It was the morning after the night before.
In this case, the night before had been a Friday night and a very eventful
one in many ways. Dani lay in her sleeping bag with her boyfriend Josh lying
next to her. She looked over at him, he was still asleep but Dani had been
awake for over an hour now. She didn't know the time but she knew it must be
about 6am because the sun was just beginning to shine through the windows.
Dani was thinking things over in her head. Last night had been one of the
hardest nights ever, she thought. It had been the night of the school sit- in
and all the kids were there. Dani's boyfriend of a couple of months, Josh,
had came along even though he wasn't one of Summer Bay High's students. He'd
wanted to show Dani some support, she hadn't been herself lately and Josh
had hoped that she would open up at the sit-in. She did.
The night before...
Dani Sutherland was sat in a classroom waiting for Josh to arrive. She had
something very important to tell him but she didn't quite know how to do it.
How was she going to come out wit something as big as that? She couldn't
just drop it into the conversation.
Josh came into the room and immediately smiled once he saw Dani. She looked
beautiful but also tense and nervouse about something. Josh sat himself on
the table with her and gave her a hug. He came closer to her and they shared
a kiss. The kiss was passionate and strong but also tender and loving. Josh
brought his arm around and began to stroke Dani's arm. She immediately
pulled away.
"What's wrong? Was I coming on to strong?"
"No, it's not you, it's not you at all, it's me." replied Dani, quietly.
"What are you talking about? What's on your mind?"
Dani prepared herself. It wasn't going to be easy but she had to do it. She
couldn't keep secrets from Josh, especially not this one. It could affect
them in a number of ways but honesty was always best, well so Brodie had
told her.
"I, em, I have something to tell you, Josh, and it's really important."
"Ok, I'm listening, shoot."
"Right, well, what I'm about to tell you happened about 8months ago."
Josh took Dani's hand and noticed that it was shaking. He was waiting in
anticipation for what she was going to say...
"I met this guy, he was from my mum's work, you know at the Drop-in Centre.
Anyway, we were friends and I suppose you could say that he wanted more. I
was going out with Will, though, so I tried to make it clear that nothing
could happen."
"Dan, what does any of this have to do with me and you?"
Josh always became tense at the mention of Will's name. He knew that him and
Dani had been very close and he was slightly jealous.
"Just listen, please. I was attracted to this guy, I can't deny it, he was
hot but I didn't want anything to happen. I did, however, let things go too
far. I ended up kissing him, twice, and he took it the wrong way."
"So..."
"Em, so, I was on my own and I had a whole tonne of shopping because
everyone else was away. Anyway, I bumped into this guy and I tried to stay
away. I dropped some bags though so he helped me and walked me home. I
didn't even know what to say to him, it was awkward but I couldn't manage on
my own. So, we got to my house and put away the shopping and then I asked
him to leave but he wouldn't..."
Dani was becoming more and more distressed and Josh was scared about what he
was about to hear. He didn't know if he wanted to hear it at all. He took
Dani's other hand and squeezed it tight.
"He wanted to, well, he wanted to have sex but I couldn't. I mean, I just
couldn't because of Will and everything. I was walking away from him but he
was coming closer, he wasn't moving away. I said no, I kept on saying no but
he wasn't listening...he pushed me onto the couch and he, he..."
Dani broke of into tears leaving Josh to figure out the rest.
"He raped you?!"
Dani nodded her head. Josh stared at her tear-stained face and was filled
with a number of emotions. He felt angry, firstly. Angry at whoever this guy
was who had hurt his girlfriend, this guy who had raped his girlfriend.
Secondly, Josh was stunned. He couldn't get his head around what he had just
heard.
"I...oh my god...I can't believe it."
Then Josh was filled with the most amazing respect for Dani. She was so
brave, so, so amazing.
"Dani, oh my god, I'm so sorry."
The reaction that Josh gave off was not the one that Dani had expected.
She'd expected him to leave the room and slam the door.
"What did you do, Dani? Did you take him to court?"
"Yeah, but I lost. The jury believed him and he got off scott-free."
Josh took a moment to take all of this new information in.
"Dan, you are amazing. You're so connected, so together."
She continued...
"After the verdict, I just figured, well that's it. Time to move on. But
it's not that easy. Not at all. That's why I had to tell you tonight. It's
still very much a part of me, it's still going on in my mind. I couldn't
keep it to myself any longer, you just had to know. I understand if you want
to call it quits on the relationship, I know this changes everything, I wish
it didn't but I know it does..."
At these words, Dani began to cry.
"It doesn't change a thing, Dani. I'm there for you. As long as you're with
me, you're safe...so put it this way, you're safe for a very very long
time."
Dani smiled and looked contented. She'd done it. She'd told him and it was
ok, everything was going to be ok.
