It was Spring of 1989 and Amber had just graduated from high school. She was all beauty and brains and had a bright future ahead of her. Amber lived with her mother and step-father in a small, country town in North Carolina, where most graduates either worked in local manufacturing plants or went away for college and never returned. As the valedictorian, Amber had colleges offering her full academic scholarships. However, her only dilemma was choosing which one she wanted to attend. Amber was excited about her new journey, as she had dreams of becoming an attorney. A dream that her parents didn't quite share. They needed her to stay and get a job to help pay the bills, but Amber had other plans. She couldn't wait to leave town and start a new life. In the fall, Amber left to get her pre-law degree just a few hours away in the city of Charlotte. Amber was a virgin and had never been away from home. She was in for the college experience of her life!
The Wrong Crowd...
In the beginning, Amber didn't enjoy her newfound freedom. She was a little homesick because she didn't know anyone and living in a big city was quite intimidating. As months passed, she started meeting new friends and starting hanging out with her roommate. One day, she was introduced to a young man named Nick, a handsome jock who played on the college football team. He liked Amber and she was quite smitten with him. However, she was a little shy, as she had never been with a boy before other than making out at the movies. The two dated for several weeks and he introduced her to his friends. They were a wild crew of thirsty college girls and some of his football teammates who spent most of their time partying and drinking. Amber wanted to fit in so she started drinking too.
One day she got drunk and passed out at a frat party. Nick took her back to her dorm where they had sex. When she woke up the next day, she was half-naked and her sheets were smeared with dried blood. Hung over, Amber managed to get up and take a shower. She had a feeling Nick had done something to her. However, she was too embarrassed to ask or to tell anyone about what happened. After several weeks, Amber stopped seeing Nick because she could no longer trust him. And her grades were starting to slip. She went from making the Dean's list to being on academic probation. She was just a freshman and her college life had taken a turn for the worst.
Death Upon Her...
After a couple of weeks, Amber starting isolating herself to her room. She was trying to focus on bringing her grades back up. After going to classes all day, she was so tired she just went to sleep. One day on her way to class, she passed out and was taken to the hospital. It's was then that she found out that she was pregnant. Surprised by the findings, Amber frantically tried to come up with a plan. She didn't want to lose her scholarship, and she couldn't figure out how she could go to law school with a baby. Her options were limited. However, she had heard about a place on the shady side of town that does illegal abortions for a nominal fee. Amber had a few dollars saved up so she decided to go through with it alone. On the day of her appointment, she was so terrified. The building looked creepy and the office was hidden on a basement floor. A dark-haired woman escorted her to the back and gave her a solution to drink. The cold, sterile table felt like ice to her back. With her feet strapped in stirrups, they extracted the still-born fetus. The pain was intense, nothing like she'd ever felt before. All of a sudden she started to hemorrhage. During the procedure, an artery was punctured and they couldn't get the bleeding to stop. This wasn't the first time this had happened and the clinic didn't want to get in trouble. They did something unthinkable to cover up their mistake. Instead of taking Amber to the hospital, they took her into another room and let her bleed to death.
As she lay there in a pool of blood, her life flashed before her eyes. Amber was alone and for the first time had come to terms with what was happening to her. First, she was raped and now she was dying. She thought about her dreams of becoming an attorney and how much she wanted to live to see another day. In that moment, she garnered the strength to get up and found a phone to call 9-1-1. The ambulance came and took her to the hospital where she had to undergo surgery to repair the damage that caused her to bleed out. The woman who ran the illegal clinic was arrested. Amber recovered from her near-death experience and developed into a beautiful young woman. She was no longer that naive, country little girl. In fact, she was stronger. Despite all that she endured, she finished her undergraduate degree and went on to law school. Amber passed the bar and became a successful lawyer. Wanting to make a difference, she later returned to her hometown to open her own law firm and to take care of her family. Amber is proof that, just like a butterfly, your life can go through changes...But something positive can come out of it!
Again, I was gripped in suspense! How Does such a Short Story move you even fool u thinking one ending then SUDDENLY, there's a different ending! I Love it!! I would read anything written w ReDDVoice's name stamped on it bc I Love her style of writing.. Just the right amount of detail to 'see' the characters, feel what the characters are feeling & thinking w/o killing the plot.. Awesome writing!!!
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