Lo had been filled with terror in the beginning. The thought of this predator trying to violate him left him horrified. Now that he was showing no signs of letting him go, Lo became vexed. The Crown spirit that Dax always gloated about had entered him, possessing his body and mind. Lo didn’t see any color except red. Murderous thoughts entered what used to be an innocent mind. Lo was appalled. Downright flabbergasted that this man thought he could violate him without repercussions.
Liam slung Lo’s body toward the desk, knocking him into the chair. Lo held onto the surface, noticing a pair of scissors in a cup.
“I tried to be nice to you, Kylo, but you’re taking me for granted!” Liam gritted behind him.
In the quickest motion, Lo snatched the scissors from the cup, turned around and jammed it into Liam’s face.
“Aaaarrrgggghhh!” he bellowed.
Lo had never heard a man scream that loud. It was piercing, almost mirroring the sound of a woman. The scissors were deeply embedded in his cheek.
“Pussy-ass bitch!” Lo spat before running out of the door. He ran down the small steps, coming into contact with one of the female instructors.
“Hey, what’s going on?” She grabbed his shoulders.
That touch instantly made him feel like he was immersed in more danger. Was this their signal? Did touching shoulders initiate the violation that would soon follow? Lo was paranoid and immediately pushed her back.
“Heeeyy!” she yelped, crashing on her bottom.
“Get off me, bitch!”
Everyone was a suspect. There was nobody Lo could trust. So, he ran away into the woods, into the darkness of the night, into potential safety. His destination was unknown but all he knew was that he couldn’t stay at summer camp anymore.
The exchange of their gazes were filled with so many emotions that Bria had to blink away her tears just to get a clear vision of Lo. She would remember this night for the rest of her life. The moment where Kylo Crown revealed the part of him that he was ashamed of. The place in his life that changed the trajectory of his existence. Bria would never forget this second.
Hours before, she hated the ground he strolled on. Bria declared that this was the end of her and Lo. She was ready to move on and leave him behind. Nonetheless, her mood hadchanged. Like the seasons, she went from a cold, hazardous winter to blossoming springtime within minutes. The flowers of sympathy had bloomed, and she wanted to extend them to Lo. Bria yearned to renew him and promise to be there to help him through the trauma that had built a home inside his body.
“Lo,” she mumbled, trying to find the words. Instead, she reached for his hand, and he placed it inside her palm.
Their touch signified a heartfelt bond. One that was deeper than the mysterious bottom of the sea.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Bria meant that with every cell in her body. “…Is that why you’re so… I don’t know… up and down? Angry then cool? Triggered then relaxed?”
Lo nodded his confirmation.
“What happened after you ran into the woods?”
Lo exhaled as his gaze descended toward his lap. He’d somehow retreated back inside his mind. His safe space. The place where no one had been allowed until now.
“I don’t wanna get into the rest of that. I’m drained.”
“It’s okay. I get it…” Bria wanted to be so careful with her words. She ruminated over each question flooding her mind. Throwing out what was appropriate and keeping what was safe.
“Does anyone know exactly what happened to you? Meaning, the details?”
He shook his head, tucking his lips between his teeth. For a moment, silence engulfed them until he cleared his throat.
“They all know something happened. Meco don’t wanna know details and I don’t think Devyn does either. They don’t want it on their mind. My parents kept asking me what happened, but I couldn’t tell them for some reason. Maddy knows he tried me, but she don’t know I had to fight my fucking way out of that room.”
Bria gulped, digesting every word from Lo’s lips like an aged wine. In this moment, shared between them, she was hurtbut honored at the same time. She was in pain because someone had tried to rip his innocence from him. His predator had ruined him with trauma and a lifetime of sadness. She was honored because he trusted her enough to share the most vulnerable piece of his past with her.
“Have you tried therapy?”
He scoffed, rising from the chair. “I tried it twice. Once when I was a kid and when I was like twenty-five.”
“And what happened?”
“That shit didn’t work. The first time I went, I was like fourteen. As soon as I saw that it was a white man, I got the fuck outta there. Then when I went the last time, he was Black, but he didn’t understand me. He kept trying to tell me what was wrong when he wasn’t right.”
