Episode 01

Fernando's POV

As I sat at my private bar with my bestfriend Antonio, suddenly I zone out of our conversation and flashback of that fateful night resurface in my head. I'll never forget June 13th 2008, that's the worst day of my life. Even though thirteen years has passed the incident happened, it just keeps getting fresher in my head. Sometimes is hard to forget your past. I wish I had the power, I would have completely erased that day out of my head, but I don't have the power. Getting raped on my 15th birthday is the worst birthday gift I've ever received all my life.

"C'mon Fernando, we're not asking you to kill someone, just for you to have fun" the voice of Miguel one of my friends in highschool echoes in my head said as we were playing basketball on that fateful day.

"Fernando is a puppet, he's too chicken out" Alverez another of my friend deadpans. The echoes of their voices dragged me down to memory lane and that's exactly where I'll take you to.

Alverez threw the ball to Antonio my bestfriend and he caught it. "You guys should let him be, he has the right to make a choice" Antonio argued with them and threw the ball to me.

"Exactly, I don't know why they're forcing me into this" I replied and threw the ball to the basketball net and it entered.

"Hey guys" a voice yelled behind us and our heads snaps up to the direction it came from. It was no other than the richest guy in my school named Raphael Gonzalez who always shows off just because his dad is one of the richest politicians in Mexico.

I wonder what he was doing here with his automatic five students bodyguard which he made for himself. I really don't understand why some students get freaked out with rich kids, I guess is because of the little presents he gets for them.

"Happy birthday, Fernando!" he exclaimed and I furrowed my brows at him. Did Raphael just said 'happy birthday' to me? This is quite unbelievable, what has changed for him to acknowledge my date of birth? Is unlike him, I know for sure this guy hates me from day 1 that I got into this highschool, so why the change?

"I see you're surprise. Well, I'm inviting you to a party tonight at a private club in town with the name Luciano so you could have fun and celebrate your fifteenth birthday. See you there!" he smirked and turnaround to leave with his little guards.

I was dumbfounded, Raphael was inviting me to a private party hosted by him on my fifteenth birthday? That's really weird.

"Wow!! Someone got a big birthday surprise!" Alverez exclaimed excitedly.

"That's amazing! We'll all be having crazy fun tonight!" Miguel exclaimed.

"That's new with Raphael" Antonio said staring at me weirdly.

"So new! This ain't going to end well, so I'm not going to anywhere" I replied and went to pickup the ball.

"What do you mean you're not going? Are you kidding or what?" Miguel asked.

"He's definitely kidding" Alverez answered.

"I'm serious, I'm not going to anywhere, I'll just celebrate my birthday at home with my mom" I replied.

"What?!!" Miguel and Alverez exclaimed and I shrugged.

"You guys heard him" Antonio responded on my behalf. Antonio is my best friend and he's always in agreement with whatever I say as far is something that is not going to hurt anyone.

"Shut the fuck up, Antonio, no one asked for your opinion" Alverez shunned my best friend.

"You're taking this too serious Alverez, just forget the party thing and let's continue with the game" I said to them and threw the ball at Miguel for him to catch but he let it fall to the ground. "What's up dude, pick it up" I half-yelled and he frowns at me.

"So, just this once you can't grant us the wish to be among Raphael wealthy friends? I should have known you're not a good friend all this while. Alverez let's go" Miguel said and turned to leave, so also Alverez.

"What's up with them?" I whispered to Antonio.

"I don't know, I guess they just want to belong even if is just for a day" Antonio replied with a shrug.

"They can go to the party if they want to but I can't go with them" I said and went to pickup the basketball.

"They can't go without you, you were the one that was invited and not them, if they should go they'll not be accepted in" he explained to me and I felt weak instantly and shut my eyes closed.

"Are you saying we should accept the invitation because of them?" I asked staring at my friend.

"It's your decision to make not mine" he replied and I sigh heavily.

"This sucks! I'll call them and tell them we're going to the party" I said unhappily and brought out my phone and called them.

