4-4-3 Girls at a Bar

"Sup, trick?" Sam asked.

Back to our old haunts again, it was. Bill and Dree too, all four of us sitting around sipping on something. Bill even unearthed my mug for me, which I had left at his place, so we four could toast proper.

"Any luck?" I forgot who asked. I couldn't tell who was being addressed, too.

"Me?" Dree asked.

"Well, you, too," Sam said.

"Nup. Still no word." Was he referring to his absent sisters?

"Bitch?"

"Don't mind me," I answered. I think they got the idea that neither Dree nor I wanted much to talk about things. We drank in silence. Boring.

"Welp, I'm off to get laid," Sam said on cue. Bill was next to take off, leaving Dree and me alone to ponder the secrets of the universe. I think our mutually depressing moods fed each other's, and we stayed together to keep ourselves from having a good time.

Evening wore on, and behold, there appeared Becky, followed tightly by three drunk frat boys. Becky didn't look sober herself, and it was with a great fit of giggles that she recognized me half a minute into nearly being molested on the pool table, and she couldn't produce any of the boys' names for introduction. I think they were plotting on playing for the privilege of taking her to bed, but knowing frat boys, that's probably what she thought, while they played only to decide who went first.

The four of them played casually, not talking much and keeping an eye on me without really looking at me. Becky was sure to stick her ass out more than necessary to take her shots, and she always seemed to miss when normally she's quite good, and she assumed the most obvious pout every time, following which the three lads would surround her.

In time, I got the impression that they were waiting for me to leave. As for Becky, the even more disturbing thought occurred that she wanted me to stick around to watch.

She kept drinking more; I grabbed more as well. I think that's the last coherent thought I had that night. That, or seeing her top start to slip off with her three escorts constantly rubbing up against her as they slid along the table, touching her in congratulation of another shitty shot.

*********

I awoke with a rather annoying headache. After the pain settled in, I got surprised with more pain: I hurt all over, especially in my head. Then my eyes started to open, though with the abundance of light, I could've done without.

"Morning."

The vertigo began to settle in. Where was I? Not in my room. Where's my room? At my house? No, I live with Reoren and Leolen now. That's right, and Becky lives there, too.

Becky. Where's she? When's the last...? What? Becky screaming? Becky naked? People everywhere? Have I been having nightmares? Or perhaps dreams, where I played the hero that rescues her from... What's been going on?

"Morning, I said."

"Umm... good morning," I answered, and finally I allowed my eyes to open all the way. No, they wouldn't. They hurt. There was bright light, but not much else.

"Can you sit up?"

Good question. I gave it a try, and pain came from everywhere. "Nope."

"Try harder."

On my second attempt, I was more sore from the way I was sleeping, but not too much to move. Once I got my butt beneath me, I was able to rub some sleep out of my eyes, but that's when it hit me: My face was bruised and swollen.

Derrick, help me!

A door opened and shut, and by the time my eyes got used to the light, there were five people in the room with me. The first two were a man and a woman dressed in blue scrubs. The woman was rather attractive for a doctor, having pretty red eyebrows that reminded me of Holly, Drivved's sister. The man was a thick, burly bastard that looked like he could snap anyone in half, but he bore an expression that said he was quite bored with life.

Next was a scrawny woman that knew how to dress professionally. Boring blond hair that took regular trips to the salon, a stupid brown blazer that covered most of her chest, and a skirt that went down past her knees. Then there was another blond, but a much more exciting one: Piercings, at least three of them, decorated her face, yet she wasn't as young as the life in her face suggested. In fact, everyone in the room but the redhead had gray in their hair, but only the guy doctor showed any signs of being tired of life.

While the first blond was skinny, the second was tiny. She wore more stylish clothes than the boring one, but nothing you'd expect to see on a schoolgirl.

The final woman was quite a knockout, being as well-aged as the others, yet still holding something inside her, a fire that wouldn't be put out.

Derrick, please!

