The next morning, Olivia went back to school with Abbie. She held her head high, trying to be brave and not show the pain she was in, and Abbie knew firsthand just how much pain she was in. But aside from telling Olivia she was there for her, she didn't say a word.

They went their separate ways to their first period classrooms. Abbie plopped down in her seat beside Alex. "What's wrong?" asked the blonde, knitting her brows in concern when she saw the look on Abbie's face.

Abbie sighed. "Olivia."

Alex nodded understandingly. "Maybe she'll be at school today."

"She is," Abbie informed her.

Alex looked surprised for a moment, but changed the subject. "So are you ready for the test?"

"What test?"

Alex laughed. "I'll take that as a no."

Abbie shrugged. "I fail."

"You'll do fine."

"No, you'll do fine. You can get perfect without studying. I fail when I don't study."

"But I think I care more than you, so we're good."

Abbie laughed. "I might as well not write it."

Sure enough, when their teacher handed out the test and Abbie looked at it, she knew she was going to fail. She thought of something Olivia had once told her and smiled. The test was multiple choice, and she purposefully circled the one answer in every question that she knew was wrong.

She met up with Olivia during science class. "How was your French test?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Abbie groaned. "Took a page out of the Olivia Benson playbook. Answered every question wrong."

Olivia laughed. "Alex texted me."

Abbie pretended to push invisible glasses up her nose and mimicked Alex. "Texted is not a real word. You should say sent me a text message."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Oh, no. Two of you!"

Mr. Prinze came over to the girls. "Homework," he snapped.

Olivia shrugged. "Don't got it." She was clearly using bad grammar just because she wanted to annoy him.

"I don't got it, neither," said Abbie, grinning at her friend. She did have it, but she was standing up for Olivia.

Mr. Prinze frowned but left them alone. Olivia smirked at Abbie. "You do have it, don't you?"

Abbie shrugged. "That's how the farmers in Texas talk."

"I thought they said y'all."

"They say that too."

Olivia grinned. "We're just a couple a' Texan hicks," she said, trying to imitate Abbie's accent and failing miserably.

Abbie laughed. "Cut that out." She opened her science textbook and turned to the appropriate page.

"I'm sharing with you," Olivia informed her, pulling the textbook so that it was resting half on her desk and half on Abbie's.

Abbie rolled her eyes. "I love how you don't ask me; you tell me."

"Well, I know you'll say yes."

Abbie put her textbook away. "No."

Olivia pouted. "Come on . . . I don't have mine."

"Where is it?"

"At home."

Abbie sighed and handed her the textbook. "Sorry."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Don't do that."

"What?"

"Pity me. I don't need it."

Abbie didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.

They met up with Alex at lunch; the boys had some kind of practice they needed to go to. "Hey, Liv," said Alex when she saw them, clearly trying to be nonchalant.

Abbie pretended to be insulted. "Hey, don't I get a hello too?"

Alex smiled indulgently. "I already saw you today, but hello, Abbie."

Abbie rolled her eyes. "Who actually says hello anymore?"

"I do."

"Stop it," said Olivia. "Let's split a pizza."

"I'll treat," offered Alex.

Olivia looked a bit uncomfortable, but she and Abbie both agreed. They sat down at a table in the cafeteria and Alex got them a small cheese pizza to share.

Olivia stayed with the Carmichaels again that night, and nothing was said about it.

His hands were all over her, snaking down, between her legs. She tried to push his hand away, tried to say no, but her voice sounded faraway, distant even to her. "You slut," he hissed. "You're gonna pay!"

She tried to scream, but her voice wouldn't work. She closed her eyes and tried not to cry. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Abbie woke up in a cold sweat. She checked to make sure Olivia was still asleep. She was. Thank goodness for small comforts. Then she felt the wet spot on her sheets. "Fuck!" she hissed. "No fucking way." This was the third time this had happened, and she didn't want her parents – or Olivia – to think it was a common occurrence.

She got up and started to strip down the bed, then froze when she heard movement from the floor. Olivia. "Is it morning?" Olivia murmured sleepily.

"No," snapped Abbie. "Go back to sleep."

Olivia obediently lay her head back down on her pillow and Abbie almost breathed a sigh of relief. Then her head snapped up as Olivia said, almost angrily, "No."

"What did you say?"

"I said no. What's wrong, Abbie?"

"Fuck you," muttered Abbie, rolling up her wet sheets and stalking out of the bedroom, toward the laundry room.

She heard footsteps behind her and forced herself not to turn around. She was not going to give Olivia the satisfaction. "Abbie –" she began.

"Shut up!" hissed Abbie, shoving the sheets into the washing machine. "You're going to wake my parents."

Olivia stood stubbornly in the doorway. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Either you do as I tell you or you get out of my house," snapped Abbie.

Olivia looked as if she'd been slapped and visibly deflated. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Okay," she said quietly. She started for the front door.

Abbie grimaced. She needed to learn to think before she spoke. She was pushing away her best friend, the one person she'd voluntarily told about her rape, the girl who needed her most right now. "Olivia, wait. I didn't mean that."

Olivia turned back, her chocolate eyes flashing, but not with anger – with pain. "Yes, you did." And then she was gone.

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