Hey, hey! I've been a little stuck on Ace Merrill from Stand By Me. I watched Speak and I had to write this... Forgive me for how bad this might be, and how confusing this chapter might get! I hope I explained well enough the situation. ^^' - Scitah

"Jenny! Terry is here to pick you up!" My mother hollered softly up the stairs to me. "Coming!" I called back, then turned back to my vanity and sighed.

Terry was taking me to the last dance of the school year. We were Juniors. My dress was pretty, even though my mother picked it out and her sense of fashion is a bit strange. But what could be expected from a working woman from the East Coast's Big Cities?

I was raised here in Oregon, where my dad is from. He's one straight laced man and my mother, although just as strict and serious business, is totally and utterly in love with him.

I spritzed on a little more of my mother's best perfume, nodded happily to myself and put on my best smile. Walking carefully down the stairs, I heard my father asking poor Terry about his intentions and time frames.

"Daddy? Leave Terry alone." I giggled, drawing every one's attention towards me.

They all gaped and got real quiet, but I didn't take it too well and began to panic, "What? Do I look bad? Is my hair alright?"

Terry instantly was by my side, gripping my hands in his own with a sweet smile, "Don't you fret, Jenny. You'll always be beautiful!"

With a blush, I smiled and pecked the side of his mouth, "Thank you, Terry. You're too sweet to me."

And he took me to the dance, where we gathered with my friends and his friends, we danced.

Last summer, my parents were happy and together, constantly confessing their love for one another.

"I love your father, sweet heart." My mother told me as I was getting ready.

"But he makes you angry all the time... You two could not be any more different, Mother." I told her.

She sighed and sat next to me on my bed, "Jenny. Your father and I are very different, and if we were other people, we probably would not like one another, this is true... But Theodore and I..." she smiled thoughtfully, "We just click!" Her smiled turned to me and at that moment, I could only hope to find a man who would love me forever without ever giving up on me...

If I was lucky, Terry would be that man. He was an absolute sweetheart to me. He was gentle, soft, caring. I couldn't ask for more from any man!

"One day, Jenny... You will understand fully what your father and I have. It's special, unique, and un-dieing." And like a sucker, I believed her.

Last summer, I was engaged at 17 to the Line Backman of the school football team.

Terry took me outside, sat me on top of his Chevy that his folks got him for winning last year. "You know, Jenny, I feel more for you than I ever had before."

I could not help but blink, confused, but humbled, at him, "What do you mean, Terry?"

He slid off the hood and ducked into his car, leaving me to glance around.

Ace Merrill and his lackluster friends were boozing further into the parking lot, making noise that I could barely hear. Ace, himself, looked over before tilting his head back to chug at his beer.

When Terry's car door shut, I jumped a little and looked over at Terry curiously, but he wasn't visible, so I crawled over and saw him kneeling down on one knee, a box neatly in his hands, offering it to me.

My heart raced terribly, "What are you doing on the ground, Terry?" I asked, almost afraid to take the box.

He smiled at me, "Take the box, Jenny, and open it." so I did and I almost fainted, my own hand cupping my face. "My God, Terry! It's beautiful!" I heard myself gasp out.

What was in the box? A golden diamond engagement ring, that is what!

Terry plucked the box from my hands and pulled the ring out, then looked up at me with his puppy dog brown eyes that always made my heart melt. "Jennifer Annabelle Torino? Will you give me the honor of being my wife?" and he slipped it onto my ring finger of my left hand.

My throat dried up and my eyes watered, heart frantic in my chest, stomach in excited knots. "Yes! I will be your wife, Terry!"

Last summer, I was raped.

We should have gone back in...

The sound of glass breaking a few feet away broke us apart and we looked over at the Cobras. "Get lost, Ace." Terry growled, holding me tight against him.

Ace chuckled, his eyes hazy, "Now, now, Terrance... Don't get snippy with me. Y'see, my boys here don't like it when people like you take that kind of tone with me."

"Terry? Let's get out of here!" I pleaded, which caused more frightening chuckles from Ace.

"Y'should listen to your girl, Terrance... She's actually quite smart, but what she doesn't know, is that neither of you are leaving this parking lot any time soon, or maybe at all... I haven't decided which yet..." He was teasing and tormenting us, I knew. But, Terry was on the foot ball team and would have none of this.

"You can go and fuck off, for all I's care, Ace! You and your monkeys!" Terry spat. No really, he spat at Ace's shoes.

Ace gave a slow and rather pissed off smirk to Terry, "You! Are gonna regret that, Terrance."

I hadn't noticed the bats, broken bottles, and various other objects they had beaten Terry with until I was held back by Ace himself.

"Terry! My God! HELP! Somebody, help us!" I cried out until Ace smacked me to the ground.

"I won't have my fun ruined by some damned busybody! Shut up and this'll be quick." he demanded, dragging me to my feet, then to his car where he cut off my undergarments and raped me.

Yes. Ace Merrill raped me, Jennifer Torino.

When he was finished with me, he pulled me out of the back seat, "I don't want no virgin blood all over my seats, Jenny, dear."

I was sobbing uncontrollably, in pain, and scared out of my mind. His mouth had tasted like beer, really cheep and bad beer, and a lot of it.

His group walked over, laughing at me as I stood there, unsure of what to do with myself, even as they got into Ace's and some one else's cars and drove away.