Hope's Chance

by Jennifer Foor

  “About a year. She said I just wasn’t her type anymore. Whatever that shit means. If you ask me I think she may be batting on the wrong team, if ya know what I mean.” He laughed.

  “Yeah, I get it.”

  “Now her friend Rylee is a great piece of ass. She isn’t as pretty, but damn that girl knows how to work it. We hooked up a couple times. I’d definitely hit that again.” He noted.

  “Man did Hope find out?” I asked wondering if that broke up their relationship.

  “Hell no! She would never talk to Rylee. Nah we hooked up on nights where Hope had to study. A few times I drove her home and she gave me head. That was just mediocre though.” He said all nonchalantly.

  I really hated this dick. He needed to have the shit beat out of him. I didn’t know what Hope even saw in him. He was such an asshole.

  I tried to avoid looking her way, but as the night progressed and the girls got out of the pool to eat, I found myself looking her way more often. It was friendly and nobody seemed to even notice it was happening. She would be caught up in a conversation and glance at me for just a second. When our eyes met we would turn away, but it let us know we were thinking about being together.

  After dinner Buffy made she and Hope more drinks. I could tell she was starting to relax more, because she was looking my way quite often. I knew it was time for me to get out of site before her father discovered the real person she desired at this party.

  I waved goodbye while walking to the pool house and closed the door behind me. It was hard being inside when I knew Hope was out there with that creep. I tried to watch television, but couldn’t stop muting it to hear what was happening outside. When I noticed it had gotten quiet I looked out the door. Everything had been turned off and I could see people standing in the kitchen. As I looked further I noticed that I couldn’t spot Hope.

  Just being curious, I walked outside and lit up another cigarette. I kept hearing this sound, but I had no idea what it was. I sat on the picnic table and leaned back just relaxing. I figured Hope had gone up to bed and would text me when she was ready.

  I put out my cigarette and went to hide it in the flower pot. As I turned around I heard the noise again. It was coming from the main house, but outside of it. It almost sounded like an injured cat crying. I turned the corner and tried to focus into the darkness and spotted three figures.

  They also spotted me. I don’t know what made me do it, but I started running toward them. All of the sudden two of them ran away and left one to fall to the ground. Once I got about five feet away I knew who the figure was.

  It was Hope. She lay there on the ground with a ripped shirt and a busted lip. I ran to her side.

  “Hope are you okay?” I don’t know why I said that because it was clear that she was anything but okay.

  She was shaking profusely and seemed almost incoherent. I picked her up and started carrying her toward the kitchen door. I heard the voices out front and the sounds of car doors, but I ignored it and kept walking toward the house. Buffy was in the kitchen cleaning up and ran to get the door for me.

  “Oh my God Chance, what happened?”

  “I went outside for a smoke and heard this noise coming from the side of the house. When I ran over there they had her pushed up against the house. They left her there and ran away. I am going to fucking kill those little bastards.”

  “Chance calm down. Get her sitting down and get me the first aid kit. Where is Mark? You need to go find Mark.” Buffy stated.

  Like a mad man I ran around from bathroom to bathroom until I found the kit, then I opened the front door to look for Mark. He was waving as a car pulled out of the driveway.

  “Mark you need to come in here. There is something wrong with Hope.”

  He followed me into the kitchen and couldn’t believe his own eyes. His daughter who had just been fine was now beaten, shaking and bleeding.

  “What the Hell happened?” He ordered an explanation.

  “I found them doing stuff to her beside the house. They ran away when I approached them.” I explained quickly.

  Mark looked confused. “You found who?”

  “Seriously? It was Mike and Trevor. Who else would it be?” I asked.

  I was getting more pissed by the minute. Take care of your daughter.

  “I just saw them. They were acting fine. There is no way they would do something to Hope. They have known her since they were children. Now tell me what really happened Chance, or I will be forced to call the police.”

  Buffy interrupted. “Mark he wouldn’t lie.”

  “Really Buffy I am getting really tired of you taking up for him. You know what he is capable of. He probably heard all of the good things happening to those boys and got jealous.” He turned to Hope. “Hope honey did Chance do this to you?”

  “No!” She said.

  “Who did this to you sweetie?” He asked.

  “Chance saved me daddy. He always does.” She said before breaking down and sobbing in Buffy’s arms.

  “This is impossible. Hope tell me what happened.” Mark demanded.

  In between cries she held her bruised face up and started telling us how she was hanging up the wet towels when Mike came up and grabbed her from behind, pulling her to the side of the house. She said he held his hand over her mouth so that nobody would hear. Then she said that Trevor was there. He pulled down her shirt, ripping it, so that he could grope his dirty hands over her breasts and then he reached between her legs and started fondling her. She said that when they heard me coming they ran away.

  Mark was frozen, and I was waiting for an apology. “I wouldn’t lie to you Mark. It was those two little assholes. You need to call the police.” I said while handing him a phone.

  “I don’t want to get the police involved. There is too much at stake here.” He admitted.

  Buffy kept shaking her head, her eyes were also filled with tears.

