Yelling

Screaming.

The woman was screaming. For help, desperate for anyone to hear her screams.

She was scared, there was no denying that. But why was she so scared? He couldn't make out what she was screaming, he couldn't even see who she was. It was as though he were encased in blackness. He couldn't even see his own hand right in front of his face.

Where was he? Who was the frightened woman?

Then he heard a loud smack, followed by another voice. An angry voice.

A man's voice.

Now he understood.

Finding his bearings, Dan moved through the black hallways, trying desperately to find where this guy had this woman hidden. Just what was he putting her through to get these awful, blood curdling screams from her? Did he even want to find out?

Finally, after what seemed like hours of aimless running, Dan realized the frantic screams were growing louder, nearer. He could now begin to make out what she was saying.

"No, please, don't do this!"

"Shut up!"

"Let me go!"

The man let out a yelp. "Son of a bitch, get back down!" Dan heard another loud scream and a thump. He knew he'd hit her again, this time causing her to fall to the floor.

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice was quiet, obviously trying to control her sobs.

"Because. He can't have you. He doesn't love you like I do, why won't you see that? Why do you keep fighting me?"

Dan heard the sob inevitably come out as she whispered one more, "please" to the relentless attacker. He knew that voice.

Who is she?

He knew. Damn it, he could swear that he knew that voice. Why wouldn't it click in his brain?

It finally did when she began screaming once again. He was unable to move. Unable to breathe, or even think. He now knew who it was that was being tortured so badly.

Oh God, he was going to be sick.

"Dan...Dan!" Starting awake, Dan gasped for breath. Was he still dreaming? He could still hear the voices, the screaming, the frantic pleas for help.

All from Raleigh's mouth.

Oh God.

Jumping up from the bed, Dan leapt to his feet and ran to the bathroom, spilling his guts into the toilet.

When vomit finally stopped pouring from his mouth, Dan sat down, leaning his head against the cool tiles of the wall. Had that really been just a dream? It had seemed so real. Felt so real. Too real.

Dan felt someone press a cold wash cloth to his face, causing him to open his eyes.

Raleigh.

She sat before him, wearing only his t-shirt that was too big for her. Her hair was disheveled from sleeping, but she still managed to look gorgeous.

Who could ever want to hurt her?

She stared at him with her wide, lilac eyes, obviously worried about him.

"Are you all right?"

Swallowing down the taste of bile and vomit, Dan nodded. "I'm fine."

"Waking up from an obvious nightmare in a cold sweat just to run to the bathroom to puke your guts up? Yeah, I'd be fine too." He caught the strong sarcasm in her voice, and though he knew he deserved it, at the moment it wasn't really appreciated. But she was right. He was definitely not all right. Anything but. He couldn't get past the screams, the begging...

The sound of that guy forcing himself on her while she sobbed.

"Dan..."

"I'm gonna clean up in here. Take a shower." He forced a laugh before looking around. "The smell of puke isn't all that flattering." He saw Raleigh's eyes harden as she looked at him.

He realized she wanted him to confide in her and tell her what his nightmare had been about, but he couldn't just come out and say that he'd dreamed of her getting tortured and raped. What kind of freak would she think he was?

Standing up, Raleigh set the wash cloth on the sink, mumbled that she'd be downstairs, and left, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

As she put on her pajama bottoms, Raleigh tried to swallow the hurt she suddenly felt. Why couldn't he trust her enough to tell her what the nightmare had been about? It had quite obviously shaken him. Why did he feel like he had to weigh the burden alone? After brushing her hair, Raleigh went downstairs and into the kitchen to fix herself something to eat.

Deciding on simple and easy, she grabbed the cheerios and poured herself a bowl before going into the living room and turning on the television. She turned on repeats of Saved By The Bell and settled into the couch, eating her breakfast. When the credits were rolling on the second episode, Raleigh began wondering what Dan was doing and if he really was all right. If he had woken up like that, the dream must have really gotten to him. She couldn't swallow down the worry she felt for him, but the anger she felt certainly outweighed the worry.

Why didn't he trust her? Was it a control type thing? Did he feel like if he opened up and told her the dream really had upset him would he feel like less of a man? Like he was weak?

No matter his reasoning, Raleigh was still upset.

Seeing that it was now nearly nine o'clock, Raleigh stood up and put her bowl in the kitchen sink. Going back upstairs, she dressed and sat on the bed, waiting for Dan to emerge from the bathroom.

Good lord he took longer in the bathroom than a woman.

