forum Under Seven Minutes // Private RP

Started April 08, 2019 by @blue_topaz

tune

Violeta’s fingers twitched in her lap as he missed again, but she didn’t dare lean forward and do it herself. “Here…” she muttered instead, opening the front camera of her phone and holding it out to him. “Use this.”

“Oh, thanks,” Gray murmured, finally being able to find the spot and wipe it off. “My coworkers like to mess around after shift’s over.”

Then he shook his head, crumpling the tissue.

“Anyway, we’re doing the sewage system, or water pollution in general?” He tried to change the topic just to hide his nervousness.

“Up to you,” Violeta answered, slipping her phone back into her pocket. “I don’t have a preference.”

“I don’t have on either,” Gray responded. “So we’ll go with whatever you like best.”

Violeta groaned inwardly at the prospect of actually making a decision, leaning back in the arm chair and rubbing at her tired eyes. “I guess sewage system?” she said finally, stifling a yawn. “Since it less broad?”

“Okay,” Gray nodded. “Do you want to go home? You’re tired, and it’s also late.”

Yes, yes, yes.

Every cell in her body jumped at the opportunity of leaving, of walking far from this confusing boy who was so set on pushing her to the ground. But she shook her head anyways, sighing. “We’ve barely done any work, Gray—Grayson. I can’t go back yet.”

Back to being called Grayson. Why was she so determined to push him back like this? Did he break her best friend’s heart? Did he sleep with her sister? God, he hoped not. He would have noticed the similarities if he had. And it wasn’t like he slept around a lot! Just occasionally. When he needed release. Whatever.

“It’s fine,” Gray insisted. “We’ll try working during class and on the weekends.”

Violeta shook her head again, stubborn as a mule. “You can go if you want,” she told him stiffly, “But I’ll stay and research. I don’t mind.”

“There’s no way I’m leaving you alone like this,” Gray raised an eyebrow as if even the thought of it was ridiculous. “We can leave at nine, then. That’s in thirty minutes. I’ll walk you home.”

“No.” For a brief second, her eyes flashed dangerously. “No, you will not walk be home. I’ll be just fine, thanks. Once is enough.” Yes, maybe she was being overly cruel. But so was he. Playing this game for years, pretending to flirt, pretending he cared, mocking her just like all the others. When would it ever stop?

“Fine,” Gray muttered. “Have it your way.”

What did he ever do to her? He tried being nice, polite—he even stopped teasing her. So why was she being like this?

Still, if that was what she wanted, he could give it to her. He was tired of wanting her approval. It didn’t help that he wanted it right now, either.

“Thank you…” Violeta murmured, allowing her shoulders to sink into a more relaxed position. When would he ever stop pretending?

After researching a bit more, both students began to pack their bags. Gray was still a bit hesitant. After all, it was nighttime. A woman out alone… Violeta of all women… it terrified him. What if something happened to her, and he’d never know?

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to ask her again.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he murmured at his partner.

“See you tomorrow,” Violeta echoed back to him without raising her head. Where is it? she asked herself, growing more and more panicked by the second. Her pepper spray—an umbrella—anything she could use for self-defence in case of an emergency? Nothing. Her bag was devoid of potential weapons.

Swallowing thickly, she rose to her feet and hoisted the bag over one shoulder, not daring to look Grayson in the eye as she slipped past him. She was so wrapped up in her panic when she stepped out into the dimly lit street… that she didn’t notice the shadow trailing her.

It hadn’t even been five minutes when Gray stopped walking. He couldn’t leave Violeta to walk home alone, not like this. Even if she hated him, he wanted to make sure she was okay, that she was safe inside her dorm.

So he turned on his heels and began to run back to the path she took.

When he finally found her, she was pressed against the wall, a man looming over her.

Rage filled Gray.

Darkness engulfed her. With each step she took, she was drawn deeper into a deep realm of shadows. The voices whispering away in the back of her mind never ceased, neither did the countless panicked thoughts.

You’re going to be fine, Violeta told herself, You’ve done this before.

Not that it had been any less terrifying the other times. Not that she had never run from an older man trying to push her against his car. But, growing up, single, in a household of three females who couldn’t drive, there wasn’t much she could do about it.

Barely two minutes passed, when through the cacophonous pounding of her heart, she heard footsteps behind her. Immediately, she whirled around, only to be met with a clammy hand slapping over her mouth, pushing her back against the brick wall behind them.

The back of her head hit the hard stone, hard. Terror flooded her system. She fought, bit, and kicked, but the man had a grip of iron. Something covered her eyes—she couldn’t see. She tried to scream, but he silenced her with his disgusting tongue. Slowly, his hands slipped lower… and there was nothing she could do about it.

Gray moved before he could even think about it. That man was sexually assaulting Violeta. He was touching his girl. That was enough to drive him mad.

Gray’s fist clenched and before he knew it, he slammed it into the man’s face, hearing the satisfying thump when he fell and did not get up again. Gray didn’t pay him any attention.

“Vy,” he breathed out, immediately reaching out for the girl who had his heart. “Oh, God…”

Violeta barely had the time to utter a desperate, whimpering plea, frozen by utter terror and revulsion, when her attacker was torn away from her. She stumbled forward, wide-eyed in shock at what she had just experienced, her hand flying to her mouth, her throat, the rolled-up bottom of her sweater. Hurriedly yanking it down, she glanced wildly around—only to see Gray, standing with his arms outstretched, a look of absolute horror on his face.

“Gray?” she whimpered, hugging her stomach.

“Vy,” he whispered again, stepping closer to her, arms aching to take her in, to hug her fear away. “I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have let you go alone. I should have gotten here earlier.”

He was still furious, but most of all, he was worried. He wanted to beat the man senseless, but he would let the police do that job. He had to comfort his girl.

Violeta had no control over her body as she stumbled forward, straight into his embrace. “Oh my god…” she breathed, and her eyes were huge, glazed over by fear and pain. Her shoulders rose and fell quickly; she was hyperventilating. And her entire body shook, retaining the awful memory of his alcohol-laden breath and his sweaty hands reaching beneath her layers of clothing.

Gray immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly, protective.

“You’re safe. I’m here,” he whispered. “You’re safe, Vy. I won’t let anything happen to you. Never again. I promise.”

When he felt her tremble again, he tightened his hold, gritting his teeth. Nobody would touch her like this again. Nobody.

So as Violeta shook in his embrace, he whispered to her comfortingly, rubbing her back gently, wanting nothing more than to burn his touches away. He calmed himself down, keeping his entire attention on Violeta.

Violeta completely broke down, crying her eyes out in the arms of the boy she feared the most. “G-Gray—“ she whimpered, unable to stop reliving the experience again and again, on a constant loop. “P-Please—Get me away from him—“

Gray obeyed immediately, picking the girl up in his arms, reaching for her bag as well before he began to walk in the other direction—the one he came from.

“Can I take you home?” He asked quietly, his heart reaching out to the sobbing girl in his hold. “I don’t want to leave you like this. Amanda’s home—so is Aria.”

Her eyes snapped open when she found herself tucked away against his chest——how had he managed to scoop her up so easily? Wasn’t she heavy?

Normally, she would have shoved him away with unease defining each movement… but not tonight. Tonight, she was afraid. Tonight, she was desperate. Tonight, he had saved her. So she turned her head and buried her face in his chest, still quivering like a leaf in a storm. “Just—Just take me away. Please. A-Anywhere, I don’t care.”

The thought of Amanda was much more comforting than she wanted to admit…