Keri's brow furrows and she sighs, not wanting to do this. "Um... yeah... I guess. Dad wasn't the only one to put me in the hospital... After Juli was sent away pretty much the whole school knew I was a lesbian. After a basketball game I was leaving the locker room and was jumped by a couple of football players. I tried to fight them off as they raped me but they beat me up really bad, broke most of my ribs, my right collar bone and tore me up bad. After that I ended up in the psych ward for a bit because I refused to eat, talk, bathe or do anything. All I wanted was my Juli. Once I got home dad started treating me worse and mom started drugging me more. That's when I took off....." Keri says all this very quickly and shuts up as fast as she started.
Dusty gasps as she listens, these words causing her heart to sink as she thinks about her own situation.
Katelyn's eyes start to tear up again and she clings to Kallie.
Keri leans into Juli, tears rolling down her cheeks as she starts talking again. "I... I had a bad feeling and went to the clinic. I was pregnant but my body was so battered and mom had drugged me so much that the baby was not going to make it. They terminated the pregnancy. As I was on the streets I did what I had to get by. I was raped again by...." Keri freezes then goes quiet.
Dusty holds onto Jen tightly, perhaps too tightly.
Katelyn shakes her head as she listens.
Keri shakes her head and starts to pull away from Juli but stops herself. "I can't say who did it, but after that I was placed in a safe house. I graduated from there and you know the rest of the story. I guess that's why I'm so tough now...."
Keri looks at Kallie and sighs, not wanting to really go on with this. She finishes her story quickly "Well, I went to college and had a few small flings, though nothing was taken to a sexual level. I graduated college and police academy in record time. The day of my graduation from the academy I went to Juli's house and her dad gave me a typed letter saying that it was from Juli and that she wished I was dead and such. I went to the bridge to kill myself but hesitated and the bullet only grazed the side of my head. Krystall found me and conned me into being her slave, saying that she would ruin my life if she didn't. So became my days of being a kajira. Then we found Katelyn and well I got out after seeing Juli at LL and that was the end of my story." Keri looks up at Juli as she wraps her arms around her and questions her. She hangs her head "Yes, he saw me sleeping in the park and raped me, saying that was what I want and what I deserved for causing you to be sent away and that I really didn't like women."
Keri looks at Kallie pleadingly hoping she doesn't have to tell the story of Krystall just yet. She leans into Juli then and starts to cry hard "If it wasn't for me he would be alive, I should.. I shouldn't have screamed."
Kallie watches Juli and Keri holding Katie close to her.
Juli wraps her arms tightly around Keri. "No it's his own fault that he is dead you screamed you should have. I'd kill him myself if he wasn't already dead."
Dusty snuggles against Jen, her own eyes filling with tears.
Katelyn holds onto Kallie tightly, not wanting to let go.
Keri continues to cry hard, words barely audible as she speaks between sobs "But... he. Was your brother." She buries her face in Juli's shoulder as sobs wrack her body. "my fault"
Jen looked straight at Keri. "It is not your fault. You taught me that Keri you need to take your own advice."
Kallie looked between Keri and Jen curiously.
Juli held onto Keri tightly and gave her bottom a smack. "Keri Anne that was not your fault. He was my brother but he deserved what he got you aren't the first he did that too."
Dusty looks at Jen curiously then at Keri, but quickly hides her face before anyone notices her.
Katelyn watches Jen and Keri, knowing partly what this is about.
Keri sighs, tears still streaming down her cheeks as she looks at Jen. She turns her head back to look at Juli as she smacks her bottom, she presses into the smack "He... He... Oh... I'm sorry love"
Keri snuggles close to Juli, looking into her eyes and tears still streaming down her cheeks. "I... I should have never come over that night, but dad was drunk, I was afraid he would hurt me again. I never meant for you to be sent away or to cause Jason to hurt you." Keri's body starts to tense up with anger and guilt, still sobbing as she leans into Juli.
Juli wrapped her arms around Keri. "It is not your fault Keri that wasn't the first time he'd done that anyways. He knew about you and threatened to tell dad unless I let him. I knew dad would send me away and I needed to be with you. I love you so much Keri this isn't your fault at all." Juli looked down at the leather bracelet on her wrist and knew she had more to tell.
Dusty snuggles against Jen, thinking she is not going to tell.
Katelyn shakes her head and snuggles against Kallie more.
Keri holds onto Juli tightly, still not able to get past this blame thing. "But... Had he not known about me you would have been safe Juli. I'm not worth that love... I'm not... God.. What have I caused?" she holds to Juli more tightly, noticing her glance at her wrist then looking up into her eyes and reaching down to unfasten the leather wrist band.
Kallie looked at Keri and held Katie closer. "Keri it isn't your fault."
Juli wrapped her arms around Keri. "It would have happened anyways he'd been trying that for a long time I always had the upper hand." She sighed knowing the scars on her wrist would show.
Dusty knows now she is keeping her mouth shut, not wanting to upset anyone.
Katelyn snuggles against Kallie.
Keri leans into Juli and holds her tightly "We should have run away in junior high" She picks up Juli's wrist and looks at it, sighing as she sees the scars "You too?"
Dusty looks up at Jen curiously, wondering what she is thinking and becoming increasingly self concious of the scar on her back.
Katelyn holds onto Kallie tightly, hating that everyone has had so much pain.
Keri sighs and kisses Juli's forehead "I had thought about it many times. I spent most of my days plotting how to get to you or how to end it all cause I couldn't live without you." She picks up Juli's wrist and kisses over the scars. "I knew you wore that for a reason and didn't want to push you."
Jen looked at Dusty and hugged her close rubbing over Dusty's back softly.
Kallie just cuddled Katie close.
Juli looked at Keri. "Oh there would have been more scars elsewhere but they went away." She smiled as her wrist was kissed over. "Yes that is the reason."
Dusty leans into Jen's hands as she rubs over her back, sighing a bit.
Katelyn looks over at Dusty for a moment, then up at Kallie.
Keri smiles and leans forward, kissing Juli's lips softly then pulling back and examining the faded, worn out wrist band. She fastens it and tosses it across the room into the wastebasket. "Be proud love, because those didn't kill you. We will never be apart again."
Juli smiled a bit as Keri tossed her bracelt away. "I am love I am. No we will never be apart again." She ran her hands over her thighs a moment. "I'd have had scars here but I made them fade away."