Lexi wasn’t hungry when she got home and locked herself in her bedroom. She couldn’t believe her stepbrother shared that video he made of her being used. She also couldn’t believe he was free either.

He was supposed to be in jail for what he did to her, but because there wasn’t any evidence. He was released, along with her other stepbrother and their friends. Now, she has to worry about other people seeing the video Shawn had played.

How could her stepbrothers do this to her? What has she ever done to them? She buries her face into her pillow and starts crying.

Rose was worried about Lexi. She knew Lexi was upset about something that happened at the construction site. She didn’t come down and eat dinner.

Rose had asked her husband what happened. Howard told her what happened at the construction site with Shawn. Also, about the video, Lexi’s stepbrother’s made of her being raped and used.

Rose knocks on Lexi’s bedroom door, before entering her bedroom. She spots Lexi laying on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. She could hear her sobbing. Rose walks over and sits on the edge of the bed. She scoops Lexi up and holds her.

Lexi feels scooped up and placed on her aunt's lap. She buries her face against her aunt's shoulder and just cries. She could feel her aunt rubbing her back and cooing to her.

Rose could feel that Lexi cried herself to sleep. She lays Lexi down on her bed and tucks her in. She places a kiss on her forehead and walks out of Lexi’s bedroom.

“What are we going to do?” Rose was worried about Lexi.

“There’s nothing we can do. We took Lexi’s mother and stepfather to court for custody of Lexi. However, we couldn’t prove that Lexi’s
stepbrothers had anything to do with the filming and raping of her.”

“I know, I hated the fact that the lab corrupted the sample that had been collected. Also, the lawyer they had, was a piece of work. He tried to make it out, that it was Lexi’s fault.” Rose will never forget the lawyer defending Lexi’s stepbrothers.

“He was trying to tarnish Lexi’s reputation, sweetie.” Howard wanted to beat the daylights out of the lawyer.

The lawyer they hired did their best to defend Lexi, but it was a case of he said, she said. The main evidence that had been collected had been contaminated, thanks to a lab technician. Their lawyer couldn’t prove Lexi’s stepbrother had anything to do with her rape and abuse.

“You know that as long as that video is up on the internet, it's going to keep on hurting Lexi, Howard.” Rose was concerned about Lexi’s future.

“I know. I spoke to the guy that I use to fix my computers for the construction. He said that even if they somehow managed to find what server it was on, there are places on the darknet that would house it. That’s not counting how many people may have downloaded the video as well.”

“That’s if it was made available by Lexi’s brothers.” Rose was thinking that Lexi’s stepbrothers were being careful who they share the video with.

“True, it's too bad Lexi destroyed Shawn's cellphone. I could have had Robert look at it and tell me what server it was on.” Howard knew Lexi had a temper, plus she hated learning that there was a video being shared about what happened to her.

Rose wishes they could do more to help Lexi. She was already seeing a counselor for her gender dysphoria and the rape she went through. That’s not counting the bullying she went through at school.

“How was she?” Howard was concerned.

“She cried herself to sleep. It's going to take a few more days for her to get over what Shawn did to her.”

“It might be good if she stays home, instead of going to work with me.” Howard knew how much Lexi likes to work with him and the guys.

“I think that might be best for her. She can help me down at the store with some of the flora arrangements.” Rose wouldn’t mind having Lexi with her at the flower store.

“Sounds good, a few days away from the construction site will do her some good.” Howard was going to hate not having his little helper with him.

Lexi sleeps throughout the night. She does toss and turns some in her sleep. Her alarm clock goes off at five-thirty in the morning. She reaches over to her alarm clock and smacks it.

After nine minutes, it goes off again. She reaches over and smacks it again. Lexi drags herself out of bed and into the bathroom, to do her morning business. She didn’t want to leave the safety of her bedroom, but she was never a quitter. She gets dress and heads downstairs to help her aunt.

When she walks into the kitchen, she spots her aunt fixing breakfast. She walks over to the refrigerator and grabs the milk.

Rose looks up when Lexi walks into the kitchen “Lexi, you’re going to work with me today down at the flower shop.”

“Okay.” Lexi didn’t mind helping her aunt down at the flower shop.

