Well, Happy New Year to the senior class of Inside Out. This chapter is really really heavy. You'll learn just how much one screwed up incident can affect others, even those it doesn't directly involve. Because after the last chapter? Everyone is screwed up in some way or another over it. So just be prepared because this is an extremely dark one, but it needed to be written. I kind of...had to pause a lot because the ending made me cry a lot. It's so hard to write dark moments in recent days when I've grown to love these characters so much. It's so hard to see them go through things like this. That being said, please enjoy chapter 13.

TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM MENTION. SEXUAL ASSAULT MENTION.

2:45 AM.

What is a normally quiet time of night in the hospital waiting room, is anything but. There's Riley's parents. They're a mixture of emotions. Her mother looks nothing short of heartbroken and frightened. Her father, on the other hand looks both disgusted and absolutely livid. Even Carissa's parents are there. Her mother is rubbing Jill's shoulder, doing her best to reassure the panicked mother, "We're gonna' fight this. We're all gonna' fight this for her, Jill. We adore your daughter and you know it. He won't get away with this."

And while the chatter is low and gentle, Carissa's father is doing his best to relax Riley's father, "Okay, okay, brother, just relax. Getting angry solves nothing right now." His accent is prominent, yet not too thick. It's the epitome of a bilingual speaker, fluent and confident.

But he's too angry to relax, "I can't. I can't do that, Mario. I want to strangle the kid. How dare he touch my daughter? What he did. I want to kill him. I'm gonna' kill him."

"Listen, listen, you know I'm with you okay? I'm with you, I agree, and Joanne and I are going to stick right by you guys. We'll help you press charges anything you guys need. But you need to calm down." Mario sighs, trying his best to calm the man down, "...Bet you wish you had a beer." A rather poorly timed joke.

But Riley's father is famous for his poorly timed comments in general. So he'll manage the smallest smile before he finally stops pacing, and shakes the hand of Carissa's father, "I could use thirty, my friend."

"Put it on the I owe you tab, brother."

Yes, all of the parents are in a Frenzy. It's all happening just as Carl is sitting in one of the waiting room chairs being questioned. Amanda simply sits in her seat with water eyes and tear stained cheeks. Carissa, well, she's doing the very same, arm wrapped around Amanda and staring straight ahead. Both girls are clearly emotionally drained. It's enough for differences to be put aside in honor of Riley.

Carl, as of right now, is keeping his composure pretty well sitting a little ways away from the girls, "Like I said, around eleven thirty-ish, eleven forty-five the latest- because everyone was crowding into my living room to watch the ball drop on TV- we went looking for her. That's me, Carissa, and Amanda. We asked around and nobody had seen her. So Amanda ran outside away from the noise of the party to try and call her. I'm going to assume she didn't pick up since she was passed out I'm pretty sure he drugged her."

"We'll know when the hospital provides her test results. And we also took the beer can she was drinking from to be tested as well. So for now, consider it an alleged drugging, we can't say for sure until we get any results."

Carl understands, yet it still makes him angry. Riley hadn't even finished that one beer. She was definitely drugged. Not that this police officer was there to witness that. What's more heartbreaking is the fact that the police don't even seem to care that anyone had been drinking under age. No one's going to be charged or questioned because the situation is so serious, the alcohol consumed by a bunch of under age kids doesn't even matter to them. It's practically irrelevant. He'll take a deep breath before continuing, "Then Jensen- Jensen Fleming. That's J-E-N-S-E-N, F-L-E-M-I-N-G, she was cracking up on her phone and we asked her what was up and she pulled up a livenow stream of what was going on upstairs. We were too shocked to tell her to stop the stream, so me and Carissa went upstairs and he stopped when the door slammed open and he was-" He stops. Putting a hand over his mouth, he can't say it. He doesn't want to stay the words. It's hard enough even thinking them: he was still inside her.

Officer Castellanos lightly pats him on the shoulder, "Okay, how about..." He hands the notebook he'd been writing in, along with the pen right over, "You write what you can't say...and then you can continue from there?"

With some hesitation, he's careful to write that horrific sentence. Carl swallows hard, "The...only reason he stopped, is because Carissa pulled him up by his hair and basically threw him off the bed. As disgusting as it sounds, I don't think he...would have stopped if...she didn't do that."

All of this is nearly bringing Officer Castellanos to tears. This is killing him. How often has he dealt with someone hurting this Riley Andersen girl? Hasn't she been through enough? And to think, once again, it's the very same kid who'd given her trouble years ago, "I promise you, Carl. I promise you, I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get this kid the punishment he deserves. If it's possible for you to get me a link or to send me the footage from that internet stream, that will definitely help move this along in the right direction. He already has a record for cyber bullying and cyber stalking her in the past. And Riley's record is completely clean. I may have to talk to you some more in the future, but we won't worry about that right now."

He can only nod, he's emotionally exhausted just like everyone else is and he knows it.

"Have Amanda come on over from her seat. I need to question all three of you separately."

