|
"Hey Angela!" a voice boomed from behind her. "How come you didn't
call me back?"
"I told you that I wanted nothing to do with you," she answered as she was walking away. "But I said I was sorry," he said as he caught up to her, grabbing her arm. "Ouch! Let go of me you jerk!" she screamed as she broke free of his grasp. "I never want to see your lousy face again!" As she stormed off, memories flooded her mind. She thought back to when she first met James. He was of average height, with dark wavy hair and blue eyes. He was a good-looking man, with a bright smile and a gentle expression. Angela was a beautiful girl as well. She had long blond hair and green eyes. She was attending the local community college and James was looking to enroll. He was new to town and she felt an instant connection with him. They had started out as friends, hanging out at the mall with other students from class. Their friendship quickly grew and everyone thought they were the perfect couple. Angela had even brought James home to meet her parents and he quickly charmed his way into their hearts. As the relationship grew stronger, plans were made to spend their lives together. Angela always insisted that they finish college first, and James agreed. When Angela became pregnant however, James seemed to change overnight. He started pressuring her to drop out of school, saying that the stress of her classes wasn't good for the baby. He became verbally and emotionally abusive and she was worried that he would become physically violent against her. When she ended the relationship, James became apologetic and kept trying to win her back. He called her constantly, came over to talk to her parents and followed her and her friends around town. When she arrived home, her mother could tell that something happened. "Did James meet you after school again?" her mother asked. "Yeah," Angela replied as she got a drink and sat down at the kitchen table. "I didn't see him at first. He wanted to know why I didn't call him. I was talking to Megan today and she said that I should get a restraining order against him." "That sounds like a good idea Angie," her mother replied as she sat down opposite of her. "We'll go downtown Monday morning before your classes and start the paperwork." "Thanks mom," Angela replied. "I don't know what I would do without you." "So Angie, do you have any plans on what you are doing tonight?" her mother asked. "Remember, your father and I are going out to celebrate our anniversary." "Oh, I have a ton of homework to do, so I'll probably just order a pizza or something," she replied as her mother got up from the table. "Ok, your father will be home soon, so I'm going to start getting ready. I love you Angela," her mother said before she walked upstairs. Angela started to take her books out of her bag when her father walked in. After receiving a kiss on the forehead and exchanging hellos, her father went upstairs to get ready to go out. After her parents had left, Angela walked around the house and checked to make sure that the house was secure. She then called the local pizza shop and ordered her dinner and returned to the kitchen table to work on her report. "Wow, time sure does fly when you're busy," she thought to herself when the doorbell rang. Grabbing the money for her dinner from her purse in front of her on the table, she walked to the front door expecting to see the pizza delivery boy on the porch. "Angela, I really need to talk to you," James said as he pushed his way into the house. "We really need to work this out. I'm miserable without you." "James, I've told you more times than needed that I don't want to work it out," she answered. "Please leave me alone. I just don't love you anymore." "Well Angela," James answered menacingly. "That's a problem. The thing is, I still love you. And I can't live knowing that I can't have you when someone else does." With that, he grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth. She struggled to free herself as he took her into the bathroom. While still covering her mouth to muffle the screams of panic, he slammed her head onto the tile surrounding the shower stall. When he saw that she was knocked unconscious, he removed her clothing, piled it neat to look as though she was getting ready to take a bath, and filled the bath with warm water and bubbles. He then placed her into the tub and watched as she went under the water. As he was leaving, he made sure to leave the house in perfect condition, even making sure to lock the door behind him as he left. "Angela, we're home," her mother called out when they arrived home from their evening out. "Have you finished your report?" Hearing no answer, she thought to herself, "She must have fallen asleep at the table, poor dear." When she walked into the bathroom, she learned of her daughter's fate. That night, they had lost their only daughter and their unborn grandchild to a vicious attacker who would never pay for his crimes. |