1 Chapter 2: The Aftermath

"Shaun, are you okay?" Lauren asked.

Shaun looked up sleepily after hearing her mother's voice on the other side of the bathroom door.

"Ah, umm, yes, I'm okay. I'm just feeling slightly tired." Shaun assured her, clearing her throat. She sat up quickly.

"I didn't hear when you get in." Lauren told her, "Bria called."

Shaun rolled her eyes on hearing her "friend's" name. She tried to get up but discovered that it was difficult. Her legs were still numb, and she still felt sore 'down there'.

"I thought you two went together." Lauren continued.

"I thought so too," Shaun mumbled.

"Can you open this door, please?" Lauren requested, trying to unlock the bathroom door.

"I'm not feeling well. I'll be downstairs in a minute, mom." Shaun told her, "May I have some privacy, please?"

The footsteps faded as Lauren made her way to the staircase.

Shaun held on to the bathtub as she tried to stand up. For the first time since last night, she looked at her reflection. She seemed normal except that her eyes were baggy from all the crying and there were small red spots on her neck. She filled the tub and quietly crawled in. Shaun sank in, closing her eyes as if that would wash away the "sins". The warm water soothed her body, and she felt much better. After staying in the tub for fifteen minutes, she slowly crawled out and walked to her room.

7:45 am

After doing her makeup and covering her spots, Shaun got dressed and went downstairs. Everything was ordinary. It was a typical Sunday morning. Lauren was in the kitchen cooking breakfast and Carlos; her stepfather was sitting on the couch reading the Sunday Newspaper and her sister and stepbrother were still sleeping.

It felt weird to Shaun. She just lost her virginity, something that was so dear to her, and the world continued as if everything was okay. A sigh escaped Shaun's lips.

Carlos looked up on hearing her. "Good morning, dear," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning," Shaun answered, walking up to the dining room table.

No one mentioned anything about the party or her coming home late. It was as if the party had never happened, which was a relief to Shaun. She could finally forget about the dreadful night and pray that she had caught nothing.

Shaun spent the day eating junk food and ignoring Bria. She tried to forget about Jared, but somehow, he always found a way back into her thoughts. School resumed tomorrow and Shaun would have to face Bria and the harsh reality of losing her virginity to a stranger would rain down once more.

Now and then her mother, Lauren, would give her questioning looks but kept quiet.

7:12 am

Shaun was already up before the alarm. She had spent the night in the bathroom again, throwing up and crying. And whenever she managed to doze off, horrible nightmares such as catching an infection or a disease or even getting pregnant caused her to jump up out of her sleep.

During the few hours left, Shaun felt alone and depressed and sometimes suicidal. She spent an hour in the bathroom contemplating her life and the next step. Afterwards, she showered and got dressed. Usually, Shaun would have driven with Bria to school, but she still had not forgiven her. Somehow, she felt that what happened to her was Bria's fault.

8:42 am

"Mom, can I ride with you?" Shaun asked, coming downstairs.

Both Lauren and Shianne, her half-sister, looked at her in surprise. Shaun had always felt embarrassed driving to school with her mother. Everyone in the household knew that's why Shaun pressured Bria into getting a car so they could drive to school together.

They drove in awkward silence until Lauren broke it by asking Shaun if she was feeling okay.

"I heard you throwing up," she said.

Shaun looked down in embarrassment. "I didn't think anyone would hear me," she said.

"The entire building heard you," Shianne added. Shaun glared at her.

They both stared at Shaun, waiting for an explanation.

"The nacho dip at the party was pretty nasty." she lied.

"Speaking of the party..." Lauren began.

"Oh no," Shaun mumbled. She was starting to panic.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Lauren asked, "I know school's been pretty difficult this month and you've been studying so hard. You're so young, you need balance." Lauren told her.

Shaun nodded and Lauren was about to ask more questions, but they had already arrived at Shaun's school. She quickly kissed her mom and her sister and hopped out of the car.

As soon as she walked onto the compound, Bria stepped in front of her.

"Can my day get any worse?" Shaun asked herself, rolling her eyes.

"I was worried sick about you." Bria told her, "And you wouldn't accept my calls!"

Shaun nodded and continued walking, clearly ignoring her, but Bria kept up with her and continued talking.

"How did you get home? I drove around the whole block looking for you until someone said they saw you get in a car."

Shaun stopped dead in her tracks. Someone had seen her. Before either could say anything else, she burst out into tears, "I have something to tell you."