An Unusual Beginning

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Arlene had a three hour wait before the plane taking her back home to Atlanta was scheduled to leave.

She decided she would use some of that time to clean herself up. She took her carryon bag and went looking for the restroom.

She found one and went inside. Once she was inside, Arlene went into one of the large handicap stalls, placed her carryon bag on the floor, unzipped it, opened it and pulled out a pair of fresh underwear, a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a washcloth and body wash.

She opened the door to the stall, went over to the sink and wet the washcloth with warm water. She then went back into the stall, removed her shirt and placed it on top of the canister that held the toilet paper.

Arlene placed the wet washcloth on the top of her shirt, then she removed the rest of her clothing. When she came to her panties, she slowly removed them, as she eased them down her legs, she looked at the crotch and saw what she expected to see. Blood.

Tears welled up, in her eyes when she blinked, they slowly ran down her cheeks as her eyes told her what her body had already confirmed, as the pain of what actually happened to her tore through her body.

She had lost her virginity, and she couldn't remember how it happened. She felt as if she'd been raped.

Arlene rested, her head against the door of the stall and let the tears flow the pain of what she was feeling overwhelming her.

"How could they do this to me?" she asked out loud to herself. "They were supposed to be my friends, they were supposed to look out for me and protect me."

She wanted to know how people she trusted and called friends could play a part in doing something so heartless, cruel and demeaning to her.

Arlene knew they thought of her as being too straight laced and what Brenda called "tight butted" but she never dreamed they could nor would conspire against her in such a manner.

She considered these women to be the closest thing she would ever come to, having a family. She could talk to them about any and everything. She trusted them with her deepest secrets. Why would they betray her?

"Are you alright?"

The voice startled Arlene and brought her out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine," she said wondering why she hadn't heard anyone come into the restroom. "I'll be out in a moment."

Arlene finished cleaning herself up, got dressed and came out of the stall. She was surprised to see two policewomen waiting for her.

"Are you alright ma'am?" one of the officers asked her again when she saw Arlene's red eyes and tear stained face. "We came in because someone came in, to use the restroom, heard you crying and grew concerned."

"I'm fine, officer," Arlene said giving the officer the best version of a smile she could muster. "I'm just having a bad day. I came in here to change my clothes, and I guess it all caught up with me."

"I'm sorry to hear that ma'am," the officer said, "and I don't mean to make your day any worse, but, I'm going to have to ask to see your ID and my partner and I are going to have to search your purse and your carryon bag."

With the tightness of security at all the major airports being what it was the officer's request didn't surprise or offend Arlene.

She took her wallet out of her purse found her ID and passed it, her purse and carryon bag to the officer.

The first officer kept her purse, she passed the carryon bag to the other officer, who opened it and began searching it.

When the second officer came across her underwear and saw the blood on them, she called the other officer over to her and showed her what she'd found inside the bag.

The two officers then turned and looked at Arlene.

"Ms. Patterson, were you the victim of a crime?" the first officer asked her voice filled with concern for the nervous, shaking and obviously upset woman standing in front of her.

The officer's question almost caused Arlene to lose control of her emotions, but she was, able to keep herself calm.

"No, I wasn't," Arlene said.

The police officer looked at the woman standing before her.

She put Arlene's height at about five feet eight inches tall, her weight at about one hundred thirty-five pounds, with shoulder length, curly, coal black hair. Her coffee with cream colored skin would've been flawless if not for a black beauty mark on her left cheek. Her face featured dark brown almost black almond shaped eyes, a slightly turned up pert nose, that sat in the middle of her oval shaped face.

The officer wasn't into women, but she thought Arlene's looks might be what most people would classify as cute.

She suspected that Arlene was a victim of rape or some other form of sexual assault. Not just because of the bloody underwear found in her carryon bag but because of the way she was acting.

Arlene wouldn't look at her. It was as if she was afraid the officer would see what happened to her in her eyes if she looked at her. She was trying and failing to appear and act as if nothing had happened, as if nothing was wrong.

The fact that she came into the restroom to clean herself up instead of at the hotel where she was staying or when she reached her destination was another sign that something traumatic had happened to the young lady standing before her trying not to shake or appear nervous and failing in the attempt.

Everything about her, was a classic sign of someone who had been sexually assaulted.

"Ms. Patterson, we can help you if something was done to you against your will," the officer said her voice sympathetic.

