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“Nothing you tell ainst his head “Do you understand me?”

Eli disengaged himself from my arms and took several steps back He wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve “I was the one who started it,” he whispered

I didn’t believe that for a second so I said, “Eli-” but he cut me off

“It was a few days after my sixteenth birthday My mom had flown to Mexico to visit relatives and Jack…Jack and I were celebrating the fact that I’d gotten my driver’s license with an action movie“He let ave it to me” Eli’s voice cracked when he said, “It was soout with him like that But the second beer was too …”

Eli shook his head and wiped at the tears that had started to fall again “I was still on the couch in the den and there was a blanket over ht away that…that I’d had sex I was really confused and when Jack ca and asked him why he’d done that to me”

Eli began sobbing, but when I reached for hiht now, okay?” he begged

“Okay,” I said softly, though touching hi Jack Cortano and ripping his fucking head off

“Jack was really upset and told otten drunk and had started touching him inappropriately and that he’d tried to stop it, but that he hadn’t wanted to hurt me He said I seduced him”

“Bullshit,” I snarled

“He showed me proof”

Fury was rolling through my blood so my voice was louder than I’d meant for it to be when I asked, “What proof?”

“There were security ca in the den He showed me the video of e’d done”

Disbelief tore throughmy head

“It’s true,” Eli whispered “I sawhim and there was a point when he tried to stopme either”

I grabbed Eli, even though he’d askedht to touch you He raped you, Eli Pure and simple!”