SNAPPED
Friday arrived and Claire was early. I remained seated on the floor and read my comic, slightly ignoring her. She knelt in front and brushed my face, pushing the single strand of hair behind my ear.
“You need to leave home Rachel, it’s only a matter of time until he rapes you”.
I threw my comic away “and where shall I go, I know how about your place... oh wait that would be a bad idea, someone might see us and think we are friends” I groaned in frustration “look its not your problem or your business so just drop it.”
Claire wiped the tears flowing from my face
“I miss her Claire, she always knew what to do. Now I have to look after Dad, the house. There is nobody looking after me?.”
Claire’s lips followed by her hands were on my body. She pulled off my pants and pulled away my panties. She pushed me to lean back against the wall and spread my legs.
“Claire..” I stuttered “I don’t think this is the time for”
Claire looked up “this is exactly the time to show you that someone is looking after you”
Her mouth disappeared into me, her tongue dancing around my pussy, stroking up the sides and playing around my hole. I was shaking, my hips lifting
“Claire... oh my god...” I was feeling light-headed. She grabbed my hips and pulled harder and sucked at my clit until I started shaking. I held her head and she held my hips and then it was over, the moment of release, the tension and now the loss. I broke down into sobs, she held me until over session was over.
It was nearly end of the school day and I had finished my final hour of detention. I looked at my watch and hoped to catch Claire leaving the pool. Then it all changed from that point.
I felt something over my head, a blindfold and my mouth had a hand over it muffling my cries. I was being carried off by people. I could hear them giggling. I tried to fight but I was restrained. A familiar smell of chlorine, that’s when panic set. The blindfold was taking off
“time for you to take a swim weirdo”
I felt myself get launched and I hit the water. I could hear them still laughing as I sank
In the change rooms Claire could hear the laughing and hooting. A girl ran in “they are going to throw someone into the pool.”
“great...” Claire not interested as she was finishing off her hair “what poor person got it this time”
“that bitch who kneed Mark in the you-know-what”
Claire dropped her gear and ran passed. She just caught sight of Rachel hitting the water.
“Get her out, get her out” Claire shouted, and ran to the side but Mark grabbed her
“hey relax, she’s just taking a little dip” holding the struggling Claire
“let me go Mark, she can’t swim... she’s drowning.
Mark looked down and gathered group noticed Rachel had not surfaced. Claire pushed off Mark and dived down. She grabbed Rachel's semi floating body and dragged her to the surface. She was heavy and Claire felt herself going under. There were more splashes as people jumped in and pulled both girls from the pool. Claire shook Rachel
“breath, cmon breath” Claire tried what she could remember about giving mouth to mouth but Rachel wasn’t stirring. She was then pushed aside and Rachel rolled onto her side and thumped in the back. She was rolled back over and teachers took over. The auditorium was in silence
The sounds of Rachel coughing up and wheezing bought a relief to everyone, especially Claire.
I sat outside in the ambulance holding the oxygen mask to my face. I was still trying to catch my breath from the ordeal. Claire walked up and went to say something.
I got up and took the oxygen mask off “don’t you dare say anything to me, I don’t want to blow your I’m-too-cool to talk to the freak cover.”
“Rachel please” Claire lowered her voice
“what ever” I walked off.
I had just reached the end of school property when I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around to see it was Mark
“I’m sorry... it was really stupid”
“yeh right Mark... just piss off”
“well you should have learn to swim”
I ignored his remarks until his final words
“Maybe your Mum should have taught you that before she died.” He whispered into my ear.
I think it was at that moment I heard the snap, a sense of calmness, clarity, I guess you could say it was an epiphany. I smiled up at Mark
“Oh Mum taught me something way more important than swimming, and come Monday you are going to find out”
“what”
“just meet me in the lunch hall 10am and you will see”
“ohh can I bring friends, just in case I need help” he laughed and ran off
I sneered “the more the merrier.
Sunday afternoon I sat with my feet dangling in Claire’s pool, yeh we made up. I can never stay mad at her for too long. She is my strength and my weakness.
Claire finishes her work-out, gets from the pool and I give her a towel. She wipes herself and I push her wet hair back and kiss her. She doesn’t pull away, no need her folks are not home. Our kiss intensifies as our hands wander over each other. Claire wants to continue further but I gently push her back.
“I have to go... I have some stuff to organise” I go to move away but Claire still had hold
“Claire...”
“why, whats so important? We have rest of afternoon to ourselves, let’s go to my room, fool around. Oh even try something new, like having sex.”
I laugh, my sarcastic humour was rubbing off. “I can’t I have something to attend to before tomorrow”
“has this got something to do with Mark, what’s happening at 10am tomorrow.”