Stepping away slowly, he'll make a head motion towards Amanda indicating that she's up next. The moment she's out of her seat, Carl will drop himself into it.

"What'd he say?" Carissa needs to know.

"He's gonna' do everything he can to get justice. Since she doesn't have a record, but he does, he thinks that this'll workout the way it's supposed to." He'll drop his head into his hands, "And he's in this hospital somewhere being treated too. He doesn't deserve that."

"No, he deserves for his dick to be cut off and to be electrocuted until he fucking dies."

"He needs a copy of the livenow stream. How do we get it saved into a computer?"

Carissa is surprisingly quick witted, even after all of this, "My buddy John can help."

"Your bassist?"

"Yeah, he just needs to hack into Jensen's livenow account and he can get it onto a usb drive. I'll shoot him a text about it in a bit. He'll be able to snatch it no problem. He's a notorious 4chan and /b/ thread poster. He knows what the fuck he's doing."

The commotion comes to an eerie silence when a doctor finally enters the waiting room, "...I think everyone should have a seat." It's enough to unsettle every face in that room, "Now before worrying all of you completely, she's going to be fine and she's woken up just about five minutes ago. But...we did get some results back." A sigh, "I've shipped the um..." No, he can't bare to say it in front this girl's family, "Officer, I've given it to the men you came with. You...just need to compare it to the kids. Just get a DNA sample from him." A pause, "As for the test results. It tested positive for one of the most commonly used drugs for..." He'll clear his throat. Even he can't say it, "She wasn't intoxicated- her blood alcohol levels were at a safe number. She was definitely given something."

Her father steps forward, "Can we see her?"

"We normally wouldn't let anybody in at this late an hour, but under the circumstances, yes, you can absolutely see her. You take the elevator up to the second floor and she'll be in room 36-C."

Carissa is already standing, practically running. But her arm will lightly be grabbed by the doctor, "Are you her sister?"

"I'm her girlfriend." Okay, so it's not official. But she knows damn well at the rate things are going, there's potential for it to become official.

"I'm sorry, with a situation like this I can only let immediate family in at this time. Surely you and her friends understand."

"No. No I don't- I have to see her."

Riley's mother and father won't stand for this. She's careful in her tone, while her husband's eyes are stern, "Our daughter needs her right now. Please. I'm telling you that it's okay for Carissa to come with us."

The doctor simply nods, "As long as you're both okay with it, she can go."

Another word doesn't need to be uttered. The three figures are sprinting to the elevator. But far be it from her father not to attempt to lighten the mood a little, "So...you guys are back together? Does this mean you're coming over for Monday Night Raw again?" Call it a coping tactic. Changing the subject because he doesn't want to think about it.

"...I kinda' lied. We're not back together." She'll nervously stuff her hands into her pockets, "But...I know that we're both hoping to be again. We've been on three dates."

Her mother smiles, "...Carissa. I really think you're one of the best things that's ever happened to Riley." God forgive those tears in her eyes, "You give her so much love and you accept every part of her. I don't know how she would have gotten through all of her problems without you." And so she has to hug her, nice and tight, "Thank you."

Carissa's eyes squeeze shut as she returns the hug, "Don't give me all the credit. She's got two kick ass parents."

The minute the elevator door is opened, they're in search of that room. The room where she lays. Groggy, but coming to. Her hair is a mess, her eye makeup is smudged. She looks awful, and her eyes are red. It's obvious she's been crying. But she'll sit up immediately. Riley Andersen is one strong teenager, "...It's okay-h. I'm not dead. And I totally wasn't drinking tonight."

Her parents rush to her side, and they both hug her tight, "Are you okay?! Are you in pain?! Do you need anything?" Her mother is kissing her forehead over and over.

"Okay- okay, headache, mom. Not the best idea, aha." She's shrugging away from those kisses damn fast, "They're getting me painkillers, but I don't have them yet."

Her father, however, wastes no time in being brutally honest, "We're pressing charges whether you like it or not. And if we lose? I'll kill him myself. What's a few years in jail? It's for a worthy cause."

"Slow down there, dad. Maybe you should...let me handle this." Surprisingly calm. It's likely unsettling, "I want to press charges. I was told that I get to talk to some cops when I'm ready to, so...I'm gonna' tell them everything I remember." But it's a facade, this whole sight is a facade, "But um...do you think you and mom can get me...non hospital food? I'm starving." She isn't.

"Anything you want- name it, monkey." The devoted parents are all too willing, "You name it, we'll go get it right now."

"Taco Bell." It's the furthest away, "Get me my usual- and something for gutter girl over there."

Carissa flashes a crooked smile.

"...We'll be back as soon as we can. And have Carissa call us if you need us." Her mother, once again, kisses her forehead, "We love you, honey."

"Love you guys too." She'll watch them leave. Wait until she's certain they're gone. That's when she'll turn to Carissa, the eyes become glossy once more.

Carissa, right on cue, comes right to the side of the bed and takes her hand to give it a squeeze, "We all got questioned downstairs. You're not going through this alone, okay?"

