The Lonely Girl

After trying to read, trying to study, just trying to do anything that would pass the time, the two hours eventually, agonizingly, passed and Claire headed downstairs to go. Stopping along the way to say goodbye to her mother. Her mother nervously told her to have a good time and then she was off.

She put the park into the GPS on her phone. She had been there for hikes a couple of times with her parents growing up, but with all the property they had, they had mostly hiked at home for the past few years. Claire followed the GPS just to make sure she didn't make a wrong turn. She pulled into the lot and parked there were only a couple of other cars in the lot as it was not usually busy during the week. Claire was curious if any of them were Kyle's as she did not know what kind of car he drove.

She exited her car and headed toward a display that showed a map of the park. She remembered vaguely where the lake was, but good to check to be certain. Looking at the map, it looked like the lake wasn't far down the path to the left. She headed down the path. It was lined with railroad ties and was covered with wood chips. This leveled some of the unevenness of the ground and gave it a nice springing sensation to walk on. She came to a clearing in trees and the lake was in front of her, slightly offset to the left. The path split with one side going around the lake to the right and the other heading further left to a brick building which contained a set of bathrooms.

Claire left the path and walked on the grass towards one of the benches that surround the lake. She sat and started to take in the scene in front of her. There were several pairs of ducks floating and paddling around the lake and she thought it would be nice if they had some ducks at the pond on their property.

"Well look who it is!"

Claire quickly turned to her left where the voice had come from. She hadn't seen anyone else around the pond so the voice surprised her. She focused in on the three girls emerging from the brick building and her heart sank. While the trio had not paid much attention to her in recent years, when they did, their taunts and deeds were always particularly cruel.

Claire's defenses automatically went up. But she knew it was useless. There was no place to hide here. No way to duck her head and scurry past them to her next class, like she would do in school. No, whatever abuses they were about to hurl, she would have to endure.

"Whatcha doing here?"

She thought about not responding, but in this situation, she felt it might egg them on.

"Just enjoying the lake."

Kaitlyn walked around the bench to stand in front of her. She looked her up and down and laughed.

"Look at her, she's all dressed up. Well, as dress up as somebody that shops at Walmart can be."

The rest of the girls cackled at Kaitlyn's barb.

"Whatcha all dressed up for period stain."

What if they knew she was waiting for someone. Would that make them stop? Would they go away?

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Oh really? And who are you waiting for?"

It had been nearly six when she had gotten to the park. It had to be after six now. Kyle would come. Kyle would come and protect her.

"I'm waiting for Kyle Scott."

With that statement girls roared with laughter.

"You think Kyle's coming to meet you? You think he wants to hang out with a girl that doesn't even know how to change a tampon?"

Real fear was starting to enter Claire's periphery. Her eyes darted about looking for someone to help her or for a way to escape.

Kaitlyn leaned over Claire, an evil smile on her face.

"Why do you think we're here huh? He was tired of you following him around everywhere like a puppy."

Kaitlyn moved to the side and the other girls moved in so that they surrounded her on the bench.

"Did you really think he would want to date a loser like you? He suckered you in and we told him we'd take care of it for him"

Claire was genuinely frightened at this point. No one was coming for her. She began to stand and tried to push past the girls. They laughed and created a small circle around Claire, pushing her back and forth between them while taunting her.

She then began to cry. This was like throwing meat to the jackals and the brutality of the taunts and pushing increased. Then Lexi reached out and grabbed at her blouse, ripping it and popping a couple of buttons. Claire folded her arms and tried to cover herself. Kaitlyn grabbed her by the hair and swung her slight frame around. Claire screamed in pain and Kaitlyn released her just as the arc she swung her on was aimed towards the lake. Claire tried to plant her feet, but only managed to fall over backwards and into the lake. The lake was relatively shallow where she fell in, but it was still enough to cover her. She ended up swallowing some water and tried to choke it out as she scrambled to stand. Her attackers stood on the shore and laughed.

