"You've done it now bitch," Bree said. "You fuckin' attacked a cheerleader and thought that nothing would happen. You walk around free, while our friend sits in jail. Who the fuck do you think you are?" Bree snarled at Aggie.
Pris elbowed Bree, and Bree's mouth dropped open. "What the fuck are you wearing? Did you turn into a fucking crack ho?"
Aggie was about to use her newfound confidence, and go off on the two women standing in front of her. Before she could say anything, Bree shoved Aggie hard. Aggie was already unsteady on her feet from the alcohol and lopsided from wearing one shoe. She stumbled backward and was almost able to catch herself, then her foot slipped off the edge of the curb. She went down hard, her head hitting the blacktop.
When she didn't get up right away, one of the girls squatted down over her. "She's breathing and has a pulse, probably just knocked herself out." the student nurse told her teammates.
"Get the car," Bree told Pris. Once Pris pulled up her car, they loaded Aggie into the car and drove away.
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Aggie came to her senses in a dark windowless room. She was completely naked and tied to the bed she was lying on. She had no idea where she was or what was going on. Her memories were pretty foggy, her vision blurred, and it was a struggle to think. She remembered leaving the party and encountering someone in the parking lot. She lay there and struggled against the ropes holding her down. She had no idea how long she had been awake when the door opened.
"She's awake," yelled a girl, Aggie didn't recognize.
"Finally!" came a voice all too familiar to Aggie. Bree, Pris, and several other girls entered the room. "It's time we had it out once and for all bitch. I am going to kick your ass up one side of this room and down the other."
Aggie spat toward Bree. "Fuck you, cunt. I'm naked, tied down and you've got a bunch of your friends to back you up. Some fair fight that'll be. You must be a skanky chickenshit whore to need all of them to help you beat up one naked person that's tied to a bed. How fucking scared are you?"
Bree snapped her fingers, and Pris stepped forward and pulled out a knife. She waved it in front of Aggie's eyes, trying to scare Aggie. Slowly she lowered the knife, and sliced the ropes holding Aggie down. Aggie sat feeling disoriented dizzy, and fatigued. She eased herself up on the bed, stretching her limbs, trying to clear her head and steady herself. She knew that Bree was stronger, taller, and outweighed her.
Aggie doubted that she had a chance of winning. As long as the fight was fair, Aggie was confident that she could inflict serious damage on Bree. She hoped she could at least break that, oh so feminine, celestial nose Bree loved. Aggie giggled when she remembered Bree getting the nose job.
Aggie stood up as the other cheerleaders spread out around the room, forming a circle. Pris made a gesture and two of the girls moved the bed out of the way.
"This has been far too long in coming," Aggie said, getting into something like a fighting stance her body barely supporting her.
Aggie charged forward and rammed her head into Bree's midriff. It was firmer than Aggie expected but a surprised gasp of pain burst out of Bree's mouth as she fell onto her ass. Aggie pushed her advantage and kicked Bree, forgetting she wasn't wearing shoes. The sudden sharp pain in her foot, sent a wave of nausea through her. Her dizziness lack of balance overwhelmed her and she collapsed into darkness.
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This time when Aggie woke up, she was in a different room. This one had sunlight, and she wasn't tied to the bed, but she did feel some resistance to her movements. She started to take a mental inventory of all the aches and pains, surprised they were few and not too bad.
Her right leg was in a cast, as was her left arm. Her left ankle was bandaged, and she had several bandages covering other parts of her body. There were a lot of tubes and wires connecting her to various machines.
"Oh thank God!" Christina shouted, making Aggie wince, "you're awake." Christina stood up and walked over to the bed. You've been in a coma for almost a week. A nurse found you outside the ER naked, and unconscious. "What the hell happened?" Christina asked her friend and lover, with anger and concern in her voice.
"That's what we want to know," said the police lieutenant who’d helped Aggie after her arrest, walking into the room. "This is the first sexual assault on this campus ever," she said. “I plan to find whoever did this and make sure they never have the opportunity to hurt anyone again.”
"Well then, I have good news," Aggie whimpered, as she started to cough.
Christina filled a cup with water and held it to Aggie's lips. Aggie took several sips getting her lips and tongue moist. "This wasn't a sexual assault, I reunited with some old FrIeNdS."
