| Like Shards Of Broken Glass

𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐍

My blood felt both hot and icy. "Tell me."

"He started coming on to me when I turned fourteen, right after I got my braces off." Her gaze drifts away from mine again. "I was an ugly child, you see—tall, skinny, and awkward—but when I grew up, I looked better. Boys started liking me, and men began noticing me as well. It happened almost overnight."

"And he was one of the men."

She nodded, returning her attention to me. "Yes. He was one of the men. It wasn't a big deal at first. He'd hold me a little longer on a mat, or he'd make me practice a move a few extra times so he could touch me. I didn't even realize he was interested, not until—" She stopped abruptly, a tremor running over her skin.

"Not until what?" I prompted, trying to remain calm enough to listen.

"Not until he cornered me in the locker room." She swallowed again. "He caught me after a shower, and he touched me. All over."