Chapter 32: Chapter 32

I bolt out of the building into the trees for coverage. I hear the door make the same loud sound and I know someone is after me.

Light floods the place as three cars speed into the alley. I look back to see who is pursuing me but no one is there.

‘He must be somewhere around.’

Suddenly, the ground comes flying toward me.

No, it's me who's sprawling, face first, to the ground. Upon landing, I hear a crack from my ankle area. Searing pain shoots through my leg and I bite my lips to hold back a cry.

‘This can't be happening! Please God, I know I've not been the best person ever but help me.’

I pull myself up and when my left foot touches the ground, throbbing pangs course through me, making me limp. My insides are quaking badly from the pain and fear.

I'm startled by footsteps pounding somewhere close. Before I can make any swift moves, a man jumps out and in a split second, he's pinning me to the ground, his legs, straddling me on both sides.

I scream but before any sound comes out, his large hand is over my mouth. I struggle in vain to break free but he's too strong. The man looks me over and a devilish grin spreads his face. He looks around sneakily.

I fight even harder when he begins to raise my dress.

‘No, no! Please God, not me.’

My face is already drenched with tears as I gradually lose strength. I shake my head, trying to plead with him but he's in no mood to pity me. He raises it completely and begins to touch me, making me cry harder. All my days, I never imagined this would happen. I can't even fight him off!

"Next time, you will not go snooping around other people’s business," he says, loosening his belt.

‘No, this can't happen to me.’

I extend my hand desperately in search of something to hit him with. There's just twigs and leaves. Just when he pulls his pants down with his free hand, I grab a large stone and in one swift motion, I hit him on the head.

He grunts, holding the spot and releases me a little. With all my might, I pull out from under him and hit him one more time with the stone. He falls to the ground, limp.

I turn and run, ignoring the pain in my ankle until I get to Jasper's car. I've never been to this part of town and it's only by God's grace I find our school again.

I sprint towards the event hall booming with music. I'm sure it's time for the general party where the teachers excuse the students to do whatever they want.

I crash into Simon close to the entrance. "Bella! Where have you been?" he asks in concern.

"Help. Jasper... Call... I..." I can't control the tears, neither can I control my breathing. My head begins to spin as breathing becomes difficult. Simon must have observed my horrible appearance as he grabs hold of me in alarm.

"Bella look at me! Breathe, breathe," he keeps telling me but his voice is growing distant as my legs begin to give out under me.

"Alice! Over here. She's having a panic attack. I don't know what happened." Simon helps me sit on the floor as Alice bolts into the hall and comes back out with Melody, Agnes and Alex.

They all look panicky as they rush to my side.

‘Breathe Bella, breathe.’

After a while, I finally catch my breath and Melody hands me a bottle of water. I gulp down half of it and close my eyes.

‘Jasper.’

"Jasper," I start, looking up at them in alarm. "He's been kidnapped. They're going to kill him. Please call someone. We need to help him," I breathe out. Simon collects a phone from Alice and places a call.

"Lex, get the principal!" Nes shouts.

"I don't know him!" Alex shouts back. I know they're all confused right now but I just want them to stop shouting. My head is pounding.

In no time, Mr. Korede, our principal runs out with two teachers. I'm grateful when my friends and siblings explain everything to them as I can't bring myself to talk with the way my head is throbbing.

"Bella, can you take us where they are keeping him? The police are here," Mr. Korede asks me.

‘Have I been sleeping?’

I nod immediately. People are hanging around, staring at the scene. When I get up, my feet feel like they were whipped a thousand times but I manage to drag them to the police vehicle with the help of Simon and Alex.

"No, you girls need to get home and inform your parents," I hear Mr. Korede instruct, followed by protests from them. In the end, they succumb.

"This is the place," I say once we reach the turn that leads to the building. The police made sure to turn off their sirens on the way.

They climb down and spread out into the trees with their guns pulled out. Luckily, the cars are still parked there. I would love to go with them if only I had any strength left in me. The fear has drained everything.

I gently place my head on Lex's laps and sleep envelopes me in not time.

I'm woken up by the sound of gunshots. I sit up abruptly. I notice a new vehicle on the scene. An ambulance. Without thinking, I open the car door and rush out.

"Bella!" Lex calls behind me, coming out too. I limp towards the ambulance to see who is being carried in, my heart beating with full force. Alex grabs my arm and I try to yank it away but he won't let go. The image of the man in the woods flashes across my face and I begin to struggle with him.

"It's okay Bella, it's me. Okay, let's go together alright?" I nod slowly and we walk to meet the policemen there.

"What's going on officer?" Alex asks, acting as my mouthpiece.

"They've been arrested," he informs. "You need to get back to your vehicle. We'll be driving him to the hospital."

"Who?" My voice comes out low and rough but they hear me anyway.

The officer sighs. "The boy," is all he says. Hot tears stream down my face freely.

