Issues // H.S. // A.U.

Chapter Thirty-Five

"So he became your boyfriend?"

Kaylen shook her head, "No, we never made it official. Just casually dating. My parents didn't want me to have a boyfriend until I was sixteen."

"On average how many times a week would you two hang out? Were you alone or with friends?" The prosecution asked.

"Um, well, maybe two to three times a week. Always by ourselves. I would tell my parents I was staying after class to study or something, and he would drive us somewhere."

"And what would you do together?"

"At first we would talk. Get to know each other. Normal stuff." Her eyes harden, "But then he kissed me for the first time."

"Did you want him to kiss you?"

She nodded, "A kiss? Yeah, I was fifteen year old from a strict upbringing, and some older cute boy was paying attention to me. A kiss was fine. Making out was fine."

"So it didn't stop at just the first kiss?"

"No," her voice grew steadier, colder as she started to tell everyone, "he kept pushing to go further. He started to put his hands on me while we made out. I talked to him about how I wasn't ready, and he would apologize but it never stopped."

"What do you mean?"

She glanced over at Clint who was watching her closely, and said, "He would act like he listened and understood, but every time we were in that car and kissing his hands would stray."

"Did you ever say anything during the actual physical act?"

"Yes, I would pull away or move his hands, but then he would start saying how much he liked me and I would forgive him. He would say stuff like, "you're just too pretty not to touch," or, "no girl has ever made me feel this way"." She paused before finishing, "He made me feel special even if I was uncomfortable."

"How long was this happening for?"

"About three months. Into the holiday season. It was a little before Christmas when he brought me to his house for the first time." Kaylen said.

"He did? And this was the first time you had hung out outside of his car parked somewhere remote?" The prosecution asked delicately.

"Yeah, his parents were visiting someone out of town, so he had the house to himself."

"What did you two do when you got there?"

"He showed me around first. Got us a drink, and then brought me up to his bedroom." She fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, "We started to make out like always, but this time he was laying on top of me. He was heavy, and after a while he took hold of my hands and held them above my head. He started to kiss down my neck and pulled my shirt down with his free hand. I tried to get him to stop, but his hold on me was too strong and he wouldn't listen to me."

"So after you said no he kept going?" She reiterated.

"Yeah, he lifted up my shirt and pulled my bra down."

"What did you do then?"

"I froze." Kaylen answered.

There was a long pause where we could hear nothing but the writing of pens to paper, a soft click of a camera. The prosecution let her statement sink in before continuing her line of questioning, "You froze?"

"Yeah, I remember not being able to move as he continued to assault me. I couldn't speak. I could barely breathe." Her voice quivered at the end.

"It's okay, Kaylen, take your time. When you're ready, tell us what happened next."