Guilty As Sin

“You deserved to lose, you son of a bitch.” Marion hissed at Damien as he stumbled through the circle of suddenly silent people. He noticed a bead of sweat running down her cheek, but failed to care enough to crack a joke.

It was that hot out. Even the folks that weren’t involved in the fight were exhausted from another day with triple digit heat. Dancing around on super-heated asphalt didn’t help matters, but no one wanted to miss out on watching the devil be beaten. Of course, this time he hadn’t lost.

“I deserve a lot, but getting beaten up by a guy named Brady isn’t one of them.” Damien pushed his sweat-soaked hair out of his face and looked at the girl. They had been good friends just a week before.

“Go to hell, Damien.” She turned her back on him and stomped back to the circle. Marion wasn’t the first to walk away, and he doubted she would be the last.

“Ditto.” He sighed and walked into the trees at the edge of the parking lot. No one tried to follow him.

The school parking lot was a bit of a cliché for meeting up to fight, but it worked well enough during the summer. There was no security to speak of, and everyone knew how to get there. Plus, it was a rather central location for his extracurricular activities.

This was his third fight this week.

His phone pinged, but Damien ignored it as he put one foot in front of the other, heading to the edge of town. There wasn’t really anything anyone was saying to him online that he cared to hear.

Without a conscious decision he knew where he was heading. There was one place in the world that was more special to him than any other, and it was his most frequented haunt since the party that destroyed his social standing. It would take a couple hours to get there, but it was worth it.

He pulled a cigarette from the nearly crushed pack in his pocket, and smiled to find that all the fragile little sticks were still intact. Luck had finally looked out for him, even if it was something as trivial as not having his cigarettes broken.

Just as the sun went down Damien settled on a small hill overlooking the entirety of the massive suburban sprawl that was the town of Stockton. Just a little suburb of San Antonio, Texas, it seemed peaceful from above.

Seemed peaceful. In truth, it was anything but.

Damien enjoyed going to parties. What fifteen year old didn’t? He was still waiting for his driver’s license, but enough of his friends had theirs that he could find a ride anywhere he wanted. At least he could a week before.

Now, no one would be caught dead driving him anywhere.

He sat and stared at the town from the overlook, glancing back halfheartedly when the sound of a car driving up the road caught his attention. Nothing to do with him, hardly anyone ever came up here, and when they did it was usually some kids just trying to escape their lives for a bit. That was a feeling he knew all too well.

He lit another cigarette and pondered how he was going to fix his life. It was all the more frustrating because, for once, it hadn’t been him that caused the problem.

“Damien?”

He jumped to his feet, dropping his cigarette and getting his hands up. Then he saw who it was and cursed as he grabbed his cigarette off the gravel.

“What in the hell are you doin’ here?” He glanced around, looking for whoever could be with the girl.

“I...I was hoping to find you here.” She looked at the ground between them, not wanting to meet his eyes.

“Yeah? You haven’t done enough to me that I can’t even get an hour of peace before you start coming after me again? I guess I should be pleased that you came yourself instead of sending someone.” He could hear the bitterness in his words, but didn’t care.

“Please? Can you talk to me?”

“Ashley, I think the world has said everything we need to say to each other. What in the hell am I supposed to say to you?” He turned back to look out over the town, doing his level best to pretend she didn’t exist.

“Damien! Please, just let me explain.”

“What the hell is there to explain.” He spit off the overlook, trying to keep his eyes on its descent off the drop. He lost it after about twenty feet.

“I didn’t say all those things everyone is talking about.”

“Well, by all means let these assholes know that, because I’m about tired of beating up people that were my friends last week.”

“I’ve tried, but everyone tells me I’m lying. They tell me I don’t have to hide it or be ashamed of it...It doesn’t matter what they say, they just ignore me and pretend I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

He opened his mouth, wanting to snap back at the girl. The problem was, he had known Ashley since they were children. He knew she wasn’t the kind to lie about what happened between them.

“So...What’d you tell everyone that they started acc...accusing me of... FUCK!” He couldn’t even say it.

“Damien,” her voice was soft, as were the fingers she laid on his arm. “I never told anyone you raped me.”