"I love you, Carissa."

"...I love you too, Riley." God it still gives her butterflies to hear that, "Here, lemme just go tell the others you're okay and-" But as she goes to pull away.

Riley keeps her hand locked tight to Carissa's. And she'll stare at her nervously. She doesn't say a word. But her face says it all. Please don't go.

"...I'll text them." She'll be even bolder, and climb up onto that bed, staying atop the blankets and resting right beside her. She never lets go of Riley's hand, "Why did you send your parents off? I can read it in your face. The last thing you want is food."

She'll swallow hard, taking a deep breath. It's not held back anymore. The tears are forceful and quick, "...Because I only want to cry in front of you-h!"

It's heart-breaking to see. The worst part is how the blurry, foggy images seem to replay over and over again on the main screen. And no matter what the emotions do, they can't be stopped, "Somebody press control, alt, delete!" Fear is frantic, pressing everything he can.

"She's not a fucking computer, idiot! We can't just control, alt, delete this!"

"Well what do we do?!"

"Well maybe we can throw the memories down into the pit of forgotten memories!"

"Okay, but we can't do that until after this mess is over. She needs to remember, or Austin can't be charged." Joy is trying so hard to be strong for her co emotions, "Carissa is holding her so tight, at least if nothing else, she feels safe."

"We can handle this." Disgust is sure of it, "After everything we've been through, we can handle this. She doesn't remember a lot of what happened. And to be honest, I think in the long run that'll be really good for her. I know we can fight this. Every time the memories come flashing on the screen, everybody needs to be ready to put something in it's place. It doesn't matter what the memory is. Happy, sad, embarrassing, it doesn't matter. As long as it's not this, then it's fine. Because anything is better than this." For once, Disgust is taking charge of a the situation. Perhaps it makes sense. What's happened has appalled everybody, including Riley herself, "But we can fight this. Because even if it takes time for her to be okay? We will not let Austin take anything away from us. He won't take being intimate with Carissa away from us. He won't take hugging our friends away from us. He won't take the trust we've worked so fucking hard on away from us. He doesn't deserve to see that. He can't win."

The pep talk is strangely inspiring, it's...helping. Because the replays of the horrific events of the night finally come to a halt. Disgust is right. And it's enough for Joy to smile, "You're right, we can't let him win. It won't happen overnight, but I know if we work together, we can do this. He's not allowed to win."

If nothing else, she's relieved that her stay at the hospital is reduced to three days. She misses about a week of classes since they've started up again. She couldn't bare the idea of going to school just yet. Riley is a trooper, but that doesn't mean this situation is easy. One good thing that comes out of this is the fact that she cleans her room up, she stays away from social media in favor of video games and...really devotes her time to me time. Even better, her friends are kind enough to give her space. And when they do text? No one asks how she's doing or presses any of the situation. They talk as if nothing's changed. Which is exactly what she'd requested in the hospital.

The morning she's prepared to return to school, her mother sets down a pretty hardy breakfast- all smiles, "Good morning, Riley!" She'll kiss the top of her head, "I know you prefer Ihop's cinnastack pancakes, but I tried my best!" She'll set down a coffee along with it, "You've hardly eaten and if you don't fill up you'll fall asleep in class."

'Bless mom for this godly breakfast.'

'And I must say even if it isn't Ihop pancakes, those look delicious.'

She'll give a small crooked smile. Today, as the teen drops her faux leather purse onto the ground, she's in a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, her deep green docs, and a dark gray and black stripped hooded sweater that's a bit loose, but not terribly so. She'll take a seat, happy to dig into the near perfect breakfast, "Thanks, mom. But who're you kidding? I'm gonna' fall asleep in math class anyway."

"Well, then I'll just have to text you obsessively so your pocket vibrates too much for you to fall asleep!"

But as the two share a laugh, there's a moment of awkward silence as her father comes to join them in the kitchen, "Ah, good morning, Riley. Goin' back to the old grind today?" He's trying. This isn't easy for him to brush aside, even if it's what Riley wants until further action is taken.

She'll run her fingers through her hair, "Um, yeah. I'm going stir crazy around here, honestly. I need to get out. Besides, if I miss anymore school I might risk not being able to do senior cut day without getting in trouble for missing too many classes in a few months."

"...Good point. Hey- I heard you guys are going to be voting on prom themes today!" Again, he's trying so hard, "What are the themes?"

"Well, we're not voting them today, we're allowed to submit ideas, and then the planning committee is going to discuss the ideas they like best, then they'll pick four and we all get to vote."

Riley's mother will interject with a simple, "Hey, that sounds really nice." As she hands her husband a fresh cup of coffee and pours herself a cup, "My prom theme was A Night On Broadway. It was very classy- New York themed and filled with a city view back drop. And outside the venue we had it at, were taxi cabs to give it a city feel."

"That sounds nice." She's halfway through her pancakes by this point.

'I think they're trying too hard not to bring up the big issue here.'

