top of me and kissed me. I wasn’t expecting her to fully lie down on top of me. Not that I minded, but I just didn’t expect it.
After the kiss, she rolled off of me and propped herself up on her elbows. “You definitely feel better,” I told her with a smile. I put the back of my hand on her forehead and it felt cool.
She got under the blankets and I felt her hand slip under my shirt. I raised an eyebrow and she cuddled closer to me. Her hand went further up, she was just trailing her finger in swirls and driving me insane. “Maybe, we should just lie here all day,” she said.
I kissed the top of her head, “Maybe.”
I heard footsteps coming down the hall and soon Mike appeared in the doorway wearing a suit. “Good morning,” he said and walked over to my side of the bed. “How are you feeling, honey?” He placed the backside of his hand on her forehead.
“Okay,” she answered.
“You’ve lost your fever. That’s good. If you don’t need anything, I’m going to head to work.”
“I’m fine, Daddy,” she told him in a sweet tone. Her hand was still moving under my shirt and I wanted to grab it to stop her, but if I did that then Mike would know. Hurry up and leave!
“Alright, honey. If you need anything, just call me, okay?” She nodded and a few minutes later we heard the front door close. I grabbed Emily’s hand and rolled over on her.
“Must you do that?” I asked, just inches away from her lips.
Giggling she asked a question of her own. “Does it bother you?”
I lay on my side, keeping her hand in place. With my free hand, I lifted up her shirt to expose her stomach. I trailed my fingers over her stomach barely touching the skin. “Does it bother you?” I asked with a smirk.
Her stomach fell in and she was trying not to breathe. I chuckled and leaned in to kiss her. She took the opportunity to grab my hand and intertwine our fingers. Her chest was pressed against mine and all I wanted to do was touch her all over.
I groaned and turned over on my back to get some air. Emily stared at the ceiling with her hands folded over her now covered stomach. I took a slow breath, trying to tame myself.
Looking at Emily, I saw her biting her lip. “What’s going on in that head of yours,” I asked her.
She turned her head to look at me. She thought about it for a second, but then her eyes went wide. Emily jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I threw the covers off of me and followed her. She was holding back the pieces of hair that had come loose. I went to her and held them back for her.
When Emily finished, she flushed and redid her ponytail. She brushed her teeth and made the comment that maybe she didn’t feel that much better. I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I watched her watch me in the mirror while she brushed her teeth.
“Maybe a shower will make you feel better. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll fix you some more soup?”
She spat and rinsed out her mouth before answering me. “Okay, thanks Jake.”
I kissed her neck and headed for the kitchen, hearing her turn the shower on. I fixed her soup and fifteen minutes later she returned wearing a white tank top and plain purple pj bottoms. Emily’s hair was brushed back and still wet. As she sat down at the table, I placed a bowl in front of her and began to fix myself a ham and cheese sandwich.
“I do not want to go to school tomorrow, whether I’m feeling better or not.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Oral report.”
“You’ll do fine.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t make me any more willing to do it.” I shook my head and took another bite of my sandwich.
My cell phone started vibrating in my pocket. I reached for it and answered, hearing Drake’s voice. “Jake, can you come get me? I’m ready. Can we go see Emily today? Can we go get ice cream?”
“Calm down, buddy,” I said with a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll be right over. We can see Emily, but she’s not feeling well. You will have to be extra good and watch TV, okay?”
“Okay. Are you leaving right now?”
“Yep.”
“Okay. Bye, Jake. I love you.”
“I love you too, buddy.” I closed my phone and returned it to my pocket. I finished my sandwich and told Emily the plan. She kept eating slowly. I kissed her forehead when I got up and felt that it was warm again. “Take some medicine while I’m gone. You’re fever is back.” Emily nodded and I left to go get Drake.
When Mike came home around six, Emily and I were lying on the couch under her blanket and Drake was sitting in the recliner to the left of us. Mike checked Emily for a fever before sitting in the recliner to the right of us. Emily hadn’t thrown up as much as she did yesterday and she seemed to be in better spirits.
I had constantly run my fingers down her neck, down her arm, and up her back. Every now and again, she would grab my hand and hold it in place for a few minutes. We had been watching cartoons all day because Emily insisted that Drake could watch whatever he wanted to.
Emily’s cell phone buzzed from the side table. I grabbed it for her and saw the word Mom on the screen. I held it out for Mike to take and Emily rolled over to bury her face in my chest. Mike stepped outside to talk to her mom. Couldn’t she just leave her alone? Emily’s arms wrapped around me and she held on as if her life depended on it. Mike didn’t come in until an hour later he had a grim look on his face.
“Em, I got to get Drake home,” I told her softly.
“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered into my chest.
My heart cracked and I hugged her tighter to me. “I don’t want to go either, but I need to get him fed and ready for bed. All you have to do is call me, okay?” She took a deep breath and released me.
She stood up so I could get up. Standing, I put my arms around her again and kissed her forehead. “If you need me, just call me.” I told her again.
“I’ll see you later,” she whispered.
17
Emily
After Jake and Drake left, I let my dad keep my phone and I went to my room to lie down. Even though I didn’t talk to my mom, it was all I could think about. What did she want now? What will she do next? I bit my lip and fell asleep full of worry.
