Vera

Intimidation

Luke was watching television and munching on a bag of chips when his stepsister walked through the front door, her face flushed and her eyes red from crying. He immediately leapt up from the couch and ran to her side. "What's the matter, Vera?"

She stared down at her feet, making sure her eyes never met his.  "Nothing," She answered, chewing on her bottom lip.  How could she tell him?  If he found out she was being harassed by a grown man, he'd hunt him down and beat the hell out of him.

Victor was a police officer, and the last thing she wanted was for her brother to get into trouble.  She would find a way to handle this mess herself. She didn't see a reason to get her loved ones involved.

"Come on, Vera.  I can see something is bothering you."  Luke bent down so that his six foot four frame was more level with her five foot one.  "You know you can tell me anything.  Don't hide it."

"It's nothing, Luke, really."

"You're trembling like a leaf."  He took her by the hand and walked her into the kitchen, handing her a bottle of water from the refrigerator.  "Tell me what's wrong.  Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Vera chugged the water before having a seat at their large kitchen table. "Are mom and dad here?"

"No," Luke said, sitting with her. "Dad had to work late, and mom is at the grocery store."

"If I tell you," She hesitated, folding her hands in her lap. "Will you promise to keep it a secret?"

"Woah, this is serious, isn't it?"

"Luke-"

"I promise."

"Alright," She covered her face with her hands to hide the shame within her. "A guy followed me in-"

Luke took her wrists and lowered her hands. "I can't hear you, Sis. You can look at me."

"I was at the coffee shop today, and a guy followed me into the bathroom."

"What!?"

"He's been following me for the last three weeks. I-I think he's obsessed with me."

She could tell her brother wanted to explode, but he maintained his composure and gently took her by the hands. "What happened? Did he hurt you?"

"No, he didn't hurt me."

"What did he do?"

"He kissed me. I didn't want him to, but he did."

"Has he done anything like this before?"

"No, he mostly just followed me around and hit on me.  I didn't think he would actually ever kiss me."

"You need to report him.  If he kissed you without your permission, he could be arrested for assault."

"It's not that simple, Luke."

"Why not?"

"He's a-" She stopped the words before they could leave her mouth.  No one could know this was a police officer she was dealing with.  That would only bring a world of drama on their family.  "He's a very important student in my school."

"That doesn't matter. If you don't report him, he'll keep harassing you. You have to put an end to it."

"I can't."

"Is it Brad Sinclair?"

"Huh?"

"You've been complaining about him ever since you joined the cross country team."