I reported the rape, and told the police everything about what Buquet had been doing to me since the class trip to Paris. They called my parents, and took me to the hospital and took samples from every part and crevice of me. The police told me that with the evidence I provided them, Buquet would be arrested and charged with rape and sexual assault. Even though I felt very relieved that I had done the right thing, I couldn't help to think about what I had said and done to Monsieur Destler. I had slapped him, and pretty much told him to fuck off in a sense. Not only that, I told him to find another Belle. How could I have done that, after I had worked so hard to get that part? When my parents came to pick me up from the hospital, they had brought Drake along. The police told my parents what had happened, and with that, they released me into their custody. When I came out, they couldn't look at me. I looked at them questioningly, wondering what I had done wrong. Drake walked with me out to my parents' car, not saying a word.

"Drake? Please," I said quietly before getting into the car, "Please say something. I don't like you being this quiet."

His reply was cold and unemotional. "We will talk...tomorrow."

With that, he put me in the backseat and slammed the car door. My parents drove back to our house, not saying anything until they saw the house surrounded by police and them searching throughout the house for more evidence against Buquet. My father threw the car's gearshift into park, and my mother turned around and looked at me with the harshest eyes that I had ever seen.

"I just don't see how you could have brought this upon yourself. You were such a good girl."

I merely looked at her, swallowing a lump in my throat. "I didn't ask for this to happen."

"Well, you must have done something to make him want you," my father said in reply, still watching the police coming in and out of our home.

"I didn't do anything! How are you not being more supportive?"

"We're trying, Sophie, but you're making it very difficult."

"How am I making anything difficult?"

My father let out a long sigh, then he turned around in his seat to look at me. "We know you're not telling the truth."

"What are you talking about? I told the police everything! They have everything off my back and then some to press charges against Buquet!"

"Mr. Buquet has told us of your relationship with Mr. Destler."

I just blinked, then let out an angry breath. "You are both fucking morons," I said through gritted teeth, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut with all of my might. I walked up to the house, not caring if the police were trying to keep me out. I ran up the stairs to my room, which was still swarming with cops. "Get what you need and get out! Get out and leave me alone!" I ran to my bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it, slowly sinking down to the floor. How could this be? How could they think that I have any kind of relationship with Monsieur Destler? Buquet must be trying to cover his tracks, building a case against mine. I sighed heavily, wishing I could have erased it all. Wish it all away. I looked at my arms, my wrists, wondering how painful would it be to end it all. Suddenly, there was a knock on my door.

"Miss Day? We're leaving. Your room is a mess, but we got what we needed."

"Fine," I said in a short tone. "Thank you."

I listened as the footsteps faded from my bedroom, and the house grew quiet. I walked back out into my room, my skin crawling with disgust as I looked around. I couldn't stand to be in there. I grabbed a pillow and a clean blanket and returned to my bathroom, shutting and locking the door once more. I placed both my pillow and blanket on the floor before I ran the water in the bathtub, making it as hot as I could stand it. I put some lavendar bubble bath into the water and slowly climbed in, letting water wash over me. I closed my eyes, leaning back against the wall of the bathtub. My mind was whirling. What was going to happen now? And what was going to happen at school the next day? Hopefully, Buquet had been arrested already, and was sitting in a jail cell. But what if he wasn't? What if he was going to come back? What if he was going to be at school? Where was Drake? What was he doing? And what about Monsieur Destler? I washed myself off, scrubbing my skin as hard as I could, getting out of the tub, drying and putting my pajamas on. I laid on the floor, curled into a ball, and settled into a night of no sleep.

The next day, I walked to school alone. My mother and my father were still prying into my so-called relationship with Monsieur Destler, and not in the mood to reply to their questions, I left with my bookbag on my back and my purse in hand and began to walk. It wasn't long after I left my house that Drake pulled up beside me, driving slowly and rolling down the window.

"You do know that school is a few miles away, right?"

"Do I look like I give a shit," I replied coldly, continuing to walk, turning a corner to continue down the block. Drake stopped the car, put it in park, getting out, and stepping in front of me to stop me.

"Get in the car...please," he said softly, taking my hand in his. I let out a low sigh, moving to get into the passenger side of his car. I buckled my seat belt as he got in, buckling his own and starting to drive. I just looked out the window, noticing that we were taking the long way to school.

"Why are you going this way," I asked softly, my hand on my head. "We'll be late."

"I'm ready to talk now, and I figured that it might take a while."

"Okay, so talk."

"Why didn't you tell me what Buquet was doing to you?"

"Because I couldn't tell anyone, otherwise Monsieur Destler would have lost his job."

I noticed him clench the steering wheel, not looking at me. "So you were protecting him when you should have been worrying about yourself."

"Drake...I didn't want this to happen to me. And it escalated. Last night proved that."

"Because you didn't refuse Buquet, Soph. You just let him do that to you."

"Drake, please," I pleaded as he pulled up to the school, "I need you to be supportive of me right now. Mom and Dad aren't doing a very good job of it. They think that I'm lying and that it was really Monsieur Destler." He drove forcefully into a parking spot, throwing it in park and turning off the car.

