“It’s okay. No one would know what to do. We just need you to start at the beginning and tell us what happened.”
The shudder that ran through her body was the only indication that she was even considering my request.
“I stayed late after practice. We have a meet coming up and I wanted to make sure everything was ready. Ana couldn’t stay because she had a date, so she asked me. It’s not difficult. I was heading out when the… the guy stepped out and blocked the hall. I didn’t think anything of it really. I didn’t think he would…” She trailed off, a vacant look passing over her eyes as the fear slipped that little bit deeper.
“It was school. I wouldn’t have thought it either,” I encouraged.
“He started flirting with me. It was really weird and made me uncomfortable, so I tried to politely excuse myself. When I tried to walk past him, he grabbed my arm and pushed me really hard against the wall. He started saying all this really pervy shit that kinda scared me, so I pushed him and tried to run. He… he grabbed my ponytail and his…” A sob broke from her throat, and her head shook from side to side as though she’d reached her limit. “His hand went between my legs, grabbing at the skin there, and I was about to scream when the door to the gym opened. He jumped back and I ran. I just ran and ran and the next thing I remember is Drew calling my name. I was so scared, Ayda. If that person hadn’t come into the gym…”
She broke down then, and I let her. I released a breath and looked up at Drew. This was bad, really fucking bad, but knowing it could have been worse terrified me.
Drew’s eyes were closed again, and his strong jaw was ticking as he tried to stay clear-minded. “Sloane,” he said as he peeled his eyes open again.
“Yeah?” she sobbed.
“Don’t lie to us, sweetheart,” he whispered tenderly.
Sloane blinked in confusion, her sniff of emotion beingthe only sound she made.
“That isn’t the last thing you remember, is it?” He paused, giving her chance to answer before he went on, but Sloane stayed quiet. “Everything you’ve just told us happened indoors, and that doesn’t explain the state you’re in.”
Sloane opened her mouth to say something, quickly closing it again as her trembling grew harsher.
“Your story doesn’t explain the dirt on your knees. The clothes that are ruined. The…” Drew dragged in a deep breath, filling his chest and letting the rest go unsaid as he exhaled.
Sloane curled in on herself, her fists pushing into her eyes as she started to rock. She was inconsolable. I hadn’t even thought to ask her to go on, but Drew had known. He’d seen what she wasn’t saying and leaned just a little bit harder to get that truth from her. I hated that Sloane was hurting. I loathed whoever had done this to her, but more than anything, I was terrified about what else she was hiding from us.
Rubbing her back in soothing circles, I tried to compose myself before dipping back in. Sitting back on my feet, I picked up the washcloth and started cleaning the open wounds on her knees. When she looked up again with red-rimmed eyes, I uncapped the water and pushed the bottle into her hands before continuing to clean the dirt from the bloody flesh.
“He followed me out,” she finally said. Bringing the bottle to her lips, she started to drink, and the first touch to her tongue was like a trigger. She drank half the bottle before she stopped, her breath heaving as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I was running here, taking the shortcut under the bleachers so I could hit the field that took me out to the highway. I was trying to get through one of the crosssections, and my laces got tangled in one of the big screw things. I hit the dirt. I twisted and tried to untangle myself, but he was right there, his face inches from mine as he pushed my legs…” Sloane swallowed deeply and shook her head.
I knew not a second of this would be considered easy for her, but I was proud of her for talking. Even to an audience of two. “It’s okay.”
“He held me down, his hand slipping between us, and I could feel him grabbing and pinching… you know… there. It was like he was having more fun when I was scared. I tried to get away but his fingers got inside my underwear, and he kept saying ugly, ugly things, and that’s when I screamed. I screamed as long and loud as I could, but he put his hand over my mouth, and that’s when everything became real twisted. I fought him. I fought so hard and twisted under his grip, my arms and legs kicking with everything I had. I kept thinking the worst he can do is hit me. As long as I keep moving, he can’t do anything. I have to fight. I have to fight. I have to fight.”
I pushed up on my knees as she went on like a broken record, and I held her to me. Rage was now a ball in the center of my gut, the flame blue and white-hot. “It’s okay, just breathe, honey.”
Glancing up at Drew, I knew what the next question had to be, even though I was sure it would earn someone the beating of a lifetime.
“Sloane, who did this?”
“I don’t know him.”
“Sloane…”
“I really don’t. He must have been a senior or something. I don’t know him.”
“Would you know him if you saw him again?” I asked, leaning back so I could see her face.
“I’m not going to go looking for him. For all I know he could have been there fixing the plumbing. I’ve never seen him before.”
She was lying. I knew that by the way her eyes darted away from mine and stayed in the corner of the room. There was a wince of pain on her face as though it went against her better judgment to keep quiet, but her chin came up in resolve, and I knew we’d gotten as much from her as we were going to get. I glanced up at Drew, wondering if he had another stroke of genius to get her to open up again.
“Sloane,” he began cautiously, leaning closer. “I’ve seen a lot of bad things in my life. I’ve lived a lot of them, too. I may not know what you’re feeling right now, but I know the thoughts going through your head. Who will get hurt if I talk? What will my loved ones think? Will I be seen differently? Can I just forget it happened and go back to how things were yesterday? Believe me, I know the answers, too. Who will get hurt if you talk? Only the person who hurt you. What will your loved ones think? Absolutely nothing but relief that you’re okay and that you’re not letting evil assholes get away with evil acts. Will you be seen differently? Yes. As strong. As defiant. As someone who refuses to let this shit happen. Can you just forget it happened and go back to how things were yesterday?” He let out a weighty exhale and shook his head. “No, darlin’. No. Nothing can ever go back. I ain’t gonna lie to you and let you pretend it can. You’ve been treated with disrespect. Now it’s about how we can heal you moving forward. But trust me, if you keep this hidden… if you keep this tucked away like a poisonous secret that only you know, that only you remember, that only you think about… itwilldestroy you. Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow. But it will happen… and, sweetheart, you’ll wish you’d talked.”
I glanced up at Drew and watched him as we waited. He wasn’t a man of many words. In fact, he wasn’t a man who let people in very often. I’d always thought it would be hard to love someone who kept so many walls in place, but the longer I was with him, the more I realized that those walls weren’t just to keep people out. Once you were allowed to climb them, they kept you inside, too. They kept you close enough to see the parts he was striving to hide from his enemies, but those walls were starting to expand, and all four of the Sutton family were now included in the safety of those walls. All I could think as I looked at him was: I love you. It was on repeat over and over again, even when I looked back to the girl leaning on me for strength.
“Sloane?” I nudged gently.
