I pause and collect myself. Confronting what happened that night is the exact I need to do.
Pretending it never happened is going to hurt me in the long run. That’s why I haven’t told her what happened to me. Telling her means i am admitting it happened in the first place.
“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want.” Marcel tells me. His hand is comfortingly stroking my back.
“I am so sorry.” I tell them both through my tears.
“ you don’t have anything to be sorry about. It’s okay. You’re okay.” Andrea says.
I nod and continue. I swallow and narrate the rest. There’s nothing that can happen to me again. I am safe. My friends are here with me. I am okay. I repeat like a mantra over and over again.
“He hit me when I challenged him. He hit me over and over again till I couldn’t figh
