hooked // harry hook

chapter sixteen - secrets

Our beach trip had been super fun. We had gone parasailing, snorkeling, surfing, and tubing. We had travelled to both ends of the island, driven golf carts around the narrow streets, and visited tons of different local restaurants. Today was a more laid back day. Luna and I had gone shopping for some cute beach outfits. Harry and I had grown a lot as the trip had progressed. We spent a lot of time talking about us and about what we both wanted, what we could do to make things better. Ultimately, the only thing we needed was time. There were a lot of things still up in the air, a lot of things we needed to figure out how to cope with. We worked together, we just needed to figure things out.

I needed time to learn to trust him as I once did. He needed time to fully adjust and be comfortable with everything. We both needed time to grow stronger together, and I was okay with that. I looked through the racks of colorful clothing, nothing really catching my eye. I hummed to myself as I looked through the clothes and bit my lip. "So, you haven't really told me much about Harry." said Luna, coming up from behind me. "Because there's not much to tell. We met at school, he's really great at fencing, and his favorite food is sushi." I shrugged, pulling out a woven cover up and examining it. Luna rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know that's not what I'm taking about, Vee." she stressed.

"Oh my god." I groaned, putting the hanger back onto the rack. "What do you want me to say, Lu? I love him." I admitted. I continued walking along the aisle, avoiding her gaze. "How long have you guys been together?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like four months." I replied, looking at a beach bag on the table. "That's a long time for you." she said, making me roll my eyes. "So, have you guys done it?" she wondered, crossing her arms. I blushed and ignored her, trying on some of the rings they had on display. I smiled as I saw the little hook ring on my finger. "I'll take that as a yes." she smirked. "Why are you interrogating me?" I asked, turning to Luna and crossing my arms.

"Vee, I heard you guys fighting the other night. He's a good guy, and I see how much you care about each other. I'm just trying to piece together all the information." she mumbled, looking down. "Well, we have some things to work out." I nodded, putting the jewelry back and exiting the store with her. We walked over to the next shop, which was full of little sea themed plants and little souvenirs. "I've never seen you like this with anyone, not since Jake." she said, raising an eyebrow. "Can we maybe not talk about him?" I muttered, looking over all the small trinkets on the table. Jake had been the absolute most traumatic memory of my life. We were together for a short while, he was the son of a nobleman from the kingdom, and he honestly treated me like shit.

He was the kind of guy that needed to control me, to tell me what to wear and who to hang out with. I had no freedom when I was with him and I felt completely powerless. He forced me to go on flashy public dates with him, to act as if I was happy and completely in love. We were the story of the kindgom, young love at its purest form. Except, that wasn't the case. He abused me mentally and physically. He told me I wasn't good enough, wasn't worth the time of day. He called me all kinds of names and treated me like actual garbage. One day, he did what I really didn't think he was capable of doing. I don't know what he put in my drink, or why he did it, but he raped me. He drugged me and he raped me.

I woke to his body over mine, and I could only make out some parts of what was happening, but I definitely knew what was going on. I was so drugged up I was completely powerless against him. All I could do was lay there and cry and he used me, as he treated me like a useless object. But that was the last straw. He thought that he could do that to me, have me completely merciless at his will because he had drilled it into me that I was worthless. I knew better, and I wouldn't let him get away with it. As soon as I could get myself to stand and deal with what had happened, I ran to the hospital. They took all the DNA they needed to, opened the whole investigation, orchestrated a huge trial that the entire kingdom invested their lives into. Despite it all, Jake walked free, and I was left with his haunting memory. That was a few years ago, but it was still fresh in my mind.

That's why I was sent to Auradon, to escape the reality of what had happened at home. No one knew about it outside of the kingdom, and I kinda wanted it to stay that way. I was so tired of everyone looking at me like I was some useless victim. Yes, something horrible happened to me, but I had moved on and grown stronger from it. Jake was walking free, a literal walking pile of scum, but I didn't have to see him. I was fortunate that Ben's father had approved my parents' appeal to admit me to Auradon Prep. I honestly don't know where I would've been if he hadn't. After these couple of years, I've mainly left it at the back of my head. Sometimes I have nightmares about it, fears of seeing him again, but for the most part I was happy to try and ignore what had happened. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned that." she whispered.

We finished up our shopping trip and headed back to the hotel. I couldn't stop thinking about Jake, about whether or not that was something I should tell Harry. On one hand, it would sorta be like keeping a secret. On the other, that was literally the most mentally traumatic time of my life, and I didn't know if I could even handle telling him the truth, reliving what happened again. I love Harry and I wanted to be a hundred percent honest with him, but having the guts to tell him the truth was really overwhelming for me. I said my goodbyes to Luna and headed over to my hotel room. Harry was in the bathroom showering, so I sat on the small couch in the room and waited for him. I heard the water turn off, and he emerged a few minutes later with wet hair and a towel around his waist. He smiled when he saw me, and carefully kissed me as to not get me wet.

He proceeded to change into his underwear and a pair of sweatpants before taking a seat next to me. "You got back early. What's up?" he asked, taking my hand. I turned to face him, the tears already in my eyes. "There's something I have to tell you." I said, struggling to hold in my tears. "What's going on, love?" he asked, tucking away my hair behind my ear. "Three years ago, something really bad happened to me. I was seeing this guy named Jake, we were like the couple of the kingdom. Everyone had invested time into our relationship." I started, biting my lip and looking down. Harry rubbed my hand with his thumb, soothing me. "Anyways, I wasn't happy. He was a huge dick, always trying to control me and what I did. He abused me mentally every single day, made me believe I was nothing. But one day, he d-did something to me." I stuttered, the tears beginning to fall.

I told Harry every detail of what happened, where it happened, how it broke me inside. I told him about the investigation, what happened during the trial, and how Jake was never convicted. Harry sat with his jaw clenched, his eyes wide in shock as he listened to everything I told him. When I finally finished telling him everything, I broke down into tears. I covered my face as I sobbed, collapsing down into my lap. He sat back and rubbed his temples, processing everything I had told him. He opened his arms, and I immediately climbed onto his lap and cried into his shoulder. He rubbed my back and pressed small kisses to my collarbone. He hadn't said anything throughout the entire conversation. I guess he didn't really know what to say. "I'm so sorry, Vee. I can't believe he fucking did that to you." he mumbled, pulling my hair away from my face.

"I just didn't want any more secrets." I sniffled, hiding my face in his neck. He held me as I cried, rubbing my back and trying to soothe me. That piece of me would always be broken, but I really had come a long way and grown from what had happened. It still hurt, and it still haunted me, but I lived my life with what happened not affecting my actions, my relationships. I had learned to live with it, to let go and not let him continue to take who I am away from me. Letting what Jake did to me run my life would mean that he won, that he still owned me. This was my life, and I had taken charge of it and wasn't planning to let go. Harry had been my first serious relationship since Jake and I was so emotionally invested in us. "Thank you for telling me." he whispered, pecking my lips lightly. I nodded and wiped my tears, sniffling and sliding off of his lap.

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Hey guys! I know this is a more serious chapter, but I just wanted to provide you guys with more backstory for Vee. Rape is really serious and so much more common than you think. Abusive relationships are really terrible and hard to get out of. If you find yourself in an abusive environment, please seek help. You're worth more than that. I'm a college student, and I can honestly tell you that I know at least 3 people who have been sexually assaulted/raped. Be careful with where you go, what you drink, and who you hang out with. Never go to parties alone, don't hook up with anyone while you're drunk, and always keep you drink in your hands.