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“Okay ladies. I’ll let you guys get settled to paint your faces or nails or whatever the fuck you guys do, and I’ll see you guys for the fourth of July. And if you decide to have a pillow fight, don’t forget to take pictures.” Taylor’s mischievous grin makes me chuckle as he starts to head to the door.
“What? You’re not staying for the summer term?” Celeste asks from our kitchen.
“Aww, Cele wants me around,” he says tauntingly.
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever, asshole. I thought we were coming back because you wanted us close. We could have skipped summer term, too.”
“Part of being a Knight, Cele. I’ll be back in a few weeks, I promise. There aren’t a lot of students enrolled this term and Justin will take care of the ones that are, so you’ll be fine.”
I quickly shove Taylor out the door before she can reply. “I’ve got her. Just go before we have another debate about being here all together. Go do whatever it is the high and mighty deem necessary for you to do.”
I don’t mean to sound as bitchy as I do on the last part, but I don’t apologize for it either. I’m still bothered by the fact that no one has gone to check on Micah.So much for the brotherhood.
Two hours later, I’m clearing up the kitchen when Celeste comes to sit at the counter.
“So, I know this might be a strange request, but would it be weird if I asked you if I could sleep in your room tonight?”
I pause my steps to look at her, unsure of what to do. I mean, I’ve had people sleep in my bed without it being sexual, but I’ve never actually had anyone ask before. But when I look in her eyes, I can see a fear that concerns me.
“Sure, Cele. Whatever you want. You wanna tell me why, though?”
Her shoulders sag, and her hair falls forward to shield her face. “It’s just that I can actually sleep when you’re around.”
“All right. Slumber party in my room.” I pause, wondering what to say next, when the words just fall out of my mouth. “Do you want to do another round of asking each other questions?”
Seriously? What the hell am I thinking?
“I don’t know…” she whispers. Her sad brown eyes stare into mine and my heart crushes behind my rib cage. Fuck. I would do anything to never see that look in her eyes.
Regrettably, I can hear my sister pushing me to be the one to open up.You have to tell her, Evie. She needs someone who understands.
“How about this?” I take in a deep breath and blow it out slowly. “How about I tell you a story, and when I’m done, you can decide what you want to share, if you want to tell me anything at all. There’s no pressure, okay?”
She nods, I grab two shot glasses from the cabinet and pour us some whiskey to prepare for what I’m about to do. I know we’re both going to need it.
I down a shot and close my eyes for a moment, gathering my courage. Here goes nothing…
“Once upon a time there was a thirteen-year-old girl who lost her parents in a house fire and was taken to a group foster home with her sister. A few weeks later, a man took her from her bedroom and forced her to touch him.” I take another deep breath and down another shot.
I can do this for her.
“He told her it was necessary for her to get comfortable with the male body and to learn what a woman does to please a man. She could never tell anyone what they did, or he would get her and her sister kicked out of the home. Being thirteen, she feared they would be homeless.
“She was taught human anatomy firsthand and more specifically, what happens to a man during different phases of sex. Five months after her parents died, she was forced to do the same thing with two additional men, and the three of them touched her. They made her obediently stand naked, while they jerked off.
“Sometimes she was forced to drink alcohol, other times she was forced to watch pornography of all types while their hands examined all parts of her body. They burned her with cigarettes and cigars or sometimes wire hangers. Six months before her fifteenth birthday, the men decided it was time to teach her penis penetration as a reward.”
I pause for a moment, fighting the bile in my throat, and pour another shot. My hands are clammy, and I don’t have the courage to look anywhere else other than at the kitchen counter. I can feel her staring at me, but if I look at her right now, I won’t be able to continue.Ivy, get me through this.
“Each of those men raped that girl for a total of eleven months. Every day, she pretended that everything was okay and every night she prayed that the devils wouldn’t come. Sometimes, her prayers were answered, sometimes they weren’t. She went to school, she had friends, she had her sister, and she never told a soul… until today.”
“Oh my God, Evie.” Celeste gasps softly. “Is that what happened to you?”
I nod, taking another shot of whiskey and wishing I didn’t have such a high tolerance. I’m too sober to look her in the eye. I don’t want to see her judgement or her pity. Lucky for me, she doesn’t say anything else.
Instead, she reaches across the counter and grabs my hand. It surprises me. So instead of pulling away, I leave my hand where it is, letting the warmth of her hand give me the courage to continue. So I do.
“It was. And I know how hard it is to talk about those kinds of violations, but just know that whenever you’re ready—if you’re ever ready—you can always talk to me. I can’t promise you that I have all the answers, because I don’t. I can’t say it gets better because I’m not sure it’s ever something you fully get over. And I still have nightmares every now and then. But I can say that I’m better than I was.