"Then tell me what the hell happened," the cop said, pulling out her notebook.
Aggie winced. "Are you asking as a cop or a sister?" Aggie asked her.
"Sister first and always," she said to Aggie sitting down on the bed. "We were never introduced. I'm Rikki Nagan. Nice to meet you, Aggie."
"You too Rikki. To make a long story short, some mean girls from high school transferred here..." she went on to tell Rikki about the fight. "... next thing I remembered was waking up here.
Rikki nodded her head. "That explains the concussion, broken foot and sprained ankles. The rest of your injuries must be from your falls, and when they dumped you outside the hospital. They did plan and execute an almost perfect crime. There was no foreign DNA found on you and they dropped you in an area not covered by security cameras. We only have your word, that's not enough for us to do anything but ask questions and I'm sure they'll have an alibi."
The door to the room opened and Kate walked in with Hannah and Tiffi. "Hey, Aggie, how you feelin'?" Kate asked as she tweaked one of Aggie's toes that was sticking out of the cast.
"Tired, sore, and hungry," Aggie told her.
After filling in the newcomers on what had happened to Aggie, tears poured from Tiffi's eyes. Those fucking bitches. I'm going to murder them in their sleep," she said outraged.
"A free piece of legal advice. Don't go around announcing your intention to murder someone. That would make you the primary suspect if anything happened. If you do get charged, it'll be for premeditated murder, a capital crime in this state," Rikki told the other girls.
Tiffi told everyone, "This is my fault. When I got home after my initiation, the squad was having a meeting. They were discussing how to raise money for my lawyer. They thought I was sitting in jail and you walked out free. They may have blamed you for my sudden prolonged disappearance."
"Wait! What? You're in...?"
"Well let me put it this way, is Erin always such a bitch?"
"Don't make me laugh, it hurts," Aggie said, laughing with everyone else.
"So what now?" Tiffi asked the group. "I mean we can't let them get away with this, right?"
"Without more, I can question Bree, Pris, and the rest of them. But...," she shrugged her shoulders. "I'll continue to investigate, but unless one of the Bimbos rats, there won't be an arrest," Rikki told them, standing up. "I have to get back to the station. Get better soon Aggie," she said, leaving the room.
“Alright, ladies, gather round. I already ran it by the headmistress, she took it to the small council, and they agreed. Now we can begin preparations for operation meltdown. Tiffi, you know what you need to do. The rest of you here's the plan. . ."
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The next day, Aggie was struggling with her women's studies essay. Pushing her books away from her, she sighed in frustration. "Could I get extra credit for the women I've studied," she asked herself aloud as she tried to focus on her school work.
As she reached for her books, the door to her room opened and a strange man in a well-tailored suit was standing there. Before she could even think to ask who he was, Beatrice walked in. Aggie smiled in delight at seeing the old woman she admired.
"Oh my dear, my dear. How are you feeling?" she asked Aggie.
"Honestly, tired of being asked that damned question by everyone who walks in this room," Aggie answered.
"Good for you, my dear!" Beatrice said smiling in delight. Refreshing honesty. An admirable trait." Beatrice smiled at Aggie.
"I'm sorry, that was a bit bitchy," Aggie said. "I'm ready to get out of here, but I need to be on bed rest, and since I live alone..."
"That simply will not do," Beatrice responded angrily. "Mr. Pierce, please go locate Ms. Allbuts doctor and have him come here at once."
The man at the door nodded and walked off. Without another word, Beatrice pulled out her iPhone and made a call.
"Hello, Chancellor Wormer? This is Beatrice. I am in the campus hospital and I've met the most interesting young lady, Agatha Allbut. Are you aware of her situation?"
Aggie could hear an indistinct male voice. After a few seconds Beatrice interrupted him, "Yes yes yes, we all have excuses why we can't do things. Now I'm going to tell you what will happen. I will take Aggie to live in my home, where she will rest and recuperate. I will also handle any further medical needs. You will ensure that any materials she needs to stay current are available to her. If her grades drop because she is not provided what she needs, you will answer to me and the board of trustees."
Before he could respond Beatrice hung up and put her phone away. "I don't know what to say," Aggie told the older woman.
"I was dead set against hiring that man. After what happened at Faber College. I never understood how any responsible institute of higher learning could trust him to manage except an outhouse?"