"I'll try, but I need some space," he said, and with that, he got out of his car, grabbing his things, and heading up to the school. As I looked out the window, I saw the staring eyes of my classmates and others staring at me as I slowly emerged from Drake's car, looking over and seeing a cop car. I shuddered, cringing. I knew who they were here for. As I walked up the courtyard, the two lead detectives who interviewed me came out of the doors of the school, escrorting a cuffed Buquet from the school. He stopped walking as he saw me, giving me a smug smirk.

"I'll see you soon, my dear," he said in a sneering tone, trying to lean and kiss me. One of the detectives yanked on him, dragging him down to the police car. As I turned towards the school, I saw all of the eyes of schoolmates and teachers on me. As I took my first steps toward the school, the whispers began. I felt so nausous, but I continued my steps, my head held high as the whispers traveled between mouths and ears. I stopped at my locker, slowly turning the lock, trying to remember my combination. I didn't know that Crissy had came behind me with her entourage, her hands on her hips.

"So, that's what you've been hiding all of this time," she said with a sneer and smirk as I opened my locker, putting my things away. When I didn't reply, she came closer to me, putting her hand on the locker beside mine. "It's a wonder to me why he chose you," she said in a normal voice, then leaned in to whisper, "I gave myself willingly."

I looked up at her for a moment, then turned back to my locker, grabbing a textbook.

"What is it, Sophie? Couldn't you take it? Did you have to tell him to stop?"

I stood frozen, emotionless.

"Or do you not want to admit that you enjoyed it? Every...single...inch," she said, flicking my hair.

Something inside of me snapped. I took the textbook that I had in my hands, swung around and hitting Crissy in the face with it. Her head snapped back as blood began to gush from her nose and she yelled. I tackled her to the floor as other students turned and saw that there was a fight, surrounding us as I began to pound my hands into her face and to her ribs. Crissy was screaming for help as she covered herself, students cheering for both me and her as teachers began to flood the scene, trying to break through the sea of students. It wasn't long after I landed one last punch to her face when I felt myself being physically lifted off of her and someone's arms wrapping around my waist as I tried to kick her, screaming angrily as I tried to go after her. Then, the grip of the person holding me grew tighter to restrain me, and a soft voice went through my ear.

"Sophia...shh...calm yourself..."

I breathed heavily, no longer trying to escape from the grip as students departed and went to their classrooms and Crissy was being escorted by two teachers to the nurse's office. I began to scratch and claw at his arms, which only caused him to hold me tighter and restrain my arms with one arm while holding me with the other.

"Breathe," he said softly and calmly, slowly setting my feet on the ground. "Breathe deeply. Remember where you are."

My breaths became deeper and slower as I began to relax, feeling my body close to his as he held me. I closed my eyes, lowering my head as I finally gave into his grip, feeling the pain in my hands from the fight.

"Why are you here? You shouldn't be here today," he said quietly, his grip slowly loosening. My eyes shot open and I weasled out of his grip, turning around to face him.

"Leave me alone," I said, getting my now bloody textbook and heading to class.

Much to my surprise, I wasn't pulled out of classes and suspended for the day by the vice principal for what I had done to Crissy. However, everyone else in the school pretty much treated me like a leper for the rest of the day. My knuckles were raw, torn, and still a little bloody from the fight, but I was holding my own. I didn't feel great after the fight, but it did feel great to give someone as much pain as I was feeling. After school, I put my things in my locker and headed down to the auditorium for rehearsal, only to find a sign on the locked door that simply said 'Rehearsal Canceled.' Frustrated, I let out a yell and slammed my sore fist into the door. Wincing, I pulled my hand away, shaking it lightly. I didn't know that I was being watched.

"You didn't answer my question," he said softly as he emerged from the shadows, his hands in his pockets.

She turned to face him for a moment, then turned her eyes back to the sign. "Why is rehearsal canceled?"

"Why were you here today?"

"Goddamn it, why is rehearsal canceled," I yelled, my words echoing throughout the empty hallways of the school. He came toward me, grabbing my arm and pushing me against the wall, making sure that I would stay there.

"Because you are in no shape to rehearse right now," he said harshly, his deep blue eyes staring down at me. "Look at you: the star of the school musical, lashing out at classmates and teachers. You could have killed Crissy if I hadn't pulled you off of her."

"You should have just let me," I said back, and his grip became tighter and I let out a small gasp.

"Are you listening to yourself right now, Sophia? You're losing it!"

"I don't care! I don't want to be here anymore! I do not want to live anymore!"

He placed his lips on mine quickly and pulled on me hard, our lips still locked as his grip slowly loosened. He slowly pulled me in for a hug after he kissed me, his hand entwined in my hair.

"You are not alone, Sophia. You will never be alone."

I melted slowly at his words and I laid my head on his shoulder, slowly wrapping my arms around him. I finally felt safe again, for the moment, even if it was just for a moment. He slowly pulled away from me, moving his hand to mind, stroking the top of it with his thumb. "Rest tonight, okay? And take the day off tomorrow. You don't need to be here among these sharks. And Sophia, my darling, sleep. You need it."

I nodded slowly as he lifted my hand to plant a small kiss upon it. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are. Just go home and rest."

I nodded, going back to my locker to get my things and I began the walk home. I sighed softly, feeling a little relieved that I had at least one person on my side, and that he cared for me.