I wave my hand “I was just being dramatic, you know” I kiss her passionately then grabbed her face “there is one thing you can do for me, don’t come to school tomorrow. Say you’re sick or flip the day.”
Alarm bells went off in Claire’s head “Rachel what are you planning”
“Claire just do as I say please” I begged “ I rarely ask you to do something for me and I always do what you want, I’m pleading with you just stay away. Do it for me” I hug her once she agreed to my request
SHOWTIME
Monday came and I walked in school as I would any other day, same old check pants, strip shirt and back pack. I went to my locker and as I opened, it was slammed closed
“Hello rock... that’s your new name rock, cos you sink like one.” Laugh Mark and his friends
I laugh with him as if sharing in on the joke “yeh rock is good and your name can be Charles Bronson”
“huh... who”
“you know the tough guy out of Death Wish , you pick on him and you have a death wish, it’s a movie stupid.”
“nope,” Mark flicked my head with his fingers “see you at 10, don’t be late.”
“ok...no probs” keeping it jovial and walked off.
I closed the door to my hide out and dropped my bag, it makes a metallic sound as it hits the cement floor. I open up bag and take my jacket off. I put on the vest and put my jacket back on, just as I was about to do up the bag
“I thought I’d find you here” came feminine voice
I got angry and growled at her for not doing what I asked. I guess Claire was taken back by my unusual aggressiveness, she jumped.
“what’s going on, I tried calling your mobile phone, its switched off. I tried your home and your father didn’t answer.
I tucked some of the blood stain shirt into my pants
“Rachel” Claire steps forward kicking my bag, hearing the metal clanging
“Claire don’t”
But she opened up the bag and saw the picture. She took it out and smiled
“I always liked this one of your Mum, in her police uniform.”
Yes my Mum was a police officer and up until one night her partner turned up at the door-step looking sad. She had been shot and killed while they attended a domestic dispute. The guy shot her because she was sticking up for someone else.
Claire’s eyes dropped to the bag again and gasped at the weapons
You see Mum didn’t get time to teach me to swim, but she did teach me how to defend myself. She taught me all about guns and I got to go out on the shooting range with her. Good thing Dad didn’t throw the old guns out.
“Rachel, no you can’t do this…. Just think for a moment”
“I have... and I’m still going through with it” I reached down and take out one pistol pull the clip out and checked its contents. I was happy it was still loaded. I put the clip back.
Claire paces before grabbing the gun from me and throwing it in the bag. “NO.. I will not let you ruin your life, lets go back to my place. My parents are not home, we can talk... we can.”
“Claire I’m not in the mood to go to your place, to talk, to have sex… to do anything but what I’ve put my mind to.” I look at my watch 9.45am “hmmmm showtime”
“Claire please go home” I pleaded with her one last time
“what will your father say” growls Claire
“I don’t know, he was dead before I left for school”
Tears flowed from Claire “so what ...you going to kill me as well?”
I looked at her in disbelief “no... hell no way. Claire I love you.”
“then for me… please just leave this stuff, walk away.”
I got frustrated, my hand start hitting side of my leg “Claire not everything is about you, for you or because of you.”
Claire changed tack and got physical, she started to restrain me and as usual she was stronger and rammed me into the wall
“NO..NO, I will not let you go out and kill people.”
I broke down and cried on her shoulder I held her tight and sobbed.
“it’s going to be ok, we just going to walk away and say we found this stuff.” reaffirmed Claire
“your right” I agree finally
Claire releases me and turns away, I call her back. I felt sick when I hit her across the face, she fell and I caught her. I put her down carefully on my rug, stroking her hair and face.
“I’m so sorry I hit you baby, I don’t want you around for this.” I kiss her head and leave the room.
Claire started to rouse, her head was groggy and as it cleared she slowly sat up
“Rachel...RACHEL” Claire went to the door but it wouldn’t open, she pushed hard and heard the lock rattle, she was locked in. Claire screamed, pounding the door for help when a sound echoed up above followed by screaming. Not that of excited students, it was scream of fear. Claire continued to pound the door but it wouldn’t budge.
She paced the room then swore. She went to the further part of the room where the second door that opened to the library. She almost ripped the door off the hinge but was confronted with large book case. She heaved, but it hardly budged. She took deep breathes but another round of gun fire snapped her back and she continued to push and rock until the bookcase crashed down. She climbed through and made her way out of the library
She walked down the corridor, it was quiet, too quiet for a school. There were no students in the rooms, no sounds. Claire rounded the corridor and gasps turning away quickly. She looked back at the body of her swimming coach
“Oh my god Rachel what have you done”