Page 3 of Hoof It

Three

Chapter 2

Darcy

F rankie inhales sharply and manages to catch me before my ass hits the floor. She understands immediately what I mean. She told me once while we were all still in high school that she was raped.I hear a breathe hiss at my words, and slowly I look towards Lexi. Her eyes dart to Frankie. They have a silent conversation before switching spots. Frankie sits with me on the couch and holds me while Lexi walks into their kitchen. I hear her opening and closing cabinets and running water.

“What do you want to do, Darcy?” Frankie asks softly. “You’ve got a few options here. We can call the cops and report it. Or, you can let Lex call her dad. You know that Reggie will handle Mat for you. We won’t force you to do anything. It’s your choice.”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. The only thought I had was that I needed to get out and come here. I can’t think that far ahead just yet.”

She nods and pulls me closer. Like me, she’s in a hoodie. Hers is a fuzzy blanket hoodie thing. It reminds me of the teddy bear I used to sleep with as a kid. The softness of her hoodie brings me some semblance of comfort. It’s so soft, exactly like the stuffed bear I had as a kid. The warmth and light vanilla scent of it fills my senses, letting me relax just a fraction.

Lexi walks back in and crouches down, her knees popping as she squats. She has a mug of something in her hands. She holds it out for me to take. I shift the way I’m sitting and accept it. The mug is warm and feels good on my hands. I see the steam coming off the golden-brown liquid, so I blow on it a bit before taking a sip. A soft hum leaves my throat as the taste of hot cider hits my tongue, grateful that I’m here often enough they keep my favorite brand of mulled cider on hand.

“I figured you’d want your favorite.” Lex smiles softly.

I manage a small grin at my best friend before taking another drink. She’s right; hot apple cider is my favorite drink of all time. It’s always reminded me of cool nights sitting on the front porch with my mom. Lexi looks at Frankie and they have another silent conversation. I’d give anything to have what they have; what I thought I had with Mat. Until he changed, that is. I can only imagine what he’s doing now that he’s realized I’m gone. Another flash of anxiety works its way into my throat at the thought of going back to our apartment even more destroyed than it was.

As if he knows what I’m thinking, my phone rings from my purse. It’s his stupid ringtone. Lexi looks furious. If looks could kill, Mat would be dead right now. As she starts to stand, Frankie speaks up.

“No, Lex. Don’t answer it. Bring me her purse.”

Lexi rolls her eyes in annoyance and does as her girlfriend asks. She returns with my purse and Frankie takes it from her. She pulls my phone out and switches it to Do Not Disturb before turning off my location.

“As long as you haven’t used it since you got here, your last location will still show up as your house.” Frankie looks at me questioningly. “The two of you don’t use one of the tracking apps, do you?”

“No, we don’t. He never wanted me to know where he was. I also haven’t touched the phone since I got in my car.”

“Good,” she sighs. “He won’t know for sure that you’re here. Though, he’ll probably suspect it. He’s never shown up here before so I doubt he will now.”

I don’t have anything to say to that, so instead I take another drink of my cider. It’s cooled off a bit, but it’s still warm on my hands.

“Here’s what we’re going to do for tonight. We’re going to crowd into our bed, watch trashy television, eat junk, have a few drinks, and fall asleep. Just like we used to. Sound like a plan, Darce?” Lexi asks.

“Yeah.” I nod.

“And,” Frankie adds, “we won’t mention him or make you talk about anything you don’t want to. Okay?”

I nod again, and almost start crying at the kindness in her voice.

Walking towards their room, I make sure to stay behind Lex. Even though I know she wouldn’t do anything to me, I still need the small bit of peace that comes from being able to see her. I can only hope that Frankie doesn’t walk up on me without me seeing her coming. Lexi pulls the blankets down and pats the top middle of their king-sized bed. She puts my drink down on Frankie’s nightstand. I climb up onto the bed and sit where she indicated. My knees meet my chest again and I drag the downy soft comforter up to my chin. Silently, I watch Lex as she grabs the remote off her nightstand and hits the button to turn on the TV.

Frankie walks in a few seconds later and her arms are full of junk food and liquor bottles. I feel a smile slip onto my face when I see that she has all of my favorite snacks.

Lexi climbs onto the bed and sits on my right side. “Soooo… Frankie and I may or may not have finished the reality show that the three of us started while you were here last week…”

My head snaps towards her. “Dick. I told you I wanted to watch it together!”

She does a shit job of looking ashamed of herself. “There may have been some tequila involved after you left that night. We got a bit too drunk to reach for the remote and turn it off. We fell asleep watching it.” She shrugs one shoulder up in a half-assed apology.

I roll my eyes at her despite knowing that she’s just trying to take my mind off everything and get me to smile. “Fine. Put something similar on. I want to watch mind-numbingly bad reality TV.”

She grins. “I know exactly what to watch.”