‘Why is this happening?’

"Is he going to be fine?" Alex asks.

"We'll confirm that at the hospital. Miss, you two should get back to your vehicle." He turns away from us to speak to a fellow officer. The look I give Lex shows I'm about to run into that ambulance whether they like it or not but he shakes his head.

"He'll be fine. If we get in the car now, you'll be able to see him quicker but if you try to force your way in, they may keep you away," he cajoles me and I manage a nod.

"Bella!" Mum rushes to me and hugs me. She starts to check for injuries on me, asking if I was hurt. All I want to do now is curl up on my bed and sleep but I can't. I need to see Jasper. The way he was rushed into the ambulance is giving me queasy feelings in my stomach.

"Her ankle seems dislocated. And I think she has scratches on her legs," Alex briefs and I look down at my legs. Unlike that Sunday I was sick when he lied to mum about my health, he's right this time. I do have scratches on my legs and my ankle is dislocated.

"Let's take you to get your leg fixed," mum tells me, gently pulling me along.

"Ow!" I wince from the pain as the nurse shifts my ankle back in place. I was given pain killers earlier to reduce the pain.

"How did you get these scratches? Did you fall?" the nurse asks as she cleans me up. I shake my head.

"Can you tell me what happened? Did someone scratch you?" She points at three scratch marks parallel to each other on my thigh.

"Yes," I croak. That man must have done it while I struggled with him. I hate to think of him. She smiles and pushes no further and I'm grateful.

I limp out of the hospital room to meet my family and friends. Nes greets me with a soothing hug and the others line up to do the same. Simon stays back, owing to the fact that we're not very close but I go and hug him anyway.

I embrace Jason last and suddenly, all my emotions begin to flood out. Hearing me whimper into his shoulder, he begins to rub my back.

"You're going to be fine. Jasper too," he tells me but that only worsens my situation.

"He almost did it," I sob.

"Who almost did what?" he asks, leaning his head on mine to hear me clearly.

"The man in the woods," I say quietly. He clearly has no idea who I'm talking about.

"Bella, you can tell me who he is and what he almost did."

I draw in a ragged breath, holding on to him even tighter as I fight to say the words. "He was one of them. H-he almost..." Jason waits patiently for me to continue. "He almost raped me," I whisper the word ‘raped’ and can only hope he heard me. I feel him take in deep breaths, not speaking for some time.

"Bella, it's okay. You're safe now. We're all here now and he won't ever hurt you again." He continues to rub my back soothingly as I cry harder.

"What's wrong?" I hear mum whisper in concern. He doesn't reply.

"She's fine now. Yes. Alright dad, bye," I hear Alex's voice. I'm calm now.

"Do you want to sit down?" Jason asks me and I nod, finally letting go of him. His green shirt is stained with my smudged makeup. The girls come to sit with me.

"What's wrong?" mum asks again, looking at Jason. He sighs, pulling her aside and her countenance changes to one of shock a few seconds later. She looks at me in concern but does nothing else.

"What happened? Did anyone hurt you?" Nes asks, seeing mum's reaction.

"Maybe we should let her be for now. When she's ready, she'll tell us," Alice says and the others nod in agreement. For the first time in hours, I smile slightly.

Luke and Mrs. Lawrence come out of a room, followed by a doctor. Mary trails closely behind Luke. Mr. Lawrence has not been around for a while now so he's not with them.

I slowly get up to meet them and Mrs. Lawrence embraces me. Mary does the same. Luke just sends me an empathetic smile which I return with a sad one.

"Thank you so much, Isabelle. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there. You risked your own life," Mrs. Lawrence says, tears welling up in her eyes. She looks like she has been crying and it's totally understandable. But right now, I'm trying my best to not blurt out the question on my mind.

Mrs. Lawrence goes to meet mum with Mary, leaving Luke and I. The anxious look on my face speaks volumes and he sighs.

"He'll be fine."

"I'm so sick and tired of everyone telling me that," I whisper harshly.

He guides me to a waiting chair and we sit side by side.

"I need the truth," I deadpan.

He looks at me tentatively before talking. "He suffered a deep cut to the chest coupled with other minor injuries. And..." he pauses to observe my expression. I'm surprised I'm not crying. "He was stabbed. He lost a lot of blood but thank God he came in when he did. He'll be okay, Bella. He will."

The queasiness in my tummy is unbearable as he mentions the injuries.

"Is he conscious?" Is all I can bring myself to ask.

Luke shakes his head. "But he's alive."

***

My door creaks open, waking me.

"Bella?" It's mum's voice. I lazily turn to face her.

"Hey mum," I greet and my voice comes out low and rough. I've been sleeping for hours now even though it's afternoon.

"How are you? Can I come in?" she asks and I nod, sitting up.

She sits on the edge of the bed and sighs. "Your dad will be home today." I nod. I haven't stepped out of the house since we came home three nights ago. Jasper is still at the hospital but according to mum, he'll be discharged soon. He woke up later that night after we left.

