The Variations by Jones M (iphone ebook reader TXT) 📕

Marie did not expect to feel anything from what she was seeing, but she was surprised when she became angry.

"Hey, look at those two getting it on!" someone yelled. A couple of cat whistles sounded in the room. Chris and Helen abruptly ended the kiss, panting as they stared at each other.

Kate believed she had seen enough. The evening had been too much for her, and so she turned to leave the party.

"I knew you'd take all my honey. You selfish motherf*****," Kate's laptop speakers sounded in her room.

She sighed as she shifted on the bed to get comfortable. However, it did not help with her state.

After arriving from the party hours ago, she had taken a long shower. It was there that she let out all the emotions she had been bottling. She cried for a long time until she was able to calm down. Then she went to her bed and covered herself with the duvets before turning to her laptop. Gwen had been absent, leaving a note about a tutoring session, and she was glad to have time to herself.

The events of the night were still fresh in her mind. Kate was tense, especially after the memory of what had happened in the bathroom. She wanted to forget it all, but the darkness in the room filled her with a paranoia that the guy who had touched her would appear and continue what he started.

Kate felt her eyes brim up with tears. She did not want to focus on the events of the bathroom, especially after she had spotted Chris with Helen. She could not understand why it bothered her after what she had been through. Could it be that she was angry because Chris was enjoying himself when a guy was forcing himself on her?

Kate shook her head, knowing that her thoughts were not okay. Chris had nothing to do with her current state. He had no idea of what would transpire in the bathroom.

'He had even offered to escort you there,' her mind reminded her, and she wanted to smack herself for not taking up his offer. Maybe she wouldn't be affected too much to go to sleep.

She directed her eyes back to her laptop's screen, noticing that the clock read four in the morning. The music video playing on her screen was not helping her. She had thought that watching stuff on YouTube would help her direct her thoughts away from the events of the night, but it was not working. 

It continued on for an hour. Kate's eyelids were soon droopy as she listened to a user react to savage text replies. She thought she was going to fall asleep, but then furious knocking sounded at the door. They didn't stop, and she groaned as she rose from her bed.

A headache made its presence known as she slowly moved to the door. She soon opened it, revealing a disheveled yet fuming Chris. His hair looked messy, and his bloodshot eyes showed his sleep deprivation.

"What the--"

"Where the hell have you been?" he interrupted her with a glare. "Do you know how worried I was about you?"

"Chris, not so loud. What--"

"You didn't tell me you were leaving," he stated. "Why didn't you tell me you came to your dorm? The least you could have done was send me a freaking text!"

"Chris--"

"I have been worried sick, looking for you at that party, wondering if something had happened to you."

Kate looked stricken for a moment once she remembered what had almost occurred hours ago. She forced the memory away, allowing guilt to overcome her.

"Look. I'm sorry," she told him, ushering him into her dorm. "I know I should have told you that something came up. I didn't mean to do it on purpose."

Chris' features relaxed a bit, but not enough to cool down his anger.

"Thank goodness. I thought you had been raped," he said, and that had Marie tense in shock.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well," Chris sighed, "a commotion started after you went to the bathroom. Apparently, there was this guy who was at the party just to look for girls he could take advantage of."

"What?" Kate exclaimed.

"He waited for some poor girl and went after her in the bathroom."

Kate felt her stomach sink.

"The girl was screaming, and by the time someone went into the bathroom, they found her topless with the guy groping her breasts."

"That is awful!" Marie commented. Her feet wobbled, and that had her turning to head to the couch.

"I know," Chris said, heading toward the couch and sitting next to her. "The girl had been crying, and I believe it is a good thing that someone had heard her and saved her before it got too far."

"Oh, thank God," Kate said with a sigh. "Did the police come?"

"Yes. They arrested him, and because of that, the party ended early."

"...Oh."

"But then, some people said there was another victim."

Kate did not want to hear about it. She thought she had escaped having to explain her ordeal with the attacker, but it looked like she had not.

"The guy had tried to do it with another person. He had followed her into the bathroom and trapped her in there. Somehow, the girl got lucky and escaped him."

