Everything was going the way it should. We were all just sitting around watching a movie. I looked to my left; I saw my sister and her boyfriend, Jessica and Aaron, comfortable on the couch. They were so cute. Looking farther down, I saw our friends - Luke, Rachel, and Christina - all bundled up in blankets on a cold February night. My attention is back on the movie, Time Traveler’s Wife. I didn’t understand why we were watching this.

“Hey, am I the only one that’s hungry?” I ask, trying to break the silence.

He looks at me, and smiles. “Yeah, I’m pretty hungry, too.”

“Yeah, what do you guys want to eat?” my sister asks.

“I could go for some McDonald’s right now,” Rachel responded, running her fingers through her short brown hair.

“All right, what do you guys want?” I asked my sister, knowing that she wouldn’t want to leave.

Jessica looked at Aaron, and he shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll text you when we decide,” my sister said.

We went outside, snow already collecting on the ground. I went in Rachel’s car while Christina went with Luke. We made our way across town, driving a little too fast for the unwelcome weather creeping outside. My phone buzzed; it wasn’t Jessica. I read the word very carefully, “Smooth,” from Luke. My stomach churned as I imagined a smirk forming his face. I shut my phone and put it back in my pocket, only for it to vibrate again. This time it was Jessica, giving me a long order of food that could never be just for her.

When we pulled in a parking space and walked inside, warmth and the aroma of greasy, unhealthy food greeted us. I ordered my food, along with Jess’s and Aaron’s, and went to sit down. I looked behind me, only to find Luke look away when I met his eyes. Rachel broke the silence; she was always looking out for me. I admired that about her. When we got the food, we decided what we were going to do. Rachel said she would bring the food back to Jessica and Aaron, since she lived right down the street and had to be home. Luke said he would bring Christina and me home. We all said our goodbyes and piled into the cars, engorging in our bags of food.

Just when we pulled in front of Christina’s house, my mom called, ordering me to get home. Luke said it wasn’t a problem, a smirk painted on his face. We then drove in silence, my stomach stirring as we got closer to my house. Every so often, I would see him stare at me from the corner of my eye. As the car turned onto my street, the snow started to fall faster as the wind picked up.

He parked in front of my neighbor’s house and turned the car off.

“Luke, you know I live up there, right?” I asked, trying to hide the fear in my voice.

“Yeah, I know,” he said, taking the key out of the ignition and locking the doors.

Just then, he unbuckled his seat belt and climbed on top of me, his weight pinning me down to the seat.

“Luke! What are you doing!?” I asked, unable to control it anymore, every word drenched with fear as they fought their way through my teeth.

“Oh, come on, you had this coming to you,” he smugly replied.

“How?” I tried to ask, but my voice was muted by his lips covering mine.

I lay there as my body went numb, unable to move. Terrified and still not comprehending, my sense of hearing started to kick in again as he spoke.

“Did you like that?” he asked, expecting me to accede.

“Are you kidding me!?” I shouted as he moved back over to the driver’s seat. “You seriously have to be high or something.”

“Wow, chill, Anna. I was just joking. You don’t have to get so upset,” he defended, “Listen, it’s late. You need to go inside now, or you’ll get in trouble.” I looked at the clock, 12:27. Did a half hour really go by that fast? The last thing I remember clearly was turning down my street. “I’ll text you tomorrow, okay? I had fun,” he said with a smile.

I couldn’t reply. I muttered a goodbye and got out of the car. The second I shut the door, he drove off and left me in the freezing cold with a thin sweatshirt to cover my fragile and frigid frame.

I started walking toward my house and slowly made my way to the door. I stood there, my grasp tight on the handle, hoping to god that my parents weren’t up. I walked inside to a dark and sleeping house, climbed up the stairs, and went into my room. Inside, I got ready for bed in a daze, not knowing if the movements I made were real or not.

I got into bed, brought the covers up to my chin, and waited for the tears to fall. I closed my eyes, and the silent tremors began. I knew it was going to be another sleepless night filled with crying. While I cried, the memory still fresh in my mind, played over and over again, reminding me of the friend I once had, a saint in my eyes who turned into a monster.

Tonight, I won’t sleep. I won’t forget, and I will always be haunted by the night I was defeated. I will always remember the innocent night turn into a nightmare come true.