Blue is the warmest color

Chapter Seventeen

After telling him what I feel, I relationship got improved. Luke's charts starts getting good results and he's also slowly opening up to my father about his nightmares. I'm happy that I'm contributing greatly to his improvement but I don't know what would happen to us next once he feels completely better and is ready to face his new life... leaving this house. 

That night at the lake, when he told me he's not someone I should know and that everything should be forgotten once he leaves... will I really have to forget about him? Was everything he said... going to happen or will he change his mind?

At school, I'm still trying to talk with Coral and ask him why he's suddenly giving me a cold shoulder but he refuse to see me or even walk to my path. I still don't understand why he would do that when I never did him wrong. Besides, that favor was being returned with another favor. I was fair with him from the beginning. 

I haven't talked to anyone about it yet though. Not even Andrew knows. Besides, he's never seen me and Coral hanging out and Coral's not a part of my circle but I considered him as one when he helped me and now I feel bad. 

"Why the long face sis?" Andrew asked, handing me the yogurt drink he bought from the vending machine. 

"I just feel tired" I lied and Andrew quickly gave me a pat in the shoulder. 

The voting has already started and students have been dropping the names of the candidates they wanted to vote on the boxes and by tomorrow, the winner will be announced. I feel anxious and at the same time, the weight of Coral's sudden actions kept dragging me down. It's been a burden ever since it happened and I know I'd have to find a way to get him to tell me the reason. 

"Andrew... do you think, in this country... if a male gets sexually harassed or abused; is he going to be heard?" I asked, thinking about the way Luke trembled in front of me when we tried doing it.

Andrew thought for a while, "There are men that got help from those situations but..." he started to chuckle, "Isn't it absurd for men to get raped when they're physically strong? What's more absurd is if a woman is the culprit, as if the victim can't defend himself" he said. 

Women can be equally as evil as men who commits crimes and rape is still rape no matter the gender. The victim should never be questioned why they aren't able to defend themselves and with the way Andrew answered me... he was never a victim so he wouldn't understand. I bet that's what the rest of the society thinks about male victims... they question their strength and women are empathized with because we've always been seen as weak. 

"So you personally don't think men could get raped?" I questioned, 

Andrew sighed; "I wasn't saying they 'can't', cases of little boys getting raped by priests are pretty popular. Everybody can get help out of that situation, I'm just saying it's absurd for grown men to get raped since we're physically strong" he answered and I feel disappointed. 

I shrugged my shoulders as I rid of the subject. It's something friends shouldn't discuss because it's sensitive or maybe Andrew's just not the right person to talk to. 

If I try to connect the stories; the drugs, the escort job, and Luke's negative feelings towards sex... was Luke sexually abused? 

Realizing that, I ran to the library to research about sexual harassment and how I can see the signs on someone who has gone through it or is experiencing it but the strongest sign I know that is linked with Luke right now is the negative feeling towards sex. 

If the offender is a male, he should have negative reactions towards males trying to touch him or if it's the opposite. His nightmare... he talked to my dad about it. I should ask my mother what kind of nightmare he's having.