Finally after a few more minutes, he came out of the bathroom, towel around his waist and his hair wet and clinging to his head. God did he ever look sexy. She sat there, legs and arms crossed, just watching as he went to his dresser, pulled out some clothes and went back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Not once did he look at her or even acknowledge her presence.

A few minutes later he opened the door again, fully clothed this time. As she stared at him, she knew he was fighting with himself. Whether to look at her or tell her what was going on up in that gorgeous head of his, she didn't know. When he gave in and actually met her gaze, his face was hard and he spoke sternly. What he said was the last thing she had ever expected to come from his mouth.

"I don't want you to go to that party tonight."

Sitting there stunned for a moment, Raleigh just let it sink in what he had just said. "And why the hell not?"

"I have my reasons. I don't want you anywhere near there tonight, Raleigh."

Laughing incredulously, Raleigh stood up and walked towards him a few steps. "Well too damn bad. You can't tell me what to do and you're seriously delusional if you think I'm going to let you."

Sighing, Dan closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. She noticed he always did that when he was annoyed or worried. Which was he right now?

She'd bet on annoyed.

"Look, Raleigh, I don't mean to sound like an asshole and I'm not trying to tell you what to do. Please, do not go to this party."

Ok, maybe it was the worried pinch.

"What's going on, Dan?"

"Nothing I just don't want you there. I guess I just have a bad feeling about it."

Shaking her head, Raleigh finally put two and two together. "This is about your dream isn't it? Something happened to me." Putting her hands on either side of his face, Raleigh told him, "Dan, it was just a dream. I'll be fine."

Grabbing her hands, Dan lowered them. "I know it was just a dream. But I still don't want you there."

Backing away a little, Raleigh shook her head. "Dan this is my last night to hang out and have fun with my friends. I'm not going to not go."

"You mean this is the last night you can party and get wasted on drugs and alcohol." He hadn't meant to let that slip out, but now that it had he just wanted to punch himself in the face. The way she looked at him, he knew he'd struck a chord.

Staring at Dan with disbelief in what he'd just said, Raleigh felt herself itching to slap him. And she would have had it not stung so bad the first time. Turning around, she grabbed her purse off the bed and headed out the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving." She said simply, not offering any other explanation as she went down the stairs.

"Raleigh," Catching up to her right before she reached the front door, Dan grabbed her arm causing her to turn on him, wrenching it away from his grasp.

"Don't touch me."

"Raleigh, look."

"No! You look. I went through a relationship once where he tried to tell me what to do. I won't do it again. I don't have to listen to this shit. I'll do whatever the hell I want." With that, she wrenched open the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Who the hell did he think he was? She was a big girl, she could do whatever she damn well pleased. She'd partied with these people a bunch of times over the past semester, what did he think was really going to happen? Sure she'd been planning on having a few drinks and letting herself go a little, but not to the point he apparently thought she would. Did he have no faith in her? She did have some self control, regardless of what he so obviously thought.

She could go the entire night without doing even one line of coke with everyone. She wasn't addicted. Was she?

No. It was just fun to let loose after having her every move watched back home. Mommy and Daddy weren't in LA to control her life, why would Dan think she'd allow him to?

She wasn't so sure that's even what he was doing. He did look thoroughly worried. But it was just dream. Dreams don't come true. That'd be like saying fairy tales came true.

She was too old to believe in fairy tales. And dreams were meant for sleeping. That was that.

Feeling her phone vibrate against her leg, Raleigh pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. Seeing that it was Dan she immediately hit "ignore" and put it back where it had been. There was nothing he could say to her that just wouldn't enrage her further.

Finally reaching the dormitory, Raleigh ran upstairs and straight into the shower, not even acknowledging Autumn. She knew she was being rude, but at that point in time she couldn't care less.

As she stood there, allowing the scalding water to wash away her aches and pains, Raleigh tried not to burst into tears. Had she been wrong about him? Was he just like James, wanting to control her every move, only pretending to really, truly care at first? While part of her wanted to believe he was different, she couldn't deny what had just happened. He told her not to go to the party.

But he said he wasn't trying to tell her what to do. He'd just had a bad feeling. Because of the dream. The dream that had gotten to him so badly that it made him sick.

Just what had he dreamt had happened to her? Had it really been that bad and graphic?

As she continued to stand there, under the cooling water, Raleigh began to feel herself softening. He really did seem worried about her. Really worried. What if somehow he had seen what the near future would bring?

No. It had just been a dream. Dreams don't come true. She'd hung out and partied with her classmates quite a few times. She'd be fine.

