J. J. twisted and turned for the entire night, and when daylight presented itself, she was exhausted.

She pulled herself up to sit on the bed but immediately fell back onto the white and lime green striped pillowcase, and this time, she fell asleep.

J. J. and Dave had returned home about thirty minutes before her mom and stepdad came home. Then, when her mother quietly pushed open the white bedroom door to say goodnight, J. J. was covered from head to toe in the pillow matching white and lime green striped sheet.

“J. J.,” her mother quietly called, but she did not reply.  

Then, just as quietly as she pushed open the door, she closed it. J. J., after waiting for a few minutes, quietly got out of bed, tiptoed over to her bedroom door and quietly locked it.

When she awoke again, the banging on the bedroom door was the cause.

“I’m coming. I’m coming,” J. J. called, rolling out of bed.  

She opened the door and found Dave standing there, and immediately, the previous night’s event flooded her mind.

“Are you okay?” Dave asked, dressed in grey joggers and a red sweater.

“What do you care?” she whispered, looking around the hallway.

“I do care,” he replied. “Can we talk?”

“Where’s my mom?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

“She and my dad went to the supermarket.”

“Really? What time is it?”

“About eleven,” he replied.

“Really?”

“You were asleep for so long, I thought …” he began but cut short his words.

“Finish it,” J. J. said, “you thought what?”

“Nothing,” he said, “look, we need to talk.”

“Then talk,” J. J. said, pulling her body to the full height of five feet, five inches.

“Wash up and come into the living room, and we’ll talk.”

J.J. began closing the door.

“And don’t take too long,” he called out.

J. J. closed the door behind her.

The washroom was slightly opposite her room, and the shower J. J. immediately took after returning home several hours ago was hasty because her mom and stepdad were returning home soon.  

Now, as she entered the washroom, all she could think of was scrubbing her body, and she did. About thirty minutes later, dressed in blue jeans and a thick grey sweater, she entered the living room.

Crystal, the girl from last night, was sitting in the living room wearing a purple waist-high coat and black jeans.  

Crystal lifted her eyes to meet J. J. as she entered the room.

J. J. immediately stopped walking.

“Hi, J.J.,” Crystal greeted with a faltered smile.

“What are you doing here?” J. J. asked, remembering she thought she heard the front door opening and closing while using the washroom.

“We need to talk,” she replied.

“That’s what I keep hearing,” J. J. replied, folding her arms around her body as her eyes travelled to Dave standing at the patio door with the white shutters drawn.

“Our parents will be back soon, so can we get this over with? I don’t want them to find you here,” Dave said.

J. J. sat opposite Crystal in one of the brown chairs, drew her feet into the chair, and stared at her.

Crystal crossed her legs, cleared her throat and said, “What happened last night should never have happened, and as soon as I found out about it, I got you and your brother out of there.”

J. J. continued to stare at her.

Crystal looked down, opened the purple bag on her lap, and took out a light brown rectangular envelope.

“Here,” she said, handing it to J. J.

“What is it?” J. J. asked, eyeing the envelope.

“Take it,” she responded, getting up and placing it into her hand, “it doesn’t make up for what happened, but it can help.”

J. J. opened the heavy envelope and looked into it before pulling out several hundred dollar bills.

“It’s ten thousand dollars,” Crystal said.

“What?!” J. J. and Dave asked simultaneously.

Dave moved away from the door and stood beside J. J. as she put the money back into the envelope and closed it.

J. J. placed the envelope next to her on the chair and slowly put her feet on the ground. She leaned forward and said, “if you are going to buy my silence, the least you could do is to tell me who… who hurt me.”

“I can’t do that,” Crystal immediately replied.

“I see,” J. J. said, nodding, “you have parties with underage people, drug them and allow men who are old enough to be their grandfathers to assault them, and you can’t tell me anything.”

“What are you talking about?” Crystal asked, staring expressionless at her.

J. J. stared back at her.

Crystal continued to stare at her, and J. J. lowered her gaze for a quick second.

“What is this for, then?” J. J. asked, pointing at the envelope.

“It’s because you were underage, and you should never have been allowed in there,” she said, looking up at Dave.