Later in the evening, at around 8pm we were standing in front of a Luciano private club and we were accessed by the bouncers before we were let in. Immediately we got inside Raphael saw us and he walked up to us all alone without his little bodyguards.

"You came! Estupendo! Come with me" he said grinning widely and he led us to the VIP bar. There we saw other of his friends and his bodyguards smoking and drinking like they were above eighteen. Seeing them this way made me want to turn my back and leave.

"Have a sit" Raphael instructed and my friends took a sit while I stood there contemplating of sitting with them. "Fernando, sit down and drink with us. Remember today you're meant to have fun, so let the fun begin" he continued and everyone laughed except Antonio and I.

I slowly went down to sit beside Antonio but then I heard....

"Come sit over here with us, today is a special day for you so I have to treat you special" Raphael said and I stared at him suspiciously. Something seems awkward with his kindness, but I don't know how to make it come plain, so I walked over across the table and sat in their middle.

There was different alcoholic beverages on the table for them to drink. "C'mon take any drink of your choice" Raphael said and he kissed a girl that was sitting beside him.

"No, I'm fine. I don't drink alcohol, I'm still underage" I replied nervously and they all burst into laughter. I'm beginning to feel pissed over this game of theirs.

"Don't worry, I know what is best for you and your best friend because I can see your two other friends are already having fun" he said and I gazed up to see Miguel and Alverez both making out with some ladies.

He ordered one of his boys to go get a drink for us and I wondered what kind of drinks he was bringing. A few minutes later he was back and he handed me a red disposable cup filled with orange colored drink and then he gave the second to my best friend. I smelled it and it wasn't having alcohol smell so I took a sip of it, it tasted really sweet like some juice. I gazed up to my friend and he raised a brow at me and I nod and told him to go ahead and drink that it was just a normal drink.

"Do you like it?" Raphael asked beside me and I nodded. "I knew you'd like it" he smirked and continued his make-out session with his girlfriend I guess, the girls look like someone in our school but I can't really tell since I hardly glance twice at the girls in my school.

I took another large sip of the drink and I held the cup in my hands. Suddenly my eyelids started closing but I shook my head and opened it. I took the remaining content of drink in my cup and placed the empty cup on the table. I tried to gaze directly at my friend but my eyes was so dizzy that I couldn't see clearly if he was there or not.

Voices were beginning to become distinct for me and I couldn't understand why. I felt some arms carried me to somewhere. Then I was laid down on the bed I guess and then I heard some feminine voices sounding like giggles, or they were either singing or quarreling, I can't really tell. I groaned softly and try to stay awake to hear the conversation but my eyelids keep getting shut off.

"How could you be so mean and heartless? Fernando is innocent, you can't take away his pride and also take mine. Please, let him go" I heard a faint voice and I tried to force my eyes open to see who these girls are but I think not this time because my eyelids got shut closed again. The last thing I felt was hands touching my body. I was too weak to say a word nor move my body and I knew that was my call to blackout.

Waking up the next morning I noticed I was in an unusual room that wasn't mine. Surprisingly I was all alone in the room covered with a duvet, when I looked down my lower part, my boxers were gone and my shirt as well, I was stacked naked. It then dawned on me I've been defiled. I screamed and cried like a little child for hours in the room before I stood up and found my clothes on the floor. My pride has been taken away from me forcefully.

I was so pained knowing there's no way I'll ever know who exactly did it.I wanted to report and file a complaint against Raphael and his gang but I remembered he was a rich kid and his parents could easily buy those in authority or they might even eliminate me to silent the whole sexual assault. So I let it go and leave karma to do the revenge.

I was upset over the girl or girls that would have comply to Raphael's plan and that made me grew hatred on the female gender. From that day onward I vowed not to ever love any woman except my mom.

I'm still hurting, and the nightmares still comes and goes sometimes.

To be continued......

Thanks for reading episode 01 of A Diamond Heart! More interesting episodes are coming your way! Please don't go anywhere.