Page 151 of Unraveling Rain
River scratches the back of his neck, eyes trained on me.
Mama’s voice is tight. “But who, dear? Who hurt you?”
“What I’m about to tell you happened ten years ago. I don’t want blame or finger-pointing—I simply want you to listen.
“It was the summer before high school. I was at a bonfire with Dennis. Things escalated. I said no. He didn’t stop. He attacked me. He assaulted me.”
I’m almost startled by my composure—no tears this time. Maybe they’ve all turned into anger.
“What are you saying, Rain?” Mama whispers, her hands covering her mouth.
“She just said that asshole raped her!” Miles roars, making Mama and Granny break down at the same time.
“Yes,” I say quietly. “That’s what I said.”
I look at Mama—her face is shattered—and the anger inside me sharpens.
I never wanted her to carry this pain.
“But what do you mean he raped you and he’s still walking around like nothing happened?” Miles asks. “Is he the one you said contacted you?”
“Yes, he’s the one,” I say calmly.
“I thought I’d dealt with all of this years ago. But after the video of Xander and me went viral, he must’ve thought it was okay to reach out. At first, it was a few texts, but they got more persistent… Then he crossed the line. He approached Xander after a game.”
Eyes grow wide around the table. Ruin gasps.
“What? And you didn’t punch him?” Miles asks, leaning forward, eyes on Xander.
River pushes him back into his seat, but I’m already on my feet.
“First, this isn’t Xander’s fight. It’s mine. Second, if Xander had hit Dennis, he could’ve been disciplined by the league—maybe even benched. So no, Miles, he didn’t punch him.”
Xander lifts a hand. “My Dad got a few punches in for me, though.”
River and Miles relax a little at that.
“Okay,” I say, holding up a hand, “let me finish before we get sidetracked again.”
Everyone nods, and I sit back down.
“The reason I’m telling you this now is because I’m done handling this privately. He came at Xander—and that was the line for me. I’m going to the police to file a sexual assault report. And before it spreads through the grapevine, I wanted you to hear it from me. I don’t need you to do anything. I know I can handle it.”
I glance at River. His jaw is clenched so tightly, I swear he’s going to chip a tooth.
“Wait,” Miles says, voice low but incredulous. “No one knew back then? How’d you hide this from us?”
I exhale, but before I can speak, River does.
“I knew.”
Everyone turns to him. Mama’s tears start again.
“I was coming home and saw Dennis trying to dump Rain by the gate. She was in a state. I lost it—beat him within an inch of his life.”
His fists clench at his sides as he speaks, gaze locked on the table.
“I called his dad. Told him what happened. Said they needed to leave town immediately or I’d go to the police. He got Dennis out of here, and I kept my end of the deal.”
