Insight into a troubled girl.

Trigger Warning: Self-Harm

You find yourself sitting on your bed a little while later, next to Tara. Her clothes are on and she drying her hair while you talk.
"...know what he's doing." she's talking about Jared. "Last night...the concert. I'm pretty sure he hooked up with someone. And it's not the first time."
"Why do you put up with it, sweetie?" You ask, rubbing her shoulder.
Tara sighs, shuddering from having no more tears to shed at present. "I'm fucked up, that's why." Her eyes widen, and she claps a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry..."
You laugh. "It's okay, Tara. I don't care if you swear."
"I know it's such a cliche, but I never had a father. My dad bailed on my mom after the first night. I don't think she even knew his real name. My whole life, she's had a string of boyfriends. Some of them were nice to me. Most were indifferent." She swallows, and looks down at her swinging feet. "And...one of them... was a little...too interested." She rubs her arm, as if feeling a little a chill.
"Wow..." you whisper. "I'm sorry, Tara."
"Yeah. I never told my mom about that. She dated Hank all through my junior year of high school... it was the worst time of my life." She lifts her jean shorts up to her thigh, showing you three neat little horizontal scars. "I did that the night before junior prom."
"Your mom didn't find out, even after that?"
"I convinced her it had been an accident: a broken window. My mom has a talent for not seeing what's there, if it's not something she wants to know about."
"Tara..." You impulsively pull her into your arms, and she accepts the affection.
"So I guess...I have... self-esteem issues. When guys cheat on me, or mistreat me, I always really believe, deep down, that it's my fault. If I was worth treating well, they would do it, right? So I must not be worth it." She looks at you. "It's like what happened last night at work..."
"What happened?"
She looks a little sickened. "One of our regulars pinned me against the wall outside the bathroom. He was drunk, and he stuck his hand up under my skirt. He...he got his fingers inside my panties just before another server came along and told him to go back to his seat."
"Holy shit, Tara. What did your manager do?"
Tara gives a bitter laugh. "Nothing. Brian's a cock sucker."
"Yeah... so I just...let it go, and put a smile back on." She rubs the back of your hand. "It's probably why I have this thing for flirting with older guys. When someone...does what Hank did, or that guy at the bar, eventually, you take a sick kind of comfort in it. It becomes familiar."
"Well, I know it doesn't really help, but you should know that I tore Jared a new one on the golf course today."
"Even if I could break up with him, that would mean I wouldn't get to see you or Jenna anymore."
You take Tara's hand. "Even if you guys break up, you're always welcome here. I told Jared he's moving out, and he agreed to do so."
Tara smiles at you. "I wish Jared was more like you, James." she squeezes your hand. "You're such a good guy."
You grimace a little. "If I tell you a secret, Tara, can I trust you to keep it?"
Tara nods emphatically. "Absolutely. I swear."
You believe her. "I'm no angel. {if RileySexLvl > 1
} I've cheated on Jenna before. She doesn't know." And she never will, you think, or she'll actually **** you for fucking around with Riley. {elseif KaylaSexLvl > 1
} I haven't exactly always been faithful to Jenna." You think about Kayla. {if KaylaSub = 1
} You think about your little sub pet, and you're filled with a mixture of guilt and arousal. {endif
}{else
} At Zoe's husband's bachelor party, I got drunk and got a BJ from the stripper. Jenna still doesn't know." {endif
}
Tara's eyes widen. "Wow. But... Jenna's so hot, and you guys are definitely in love, even I can tell. Why? Why would you do that?"
"Because I'm human. Because we're all fucked up, in our own ways. All I can do is try to be better next time, to fight my baser instincts and be a better man." You hope so, anyway. Tara looks at you with a strange expression. "If you think less of me now, I understand."
"No..." she muses. "Actually, it makes me feel better, weirdly. We're all just trying to make it the best way we know how, huh?"
"Exactly." You give her another hug. "So in conclusion: yes, you're pretty. Pretty awesome."
"Wow...dad jokes..." she groans.
You pull back to look at her face, hoping to see that she's going to be okay.