The Blackmail Dilemma

Dare Me To Get Caught

Nina called us that night on video chat. I answered first, and Stacie answered not a moment later. 

"Nina, what's wrong?" Stacie said, pouting her lips. She seemed to be leaning back against her bed, a fluffy pink pillow supporting her neck.

Nina sniffed, a tear snaking down her cheek. Her eyes were red and glossy. The background behind her was dark, and I couldn't make out where she was. In fact, it was difficult to clearly see her face, as the video was grainy from lack of light. 

"He's a jerk," she finally said. 

"Who?" Stacie asked, anger lacing her voice. 

"Nick."

I racked my brain, trying to remember someone by that name. It clicked, and I felt anger towards him. No girl should have to cry because of a boy. She didn't deserve to cry because of him.

"Did you guys break up?"

She nodded, swiping a hand over her eyes. "Yeah, we ended it tonight. Gosh, what a jerk. The girl he was cheating on me with saw us at dinner. We got in a fight, he picked hr over me, and I ran out. Now, I'm in the park a few block down. I need to call my mom to get me, but I don't want to tell her what happened."

"Aw, Kiley will pick you up," Stacie said. 

I wanted to help my friend, but it was late on a school night. My dad would get angry. "I don't think I can leave the house without getting in trouble."

Stacie glared at me through the phone. "Excuse me? What kind of friend are you if you can't even pick Nina up after her horrible date?"

"You have a license, too," I pointed out. Sometimes, her attitude irked me.

Stacie rolled her olive eyes. "Yeah, but I'm busy dealing with stuff for the school newspaper. Bye guys." She hung up.

Nina didn't make a sound, and neither did I. We sat in silence for a few moments, my breathing heavy, until a strangled sob escaped her.

"I'll be there in a minute. Share the location on messages," I told her. With that, I hung up, grabbed my keys, and headed downstairs.

It was silent throughout the house as I made my way to the front door. All of the lights were off, and I could hear Dad snoring from his office down the hall. I let out a breath and walked to his office door. It was slightly ajar, so I pushed it open. His head rested against the keyboard of his desktop. Papers were piled up next to him, and the only light came from his desk lamp.

I couldn't wake him in fear of getting caught. Instead, I walked to the couch in the living room and grabbed a pillow and blanket. Walking back to his office, I propped his head onto the pillow and scooted the keyboard out of the way. After draping the soft blanket over his shoulders, I walked out and closed the door.

When I walked outside, I was assaulted by a blast of wind.. Shivering slightly, I walked to my silver Kia. It sat parked in the driveway. When I walked to the driver's side, the dent was still there, just like always. I hopped in and glanced down at my phone. I instantly remembered which park and backed out of the driveway, heading in that direction.

My car was important to me because mom bought it. It was her car until she got a better one, so she gifted me this. That was a month before the divorce. A month before her and Dad decided to live in different places. It broke my heart just to think of how a marriage could be ripped apart. 

Before I knew it, I had pulled in front of the park. Nina recognized my car and hopped off the swing set. I unlocked the car and she got in the front seat. Once she closed the door and I drove off, I noticed her mascara had streamed down her cheeks.