Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
Trigger Warning: This chapter deals heavily on the topic of sexual assault.
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"HERE WE GO," I mutter as I put my truck in park. The first session of the support group begins today. Rather, my first day joining the support group begins. Bones ridden with anxiety, I make the trek through the snow-covered parking lot and down the empty halls of a local college center to find their set up in the gymnasium. A circle of chairs rest in the center of the luminous room. A few members are mingling inside, already acquainted.
Fingernails dig into my sweaty palms. Vomit rests in the pit of my stomach. My legs ache and scream to run away from this place.
I don't want to be here. I can't. The torture is foreboding. Those who have suffered from something so similar to what I've done will surround me. I hate myself. If only I could go back in time. If I could go back and make myself pay attention to the signs, none of this would be happening.
Curious eyes fall to me as I find a seat near the side. Welcoming smiles attempt to greet me. I lower my head as if that'll discourage their attention. How can they smile? How can they not sense that I do not belong here? If they're victims, how could they ever bring themselves to be happy again?
"Hey!" A girl with round-rimmed glasses and curly magenta hair approaches me. "This must be your first session." She offers a warm smile that only makes my stomach twist.
I can only mutter an inaudible yeah and hope that ducking my head will encourage her to vanish.
It doesn't.
"I know this will be hard. Especially for your first time here. Just know you're in a safe place. You can open up at your own pace. We're all here to support one another."
No. Please stop. I'm not like you.
"My name is Genna if you ever need anything or want to open up in a smaller group."
"Okay," I rasp.
There's no way I'm opening up to these people. There's no way I'll ever say anything to these people. I just need to attend these sessions until the last day of the year. Then I'm done and I'll have learned my lesson.
New people begin to trickle in as the time gets closer to noon. I'm greeted with more sympathetic smiles but also expressions of melancholy. It's easy to tell the difference between those who have been here longer than others. Some attendees are more comfortable and talk to others like close friends. Others are like me. They sit in solitude and keep their heads low. But I know they're not like me. We're filled with grief for entirely different reasons.
"Welcome back, everyone," Genna says as she takes her seat slightly closer towards the center of the circle. "And welcome to all of our new attendees. I'd like to start today with-"
