It's Terribly Perfect.

17. It's Terribly Perfect: Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

Everything clicked in my head the split second that name came out of Calub’s mouth.

Ryan was at the café when Hollie asked me about the baby shower and I got the text from ‘that guy’ asking if he was invited.

Ryan hated Luke.

On the phone ‘that guy’ said cougar of a mother, Ryan knew all about that.

Ryan knows where I live. Ryan knows my name. Ryan knows how to hurt me.

Ryan is ‘that guy’?

‘That guy’ is Ryan?

This can’t be happening.

“No,” I whispered in denial. “It’s just a coincidence. It has to be. Ryan, he . . . he helped me . . . .”

“Listen Princess,” Calub said nervously, “Sorry to, uh, tell you like that. But I guess I just thought that you knew and you were trying to trick him into telling you. So, yeah. Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know. I’m going to go now,” he said awkwardly in a rush, stalking off down the hall.

Can this really be true? The guy that I thought was one of the few people I completely trusted is the guy that. . . .

Oh buck up, Kasynne. It’s just a word. Face reality and get over it.

That raped me. Ryan is the guy who raped me?

“Kayse? What’s wrong? You look pale,” someone said from beside me. I jerk my head up, now realizing other students were hustling and bustling around me. The bell must have already rang. I glance up to the person who spoke to me and freeze. “Kasynne? Seriously are you okay? You look like you’re about to feint,” Ryan said in an overly concerned tone.

I backed away, almost stumbling over my own two feet.

“G-get away from me,“ I begged, my voice shaky and hoarse. He gave me a look of pure confusion.

“Did I do something?” he questioned timidly, reaching out with his hand toward me.

“No!” I yelp in a hushed tone before turning around and running out of the school.

“Wait! Kasynne!” he yelled after my but I kept going, not exactly running anymore because it was harmful to the baby, but walking awfully fast.

“Hey man what’d you do to her?” I heard Tyler from behind me and I prayed that he stopped him from chasing after me. I saw Arin pulling her shiny black Sonata into the parking lot – late, as usual – and hurried over to her.

“Arin,” I pleaded, realizing now that I was sobbing. “Can you get me out of here? Please?” I sounded so pathetic, but I didn’t care. I was scared that it may be the truth, scared that the boy I’ve been spending so much time with and growing close to may be the guy who . . . raped me.

She looked at me with panic and worry piercing through her big brown eyes but she nodded and we both got back into her car, securing the seatbelts around us.

After we had been driving for quite some time, she finally spoke up, not being able to hold it back anymore.

“What happened?” she inquired in a stern voice, not giving me any room to deny her the knowledge.

“I think . . . I think Ryan might be the guy who raped me,” I told her, the words rolling off my tongue in such a rush I wasn’t sure she understood them until she looked at me with wide eyes. Her jaw dropped and I’m shocked it didn’t hit the floor.

After she asked a string of what’s and why’s, I told her every reason to why it could be believable. It took her about ten minutes to full process it all.