It finally registering that the water had gone ice cold, Raleigh turned it off and stepped out, wrapping the towel around herself. Seeing that she hadn't grabbed any clothes when she came in, she opened the bathroom door and went out into the room, straight to her dresser.

"Bad morning?" Glancing at Autumn, Raleigh tried to not let her annoyance show.

"Yeah, you could say that." After grabbing some clean clothes, Raleigh went back into the bathroom and dressed. When she was finished she ran a brush through her wet hair and then sat on her bed. As she pulled her boots on over her socks she could feel Autumn staring at her. She knew she was dying to say something, to ask what had happened between the love birds. Sighing, Raleigh turned and faced her roommate.

"What?"

"Nothing." Autumn shrugged before looking back to the T.V. "If you want to tell me what happened you know I'm always here to listen. But I'm not going to ask."

Standing up, Raleigh grabbed her sweater and threw it on. "I know, and when I want to talk I will come to you."

"Where are you going?"

"What do I usually do when I need to clear my head?"

"You go walking."

"Yep. I'll see you a little later."

"Hey, have you been to the Hollywood sign yet?"

Thinking back on her time in LA, Raleigh was surprised to realize she had yet to visit the sign. There was so much she'd been missing out on there. "You know what? No, I haven't."

"You should go. Have something to tell everyone back home."

"Maybe I will. I'll see you later."

Where had that come from? Was there a hidden meaning behind her words?

"Raleigh, you are becoming far too paranoid." Just because Dan had a screwed up dream, that had left her a little more distressed than she'd admit, was no reason to suspect her own friends of hidden agendas. But still, she found herself steering clear of the route to the sign. Instead, she found herself sitting in a park, watching ducks fish for food in the river. It was quiet and peaceful there which was just what she needed. For once she was able to just sit there and think. Maybe write a song. She hadn't written a song that wasn't for an assignment since she left Shelby forest at the end of the summer. She missed being able to just sit back and get all her emotions and thoughts out and onto paper, creating a killer song.

Like Halo.

That had been the easiest song she'd ever written, and in her opinion, the best she'd ever written. It was pure emotion that conveyed a powerful message.

As Raleigh sat there, thinking back on the past thirteen years, she had to will the tears away. She missed home now more than ever. Why had she come here, why had she ever left? Why did Josh leave her? Her life had changed more in the past year than she wanted to accept. Could she ever go back? Back to the way things used to be? Back to working at the Landing, performing her songs for the people she loved, and then some? Back to being careless and reckless with all of her friends. Back to drinking at the field then jumping into the swimming hole for a game of chicken that always left at least one of them hurt.

Back to Josh.

She could remember the exact moment she'd become his girlfriend so clearly. They'd been so in love but so young.

It was recess at school, he was a second grader, she a first. She sat on the tire swing with Carly, giggling madly because Owen had fallen and broken his glasses when Bobbie stuck out his foot. Owen stood up and, becoming red in the face from every one of his fellow classmates howling in laughter at him, he immediately let his fist fly, punching Bobbie square in the nose. Bobbie had then begun howling with tears streaming down his face, crying out for his mommy.

"Serves you right, Bobbie!" Raleigh yelled to her mischievous twin.

"Nice hit, Owen." The girls giggled more when Owen's freckle-filled face turned an even deeper shade of crimson and he turned away to follow Mrs. Anderson to the principal's office. He didn't get into too much trouble, it had after all been Bobbie's fault.

Anyway, there she sat, clad in her jean overall shorts, pink t-shirt, frilly socks and pig-tails, and Josh couldn't take his eyes off her. He heard his friend Joey had asked a girl if she loved him and if she wanted to be his girlfriend. He didn't exactly know how it went, but he did know that he wanted Raleigh to be his girlfriend.

He tried to work up the courage all through recess to approach her, but he just couldn't. so finally when they were back in their separate classrooms, he wrote her a note. When they got off the school bus later that day, Josh tapped her on the shoulder. He had fully planned on saying something to her, but as soon as she turned and gave him that adorable smile of hers, all thoughts went from his mind. He threw the note into her hand and ran away towards his home.

Watching Josh run away, Raleigh felt herself sadden. Why wouldn't he talk to her? But something was different. He had put a note in her hand this time.

Unfolding the piece of paper, she read the words written. Her spirits lifted instantly.

Do you love me? Do you want to be my friend?
If you do, well then don't be afraid to take me by the hand if you want to.
I think this is how love goes.
Check:
Yes or No
Josh

When she got home she made a single mark on the paper and folded it back up, setting it carefully in her folder with her homework.
When tomorrow finally came, Raleigh waited until they got off the morning bus and she went over to him. After handing him the note, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek before skipping away to her classroom with Carly.

