“I… I don’t know,” my voice comes out shaky. “I don’t know what to do with myself. All of them have seen those photos, and I… I can’t—”
“You don’t think you can stand up to them,” he finishes for me, nodding slowly. “I get it, Allison. I really do.”
I blink rapidly, trying to stop the tears. “So… what am I supposed to do? Just… let them run over me? It wasn’t even my fault they saw those photos. I didn’t…didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
“Cry if you need to.” Justin rubs my chin. “Allison… don’t bottle it up. I know you want to cry, so just… let it out.”
Like someone flipped a switch, the sob breaks free. I bury my face in my palms, my shoulders trembling as the tears fall. My throat burns, my chest aches, and all I can do is let it out. Sean, his friends… it all feels like it’s pre