I give her a look that says, fucking do it then , and she takes the hint. Her attention focuses on the flatscreen on the wall. She quickly flips through streaming apps before settling on one and pulling up a show called Shenanigans on the Coast .

I turn towards Frankie. In one of her hands is a five-pound bag of licorice. In her other is a bottle of whiskey. My eyes light up at the sight of my favorite candy. Before I even have to ask, she tells me that they are in fact solid strawberry ones. I smile at her in thanks before I rip into the bag.

Before I know it, we’re seven episodes and just as many shots into the ridiculous show that’s all about college aged kids on summer break partying in Florida. I can’t help but laugh every time one specific character stumbles while dancing. My body has finally relaxed and I’ve almost melted into their bed. I’m squished between the two of them, and in this moment, I don’t want to be anywhere else.

A while later, I’m fighting sleep. I’ve lost count of how many episodes we’ve watched. My brain is fuzzy and I feel loose. Lexi is snoring softly, and I think she’s drooling a bit on my shoulder. Frankie shifts and quietly speaks for the first time in hours.

“I know we said we wouldn’t talk about it. But I think you should let Lex call her dad. When it happened to me, I called the cops, and they didn’t really do anything at all. Rarely does anything happen to the people who rape others. That’s all I’m going to say about it though.”

I nod once and refocus on the show. Though, it no longer appeals to me. Frankie popped the comfortable bubble I’d been in. I don’t want to decide. I wasn’t completely ready to walk away yet. With that thought on my mind, I fall into a restless sleep tucked between my two best friends.

* * *

Not nearly enough hours later, the sun is shining right in my face. I groan and lift my arm to cover my eyes, only to realize that my face is covered in Lexi’s long, blonde hair. I swipe it away and drop my arm over my face. My head is throbbing and my mouth tastes dry and nasty. When I let out another groan, Lexi shifts and her hand smacks the part of my face that’s exposed as she shushes me.

Frankie walks into the bedroom as Lexi realizes that she hit my face. I can’t help but laugh as I peek at the look on her face. She’s horrified and apologetic; then she looks confused as I laugh even harder. Meanwhile, Frankie’s face is a mask of confusion.

“What’s so funny?” Her head cocks to the side as she stares at the two of us.

I try to speak, but can’t stop laughing. “Lex…my…groaned…shushed.”

Frankie appears even more confused and now even Lexi is laughing.

Suddenly, I’m sobbing hysterically and even I’m shocked that my laughter from just a moment ago has unexpectedly turned to ragged breaths and a flood of tears. Frankie and Lexi frantically scramble closer to my side. I bury my face in my hands. Lex pulls me into her and holds me while Frankie rubs my back in soft circles.

Finally managing to calm down somewhat, I pull my hands away from my face. My chest rises and falls with a deep breath that I hold in for several long seconds before blowing it out. My hands fall to my lap and I ease out of my best friend’s embrace.

“I’m sorry I’m such a mess. I don’t know why I’m crying,” I apologize and drop my head.

They’re both quiet for a moment before Frankie speaks. “You don’t need to apologize. What you’re going through right now is a lot for anyone to handle. If I hadn’t met the two of you when I did, I don’t know where I’d be right now. Or if I’d be here at all.”

I lift my head enough to look at her. I’ve heard her story once, and that was enough for me. What happened to her was so much worse than what Mat did to me. She was left with physical scars by the three men that drugged her that night.

“When did it stop hurting, Frankie? When did you stop blaming yourself? Because right now, all I can think about is what I could have done to prevent it. What did I do to deserve for him to…” I trail off. I may be able to think the word, but I can’t bring myself to say it yet.

“Darcy Gwendolyn Newl.” Frankie’s voice is stern yet loving. “You are not the problem here. Being the survivor of a rape is not an easy burden to bear. You did nothing to deserve for him to force himself onto you. Mat is in the wrong here. Not you. He outright ignored your lack of consent. You told him no, and he still did what he wanted. That’s on him, not you.”

The tears start falling again. I desperately want to believe her. But I can’t. I shake my head slowly. Before I can even say a word, Lexi speaks up.

“Darce, she’s right. This is all on Mat. You’ve done nothing wrong. Not. A. Single. Thing. Do you hear me?”

I nod my head once, then Frankie speaks again.

“I know that right now you don’t believe us, but I promise you that you’re not to blame here. All of the blame is on Mat and his choice to take what you didn’t give him willingly.”

We sit in silence for a moment as they let their words sink in. I know that eventually I’ll believe them. “Right now, as much as I want to, I can’t see past that moment, the pain, the betrayal. Right now it all hurts. My heart. My soul. My body. They all scream at me in pain. I can’t think past any of it. I can’t stop seeing the blackness of his eyes, or the anger they held. I can’t stop feeling him force himself inside of me. I can’t stop remembering the way he nearly ripped my hair out by the roots.” I squeeze my eyes tightly against the memories that haven’t stopped playing on a loop and shake my head.

