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“But… But they said…” her friend starts, struggling through her pain. Her body trembles so Becca gently lifts the blanket higher.
Her injuries and pain nearly bring me to my knees. Tears slip down my cheeks and there’s a yearning inside of me that wants to reach out and soothe her. But I know even the gentlest of touches will hurt her.
As her friend’s breathing becomes heavy, Becca kneels down on the floor beside her, gently covering her hand with her own. “Rosie, calm down. It’s going to be okay.” Becca glances over to Allie and I for reassurance.
I begin to question myself, wondering if I can actually protect these two girls and still take Logan down. As soon as the thought runs through my mind, I know I’ll do everything humanly possible to help them. I nod, vowing to keep them safe if it’s the last thing I do; even if it means jeopardising my own safety.
Allie’s eyebrows pinch together. “They?”
Becca eyes narrow slightly, and I notice the second doubt seeps in because her eyes cloud over with uncertainty. She seems to think we should know whotheyare, and I worry that we’re not here about the same person.
“Jamie and Logan,” Rosie whimpers. Just the names falling from her lips causes her pain.
“Jamie? What does that sleazebag have to do with any of this?” I question, beginning to feel frustrated and a little lost.
“I thought you said you could help us?” Becca yells, damn near hysterical.
“We can,” Allie rushes out, trying to calm her down.
“I was best friends with Logan my entire life. He blinded me from seeing who he really is from the very beginning of our friendship. He raped me. He took something from me that wasn’t his to take, and now I want to make sure he doesn’t do it to anyone else ever again. You need to help us help you. Help us fit the puzzle pieces together and tell us what happened to you and your friend. I promise, whatever you tell us in this room will stay between us,” I implore. My voice stays strong and determined, but it’s nothing to the raging turmoil storming inside of me.
The room is silent for a minute or two, all of us left to our own thoughts. When Rosie speaks up, I barely hear her.
“Tell them,” she says weakly.
Should she even be here? I’m wondering whether we need to take her to the hospital, but the chemist bag next to her bed catches my eye. I relax a little knowing she’s already been seen by someone professional.
“Logan raped me,” Becca blurts out, a sob catching in her throat. She manages to get it out in such a mad rush that it sounds like this is the first time she’s said it out loud. “I went to a party last week. I only went because I’d never really been invited before and I heard their parties were legendary. And Logan…” she bites out, pausing. I watch as she loses herself in thought before managing to shake herself out of it. “He seemed really nice. We had been talking all that week before the party so I felt like I had gotten to know him on a deep, personal level.
“I went to the party even though they’re not really my scene. I don’t drink because I hate the feeling of being drunk. I wasn’t going to drink, but then he talked me into having one. I didn’t want to seem like a weirdo or the odd one out so I thoughtonewouldn’t hurt.
“I don’t even remember finishing the drink. All I can remember is wondering how on earth I could get rid of it so it looked like I at least drank some of it.
“The next thing I know, I’m waking up in his bed, completely naked. I was a virgin,” she sobs brokenly, her hands covering her face.
Unable to stand and watch any longer, I sit down next to her, needing to hold her, to reassure her. I pull her into my arms, holding her tight against my chest as hard sobs rake through her body, causing her whole body to shake.
“If I had just gone to the police, you and Rosie would never have been attacked,” she cries into my neck.
“Don’t think like that. What he did, he did it because he’s a monster, a sicko. It’s not because of you,” I tell her soothingly.
“I tried to help you,” Rosie confesses all of a sudden, seeming a little out of focus. It’s hard to look at her without my stomach rolling. One of her eyes is swollen to the point it’s swelled shut, and her neck has bruised finger-marks around it. Nothing could have prepared me for this today. I’m not sure I’m equipped to handle any more, not without fully breaking down.
“What?” I ask, blinking and wondering if I heard her right.
“We…” she pants, wincing in pain.
“Are you okay? Do you need anything?” Allie asks, as she lowers herself down on the bed next to her.
Unable to talk, Rosie shakes her head. Her eyes are closed, her face clenched in pain. Taking in a deep breath, she opens her eyes, tears immediately falling from them.
“Becca didn’t want to go to the police. She didn’t—” She tries again, but when it’s clear she isn’t going to be able to finish, Becca speaks up, carrying on from where she left off.
“I didn’t know what to say to them,” she finishes for her friend. “Logan had said it was consensual. He even showed me pictures of us all over each other,” she chokes out. “Because I was a virgin, he used that as an excuse as to why I was so sore. He made it sound so real that it made some sense, but I knew… I knew it wasn’t because of that,” she cries whilst trying to wipe away her tears. “I was saving my virginity. I wasn’t waiting for marriage, but I was waiting for the one. I didn’t want it to be someone I barely remembered in a few years’ time. Now, whenever someone asks me who my first was, I’ll always be reminded of this.”
Rosie coughs, moving in the bed to try and get comfortable, though nothing seems to help the poor girl. “I went to the party Friday to try and get some sort of evidence. I wanted to prove what he said wasn’t true. I was just about to give up and leave, when I saw you. I had just finished up in the bathroom when I walked out and bumped into you and Logan. He was basically holding you up. You were out of it and begging to go home. I asked if you were okay,” Rosie whispers, but I don’t hear anything. I’m lost in a memory, one I thought was a dream up until now.
“Oh my god,” I whisper, completely stunned whilst focusing on my breathing. “I remember hearing you and vaguely him replying. He said I was drunk or something, but that’s all I remember.”
