Alice

Don't tell me

As they scraped and stared for the gym*, Alice mumbled something about when she was four under her breath.

Bella pulled her aside, "what happened when you were four..?"

"Oh nothing. Just something kind of bad. I mean. I don't know."

"How bad?"

"Nothing. Ugh, bella-"

"What is it?" She demanded.

"It wasn't important." She couldn't talk about it out here in front of all these people.

Bella could tell, because she pulled her into the bathroom, "What happened?"

"He forced me." Alice mumbled.

"He what?"

"He made me do it."

"Who did? Its okay!" Alice looked like she was about to burst.

"My cousin. He. He..."

"Not... that?"

"That exactly.."

"He..he raped you?"

"Yes." She cried. She had forever held it all in. It felt good to let it out.

Bella sat down with her on the cold bathroom floor.

"Where was this?"

"At my aunt's house."

"When?"

"After midnight. Everyone was asleep...and he, he promised we could play any game I wanted if I let him-"

"Its not your fault! You were four! You were helpless!"

"I tried to stop him. But he just, he was ten. He was ten and he just used me."

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

"No. I was afraid."

"I understand."

"But it's okay, no point to now."

He had been dead for several years. His liver failed when she was in fourth grade.

"I can't believe you held it all in all those years. Thank you for telling me."

"Thank you for listening." She hugged her.

"Okay, so like, how cute is Jeremy today?"

"Right?!" They started laughing and head back to free time.

*In our school after lunch we get to go into the gym after lunch for like fifteen minutes. It's like recess. You can either sit and talk or play basketball. Also, if you didn't understand earlier, in my school, we sit in the gym until it's time for home base°.
°We all are assigned classes to wait in until first period starts where we sit and talk and watch the news. If papers are to be sent home we get them there.