Somehow, it felt safe at Anna’s house. The two girls curled up on Anna’s bed, surrounding themselves with a barricade of pillows for safety and huddled under a blanket.

“So,” Anna said, looking Lily right in the eye, “What do you think? Do you want to take this thing to court? Press charges and stuff?”

Lily chewed on her thumbnail as she thought out her answer. “I…I don’t know. I mean, I just want it to be over! There’s no way I could stand up and tell a judge what he did to me. I just couldn’t! But, I mean, he deserves it…”

Anna put her arm around her shoulder. “Lily, have you realized that you won’t say his name?”

She hadn’t. “I guess…I don’t know. It just makes it all more real. And that’s scary.”

“It all is.”

“Yeah.”

“But, I mean, if you could? Would you?”

“Press charges?”

“Press charges.”

“I don’t know, Anna. I don’t know!” Lily’s voice rose. “It’s just all so scary! I can’t even say his name!”

“Whenever you’re ready, Anna. It’ll be okay.”