When he opened the note and saw the single circle surrounding the "yes", he couldn't stop the happy yelp from coming out of his mouth. Raleigh was his girlfriend. He'd never been happier.

Ever since that day they'd been together. Did she really want to end, completely end them, over Christmas break? Would it be a mistake to take Dan with her? She wanted to spend the holiday with him, she wanted him to have a real Christmas again. But she knew it was tradition for the Chasez and the Coons families to get together on Christmas Eve. How would Josh react if he saw her there with him? Of course she'd tell him before hand, but she was so afraid to hurt him. The hurt and betrayal she'd felt when he sent her that letter was still fresh in her mind. Could she really do that to him?

Hearing the familiar beat of Jamie Dunlap's "Down on Love" coming from her pocket, Raleigh reached for it and looked at the screen. When she saw Dan's smiling face peering up at her she contemplated hitting "talk" and apologizing for blowing up at him earlier. But she just wasn't ready to admit that he had her wondering if she really should go to the party tonight.

"This is ridiculous." hitting "ignore", Raleigh put the phone back in her pocket and relaxed back against the bench.

"Angry with someone?" At first her entire body tensed up with fear at the sound of the voice. But then she realized it was only Effron.

"Hey, you scared me."

"Sorry." He gave her his killer smile and sat down beside her.

"It's all right."

"So, what sorry sod pissed you off today? Lover boy perhaps?" She noted the resentment in his voice and wondered how much she should say.

"Uh, not so much pissed off as annoyed. He doesn't want me to go to the party tonight." Ok, so maybe she would just let him believe she was talking about Josh. It'd be better than telling him it was Mr. Cooper. "He says he has a bad feeling about it."

"What a crock of shit."

"I know. I'm a big girl now. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself."

"Indeed."

"but I think I do need to talk to him. I feel horrible for just blowing up at him and walking out this morning."

"Walked out?" He raised an eyebrow at her never before had she wanted to swallow her own fist so badly.

You fucking idiot!

"Uh...I meant..." Just mumble incoherently. That won't tip him off at all.

"You mean you've been sleeping with someone behind Mr. Perfect's back. Aside from me."

Looking down at her nervously twisting hands, Raleigh tried to think up something to say. "I wouldn't say I'm sleeping with you. I mean, it's been a while and..."

"You said you wouldn't do that." She felt her eyes snap to look at his face. His voice was so full of anger, his eyes not much better as they bored into her skull.

"Do what?" Raleigh wracked her brain, searching for the slightest clue to even hint at what he meant.

"You know what!" He snapped at her, causing her to shrink back from him subconsciously.

"Effron..."

"Just shut up, Raleigh." He shook his head and stood up, walking away briskly.

"What the hell just happened?" If she'd felt confused before, she certainly was now. What had she done to him to make him lash out at her with such anger like that?

Suddenly very aware of the darkening sky, Raleigh wrapped her arms around herself as she stood up and made her way to exit the park. Storms in LA were not something to take lightly, especially if the sky was getting so dark so quickly. She got to the dorm just as rain began pouring from the sky.

As she stood there watching the buckets of rain splashing against the glass doors, Raleigh felt herself shiver. "at least you held out for me."

Going back up to the dorm, Raleigh wasn't all that surprised to find Ember over. She was however, very surprised to see that they were watching a video of her performance at the beginning of summer back home.

"Where did you get this?"

"I was looking through your DVD's trying to find a movie to watch and I found this. It was just labeled "summer concert" so we were curious."

"Raleigh, I knew you were good at performing with Rent and all, but seeing you at home, doing your thing with your own music...I have no clue what you're doing here at the academy. You should have gotten a record deal years ago." That was a huge compliment coming from Ember, and Raleigh truly appreciated it.

"Wow, Ember, thanks."

"Seriously, Ray. You're stuff is amazing. A lot better than most of the shit that's on the radio now. And damn is that boy fine."

Looking at the TV Raleigh saw that she was beginning to perform "Never Gone." The song she'd written for her grandmother. And Autumn was talking about James.

"I just write what I feel. And James may be nice to look at, but he's a real asshole."

"You two seem to be pretty cozy up there."

"Yeah, before Josh and I started hanging out again and he showed his true colors."

"How is Josh?" Autumn used caution while asking. She knew that subject was beginning to be a difficult one for Raleigh.

"I don't really know actually. Kinda been avoiding his calls."