'Well you have to give them credit for trying.'

'I still say it's annoying!'

'Guys, stop, she's starting to think about it- look at her hands shake- have her continue the conversation- let's ask dad about his prom!'

"So what was your prom theme, dad?"

He'll sip his coffee, "Mh- ours was An Enchanted Evening. It was really fairy-tail styled, like old school romance stories. I thought it was a snooze-fest. I didn't have a real date- my best friend and I just went as each others wing-men, we bailed halfway through to smoke pot."

His wife will elbow him in the stomach.

Enough for him to cough with a, "What?! I'm being honest!"

And Riley will crack up. Genuinely, in fact, "Relax, mom. If you think I haven't seen that around here in California, you're delusional. I'm going to be eighteen in two months."

"Well, just...don't smoke weed." And she'll shake her head.

'With the amount of times we've come home baked out of our minds I don't believe she DOESN'T know we smoke it.'

'Well...let's just go with it. We have to go anyway, or else we'll be late.'

"I got it, mom- but I gotta' go." She'll take a sip of her coffee before she's placing her beanie atop her head, pulling it back just a bit, "I'll see you guys later okay? I love you."

"We love you too-" And his coffee cup will be put down abruptly, "O-Oh and if you need mom and I for anything you text us okay?! We'll be there in a heartbeat."

'Ugh, shut up I don't need this right now.'

'Don't think about it, come on, don't hint, dad!'

An eye roll, "Got it. I'll be home around three."

The walk is relaxing at least. It's fairly chilly, though by east coast standards, probably warm. Either way, it's nice to try and get back into the swing of things. Of course...it doesn't exactly help that the minute she's at her locker, everyone is staring. She knows why, and her stomach is turning with each gaze she manages to catch.

A familiar voice will break the concentration, "Ayyyy, I didn't do the math homework, can I copy yours?" Oh, Carl, where would she be without you?

"You can copy it at lunch." She's opening her locker, reaching down for her one and only binder, "So what've I missed? Fill me in."

"Well, Carissa finally spilled the beans and told be about the first time you two went at it."

"Oh, what a coincidence! Amanda told me what a lousy lay you are!" It's playful. He doesn't have to know it's true.

"Okay, okay, I got the hint, you don't wanna' know we talked about it. But, uh, Jordan's doing way better. I think he's gonna' ask Sarah out."

"No way, for real? That's great."

A text is what's going to turn him away, "Oh, shit, my boy Alex's car died, he needs a jump. I'll see you at lunch okay?"

"Yeah, catch you then." The locker is shut, and the only thing she can manage to do is walk to class with her head down. This is a little bit more difficult than she originally planned. But everybody staring, it's...nerve-racking.

"Where's Carissa?" Sadness's sigh is enough for her to feel the need to slide to the floor, "This is too stressful without her."

"I'm not sure, but we have next period with her so we'll know then if she's here." The moment the involuntary flashbacks are on the main screen, she's ready with a memory.

'There's only us, only tonight! We must let go, to know what's right!' 'WOOHOO! GO RILEY! I LOVE KARAOKE NIGHT!'

"I can't stand all the staring. This isn't what we expected." And Fear is twiddling his fingers, a nervous habit that can't seem to be stopped right now, "Do you think it'll die off by the end of the day?"

"Well, it might." Anger is attempting to look on the bright side of things, "But this is high school, unless something big happens before the end of the day, it's probably not gonna' stop."

"Well, we have to try to ignore it." Argues Disgust, "This sucks, I know it- we all know it, but if we hyper focus on it, this won't help."

"Oh look- Carissa is here!" A sigh of relief from Joy as she watches Riley take her seat for second period.

'Hey! I was just about to text you. I was afraid you weren't here.'

'Well I actually only just got here, I overslept, aha.'

'You didn't drink on a school night did you?'

'...Kiiiinda' got invested in some really good porn.'

'Oh my god, you ass, now what's the REAL reason!'

'Claire and I got this email from this guy who's interested in booking us for the festival this summer in Santa Monica but he was only available at an obscure hour because he's currently in Tokyo.'

'Holy shit that's amazing!'

"I think it's safe to say that's a good enough distraction to get us through the day." And Anger is smirking, "Our hopefully soon to once again be our girlfriend's band is really on fire...no pun intended!"

"And she's probably going to invite us which means we'd be going to Los Angeles! Oh my god, I'll die!" Disgust is already imagining killer outfits and super cute selfies in front of the Hollywood sign, "That's to die for. I can't- I literally can't!"

The bell rings and the two girls come to stand, "So, will you be inviting this super cute girl standing in front of you to come with you to LA then?" Because Riley is beaming at the notion.

"I need you there! You're my muse, so if your parents are cool with it, then definitely. We're probably gonna' road trip it, make it more fun. We're gonna' take John's van."

"I am so in, then."

Okay, so today isn't all the bad at all. Yeah, occasionally the mind will wander to a place she really doesn't want it to go, but somehow she manages to find another memory to focus on...it's a good, temporary fix. They're walking down the hall when just a little ways ahead and to their left is Austin gathering things from his locker, his father right behind him.

