Chapter 15

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The next week, I walk out of hospital on crutches. As I take in a deep breath of fresh air, Thor rests his hand on my lower back and ask "Are you alright?" I nod and he asks "What do you want to do, today?"

I check my watch and state "The swim meet starts in an hour." He hums and I state "I'm all caught up on my schoolwork. Maybe we can go?"

He takes in a deep breath, before nodding "Sure, let's go."

When we get to the swim meet, Natasha walks up to me and smiles "I didn't know you were discharged!"

"Less than an hour ago." Thor states, before declaring "I think he just missed the pool, little fish."

I wave him off, before taking a seat. As I take in the smell of chlorine, Natasha smiles at me "You miss it, don't you?"

Thor tosses his arm over my good shoulder and sighs "I think he's chlorine deprived."

I roll my eyes at him, before declaring "I just miss it."

He gives a weak smile, before kissing my shoulder. Natasha gives a warm smile, before Banner walks out of the locker room.

He looks to me and smiles "Hey big shot. I didn't know you would be here."

I give a weak smile, before declaring "I can't be in the pool, but I sure am going to be at the matches."

He motions back towards the pool "I'm going to go set up, but I'll see you after, yeah?" I nod and he steps away.

As I see him doing his prematch ritual, the student advisor steps up with a microphone and asks "Who's ready for a good match?" Thor woes with the rest of the bleachers. The advisors nods, before declaring "Before we get started, I'd like a moment of silence for our star finisher, Loki Laufeyson."

I stare in shock as Thor looks to me, asking "Did you know about this?" I shake my head, before looking to Natasha.

She shakes her head as the advisor continues "Last week, Mister Laufeyson fell victim to a heinous attack by a group of men, who attacked because he kissed his boyfriend in public."

I set my jaw as eyes fall on me. Thor leans closer to me and asks "Do you want to leave?" I shake my head and he sighs "Everyone is looking at you."

I glare at him, before declaring "I came to support my team. Just because the student advisor is an arsehole, doesn't mean I'm going to leave."

I stand up and Thor asks "What are you doing?"

I hobble over to the student advisor and hold out my hand for the microphone. He furrows his brow and states "I didn't think you'd be here."

I take the microphone from him, before lifting it to my lips and declaring "Who here knows who I am?"

Nearly all my classmates raise their hand and I furrow my brow and declare "Something almost knows about me is that I was in the foster system. Given to a man and a women who would mentally, physically, and sexually abused me, for ten years."

The room is deafingly quiet as I continue "From the age of four to fourteen, I slept with thousands of people I didn't consent too."

I furrow my brow and declare "At fourteen, they finally let me go. I ran to the nearest fire station with the termination of parental rights paper. And I was placed in the foster system again."

Thor stares in disbelief as I explain "At eighteen, even though I had a full time job, went to uni, and didn't even money for a flat for the summer, when I was thrown out of the foster system."

"I was homeless for three months, and I was, again, forced to do things I probably never would. Which started the suicide attempts." I state, sassily picking my cuticle bed and looking upward.

I chuckle softly, stating "The minute I was applying starting to get better, not to mention, happier, I decided to go on my Sunday run with my boyfriend."

I swing my speaking hand out and insist "He got tired near the end of my run, and I dropped him off at his house." I bat my eyes and sigh "I didn't really get around the corner, when I hit upside the head."

"Spear you the violating details, but I got shot, beat, and sodimized." I declare, before nodding with tears in my eyes "All because I kissed the one person who has ever loved me."

I furrow my brow as tears stream down my face "And I blame absolutely nothing on him."

Thor smiles at me and steps forward to hold onto me. I lean into his side and state "I bring all of this up for two two reasons. One, I want to raise awareness for child abuse, the flaws in the foster system, rape, homelessness, prostitution, and hate crime."

I raise the microphone a little higher to state "Two, After everything, I'm still here, I might never get back in that pool, but I'm scheduled to graduate next semester, after only two years, probably first in class." I give a weak smile "Just because your background is rocky, doesn't mean that has to be your future." I look to Thor and declare "Live every minute of your life like it's your last, because it just might be."

I toss the microphone over my shoulder and press my lips to his and I can hear Banner whispering.

I back away from Thor and pick up the microphone "Let's go home, Thor. Now that I've given a better explanation than that witless oaf."

When I turn back around, Thor cocks an eyebrow to me and I speak into the microphone "What?"

He shakes his head and starts to step away as I smirk "You don't like me using the microphone?"

There's a couple of chuckles in the crowd as I step back to the student advisor, using the microphone "I wonder what your mum is making for lunch."

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