I Do Not Own DeGrassi

Ch.9 Breathe Deeply

(ALLI)

After Jenna hung up with K.C. Alli went to the desk and unplugged the laptop, she sat back on the bed next to Clare with the laptop on her lap. After hearing K.C. talk to Clare it occurred to Alli that she had better let Sav know before he heard it through the rumor mill. She logged onto her Facerange account, Sav wasn't on but she sent him a PM anyway, he'd see it as soon as he logged on. She kept it short, just saying that Clare was badly hurt by someone, they didn't know who, but that she and the others were with her and she would be in touch with him. She logged out of her account then and logged back into Clare's, she had help Clare set up her Facerange account so of course she knew the password.

Alli set the laptop on the nightstand and sank back into the bed with a small sigh. She looked at her friend, she could tell that Clare was thinking and Alli hoped she was thinking about what K.C. had said. Then Clare's laptop began to ding as messages began to pop up, slowly at first but then a flurry of them.

H.J. Sinclair: Declan said you were hurt what happened?

Sav Bhandari: Clare I just heard from Alli! Are you okay? What happened?

Riley: Clare I just heard you were hurt.

Zane: Clare what happened?

Chantay: I heard you were beaten up! What happened?

Anya McPhearson: Clare are you okay? Riley and Holly J said you were hurt!

"Boy bad news really travels fast. And half these people don't even know Clare that well." Alli thought to herself as she saw more and more messages pop up.

(ELI)

He sat on the bed holding his broken love in his arms. Even when K.C. called he hadn't looked up from her face buried in his lap. But the constant sounds of dining coming from her laptop made him look up. He watched a continuous string of private Facerange messages pop up on the screen. He recognized the names at first, kids that had graduated the year before but the messages kept coming.

Peter: Clare what the hell happened? I'll kill whoever did this!

Spinner Mason: Baby Edwards I just heard Jay and I will kick their ass!

Emma Nelson-Mason: Clare are you okay? Spinner and Jay are furious they are set to kill as soon as you tell us who did this.

Jay Hogart: They're dead! Whoever hurt you will die!

"Who the hell are these people?!" Eli thought as he watched the messages continue to come.

Manny Santos: Clare are you okay, I'm on the phone with Jay right now he and Spin are ready to murder the guy that did this.

Mia: Clare OMG! What happened? I just heard. I'll be thinking of you, let me know you're okay.

Darcy: SIS WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

"Well at least Darcy is a name I recognize."

Danny: Sav said you were hurt. What happened?

Derek: Baby Edwards are you okay? Danny said you were in the hospital or something.

Eli watched Alli pick up the laptop and reply to Darcy. She told her that Clare was hurt, they were all with her at the house, they didn't know what happened and they hadn't told her parents yet. When she was done Alli shut down the laptop so they wouldn't see any more messages.

"Alli who were those people? I recognized some of the names but who are Spinner and Jay and Peter and the rest." Eli asked.

"Really Eli? Jealousy? Now?" Alli scolded glaring at him as she set the laptop on the floor.

"Curiosity." He replied.

Alli sighed. "Peter and Spinner dated Darcy; they were kinda like big brothers to her. You remember Peter he worked at the Dot. The rest are friends of Darcy's that know Clare through her. They're just concerned Eli."

Eli sighed, Alli was right and he really wasn't mad at them he was mad at whoever had done this to his Clare. He took a deep breath and pushed a strand of hair from his beloveds face.

"Clare, K.C. is right you need to tell us what happened. Everyone in this house cares about you; all those messages are from people who care about you. I know it hurts and I know you're scared but please tell us Clare. You can't imagine the pain we all feel from not knowing."

(CLARE)

K.C. and Eli's words sank into her mind. She knew that they were right; she knew she was going to have to tell them sooner or later or alienate them all. She took a deep breath and sat up, she still wasn't looking anyone in the eye and she was twisting the blanket in her hands. The fact that she had moved at all caused everyone in the room to look at her.

"Okay but I'm only telling this story once and then I never want to repeat it. Someone go get the others." Her voice was shaky and soft. Adam got up and left the room, he returned a moment later with everyone who had been downstairs. They all found a seat somewhere and looked expectantly at Clare. "I repeat that I'm only telling this story once, I will not repeat it to my parents, or the cops or anyone understood? No one say anything until I finish or I won't tell you got it?" She asked in a louder voice.

Everyone in the room nodded. "Breathe deeply Clare just breathe deeply, you can do this just don't look at any of them." She gave herself a silent pep talk took a deep breath and began.

"My new Stepbrothers," she confessed and tears began to trickle down her cheeks, "they don't like me or my Dad. They were angry about the wedding and they decided to…take their anger out on me I guess. It started the very first night; they shoved me against the wall and slapped my butt. I was forced to sit between them at dinner and they kept trying to touch me under the table. That night they were waiting for me in my room Ben shoved me to the wall by my wrist and held me there. I tried to fight him off but he was shoving my wrist into the wall so hard. He kissed me and wouldn't stop." She was crying now her grip on the blanket got tighter.