  “You were going to call the police on me, but you won’t call on them?” I asked. I was pissed. I looked over at Hope who was still in Buffy’s arms. “I will check on you later. I need to get the Hell out of here.” I said as I looked to Mark and then headed out the door.

  I wanted him to feel like shit. That was his daughter and he was choosing money over her. He was as low as they were.

  Chapter 31

  Hope

  Buffy stayed the night in my room with me. She held me tight just like my mother would have. I never had a sister, but she was just as close. I didn’t care what she was to my father, I would always just think of her as my big sister.

  My father came in the room several times to try and talk to Buffy, but she refused to speak to him. After time he stopped bothering us and we were able to go to sleep.

  I heard my phone vibrating and Buffy got up and handed it to me. I already knew it was from Chance.

  Are you okay baby?

  Still shaken up. Buffy is sleeping with me tonight.

  Tell her not to leave your side.

  She won’t.

  I wanted to hurt them Hope. I still want to hurt them.

  I do too. I love you Chance. Thank you for saving me again.

  I love you too Hope. I will always save you. See you in the morning.

  I put my phone back down and nestled myself back under the covers.

  “Did you tell him you were okay?” Buffy whispered.

  “Yeah, he knows you are with me.”

  “I’m not going anywhere Hope. I have been attacked by guys before. I know how scary it is.” She admitted.

  The next morning Buffy waited for me to get myself cleaned up before she even went to brush her own teeth. My lips was still swollen but I wasn’t as bruised as I had first assumed. My face had a red mark over my eye, but that was it. I had one small bruise on my abdomen, and two giant bruises resembling hand marks on each of my arms.

  Buffy insisted on taking pictures of each mark so that if my father came around we could give the documentation to the police. When I
finally dressed into something comfortable, I waited downstairs for Buffy to get changed. Once she found me in the kitchen she started making me something to eat. I sat up at the breakfast bar leaning on my fist.

  “So have you seen Dad?” I asked her while she was buttering my toast.

  “Nope, looks like he left for work already.” She said as matter of fact.

  I played with some sugar that had spilled onto the countertop, making funny shapes with my finger. “Thank you again Buff.”

  “Hope, I love you. I want what is best for you. I will always be here for you no matter what happens with me and your father.” She explained.

  I loved her too in a sisterly way. “I love you like you are my real sister.” I blurted out.

  Buffy turned around with a big smile on her face. I noticed her glancing toward the door so I turned to see what she was looking at. Chance was walking into the kitchen with a bunch of flowers in his hand. They were carnations and they weren’t picked from someone’s garden.

  “Good morning ladies. Hope, these are for you.” He said as he leaned over and kissed my forehead.

  Before he could stop me, I pulled him in for a hug. His arms wrapped around me and I felt completely safe. I appreciated what Buffy was doing, but Chance always saved me, even from myself sometimes. I couldn’t get what Trevor did out of my head, but suddenly, with Chances arms tight around me, I felt protected.

  “I love you.” I whispered in his ear.

  He leaned down and kissed my nose. “Me too.”

  Chance got himself some coffee and sat next to me to eat his breakfast. Buffy said she wasn’t hungry and I knew it was because her and my father were having problems because of me. I appreciated that she took my side, but I felt bad for her for being in the middle.

  I wondered if she would have been on my side had Chance and I not been involved. Would she have just thought I was some spoiled brat kid, trying to get my daddy’s attention?

  Just as we finished eating we heard the door shutting. My father walked into the kitchen. He never even acknowledged me, but instead asked Buffy to come into his office. I felt hurt, but as they left the room Chance put his hand on my leg. “You okay?” He whispered.

  “As long as you are here I am fine.”

  We sat there smiling at each other, until we heard the loud hollering coming from the office. Chance and I both got up and walked closer to the hallway so that we could hear what they were saying.

  “I won’t let you do that Mark. Do you have any idea what he has been through? You owe him an apology. I can’t believe it was so easy for you to jump to conclusions about him. Was it so much easier for you to accuse my brother than those little assholes?” Buffy slammed.

  “This business deal could determine our future. I can’t let some misunderstanding affect that. Hope is going to be fine. She is a strong girl and she never has to see those boys again. I don’t see why we can’t just let it go.” My father announced.

  “Let it go? Are you fucking kidding me? Your daughter was sexually assaulted last night and you want to let it go?” Buffy yelled.

  “I would hardly say she was sexually assaulted Buff…”

  Buffy interrupted him. “If it weren’t for my brother she would have been raped. They exposed her and fondled her. What is your fucking idea of sexual assault because obviously we have different views?”

  “I refuse to argue about this shit with you Buffy. Go find your brother. I need to speak with him.” My father ordered.

  We ran back into the kitchen until we saw Buffy emerging. She had tears in her eyes and I could tell she was not a happy camper. “Chance Mark wants to see you.”

  I led her to sit down while I sat next to her.

  The men’s meeting wasn’t loud like he and Buffy’s. After about twenty minutes Chance came walking into the kitchen. He didn’t say a word as he walked past us and headed outside.