"Ray, that's terrible! Have you even spoken to him since he went back to New York?"

"Of course I have!" She defended herself, then grew silent. Autumn knew there was more going on with her friend than she knew about, she only wished she'd let her in a little to help her.

"Raleigh, what's going on?"

"Yeah, you were so in love with him. What gives?"

Sighing, Raleigh turned off the television and sat down with the girls.

"I've been seeing someone. And honestly I'm beginning to fall for him. Hard. We had our first fight this morning and now I just want to run over there and say how sorry I am. He's been calling and I keep ignoring him. I feel so terrible."

"Love will do that to you"

Sitting there in silence for a moment, Raleigh stood up abruptly and went to the window, watching the storm. "I just want to have a good time tonight. Forget about the drama in my life just for one night.

"Then we will." Ember said, standing up herself.

Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, Autumn swore. "Shit, it's later than I thought. We gotta get ready and head over to the house to set up."

Ember went back to her room and got ready while Autumn showered and Raleigh began curling her hair. Before putting on her dress, Raleigh added her make-up and tweezed a few stray eyebrow hairs.

Finally, Raleigh grabbed her dress and took it off the hanger. It was strapless, silk, and rose colored, falling a few inches above her knee. There was a black, sort of transparent cloth, covering the waist with black roses embroidered in it. After zipping it up in the back, Raleigh put on her black, diamond encrusted, necklace and matching bracelet, followed by her shoes. As she was switching purses - to a smaller black one - Autumn finally emerged from the bathroom, hair and make-up completely done. After she grabbed her dress she went back into the bathroom and put it on, asking Raleigh to help her with the zipper on the back.

Her dress was floor length, halter, silk, and navy blue. Her long, now only blond, hair was held up loosely with a few diamond encrusted clips with a few tendrils falling loosely around her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, Raleigh wondered if this was how celebrities lived. No matter what the occasion, the rich always seemed to dress formally.

"Let's go." After they went down the hall to get Ember they got a cab and drove to where the party was taking place.

"So where exactly is the party?"

"Oh, it was supposed to be at my parents' country club but they were afraid we were going to trash it so it's at my grandfather's house instead."

"You're parents were afraid of trashing their club but not your grandfather's home?"

"Nope. He died two years and they never go there so its almost always empty. Except for the maid they pay to keep it in good condition. Plus he was the biggest prick on the face of the planet so my mom just doesn't really care."

"Oh." Raleigh didn't think she' d ever be able to do that in her Grams' house. But then again she wasn't raised like Autumn and she hadn't known her grandfather.

As soon as they got to the house Raleigh's mouth it the ground. The house was enormous and nicely hidden behind a tall fence and quite a few large trees. It was completely lit up with icicle lights and adorned with beautiful decorations. Once they were inside, Raleigh was even more impressed. A large white Christmas tree was in the living room and various other decorations occupied other spots in the house. This maid they pay was very good at her job.

The girls went straight into the kitchen and began laying out the food, plates, cups, and alcohol.

"You're parents don't care that you party like this?"

"They know I'm going to do whatever the hell I want anyway so they rather it be where they can keep an eye on me. But never once since my grandfather died have they been here. Plus too, who do you think bought all the alcohol?"

Raleigh found it funny how different some people were raised. Her parents would have a coronary if they knew she was here.

Once they were satisfied with how everything looked, Ember took the liberty of getting them each a very strong cup of electric lemonade.

"To freedom." Autumn toasted, and Raleigh couldn't agree more.

Within the half hour people began showing up and Raleigh was trying her best to relax a little. She knew her cell phone was ringing non stop - no doubt it was Dan - but she didn't really want to answer it. She didn't want to tell him that, even though she was actually getting more nervous every time someone showed up, she had gone to the party and would see it through to the end. Whether to prove a point to him or herself that nothing was going to happen, she didn't know.

"This is ridiculous." She mumbled to herself. Nothing was going to happen. She just needed to relax some.

Going into the kitchen and to the counter where all the liquor was, Raleigh poured herself a double shot of Jose Cuervo, threw her head back, and swallowed the burning liquid. She didn't even bother with the salt or lime.

After the party was in full swing and had been for over an hour, Raleigh finally felt herself begin to relax. She even found herself dancing and having a good time. Why had she been so paranoid? Nothing was going to happen.

Hearing Autumn call her name, Raleigh forgot about the guy she'd been dancing with and plopped down on the couch with them.

"Hey Davey."

"Raleigh." He nodded before leaning forward and holding out the small tube for her to take. "Ready to fly?"

