The Clara Effect

Kenzie

part one of three

*Two years ago*

Clara was a freshmen in high school, then, and I was a freshman in college, we had met a year ago at a party, and have been friends ever since, we went to parties together and we danced and had fun. I learned that her favorite color was green and that she loved thunderstorms but hated the rain. I learned that she could drink more than me and that she was smart as hell and that she wanted to be a doctor just like her mom. And some nights, I learned how she kissed, how she felt next to me as we laid down in my dorm room and looked at the artificial constellations that I had placed on the ceiling above my bed. Those nights didn't happen often, but when they did I held them tight with the iron fist I knew I had.

But tonight wasn't one of those nights, and we weren't dancing or laughing. Clara was sobbing, holding herself in a tight ball, laying her head in my lap as her body shook.

I was waiting until she calmed down to ask what happened, but it didn't look like she was going to calm down at all. So in the softest voice I could muster without showing how i would absolutly murder the person who did this to her, I questioned her.

"What's happened?" It took her a minute to reply as she wiped the snot and tears off of her face, I handed her a tissue box that was on my desk next to my bed.

"I-I was drunk, no, no, I had-had been drugged, I'm pretty sure," she whispered to herself, trying to piece the memories together and I clenched my fists as a wave of anger surged through me, I knew where this was going. "I was drugged," she started to hyperventilate and I smoothed down her hair, trying my hardest to comfort her and to not worry her. "I blinked and the next, the next, the next thing I knew I was-was somewhere else. I-I wasn't at-at the party anymore." I breathed in deeply, forcing myself to get a fucking grip.

"Where, where were you?" I asked hesitantly, my voice shook a bit from anger.

"I-I don't know, somewhere d-dark. A-a-and there was a-a guy there, he was there and he-" her voice broke and she fell back into the strong wave of tears that had rushed over her only minutes ago. I wanted so badly to be strong for her, I didn't want to be angry at this moment, like I always fucking was, I wanted to help. And so I tried.

"E-Everything's going to be alright," I told her and she exploded, she sat right up and looked at me like she had been shot.

"It will not be alright! This happened two weeks ago, Kenzie!" she shouted. "I was supposed to have my period a week ago, but it still hasn't come." She was whispering now, and I was shaking. "So I went to the store and took the test an hour ago, it-it came back positive." She broke again, and I couldn't blame her, not one bit. "Kenzie, I was raped and now I'm gonna have to have that guys kid," she sobbed and I put my arms around her and held her tight.

We stayed like that for a while, for so long that we laid down and just held each other. Her cries turned into sniffs and my anger fizzled out and we were both left with this deep feeling of hopelessness.