(Prom Night's End)

May 1st, 1943*

10:36 pm*

*Highlands High School*

Prom Night was nearly over and Anya was walking back to the gym after chatting with Cynthia and Robert.

"It's getting late, and it seems everyone is heading back home, so maybe I should have Judith take me home.." Anya spoke to herself, feeling the cool air while continuing to walk.

After this, Anya continued to walk toward the gym in peace; however, this moment was interrupted by sounds of snickering.

"W-Who's there?!" Anya uttered in a cautious yet scared voice as she stopped in her tracks, looking at their surroundings.

Of course, there was silence and this made Anya feel unease, a sense of anxiety slowly creeping within her, and this feeling made her uncomfortable.

"I should head to the gym.." Anya whispered to herself, quickly picking up her pace in the process, hoping to escape the strange snickers.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to escape as Neville and his friend popped out of nowhere, making Anya jump.

The presence of Neville and Johnny made Anya feel uncomfortable as she slowly took a few steps back.

"N-Neville! Leave me alone, okay? Why are you so damn obsessed with me, quit it!" Anya advised Neville in an annoyed tone of voice, preparing herself for whatever was coming next.

"Shut up! You're mine. Dance with me, babe." Neville spat at Anya, walking over to grab her arm while Johnny laughed at this.

It was clear that Neville and Johnny were both drinking, and their behavior was unpredictable.

"Yeahhh, cop a feel already! I wanna see what Anya is hiding underneath." Johnny urged Neville, laughing wildly before taking a sip of spiked punch from his liquor flash.

Hearing those words made Anya's eyes widen; however, she felt something burn within her.

Anger.

"Leave me the hell alone!" Anya screamed angrily, using her strength to push Neville's grip from her, surprising both boys in the process.

"Damn, calm down. We're just having fun, that's all. It's prom night…" Neville advised Anya while raising his hands up in hopes of calming her down; however, Anya wasn't having it.

"No. It's not fun. It's sexual harassment. Leave me alone or I have no choice but to get my friends to back me up." Anya advised Neville sternly, hoping that Neville and Johnny would take the hint and leave her alone.

The serious look on Anya's face was enough for Neville to groan in defeat alongside Johnny.

"Fine, but let me tell you something, you little bitch..." Neville responded in a dark voice, walking over to Anya to get up in her face.

Despite this, Anya remained unafraid as she stared directly at Neville, waiting for whatever came next.

"You think sending your little friends such as that white trash bitch Cytntha to put pressure on me is going to make me stop pursuing you then you got another thing coming." Neville spoke to Anya in a dark voice, looking directly at her before spitting at her shoes.

Following this, Anya smirked at his comment, finding his outburst to be amusing.

"You won't win, Neville. You should know that, goodbye." Anya responded confidently to Neville, walking past him with her head up.

"You think you won, think again. You will be mine, whether you like it or not, bitch." Neville spat at Anya before turning around, preparing to leave the scene.

After this, Neville groaned in defeat and frustration as he and Johnny left the school altogether.

*Gym*

Anya continued to walk toward the gym and there, she saw Charlotte chatting with Emma, and this made her smile.

"Hey guys, are you two having fun?!" Anya greeted her friends joyfully while she hugged Charlotte and Emma.

"We're having fun. Just enjoying prom. Anne and Thomas also won prom king and queen! Isn't that great?!" Emma responded joyfully while Charlotte nodded with joy.

Hearing the news made Anya joyful as she smiled warmly.

"How wonderful. I must give my congrats to them once everything is all set and done." Anya responded joyfully to the news while Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, and how did the talk with Cynthia go? I know you and her were talking for quite a bit but I hope you had a good time with her." Charlotte asked Anya, feeling curious to know how things went for her friend.

Hearing the question made Anya think for a moment before settling on an answer.

"It went well. We've just talked about life and other good stuff." Anya responded to Charlotte with a warm smile; however, her mood slowly turned more serious as she was ready to speak her next set of words.

"But moving…I have something to tell you..in private.." Anya spoke once more to Charlotte in a serious voice.

