Ophelia wanted to keep that night a secret. She needed it to be secret. But then she gets a box of tapes, exposing everything she thought she could hide. The worst part? The only people who hear the tapes are the people she was trying to hide them f...
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tw: mentions of past sexual assault, mentions of past physical abuse
"I can take you home," Zach tried to tempt her. "Right now, come on."
"Yeah," Estella encouraged. "I'll even go with you."
The coaxing was no use. Ophelia shook her head. She was in the nurse's office, sitting on the bed. She wrapped her hands around her legs, pulling her knees to her chest. She didn't want to go anywhere.
Twenty minutes ago, Diego had been arrested by the on-campus police officer. Twenty whole minutes passed, and Ophelia had barely calmed down. Estella and Zach were in the room with her, along with the school nurse.
"I can't leave," Ophelia whimpered. Her eyes were shut tight, her face buried in her knees. "Everyone's outside. They'll all see me."
"It's okay," Estella consoled. "No one's mad at you-"
"They all saw me start crying," Ophelia said, letting out a pitiful cry. She kept her face covered. Humiliation burned through her veins. "They're all gonna laugh at me."
"Ophelia, no," Estella whispered.
Ophelia was fully crying now. Her face was beat red with embarrassment. Zach let out a sigh. He leaned against the wall.
Estella stood up, whispering to him, "What should we do?"
"I don't know. Just wait for her to stop crying," he breathed. He spoke to Ophelia, "O, they've seen you in worse situations, okay? This is nothing-"
He was cut off as she started crying harder.
He felt a slap on his arm. "Why the hell would you say that?" Estella snapped at him.
They heard shouting outside. Zach frowned. "The hell's going on out there?"
"Go see," Estella instructed. "I'll stay with her."
Zach stepped out of the nurse's office. Estella sat on the bed next to Ophelia. The nurse asked, "You need some more ice, sweetie?"
"I think she's good," Estella answered for her. She spoke softer to her friend, "Ophelia, look, Zach's car is literally right outside. We'll take you home."
"Everyone will see me," Ophelia repeated. She sniffed, loudly.
A crash was heard outside the office. The nurse stood. "What the hell?" She looked at Estella. "Stay here." She exited the room.
"Is there something you want to talk about?" Estella asked, in a low voice once they were alone. "You know that everyone's on your side, no one will judge you. They're all just as mad that the officer went psycho on you."
"I don't know what happened," Ophelia breathed. She finally looked up at Estella. "I just broke down, I couldn't breath."
"It was a panic attack," Estella said. "It happens to lots of people. It's okay-"
