Confessions of a Queen Bee

Chapter 40

*There's a bit of a time jump but everything shall get explained dw.*

*Also no Jackson! But i love this chapter and i love the new character/ characters.*

*I also love you guys alot! Your support has been making me so happy in this otherwise sad time. So tysm.

Please remember to keep voting and commenting!.

"Hello Ivy, it's nice to see you again." Hannah says, the woman at the start of the circle, looking at me. Her attention drifting to the ten other girls sat around in the makeshift circle.

Week 2 of group therapy commences.

"So, guys, would anyone like to kick this week off with any troubles they had this week, or maybe some positives?" She asks and the group falls pretty silent. These girls have been here far longer than me but they're still sometimes reluctant to talk. Which makes me feel ten times better.

"My dad tried to kick me out again this week, apparently depression doesn't sit well with him." One girl says, starting off the conversation about families and their impact on us when it comes to recovery.

I didn't speak much last week. I haven't really spoken much of late. Everything's still in a haze.

Everything has been really dark.

"Would anyone else like to share how their parents have been dealing with the effects of sexual assault?" Hannah, the group leader asks.

The conversation flows around the room, one girl explaining how her parents aren't supportive, the next explaining how her mother blames herself and is making her feel even worse. Coming to group therapy isn't too bad, not when I'm learning that I'm not so alone in this shit after all.

"Ivy? How about you?" Hannah says and I look at her wides eyed. She never asked me to talk last week, just appreciated that I needed to sit and listen.

"What was the question?" I ask, trying to find a way out of my thoughts and back into the room.

"We were talking about how your relationship with your parents has been impacted by the assault." In Mrs Granger's sessions she never explicitly calls it assault, she knows how the word makes me feel. Here however they use the raw terms, they seem to enjoy putting things the bluntest way possible.

"It's been fine. Um, better than before actually. They show me they care a lot now." I say quietly, my eyes trained on Hannah and nobody else. I recognise a girl or two from school, but I try not to think about it.

The whole school knew now anyway.

"That's nice Ivy." Hannah says and there is a collecting hum of agreement in the air.

Group therapy is ok for the fact you get to listen to others, it's fucking awful when you don't want those others to listen to you.

"Lucy, how was your week?" Hannah moves her attention to another girl that has been quiet this morning. Not contributing like the rest of the girls.

"Pretty shit." The girl, Lucy grumbles.

"Would you like to share with the group why it's not been too great?"

"Has anyone been else seen him? Like your attacker up close again? I um, was in class the other day and he fucking came and sat right behind me. He wasn't even supposed to be in that class, they've made sure that our paths don't cross since he's on bail but he came anyway. It was awful." Lucy says and looks for some sort of support, some sort of similarities.

All the girls shake their heads and I freeze. I have, he locked me in a classroom just little over a week ago.

It was Thursday the day that Layton got arrested and it was now not the following Saturday but the one after.