Boys Like You

Chapter Four

(Remember that this book will contain themes of sexual assault. Please take care and stay safe when reading.)

CHAPTER FOUR:
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"There's a name for boys like you"- dodie

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So, here we are. I'm finally ready to accept what you did and what happened after that. I'm finally ready to move on with my life.

My life without you.

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First on Carrie's to-do list was to burn the pieces which she had gingerly picked out. The second was to lock the remaining items away in a drawer and send the key to Sammi so that she was unable to see them until she was ready to, Sammi would know when that was. The third thing was to call her counsellor and make another appointment so that they could review how she was feeling after destroying some beloved items. The fourth and final thing was to find out Jack's address from a past classmate and send him the letter- he had to read it.

Thus, Carrie began to execute the first task on her to-do list by taking a metal bin outside, before shoving the items into the bin. Another cliché, she thought. She bit her lip while staring down into the bin as she lit a match and threw it in, observing as the formerly important photos and letters began to curl at the corners as they burned. Jack's face soon started to ignite and turn black as the picture began to blaze. A soft crackling started as the paper was set alight, becoming rather soothing. It sounded like a log-burner warming the house on a brisk, wintry day as a family would crowd around it, keeping themselves warm.

The light from the flames began to dance on her face and reflected in her glossy eyes as she stood and watched until it was all rendered down to ash.

They were gone.

He was gone.

The burden resting heavily on her shoulders grew lighter as she destroyed some more of that string which bound them together in knots. Eventually, those knots came undone, leaving their affiliation hanging by a thread; a thread which she was unsure if she wanted to sever entirely.

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"Hey Sam, it's Care."

"Hey Care, everything okay?"

"Yeah things are fine, I just have a favour to ask."

The second thing on the list was to lock all of the remaining items up in a drawer and send the key to Sammi to have her keep it until she thought Carrie was ready to look at it all again. So, Carrie had begun to complete this second task by calling Sammi to let her know what was happening.