The Unpopular Popular Girl

Chapter 28

I can do it. I can.

I inhaled a deep breath and knocked on the door before I could chicken out.

"Hey." Reese stood in front of me in her hello kitty pajamas looking as shitty as I felt. "Come on in."

I walked inside without really looking at her. I had been to her house many times in the past year and today for the very first time it was awkward. I wished for once her parents would be home but as usual I was greeted by the emptiness of the house.

As I sat down on the leather couch I watched Reese bite down on her bottom lip and fumble around nervously. That makes two of us, I thought.

"Reese, sit down." I said sighing.
She did as she was told and kept looking down at the floor. It was infuriating that she was so upset because that meant I couldn't be angry at her.

"I know it was you." I said. There was no use beating around the bush now.
She still didn't say anything and I couldn't believe it. The same girl who would never stop talking was not talking! "Say something."

"I am sorry, Aria." She started.
Before I could protest against her apology she started speaking again.
"I never wanted to do that but I had to."

"What do you mean, 'you had to'?"

"You were never supposed to find out. But I can't lie anymore." She paused for a few seconds but I didn't interject this time. "I did all this for my father. If I wouldn't have done it I don't know what would have happened." She shuddered leaving me gaping.

This was definitely not what I expected. Her father? How did Mr. Gilbert come into all this?

"I don't know if you will believe me now but you need to know the truth. Did you know my father works for yours?" Reese continued.

"Um. No. He does?" This was new information for me.

"Yeah. He works as the Head Manager for the delivery of drugs to the hospitals. Anyway, what I was getting at here was that your father threatened mine and my dad told me to do this."

"Reese you aren't exactly talking clearly. Why don't you start from the beginning?" I offered.

"You remember the week when you started dating Sean?"

I nodded, remembering the day much too clearly for my liking.

"Yeah, well my dad came home all troubled that week. When my mom and I asked about it he didn't say anything, just brushed it off saying there was some trouble at work. We didn't make much of it since these kinds of things keep happening.

"Then one day late at night he came into my room. He was troubled, that I could understand but he looked so terrified of something he worried me.
When I finally calmed him down he told me I had to do something for him. When he told me what it was I blatantly refused but he insisted over and over again.
Irritated I asked what was terrifying him that much. And he told me something that I couldn't digest.
It was about your father, Aria. " Reese looked at me guiltily and I understood what she was referring to.

"You are talking about Sofia. How she was raped, right?" I asked surprised by how nonchalant I sounded. Almost as if I expected this.

"You know?!"

"Yeah. Sean told me."

"Your father threatened my dad that the same would be done to me if I didn't do what he wanted." She hung her head down ashamed and I finally understood why everything happened the way it did.

But it still didn't explain one thing, why would my father want me to know the truth about Sean? It wasn't like he cared about me or something.

"Aria?"