pinched my nipples and made me swear not to tell. I promised just so I could get away. They finally let me go, and I ran to the teacher again."

"And what did she do?"

"She didn't even give me a chance to say anything. She started to yell at me for hiding so I didn't have to run any more. I told her I didn't and that the boys had forced me and touched me. She called me a liar and told me to go shower because class was over. I was crying and wanted her to believe me but she wouldn't, so I did as I was told and showered and went to my next class. On the way I saw the school counselor and decided to tell him what happened."

"That was the right thing to do. Did he help you?"

"No! Mr. Gerard seemed to understand at first but then he called Ms. Driscoll and asked her about it. I couldn't hear what she said, but he looked mad. After he hung up he said Ms. Driscoll had gone out and checked behind the shack when I first told her about the boys, and they were not there. He said she checked again after I told her I was attacked, and there was still nobody there. He said there was no way for the boys to get out there without being seen, and so it was obvious I was lying. He said I better not try telling my story to anyone else or I'd be expelled from school for making false accusations against innocent students. He warned me not to try to tell my parents because he would tell them he had investigated and found I was lying. He said they'd get in trouble for what I did, and they'd be mad at me and punish me more. Then he sent me to class."

I could see why she didn't want to tell anyone. And she looked like the worst was yet to come.

"Is that the whole story Rose?"

"N ... no. I saw the boys in the hall as I went to classes the next couple of days. They looked angry, and one of them shook his fist at me. I only have PE twice a week, so it was a while before I had to go again. When I got to class the next time, I made sure I was early and not late. It didn't matter. After Ms. Driscoll got class started she had all of us run a couple of laps, then she split us into teams for soccer and volleyball. I thought I was safe, but then she called me over and told me that because I lied to Mr. Gerard I had to run laps again. She told me to run until she told me to stop. I was scared, but when the whole class had run, I didn't see the boys, so I thought they were not there. I was wrong."

She hesitated again, looking very upset with tears running down her face.

"It's okay Rose. You're safe here. We're here to help if we can but we need to hear it all."

"I know, Sam. It's just real hard to talk about. I did as I was told and started to run laps again. The first lap around, there was nobody at the shack. But on the second lap, I saw the same boys there again. They yelled at me and made gestures at me and I knew I was in trouble. They let me run another lap before they grabbed me and took me over to the shack. But then they surprised me by opening the door and dragging me inside. I don't know how they got the door open. It's supposed to be locked at all times. Inside it was a little dusty, but not too dirty. In fact, it looked as if somebody was using the place a lot. There was a table and some chairs and a gym mat on the floor."

I was afraid I knew where this was headed and tried to give Rose some encouragement. She continued.

"Two of the boys held my arms so I couldn't get away. Then the one I heard called Spike told me I was in big trouble for telling on them. He said that nobody would believe me now that I was on record as a liar, and I better do as I was told, or I'd be very sorry and so would my parents. He said that if I told anyone else his friends would 'take care' of my mom and dad. I believed him. He told Joey and Stu to hold me tight so I couldn't move and Nick to get behind me to help. Then he ... he opened his pants and pulled his ... thing out and stroked it. It got real big and hard, and I was scared he was going to rape me. Then he told the others to make me kneel down on the mat. When I was down he moved in front of me and told me to open my mouth and suck his 'cock'. Then he pushed it against my lips. I tried to move me head away, but Nick forced me to hold still. Spike reached out and pinched my nose until I opened my mouth, and then he slid his thing in my mouth. He told me I better not bite him or scrape it with my teeth or he'd 'beat the shit out of' me. I didn't do anything at first. It tasted yucky and had some stuff around the top under the skin that covered the end.

"He slapped me in the face and said I better suck right away or I'd be sorry. I d ... d ... did what he said. It seemed like it went on forever, but I guess it wasn't very long before he said he was cumming, and I better not lose a drop. I didn't know what he meant at first but then I felt something squirt into my mouth. I almost choked on it but was finally able to swallow it. He squirted three or four times and then pulled out of my mouth. I swallowed the last of the stuff, and then he made me lick him clean. It made me sick, and I almost threw up. I was crying and begging them to let me go. Spike laughed and said that I still had three more to suck before class was over and I better get busy. He changed places with Nick and they made me do the same thing over again. I ended up doing it to all four of them.

"After the last one was finished, I did throw up and they laughed. Spike tossed me a rag and told me to clean my face. It was dirty, but I did as he told me. When I was done he warned me not to talk or I'd regret it. Then they let me go and I ran back to where the other girls were playing. Class ended just as I got there and we all went in to shower. I felt real dirty and scrubbed hard and even washed out my mouth with soap. It was bitter but was better than what they had squirted. When I came out of the locker room, I saw Ms. Driscoll and Mr. Gerard talking together. They saw me, and I thought I should try one more time to tell them what happened.

"I walked over to them and started to tell them about the boys, but Mr. Gerard stopped me. He said that I better not start another of my lies because he and Ms. Driscoll had watched me run laps for the whole period and knew where I was the whole time. I knew then that I had no chance of getting any help from them so I just went to my next class."

She was crying hard at that point and Mary was hugging her close to try and show some support. I thought she was finished with her story but I was wrong.

"Ever since then I have to run laps every class. If the boys are there, they make me do the same thing again. I stopped fighting because I was scared they might do something worse. I heard them talking about 'screwing the bitch' a couple of times, but they seemed to think it was too dangerous."

She paused and I asked her if there was anything else. She said yes and continued.

"I wondered why Ms. Driscoll and Mr. Gerard wouldn't help me, but think I know. One day at lunch I slipped outside to get away from everyone, and I saw them coming back from the shack. Ms. Driscoll was fixing her clothes as if she had just gotten dressed, and Mr. Gerard had a big smile on his face. I hid so they wouldn't see me, and when I was about to go back inside I saw the boys coming in from the shack too. I think they are all doing something together, and that's why I can't get any help. Nobody would believe me against two teachers."

She broke down then and sobbed uncontrollably. I was enraged but tried to hold it in so as not to frighten her. What possible excuse could two adults have for their behavior? None! I knew I was going to have to do something. But what? I reached over and put a finger under Rose's chin and raised her head so she was looking at me. I held out my arms, offering a hug. She hesitated for a moment and then moved into my arms. I hugged her lightly as she continued to cry. She was tense, and I could feel it in her body, but after I had held her for a minute she began to relax. I'd gained her trust, and she was showing me by letting me hold her. I spoke to her softly.