“But there were other underage people there; what made me the exception?”

“Like I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Crystal said.

“You’re sticking with that, right?” J. J. asked, nodding.

“I’m not saying anything but the truth,” Crystal replied.

“I was drugged and assaulted at your party last night,” J. J. said, stabbing her right index finger in her direction.

“And who do you think will back you up with those vicious claims?” Crystal asked.

J. J. looked up at Dave.

“Him? Not if he wants to continue getting jobs like the one he has right now. A job that pays far more than a nineteen-year-old knows what to do with the money.”

Dave looked down at the floor.

“Then it will be your word against mine, and trust me, you don’t want to walk that road.”

J. J. folded her palms into fits.

“Accept my apology, take the money, and don’t return to my parties until you’re old enough.”

J.J. stared at her for a few seconds, then, turning around, snatched the envelope out of the chair and bolted from the room. She slammed shut her bedroom door without entering the room and tiptoed back down the narrow hall but remained out of sight.

“Where is my cut?” J. J. heard Dave ask in a low voice.

“You haven’t learnt a thing,” Crystal said, shaking her head.

“But,—”

“You should have thought about your cut before you brought your underage sister to my party.”

“I didn’t know you had pedos and assaulters at your parties,” he spits back.

“I don’t, and besides, you know the rules, no underage people, so why did you bring her?”

“Because of your other rule. No entry without a partner, and I thought she would be safe.”

Crystal slowly let out a deep breath.

“You’re banned from the parties for a month, and if you ever pull something like this again, you will be banned forever, and I know a few cops who can put you behind bars.”

“You can’t do that,” Dave said, with a trimmer in his voice. “I didn’t do anything. Your guy did. I thought you have to give consent before anything happened, and only a little drugs is slipped into the drinks to loosen up the person, but not enough to knock them out.”

“What are you talking about?” Crystal asked, getting up from the chair and walking to the front door. Dave followed her.

“How did you find out about J. J.’s age?” Dave asked.

“I found out too late, and that’s all that matters,” Crystal said.

“In fact,” she said, turning to face him, “keep away from my parties for the next two months because if I see you before that, my cop friends might pay you a visit.”

Dave nodded vigorously.

“But why am I the only one being punished?” he sulked.

“You’re not. Everyone who’s involved in this will get punished, and I’m warning you, don’t you ever put your little sister or anyone else in danger again.”

‘I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Go tell her that, and you better not ask her for one cent of that money,” Crystal said before opening the door and leaving.

J.J. quickly tiptoed back to the bedroom door, quietly opened it and entered.

Dave knocked on the door a few minutes later, and after J. J. commanded, he entered.

“I heard you and Crystal just now,” J. J. said, standing with folded arms across her chest beside her bed.

“You were eavesdropping!”

“Why would you get a cut?”

Dave slowly let out a breath.

“Whenever we bring someone new to one of Crystal’s parties, we get paid.”

“How could you do this to me?” J. J. asked, tears whelming in her eyes and overflowing. She sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry,” Dave said, covering some distance between them.

“I have to tell my mom,” J. J. said, crying.

“Please don’t do that! Please! I’m begging you, J. J., because if my dad ever finds out, it’ll be over for me.”

“I’m sorry,” J.J. said, “but don’t you understand what happened to me? I was assaulted, and I can’t just sweep it under the rug like some dirt I am trying to hide.”

“I know. I know,” Dave said, “but did you hear what Chrystal said? She has or will take care of the guy who did this to you. The law may not be able to get him, but she could and will. She’ll make sure he’s punished.”

J .J. cried.

Dave sat on the bed beside her, with a gap between them.

“Please, J.J., please don’t tell your mom. Please, take the money and get whatever help you need, and I’ll never do something like this again, I promise.”

“Hey, where’s everyone?” J.J. suddenly heard her mother call out, “We’re home. Come and help unpack the bags,”

J. J. quickly dried the tears on her face and slowly rose from the bed. Dave followed her.

“Are you going to tell your mom?” he asked as they exited the room.

“Tell her what?” Dave’s dad asked, appearing in front of them.

The End