Claire gathered herself, stumbling out of the water and then started to run towards the trail and the parking lot. The jackals slowly followed behind her as the continued to heckle her. The volume of their taunts diminishing as the ran through the wood and out to the parking lot.

Claire sped out of the parking lot and towards her house. When she arrived home, she flung the door open, shocking her mother. Claire ran past her mother crying, down the hall and up the stairs. Her mother heard Claire's door slam. A sound she had never heard in all the time they lived in the house.

She hurried up the stairs and opened the door to Claire's room. Her daughter was struggling with the remaining buttons on her blouse. Sobs wracking her body.

Her mother was stunned by what she saw. Scratches on Claire's shoulder and chest where her blouse was ripped and her skin exposed. Her eyes were red from her crying and her hair was askew. It was then that she also noticed that her clothes were wet.

"OH MY GOD! WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?!"

Claire couldn't even respond. She was practically hyperventilating at this point as she frantically tried to get her blouse off. Her mother walked over and kneeled before her. She gently took hold of Claire's wrists and looked up at her.

"Claire, what happened?"

Claire went limp and tucked her chin to her chest, her eyes scrunched shut.

"Sweetie, tell me what happened."

"They...they...attacked me Momma."

"Who attacked you?"

"The girls from school" Claire choked out.

"Which girls?"

"Kaitlyn and Lexi...and Kristin."

Of course. They were names she had heard many times in the past. Always involving some mean prank or awful words for her daughter. She was livid. Now they had attacked her baby girl. Her normal reserved demeanor was starting to crack.

"What did they do to you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it Momma, I just want to lie down" and then she began to sob again.

Her mother helped her off with her blouse and grabbed a sleeping shirt and shorts for her. Claire finished taking off her clothes and put on her sleepwear. Her mother pulled the covers back and Claire climbed in. Her mother covered her, then laid down behind her and held her as she cried herself to sleep.

*****

Claire awoke early and used the bathroom before climbing back into bed. Her mother, having a sleepless night herself, heard the toilet flush and went to check on her daughter. She opened the door to her room and walked over the side of her bed, kneeling beside it. Claire had her eyes open and stared at her mother.

"How are you feeling Sweetie?"

Claire sobbed and inhaled a breath. "Please don't make me go back there Momma."

Her mother's heart broke. She hadn't been able to protect herself from the bullying she endured and now she couldn't protect her daughter either. She resolved to ensure that at the very least it would not happen again.

*****

Claire's mother was waiting in her car out front of the school as the administrators and teachers arrived. She waited until all the faces she was familiar with over the years of complaints about her daughter's treatment had entered. She exited her car and headed towards the building.

"Good morning Mrs. Kelly." The greeting came from one of the assistants that she had dealt with many times in the past. She didn't even bother returning the greeting, which was unusual for her and simply got down to business, "Is the principal in?" She knew he was, she had seen him walk in not five minutes earlier.

"He is, but he's in a meeting." Claire's mother was used to this tactic...and it had worked often. Keep her waiting so long that she left or at least started to question whether it was really as bad as she thought when she entered. Today, her mother was having none of it.

"Did you know my daughter was attacked last night?" The assistant started to shake her head, but Claire's mother cut her off before she could respond further.

"Attacked by students from this school...I'd like to speak to the principal about this, of course if he can't accommodate me, I'm sure he'll take a meeting from my lawyer."

The flat tone of her delivery was different than any other exchange the assistant had with Mrs. Kelly in the past and it set her off balance.

"Um, let me see if he can make some time for you."

Claire's mother just nodded and stared as the assistant backed up slightly before turning and heading towards his office.

*****

It was the same song and dance she had heard so many times before from the man seated in the desk across from her. At first, she had thought he genuinely cared. The sympathy practically dripped off of every word that exited his mouth. But years of the same speeches from the man led her to a different conclusion. He didn't care. He was a politician. An empty suite just looking for his six-figure gravy train to continue until he could retire early with a fat pension. She drifted back to the conversation as he droned on.

