Page 112 of Fang Fiction

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to admit it to myself,” Tess said quietly.

“What does that mean?” Joni put down her fry and looked at Tess.

“Every time I thought about it, I would panic. So I just—tried not to think about it. Except being at school, I couldn’t not think about it. So the only thing that made sense was not to be at school.”

“Tess.” Joni leaned forward, her expression intense. “What happened?”

“Rick raped me.” The words fell out of Tess’s mouth, jagged and impossible, a word she hated to hear or read, let alone speak out loud—let alone apply to herself.

“What?!” Joni’s whole body went tense. “When?”

“At his party,” Tess said. “On Valentine’s Day.”

“But.” Joni was shaking her head. “I thought you liked him. I thought you went there to…”

“I did,” Tess nodded. “That’s what didn’t make sense to me. Why would he put something in my drink when I already wanted to sleep with him?”

“He drugged you?” Joni’s face was dark. “Tess, that’s like—I mean, that’s really fucking serious.”

“I know.” Tess was crying now, and she felt so stupid—that she’d let this happen at all, that she’d waited so long to tell Joni, that after all these years, even saying Rick’s name still flipped a fucking switch that turned her from a confident woman into a blubbering mess.

“Can I sit with you?” Joni asked. “Is that okay?”

Tess nodded, and Joni moved to the same side of the booth so she could put her arms around her.

“Come here,” Joni said, and it felt so easy just to be with her best friend, the person who had never let her down a single time, no matter how hard Tess tried to run away.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” Tess sniffled. “I just—it was ruining my life every time I saw him, and I felt so stupid, because like, I wanted it, you know? I didn’t understand why I was reacting like I was.”

“And you thought I wouldn’t understand either?” Joni asked.

“No, that’s not it.” Tess wiped her eyes. “But you guys were friends, and you were writing that article, it was such a big deal for you—I didn’t want to ruin that! Especially not if I was wrong, you know?”

“Wrong?” Joni looked puzzled. “How could you be wrong?”

“I was really confused about all of it. He was such a nice guy—you said so, everyone said so. And it was hard for me to remember what really happened, so, I don’t know. I thought maybe I got it wrong.”

Joni looked at Tess, her expression ferocious.

“Hey, I believe you, okay? You’re my best friend, and I am always gonna believe you, especially over some fucking guy who totally took more credit than he deserved for that article, by the way. He’s an asshole, and a monster, and—” Joni stopped mid-sentence and covered her mouth. “Oh my god, Tess. He was at my party.”

Tess nodded. “He talked to me, touched my arm. Like none of it even mattered.”

“Now we need to get our vampires back so they can fucking murder him,” Joni fumed. “Tess, I’m so sorry, I never would have invited him—”

“You didn’t know.” Tess shook her head. “I never told you.”

“You stopped sleeping, right? Before you moved out?” Joni asked. “I used to hear you up all night. Is that why you went to work for the hotel? Because it’s a night job?”

Tess nodded. “It’s not like I hate it—it’s a good job. I like my friends there. It’s an okay life, you know?”

“Just not the life you wanted.”

Joni’s words hung heavily between them.

“I shouldn’t have left without telling you why,” Tess said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, hey, you were going through something awful—”