He swore again and flicked his cigarette off the overlook. “Well they all seem completely convinced. So how the hell did that happen?”

“My dad...He found out about what happened.” Her voice caught, and Damien looked sideways at her. “Do you know how bad it feels to be screamed at and called a whore by your own dad? I spent hours just crying in my room, trying to avoid him and my mom both.”

“Was your mom mad, too?”

“Yeah...She had me when she was sixteen, ya know. She acted like I was immediately pregnant and my life was ruined because I got caught having sex. My dad wouldn’t look at me all night.” Ashley scoffed, pushing her jet black hair out of her face.

“We used a condom, what more could they ask?”

“For us not to have sex.” Ashley laughed, but it was short-lived. The severity of their conversation wasn’t something to laugh about. “Ya know, the cops came to my house.”

“Yeah, mine too.” Damien said. “Apparently your dad tried to charge me with rape. I got to spend four hours in an interrogation room because I had sex with a girl I’d had a crush on for years.”

Ashley looked down, “Trust me, I wanted to do it just as much as you did. I just didn’t wanna get caught by half our friends. And then my dad...He just said he refused to believe that I would do something like that to him...” She choked a sob before it could bring her to tears, but a part of it still escaped.

Damien nodded and turned toward her. Without hesitation she folded herself into his arms, the strength of her grip begging him to hold her.

“What’re we gonna do, Damien?” Ashley whispered against his chest.

“Hell if I know. I’m just playing this one fight at a time. The whole world thinks I’m a rapist, and apparently it doesn’t matter if the girl I supposedly raped had agreed to be my girlfriend just an hour before. Or that you’re literally telling everyone they’re wrong. I’ll spend the rest of my life having people believe that I raped you because your dad decided to be a dick.”

“It wasn’t just him,” Ashley responded, rushing to her father’s defense. “It was Abby’s fault, too. She’s sooo mad about all of this.”

Damien pushed back from her, “Why the hell is Abby mad? What’s in it for her to talk bad about me and make you look like a victim?”

Ashley laughed, but there was no joy in it, “You’re so oblivious. Abby’s had a crush on you forever. She’s just pissed that you chose me instead of her.”

“Psh, Abby and I had our moment, it didn’t take. We parted ways supposedly friends.”

“That doesn’t mean that she doesn’t still wanna be with you. I mean hell, she’s been talking so bad to me in private that I’ve been avoiding her. I nearly punched her in the girl’s bathroom at school today.”

Damien laughed, “I can’t imagine you hitting anyone. Hell, have you even been in a fight before?”

“You fight enough for both of us, and probably a few other people, too.”

They grew quiet then, and Ashley gestured over to the bench they had sat on many times together. He followed, although he was nervous to be alone with her after the past week.

“Is there anything we can do?” Ashley asked as she leaned against him and he put his arm around her.

Damien opened his mouth to respond, when the sound of another car pulling up jerked both their heads around. The lights on the car kept them from seeing who it was, but there were countless people who came up to the overlook, not just their friends.

Then the lights on the car turned off, and Ashley whispered a curse.

“What?” Damien asked, trying to figure out whose car it was and failing.

Before Ashley could say a word the passenger side of the car opened and Abby’s voice screamed at them.

“DAMIEN! YOU GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!”

He groaned as Ashley moved out of the circle of his arms.

Abby stomped toward them, kicking gravel everywhere. Ashley was staring at the loudmouthed girl, but Damien noticed the driver side door of the car open up.

“How dare you show up here, Damien!? How fucking dare you, after what you’ve done.” Abby grabbed Ashley’s arm and tried to pull her away, “Darling, you don’t have to see him anymore. I don’t know what he did to you, but you don’t owe him ANYTHING!”

“Go to hell, Abby!” Ashley yanked her arm back. “You know damn well he didn’t do anything, you’re just pissed off that he doesn’t wanna be with you.”

A voice from the car broke their concentration on each other.

“Yeah, that’s why she’s mad, Ashley. Not because this bastard decided he could force himself on you. Why the hell are you stickin’ up for him?”