Shaking her head, Raleigh said, "Not tonight." She needed to keep some sense of control.

Autumn turned to her and took the tube from Davey. "Come on Raleigh. You said you wanted to forget all the drama."

She did and she knew this was the best way to do that. She knew it would put her into that state of complete euphoria where she didn't have care in the world. That's what she wanted. She didn't want to keep dwelling on her current problems, she didn't want to keep thinking about Josh and Dan or the pain she might put on both of them.

She just didn't want to feel.

That's why she took the tube from Autumn, held it to her left nostril, pinched the right one closed and quickly inhaled two small lines of the white powder she'd come to know as her friend. Raleigh welcomed the immediate feeling of relaxation that swept over her. Already she could feel the effects wracking her body, taking her to that high place she never wanted to leave.

But it wasn't enough. She needed more.

Just as she was about to sit up and say so, Effron walked in. The look he gave her made her realize she definitely needed more.

"Eff, my man! Come and join the party." Davey stood up and gave Effron a half hand-shake, half hug before they both sat down and did two lines each. Automatically Effron sniffed and wiped at his nose.

Looking at Raleigh, Autumn somehow knew she needed more - a lot more - if she was going to make it through the night. Separating a few more lines, Autumn let Raleigh go first, not surprised when she snorted two.

Looking at everyone, Raleigh said she needed a drink and went into the kitchen. As she went straight over to the liquor, Raleigh could feel Effron behind her, watching her. But she didn't care. After how he acted earlier she didn't really want to speak with him.

Throwing her head back, Raleigh swallowed the liquid, immediately pouring herself another. After drinking that one, she sighed and turned around to face him. She couldn't stand feeling his eyes on her, not saying a word. Putting her hand on her hip, Raleigh gave him a look as if you say "what do you want?"

"Can we talk?"

"No." Grabbing her cup, Raleigh gave him one more defiant look before leaving him there by himself. How was she supposed to talk to him? What could she possibly talk to him about? Normally she'd ask him what the hell his problem had been earlier in the park, but she just didn't feel like it. Her limbs were beginning to feel like jello and her head swam from the alcohol. She was getting up there, she could feel it. But still, it just wasn't enough. She needed more. She needed to get to that point of intoxication where she didn't think twice about anything. Where she wouldn't remember anything the next morning. Where she wouldn't remember anything that night. Just once she wanted to forget the drama, was that so much to ask for?

She was eighteen years old. Why was her life already so complicated?

"You look like you could use another." Looking up, Raleigh saw Ember holding out a tube to her, looking pointedly at the table. She looked longingly at the white lines and for a split second her conscious kicked in. She knew she shouldn't. She'd done a lot already. But it just seemed to call to her. The drug was intoxicating. She didn't want to stop.

Maybe she was addicted. Maybe the only way she'd be able to stop herself was if she went into to rehab.

No, she wouldn't think about that. She was just having a good time. Just having fun. She was a college student. Wasn't that what they did?

Not allowing another thought to enter her mind, Raleigh took the tube from Ember and allowed the drug entry into her body, mixing with the drugs and alcohol already there.

Yes, there it was. The high she wanted, it finally came, ten fold. This drug must have been new. She'd never known a feeling like this before. How had Davey described it? Like flying. Yes, she felt like she was no longer walking, but floating on air.

She felt like if she jumped off the roof of the very large house right then she would be able to fly. Like she could just go away with the birds to a beautiful place that she'd never forget.

As she stumbled into the kitchen, She noticed her cup was empty once again. She needed more lemonade. It was so good. It reminded her of jungle juice. Once back home at a party everyone brought some sort of beverage, whether it was alcohol or not, it didn't matter, and they dumped it all into a large cooler and they called it jungle juice. Very intoxicating but insanely good.

Going over to the cooler, Raleigh put her cup under the spout and pressed the button. Frowning when nothing happened, Raleigh tried again. Still nothing.

"Come on!" She hit it in case it was jammed or something, but still nothing. "Damn you, I want more!"

"I think it's all gone, Raleigh." Turning around, Raleigh locked eyes with Effron.

"I'm aware of that."

"All right." She watched him go over to the counter with all the alcohol on it and she watched him mix together some sort of concoction. His body was in the way so she wasn't sure what he was putting in it, but as long as it had a lot of alcohol in it, it was fine by her.

She watched as he finished the drink and turned around, stalking toward her while he held the plastic cup out. "Try this, I promise you'll like it."