'Oh god.'

'Guys, I can't- what do we do?'

'I-I don't know! The school suspended him, I thought! I-I didn't think he'd be here today!'

The fear is clear upon Riley's face. And so Carissa's pace will slow just a little, "It's okay, Riley, switch sides with me." She'll be on the left side. This way she's not in immediate view as they walk.

Too little, too late. She's been spotted. And so quickly he slams his locker shut to look right at her.

It's the way he looks at her. That disgusting look as if he's well and truly believing he's the victim. Riley has to say something. It's impulse, teenage impulse, "I can't believe you have the nerve to look at me like that." Though outwardly she's appearing to be one hell of a trooper, her heart is beating so loudly in her ears it's amazing she can manage to hear anything.

And while normally Carissa would simply pull her away from Austin, clearly Riley feels the need to fight her battle and Carissa wouldn't dream of getting in the way of that. In fact, if nothing else, she's a little bit proud of her...and surprised.

"And there you go again, Andersen, playing the victim, as always." He'll click his tongue.

"Playing the victim?" She's enraged, "You fucking raped me! I am the victim here!"

It's that word. That ugly, incredibly true word that further triggers Austin. A single punch to his locker before he's grabbing her by the shoulders and pinning her against the wall while his father actually does nothing to stop it. because in his eyes, his son isn't doing anything wrong, "You little bitch. You think you're so fucking important? You know this wouldn't have happened if you weren't a fucking lesbia-" His words are spoken so quickly- everything he does is in the blink of an eye, it's a shock anybody comprehends them. it had been so abrupt.

But he won't get another word out. Carissa, with one hand pulls him away immediately, pushing him right to the ground, "GET YOUR NASTY HANDS AWAY FROM HER OR I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!"

Carl immediately comes rushing to the scene. The commotion had been loud enough that it could be heard from his classroom down the hall. There's Riley standing in complete shock, eyes wide. He knows damn well his best friend can hold her own, he's by Riley's side quick as a flash.

And Austins father with a loud, "Oh!" Will grab Carissa's wrist tightly, "If you do that again, young lady, I'm gonna' have to press char-"

But Carissa? Oh, she isn't playing games anymore. She's angry. She's too angry. A single hand will pull the gentleman closer by his shirt, "No.You listen."

And it's the tone of her voice that's enough to quiet him. The well and true terror on his face is hard to mistake.

"The next time your little bastard goes near my Riley? I'm gonna' skin him, like a rabbit. Right in front of you."

It's Austin who finally reaches his fathers arm, "Come on, just take me home. I came here for my books and I got em' lets just go."

She remains in that standing position. Her eyes are cold, watching the two disgraces leaving the hallway. And once they're out of site, she's by Riley's side.

The side of the very girl who's slowly sliding down the wall of the hallway as the bell rings and classroom doors are shutting. The tears are furious. She's hysterical, breathing heavy.

Carl, a hand on her right shoulder is trying to calm her down, "He's gone, he's gone okay? It's okay."

Carissa is taking her hand, squeezing it tight.

"I can't-h- I can't-h- I can't do this-h, I wanna' go home-h-h-h!"

"Babe, I'll take you home." She'll kiss her hand, leaving bits of love against each finger tip, "We can go home right now. I will drive you home. Okay? Just take a deep breath, and calm down. And then I'll take you home. We'll leave right now, you just have to calm down for me, okay?" Once again those all too comforting hands are pressed to tear stained cheeks, "Just take a deep breath and relax, I'm gonna' take you home right now, Riley."

"C-Carl needs my math homework-h- I-"

He'll smile at her, "I can handle it myself. Go home, Riley. Get some rest and relax. I'll text you later. I'll even come over if you want me to."

She'll nod as she slowly comes to stand. Going home is what she needs, he's right.

"Well that was a fucking disaster." Angers hands are raised into the air as he turns in his chair. He needs to to take a walk across the room. If nothing else, he's thankful that her islands are functioning for the most part. Maybe not to the best of their ability, but they're trucking on. That's a good thing...isn't it? He certainly hopes so, "The fuck were we thinking? Going back to school like that, that was such a mistake! She wasn't ready!"

"But she thought she was!" Joy will join Anger in front of the window, "She was going stir crazy and she wanted to go. It's nobodies fault."

"Well, what are we supposed to do now?! We can't miss anymore school!"

"True, but it's Friday, so at least we have tomorrow and Sunday to get ourselves back onto the field. I know this is frustrating, Anger, but this is really difficult for her to go through...especially for Disgust and Sadness over there. Fear too. We have to be strong for them. Riley tried today and yeah...it didn't work out the way we wanted it to, but we just have to try again."

The lights will so suddenly dim in headquarters. Fear sounding relieved of all things, "She's home and she's taking a nap. So I think maybe we should all have a meeting, yes?"

"But what if she has a bad dream?" Sadness is worried enough as it is.

