Remaining Daylight (#Wattys2016)

Track IX.

Livia Masters. A beautiful, blonde girl who had a reputation for getting attention at the snap of a finger. The kind of attention where horny teen guys would try anything to get in her pants. It worked a couple of times, but the rumor was always the same: she turned them down because she preferred older guys. Not that she'd ever actually gotten one, that we knew of.

We graduated together three weeks ago, and that was the last we heard of each other. At least, until she tried to claim Hayden raped her. The video she made was spreading across the Internet faster than the jokes that always flooded newsfeeds.

"I wasn't going to make this video at first," Livia said, tears streaming down her face. There was still a bruise under her eye, with other healing wounds scattered across her skin. "I didn't really want to make things worse for Hayden than they already were. But my friends are right: I need to tell my side of the story. If I want justice, I need to make sure everyone knows what happened so Hayden can't hurt anyone again.

"We were both at a party that night. He and I had been talking, and he offered to take me home. Since I didn't want to walk home by myself, I said yes. He had been really nice to me, and I'd never heard anyone say otherwise about him.

"When we got back to my friend's apartment where I've been staying, he came inside with me. He tried to tell me he wanted me, that I was sexy, and that we should have sex. I didn't want to. I made it super clear. But he didn't stop. I told him if he didn't leave, I'd call the cops. That was when he started beating me up."

Livia's tears started coming faster. I almost believed her, the way she was talking. But I knew better. Hayden wouldn't do something like that. He couldn't.

"After he beat me, he started raping me. I didn't know what to do. I've never been so scared in my life. He left my apartment, and I called my friend to take me to the hospital. I couldn't stop crying, feeling like I was worthless. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since. All I can think about is that night, about how dirty I feel knowing what happened. It's going to be with me for the rest of my life."

I couldn't stand to listen to the rest of the video. I shut it off and glanced over to Hayden, who was visibly shaken. All the color had drained from his face, and I was certain he was about to throw up everywhere.

"No one will ever believe me," he said. "Not with a video like that going around!"

"But if you didn't do it, something has to come out saying so eventually, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Like what? She has everyone's sympathy. I bet everyone fucking hates me," Hayden said.

Scrolling through the comments, I realized that was true. Most of them talked about how they wanted to kill him if they ever got their hands on him. A lot of people wondered why he was still free. Where was the warrant for his arrest?

"It's easy to judge when you only have one side of the story," I said. "Why haven't the guys posted anything about it?"

"I told you they don't believe me. Those fucking assholes. We've been best friends for almost ten years, and they won't listen to me," Hayden spat.

Tears started to run down his face. He wiped them away with his wrist, but more came to replace them. He was deteriorating quickly. All of that confidence he'd had on our trip down here had vanished. Anyone who had seen that video practically despised him.

Oh, God, I felt so terrible for him.

"No matter what everyone else is saying, I want you to remember this," I said. I grabbed his hand and waited for him to look up at me, eyes puffy and red. "I believe you. I know you didn't do anything so terrible. I am your friend, I have your back, and I will fight along side you with whatever it takes to get your life back."