"Jason told me what you told him at the hospital."

I gulp. I get uneasy, thinking about that night.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she inquires.

"I'm sure he told you everything," I say.

"He did. I just want to make sure you're okay, Bella. We're here for you and no one will hurt you. And I must say, you're a really strong girl and I'm proud of you for that."

At first, her words make me feel good but all of a sudden, I feel bad. I shake my head. "I couldn't fight him off mum. I was exhausted in the shortest space of time."

"What are you talking about? You did fight him off."

"But―"

She stops me by placing a hand over mine. "But you didn't give up. You still won in the end and that's because you're one of the strongest people I know."

‘Did I truly win?’

"Yes you did. He was found lying unconscious in the woods. They've all been arrested, thanks to your bravery, Bella. I know you'll think that he left scars but they shouldn't determine anything in your life, they should only remind you of the fact that you can get through anything no matter how hard it appears."

The only things I can do now are cry and hug her tightly.

"You won Bella," she says, making me smile.

‘I won. I'll be fine.’

I let go of mum and look at the door to find my siblings huddled up there. I smile as they pile in and sit around me.

"I told them," mum says, referring to Nes and Alex.

"And you did a great job bursting his brains," Nes lauds and I chuckle.

"Thanks, you guys. I couldn't have done this without you," I say sincerely. They have supported me so much even before the incident. My friends too. Lima called me twice yesterday to know how I was doing. Alice told her what happened.

Melody and Alice came around and spent most of the day with me. They still don't know about my own experience because I could not talk about it yesterday and they did me the favour of not bringing it up.

"Hello?" We hear Melody's voice call from the sitting room. "Dad's here," she calls again.

We rush downstairs to meet dad. The moment he sees me, he dumps his phone on the couch and embraces me.

‘I'm so glad I’m safe and genuinely loved by my family.’

"How are you?" he ask, assessing me. I laugh.

"I'm okay dad. My ankle is much better now," I say, looking at my left leg. He looks at mum and smiles. I espy the pride in his eyes as he stares at her. I'm proud of her too. She's doing a good job keeping the home.

"Good day ma," Melody and Alice greet at once and mum goes to hug each of them. She keeps telling them of how appreciative she is of their support.

"I brought gifts for everyone," dad announces and our faces light up in excitement.

"Us too?" Melody asks with her signature cute face.

"Of course," dad replies. "That reminds me, I haven't seen your friend um, Halima right?"

We pass suspicious looks among ourselves. Only dad doesn't know about Lima's pregnancy. When mum found out, she became sceptical about my friendship with her but I assured her that Lima isn't that bad.

"She's out of town," Alice smiles. She's usually the one who we can trust to be stable when others are confused. Leave it to Melody and everything goes downhill.

"Honey, I think you should shower and come down for lunch and then everyone can have their gifts," mum says much to our dismay and dad agrees.

***

It's evening and the girls and I are seated in front of the house, chatting. A car pulls into the Lawrence's compound and we get up to see.

Mr. Lawrence is the first to step out, followed by his wife. Mary hops out looking excited and Luke follows.

‘Why am I so anxious?’

The last door opens and he gently steps out. His mother looks like she wants to carry him with the way she's monitoring his every step. He locks the door and rolls his eyes at her. Contrary to my expectation, he looks okay, wearing a plain white shirt and black trousers.

Melody suddenly greets them, forcing us to follow suit.

"Seriously?" Alice whispers, still wearing her smiley face. Melody shrugs. I catch Mr. Lawrence staring at me and I fight to keep the smile. He surprises me by nodding with a grateful smile on his face. A genuine smile escapes my lips.

They all acknowledge us and start walking inside. Jasper's eyes never leave me as he hesitantly follows them. The relief inside of me is unimaginable and the only thing I want to do now is hug him and never let go. He smiles before going in.

"Aww," the girls coo at once as if they rehearsed it. I roll my eyes before turning and returning to my seat.

Later in the evening, the Lawrence's come over to express gratitude and we insist that they stay for dinner. I can't help but notice the slight change in Jasper's father's attitude. He is not really different but there's this new found quietness I notice.

After the whole thing, Jasper stalls a bit just to get some privacy with me.

"Isa, you're one strong young lady. You took a big risk that night." My heart warms at his words and I smile. He takes my hands in his. We're in front of my house and thankfully, the security lights are off.

"I gotta go now but I need you to know that I'm grateful and I truly love you." He squeezes my hands gently. "No one has told me exactly what happened. Will you tell me?" he asks and I gulp. Telling my family about it was okay but telling Jasper... I'm sceptical for reasons I don't know.

"Okay," I find myself saying with a nod.

"I'll see you soon." He sneaks a quick kiss on my cheek before leaving.

I smile. ‘I'm so grateful he's fine. It was worth it.’