𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬

CHAPTER SIXTEEN [SEASON THREE]

My day at the beach ended soon after what happened. I know there's no way anyone would believe me, so I gathered up all my stuff and left.

"Sammie! Sammie! Wait!", Dana said, rushing up behind me.

I was in tears, and she immediately wrapped me in a big hug.

"Do you want to talk about what happened, or do you not want to right now?", she asked.

I shook my head no. I didn't want to have relive it more times than I had to, and I already knew I'd have to tell Schneider and probably Alex too.

"That's fine. Just know, that I don't believe a word of that accusation that bitch just shouted out", Dana said.

"Thank you", I said.

"What are best friends for? C'mon, I grabbed all my shit too and I called an Uber. Alex is gonna ride home with Jade and her dad later", she said.

After a painfully slow Uber ride, we arrived at my apartment building, where Dana and I rushed upstairs and into my room before we saw anyone we knew.

"Thank God I keep some clothes here", Dana said.

"Your drawer is where I get all my cute tee shirts", I replied.

"Wow, I love that", she said.

Once I'd gathered up fresh clothes, I went into my bathroom and changed out of the bikini that I would now burn and into some of the comfiest things I owned.

Sam's Outfit

After both Dana and I had changed, we sat cross-legged on my bed.

"I don't know what I'm going to do", I said.

"It's simple. Tell the truth, and if they don't believe you- fuck them", Dana said.

"Yeah, I wish. Ethan and Chloe are like THE power couple of the tenth grade. Everyone is gonna totally believe them over me", I said.

"Chloe is a bitch and Ethan is a dick, I don't know how they got popular. No matter what happens, I'll have your back and so will Jade", she said.

"What will Alex say? Will he think that I cheated on him?", I asked.

"No. And if he doesn't, he's not worth it", she replied.

Dana and I laid on my bed and watched Juno (my ultimate comfort movie).

Once it was done, I felt a little better.

"I wanna tell you, but I don't wanna have to say it more than once", I said.

"Okay. Umm, so it's like dinner time and you and Schneider always eat with the Alvarez's. Why don't we go down there for dinner and then you tell everyone?", she said.

"Yeah, that sounds good", I said.

And, like on cue, Schneider knocked on my door, "It's time to go down for dinner".

When we walked into the Alvarez's apartment, we immediately sat down to dinner. Alex sat next to me, and while he didn't say anything about what happened, he held my hand and didn't seem mad or anything.

Once dinner was done and we were all sitting in the living room, I knew it was time.

"Can I tell you something?", I asked.

"Are you queer too?", Elena asked excitedly.

"No, nothing like that", I replied.

I took a deep breath. I was seated between Dana and Alex and they both held my hand.

"Today, at the beach, something happened to me. Ethan, my ex, was there with Chloe. When I went up to the bathroom, Ethan followed me. He grabbed me tightly and wouldn't let go. He kissed me, and grabbed my boob. I told him to stop. But he wouldn't. Then his girlfriend came up, so I left. But then, once they came back down to the beach, Chloe said that I cheated on Alex with Ethan- and Ethan didn't deny it", I said.

"Oh my god. Sammie... I just thought that Chloe was accusing you of kissing him for attention. I had no clue that he did anything to you", Alex said.

"Sam, did he tough you anywhere else?", Penelope asked.

"He kissed my neck and held my wrist really tight. He touched my boobs and my butt, but he didn't get to do anything else", I said.

"Sammie, is there anything I can do? I can arrange to beat him up if you'd like", Dana said.

"Who do you call for this kind of thing? Law and Order: SVU? I don't know", Schneider said.

"Sam, I'm sorry that this happened, and if people give you shit at school- I got your back. Sexual assault is never the victim's fault, and it's wrong that you had to go through that", Elena said.

"Alex, Dana, I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I didn't think you guys would believe me, and I still don't know how to deal with this, but I'm glad I told you", I said.

Alex faced me, tears in his eyes, "I'm so sorry. No matter what, I will always believe you. I feel horrible that you thought I wouldn't believe you. I wish I'd gone up to the bathrooms with you or something, I feel like I could've stopped this", he said.

"It's not your fault, Alex. I promise. The only person who is responsible for this is Ethan", Elena said.

I leaned my head on Alex's shoulder, "Thank you all. For believing me, and for listening to me".

I didn't know how Monday at school would go, but with my friends and family at my side, I knew that I'd have people who I could count on. And that's enough.

Authors Note: Hi! This chapter sucked, but I thought it was a nice way to wrap up all that happened in the previous chapter. Throughout future chapters, Sam IS going to be dealing with anxiety because all of this, but I thought that this chapter would be a good way to have her tell everyone. This will also tie into the canon for season three, and the next few chapters will wrap up the rest of the season. I hope you liked this chapter! I plan to update early next week.
Lots of love, Beth 💜