I'm sorry if my story is bringing up unpleasant memories, James, and I'm honored that you are still reading it.

I work as a counselor intern in Texas, doing clinical interviews for a psychiatrist. As such, I hear the life stories of people every day.

Abuse is far more common than most people are aware of, and recent studies have shown that female abusers are also much more common than people think. The effects that this can have on someone's life can be profound, and I have talked to many people who were rejected by their families when they finally found the courage to reveal the abuse.

Clark doesn't see what happened to him as abuse. This is, as James has said, a way to protect himself. Society tells him that as a boy, he is supposed to be always accepting of that sort of attention from an older woman. Some people will even tell him that he should feel lucky.

It should be remembered, however, that in the flashbacks, Clark has just turned seventeen. Lilah was his teacher in the year he was 15 turning sixteen, and it's likely that she pursued him for quite some time before he finally gave in to her. The difference between pursuing a fifteen year old and a seventeen year old is considerable.

The law often lags behind the times. Sex with students over the age of 16 didn't become a crime in Kansas until a year ago. It is now a felony.

There is a double standard, in which young boys are treated differently than young girls. Even news stories talking about sex between a fifteen year old and a female teacher refer to it as an affair, whereas when the gender is reversed, it's considered something far more sinister.

Many people have good lives despite abuse, but it never makes things easier. No one deserves to be taken advantage of, and an adult having sex with a child is by definition an abuse of power, and an abuse of trust.

Yet boys don't report it. Society expects that they will enjoy what is happening, or in the case of a homosexual relationship, they are too ashamed to report for fear of being judged.

It takes courage to talk about what happened, and sometimes all it takes is for one person to break that code of silence to give others the belief that they too have the right to speak out.

That's when the healing begins.

Thanks again for the comments everyone.