After | Matt Daddario

Chapter 41

Hello angels! How are you all doing??
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"Where are you going?" Alberto asked as I stood up from my table. I looked at him with fear in my eyes from where I could see the confusion surrounded on his face.

"I have to get to Vivien. Everyone knows and she just..." I stammered. I didn't even knew how to explain myself. I didn't wanted her to be alone. Not at this time. I was afraid that she was going to do something stupid.

"I will come with you." Alberto said as he stood up and I nodded. I quickly took my books and walked out of my classroom. I was glad that my teacher wasn't there yet. Otherwise, I needed to explain him why I was missing his lesson.

"Where is her lesson?" I asked. I was so scared that I. I couldn't even think straight. Alberto looked up on his phone.

"She normally in English by now." He said and I nodded. The massive hallways of college were still so unfamiliar to me. I barely knew where I was going sometimes and I would get lost so many times.

"Okay. Good. Let's get there." I said as I walked straight. Alberto chuckled softly and grabbed me by my arm.

"You shouldn't be going there. The other way." He said and I sighed. Of course.

I followed where Alberto was taking me and a minute later, I saw the class where Vivien was suppose to be in. When I looked inside, I could see her focusing on her class. There were other people looking at her which made me feel paranoid.

"She is okay." Alberto said with a smile. I shook my head. She wasn't okay at all. She was raped and you don't just get over that easily. She was trying to either ignore it or convince herself that this wasn't a big deal.

"What do you mean, Lau? She is fine." Alberto said, trying to convince me. I looked at him and sighed.

"She got raped, Alberto. She is trying to hold it together. She doesn't realise that she will actually break down and if will hurt much worse." I said and Alberto frowned as he looked at me.

The suspicious look on his face made me feel uncomfortable already. I looked away from him to Vivien again.

"You talk like you have experience with this." Alberto said and I looked down. I didn't wanted to speak about it. I didn't even want someone to know...

"Lauren?" Alberto asked shocked as if he just realised that I might have gone through the same thing that Vivien did.

I looked up and smiled at him, trying to convince him. I shook my head.

"We need to make sure that Vivien is okay." I said and that's what I truly meant. I didn't wanted to remember the night because it was over. It was in the past and I can survive it.

"But-" I heard people laughing and when I looked through Vivien's classroom, I saw her leaving the classroom. Her face was down so I couldn't see what was going on. I saw her leaving out of the door, rushing to the nearby toilet.

I looked at Alberto who just nodded at me. I knew what he meant. I quickly followed her behind the toilet and as soon as I reached the toilet, I could hear her sob loudly.

"Vivien?" I asked carefully as I stood in front of her. She looked at me and I could hear her gasp softly throughout her loud sobs. She was shocked to see me.

"What happened?" I asked confused. I had a bad feeling that I knew what it was but I never could be too sure... Vivien smiled and shook her head.

"N-nothing." She stammered. She looked into the mirror and I could see her red eyes. She has been crying for longer than I thought...

"I saw... I heard them laughing." I corrected myself as I looked at her. Vivien looked at me as she whimpered softly.

"I-I don't know how they know but they do." She stuttered softly and her voice broke down. I looked at her with pain in my eyes.

Seeing her hurt literally made me feel helpless because I knew whatever I would say or do, it wouldn't make her feel any better... I walked towards her and hugged her tightly.

I couldn't tell her that her brother was the reason why everyone knew what had happened to her. I didn't blame Matthew but he should have handled it differently. I was afraid that if Vivien knew that it was him, she wouldn't forgive him and they finally worked things through. I didn't wanted be the one to break it...

"They just laughed at me..." She said softly when we came out of the hug.

"They didn't care. They just laughed as if it was nothing." Vivien said as she took deep breaths whilst talking. I put her hair behind her ear as I looked at her.

"I know it is hard..." I said softly as I looked at her. Vivien shook her head.

"You don't know... You don't know... I will see him... Everyday." She said softly and I could hear the fear in her voice. I looked down as I sighed.

"I know." I replied as I looked back up. She was shaking slightly and I held her hand softly, hoping that the kind gesture would calm her down a little bit.

"I do know how it feels... I was..." I said softly. I couldn't even finish my sentence. I saw Vivien looking at me with shock in her eyes.

"It was back in England. My mother was lost in drugs. In order to pay her dealer, he had used me... as payment." I said as I looked at her.

"It was couple of times before my mother stopped taking drugs. I always saw him near by my house." I said.

"I know you feel like you can't breathe. I know you feel like you don't feel safe and that it might happen again but it is not true." I said as I looked at her.

I knew that she was lost of words and she was probably wondering why I have never tried leaving home but it was the only way to take care of my brother and I would have done it a hundred times again. Just for him...

"It will get better but by time." I said and Vivien nodded with tears in her eyes. I quickly hugged and I exhaled deeply out of relief. I could hear Vivien sob softly but somehow, I felt like she was relieved too. Relieved that she was finally letting go.