Chapter 17“When I was seventeen, my step-father tried to rape me. I guess my mom told him about me... how I was a lesbian... thought I was, anyway. So... She was at work one night, and he was getting drunk, as usual...”
It seemed like this was difficult for her to talk about, so I leaned closer, placing my hand on her shoulder.
“Gayle,” I whispered. “You don’t have to...”
But she held up her hand in protest.
“No,” she said, wagging her head. “You were honest with me, so... just lemme be honest with you.”
She turned her head slightly, and I slowly nodded.
“Ok,” I said, rubbing her back.
Gayle took a deep breath and sighed.
“So, ya know... that was his thing... When my mom was gone, he’d get drunk, and he’d always sorta... I dunno... like, try to come onto me, ya know? I dunno why I