She couldn't quite gauge the look on his face as he looked at her. He looked as if something were wrong with him. There was just something in his eyes that made him look like a madman, but most of all he just looked down right pissed off.

At her.

What had she done? Reaching out to take the cup, Raleigh felt something creep up into her mind. She shouldn't take the drink, she knew she shouldn't. But damn it if she could refuse. She wanted more, she felt like she needed more. So she took it.

Putting it to her lips, Raleigh began sipping the drink, trying to get a taste for what it was. Just as Effron had promised she liked it, in fact it was delicious.

"What is this? It's so good."

"Just a secret recipe." He said distractedly, watching as she gulped down the rest. When it was all gone, Raleigh set down the cup and let out a very loud, very un lady-like burp.

"Excuse me, but that was really good." She took a few steps and nearly fell over. She would have fallen right to the floor if Effron hadn't been standing there to catch her.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?"

"Upstairs to pee. That a crime?" Raleigh pushed him away from her as best as she could in her drunken state and slowly headed up the stairs to find a bathroom. She knew there were two downstairs but one was already covered in puke and the other...well she wasn't too keen on planting her rear-end where so many others had been.

After about ten minutes of slowly wandering the halls of the mansion, she finally managed to find one very large bathroom. When she was done doing her business she went back into the hallway and nearly fell head-first into the wall. Out of nowhere she'd been hit with an incredibly strong wave of dizziness.

"Oh God, I need to lie down." Going through the first door she came to, she felt incredibly relieved to see a large bed sitting to her right, just calling her to fall into its silk sheets. Going over to it, that's just what she did. She didn't even bother to take off her shoes, she just fell right down onto the fluffy blankets. As she lied there, she could feel herself slowly slipping into unconsciousness. All she wanted was sleep to overtake her entire body.

Along with Dan.

She missed him so much. Why had she come here when she could be in his arms? Why had she flipped out on him when he was just trying to protect her?

Why was she fighting the fact that she was so in love with him it hurt being apart?

She wanted to call him, needed to see him. She needed to move so she could go down and get her phone. She tried to will her arms and legs to move but they wouldn't. Why wouldn't they move?

Suddenly she felt something on her leg, starting at her foot and slowly moving up. At first Raleigh thought she was dreaming, but then she felt soft kisses on her neck, hot breath on her ear. The touch was everywhere, she couldn't escape it. But she knew it. It felt so familiar.

"Beautiful Raleigh." It wasn't until she heard his husky voice that she fully knew who it was. His accent, that she'd once thought of as sexy, was thick with the alcohol and drugs in his system, but it was laced with something else. Something that frightened her. Lust.

And power.

He had a power over her, an advantage, and he knew it.

Finally opening her eyes, Raleigh became fully aware of what was happening. And just where he was touching her.

"What are you doing?" She choked out in a whisper.

"Whatever I want." He kissed her then, hard, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She tried tyo fight him off but she couldn't. He was so much stronger than she was. Finally he broke the kiss and moved to push the skirt of her dress up to her hips, tugging off her black lace panties.

Wiggling, Raleigh tried to break free of his grasp. "No..." She didn't want this. She didn't want him.

When he threw her provocative panties off to the side somewhere, he quickly set his hips on top of her own, pinning her to the mattress. She tried to push him away with her fists but he grabbed both wrists and with one hand he pinned them above her head. He was going to get what he wanted one way or another.

"Stop fighting me!" Using only his right hand, Effron reached down and unbuckled his belt. Pulling it off and discarding it in the room, he then moved to unbutton and unzip his pants, pulling himself free. As he lowered himself onto her, he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, grating his hips into hers, but not entering her. He wanted this to last as long as possible.

"Effron, please. Don't do this." She begged him as tears poured form her eyes, soaking her hair. She'd never felt fear like this. How long was he planning on torturing her? Why hadn't she listened to Dan?

"I'll do whatever the hell I want with you, Raleigh. That's what you always do, isn't it? You just have fun toying with people's emotions. You fuck them and toss them aside while you move on." Putting his face right next to hers, Effron watched the fear in her eyes as he slowly added pressure to her neck, ever more slightly cutting off her air supply. "Now, I'm just having fun."

As soon as he put his mouth on hers once again, Raleigh but down on his lip as hard as she could, not stopping until she tasted his blood on her tongue.

"Son of a bitch!" Sitting up so now only her hips were pinned to the bed, Effron ran his fingers along his lip. As soon as he saw the blood, he looked back at Raleigh who was trying desperately to free herself. Grabbing her hands and pinning them back above her head, Effron grabbed onto her hair, forcing her to look at him. "Stop fighting me!" Reaching across, Effron back handed her across the face. He knew he'd hit her hard but he hadn't expected his hand to throb so badly.