In this case, the night before had been a Friday night and a very eventful
one in many ways. Dani lay in her sleeping bag with her boyfriend Josh lying
next to her. She looked over at him, he was still asleep but Dani had been
awake for over an hour now. She didn't know the time but she knew it must be
about 6am because the sun was just beginning to shine through the windows.
Dani was thinking things over in her head. Last night had been one of the
hardest nights ever, she thought. It had been the night of the school sit- in
and all the kids were there. Dani's boyfriend of a couple of months, Josh,
had came along even though he wasn't one of Summer Bay High's students. He'd
wanted to show Dani some support, she hadn't been herself lately and Josh
had hoped that she would open up at the sit-in. She did.
The night before...
Dani Sutherland was sat in a classroom waiting for Josh to arrive. She had
something very important to tell him but she didn't quite know how to do it.
How was she going to come out wit something as big as that? She couldn't
just drop it into the conversation.
Josh came into the room and immediately smiled once he saw Dani. She looked
beautiful but also tense and nervouse about something. Josh sat himself on
the table with her and gave her a hug. He came closer to her and they shared
a kiss. The kiss was passionate and strong but also tender and loving. Josh
brought his arm around and began to stroke Dani's arm. She immediately
pulled away.
"What's wrong? Was I coming on to strong?"
"No, it's not you, it's not you at all, it's me." replied Dani, quietly.
"What are you talking about? What's on your mind?"
Dani prepared herself. It wasn't going to be easy but she had to do it. She
couldn't keep secrets from Josh, especially not this one. It could affect
them in a number of ways but honesty was always best, well so Brodie had
told her.
"I, em, I have something to tell you, Josh, and it's really important."
"Ok, I'm listening, shoot."
"Right, well, what I'm about to tell you happened about 8months ago."
Josh took Dani's hand and noticed that it was shaking. He was waiting in
anticipation for what she was going to say...
"I met this guy, he was from my mum's work, you know at the Drop-in Centre.
Anyway, we were friends and I suppose you could say that he wanted more. I
was going out with Will, though, so I tried to make it clear that nothing
could happen."
"Dan, what does any of this have to do with me and you?"
Josh always became tense at the mention of Will's name. He knew that him and
Dani had been very close and he was slightly jealous.
"Just listen, please. I was attracted to this guy, I can't deny it, he was
hot but I didn't want anything to happen. I did, however, let things go too
far. I ended up kissing him, twice, and he took it the wrong way."
"So..."
"Em, so, I was on my own and I had a whole tonne of shopping because
everyone else was away. Anyway, I bumped into this guy and I tried to stay
away. I dropped some bags though so he helped me and walked me home. I
didn't even know what to say to him, it was awkward but I couldn't manage on
my own. So, we got to my house and put away the shopping and then I asked
him to leave but he wouldn't..."
Dani was becoming more and more distressed and Josh was scared about what he
was about to hear. He didn't know if he wanted to hear it at all. He took
Dani's other hand and squeezed it tight.
"He wanted to, well, he wanted to have sex but I couldn't. I mean, I just
couldn't because of Will and everything. I was walking away from him but he
was coming closer, he wasn't moving away. I said no, I kept on saying no but
he wasn't listening...he pushed me onto the couch and he, he..."
Dani broke of into tears leaving Josh to figure out the rest.
"He raped you?!"
Dani nodded her head. Josh stared at her tear-stained face and was filled
with a number of emotions. He felt angry, firstly. Angry at whoever this guy
was who had hurt his girlfriend, this guy who had raped his girlfriend.
Secondly, Josh was stunned. He couldn't get his head around what he had just
heard.
"I...oh my god...I can't believe it."
Then Josh was filled with the most amazing respect for Dani. She was so
brave, so, so amazing.
"Dani, oh my god, I'm so sorry."
The reaction that Josh gave off was not the one that Dani had expected.
She'd expected him to leave the room and slam the door.
"What did you do, Dani? Did you take him to court?"
"Yeah, but I lost. The jury believed him and he got off scott-free."
Josh took a moment to take all of this new information in.
"Dan, you are amazing. You're so connected, so together."
She continued...
"After the verdict, I just figured, well that's it. Time to move on. But
it's not that easy. Not at all. That's why I had to tell you tonight. It's
still very much a part of me, it's still going on in my mind. I couldn't
keep it to myself any longer, you just had to know. I understand if you want
to call it quits on the relationship, I know this changes everything, I wish
it didn't but I know it does..."
At these words, Dani began to cry.
"It doesn't change a thing, Dani. I'm there for you. As long as you're with
me, you're safe...so put it this way, you're safe for a very very long
time."
Dani smiled and looked contented. She'd done it. She'd told him and it was
ok, everything was going to be ok.