tw: mention of kyler and past sexual assault.

Bryce's eyes widened when Daniel opened the door. "Oh...you're home?"

"Bryce." Daniel rose his eyebrows, eyeing him slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just coming to check on Sam." he cleared his throat slightly, biting at the loose skin around his lips. "I brought her ice cream."

Daniel looked at him good. "Oh, yeah?"

"What you saw at my house, it wasn't what you thought it was." Bryce reassured him quickly with a clear of his throat. "I slept on the couch and Sam just needed something to sleep in. Honest to god, or whatever your beliefs are, truth."

"No, but you still didn't bring her home where she would have been much safer." he pointed out with a knowing look in his eye.

Bryce blinked. "No disrespect, Mr. LaRusso, but i'd never let anything bad happen to Sam intentionally. I know how to handle a drunk. If I hadn't, then I would have brought her home regardless of what she wanted."

Daniel blinked, eyeing him slightly. "Your mom drinks a lot?"

"Not so much anymore, but, yeah, something like that." he shrugged in return, avoiding pointing out that he knew about their past. "Look, i'll just give this to you and-"

"No, you can run it up to her. She needs to wake up anyways." Daniel sighed, Bryce could tell it was killing him to invite him in. "Just...leave the door open."

"Was planning on it." Bryce lied, giving a tight lipped smile as he hurried up the stairs. Based on where he saw it from outside, he found Sams room in no time. With a minor knock, he opened the door. Sam was sitting straight up in her bed, looking like she just woke up from a nightmare. "Hey there, sleeping beauty."

"What are you doing here?" she gapped, surprised to see Bryce Freaking Moskowitz standing in her doorway.

"Brought you something." he rose the bag up. "Well, two somethings. Because I know you said you were trying to stay away from dairy, for your skin, but incase you wanted to say the hell with it and dig into some pure dairy."

Sam cracked a smile as he passed her the bag, looking around her room. Sam decided on the dairy, not bothering with her skin around the past few days. Bryce grinned slightly. "Your room is so like you."

"Meaning what?" she popped the lid off, finding the spoon in the bag.

"So good." he mocked, looking her way. "Usually people seem like their rooms."

"So, what? You've been in a lot of other girls rooms?" Sam hummed, popping the first spoon full into her mouth with a hum.

Bryce held his head up a little higher. "I wouldn't say a lot."

"No?" she seemed surprised. "Then, how many?"

"Why is that any of your business?" he laughed in disbelief, walking over to lay across the foot of her bed. "What about you?"

"Oh, no." she shook her head.

Bryce grinned. "Figured."

"You figured?" Sam looked offended. "Are all guys pervs like you?"

"Not in a pervy way, just in a casual way." Bryce argued slightly with a minor laugh, Sam didn't seemed to find his excuse okay. "Okay, maybe in a little bit of a pervy way."

"Mhm." she hummed, popping the spoon into her mouth.

"So, that stuff Kyler said last year...it was a lie?" Bryce hesitated, knowing that it would definitely come off the wrong way.

"Completely." Sam rolled her eyes. "Literally, nothing like that happened."

"I believe you." he stoped her from having to defend herself, but notice something lingered around her. "What actually happened?"

"We went to a movie together." Sam exhaled with a minor shrug. "And he tried to put his hand up my dress and I told him to stop, but, he didn't."

Bryce sat up with a questionable look. "What?"

"I mean, I kinda knocked him on his ass after that." she said back with a half grin, shrugging he shoulders.

"Doesn't matter. Stop means stop. I don't know why that's so hard to understand." he said back, and this time, Sam sensed what he saw around her moments before. "Sorry guys like that get away with shit like that."

Sam shook her head. "I guess he kinda paid for it. After that cafeteria fight."

Bryce nodded in agreement. "So, is that why you haven't...done anything?"

"No, no, not really. I mean, it never really got to that level with Migeul. And, he's all I really had." Sam explained, slightly awkwardly. "What about you?"

Bryce had to laugh. "What about me?"

"I mean, you've clearly done stuff before." she exclaimed with a minor shrug. "Once? Twice?"

"Depends, I guess." Bryce scratched the side of his face, seeing the weird look she gave. "Technically, twice."

"Technically? What does that mean?" Sam chuckled slightly. "How can you technically have sex?"

"Because it's happened two times." Bryce hesitated, adjusting how he sat. "But I....you know, I only was present once."

Sams heart fell, as did her face. "What?"

"You don't have to give me that look." he laughed to ease the look he hated, shaking his head. "It was over a year ago."

"Still, oh my god." she explained with a shake of her head. "Wha- like, you were asleep? I don't-"

She sensed the way he was adjusting uncomfortably, avoiding looking as her. "I'm sorry, no, no, it's not my business. I'm just- I'm sorry."

"I was really drunk last summer. Like, beyond wasted. It was my first time trying the hard stuff, and there was a lot of it." Bryce hummed, nodding his head as he leaning on his side. "And I was dating this girl at the time. Masy. And, next thing I know, i'm in her bed and she'd ontop of me. You know I don't- it's not like I remember getting there. And I was awake, but not, I guess."

"Well, you were super drunk. You're awake but not technically." Sam explained, scooting closer his way. "Still, that doesn't make it right. If you were that out of it, there's no way you could have said yes. And even if you did, it's still common sense to-"

"I know." Bryce cut her off with a nod, sitting up straight with a long exhale. "You know, you're the first person i've ever said that to."

Sam shook her head. "You didn't tell anyone?"

"It's more difficult then you think." Bryce explained, shrugging as he bit the inside of his mouth. "It would have just then this endless loop of everyone congratulating me, thinking it was cool that I lost it to a hot girl that was two years older then me. It's just different. People don't view it the same for guys."

"Well, I think that's bullshit." Sam explained with a serious look in her eye. "This girl is sick, and so is everyone who doesn't take it seriously just because you're a guy."

Bryce stared at her, nodding his head slightly. "I'm glad you think that way, Samantha."

She held a scoop of ice scream out, Bryce leaning forward to take the bite.

•

kylie speaks

a big reason i started this book
was to be able to bring attention
to male SA survivors. it's rarely
portrayed or spoken about in not only books, but also the media in general. consent is
consent, regardless of gender.
it's even more rare for people to
talk about sexual assault of guys if it's from a girl AND THAT STILL EXIST TOO! i'm sure most of you do have common sense and human decency but for some of you that have been told that boys can't be
sexually assaulted or it's not a big deal, take bryce's character as just a 1% of what it does to someone. he's bothers and was clearly upset when talking about it, and when his mom brought up maisy last chapter he completely shut down and just went and laid in bed. to my beautiful male readers, if you have experience any form of sexual assault, i love you and i hear you always. your feelings are valid and if anyone treats or tells you differently, they can rot.