When I came to, he was gone. I was lying on
the dirty ground, frantically searching for my
purse. I had to call the police.
But my purse was gone. Along with my phone,
my wallet, everything.
I lay there, sobbing, my lip bleeding. The pain
between my legs brought me back to reality. I had to make him pay. I had to.
I somehow managed to get to my feet, stumbling and falling several times. I gritted my teeth and made my way out of the alley, back towards our apartment.
My mind raced. How would Mark react when I
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7:01
83
told him? What would people think? Would they
blame me?
My head throbbed. The apartment wasn’t far,
but it felt like miles.
I could hear Mark’s voice inside.
“Come on, noob! Why are you running away,
you’re supposed to be a tank! My squishy mage
is faster than you!”
“Damn it! I lost again!”
He was playing video games.
The sound of his voice made my eyes well up. /1
knocked on the door.
“Coming!” Footsteps approached. The door opened.
Mark stared at me, dumbfounded. “Babe, what
<
happened? Why weren’t you answering your
phone?”
I burst into tears, collapsing into his arms.
Between sobs, I told him everything. Having him
there gave me a strange sense of comfort, of
courage.
“Mark, take me to the hospital. I need a rape
kit. We need to call the police!”
“We need to find that bastard and put him in jail!”
Mark patted my back. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Everything’s alright now.”
His words were comforting, but his tone… it
was off. I looked up at him. His lips were
pressed together, like he was trying not to
laugh. That expression… I froze.
“Babe,” he said, stifling a giggle. He turned and
く
pulled a baseball cap from the closet, placing it
on his head. “That was me!”
My blood ran cold. I recognized the hat. I
stumbled backward, my body trembling.
Mark continued, oblivious. “You didn’t even recognize me! I’m heartbroken! I planned this for weeks! Pretty intense, huh?”
I stared at his excited face, numb with shock.
“Babe? Are you crying?” Mark finally noticed my tears.
I sat on the floor, hugging my knees, dirt from the alley clinging to my legs.
Mark, seemingly used to this reaction, knelt
beside me, pulling a ring from his pocket.
“I’m sorry, babe. Don’t be mad. I won’t do it again. I promise.”
<
7:01
He’d said that so many times before.
But this wasn’t a prank. Not to me.
Not this time.
83
I looked up at him and slapped him hard across the face.
The sound cracked through the air. Mark was stunned. I’d never hit him before. He clutched his cheek, frowning at me.
“Mark,” I choked out, “Don’t you think this is a little sick? You can’t joke about something like this!”
Finally realizing how truly angry I was, the
playful expression vanished. He tried to put his arms around me.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you’d react like this. I’m really sorry.”
His apologies were meaningless. He didn’t
understand what he’d done wrong.
I stared at him, feeling utterly hollow.
“Where’s my purse?”
He jumped up, retrieved it from the closet, and handed it to me. “Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat.”
I didn’t answer. He went into the kitchen.
I pulled out my phone, using a chair to steady myself, and walked out the door.
I hailed a cab at the corner. The driver looked
–
at me in the rearview mirror. “You alright, – miss?”
I huddled in the backseat. “Take me to the
nearest hospital, please.”
Mark looked bewildered when the police
brought him to the station. But when he saw
me, his expression shifted – shock, confusion.
fear, and then resentment.
“Jenna! You actually called the cops?!”
He tried to approach me, but an officer blocked
his path.
“Officer, this is a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!” He pleaded, “We were just messing around! She’s just a little upset. I can explain everything.”
The officer didn’t budge. “Sir, forcing yourself on a woman against her will, using violence, coercion, or any other means constitutes rape, even if she’s your girlfriend. Ms. Miller has completed a rape kit at the hospital and has identified you as the perpetrator. We need to question you now. Come with us.”
7:01
Mark was led away, struggling against the
officer’s grip. He turned to me, his voice trembling with disbelief.
“Jenna, you’re actually going to send me to jail?! How could you do this? I was just joking!”
“Jenna!”