Disgust had been prepared, "No worries, I made a call to our little friends down in dreams, they promised us a skateboarding on rainbow road with friends dream. We're good."

"Good. Then everybody let's talk." Fear is waving his arms towards the windows, "So, we need to figure out a plan. The distracting memories will only work for so long."

Surprisingly, Sadness is going to have a pretty good idea, "She needs to talk about it."

The others will look to Sadness with raised brows.

"I know it sounds crazy, but she hasn't talked about it with anyone. And it can't be forced either. It needs to be on her terms. To someone she trusts. It'll help a lot. We have to wait for the right moment. But it needs to happen."

Fear, having taken control of this little meeting is already jotting her idea down onto his clipboard, "Okay, talk about it, got it. So, Sadness, since you came up with the idea, you should take dream duty tonight alright?"

"...Okay. A-are you sure?"

"Definitely. Now everybody else, just keep doing your part with throwing random memories at her when the flashbacks come back involuntarily, okay? Let's get back to our seats and watch her dreams and make sure everything is going smoothly."

And god, how long had she been asleep for? Riley stirs feeling groggy as all hell. It's dark in her room. The sun is almost completely set. 7:49 PM. The only reason she'll bother to trudge on down stairs in her tired state is because she's hungry. But just as the half lidded teen makes her way down the steps, there in the living room is Officer Castellanos. She'll pause at the bottom of the stairs.

He'll clear his throat, "...Evening, Riley."

"...Hi."

'Guys we're so not ready for this!'

'Well, what choice do we have?!'

Her mother will speak first, "Honey, the police really need to get your statement. Sooner rather than later. So um, if you think you're okay to do that, your father and I are going to outside on the steps to give you and Officer Castellanos some privacy and when you're finished up, we'll come back inside."

She'll still say nothing. But she feels her stomach turning. Riley's not so hungry anymore.

But he'll sit up on the couch, "If this is a bad time, I can leave, Riley. But it would be...better to get the ball rolling because I'm sure you want this mess over with as soon as possible."

'I mean he's right about that. I want this over and done with.'

'...It couldn't hurt to try.'

She'll rub her eyes, sigh just a little, "Yeah...yeah, okay, I guess."

"Perfect. Why don't you take a seat next to me?"

And her father is already opening the front door, "We'll be right outside if you need us, monkey." It'll be shut right behind him.

'Deep breaths, everybody, we can do this.'

The officer will once again clear his throat as he turns to a half written in page on his notebook, "Alright, so this is going to be really quick, I promise." He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a pen, giving it a click, "Just start from the beginning. Start from when you got to the party, the events leading up to...when things started seeming...off. And whatever you can remember from there."

'Deep breaths, deep breaths, everyone stay on your game for her.'

And indeed she'll take a deep breath, "Okay, well." She'll run her fingers through her hair, "I got there around 8:30, I'm pretty sure. It started out chill. I was sitting at the table Carl set up in his dining room. It was me and Amanda and Carl." For some reason she feels the need to pause in fear she's talking too fast for him to write everything down. When he looks up at her, she'll continue, "Carissa was there too. Things got weird because my best friend Amanda has a crush on me kinda' and she got jealous that me and Carissa were flirting so because I didn't want awkward vibes I went outside to get a b- a drink."

He'll laugh a little, "Okay...a drink." He'll humor her.

'Wait guys. The phone call- the phone call with Austin earlier that day!'

"Wait um- I just remembered."

"Remembered what?"

"That um. Before the party, like hours before it, Austin called me. I didn't know it was him because his number wasn't in my phone. Somehow he got mine, I think he said Jensen gave it to him. And he...he said." She'll trail off, trying to recall it, "That he's been going to therapy and he wanted to not end things on bad terms. He was playing it like...because we're graduating in a few months, he didn't want to graduate without putting the past in the past. And I agreed because I figured closure about what happened in middle school sounded like a good idea. And the phone call ended with him saying let's have fun tonight. You with Carissa and me with my friends."

"Okay, now, after you got your drink from outside...what happened?"

"Well, I came back inside and everyone was gone from the table. I turned around and ran into Austin. Literally. Enough to push his wallet out of his hand. So I picked it up. I put my drink on the table, and reached down to grab it." Another deep breath.

'We're doing good guys, we're doing really good!'

"When he stuffed it back into his pocket he wanted to... make a toast to putting the past in the past. I took a sip from my drink, not a generous sip, but not a small sip." A nervous pause, "...The next thing I remember is suddenly my vision getting weird on me. I started seeing double and my head was spinning. And my head started to hurt really bad. The last thing I remember hearing before being upstairs in Carl's room was let's get you upstairs." She has to cover her face, "From there everything is in...it's in like, weird flashes. He's on top of me laughing. And pushing my arms away from me. I passed out at points and before I did thr first time I remember hearing it's going to hurt. A-and it did hurt. It hurt a lot. It's like sometimes I see mostly black because I kept falling in and out of consciousness, but it never stopped hurting. I knew what he was doing, yet I was...powerless to stop it."

