Hard To Forget - Annette Broadrick

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do you mean, someone like you?”

      She shrugged. “You may not have noticed, but I’m not one of the popular girls in school.”

      “You could be.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I mean, if you’d relax a little more and join in. Actually I’ve noticed you with some of the girls in the cafeteria lately. They all seem to like you just fine.”

      She hadn’t given their response to her much thought. “I guess so.”

      He slid his arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad I’ve gotten to know you this year, Elena. You’ve helped me to look at life in a whole new way. I mean, you have all this ambition—you plan to go to college and do something with your life.”

      “You mean work my way through college.”

      “Well, we all have to do that. I hadn’t really believed I had a chance to go to college until Coach started urging me to fill out applications and you and I became friends. I just found out that I’ve been accepted at A & M for next year.”

      “Oh, Joe, that’s wonderful!”

      “I wouldn’t have considered it before. I guess I figured I would stay here and find something to do with my time like everyone else.”

      “I’m glad you’re looking at the bigger picture.” She lightly touched his jaw with her finger. “I’m also glad you consider me a friend.”

      He took her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “How about you? Do you know what you’re going to do after graduation?”

      “I’ve been accepted at George Washington University in D.C. I’ve been offered a scholarship and a couple of grants. Mom says she has some money put away that I can use, as well.”

      He framed her face with his hands and looked at her with a serious expression on his face. “I want to be much more than just friends, Elena,” he finally whispered.

      “You do?” She could scarcely get her breath.

      “Uh-huh,” he replied, kissing her with a lot more assurance and passion than he’d allowed himself during their first kiss.

      She’d never felt like this before. She couldn’t get enough of his touch. Her brain shut down and all she could do was to feel. She knew that the scent of his aftershave would always bring this magical night to mind. When the kiss ended, they were both breathing rapidly. The night was too dark for her to see his face, but she knew by his breathing and the racing of his heart beneath her palm that he was equally affected by what they had just shared.

      “There’s not much room up here with the steering wheel and all. Do you want to move into the back seat?”

      She nodded, and somehow he must have been able to see that. Since the car was a two-door, he pulled one of the seats forward and helped her crawl into the back. Then he followed her.

      He stretched out the width of the car as far as possible, then pulled her down on top of him.

      She’d never been so close to anyone before. Her dress had a halter top that now fell open. She was grateful that it was too dark for him to see anything.

      Soon she no longer cared. As he kissed and caressed her and encouraged her to do the same to him, his shirt and the top of her dress became hindrances. He unfastened the back of her dress while she rapidly undid the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off him. Clumsily he unfastened her strapless bra so that there was nothing between them. Just bare skin, touching.

      She stopped breathing when he touched her breast. He was so gentle, so caring, that all she wanted was to have him touch her again and again. She could feel how aroused he was through the thin material of her dress and his trousers.

      His next kiss set her on fire. When he slid his hand along her thigh and through the slit of her dress to her panties, she pushed into his hand, wanting to feel more of the magic.

      She heard the zipper of his pants in the silence between their labored breathing and knew that if she didn’t stop him, they were going to make love now. She realized that she didn’t care. At that point, all she wanted was to continue being close to him. He shoved her panties down and off her, then lifted her slightly so that his hard flesh was pushing against her.

      She moved slightly, opening herself so that he could enter her. The sudden invasion and size startled, then hurt her, and she clamped her legs together, trying to stop him. But it was too late. He lifted his hips in a strong surge, holding her against him with such strength she couldn’t move. Why had she thought she wanted him to make love to her? It hurt. He was too big. She tried to pull away from him, but he kept his hands on her hips as he pumped into her until he made one final lunge and fell back onto the seat, his hands dropping away from her.

      As soon as he released her, she scrambled to get away, pulling herself up and off him. The top of her dress was around her waist; the rest of it was twisted around her hips and legs. She struggled to lift herself off the dress so she could pull it around and cover herself.

      It was then that three large flashlights appeared at the windows. She heard male laughter and hateful humiliating remarks.

      “Way to go, dude. We knew you could do it!”

      “Damn. Looks like we’re going to have to pay up on that bet, after all. You always bragged you could score with her, given the chance. Guess you were right!”

      “Who woulda believed you’d get this far with her on a first date! That beats all your records. Gotta hand it to you, buddy.”

      At the first sign of the flashlights, Joe jackknifed into a sitting position and reached for Elena, but not before the boys had seen her bare breasts. They hooted and hollered, laughed and made obscene jokes while he helped her refasten her dress.

      He quickly covered himself, then pushed the seat forward and jumped out of the car. The boys took off running with Joe in hot pursuit.

      Elena was numb with shock and humiliation. There was a bet? He had gone out with her…he’d made love to her…because of a bet?

      She crawled back into the front seat and huddled against the door, waiting for him to return to the car and take her home. If she could live through this horrible night, she would never, ever speak to him again.

      Eventually he returned to the car. When he jerked open the door, the overhead light flashed on. She turned her head so she wouldn’t have to look at him, but she didn’t miss his disheveled appearance and the scrape on his cheek.

      He closed the door but didn’t start the car right away. She could hear his harsh breathing. Finally he sighed and said, “I can’t believe those guys did that. I am so sorry, Elena. They’ve been drinking and they’re angry at me for leaving the group. I guess they thought they’d pay me back this way, but it wasn’t fair to you. For what it’s worth, I told them what I think of them. I can’t believe I ever considered them friends.”

      “Please take me home,” she whispered.

      “Of course.” He started the car. “I’m so sorry our evening had to end this way.”

      She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. It took all her concentration not to burst into tears and further humiliate herself. As soon as they reached the end of her driveway, she said, “Please stop here.”

      He pulled in and stopped. “Let me take you up to the—”

      That was all she heard before she pushed on the door and got out, then slammed it. She clutched her purse in one hand and her shoes in the other, her skirt dragging in the dirt. She grabbed it with a couple of her fingers and sprinted to the house, not looking back.

      Joe watched her, feeling helpless. He’d never been in this kind of situation before. Sure, he’d had sex with a few girls, but tonight was the first time he’d made love with anyone. He’d had no control with her. He knew he’d hurt her, knew this must have

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