A/N:I really appreciate all of your kind words and support. I forgot how amazing the people in this fandom truly are. Again, I'm sorry for any SVU or court errors that I make; the only thing I can say is that this is what things were like for me. All names have been changed to protect those involved.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Law and Order: SVU. That honor goes to the good folks over at NBC.

Spoilers:None.

Summary:An eleventh grader is sexually assaulted at school. Will Olivia, Alex, and the rest of the gang be able to help her cope?

000000000000000

Present, Alex and Olivia

I again turned my face up to the rain, heavily sighing. It really isn't that often that a case gets under my skin, but Julia's situation feels different. Julia is the most naïve high school kid I've ever met in my life, and trust me, I've met a lot of kids.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Alex kindly asked, making sure to keep my head covered with the umbrella.

"Nah, it would cost you more like a buck. A buck for my thoughts," I half teased her, trying not to smile. I actually wasn't in the mood to smile; nothing about my day was smile-worthy.

"I can do a buck," Alex softly replied, reaching into her pocket. Fishing out a crumpled bill, she handed it over to me for my inspection. "Okay, so what's on your mind?"

I rolled my eyes at her, but took a deep breath. She was good; she always knew how to handle me, which is probably why Elliot had sent her after me in the first place. Running a shaky hand through my hair, I frowned. "I just feel badly, you know? Julia is a sweet kid. AP and honors classes, chess club, editor of the school newspaper, student liaison to the school board, the list goes on and on," I mumbled. And then after a moment, "She's also one of the most naïve eleventh graders I've ever met in my life. Did you see the expression on her face during the entire interview?"

Alex nodded. Julia had looked not only scared and confused, but mortified, as well.

I continued, putting my head in my hands. "Do you know how she must have felt trying to explain what happened? She'd never even been kissed before, and all of a sudden she was forced to talk about groping, fondling, and penetration. Jesus, Alex, the kid doesn't even swear!"

"I know," she murmured, resting a comforting hand on my back. "Sex has never been a part of her every day vocabulary until recently. I'm sure it's been tough on her, to say the least."

I tried to hold back my sarcastic laugh, but it broke free anyhow. "And the school? Who the hell tells a victim that what happened wasn't that bad? Especially when it happened on school grounds?"

"Someone who's trying not to get sued," Alex simply replied.

And she was probably right. Damn them.

000000000000000

Lakewood High School, forty-seven hours prior

Mrs. Roget accompanied Julia to the counseling center, trying to hide the look of disgust on her face. She wasn't upset with Julia—the student hadn't done anything wrong, but Lakewood was a small, middle-to-upper class community, and to her knowledge, nothing like this had ever happened before. A sexual assault was definitely not something that frequently happened in the area.

Julia stiffly stood in the doorway of the counseling office, staring at nothing and everything all at the same time. She was having an increasingly difficult time focusing on her surroundings, and the noise from the hallway was almost deafening and overwhelming. When she heard her teacher speaking to the office secretary, however, she tried her best to pay attention.

"I need to speak with Mrs. Simon right now. Is she available?" Mrs. Roget asked the secretary.

"I'm afraid she's in with a student right now," the secretary apologized, curiously staring at Julia.

"This is actually an emergency," Mrs. Roget persisted. "I need to speak with her immediately."

"It's not an emergency," Julia meekly told the two adults. "We can come back later." She hated feeling like a bother to anyone, and besides, she really didn't know what to say or even how to say it. In fact, she wouldn't have said anything to anyone in the first place, except for the fact that she felt completely confused, scared, and dirty.

"It's an emergency," Mrs. Roget maintained, sighing in relief when the secretary nodded, calling the school psychologist. "Take a seat, Julia," the teacher pointed to a free chair, "And I promise I'll be right back."

Julia cautiously sat down, once again feeling disoriented and cold. She prided herself on her ability to think through problems, and it scared her that her brain felt so muddled.

A minute later, Mrs. Roget and the school psychologist returned to the waiting room. "Julia?" Mrs. Simon, the psychologist, smiled at her. "I've seen you around school, but it's finally nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Julia mumbled, trying to be polite. Hesitantly getting to her feet, she followed the school psychologist down the hallway, frowning when her social studies teacher remained behind. "Aren't you coming…?"

"I have to get back to class," Mrs. Roget gave Julia a quick hug, "But I'll be back later. You'll be okay," she added, giving her an extra hug for support.

Right, Julia thought to herself, obediently following Mrs. Simon to her office.

"… Can you tell me what happened?" the psychologist gently asked Julia once the door was closed, gesturing to the couch in the corner of the room.

Julia took a seat on the couch, but remained quiet.

"I can't help you unless you tell me a little bit about what happened," she softly continued, sitting across from her.

Julia took an uncomfortable breath, slowly exhaling. "I'm not really sure," she finally admitted. "I don't know what the legal definitions for assault and rape are, so…" she half-shrugged.

"Do you think you were raped?"

"I don't know," Julia whispered. "I don't think so, but—" she trailed off, tears springing to her eyes. Staring down at her hands, she felt powerless to stop her mind from wandering. Why is it so hard to focus? Just focus!

"But what?" Mrs. Simon gently prodded.

Julia remained quiet until the psychologist once again called her name, pulling her out of her reverie. Shaking her head, with silent tears streaming down her cheeks, she frowned in confusion. "… I don't know what to say."

"Can you tell me when it happened?" Mrs. Simon softly inquired, trying a new tactic. Maybe specific, less generic, questions would be easier for her to answer.

"Around 3:30 or 4:00, yesterday after school," Julia almost immediately replied, wringing her hands in anxiety. She felt like she needed to bolt, and it was taking everything in her to remain seated.

"Good girl," Mrs. Simon smiled in encouragement. "Where did it happen?"

Julia took another deep breath, shakily letting it out. "I said no while we were waiting for the bus to take us home," Julia mumbled. "And then it happened on the bus."

Mrs. Simon wanted to ask more questions about the saying no part and then what 'it' referred to, but she was honestly shocked by something else that the student had just told her. "It happened on school property?"

Julia simply nodded, her gaze riveted to the ground.

"Do you know who did it?"

Julia again nodded. The guy had been a friend of hers when they were younger, and he was now a member of the varsity football team. Everyone knew who he was, and everyone lovedhim; football was very big at her school.

Mrs. Simon cleared her throat, frowning. "Julia, can you tell me exactly what happened?"

"I can't," Julia repeated, making eye contact with the school psychologist for the briefest of moments. "I don't know how to tell you, don't you understand?" For the first time in her life, words had failed her.

Clasping her hands in her lap, Mrs. Simon bit her lip. "Did he inappropriately touch you?"

That got an affirmative nod from Julia.

"Did he inappropriately touch you over your clothes?"

Another nod.

"Did he inappropriately touch you under your clothes?"

Nod number three.

"Did he—" Mrs. Simon frowned as her next question was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Excuse me for a moment," she smiled at Julia, poking her head outside. "We'll need a few more minutes," she told whoever was at the door, "But yeah, I'd give them a call. This will definitely be reportable."

"I can come back later," Julia repeated, once Mrs. Simon retook her seat.

"No, I've cancelled all of my appointments for the rest of the day. You're my number one priority right now," she tried to smile. "But I need to warn you, honey, the police are on their way to talk to you."

Julia's eyes widened in fear as her entire face paled. She hadn't even managed to tell the school psychologist what happened. How was she supposed to tell the police? What would her parents say? What would her friends say?

Julia immediately burst into tears.

000000000000000

TO BE CONTINUED