Pulling out of the parking lot of her therapist’s office, Keisha made the drive home. It was a chilly day in late October, and it was the day she had been dreading every year for the past four years, Halloween. Exactly four years later since she was a stupid naïve college girl that trusted the man who would later hold her captive, torture, and rape her.

Suddenly, her phone rang and she knew it was going to be the second courtesy call she was going to get that day. Her mother had already called her earlier before her counseling session, so she knew who the second person was…Julie.

“Hey, Julie…” Keisha said with a slight annoyed tone. “You can stop calling every year, I’m fine.” she said as she knew Julie was going to ask.

“Keisha, you know I don’t mean any harm…I’m just worried about you.”

“I know, you and my mom mean well, but it’s getting annoying. It’s been four years…I’m okay.” she said as she pulled into her garage and turned the car off.

“Okay…I won’t call you anymore…unless you count inviting you to my party an annoyance.” Julie joked and Keisha laughed and rolled her eyes.

“No, I wouldn’t call that an annoyance. And, yes, I’m still coming to your party.”

“Great! What are you going to be?” Julie asked with a gleeful tone.

“I don’t know…I was thinking of just putting something together last minute. What about you?” Keisha said thinking about how much she don’t think about her costume these days. Before it happened, she would plan her costume months in advanced. Now, she just doesn’t care.

“Well, Greg wanted us to be a hotdog and bun pair and I told him no. I mean, do I look like I would wear a bun costume? I’m the hot girlfriend!”

“That’s what you get for falling in love with a nerd. So, what are you two going to be?”

“Okay, you know that whole Legend of the Seeker thing? Well, he’s going as the Seeker and I’m going as a Confessor. It’s like a hot elf chick kind of thing.”

“Wow…at least it’s a hot costume.” Keisha said as she played with the dangling car freshener. It was definitely time for a new one, but she liked the look of it.

“I know, right? So what about that gorgeous, hot friend of yours? Is he coming to my party?” Julie asked and Keisha could just see her lick her lips. Though, Keisha had to admit that her long time childhood friend, Will, and now roommate was very attractive, she was just too fucked up to even start a relationship with him. Besides, he had just ended his with his girlfriend, Amanda, months ago after he hurt his knee in football. Luckily, he was very smart and finished with a degree in computer science to fall back on.

“Yeah, he’s coming to your party and stop calling him hot. It’s weird…we used to take baths together when we were like four.”

“Hell, I’d love take a bath with him now. That is, if I didn’t have a boyfriend already, of course. But, come on, he’s a smart jock. That’s a rarity!”

“I know, but…we’re just friends and it would make things weird. Now, are you done playing matchmaker so I can go inside?”

“Yes, but you and I still have some talking to do. I’ll see you later on tonight. Bye.”

“Bye.” Keisha said as she hung up and got out of her car. She walked in and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water before walking into the living room. She saw Will sitting on the couch watching ESPN as she plopped down next to him.

“Hey.” he said not take his eyes off the screen until it went to commercial.

“Hey. What sports highlight were you watching?”

“College football…” he said with a sad look on his face.

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself, Will. It’s not your fault you hurt your knee.”

“Ah, don’t worry about me. How are you holding up?” he said as he stared straight at her as the highlights returned. She, sarcastically, thought it was great that her tragedy could tear him away from his beloved football highlights.

“Not you too…” she groaned. “Just like I told my mom, my therapist, and Julie. I am fine. It has been four years…why won’t you people let me move on?”

“Because we care about you and it’s not like you got drunk at a party and slept with some random guy. You were tortured. That shit is hard to get over. So, stop being so damn stubborn and let us care about you.” he said as he playfully nudged her.

“Fine…” she said as she rolled her eyes. “By the way, Julie was wondering if you were still coming to her party, tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m still going if you’re going.”

“I’m going…I just don’t know what I’m going to wear. I haven’t really thought of a costume this year. What about you? What are you going to be?”

“I don’t know…I was thinking of putting something together last minute.”

“That’s the same thing I said to her. I couldn’t find a non-sexy costume. At least, nothing that would hide my ugly scar on my thigh.” she said feeling the scar itch as she thought about the hand rake Tyler used to drag up her thigh.

“Would you stop? Your scar is not ugly. I think it’s cool, and you have to think of scars the way guys do. It’s like a badge of honor or something. Besides, it’s a hell of a lot better than Amanda’s nipple scars from her tit implants.”

“First of all…eww. Never mention Amanda’s nipple scars again. Second of all, I hate my scars. They just bring up memories of the pain…” she said as she traced a finger over the scar in the middle of her palm from when Tyler drove the spike through her hand. Will grabbed her hand and looked at her scar before she ripped her hand away and tucked her hand behind her back. He didn’t do anything but sighed and looked at her with an apologetic face.

“I know, but you’re not going to ‘get over it’ if you don’t accept it. I’m not telling you to move on and pretend like nothing happened, but you have to realize that we won’t let you move on because you’re not moving on. You know what I mean…”

“No, I don’t and I don’t want to get into this right now…I just spent a grueling session with my therapist and I just don’t want anymore analysis of me. Please…”

“Okay, okay…We won’t talk about it anymore. Hey, you wanna watch a movie?”

“Yeah…you pick it.” Keisha said as she leaned back and propped her feet up on the coffee table. “Nothing stupid and cliché like a horror movie, though…”

“Okay, what about Nightmare Before Christmas?” Will asked and Keisha looked at him as if he was weird. “Don’t laugh…I love that movie.”

“Okay…” she said with a laugh. “I’m not judging you. I just have to know if you sleep with a teddy bear as well. I’m just playing with you.”

“Yeah, I know…and, no, I don’t sleep with a teddy bear. It’s a stuffed football…” he said as he threw a pillow at her as she laughed. He popped the DVD in and the movie started.

Keisha sat there thinking about the past four years and how far she had come in getting over her trauma. She wasn’t fully there, but she was a lot farther than she was a few years ago. Slowly, she was healing, but she knew everyone was right. It was going to take a lot more time.