Raleigh cried out in pain and let out a fresh bout of tears as her body shook from her sobs. Why was he doing this to her?

"Please just let me go."

Grabbing her chin, Effron forced her to look at him once again. "No." Staring into her blood shot eyes, the left one slowly swelling shut, he continued to speak. But gone was the sweet and caring Effron she had first met. Now all that remained was a lunatic in his place.

"I liked you Raleigh. Hell, I even thought I loved you."

"Effron..."

"Shut up, Raleigh! Just keep that pretty mouth of yours shut for once in your life and maybe I won't hurt you anymore." Doing as he said, Raleigh kept her mouth shut in fear of what he might be capable of doing to her. She couldn't handle it if he hit her again, the first time had hurt so bad.

"Why did you leave me, huh? And for him of all people! I mean, he's our teacher!" He let out a maniacal laugh and Raleigh wondered how he'd known about her hidden relationship.

"How..."

"Shut up! I'm doing the talking!" Reaching back, Effron backhanded her once again, this time splitting her lip open. He couldn't stop the sadistic laughter as it escaped his throat. "I told you not to fuck with me, didn't I?"

Raleigh didn't respond. She couldn't have if she wanted to,. Her face was throbbing as she fought not to pass out. Maybe she should pass out. Then she wouldn't know what he did to her.

She felt his body shift and the next thing she knew her was parting her legs, sliding in between them.

"Please stop." She cried as he forcibly entered her, smiling at the cry of pain she released.

"No."

Laying there on the bed, Raleigh cried in defeat and pain. She was no virgin, why did this hurt so bad?

She wished she were anywhere else. Anywhere except right there, lying motionless as Effron continued to rape her, contaminating her. Even hell couldn't have been as bad as enduring what he was putting her through.

No. She couldn't let him keep doing this. She had to fight him off somehow. Trying to gain some courage, Raleigh took in a deep breath before throwing her head forward, colliding it with his. Immediately, he released her from his hold as his hands flew to his head.

The pain Raleigh now felt was excruciating, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting the hell out of that house and away from Effron. Scrambling off the bed, Raleigh didn't bother with putting her shoes or panties back on. She had to get out. Running downstairs, she grabbed her phone out of her purse that sat in Autumn's old bedroom - nobody was allowed down that wing - and she ran out the door and into the pouring rain.

Looking at her phone, she saw she had ten missed calls from Dan and three from Bobbie. Had he tapped into that twin psychie thing she always heard so much about and just knew she was in trouble?

Why hadn't she listened to Dan?

Hitting call, Raleigh waited while the phone dialed Dan's number.

"Raleigh?" She heard his worried voice come over the line and she felt the tears fall harder and mix with the rain on her cheeks.

"Dan..."

"Jesus, Raleigh! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"Please don't yell at me." She whispered pleadingly.

"Raleigh, what happened? Are you all right?"

"No." More sobs racked her body as she tried to keep walking. "I should have listened..." Suddenly Raleigh could feel the blackness as it swept over her entire body. Something was wrong. The rain felt icy against her skin as she began to burn. What was going on?

Quickly, Raleigh told Dan her location as her voice began to fail her. "Corner...Main and West fifty-second...please..." Before she could say anything more, she felt her phone drop form her loosening grasp and fall to the ground. She felt herself slipping further into the darkness. She felt herself hit the hard wet ground. And then nothing.

No pain, no fear...just nothing.

---

"Raleigh?" When she didn't respond he called her name out again. Again nothing but the sound of the rain pounding on the ground.

"West fifty-second and Main." He mumbled to himself as he grabbed his keys and ran out to his car. He knew exactly where she was. He'd passed the large house many times before, and he didn't care how they got in to throw this party. He didn't even care what had happened to her. All he cared about was finding her and getting her to the emergency room. He'd worry about the rest later.

"Come on! Are you fucking kidding me? Go the fucking speed limit, old timer!" Seeing that there was nobody coming on the other side of the road, Dan hit the accelerator and sped past the old man. Finally he came to Main Street and he continued to drive down until the large, border-line mansion came into view.

Pulling over, Dan felt his breath catch in his throat when his eyes landed on Raleigh lying unconscious on the ground, rain pooling around her.

"No, no, no." Dan quickly ran to her side to feel for a pulse. He'd never felt a fear like this before. He couldn't lose her, not after everything they'd been through. He'd never forgive himself.