Lexi sighs. “Are you ready to tell us about it?” she asks softly. I nod once and take a deep breath. Her hand reaches for mine and squeezes my fingers gently to reassure me.

“We’d fought the night before. I’d been in a deep dive researching the lore of the goatman. You both know how I get when I’m onto something. I forget the entire world exists. It was day five of research. I’d only been stopping to pee or grab more snacks. Then I’d go right back to the laptop and keep researching and taking notes. I hadn’t showered in days. Mat got home from work, already in a whiny mood. He tried to get me to go to bed with him. I told him no. He asked a second time. I told him no, again. He begged me to at least give him head. I ignored him and kept reading and taking notes. He got mad.”

I take a steadying breath and Lexi squeezes my hand again.

“Mad isn’t even the right word for it. He was pissed. Worse than he’s ever been. He started picking up shoes and throwing them across the house. When I didn’t give him the reaction he’d wanted, he started screaming and throwing dishes.” I scoff and shake my head before continuing.

“My favorite coffee mug, the one that you got me for my twenty-first birthday? It was one of the first ones to get chucked. It’s now shattered in about two dozen small shards. After throwing every dish he could get his hands on, he stormed out of the house and slammed the door. I knew then that maybe the relationship has run its course. I don’t want to live like that anymore. I refused to move though, just in case he came back in and decided that just breaking stuff wasn’t enough, ya know?” I lift one shoulder and drop it down.

“I turned my attention back to the laptop and kept working. I just wanted to get it done. I figured that if I could get the research done, I could grab what I needed and come here and the three of us could go goatman hunting. So, I kept working through the night.” I pause and swallow, the memories threatening to make me vomit.

Frankie speaks softly as she hands me a fresh, warm mug of cider. “Then what?”

I hold the mug and stare into the liquid. “He came stumbling into the house, reeking of liquor. He didn’t say a word to me. He started picking up the mess of broken mugs. I’d just finished up, so I saved my work before walking straight to the bathroom. I’d desperately needed a shower. I used all the hot water. Even once it turned cold, I still stood under the spray, lost in my thoughts. When I finally got out of the shower, I realized I’d fucked up. I hadn’t stopped and grabbed clean clothes. I thought that maybe if I walked to the bedroom quickly enough, he wouldn’t notice me. I just wanted to throw on some clothes and grab the laptop and leave.” I snort derisively and shake my head.

“I made it as far as our bedroom door before he managed to walk up behind me. He pulled my towel down and started groping my chest. Not in a pleasant way. It fucking hurt. I managed to move away a little bit and get the door open, but before I could get the door between us, he shoved me down onto the floor on my hands and knees.” My voice breaks a bit, but I manage to keep the tears at bay. “I turned my face to look at him and I kept telling him no. His eyes looked solid black, his pupils were so big. That was the most scared I’d ever been of him. The grip he had on my hair threatened to rip it all out of my scalp. I begged him to stop. Every time I said no, he smacked my lower back.”

I shift and lift my hoodie up to show them where he hit me repeatedly. Lexi flinches and she can’t stop the tears from falling from her eyes.

“He didn’t use lube or prepare me in any way. One minute he was hovering over top of me, the next he shoved his way inside. It hurt so fucking bad. I cried harder and could barely breathe because I was crying so hard. I kept saying no, the whole time. He shoved down on my back and forced my face into the floor and thrust harder than he ever has.” I look up at the ceiling and the tears finally fall.

“Before he finished, he pulled out and made sure to get it all over my back and ass. Then he stood up like nothing had happened and walked out of the bedroom. The minute I heard the shower start, I knew he’d come right back because there wasn’t any hot water. I crawled the best I could to grab my towel and try to clean myself off before grabbing clothes. I only stopped long enough to grab my purse and the laptop. Got out to the car and came straight here.”

Lexi is silently crying when I look over at her. Frankie has remained quiet the entire time. The anger is rolling off her in waves as she speaks up.

“I know that what happens next is your choice, but I still think you should let us call Reggie. Fuck the cops. Fuck the system. Fuck that fucking monster.” Her fists clench and unclench repeatedly. She leaves the room and I hear the bathroom door down the hall open and shut.

“Babes, I have to agree with Frankie. Let me call Daddy. He can take care of all of it and no one will ever need to know.”

I look at Lexi. “I’m not sure what I want to do from here. I know that he needs to pay somehow. But in this moment, I don’t want to think about it. I need time.”

She nods and hugs me tightly.

“Take my mind off everything, please, Lex?”

She climbs off the bed and leaves the room. I hear her walk to the bathroom to check on Frankie. I sink down into the bed and take a moment to simply exist. I know what they want me to do. I know what it means. I’ve always suspected that Reggie murdered people based on the way that Lex and Frankie talk about his job . But this is the first time that they’ve confirmed it, not that they outright said so.