“Son of a bitch,” Damien huffed. “Even you, man? Dude...”

“What?” Jeff walked forward and only stopped when he would have to step into Damien to come further. “You think the fact that we’ve been friends since grade school means you can get away with raping a girl? I don’t give a shit what our history is, you--”

“You seriously believe that? You’ve known me ten years, how the hell can you think I’d do that? For fuck’s sake, I even texted you saying Ashley said yes when I asked her out. Why the hell would I rape my girlfriend the day we started dating? It’s stupid!” His hands were shaking at the thought that his best friend was standing against him now. All the other fools they knew, maybe. But Jeff?

“I can get not wanting to wait, man. But if a girl tells you ‘no’, then you listen to her.”

“No means no, Damien!?” Abby spat at him, jumping on Jeff’s heels.

“Yes, I know that, but--”

“No buts, dude! That’s all there is to it.” Jeff scoffed, “I can’t believe you’re this big a piece of shit.”

“I never said no, Jeff!” Ashley yelled.

“What?” Jeff turned to look at her, “What do you mean you didn’t say no? Were you just trying to fight him off, or what?”

Abby jumped in before Ashley could continue, “It’s because Damien climbed through her window and raped her. She never got a chance to say no because he held her down.”

“Shut the fuck up, Abby. I’ve never hit anyone, but you’re really pushing it.” Ashley yelled back.

Jeff was staring in disgust at what Abby said, “Are you serious?” It was like Ashley never spoke.

Ashley opened her mouth to respond, but Damien jumped in.

“Ya know what?” Damien took a step closer to his best friend. Or the guy that had been his best friend. “Screw the truth, if you really think I’m that big a bastard we can handle this right now.”

Jeff wasn’t much bigger than Damien, and he scowled at his friend from just inches away.

“You know I can beat you, man.” Jeff whispered, “If you don’t get outta my face I’ll forget all the years of friendship that are saving you from a beating.”

“Forget ‘em.” Damien growled and shoved Jeff in the chest hard enough to make him stumble back.

“See! Look at the violence! He’s crazy!” Abby shouted, but no one paid her any mind as Jeff rushed his friend and tackled him to the ground.

The two rolled in the dirt, trading punches and growling through the heavy thuds of fists against flesh.

Ashley was screaming at them to stop, while Abby was egging Jeff on to ‘Beat the Rapist’.

After less than twenty seconds Jeff found a choke hold and took Damien’s air away. There was nothing the boy could do to escape his friend’s hold, so he did the next best thing: He would hurt him as bad as he could before he passed out.

In rapid succession he elbowed Jeff in the side, slammed his face back into his nose, and dug a thumb between his friend’s ribs. Just as his vision swam with little red dots, Jeff screamed at the thumb separating his ribs and fell off him.

Damien spun and hit his best friend with everything he had. Jeff was so focused on the pain that he never saw the last punch coming, and it knocked him out without a peep.

“YOU BASTARD!” Abby screamed and ran at Damien. He jumped back a step, still dazed from almost passing out, but Ashley jumped in front of the girl. Abby bowled her over, but they both hit the gravel hard.

Damien was there in seconds, pulling Abby off the girl that had been his girlfriend for a whole hour the week before.

“Get off me!” Abby yelled, breathing hard and wrenching herself out of his grip.

He ignored her and leaned down to help Ashley to her feet. She was a little unsteady on her feet and fell against him. She gave him a couple wide blinks before steadying in his hands. He smiled at her and looked toward Abby and Jeff.

His friend was just coming out of the stupor Damien left him in, but was a long way from standing.

The entire overlook was bathed in harsh yellow lights, white gravel reflecting high-powered headlights. Ashley and Damien shielded their eyes, trying to see who else had decided to join the party. Just then an electronic sounding voice erupted from the vehicle.

“DAMIEN CROSS! This is Officer Starns! Step away from the girl and put your hands behind your head!”

Everyone winced at the words, simply because it was overly clear why they were called ‘loud’speakers. Once everyone got their hearing back only one word broke the silence.

“Shit.” Damien put his hands behind his head. It didn’t matter where he ran, someone would find him and make him pay for the things he’d never done.