Her hair was that gentle teasing tuff of brown waves that curled at the tips and was only long enough to puddle up at her shoulders. Her eyes were a striking dark blue that you don't see in brunettes any more. She also appeared the most robust of the five, being of very forward attitude and stature. She'd seen a lot, and she'd conquered what came her way. She wore simple jeans that were far too tight for her, and her ass looked good despite her age. A plain white T-shirt was stretched across her large breasts.

Don't touch me! Help!

"You feeling up yet?"

It had been the man talking to me. He and the redhead stayed close in a way that didn't feel like professional siblinity. The same way the smaller blond and the brunette stood closer, connected just so on an elbow or a foot where they stood.

"Uhh... yeah."

Get them off of me!

"Bit woozy. Where am I?"

"You've heard of Tranquil Breeze Garden?" the brunette asked.

"Sure."

"I'm Breezie, headmistress."

Oh, right. I saw her (from a considerable distance) at the party the twins dragged me to. "Hi, I'm Derrick."

"You're in our clinic. You were unconscious when we found you."

I can't... no more... stop them...

"Thanks, I guess."

"Actually, we wanted you to help us."

"Do you remember what happened last night?" the blond next to her asked.

Derrick! Hold on, buddy! We'll get you two out!

"I think I was at a party..."

"That's right, the Sierra Fiesta or something."

The blond to her right leaned over just so to whisper into her ear.

"Oh. Whatever it's called, then."

"What happened?"

Can you hear me? Dude?

"From what we heard? You started a fight."

Get lost, asshole. She's with me.

"I did?"

That's not what it looks like from where I'm sitting.

"What'd I do?"

"We don't know. You were just one of the people who'd gotten knocked out, though you're the only one to do so without getting anything broken, so congratulations for that."

I nervously glimpsed at the burly man to my left. If anyone knew anything about breaking anything, it would surely be him.

Where is she?

"Where's Becky?"

"Your sister, right?"

"Yeah; we came together."

The brunette continued, "We have her in our custody. Like you, we vouched for you to keep you out of the holding cell that would otherwise have been your fate. It would've been too full if they locked everybody up, and they don't have enough room for everyone that got taken away last night."

You just made the biggest mistake of your life, buddy.

"I'm trying to remember, but... is she alright?"

"She was rather drunk, like you. Thankfully several of our people were there to make sure nothing happened to either of you."

Take the one over there! I'll watch these two!

"Your people?"

"The fight was rather large, but it's generally agreed that there were strictly two sides. You were vouched for by some of our graduates, and we ourselves claimed you, so you're here rather than in jail."

"Who?"

"Don't you know? Drivved and Samson, among others. They said you're a close friend."

I've got you, buddy, just hold on.

"There were more?"

"Timber, Danny, Soran, and Meb, to name a few," said the redhead, reading off a list on a clipboard. Funny seeing one of those in a clinic.

"They were all there?"

"They were more than there," the smaller blond answered, "they all responded to a panic alarm that came from both Drivved and Sam at the same time."

"Panic?"

"Their watches. We picked up the mess; and if it wasn't for that alarm, things would've been much worse for you when the police got there."

"How come?

"The frat boys you were up against don't fight fair. There were at least thirty of them involved before the police arrived. You were lucky you just got knocked out and nothing permanent to show for it."

"What about everyone else? Are they alright?"

"Our students are trained to defend themselves in such situations. Like I said, many were unconscious, but they all had something broken in the meantime."

The more boring blond picked it up from there, "I'd say you got yourself some pretty good friends, but whether or not you're a good friend to them remains to be seen."

"It does?"

"Everybody else has been questioned, and all the information we're getting is that you started the fight."

I was then getting rather nervous. I was already on-edge from having these people glaring at me since before I woke up, but now that they got to the point, it was worse.

"Naturally, we'd like to know what the fighting was about."

Derrick!

"My sister, I think."

"What about your sister?"

Derrick, don't leave me!

"She'd been drinking."

"And?"

Derrick, please! I'm your sister!

"She's my sister. I've gotta watch out for her."

"Was she in some kind of trouble?"

Stop them!

"Yeah."

Come on, this place is dead. Let's go upstairs, boys.

Becky, wait!

"I mean, I think so."

"You're not sure?"