There's a pause from Officer Castellanos now. It's horrific to hear about, "And do you remember your friends coming into the room?"

"...Yeah, I remember Carl trying to keep me awake and calling 911."

"Okay." A sigh. This is so difficult for him. With a daughter himself, he can't bare this, "Now let me ask you this." He seems to be looking back at a previous page, "Your friend Carl mentioned Jensen showing him a livenow stream of the events, do you happen to know-'

'There's video of it online?!'

'He filmed it- Jensen helped him film it?!'

"Wait, there's video of it?"

"...You didn't know?"

"N-No! No I didn't know, how would I know?!"

"Well, I know this is hard, but that could make or break the case. We need your permission to show it at the hearing."

"H-How could they film it?! Did everybody see it?! She has so many followers on her stream!"

"I don't know, Riley, but as soon as we take the footage we can make sure it's deleted."

"That's not how it works! If she posted it, a bunch of trolls probably took it and saved it! It's online forever I just-!"

'I'm gonna be sick.'

'Me too.'

'Me three.'

Immediately the teenager will stand, she has to excuse herself back upstairs, "I'm sorry, I need to go to bed, thank you for your time, officer." She doesn't even take her time. She's nearly jogging up the stairs.

It's catastrophic for every person involved. People who'd witnessed it first hand, and those who're just hearing about it. It's especially difficult on Carissa, who's shown up a solid three hours late to band practice. Late enough that Claire, who's sitting on the stoop of her house smoking a cigarette, looks pretty pissed, "Woulda' been nice if ya' called. I could have seen Shannon who I haven't seen in ages because she's a two hour train ride away."

"Well, I didn't think I'd be fucking late." She'll drop down right next to Claire, lighting her own cigarette with the lighter her band mate is currently handing to her, "I got fucking questioned by Austin's lawyer."

"Shit. That asshole can't feel good about defending his sick actions."

"It's not about the case technically."

"What's that mean?"

"...They might press charges on me which could effect Riley's case and I feel really bad."

That's enough for Claire to stand up, "Wow. Okay. Carissa, what the fuck were you thinking? What did you do?"

"First of all, you weren't there! He pinned Riley against the wall in school today and tried to freak her out so I pulled him away from her! His dad was literally standing right fucking there and did nothing to stop it! But when I step in he threatens to press charges as if everything his son is doing is fine! So I said if Austin goes near her again that I would skin him. And yeah, when we caught him in the act on New Years Eve, I beat him up, but he fucking deserved it! He deserves worse than what I did!"

"And you don't see anything wrong with that?! That was selfish of you. My god, you really need to get your fucking anger in check. Did you even consider for a second that it could potentially make things harder on Riley? Not to mention the band. We're doing really well and without you we have nothing to show. How could you be so ridiculous? This could fuck your future up too!"

"I don't need you lecturing me, Claire! I know you're all about always be good, don't judge people, don't bring negative vibes to the crowd, but I don't do that shit. I put people in their place and give them what they deserve! If someone fucks with someone I love, I'm not just gonna' sit there and let them get away with it!"

"And what happens when you're in jail when you take it too far one day, or you ruin the case for Riley because you couldn't think for two seconds before acting?"

"Would you do it for Shannon?"

That's a low blow. Claire remains silent.

"...Would you..." She'll flick her cigarette, eyeing Claire, her face stern, yet sympathetic, "Do it for Shannon?"

It's an unfair low blow because Claire doesn't even have to think about it, "...You know the answer, Caris'."

She nods, bringing her half finished cigarette to her mouth, a deep inhale before drawing it away with an exhale, "Then you don't get to fight me on this."

Another word won't be spoken when her phone is vibrating in her pocket. It's Riley, "-Hey. You feeling better?"

And it'll prove to be quite the opposite, the voice is frantic. It's hysterical loud enough that even Claire can hear it, "U-Um-h- I-I was wh-whondering if you could come over-h-?"

She's immediately standing, the cigarette being thrown into the street, "I'm on my way, what happened?"

She's in the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel, having just finished showering. The bathroom is a mess. Damp, shower door fogged up, and the floor itself...is covered in blood, "I-I spoke to the cops-h and I learned-h about how it's online-h- i found the stream and I panicked and-h-h" She's having a complete melt down, "I relapsed really really bad-h-! It's really deep and it's a lot,I did it a lot, please come over-h-h!" So physically drained, She doesn't even hang up. The phone is simply dropped down onto the ground.

There's no telling how long she's sitting on that white tiled floor, crying hysterically- so hard, she swears she'll throw up.

But the door will nearly slam open. The sight is...gruesome. It's enough for Carissa to have to take a small step back. Hand over her mouth.

Riley will look right up at her, still tear stained cheeks bright red and swollen, "I-I'm so sorry-h! I'm so sorry-h-h!"

