Ruby by Heather Burnside (carter reed txt) 📗

Trina asked him to drop her further up the road. She knew she wouldn’t get much custom in her usual spot at this time in the evening so she wanted to stand nearer the centre of the red-light district where it was a bit busier. The other girls wouldn’t like it, but she’d just have to take her chances.

Trina hadn’t been there long when a hard-looking, petite blonde got out of a car and approached her. ‘You here again?’ she asked. ‘I thought I’d fuckin’ told you to hop it the other night.’

Trina scrutinised the girl who was so thin and frail looking that a gust of wind could easily have carried her away. There was no way she was going to let a skinny cow like this one intimidate her. Besides, she had to be where it was busy; she needed the money.

‘And I told you to stick it,’ she said. ‘I’ve just as much fuckin’ right to stand here as you have!’

‘Oh, have you?’ said the blonde. ‘We’ll soon fuckin’ see about that!’

Trina ignored her and for a few minutes they competed for custom. Trina won the battle and she smiled smugly at the girl as her client sped away with her sitting in the passenger seat of his car. As Trina got down to business, she shrugged off the girl’s threat.

It wasn’t until she returned to the spot and the customer had driven away that the girl returned. But this time she wasn’t alone. Trina gulped as she sized up the girl’s friends. There were three of them and they were all substantially bigger than the blonde. Not only that, but they were carrying baseball bats. As she looked at the hostile expression on the face of the petite blonde, and saw her friends close in behind her, Trina knew she had a problem.

‘This is her, the cheeky bitch!’ said the blonde, pointing Trina out to a big girl with mousy hair, coarse features and a heavy, aggressive stride.

The big girl looked vaguely recognisable and as she stepped forward Trina guessed that she must have been their leader. Trina barely had a chance to register the appearances of the other girls as the leader sped towards her, yelling abuse and waving her baseball bat.

‘It’s OK, I’ll go, I’ll go,’ yelled Trina, instinctively raising her arms above her head for protection.

But there was no time to escape or to talk her way out of things. Before she knew it, the girls had crowded round her and were beating her with their weapons. Trina felt the stinging blows to her arms, legs and back. Unable to dodge them, she crouched low to protect most of her body from the vicious attack. But she still felt the heavy impact of the baseball bats as each agonising strike sent waves of pain shooting through her.

Trina howled and pleaded with the girls to leave her alone. Her head was face down with her arms covering it and, although she couldn’t see much, she could sense everything. Trina knew there was no point in fighting back; she was no match for four baseball bats, and raising her arms would just leave her more exposed. While the savage beating was taking place, Trina also felt a hand snaking through her pockets. Her heart plummeted as they reached inside her jacket and pulled out her cash.

Although the hiding was over in a couple of minutes, it seemed to last forever. Just as Trina felt she couldn’t take any more she heard the sound of screeching tyres and the girls fled.

She remained crouched on the ground, her arms still trying to protect her head and face, afraid that the assault wasn’t finished. Trina shuddered as she heard footsteps approaching. Then her sore and tender back stiffened as she prepared for another blow. But instead she heard the gruff sound of a man’s voice.

‘You alright, love?’

She looked up to see the imperfect features of a stranger hovering over her. Behind him was a car parked on the edge of the pavement, the lights still on and the driver’s door open. She guessed he was a punter who had been kerb crawling. Feeling vulnerable, Trina got unsteadily to her feet while the man helped to support her.

‘Jesus, they’ve given you a good going over, haven’t they?’ said the man.

Trina shrugged off his attentions, physically removing his hands from under her arms where he had been holding her. Then she straightened herself up.

‘Yeah, but I’m OK.’

‘You don’t look it, love. Come on, let me drive you home.’

But Trina didn’t trust him. People didn’t do you favours for nothing in her world. ‘No, I’m fine. I can get myself home. I don’t live far.’

Trina backed away from the man then turned and walked off, feeling his eyes still on her for several seconds. Then she heard the sound of the man walking away followed by the slamming of a car door. She felt relieved. The unwanted attention from a stranger had put her on edge at a time when she was already feeling so defenceless.

She’d tried her best to remain upright as the man watched her but once she knew he was out of the way she gave in to the intense pain. She could feel it all over her body, even her face which she’d tried so hard to protect, and her nose was pumping blood. As she hobbled away, she became aware of more and more bruised and tender areas on her body. It felt as though each part of her was being hammered like a set of drums reaching a crescendo; the throbbing beat rapid and frenzied.

Trina felt sore, defeated and humiliated. It brought to mind that other time she’d been attacked when only a child, and she subconsciously fingered the scar on her cheek. Feeling the sting of a bruise she fought hard to contain her tears, silently cursing the cruelty of the girls and of those who had marked her once before.

When Trina reached home