"...so as I explained Mrs. Kelly, since this occurred outside of school hours and off school grounds, my hands are tied." The smugness, wrapped in fake sympathy, made her want to inflict violence on someone for the first time in her life. She knew flying into a rage would not help her case, so she choked down her anger and responded to him.

"Mr. Williams...do you know how many times I've visited here due to someone accosting my daughter?"

"I don't have those figures in front of me but..."

"27"

"I'm sorry?"

"27 times Mr. Williams. 27 including this visit. That's an average of just under 7 visits per year. Would you like the dates as well?"

"I don't think that's necessary Mrs..."

"I've handed all this information off to our lawyer Mr. Williams. Including detailed descriptions on what was done to my daughter as well as the school response, which as I'm sure you're aware was lackluster to non-existent."

She could see the smugness fade, replaced by a bit of worry. Good. She hadn't actually called their lawyer yet, but was planning on it later today, so she didn't feel bad bending the truth a bit.

"There is only about a week left in the school year. I'd like to understand how you are going to ensure my daughter's safety through the end of year...and just to be clear I'm not only talking about her physical safety, but her mental safety as well. If one of the animals you protect in this school so much as gives my daughter a dirty look, I will spend every dollar I have ensuring you and the rest of this school are sued into oblivion. Am I making myself clear?"

He looked more uncomfortable sitting before her than he ever had in any of her other previous visits. But he still tried to push back.

"Mrs. Kelly, there's no need for threats. We always strive to provide a safe space for all..."

"Save it Mr. Williams. I've sat through your blustering speeches for years now and I'm not going to suffer through another one. To be clear, it was not a threat. Good day Mr. Williams."

With that, she got up and left. As she walked to the car she was curious who the person that spoke in the office was, because it wasn't her. Never in her life had she spoken to someone like that. But seeing the utter ruin of her fragile little girl had broken her. She would see this through no matter what.

She contemplated going to the police to see if assault charges could be filed. But then she remembered that one of the trio's father was on the force. She knew it would lead to nothing and dropped the idea.

*****

She arrived back home to find her daughter still in bed. She kneeled down next to the bed and stroked her daughter's hair.

"Hi Sweetie."

"Where'd you go Momma?"

"I went to the school."

Claire stiffened up at that piece of information.

"I went to make sure that they would never bother you again."

This information didn't seem to placate her daughter at all as she still looked frightened. So she added, "You just have to do your finals and then you never have to see them again."

The tears started immediately. "Momma, I can't go back." She heaved and sobbed a few times before adding, "Please don't make me go back Momma." Within moments her nose and eyes were running as she continued to sob. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.

"Shhh...shhhh...it's ok Sweetie. I won't make you go back...shhhh, it's ok."

Claire's mother held her until her sobbing subsided. She eventually left her daughter in bed to head down and call the school.

Claire just stared out at nothing. She had always been content in her life. She knew her parents loved her, and she loved them. But much later, she realized that for the first time in her life she had a true taste of happiness. Now that, and the hope that she had, was gone. Replaced by a pit in her stomach that she felt wanted to swallow her up.

She was so used to the abuse from the trio of cheerleaders that it almost didn't phase her. Sure this past incident was the most vicious yet...but again, she had been suffering from their abuse for most of her school life.

It was Kyle. Kyle had protected her. Kyle had given her hope. Hope given and then taken away is a brutal loss. One that Claire wasn't sure she could recover from.

*****

The relief Mr. Williams had on learning the news was palpable and it annoyed Claire's mother immensely. He was getting off the hook again. The school agreed that Claire had more than enough credits to graduate. They only asked that she take proctored exams for her finals, which could be done online.

Once Claire's mother was able to get her out of bed and into some semblance of a normal routine, she scheduled her exams with the school. Claire passed them, but by then graduation had already occurred and the school mailed her the diploma. Not that it mattered at this point, there was no way Claire would have wanted to participate in graduation anyway.

After the trauma she suffered, her parents didn't press her about college. They had enough money that Claire would not have to work for the rest of her life anyway. At this point they just wanted their daughter safe. Their experiences growing up as well as Claire's showed that schools often did not provide that safety.