She's careful to shut the door behind her, locking it just in case. Odds are, the last thing Riley needs is for her parents to wake up and witness this. She'll get right down on her knees, slip out of her jacket, "It's okay, Riley." She'll carefully reach for the towel, "Can I take a look at them?"

It's a sheepish nod as Riley attempts to calm down.

It's a daunting view. They're still bleeding. It's even harder for Carissa not to start having a break down herself. But she has to be strong for Riley. She knows it, "Okay, I'm gonna' take the towel from you, we have to apply pressure to your thigh. Here-" She'll very cautiously take the girls hands, "Apply pressure to the towel, okay? We're gonna clean you up and get you into some clean clothes." She's already standing, rummaging through the Andersen medicine cabinet. She's so thankful that there's a full bottle of rubbing alcohol. But god dammit, the small band aids won't do anything. Much to her luck, a gauze pad. What a relief. She's down on her knees once again, "Baby, please." Those hands, yet again pressing to those cheeks in order to soothe her, "You need to calm down, you'll make yourself sick."

She'll squeeze her eyes shut with a full body shudder, "I-Ih'm trying-h-h!"

"I know, I know. But come on, take a deep breath with me. On the count of three okay? One, two, three."

And together, the two girls, eyes locked, will breathe in deeply, exhale slowly, "One, two, three." Breathe in deeply, exhale slowly, "One, two, three." Breathe in deeply, exhale slowly.

One.
Two.
Three.

Amanda lays in her bed, turned on her side facing her windows. She'll stare at her pale curtains, her knees bent. She's hugging her pillow close, tears in her eyes. They fall silently.

One.
Two.
Three.

How could anybody hurt her best friend like that? All she can think about is the sight she walked into. Riley exposed from the waist down. Carissa kicking Austin right in the stomach over and over, shouting profanities that echo in her ears loudly. Carl standing in horror, fighting to wake Riley up. And she, having no idea what to do, nearly fainting on the spot.

One.
Two.
Three.

It's numbing enough that the sound of her door opening doesn't even frighten her. She doesn't jolt, nor make a sound. Immediately a familiar voice speaks, "Hey." And she can hear him unzipping his jeans, dropping them to the floor and climbing right into her bed, "Gonna' crash here, s'that cool?" She doesn't even turn around. Not a single word spoken. Just a nod.

One.
Two.
Three.

"Good girl, Riley, you're doing great. Just take another deep breath, I-I know this hurts." She's crying too, now. Taking a large cotton ball coated in rubbing alcohol and cleaning the self afflicted wounds, "Take a breath for me, okay? Just like before-h."

And Riley is nearly clenching her teeth. God, it hurts so bad, "Nhhh!" She'll place a hand over her mouth, wincing in agony. I'm so fucking stupid, "H-hhnnh!"

"I know- I-I know, baby, i-it's okay it's almost done-h. We have to clean them I'm sorry-h, I know it hurts-h-" She's already reaching for the gauze, peeling the adhesive protector off, "Hold still a little longer-h."

One.
Two.
Three.

Amanda turns to Carl in complete shock. This might just be the first time she's ever seen him shed a single tear, "I-I can't sleep in my bed-h." He'll lay on his back, gazing at the ceiling, "It's like. E-every time I close my eyes...I just see it. I see it happen again, and again, and again." He can't do this either, "Every time I go in there-h. I see him on my bed- on my fucking bed, violating one of my best friends in the most disgusting way imaginable. And I just get so sick-h- I threw up before. I-I can't be in there. I can't go in that room anymore. I can't do it! I can't go in there anymore! I haven't slept in days!"

One.
Two.
Three.

She'll throw herself into Carl's arms, "I-I know-h- I know, Carl-h. J-Just know-h. You can...you can stay here-h. You can stay here any time you want to-h. I'm here for you-h. A-and I am so sorry that it happened in your room!"

He'll wrap his arms around her tightly. His body shaking with dread and distress, "I-I'm sorry too!"

One.
Two.
Three.

Those strong arms, drop Riley onto her bed just before they're searching her drawers for an over sized black sweater which she'll dress her in, "Come on, babe." The covers are turned down. And Riley will climb right in no questions asked.

"Please don't go-h." She utters in the softest tone of voice, "I don't care if I get in trouble, please stay over."

No hesitation, "I'll stay. Just give me one of your pillows I don't mind crashing on the floor."

"No. Stay in bed with me. Please. Please stay in my bed with me."

One.
Two.
Three.

Hours of crying. Hours of frustration.
Hours of cutting, bleeding, fighting,
of cleaning and counting down breaths,
throwing away towels and broken glass.

One.
Two.
Three.

Amanda passes out first...Carl only minutes after. The two laying on their backs, shoulders touching. Emotionally exhausted.

One.
Two.
Three.

Riley, she's turned onto her side, passed out almost instantly to the sound of Carissa humming gently against her ear, stroking her hair lovingly. Hours later, the slumber is mutual. Carissa's arms are wrapped around Riley, her chin just above her head. Completely connected to one another in their soundless sleep. Safe for now...emotionally shattered.