She preferred working with her uncle and the guys at the construction site. She grabs a bowl for her cereal and pours her favorite cereal into the bowl. She pours the milk next and puts it back into the refrigerator.

Howard comes walking into the kitchen. He notices Lexi sitting at the kitchen table eating her favorite cereal “morning kiddo. How are you feeling?”

Lexi looks at her uncle “so, so.”

Howard could hear that Lexi wasn’t her normal cheerful self. He walks over to her “everything is going to be alright. You’ll be working with your aunt for the next couple of days.” He places a kiss on Lexi’s forehead.

Lexi looks up at her uncle and would rather work with him, but today she didn’t want to be around anyone. At least at the flower shop, her aunt worked at, she could stay in the back and work with Joel and Kelly. Joel was a flaming gay guy that had an opinion about everything. He also had a tall rooster tail. He had a lot of hair in the middle of his head and small on the side. He dyed the hair in the middle bright red.

“Okay.” Lexi continues to eat her cereal.

Howard ruffles Lexi’s hair and kisses his wife on the cheek, before leaving. It felt strange going to work without his helper today.

“You’ll have fun today, Lexi.” Rose puts everything away and finishes getting ready for work.

Lexi watches her aunt leave the kitchen. She finishes her cereal and rinses it out. She didn’t want to be around anyone today. She heads back upstairs to her bedroom and changes her t-shirt. She had a few with the flower shop name on them. She brushes her hair again and heads back downstairs, after grabbing her purse. Her cellphone was inside it.

“You ready kiddo?” Rose looks at Lexi as she comes downstairs.

“Yes ma’am.”

Rose lets Lexi head out of the house first, before locking the front door. Once the door was locked she walks over to her car. Lexi was already inside and looking depressed. She wishes she could do something to cheer up Lexi, but she didn’t know what to do.

The ride to the floral shop didn’t take long. Rose parks her car near the delivery truck.

“Wait outside, while I go and disarm the security system, Lexi.” As Rose unlocks the front door.

“Yes ma’am.” Lexi watches as her aunt dashes inside and disarms the security system.

Lexi watches for her aunt to wave her inside. When she spots her aunt waving at her, she heads inside and locks the door behind her. The lights spring on and her aunt comes out from the work area.

“Lexi, why don’t you sweep the floor, and I’ll get the cash registers ready.”

“Okay.” Lexi into the back and grab the dustpan and broom.

She walks back out to the front and starts sweeping.This wasn’t the first time she has come to work with her aunt. While she is sweeping the
front and dusting, Joel and Kelly show up.

Joel’s hair was red as ever and he had on a muscle shirt that said Florists are the best lovers. We know how to plant things.

“Hey kiddo, what brings you up here today?” Joel knew Lexi normally worked with her uncle.

“She’s having a bad day.” Rose knew Lexi wasn’t going to answer.

“So, it's that time of the month, for her.” Joel knew how that can be sometimes.

“Oh, sweetie. If you need anything today, just let me know.” Kelly knew how bad periods could be.

“I will.” Lexi goes back to dusting.

After Lexi has finished sweeping, her Aunt Rose puts her to work stripping the thorns from a bunch of roses. Before she hands the utility knife to Lexi “be careful grabbing the roses, Lexi, and using the knife.”

“Yes ma’am.” Lexi accepts the utility knife and starts stripping the thrones off.

While she is stripping the thorns off, she pricks her fingers several times. She sucks on them to stop the bleeding.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Joel looks at Lexi as she sucks on her fingers.

“Yes.”

A smirk appears on Joel’s face. He has pricked his fingers several times while scraping off the thorns. He finishes up the floral arrangement he had been working on.

Music was playing in the background and whenever a song everyone knew starts playing. Rose, Joel, and Kelly would start singing. Lexi just listens to them as she strips a second batch of yellow roses.

At lunch time, Rose orders Chinese Food for everyone from the local Chinese unit. It was only a few doors down from the flower shop. Joel and Kelly try to cheer up Lexi during the day. Joel even makes her a funny floral arrangement.

“Thanks, Joel.” Lexi sits the arrangement down on her aunt’s desk.