  Buffy got up and immediately went running after him. It killed me that I couldn’t be outside with them, but I didn’t want to get into trouble.

  My father came walking into the kitchen and I turned to face him. “Hope, I am very sorry about last night. I wasn’t aware of what Chance did for you. I didn’t realize he would do something so noble. As far as what happened last night, I can only ask for you to try to let it go. I have too much at stake to ruin this deal and I realize that is hard for you to understand. It is what has to be done.”

  My eyes filled with tears. I hated him.

  I got up and ran outside toward the pool house. He wasn’t going to keep me from checking on Chance. I didn’t care if I lived out of my car.

  When I got closer to the pool house I could hear them yelling.

  “I don’t have a choice Buffy.” Chance said.

  “You could have said no. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to her?” Buffy asked.

  “Of course I do, don’t you think this is killing me? I don’t know what else to do. I am kind of stuck. I have no other options.” He exclaimed.

  My heart started beating faster. I knew something was wrong. I rushed into the pool house and stood there waiting for an explanation.

  “Maybe I should leave you two alone.” Buffy suggested.

  I shook my head. “No please stay.” I said.

  Chance pulled me over and sat me down on the chair. “Hope.” He said and then started to get choked up. “I have to leave.”

  This couldn’t be happening.

  Chance

  That son of a bitch didn’t believe me last night and then when he saw me protecting his daughter he couldn’t take it. He must have made some calls last night or early this morning because I was on the next flight to South Carolina to work on the construction of a hotel. He didn’t give me an option. He said it was an opportunity I needed to take and that he had done a lot to get me the position. I did not thank him. I wanted to hurt him. He was such a fucking coward.

  Now I had to leave Hope when she needed me the most. It broke my heart and it killed me more that I had to be the one to tell her. She was never going to understand.

  “What do you mean you have to leave? Where are you going? When will you be home?” She asked.

  My eyes filled with tears and I didn’t want to feel like a pussy, but this was hard. “Your father got me a job working on a construction site in South Carolina. It lasts for a few months and then he said I can come back.”

  “No! No way! This can’t be happening. Why would you agree to it? Please Chance, you can’t just leave me here.” Hope was clinging to my arms, her words were hard to make out because she was crying so badly.

  “Hope, I don’t have a choice. I haven’t had much time to think about this, but I think he wants me to be out of the picture until this deal is finalized.” I explained.

  “Does either of you see how convoluted this is?” Hope screamed.

  I tried to grab her, but she pulled away. “Hope please just listen to me.” She wouldn’t look at me. Instead she buried her face into her hands. “Nothing between us has to change baby. We can talk every day and I will find a way to come home on the weekends.”

  Buffy put her hands on Hope’s shoulders and started rubbing her back. “In the meantime I can keep talking to your dad. We will get Chance home as fast as we can.” She said.

  “No! This can’t be happening. He saved me. He saved me last night and this is what happens? I don’t understand.” Hope cried.

  I knelt down in front of her. “Hope look at me.”

  She finally looked up past her tear filled eyes. “There is nothing you can say to make this better Chance. My father has done nothing but hurt me and now he is taking the person that I love the most away from me.”

  “I know baby. Please just calm down. I know that things seem horrible right now, but we are still going to see each other. I will call you every day. The months will fly by and then I will be home.” I explained.

  My heart was breaking even more seeing her reaction to all of this. I wanted to
walk in that house and punch that bastard in his face. His daughter needed support, but instead he was torturing her, and he didn’t even realize how much.

  “I am going to head into the house. Hope, don’t be too long okay.” Buffy said as she walked outside.

  The shades were down in the pool house windows, so that Hope’s father couldn’t see in if he were outside. “Hope I love you. I promise you that we are going to get through this. I promise you baby.”

  She fell into my arms and I let her cry. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks, but I held her tight and tried to think positive, even though I knew we had just hit yet another hurdle.

  Chapter 32

  Hope

  When Chance told me he had to leave I felt like my whole world was crashing down on me. Buffy and I drove him to the airport and we both cried as he boarded his plane. He called us once he had made it there safely and later that night before he went to sleep.

  I refused to speak to my father, even at meals when he sat at the same table with us. Buffy finally gave in and started talking to him after holding out for a week. He seemed remorseful, but my heart was shattered.

  Chance called me at least twice a day. He called me to wake me up in the mornings and then to tell me goodnight. Although, sometimes our nighttime talks would last for hours. One good thing about him being away was that we got to talk a lot more than around the house. We didn’t really have to hide. Since I spent most of my time in my room, my father never even knew.

  Buffy called Chance every few days, always making it a habit to bring it up at dinner time when my father was around. She talked about how much he hated it, and wished he could be here where his only family was.

  Obviously, the news of Chances being homesick did not faze him in the least. He played golf with Mr. Greg Thomas at least once a week. They shot the shit at least once every morning, and I even heard him mentioning Trevor and Michael in a positive conversation.

  Chances boss was not as lenient with him leaving to visit us on the weekends. After three weeks he still hadn’t been home at all. I missed him terribly.