"No," Arlene said her voice shaky, "everything is fine. I wasn't forced to do anything against my will, and I'm not a victim of a crime. I told you, I've just had a bad day."

"Alright, ma'am," the officer said passing Arlene back her carryon bag and purse after she and her partner thoroughly searched them. "If you change your mind and decide you need to talk to an officer have an airport employee contact us."

Arlene promised the officer she would do as she suggested if she needed police assistance.

The three woman left the restroom together, the officers walked Arlene over to the VIP lounge and they told her once again, before leaving to have an airport employee contact them if she needed them. Arlene thanked them and said she would if the need arose.

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David and his friends froze in their seats as they sat in the VIP lounge when they looked up and saw Arlene walk into the lounge in the company of two police officers.

"Oh, my god," Franklin Jr. said. "Do you think she reported what happen to her to the police?"

"She wouldn't do that," William said. "If she did, she would have to report her friends too."

They all sat in their booth and watched as Arlene spoke to the officers. They breathed, a collective sigh of relief when the officers left the lounge.

"I wonder why the police were with her?" Raymond said.

"I wonder where her friends are," Jonathan said.

"They probably told her what happened, and she wants to have nothing to do with them," Raymond said.

"I think one of us should go over and see if she's alright," David said.

None of the men volunteered. David stood up.

"What're you doing?" Franklin asked grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back down into his seat.

"I want to know if she's alright," David said.

"You can't go over there," Franklin said. "The last person she's going to want to see right now is you."

"I'll go over there," William said. "I need to get Shayla's phone number anyway."

William made his way over to where Arlene was sitting. He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned around, the look in her eyes showing that she was surprised to see him standing behind her. She looked passed him and saw the rest of his friends sitting in a booth looking at her and William.

"Excuse me, Arlene," William said. "I don't mean to bother you, but I was wondering if you could help me."

"I'm not going to give you Shayla's phone number," Arlene said answering his question before he could ask it and turning her back to him.

"Is she here?" William asked. "She could give it to me again herself. She wrote it in my hand with what we thought was a permanent marker just before she left for the airport, but i washed off when I took a shower."

Arlene rolled her eyes indicating to William that she didn't believe him.

"I can prove it," William said holding out his hand so Arlene could see it.

Arlene looked at his hand and sure enough there was a very faint impression of a phone number written in Shayla's handwriting.

"Shayla isn't here," Arlene told him as she took a pen and a piece of paper out of her purse, wrote down Shayla's phone number and gave it William.

"I thought all of you were taking the same flight home," William said.

"I decided to take a later flight," Arlene said.

Taking notice of Arlene's eyes William saw that she had been crying.

"You found out about us spiking your's and David's drinks didn't you?" William asked.

"David's drink was spiked also?" Arlene asked her tone showing her shock and surprise at what she'd just heard.

William hung his head in shame. "It was meant to be a joke," he said.

"Well, I hope you all enjoyed the laugh," Arlene said as tears flowed from her eyes once again.

"I'm sorry," William said.

Arlene's response to his apology was to turn her back on him once again. Seeing that she didn't want to talk, and wasn't interested in accepting his apology William walked back over to join his friends.

"What happened?" David asked.

"She found out about us spiking both your drinks," William said. "She became angry with her friends and decided to take a later flight home."

"She looks as if she's been crying," David remarked.

"She has," William replied.

The news that Arlene was crying made David angry all over again with his friends. He wanted to do the same thing Arlene did and get away from them, but he knew if he didn't go home with them his parents and Diana would worry, so he put aside that thought.

A half hour later first class boarding for the plane that David and his friends would take back to L.A. was announced.

As they walked, pass the table where Arlene was sitting David went over intending to apologize for what happened even though it wasn't his fault, he felt that he should apologize.

"Arlene...."

"Please," Arlene pleaded holding up her hand, cutting him off, "just leave me alone. I know that you're not responsible for what happened between us, but I'm not handling it too well right now, and if you try to talk to me or apologize, I'm going to lose control right here, right now and I don't want that to happen. So, just go."

Not wanting to cause her any more pain or stress David did as she asked, and he left her alone.

Arlene was glad when boarding for her flight was announced. She was glad to be leaving Vegas and to be heading home. She realized that once she returned home she was going to have to deal with her friends. Especially Brenda.

She didn't know how or when she would deal with them, but she would. Especially Brenda.