She could feel Eli next to her his whole body was tense and his fist was balled up so tightly that his knuckles were white. She could see Adam sitting at Eli's feet he didn't look much better. "If they're this upset already they might have a heart attack by the time I finish." She thought to herself. She couldn't see the others but the room was silently still and she could feel the tension all around her. She reached her hand over to Eli for him to hold, a gesture that was as much to calm him as to comfort her. Eli unclenched his fist and took her hand.

Another deep breath and Clare continued, "When Ben finally released me Trevor grabbed me and threw me on the bed. He straddled me and when I tried to fight he hit me. He kissed me too and then they left my room. I just couldn't sleep there so I snuck out and ended up at the mall, I was actually hoping I could just stay unnoticed and sleep there but then Drew found me."

She heard Adam swallow hard, and could hear Drew and Bianca breathing in deeply. Beside her she could feel Alli and Jenna crying softly. "Breathe deeply just breathe deeply." She reminded herself. She did just that before continuing with her explanation.

"I spent Friday at Alli's to sleep away for one more night but I had to go back on Saturday. Thankfully Stephanie and I were out all day and when we got home I went to my room and locked the door. They didn't do anything that night but they started in the next morning. That night I tried to stay in my room but I had to use the bathroom. I was super quiet but when I got back to my room I was grabbed by the throat and tossed on the bed. My good wrist was tied up with something. One of them was kissing me while the other…was…" she swallowed hard and took a deep breath, "the other was squeezing my breasts hard."

Clare was sobbing now, so were Alli and Jenna, Clare could feel their bodies shaking gently while they cried next to her. "Breathe deeply." She reminded herself, it was becoming her mantra. "It's about to get a lot worse so prepare yourselves to hear it. I'll understand if you want to leave and not hear it though."

No one moved but the entire room took a collective deep breath bracing themselves to hear what Clare was about to say.

"After the wedding Dad and Stephanie checked into a hotel for their first night as a married couple. As soon as they were gone I ran to my room and locked my door, I know I locked my door I checked. But just as I was falling asleep there was a hand on my mouth." Clare started crying harder and took a series of deep breaths before continuing. "They tied my wrists to the bed and forced my legs apart. One of them was kissing me, I tried to fight but they just hit me. I kicked one of them away, and then I was twisted onto my side and…"

She had to stop to try and control her crying before she could continue. Eli squeezed her hand gently encouraging her to go on. Clare took a deep breath and bit her lip to stop the crying and then continued. "They whipped me with a belt for fighting."

Alli and Bianca gasped simultaneously, she assumed as they realized what the welts on her back were.

"One of them sat on my legs and squeezed my breasts terribly hard before biting down on it. I tried to scream but I couldn't, I tried to fight I really did but my wrists were tied and he was sitting on my legs and…" Clare took in a sharp breath and Eli held her close.

"Breathe deeply just keep breathing deep." She repeated her mantra, did just that and continued. "If I resisted at all they hit me, hard. One of the forced my legs apart and stared to feel his way up to…he bit my thigh just as hard as the bite on my breast. Then he…with his fingers…"

Eli's whole body got more tense Clare hadn't thought it was possible. Jenna, Alli, Imogen and Fiona all gasped loudly. She heard several thumps against the wall and floor and knew the guys must've punched them out of anger.

"Eventually they stopped and untied my wrists, but they didn't leave, they turned me over and used a knife to carve their first initials into my back. Then they told me I belonged to them and they'd be back later and left the room. I pulled my pajamas back on and lay in the bed until I had the strength to move. But I couldn't sleep there, I just couldn't. I snuck out the window and Fiona's was closest so I ran there it was the only place…I tried to fight Eli I really did…" Clare could no longer talk she was crying to hard.

"I know Clare," he said in a calming voice rubbing her back and squeezing her hand. "I know. It's not your fault." His voice was calm but his body was rigid and on the inside he was beyond rage, there was not a word to describe how he felt.

"I'll kill them!" Came a chorus of angry voices through clenched teeth.

Clare laid her head back in Eli's lap and he held her. She could see Adam sitting at Eli's feet, he was perfectly still almost statute like. He didn't even seem to be breathing but his eyes had tears trickling down and they showed an amalgamation of emotion, rage, sorrow, regret, and anguish. After a few minutes Owen, Declan, Jake, Drew and Bianca left the room. No longer able to control their anger and not wanting to upset Clare any more than she was. Fiona and Imogen sat at the very end of the bed, tears trickling down their own cheeks and holding each other tightly. They wanted Clare to know they were there for her.

Clare was too ashamed to look at any of them, she buried her head in Eli's lap and let the tears fall freely. She had finally confessed but she didn't feel better, she felt worse. And she dreaded the question she knew would be coming, why didn't she tell them?