With a sly smile, Katie pointed out the cozy-looking pair and called Emily a sneaky little fake. Anthony rolled his eyes and accused Katie of being jealous of Tyler, but she only pushed harder. She said it made her sick to see a guy like him choose some poor nobody over girls who actually belonged in his crowd.
The boys took a closer look at Emily and agreed she was attractive. Katie gave them a knowing look and suggested they have a little fun with the girl who acted so untouchable. At first they doubted they could pull it off, but Katie promised she’d get Emily drunk enough to make things easier.
When Paul asked what they were supposed to do about Tyler, the group quickly settled on an answer. If he tried to interfere, they’d threaten him and he’d back off. With that, the ugly arrangement was made, and they moved ahead with their plan.
Following the script they had worked out, Katie tricked Tyler and Emily into going to a quiet back area behind the school. Pretending to feel sentimental about graduation and everyone going their separate ways, she suggested they have a drink together. A couple of other girls joined them, and before long the same four boys drifted over as if by chance.
Alcohol kept flowing, and inexperienced Emily, after enough coaxing, drank more than she should have. At some point her head grew foggy, and she had no memory of how one of the boys dragged her into a dark gym room. When she found herself on a hard old couch, she heard the unmistakable click of a lock turning in the door.
Not long after, the others came in too, leaving her no real chance to escape. When she tried to fight them off, she was shoved hard and struck her head against the wall. Emily blacked out, while the boys carried out their assault.
When she came to, she was alone in the dark. As the haze began to lift, the full horror of what had happened came crashing down on her. She sat frozen, unable to imagine how life could possibly go on after something like that.
Feeling around for her purse, Emily found her phone and saw that it was four in the morning. She forced herself to think clearly. Her mother expected her home around dawn, so no one would be panicking yet. That ability to stay calm in a crisis helped her gather the strength to stand.
She straightened her wrinkled chiffon dress as best she could and slipped quietly out of the hated gym. Music was still pounding in the main part of the courtyard, but the darker walkways were nearly silent. Emily moved carefully toward the exit, trying not to be seen.
Then she heard voices from behind a row of bushes. A few girls from school were talking with ugly satisfaction about what had happened. One of them, Erin Novak, mocked the “good girl” who had ended up with four boys in one night. Katie chimed in cheerfully, saying that maybe now Emily would stop going after other girls’ guys.
Hearing that conversation, sharp-minded Emily put the pieces together immediately. The whole nightmare had been planned by Katie out of jealousy over Tyler. The sheer cruelty of it was almost beyond comprehension, and something inside Emily seemed to go cold…
