Point of View: Kayla
I snuck out to the audience and saw Nick and Zoe sitting in the front row next to each other, talking quietly. Nick was fanning himself with the program, which he'd balled at one end and clutched in his hand. Zoe was holding hers, keeping it pristine. I knew Zoe well; that program was destined for a scrapbook or a photo album, where it would collect dust for years and years and years.
"I'm so glad you made it," I said, approaching them, smiling. My heart was thumping wildly with the thrill of the idea of being on stage in front of this packed audience within a few minutes. My hair and make-up was already done, all I needed was to put on my costume. "I'm so excited for you to see this play."
Nick stood up as I approached and his arms wrapped around me as mine wrapped around him. I saw Zoe's eyes, disapproving, out of the corner of my vision and pulled back from Nick. I smiled up at him. "I can't wait to see it either," he said.
I heard Leon clearing his throat from behind me. Clearly we were being called to our starting cues. I looked at Zoe, then back up at Nick, "Come backstage after the show?" I asked.
"Of course," Zoe answered. Nick smiled and nodded in agreement.
I smiled back, and as Nick sat back down, I scurried back into the darkness behind the stage. Leon was waiting by the door of the backstage area. He rolled his eyes as I snuck by him. "He's such a fucking douche bag," he muttered, talking about Nick, "I don't get what you see in that ass-fucker."
"Leave him alone," I snapped. "Just because you're jealous of him..."
"Jealous of him? Ha!" Leon snorted, rolling his eyes. He had on his costume already - he looked like he'd just stepped off the set of Little House on the Prairie, sporting dark khaki pants and suspenders. He followed me as I walked swiftly toward my dressing room. "Why the shit would you think I'm jealous of him?" Leon snapped.
"Because he won," I answered point blank.
"Won what?" Leon laughed.
I stared at him. "Me. I'm not stupid. I know you consider taking my virginity some kind of prize you're going to win for being with me so long... but... you didn't win. I'm not giving that to you. I'm giving it to him." Leon froze in the door as I went inside and grabbed the dress from the rack in the corner. I pointed to the door, "Can you close that please? I need to get dressed."
He didn't move. He was staring blankly in my direction.
"Leon, seriously, close the damn door."
Leon crossed my dressing room in four swift steps. He was standing beside me, his eyes intense. "Kayla," he whispered, his voice husky, "Kayla, I love you."
"Stop it, you don't," I said.
Leon shook his head, "Kayla, please."
"Leave so I can get ready, will you please?"
He leaned closer. "Pick me instead of him," he begged. He got on his knees.
"What are you doing?"
"Kayla, you're everything to me."
"Get up."
"No. Kayla please." Leon clasped his hands, "This guy just barely got into your life."
I turned away, carrying my dress. "I'll go to Lauren's dressing room, its not a big deal."
"Kayla," he hissed, his voice insistent, becoming angry.
I stopped in the doorway, clutching the fabric. "Leon, I've chosen Nick and I wouldn't be with you now if you were the last guy on earth. You hurt me." I thought about the day with the car.
"You owe it to me," he responded.
I shook my head, "I don't owe you shit, Leon." And I turned and walked out of the dressing room, carrying my costume. I could hear him swearing.
The show went splendidly. The tension between Leon and I only added to the tension between our characters. The audience was unbelievable. They reacted to all the right parts just the right way and when I went to take my final bow, they stood up, and a rush of emotion came over me.
But the most amazing part was Nick.
His eyes never left me. He watched every subtle movement I made, smiling, his eyes glistening proudly. When Leon touched me, as was in the script, when he grabbed my shoulders, I could feel the warmth of Nick's protective, wonderful stare.
After the show, I rushed backstage to my dressing room to change for when Nick and Zoe got back there. It would take a few minutes. I grabbed my jeans and t-shirt out of the closet and reached for the zipper in the back of my dress. A knock came at the door. Already? I thought, surprised. They moved fast...
When I opened the door, though, it was Leon.
He had a burning, determined look on his face. He pushed into the room. "If you aren't giving it to me," he said smoothly, "I'll take it from you." He grabbed the chest of my dressed, right in my cleavage, and pulled. Since the zipper was already loose, the fabric gave way somewhat easily, revealing my bra.
No man had ever ever touched me like that. No one had ever seen my bra.
I was a virgin in every way that I possibly could be.
I pushed him away. "Leon," I said in a warning tone.
He grabbed my wrists and pulled me closer, pinning my hands tight to my side and shoving his mouth into my neck. I wiggled, trying to get away, "Leon, stop it." I tried to pull free, but he pulled me tighter. "Leon, Nick and Zoe are on their way back here right--"
"Well that's fixable."
The next thing I knew, he had me tight against him, his body pressing into my back, and was guiding me strongly through the swirling mass of people in the backstage area, toward the door that led to the back alley.
"Leon..."
He slammed the door shut behind us. I backed away from him as he came towards me, "You know what I'm gonna do to you?" he asked me. I kept backing away. "I'm gonna..." and he proceeded to tell me.
In graphic terms.
I'd never heard anyone actually use some of the terms he was using.
My back hit a pile of milk crates and boxes and I swallowed. Leon advanced and his body pressed mine into the crates. "And I'm gonna start real nice and slow baby..." he said in a husky voice, "Ease you into it. Don't worry.. within a few seconds.. you'll be so hot for me you won't mind it..."
I tried to scramble away, but before I could Leon picked me up and dropped me on the crates, shoving the skirt of my dress up and pulling the chest down simultaneously. I struggled, but he slapped me across the face. The skin smarted. "Don't fucking fight me," he snapped.
Tears started rolling down my cheeks as Leon set to work, methodically running his hands across my legs, touching my thighs, and pulling at my lingerie. "Nice underwear," he hissed, "You must have expected this to happen."
I'd gotten a nice set of matching lingerie with intentions for Nick.
"Stop," I begged.
He laughed, a cold hearted laugh.
"Please," I begged again.
His finger pushed aside my underwear and slipped inside me and I squirmed, trying to move away and his hand grasped my throat. I coughed.
Leon's hand made fast work. I could feel my body responding in ways I didn't want it to. I pushed my hips forward, and he laughed cruelly, "See?" he asked, "You fucking tease. You're a slut deep down. You really don't want to fight me," he muttered. "I'm getting what I want and there's nothing that's gonna stop me."
But then, something that could stop him burst through the alley door.
"Kayla?"
"NICK!!!" I screamed.
Leon's hand dropped away. I heard his zipper undo. He was planning to go for it.
"You mother fucking..." Nick came down the alley like a bull, his eyes full of rage, nose flared, fists balled...
But for all the effort Nick put into fighting off Leon and pounding him down and winning the fight... it was too late.
Leon might not have gotten inside of me physically with anything besides his hands, but he stole something away from me that I could never get back... though he did not take not my virginity, he did take a part of my soul.
I woke up at 4:00 AM sobbing from the dream. I sat up in bed and hugged a pillow to my chest, rocking myself.
I reached for the phone and dialed Nick's cell phone number.
"I'm not available, leave me some lovin'..."
"Come home," I sobbed into the phone, "I need you so much right now. I can't wait for four days. I need you... I can't sleep, I can't breathe hardly..." Tears were rolling down my face. "If it weren't for you, I'd want to die..." I felt my shoulders shaking. "Nick I love you, I'm so sorry for everything..."
Beeeeeep.
The phone line went dead.
I put the phone down and buried my face into the pillow.