I woke up the next morning still not feeling well, so I got to spend the day lying on the couch watching TV. On and off I slept and when seven thirty rolled around, Jake stopped by to see me. My dad informed me that he had to go out of town for the night. He offered to stay home, but I made him go. Jake offered to stay with me, but I made him go home too. Jake and Drake went home around eight thirty and Dad left a few minutes later.
It was just Jerry Springer and I for the night. Everything was peaceful until nine, then I texted Jake to see if I could go over to his house.
Of course, he replied. I grabbed my keys and drove over there.
He opened the door before I could knock. He greeted me with a kiss on the forehead and I took in his shirtless body and his gray pajama pants. He looked delicious. Drake was already in bed and his dad wasn’t home. He led me to his room and I crawled into his bed. He climbed in and brought me to him. “How’s it going, Sweetness?”
“As good as it can go, I guess.” I buried my face in the crook of his neck. “Can I stay here tonight?” I asked quietly.
“Of course.”
“Sweetness,” Jake whispered his new nickname for me. I snuggled closer to him and he chuckled. “Time to wake up.”
“No,” I moaned. I looked up at him with his hair all messed up and he looked so good. I placed a kiss on his lips, just as Drake walked in.
“Emily? What are you doing here?” He asked, excitement filling his voice as he ran over and hopped into bed with us. He made his way between Jake and me.
“Drake,” Jake began in a stern voice.
I cut him off, “I wasn’t feeling well and I was home alone so I came to get your brother sick.”
Drake laughed and said, “Are you going to start stayin
g over more often?”
I glanced at Jake and he answered for me. “Mr. Mike probably wants her at home at night, Drake. Now get out of my bed and go get ready for school.” He picked Drake up and placed him off the bed. Drake laughed and ran out of the room. Jake pulled me to him and gave me a kiss. I felt uneasy now that Drake knew that I spent the night in Jake’s bed and Jake could tell. “Don’t worry about it, Sweetness. He won’t think much of it.”
I nodded and rolled on top of him with a smirk on my face. “I’ll see you later.” I gave him a quick kiss and rolled off the bed. I slipped on my shoes and glanced over my shoulder at him before I left.
I ran into his dad downstairs, he was about to walk out the door. “Um, hi,” I said when he saw me and froze in my steps.
“Are you one of Jake’s whores?”
I gulped. “No, sir.” He cackled like he didn’t believe me and opened the door for me to walk out. I slinked by him and didn’t look back. I got in my car and headed home.
I saw my dad’s car in our driveway and wondered why he was home. There was no way I could sneak in. I walked through the garage door into the kitchen and saw him sitting at the table. He took in my rumpled hair and pajamas.
“What are you doing here so early, Daddy?” I asked innocently.
He gave me a stern look. “My trip got cancelled. Where have you been?”
I decided to tell him the truth. “I slept over at Jake’s.”
My dad slowly set his newspaper down, scooted his chair back, and walked over to me. He pulled me into a bear hug. “My little girl’s back,” he whispered. I couldn’t help but laugh. He kissed the top of my head and chuckled. “But don’t do that again.”
I nodded and excused myself so I could get ready for school. I decided on a fitted green, low cut shirt and plain Jane blue jeans. I slipped on socks and shoes. I grabbed my book bag, cell phone, and keys. I waved goodbye to my dad and headed to school.
I parked my car and saw Jake a few spots down leaning against his trunk. I slipped my bag on my shoulder and walked over to him.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and gave me a kiss. “Hello,” he said in a husky voice.
“Hey.” I filled Jake in on how my dad was at home and what he said.
“So sneaking out and staying over at boys’ houses is you being normal?” He asked with a smirk. I shrugged. That was normal for me. “How about we skip school today?” He suggested.
“No way. I can’t do that,” I told him.
Jake looked uncomfortable and I couldn’t figure out why. “What’s going on?” When Jake didn’t speak, I said, “Never mind. Let’s go to class.”
I stepped around Jake and walked into the school. Everyone looked my way as I walked in and came to a halt. All over the lockers and hallways were pictures of me…naked. No. This couldn’t be happening. How did someone get their hands on these? Who would want to do this to me?
I felt Jake behind me and he whispered in my ear, but I didn’t hear him. I was in a state of shock and everyone in the entire school was staring at me. Jake turned me to him and cradled my face in his hands. Before he could say anything, anger took over. I knew exactly who had done this. I pushed him away and walked away.
I turned down a hallway and found Claire who was laughing at one of my pictures. I snatched it out of her hand. “How dare you? Do you think this is funny?” I turned and looked at the crowd forming around us. “Do any of you think this is funny? I had been repeatedly raped just before these pictures were taken and you are laughing at me?”
Jake came up and blocked my view. “Sweetness, just let it go.”
“No,” I pulled away from him and faced Claire. “You are unbelievable. I don’t know how you got ahold of these pictures, but let me set this straight. I did not pose under my own free will. I hated getting these pictures taken of me. For you to think it is okay to share them…” I shook my head and closed my mouth. I was so