Arnold Friend guided her into the passenger seat of the car. Connie could feel the hot leather sticking to her legs as she slid into her seat. Her muscles tensed as her heart continued to pound out of her chest. She could no longer process any thoughts, her mind refused to function. The music from Ellie’s transistor radio flooded her head, sounding faintly like the music played in the background of a funeral. The impulse of defiance struck her conscience.
“We’re gonna show you a good time, Ellie ‘n me. Don’t worry honey; we’ll take real good care of you.”
Connie mind had gone blank. Her lips could not form a response; she just sat silently, gazing out the window, resting her head on her hand. The car started with the clamoring of pistons underneath its tacky, gold, hood. Connie watched the passing landscape, squinting her eyes in the wind. Arnold placed his hand on her knee and gave it a squeeze. Connie’s stomach curdled. They drove for what felt like an eternity, into the outstretching wilderness. She rubbed her hands together for friction. The air became bitter as the sun began to fade behind the tree line. She looked at the devil sitting next to her and felt a sour taste in the back of her throat. She wasn’t sure if it was the harsh understanding of what was about to happen, or the slow creep of courage.
“Where are you taking me?” Connie said, tripping on her words.
“We’re going to my little oasis. We’re almost there sweetheart. And when we get there, I’m gonna hold you nice and tight. I’m gonna make you feel the way you want to feel. I’ll give you what you won’t get from anyone else. I’m real nice honey, I’m your friend. You remember that darling. I’m your friend, Arnold Friend.”
“Why me? You don’t even know me!” Connie said, beginning to raise her voice.
“Because I’m your lover, and you’ll know that soon, just hush now darling.”
Connie couldn’t understand what it was about her that had sparked Arnold’s interest. She didn’t even think she looked that good that night at the diner. “My hair was flat,” she thought to herself. She then caught herself looking at Arnold in a positive light. His jaw was square and his eyebrows were thick, but his smile wasn’t all that bad.
They pulled onto a dirt road that wound deep into the woods. The trees stood tall along the sides of path like soldiers preparing for battle. Arnold stopped the car and put the keys in his pocket. Connie tried to position herself against the door, as far from Arnold Friend as she could. He turned to Ellie in the back and saw that Ellie had fallen asleep with the radio still in his hands. Arnold turned off the radio and carefully pulled out a little bag from Ellie’s shirt pocket, as if not to wake him. There were two small blue pills in the bag and he handed them to Connie.
“Here you go, sweetheart. Swallow these down like a good girl so we can have a good time.”
Connie took the pills into her hand and her body began to tense up as her adrenaline surged. She stared down at the pills and closed her eyes. She prayed that she would just wake up and it would all be over. She felt Arnold’s hand on her shoulder and screamed until she felt his hand smack her check. He hit her so hard her brain began throbbing.
“Now, darling, I don’t want to have to hurt you. Just behave yourself little girl. I just want to be your friend. Now swallow them up and let’s go to our oasis.”
“I’m sorry. I prom—, I promise I won’t scream… Unless you want me too,” the words broke as she stammered.
Connie felt the small circles on her tongue and pushed them down her throat. She felt the dry lumps traveling down her esophagus like black Cadillacs on the way to a funeral. Arnold opened the door and pulled her to her feet. He led her deeper into the woods as her mind began to slow. The surrounding trees began to blur together and she began to giggle. Her steps became staggered and she grabbed Arnold’s hand tight as she fell to the ground in a hysteric spurt of sadistic giggles.
“Now that’s my pretty, little, blue-eyed girl. Is this where you want me to hold you? This seems like a nice spot.”
Connie’s skin began to perspire as she felt Arnold’s hands move down her ribs and onto her hips. He worked her jean shorts down around her thighs with his small, child-like hands. Her body was limp and she was merely a set of eyes stuck inside a glass box. Arnold pulled her hair from her face and she felt the scruff of his face on her checks as he kissed her. Her eyes began to roll back and she felt his sloppy tongue in her mouth. She struggled to stop him as he pulled her shirt over her head. She had lost all control over body. He was rough with his hands and ripped her panties. Her heart began to pound faster as he touched her. Her breath became shorter She felt him penetrate her and everything went black. She slipped into a sullen world where everything was dreary and there were no colors.
She woke up hours later, without the faintest recollection of what had happened. Connie’s pretty blonde hair lay limp at her shoulders and her bubbly giggle became a nervous hum. She lost the sway in her walk and she kept her eyes locked on the ground passing below her feet. Connie noticed the sunlight fading behind the trees and she begged her mind for recognition of where she was.
“What happened? “ Connie asked herself. Her thighs ached as she walked. Her sundress was torn and tainted by grass stains. She wandered around, trying desperately to recall what had happened. Placing her hand on her head she could feel the throbbing pain. A surge of emotion began to take control of her; but she couldn’t place a name to it. Coming to the edge of the woods she noticed something in the grass that sparkle in the fading light. It was her gold charm bracelet. Tears began to flow down her cheeks in a confused desperation. She noticed a small house a short distance away and began to head towards it. Getting closer, she noticed a familiar car parked out front. She felt safe approaching the door and knocked politely.
“There you are darling, I’ve been worrying my head off wondering where you got to,” exclaimed Arnold, “Now go on, get yer self inside so I can take care of you.”
Connie stepped inside confusedly. She was rubbing her arms for warmth, her fingers gliding over thousands of tiny goose-bumps. Arnold lead her inside to the foyer and cupped her face in his hands, showing compassion in his eyes. He kissed the crown of her head and hugged her tight.
“You scared me half to death. You’re my little angel, I don’t know what I would do to myself if anything ever happened to you. Now don’t you worry, darling, Arnold is gonna take real good care of you,” he said softly into her ear.
Connie put her arms around him and began to sob. She couldn’t remember her name, where she was, or who this man was that was comforting her. All Connie knew was that he was there, and he cared about her. She squeezed herself tight against him, feeling the warmth of his body through her tattered clothes. She felt found.
Arnold brought her into the bedroom and helped her into an over-sized t-shirt. He handed her two more little blue pills for her headache. Connie noticed a picture of her on the dresser and got choked up. She couldn’t understand how she had no recollection of any of this, but she felt warmth in her heart. She walked over to Arnold and sat down next to him on the bed.
“They should make you feel much better, honey,” he said to her, placing a hand on her knee.
With this, she felt something raging inside her and had no control over it. She positioned herself over him, pushing him back onto the dingy mattress. She felt fluttering in her stomach as she kissed him. Arnold flipped her over, taking back control, and pinned her arms down at her sides. Arnold ravaged Connie as he had earlier, but she was paralleling his acts. They rendezvoused in ecstasy, eventually collapsing in each other’s arms. They fell asleep, entwined, on Arnold’s old, lumpy, mess of a bed. Now that mess belonged to Connie too.