"Of course, anything for my friend." Charlotte responded before turning her direction to Emma, speaking to her as well.

"I'll be back, okay? I won't be too long, pumpkin." Charlotte advised her girlfriend before she and Anya began walking over to a more private area.

Emma nodded at this understandably while she waited for the return of her friends.

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you, I'm sure Anya needs the privacy to talk with her friend." Emma thought to herself before letting out a smile, feeling confident that Charlotte was going to cheer up her friend.

In a more private area, Anya and Charlotte sat on the benches, looking at the beautiful stars.

The beautiful moon illuminated both girls, creating a beautiful aura.

"The stars look beautiful, don't they?" Charlotte asked Anya, looking at her friend with a warm smile while Anya nodded, smiling back.

"They do, and I wish I could take a photograph of them, that would be nice." Anya responded with a smile while Charlotte chuckled at the comment.

"That would be nice.." Charlotte responded while Anya nodded in agreement.

After this, there were a few moments of silence before Anya finally spoke up.

"Charlotte, I have something to tell you. It's serious, and I'm telling you because I trust you, and don't get me wrong, I trust all of my friends equally. It's just you're my first friend, ya know." Anya told Charlotte in a serious voice.

This made Charlotte turn her full attention to Anya, ready to hear whatever she had to say.

"I completely understand and I'm willing to listen.." Charlotte responded, gently placing her hand on her friend's hand.

Anya took a few deep breaths before finally telling everything that happened.

"A few days ago, I was sexually assaulted by Neville. It happened when after I used the restroom, he came from behind me and flirted with me before…g-gropping me. I-I felt scared and angry at that moment so I elbowed him and got out as quickly as I could and yeah, that's what happened…" Anya told Charlotte, feeling nervous while twiddling her thumbs, waiting for a response.

Of course, hearing this made Charlotte gasp in shock, putting her hand over her mouth before hugging Anya tightly.

"Anya..I-I'm so sorry to hear this. That's horrible..you don't deserve this.." Charlotte responded while being on the verge of tears as she embraced her friend.

During the hug, Anya felt herself crying as if a wave of emotions came rushing like a tsunami.

"Not just that, I miss Calvin. I miss my boyfriend so much. I worry about him every day! It's not fair! Why?! Why did he have to leave?! Why do I have to be sexually harassed by Neville.." Anya ranted to Charlotte while feeling her sadness and frustration reach their peak.

Anya sobbed in Charlotte's arms, finally releasing her pent-up emotions while Charlotte remained silent, gently stroking her hair.

After what felt like an eternity, Anya slowly released herself from Charlotte, wiping the tears from her red eyes, and sniffing her nose.

"S-Sorry. I didn't expect this, but thank you for listening, it means a lot.." Anya apologized with a faint smile, thanking her friend as well.

"No worries. Just being there for you is what matters most.." Charlotte responded, gently placing her hand on Anya's shoulder.

"And don't you forget that. Just know that the horrible thing you've experienced is NOT your fault, okay? You don't deserve none of this, and Neville is a good-for-nothing creep who should just kick rocks! But you, you are a wonderful, kind, caring, and wonderful person, my sweet friend. You've always helped others, even me. So just know that that horrible experience doesn't define you. You are stronger than anything, You are light itself." Charlotte advised Anya in an emotional tone of voice while her friend smiled tearfully, nodding at her.

"Thank you, Charlotte. You mean so much to me…thank you.." Anya thanked Charlotte, hugging her for the final time.

Soon after, Anya wiped some tears from her eyes, feeling a bit better after letting her feelings out.

"Graduation is less than a month away. I can't continue being sad. I need to push forward, not just for you, Emma, Nancy, or whoever, but for myself." Anya spoke to Charlotte, her eyes burning with motivation while all of this was music to her ears.

"And you will, my friend." Charlotte responded with a smile.

After their talk, Anya and Charlotte walked back to the gym and they continued to enjoy prom with their fellow friends for the remainder of the time frame.

Despite the hardships, Anya knew that she had her friends to count on, and that's what mattered most.

The Prom arc ends with this chapter, let's keep pushing forward until the end.