Secrets in the Attic (Secrets 1)

"He said you had told him I was so sexually sophisticated I could teach him things."

"Exaggeration, exaggeration, exaggeration. In his dreams, maybe. Of course, I made you sound desirable, but he filled in the blanks himself. That's what boys do, Zipporah, fantasize. But you said he tried to rape you."

"He got out of the car, furious. I was going to get out, too, and just run back to the post office, when he opened the door on my side. He was standing there naked from the waist down."

"Really? What happened then?"

"He pulled me out and shoved me into the rear. He was on me before I could resist, and then he practically ripped off the panties."

"And?"

"And then I stopped him."

"How?"

"I told him he would hate himself forever."

"That was enough to stop him'"

"I said a little more and added I was a virgin, and he stopped, got dressed, took me back, and told me to tell you that if you ever call him again, he'll go to the police."

"Like I ever would," she said. "Boys and men are all the same. Selfish, wanting to please themselves at any cost. They're all Harry Pearsons at heart."

"Did you say any of those things about me? Did you tell him I liked him, thought he was the bestlooking boy in school?"

"Of course, I told him you thought he was good- looking. Which he is, but I never made you out to be some tramp. Why do men try to turn every girl they meet into a tramp? When they get married, they hate the thought of anyone thinking that about their wives. I know Harry hated it, but look what he did with me. I'm sorry things didn't work out the way 1 wanted them to work out for you. It was supposed to be a great experience, so we would have more to share. There'll be other opportunities. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried about that. It was a horrible experience. He was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I can't imagine how you were ever with him."

"I had the experience to handle him. He didn't dare try anything like that with me. I had him eating out of my hand, anyway. Let's forget about Dana. Let's not even mention his name."

"I can't just forget about it that easily, Karen. I'm still shaking."

"Yes, I can see that. I'm sorry," she said, and put her arm around me to hold me again. She kissed me on the forehead the way my mother often did. "Maybe I'll think of a way to get even with him."

"No. I don't want to have anything more to do with him," I said quickly. "Besides, we have other, more important things to think about now. We shouldn't have spent all this time and energy on Dana Martin, anyway. It was crazy to try to live normally and be like any other girl our age. We're not," I said, feeling the hysteria creeping into my voice. My episode with Dana made me feel as if my bones had been rattled and were still vibrating through my spine and my ribs. Even my legs were still trembling.

"Yes, yes, you're right. You're always so sensible. We really are like two parts of the same person, me the wild one and you the sensible one. Passion and thought, that's what we are, but without those two, you're not a complete person. What we do is complete each other. That's why we're so close."

"Maybe," I said, "but I think we should lean more toward thought for now."

"Exactly."

We heard the sound of the garage door going up. "My father's back," I said, rising.

"Get yourself together, Zipporah. Calm yourself

. Wash your face with cold water before greeting him," she advised. "You don't want him to know about Dana. It will just make all that worse and blow everything out of proportion."

"Everything is out of proportion," I said, with a little more anger and disgust than I had intended. I lowered my head as I walked to the doorway.

"You want me to leave again? Is that what you're saying? You blame what happened between you and Dana on me, and now you want me to leave? You think I'm getting you deeper and deeper into trouble?'

"No, no, of course not. I'm sorry. I'm still shaken up, but I'll be all right," I said, and left quickly, hurrying down the short stairway to the bathroom, where I did what she said. I washed my face in cold water, fixed my clothes, and brushed my hair. I heard my father calling to me from below.

"I'm in the bathroom," I shouted, after opening the door to stick my head out.

"Okay," he said from the bottom of the stairs. "I'm just checking. Come down when you can," he said. "I need to talk to you."