D? You gonna let her run off like that? She doesn't look right.

"It's pretty fuzzy still."

"You suffered a mild concussion, so you're liable to be feeling not too great for a while."

You heard her; she can do what she wants.

But you don't know these guys. I've seen what they can do in groups, especially when girls are as drunk as she is.

"But whatever you can remember..."

"She went upstairs with some guys."

"Yes?"

"I followed her, or maybe Sam had gone up with three girls, and I wanted to see what he was doing." It occurred to me that I shouldn't be giving away my friend's intimate secrets, but none of the people looked the slightest bit interested.

Becky? That you?

What the fuck, Derrick? Get out!

"I accidentally walked in on her, and she told me to leave. I must have gotten upset or something, because she normally doesn't act like this."

"You mean, in general, or specifically at parties where the both of you have been intoxicated?"

"Yeah. We go to the same parties."

Sorry, bro, this one's taken for the night. Maybe next year you'll rush ROU.

"I got upset at them, and I think they got aggressive. I didn't want my sister with them since she was that drunk."

"Anything else?"

Oh my god, stop it! Leave him alone!

"No."

"It seems that you and these three young men began exchanging blows. Sam heard yelling, followed by several fratmates running into a room. He followed, and shortly after that, both he and Drivved activated their panic switches. In half an hour or so, they were both out of the fight at your side, but the four boys that answered kept the four of you safe from some thirty attackers."

"Oh. Wow."

"I'd be feeling rather grateful if I was you," the shorter blond said. "Meanwhile, we have a problem. I'm Kariah; I'm the lawyer here."

Kariah? Isn't that Dree's sister's name? The blond one? While I think about it, wasn't Ivy's middle name "Breeze" something or other?

"Lawyer?"

"I've spoken with your sister. It seems she was too drunk to remember what happened, but I'm concerned that we're knees-deep in a rape case."

Derrick! Please!

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember. All I can tell you is that everybody was drunk, so I just assumed Becky would be safer if she went home. After what Dree said... Drivved..."

"What did he say?"

Come on, man. It's not safe up there.

"He said it wasn't safe for her to go upstairs with those guys. Mean anything to you?"

"The fraternity that holds this party is notorious across their campuses. We've been trying to ban them from holding this party every year, but without citations worse than a few fights, we can't hold a warrant against them, and the townsfolk won't vote them out because either the voters themselves attend or it brings in money they're not willing to lose. With you having started the altercation, it doesn't help matters. Not unless you're convinced there was a rape about to happen."

Derrick, help!

"Maybe."

Derrick, get out!

"I can't remember. Can I see her?"

"Your sister? Sure."

Rather than be dressed and chauffeured to wherever they were keeping her, I was kept where I was and told Becky would be brought to me. My mind began to wander over everything, but the more I tried to think about the party, the less sense my memories made.

In a full half-hour, the boring blond returned by herself. "I'm sorry, but she absolutely refuses to see you, and she insists that she be allowed to go home right away. We can't keep you here, but you should stay until you're feeling better. If you want to talk about anything, you can come to my office."

Fuck off, Derrick, fucking pervert! Don't ever come near me again!

She left nonchalantly. I was left alone.

Bill, Dree, and Sam came around soon; it seems that breakfast was just ending. They didn't have much to say. None of them knew what happened to Becky any more than I did. Bill didn't even make it upstairs with the crowd of people blocking the way. For Dree and Sam, they didn't seem to mind me getting them into a fight. It seems that they didn't know why I had started it any better than I did, but they backed me up without question.

Makes you proud to have them as friends, really. I didn't doubt Bill would've fought for me too, only he's shit like I am in a fight. Remind me to do something about that.

I told them to hork off so I could get some sleep, but in truth little memories started flashing into my eyes, and every time someone spoke the memories got chased away, and I wanted some alone time with them. But once I was alone again, the memories stopped. Tired and aching but tired of sitting around, I got up and went for a walk.

The last time I had been here was at the dance Cindy brought me to with Sara, but the place was unrecognizable from then. Barren and empty halls of polished oak plank and black carpet. Not a person in sight, and hardly a decoration except for labeled doors and childish scribbles taped up here or there.

