After a restless sleep, Alex rolled over and fell out of bed, hitting his head against his night stand. Still sitting on the floor, rubbing the tender spot on his scalp, he reached for his cellphone and found Chloe’s contact. The voice that answered was weary, unwilling to face the challenge that high school presented.

“Chloe, is it… did what I think happened… happen?”

“If you’re trying to say that… he raped me, then yes. That’s what happened,” the voice was dull and flat: a shield against the pain.

It made Alex’s hair stand on end the way she said it.

“Okay. Um, that’s all.”

”’Kay, bye.”

“Bye.”

“Wait, Alex?” at least there was a slightly different tone to her voice, “I don’t think I;m coming to school today.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Click. And the truth had been told. But what was Alex going to do with the truth? He couldn’t fight the truth; he had no idea what to do. But one thing seemed obvious. Jay could not, would not, get away with this.

Of that, Alex was certain.