Page 128 of Leave

My teeth snapped shut as I stared at him. He hadn’t told me about that part.

“Wait, wait, back up.” Matt shook his head. “Are you saying you two slept together that night, and then—”

“I’m saying I woke up with her on top of me.” Nolan’s voice wavered. “And then the next day, she told me there was plenty of physical evidence that we’d—” He swallowed hard, his jaw working as if he were about to throw up. I gave his knee a reassuring squeeze, and after a moment, he went on, “If she told someone I’d raped her, there’d be physical evidence that… that wouldn’t look good for me. And the only way she’d stay quiet about it was if we did it again. Right then. With the whole family right down the hall.”

“So you weren’t forced,” Andrew said coldly.

“Coercion is still rape,” I growled.

Andrew rolled his eyes and held his wife closer.

Matt fidgeted. “What about the nickname? Why is that important?” He half-shrugged. “We all called you that.”

Nolan pressed his lips together. “Yeah. But she can tell you why she started calling me that. Can’t you, Leann?”

Leann rolled her eyes. “I used it just like everyone else.”

“No, you didn’t. And you’re the only one who still uses it. Why, Leann? Tell them why? Because it had nothing to do with wrestling.”

“Bullshit,” she fired back. “You’re full of it.”

“Just fucking tell us, Nolan,” Matt demanded. “Whatever it is, just—”

“Because the first couple of times I was so fucked up—drugged or something, I don’t even know—that I couldn’t keep it up.”

Once again, the whole room fell silent. Nobody moved or made a sound.

Nolan’s face reddened, and he swore as he rubbed the back of his neck. I squeezed his leg again, and he put his hand over the top of mine. His palm was sweating. Couldn’t say I was surprised.

“Why not press charges, then?” John asked quietly. “Why not tell us so we could do something?”

Nolan shook his head. “I’ve seen how hard it is for women to get people to believe them. You really think a state champion wrestler is going to convince anyone that a girl half his size raped him?”

Leann scoffed. “No, because it’s alie.”

Nolan worked his jaw some more and refused to look at anyone. Silence hung in the room like dust after an explosion, and I held my breath, waiting for someone to speak. For someone to do something. I had tons of training on dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault, but the Navy sure as shit hadn’t covered any of this.

It was Sophia who finally spoke.

“I believe Nolan,” she declared.

“What?” Leann whirled on her. “You’re taking his word over mine? What the hell?”

“No, Leann.” Sophia locked eyes with her best friend. “I saw the way you were with him at the bachelorette. I saw the way you were at the rehearsal.” She shook her head slowly as disgust and sadness mingled in her eyes, and her voice wavered as she asked, “How could you do that to him? I… God, what iswrongwith you?”

“Nothing is wrong with me!” Leann flailed her hand at Nolan again. “I’m telling you, he—”

“Is that why you insisted on having him at the bachelorette?” Sophia snarled. “Is that why you were so insistent that we needed a guy with us, and oh, hey, our gay brother-in-law was the perfect—are you serious?”

“Wait, that wasyouridea?” Matt asked Leann.

Leann sputtered something, but Sophia coldly said, “Yeah, it was. I didn’t think it was necessary to have any guys with us.She wouldn’t let it drop, and acted like we’d be so much safer, especially once we started drinking.”

Leann pressed her lips together.

“And she specifically wanted Nolan?” Matt asked.

“Well, why not?” Leann crossed her arms. “No straight man was ever going to come to a male strip club with us.”

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