Hey guys!

I know it's been ages. Life is hectic right now, I'm sorry. I just know I won't be able to keep this story up so I'm going to conclude it. Sorry if it feels rushed, I just don't want to leave you guys hanging.

Thank you all so much for everything. I love every single one of you.

Dusty Attic

Chapter 96- Isla's POV

Everyone is mulling around, waiting for the assembly to start. I'm terrified.

Telling Juna had been hard. Telling Percy and the others had been harder. Telling mom and dad had been near impossible.

I still think about the way they stared at me. The way dad started to cry. I'd never seen him cry before.

But that was a long time ago. It's been almost a year since everything was settled. Since they pressed charges.

I didn't know what to do when I saw Caleb in that court. He touched me when he walked by. I excused myself, went outside and threw up. Juna had to hold me for a long time after that.

The questions started as soon as I got back to school. Everyone had heard about the case. It scared me, everyone knowing. But girls told me how strong I was. How I inspired them.

And, so, when the school told me they were hosting a consent seminar and asked if I'd like to have permission not to go, I surprised them by asking to speak.

People need to hear my story. And now they will.

The principal comes up behind me and puts one hand on my back. "Are you ready, Isla?"

I turn to him and nod. Walk to the podium. I'm shaking.

"People ask me questions," I say into the microphone. The students quiet. "A lot of questions. Like how I could've thought being raped was my fault. And I say 'I don't know,' because it's hard and scary to talk about. But I do know. I know."

Everyone stares at me. I shouldn't have started so bold. I should've eased them into it, I should've-

I catch Percy's eye. He nods at me.

"There are parts of the rape that were my fault," I continue. My words are weak with fear. "I should not have been drinking and I should not have gone into that bedroom with a boy whom I hardly knew. But that wasn't why I blamed myself."

I take a deep breath and look at Juna. She gives me a smile.

"I blamed myself because I am a girl.

"I blamed myself because, as a girl, I should have known that letting Caleb touch my waist and kiss my neck was the equivalent to giving him an all-access pass to my body. I should have known that my words hardly matter- that saying things like 'stop,' and 'get off of me,' were unclear, maybe even suggestive. I should have known that, by wearing an outfit that showed my upper thigh and the skin on my breasts, I was making it clear that I wanted to have sex. Because that's what my body, my words, and my actions amount up to, right? A sex machine. One wrong move and I am open for business.

"I blamed myself because I shouldn't have been such a whore. I should have covered up, stayed in the corner, maybe even stayed at home. As a girl, I should've known that there is nothing in between a chaste angel and the sluts we hear whispered about in the hall. I should have known that my body is not my body, but a device for providing pleasure. I should have known, right?

"But letting him touch my waist was not permission for him to touch my vagina. Telling him to stop removing my clothes was not a unclear. Wearing an outfit that I felt confident in was not an invitation to have sex with me. Because I am a girl. A human being. A mind. I am smart. And pretty. I am worthy of love, and care, which is something that everybody's first sexual experience should be based off of. I have the right to give and take away my consent, and that is not a joke, or some 'bitch' playing hard-to-get.

"When I was in that dark room with Caleb and he was thrusting his penis inside of me so hard and so fast that my lower body went numb, I felt scared. When he pushed his fingers, which were cold from the bottle of beer he had been holding and greasy from pumping his car full of gas on the way to the party, into my vagina, I felt guilty. When his hands, which were course from the winter cold, groped my breasts, I felt helpless. And when he leaned down by my ear and whispered, 'That wasn't so bad, now was it?' I felt worthless, stupid, and ashamed.

"But I am not guilty. I am worthless or stupid. And I should not have to feel afraid, helpless, or ashamed. He raped me. I am not to blame, it was not my fault. Caleb Culver raped me. I am a victim, but I will not let that take my voice. And so if any of you have been wondering why I thought it was my fault, there you have it. I thought it was my fault because I am a girl and I should have known better.

"But it is not my fault that Caleb Culver pinned me to a bed, tied my mouth shut, and raped me.

"It is not my fault at all."

Everyone continues to stare. I shut my eyes. "I don't know how to talk about this without that feeling of fear coming over me all over again," I admit, "but if anyone out there has experienced this and can't find their voice, I need them to hear mine, because maybe, one day, we can speak together."

The speech was too short. Too real. Everyone is going to make fun of me or-or-

The auditorium is getting louder. People are clapping. I can't breathe until I open my eyes and see everyone staring at me with admiration. And then I can breathe. For the first time in a long time.

Cleo's POV

I'm sobbing into Lewis's shoulder. "She's so brave," I whisper. Lewis says nothing. I feel him, crying, too.

Beside us, Rikki and Zane, Bella and Will and Emma and Byron are also sitting. They're all clapping. The assembly starts to die down, everyone making their way to their parents to head home. I see Isla coming and open my arms to her. She's not crying, but she's white as a sheet.

"Oh, my sweet girl," I say, pulling her into me. Percy and Holden walk up holding hands. Bella smoothes back her son's hair.

"Hi, Mama," Isla breathes.

I press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so proud of you," I breathe. Lewis wraps his arms around us.

"Our baby," he says softly. And the three of us stand together. Me, Lewis and our baby.