I got to the door labeled "Shannon Campbell, psychiatrist." So that's why she wanted me to go to her to talk. I let myself in after knocking, and there was the blond in the boring suit. "Sit down," she said at once as though she had nothing keeping her from spending all morning talking to me. There wasn't even a front office with a secretary.

"I'm sorry to barge in," I said, "but you said..."

"I know this can be traumatic for you," she interrupted, getting straight to business. "We wanted to get some evidence to put a case together, but putting that aside, I'm concerned for your mental welfare. Call it an occupational hazard." She laughed her own comment off.

Looking around, I saw the obligatory certifications that allowed her to practice her trade, but besides that, there were pictures of her in various life stages with various people, including a man in a tuxedo while she wore a white gown, and both a blond boy and a younger blond girl. Beyond the pictures, there were more children's drawings. They gave a light-hearted feel to an otherwise dull office belonging to someone who took herself far too seriously. Out of the five from the clinic, she looked completely out of place.

"Is there anything about the event that you want to talk about?"

I liked how she replaced "party" or "fight" with "event". So politically correct. So very professional. "You said my sister..."

"It was strange, but not unexpected. People that go through events like that have a mixed bag of responses, and that was just one. She got upset, so now I expect she'll want to repress any memories of it to prevent her from being afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Whether or not she wants to deal with it, I'm sure the thought of being raped entered her mind at one point or another. If she's taking that thought seriously, which I think she is, then she's probably already repressing. I hear she hasn't cried at all over it."

"But she didn't want to see me..."

What's the matter with you?

"Simply put, you were there, so you'll remind her if she sees you. She wants to separate herself from it so she can get back in control. It'll take time."

"Isn't there anything..."

"We can't force her. She's made up her own mind."

"I gave you a fair chance, and you fucked up. I'm moving on."

I lowered my head and walked out. The three boys she were with were already undressing her, not paying attention to a word I or she was saying. In the next room over, I had to listen to my little sister getting fucked by one idiot after the other. After twenty minutes or so, I heard that door open, and I'm pretty sure some more guys came in. I know I heard them bragging about her.

More fucking. She made moans of pleasure, but not like I've known her to make. This was nothing but the effect of having a dick inside her. When she was having fun in bed, she'd curse and scream and curl her toes and scratch your back.

It was a large room that she was in opposed to the bedroom-sized room I had moved to to make sure things didn't get out of hand. It seemed to be filling up with guys that had made their way upstairs by and by, and the more time that went by, the more attention it drew. I got up to check, and sure enough, the door was wide open, and there was a crowd of boys and girls around her. A few would work on her for a few minutes before retreating, only to be replaced by more.

Hearing it made me sick to my stomach, but to actually see them using her like that blackened my mind, sending me reeling to the floor in agony. I went unnoticed.

I found my feet again, and there she was still, letting unknown after unknown inside her, and another at her mouth, wherever they could reach. My mouth was dry and my eyes ached. I could barely move with my stomach churning in a pain I had never known before.

She was rolled over, maybe on top of someone. Another guy came up from behind her, and then I heard it, the most beautiful voice despite the drunken, oversexed slur: "No." Heard it as clear as if it was said right to my ear in the dead quiet. I knew what it was, too. She doesn't like her ass touched, and some guy thought a girl could fit three just as easily as she could fit two.

I snapped when I heard her say it a second time over the din, and I charged forward, knocking the guy on his ass. For good measure, I tossed off the guy standing in front of her, then I ripped her off of guy number three to hold her safely behind me in the corner.

"...Derrick?"

The frat boys didn't take it kindly. Before I knew what was what, there were three of them coming at me, and I didn't know who to hit first, but I was down right away. Sam was in for my rescue in bravery I hadn't expected of him, him and Dree, though Dree is a bit more the loyal type I was expecting, though it was Sam I expected to see upstairs. They fended them off for a spell before I nodded off, though to my personal satisfaction, Becky was hiding behind me in a shaking pile on the floor, not trying to get back to the party.