Page 53 of Boots & Scars

The outburst echoed through the room, louder than I intended. But I couldn’t help it. Seeing her like this—broken, silent—was tearing me apart.

Her shoulders slumped as if the weight of my question pressed down on her. She took a shaky breath, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I… I went to a party,” she finally whispered, each word like a fragile thread pulling at the fabric of the silence between us. “The one Zach invited me to.”

"I thought that was Friday," I said.

"I…I saw him today at the rink," she murmured. "You weren't there. Why weren't you there? I was… I was worried about you."

My heart squeezed because despite whatever the hell she went through, I knew she meant it. I knew she was worried about me.

"He… I guess there was a party tonight too," she said. "This morning? I don't actually know what time it is."

“And?” My voice came out harsher than I meant, but I couldn’t soften it now. Not when she was still holding back.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as if trying to shield against a cold only she could feel. “Everything was fine at first,” she continued, eyes darting around the room as if seeking an escape route. “Then he gave me a drink —”

"And you drank it?"

Tears sprang into her eyes. "I know Holly said not to," she said. "I feel so stupid. I just thought, I thought he cared, you know? And I took the drink because I thought he would never…"

I felt a surge of rage that made my vision blur for a second. “Did he?—”

She looked at me, her big fucking eyes filled with such sorrow, I knew.I knew. That little motherfucker had raped her.

The color drained from my face, and my blood turned to ice.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I could see was red.

I stood up, my fists clenched at my sides. I wanted to hit something, to break something. I wanted to make Zach pay for what he had done.

"I'm going to kill him," I said through gritted teeth.

Everly flinched at my words, and I immediately regretted them. I didn't want to scare her any more than she already was.

"No," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please don't. I just want to forget it ever happened."

I knew that wasn't possible. I knew she would never be able to forget what Zach had done to her. But I didn't want to argue with her. I didn't want to make things worse.

“I tried to leave,” she continued, eyes distant as if replaying the events in her mind. “But he was just so strong, and he put his hand over my mouth…” Her voice cracked then broke completely.

I moved without thinking, crossing the space between us and kneeling in front of her. My hands itched to touch her, but I held back, not wanting to add to her distress.

“Everly,” I said softly this time, trying to anchor her back to me with just my voice. “You’re safe now.”

She nodded slowly but didn’t meet my eyes again.

My heart ached watching her like this—so vulnerable and scared—and all I wanted was to take that pain away.

She looked up at me then, eyes filled with so much hurt that it felt like a punch to the gut.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

The weight of those words hung between us as heavy as any silence could be.

I frowned, confusion and anger warring inside me. "Why are you apologizing?"

Everly's lower lip trembled, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I… I don't understand," she said, her voice small and broken. "I thought he cared about me. Why would he just… why do people do this? Doesn't he care that he hurt me? I don't understand."

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