Tyra is in her Applebee's uniform on her way to work when she finally does what she promised Mrs Taylor and stops in at the family planning clinic. She hears her name called and goes to the last door on the left at the end of the hallway. She can hear a woman crying and a man laughing in separate rooms as she passes closed doors and wants nothing other than to be elsewhere.
She slips into the empty room, sitting on the edge of the couch waiting for the doctor. She picks up a magazine, and throws it down again after flicking through it. Nothing really holds her attention long these days unless she's surrounded by people or too busy to think. Her leg starts bouncing and she counts down from sixty. If the doctor isn't here by the time she hits one she's gone. She's made an effort to fulfil her promise.
She's at seventeen when Smash's mother walks in the room.
"I asked to see a doctor."
"You asked to see someone with out saying what it was about. There ain't any doctors working at this hour. You get a registered nurse, and if you really need a doctor, we can make an appointment."
Tyra keeps waiting for that look of loathing and condescension to come over the older woman's face but it never does, it stays blank and unassuming.
"Look, I'm not pregnant or anything, I just need to…" Tyra looks out the window. "I need to talk to someone. I need some information."
"You can call me Corinna here. What do you need information on?"
"I was… Someone…" She can't get the words out and her leg is bouncing so much it's rattling the table. She sniffs and Corinna sits on the couch next to her, putting a hand on her knee. "A man tried to rape me."
Her tears fall and she bites into her fisted fingers, refusing to let out the sobs she can feel welling up in her. "You were right. You said you'd be seeing me here."
"Oh sweetheart, no. Not for this, never for this. I'm so sorry." Corinna wraps an arm around her and Tyra understands why Smash thinks the world of her. She's a warm weight that Tyra buries herself into. "You been to the police?"
Tyra sniffs and nods. "Mrs Taylor took me the other day."
"When did it happen?"
"Friday night. I was meant to meet a friend to study, but he was late and I got tired of waiting." Tyra wipes her face, pulling away from Corinna who hands her some tissues.
"You know it's not your fault right? You know you're not to blame? That the victim is never to blame?" Corinna takes Tyra's hand and she feels safe in the strength of it.
"Sure." Tyra sniffs and shrugs, wiping her nose on a tissue with her free hand. Mrs Taylor had said the same thing.
"No, Tyra, you have to understand and believe this. It was absolutely not your fault, okay? Say it after me. This was not my fault."
"This was not my fault?"
"Again sugar, this was not my fault. Say it this time."
"It wasn't my fault." Tyra looks up into Corinna's eyes and sees nothing but belief and compassion.
"That's right, honey."
"It wasn't my fault." Tyra smiles at her and starts to cry again, believing herself, believing in herself for the first time since Friday night. "It wasn't my fault."
Tyra buries herself back into the other woman and cries until she doesn't feel like crying about it any more.
"It wasn't my fault."
"No, baby, not even a little bit." Corrine's voice is soft and melodious and Tyra nods to it.
"Okay. I'll be okay, it wasn't my fault, not even a little bit." Tyra wipes the last of her tears and blows her nose. She throws the tissues in a trashcan and straightens her spine, letting out a small smile. "Alright, what do we do now?"