*****

Claire stared at the opposite shore of the pond. The memories were painful even after the years that had passed. Her parents had provided her a safe place at there home, which until their deaths, Claire had rarely left. She had everything she needed here on their property.

After Claire graduated and she returned to some semblance of normal, given her ordeal, her parents decided to take a vacation. It was a foreign concept up that point. Except for taking off some holidays or a few days here and there to relax at home, they didn't take time off, and certainly not to go anywhere. But her parents had more than enough money to retire and decided to try out some new things. To get out of their shells and see what they might like to do after retirement.

They booked a cruise for the first vacation, and while they both stated that they genuinely enjoyed it, they knew it was not something they would want to do again. Too much time in confined spaces with too many people.

About a year later they had booked another vacation. This time through a boutique travel service that catered to couple and small groups that did not want the typical resort style vacation. This one would island hop the guests using to some of the less-traveled islands in the Bahamas using a combination of regular and sea planes. Most of the accommodations were in small cottages on the water that offered the exact relaxed atmosphere they desired.

The updates Claire received when they had cell service had shown that they were having a wonderful time. Claire was happy for them. They had tried to get her to go, but she wasn't ready for that type of adventure yet.

It was a day-and-half after the accident occurred that she was informed of her parents' deaths. They were already gone when she had checked her computer to see if she had any messages from them. She wasn't sure why at the time, but she felt that their deaths hurt more knowing that she hadn't learned about it for almost two days.)

All of these horrible memories dredged up because she had seen Kyle again. It was supposed to be warmer tomorrow. Maybe she would try and spend the day in the garden to try and clear her head.

*****

It was getting late, so Claire got up and started the trek back to her house. She was in thought about what type of lettuce she wanted to grow when she approached the house and stopped dead in her tracks. Why where their grocery bags outside her door? She looked around but did not see anyone else. There was no car in the driveway other than hers. She walked up and looked in the bag. It looked like the groceries from her list. Now she was thoroughly confused. Had someone from the market brought her groceries to her? That didn't make any sense. While the people that worked there recognized her, she didn't know any of them personally.

Placing the bags on the counter in the kitchen, she started to remove the items and put them away. She was about to start on the second bag when she noticed her list. She pulled it out and noticed there where pen indentations on the back and flipped it over.

Kyle had brought her groceries. Kyle had bought and brought her groceries. Why?

Claire immediately assumed it had to be a trick. Not satisfied with the torture she had gone through at the end of high school he was now going to try and hurt her again. She pushed the thought away. She could get groceries delivered. She could get everything she needed delivered. She would never have to worry about running into him again.

She took the shallots and the note about how to incorporate them into the risotto and threw them away. She knew it was childish, but it was the only outlet she had to hit back at him...not that he would ever know of course. She fished the shallots back out of the garbage and put them on the counter. Being childish would not help the situation.

*****

Claire had to admit that the risotto was good. Although it was her first time making it, so she was unsure if it would have been just as good without the shallots.

Tonight, she was just going to have some pasta and sauce. Something simple as the risotto took longer than she expected the previous night. The sauce was not the brand she normally bought. In fact, she wasn't sure she had ever seen the brand before. Not that she was an expert in all the pasta sauces. She had found a sauce that was ok and stuck with it. After trying the brand Kyle had bought her, she realized what she had been missing. It was as if they were two totally different things. One was pasta sauce, the other was...well she wasn't sure what it was, she just knew that she would no longer be eating it.

Claire looked at the label on the jar. Double S Pasta Sauce. Claire Googled the name and found it was from an Italian deli in town. She was vaguely aware of the deli, thinking she had probably read about it in the local free advertiser paper she received. Kyle must have known how good their sauce was and got her some from there. She noticed they had an online store, and the sauce was available for purchase. Regardless of her other feelings for Kyle, she couldn't fault his tasted in pasta sauce. Nor did she want to punish the local deli for its clientele. So she ordered a few jars to be shipped to her house. She could go there of course, it was right in town after all. But after today, and knowing Kyle shopped there, she did not want to take the chance.