"That blonde guy had the nerve," Kate revealed.

"I know. At the time, people thought it was a fight between a couple, but it was entirely a different thing."

Kate sighed in relief. Thank goodness the people at the party were not too drunk to notice what was happening around them.

"Well, that's good to know," she said.

"Kate?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you know the guy is a blonde?" Chris asked, and that had her tongue-tied for a moment.

She chose to blame her exhaustion for letting that slip.

"I assumed," she answered after a while.

"You took your time to answer that," Chris pointed out as he looked at her. Kate looked down at her thighs before turning to face him. He looked confused as he stared at her. She hoped he wouldn't realize what she knew, but then a shift of emotions on his face told her otherwise.

"Kate..." Chris trailed off. "Was it--"

"I don't want to talk about it," she cut him off, looking anywhere but at him.

"Kate," Chris' tone turned deep and angry. She did not want to deal with it.

"Chris, let it go."

"How can I let it go?" he shouted, and that had Marie turn to face him. "That guy almost... I should just go to the police station and beat that person to a pulp!"

"Chris, let it go!" Kate shouted at him. "Nothing happened."

"But that's the thing. Something could have happened to you!" he yelled. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kate turned furious all of a sudden.

"How could I have told you when I saw you sharing spit with Helen?" she exploded, and Chris flinched in shock. "That... that bastard forced himself on me! I was shocked it had happened. I couldn't bring myself to focus..." Kate shook her head as tears clouded her vision. "A part of me feels ashamed like it was my fault. I couldn't continue staying there, so that's why I left. How could you have wanted me to tell you about that?"

"But you should have, Kate!" Chris fired back.

"But that's the thing, Chris," she said. "I was afraid you would have looked at me in a different way."

A sudden silence took hold in the room. Tears blurred Marie's vision, but she was determined not to cry. She blinked them away, but unfortunately, one escaped and trailed down her cheek.

"Kate..." Chris spoke in a gentle voice, and that had more tears running down her face. He didn't waste time in embracing her, making sure he rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Kate whispered on Chris' shoulder, but he knew she was not fine.

"It's okay, Kate. It's over," he said. "I wouldn't think of you differently. And it isn't your fault. You have nothing to be ashamed about. It's all on that guy who had the nerve to try to rape you."

Kate flinched at the word, urging Chris to wrap his arms tighter around her. She felt safe in his hold. The heat coming off his body brought a sense of comfort and peace to her. It made Kate realize something fluttering in her heart.

His hands unexpectedly went to her back, and she flinched.

"It's okay," he said. "I'm taking you to bed."

She relaxed again in his hold. Chris hoisted her as he moved to the bedroom. He moved her laptop away and lay her on the bed.

He was just about to leave when Kate said, "Please, stay."

Chris stood still for a moment, undecided. He soon moved to sit on her bed.

Kate scooted over to give him space. He turned to face her, moving his hand over her head.

"It's okay, Kate," he said. letting his hand trail down her cheek before he started caressing it. "No one will hurt you. I'm here, and I'll keep you safe."

Chris continued the same motion of his hand for minutes. Kate's eyes closed at the soothing feel of his fingers on hers. Coupled with the exhaustion from the events of the night, sleep took over her form.

When she woke up hours later, she didn't spot Chris in her dorm. But he had left a note telling her to call him if she woke up. She did, and they were able to carry out his promise for movies and a mini-pizza party.

Chris continued to be present around Kate for the days that followed. He was there for her, helping her keep her mind off the incident at the party. It worked, and after some time, she believed she was not affected by it anymore. 

"How about this one?" Marie asked Chris, loading a preview render of an African gourd she had modeled on her laptop. 

They were at the university, and the day's class was one that the professor designated to the students for their projects as he marked their assignments. They had dispersed in the large room, and Kate and Chris had already situated themselves at the back of the class.  

"It's okay," he answered with a furrow of his eyebrows. "How about adding a little more lighting and increasing the samples for it?"

Lighting referred to how the 3D objects would appear in an environment to match with its colors, while the samples added to the clarity of the objects. It also reduced the noise people would get if they rendered with low settings.

"Chris, I don't think anyone would