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Chapter 11: Having Words

He walked across the campus and Darryl soon met up with him. "What's wrong? Where are you going?"

He didn't say a word to him. He kept on walking until he was at the house where it, the rape, had happened. He didn't bother to knock or ring the doorbell. He just walked in the house, looking for Kevin.

He found him in the backyard. Kevin was talking to a couple of guys, but Leo didn't care. He walked straight up to Kevin.

And punched him in the face.

Kevin grabbed his face in pain and the other two guys advanced on Leo.

"Leo!" Darryl exclaimed.

"What the hell was that for?" Kevin asked, his voice muffled from the blood.

"You raped her, you son of a bitch!"

"Who?" Darryl asked, completely lost.

Kevin smiled, although it must have made his swollen face hurt. "Are you talking about your little girlfriend?"

Darryl seemed to grasp the situation now. "You raped Piper."

"Try and prove it. Piper won't talk to the police. She knows what will happen."

Leo tried to go for Kevin again, but Darryl held him back and Kevin's two buddies stepped in to intervene.

"You lay another hand on her and I swear to god I will kill you."

Leo turned and walked away. As he did so, he cradled his knuckled in the palm of his other hand. Damn, that had hurt. He could see the swelling already.

As he walked back to Piper's dorm, he told Darryl the whole story. After he finished, Darryl's first question was, "Did she go to the police?"

Leo thought for a second. "I don't know. Finding that out wasn't exactly a high priority."

"Well it should have been. The only way you can catch him is if she goes to the police."

They were at the dorm and Leo knocked on the door. Shelia answered the door, but when she saw Darryl she came running into the hallway and into his arms. Leo left them alone and went to Piper, who was hugging herself into a tight ball on the couch.

Leo wordlessly sat down on the couch next to her, still cradling his knuckles. Piper sat up and looked at him. "Why did you leave? Where did you go?"

"I had 'words' with Kevin."

Piper flinched at Kevin's name, but said, "And these 'words' resulted in your swollen knuckles?" She grabbed his hand and looked at it. "I'll get some ice."

She came back with a small plastic baggie full of ice wrapped in a washcloth. She gently removed his hand and placed the ice bag on it. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you." Leo adjusted the ice so it rested on the knuckles and he could hold Piper's hand with his free one. He was thinking of what he told her earlier. "Piper…"

"No, Leo. Let me say something first. What you did today…it was more than I cold ever ask for. You listened to me and believed me without question. Nothing means more to me. You were brave enough to 'have words' with him today. Leo, I know on some level, I love you, I really do. But I don't know what to do. I feel so lost. When he r-raped me, he took something from me. I don't know if I'll ever be the same person I once was." She still couldn't bring herself to say Kevin's name.

Leo sat there silently, listening to her. "Piper, no one expecting you to be the same. Actually, I would be worried if you didn't change. I promise you we are going to get Kevin. You're not alone in this Piper. You have me, Shelia, and Darryl."

"I couldn't think of three other people I would rather have on my side."

Leo laid the ice bag aside. He placed his cold, swollen hand on her face. At first she recoiled from his touch, but she eventually she relaxed and leaned against his hand. Ever so slowly, Leo leaned into kiss her.

The kiss was sweet and innocent, almost like the first kiss they shared. But that sweetness and innocence was mauled by what had happened to Piper. She was no longer the sweet and innocent person she once was.

Images of the night of the rape ran through Piper's head and she broke away with a gasp. "Leo, I…"

"No, Piper, it's my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you into it."

"You didn't. I wanted it, but I keep seeing images of that night running through my head. I can't make it stop."

Leo placed a hand on her face. "It's okay, really."

"No, Leo. Nothing's okay anymore."

There was no honest reply he could give.

Darryl and Shelia finally came back in the room. What they were doing out there, Piper didn't particularly want to know. She moved to the other end of the couch and held a pillow close. It was hard enough to deal with one person at a time, let alone three. She didn't know if she could handle another person right now.

"Piper, I'm sorry about what happened," Darryl said.

Piper didn't reply. She found a rather interesting spot on the carpet to stare at.

"I really think you should go to the police---"

"No!" She yelled, standing up walking behind the couch. Leo also stood up, startled by her sudden motion. "No police. He'll kill me. I shouldn't have even told you guys."

"Piper, the police can only protect you. They're the only ones who can catch Kevin."

"I said no!"

Darryl looked as if her were going to say something else, but Shelia put a hand on his chest to stop him. "Okay," he said with resignation.

"I'm going to lay down," Piper said abruptly and went into hr room.

Leo tried to follow but Shelia put a hand on his shoulder. "Let her go, Leo. None of us can help her now."

"That's what scares me the most," he said, dropping back down onto the couch. He leaned his head back and covered his face with his hands. "What do we do now?"

"Nothing," Shelia said and Leo looked at her. "It's up to Piper now. She'll let us know when she is ready make the next step. For now, we just have to be there when she needs us."

"I wish there was more I could do."

"You've done enough already. You even went and punched Kevin for her." Leo looked at her weirdly. "I got the details from Darryl."

"Oh."

"If you hadn't gone after him, I would have. I'm still tempted to, but it won't help her any."

Shelia punched his arm, not enough to hurt, but it stung. "Hey! What was that for?"

"That was for leaving and not telling Piper where you were going. She cried even harder after you left."

"Sorry about that. I was just so…I don't know. Shocked, angry, confused, they all apply. I could only think of getting even with him. How could anyone do something like that to another person?"

"I don't know," Shelia said softly, rubbing her arms as if trying to ward off a cold only she could feel.

Darryl put his arms around her. "Are you going to be okay tonight?"

Shelia leaned into him. "I don't know."

"I would love that, but I don't know if Kim will be back tonight. Now that I think of it, is it just a coincidence that she didn't sleep here last night?"

"Who knows where she was. She was probably with her boyfriend," Darryl said. After a few moments, he added, "Kevin!"

"Exactly."

"I'm lost. What are you talking about?" Leo asked.

But Darryl and Shelia ignored him, looking at each other. "Kim was at that party the night Kevin raped Piper," Shelia started.

"So she had to know something was going on," Darryl finished.

"There is no way Kim would let her boyfriend walk off with another girl, let alone Piper."

Leo finally caught on to the conversation. "Kim knew he was going to do something, didn't she?"

Darryl and Shelia nodded in unison. "She had to."

Leo stood up. "I'm going to murder that…"

Shelia pulled him back down to the couch. "You are going to do no such thing. Piper needs you now. You're going to be no use to her if you get arrested for assault."

"I was thinking a little farther than assault…"

"Leo, you couldn't kill her if you tried. You just don't have it in you."

"You're right. But I can't sit here and do nothing."

"Fine. Go check on Piper than. Make sure she's okay."

Leo stood up and went to Piper's room and gently knocked on the door. Piper answered and let him in.

Shelia looked at Darryl. "What are we going to do?"

"I still think we should go to the police."

Shelia groaned. "Darryl, we've discussed this. We're not going to the police unless Piper agrees to."

Darryl laid Shelia's head on his lap. As he gently stroked her hair, he thought, but what if the police come to her?