Chapter contains trigger warnings for r*pe.

Lexa slung her schoolbag over her shoulder as she walked out of her last class of the day. All in all, it had been a pretty good day, and she had recognized some of Clarke's friends in her classes. Clarke was even in her math class. It was so different than Polis University. There, she had to walk with her head down and hope trouble didn't find her. Here, she was accepted, wanted even. Clarke's friends were all so friendly. And that is why she couldn't let her feelings for Clarke get in the way of their friendship.

Now, her nerves were acting up as she headed towards the counselor's office. She reminded herself that it wasn't just about her to keep herself from chickening out. Ontari had hurt John, and she would keep hurting people unless she stood up to her.

The counselor's office came into sight, and Lexa had to force herself to keep walking. Her hands shook beside her, and her heart rate started to increase. She wasn't ready for this, but she knew she would never be. She had to do this now.

Clarke, John, Bellamy, and Emori were already standing just outside the office, just waiting for her to join them. Clarke looked up, noticed Lexa, and dropped her bag. She ran up to Lexa to give her a hug. "Are you ready?" she asked quietly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Lexa responded.

"Let's do this," Clarke said.

Clarke's hand stayed on Lexa's shoulder as they entered the office. A dark-skinned woman was sitting behind a desk. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"We're looking for the counselor," Clarke said with confidence that Lexa knew she couldn't muster. Already, it felt like a brick wall was inside her throat.

"That would be me," the woman replied. "My name is Shannon. How may I help you?"

"We have a grievance," Clarke replied. "Well, two really. But they're related."

Shannon nodded. "You should come back with me."

The crew followed Shannon to her back office. There were only three chairs; one behind the desk and two in front. Shannon took her place behind the desk. "Lexa, John," Clarke said. "You two should sit."

Lexa nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She sat down next to John and stared at the ground. Her stomach ached inside her.

"So, what's going on?" Shannon asked.

John started. "I'd like to reopen a rape report from last semester," he said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Alright," Shannon replied. "Who's the victim?"

John hesitated for a minute. "Me," he finally said.

Shannon looked up at him in surprise. "What's your name?" she asked.

"John Murphy."

"Alright, I see your report here," Shannon said. "It's missing a lot of details."

"I'm ready to answer any blanks you have," John said, his voice starting to shake. Lexa reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Tell me what happened," Shannon instructed.

John swallowed hard. "She drugged my drink," he began. "I noticed my drink had suddenly become really salty, but I was too drunk to care. I started feeling blurry, so Ontari took me back to her room." John paused. "I was too dizzy to move. She pushed me down onto her bed, took my pants off, and forced herself on me."

"Thank you for sharing," Shannon replied, typing John's story onto her computer. "What was the second grievance?"

"Ontari used to beat me," Lexa admitted. "Back when we both went to Polis University, she would get her friends to gang up on me and beat me. She also threatened me multiple times."

"Alright," Shannon said. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Clarke said. "We took John's rape report to the Dean last semester, but he did nothing."

The small crew was escorted out of Shannon's office, and Lexa could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad that's over," she said.

Clarke hugged her again. "You were so brave," she said, and Lexa's heart fluttered.

"Thank you," Lexa said. "Can we just go back to the room or something?"

"Of course," Clarke replied. "How about another movie night with Raven and Octavia?"

"That sounds really nice," Lexa said. She just hoped she could keep her feelings in check.