ADOPTING BEAUTY

Chapter 23 + The Setback

Jackson drove the six of us home from the hotel the morning after prom. Everyone was tired and hungover but I needed to get home. My plan was to keep quiet about my sister's bad experience but word had already spread about Sofia Harper's now infamous sleepover. Two of the girls who were at Sofia's house had been sending nudies to various high school boys and the photos were getting around. Their names were Emma Bond and Lily Wu. These were also the same two girls who filmed Larissa's freak out and posted her hysterics on social media, which I didn't even know about until Jessica showed me in the car. Hundreds of people from our school had now seen my sister at her lowest. It gutted me to my core. Camille was surprisingly the most outraged.

"Emma Bond and Lily Wu are fucking dead!" said Camille. "No one fucks with my boyfriend's sister."

I think all of us in the car were truly scared for Emma and Lily. Camille could be vicious. I didn't even know those girls.

"What the hell happened at that sleepover, Joe?" asked Peyton.

"I don't know," I said. "But my folks had to go pickup my sister at two in the morning."

"I'll tell you what happened," said Caleb. "They bullied Larissa."

I could now tell Caleb really liked Larissa. I doubted he'd ever try to date my sister, mostly because she was my sister and a little too young, but I'm sure he wanted to. I could not hold it against him at the time. 

"Like I said, they're dead girls," said Camille. "They can kiss cheerleading at PV High goodbye."

+++++

When I walked through my front door, I could see my folks and Larissa sitting outside on our pool deck furniture. I went to join them with a knot in my stomach. My head still hurt from my hangover and I was so tired. Larissa sat in a tee shirt and shorts looking down and somber. No one was talking. I got the sense my parents simply wanted to comfort her in silence. I sat down and said hello.

"How was prom?" my dad asked to break the silence.

"We had a good time," I said.

"Camille looked beautiful," said my mom.

I felt bad, we were talking like Larissa wasn't even sitting there. I struggled to find some words to say to her. She beat me to it.

"You looked really handsome in your suit," said Larissa.

"Thanks, how're you doing?"

"I'm so embarrassed. No one will want to be my friend now."

"That's not true, sweetie," said my mom.

"It is true. Everyone probably thinks I'm crazy or something."

"We know you're not crazy," said my dad. "Forget about those girls."

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" asked my mom.

"No," said Larissa. "I don't want to talk about it. Is that okay?"

"Of course. You can talk when you're ready."

I was sure my mother had already had Larissa's therapist on the phone and booked her appointments for every day that upcoming week.

"I thought we'd go on a family hike today," said my dad. "Let's get outside and get some fresh air."

"That sounds like a good idea," said my mom.

Of course, all I wanted to do was sleep but I'd happily go hiking with Larissa.

"Are you guys mad at Sofia?" my sister asked out of the blue.

"We're not too happy with what went on at her sleepover."

"I will say she seemed to be very honest with us last night," said my dad. "She seemed like she felt quite bad about what happened. She was not trying to protect her friends at least."

"Don't be mad at Sofia, please," said Larissa. "She was really nice to me. She was the only one who was nice to me."

"Was it Emma Bond and Lily Wu who were mean to you?" I asked.

"Yes."

By the time Camille was done with those two, they'd been suspended from school and kicked off cheerleading.

+++++

Sometimes my father truly knew how to make things better. We hiked the cliffs for three hours as a family. Larissa did not say much but I could tell it helped. The sleepover was a significant setback for my sister. While she could make other friends, the video of her meltdown was etched in everyone's mind. It had been quickly taken down but the damage was done. I kept wondering why Larissa had been dealt such a different hand of cards in life then my friends and me. It was one crappy hand at that.

By bedtime, I was beat. Larissa came into our bathroom and we brushed our teeth together. It had become our nightly ritual. I wanted to ask her what really happened but I had to respect her privacy and her emotional timeline. I figured she'd tell me all in due time. Maybe I already knew enough. She'd been triggered again. That said, I ended up asking her my burning question. It was probably the worst time to ask her but it just came out. I think it had something to do with my encounter with Dove at the hotel.

"Can I ask you one question?" I said. "You can give me a yes or no answer. Or not answer."

She turned to me in only her Guns N' Roses tee shirt with her toothbrush in her mouth.

"Okay."

"When you were growing up in foster care, were you ever sexually abused?"

I could not believe I framed my question so matter-of-factly. I thought she'd redirect or not answer at all.

"Yes."

It confirmed my worst fear but I was not surprised the answer was yes. Larissa put down her toothbrush and spit out the toothpaste in her mouth. She gave me the tightest hug I'd ever had. I thought she was going to break my ribs. I hugged her back. We stood there for what felt like hours. I could tell she was crying. It felt like her tears were tears of relief.

"I'm here," I said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you for the rest of your life."

"Would it be okay if we sleep together tonight? I just want you to hold me."

I thought about it. My love for her took over and diminished any concerns I had. We climbed into Larissa's bed. I set the alarm for five a.m. to ensure we did not get caught. Our bodies became intertwined under the soft covers. She rested her head on my chest. It was so warm and cozy like a cocoon. We were both sound asleep within minutes.