Juno paused, drawing another breath. Her voice had not steadied. "I asked what he meant about girls like me - and he said girls who did exercise to be all fit and spent time around men all day. I suppose he meant my boss, Mr. Montgomery, who is the man I spend the most time with other than my... husband Marco. I'm also friendly with Father Malahan, one of the few people who talks to me even when I'm not serving him, and Deputy Oliver has always been kind to me as well. He said the only reason he saw for me to do that and dress like that - like I'm dressed today, head to toe the same outfit," She had taken some liberties but it wasn't so different from her gym clothes back at Zenith after all. "was to be called pretty unless I was a...well a rude term for a woman who lays with other women."
"And then, he grabbed my behind." She said, the memory still making her voice tremble even more. "And I told him that he shouldn't do that again without my express permission and changed my path but he followed. And started insinuating I was cheating on my husband, sexually with the other men he said I 'hung around with'. Asked which one it was, called Marco a rude word for a person of slow wits, said maybe I was 'doing' all of them."
Now, again, came the shitty part. Juno tensed up, looking to Cecilia for strength. "He grabbed my arm with force then. When I didn't respond favorably he called me a piece of trash, said if I'd taken the compliment we could've had a nice time, then said he was hoping he didn't have to point out he could hurt my friends real easily. He pushed me against a tree, cupped my jaw real tight, I don't know if there's a mark. Then he bragged about hurting Jack and said that if I wasn't a good girl he'd threaten my other friends too."
Digging her nails into her hands, perfectly conscious that she'd drawn blood, Juno felt tears burning in her eyes but not enough to fall over her cheeks. It was coming back all over again. " And then he said he could do some stuff from behind too that he bet I'd like and grabbed and kissed my neck, laughed...I kept begging him to get away from me, I said it a hundred times, I screamed it in his ears but he didn't let go." Juno finally inhaled again. "That's when Chase Hawthorne showed up. Knocked him from behind. Did some stuff to him I can't in good conscience say I feel sorry for. And former Deputy Simms called me a slur word to do with my race, denied he'd ever want someone like me, like he'd been just playing a harmless prank but I saw him, I felt his hands on me and his...his tongue and his laughter. If Chase hadn't happened by, I don't know that it would've been played out as a prank against the stupid Mexican girl."
Her nostrils flared. "When we were walking away he said this wasn't over - towards Chase, I think, and even managed to insinuate maybe I'd do sexual favors for Chase too now. I don't know what gave him the impression that I do that kind of thing, but it seems like he thought it was a given. Without knowing me."
Wiping sweat off her brow, Juno looked to Cecilia. Her knees felt about to buckle. "That's it, that's what happened."