My Enemy and I

Chapter 18 part 2

So, I decided I would tell Tina's parents about what happened. I mean, I felt terrible for doing it, knowing how much it would hurt her, but it felt like the right thing to do, right? "Earth to Ali, so are you gonna do it or not?" Jenni asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I'll do it," I said, my voice firmer than I expected.

Jenni grinned like crazy and practically dragged me out of the hospital and into the parking lot. We all piled into our cars; I got in with Isaac, and we drove to Nikki's house. When we pulled up, Isaac stopped the car, and we just sat there for what seemed like an eternity. I could feel him looking at me, and he reached over, gently taking my hand. "Are you sure you wanna do this, Ali? I mean, you don't have to."

I sighed, a mix of apprehension and resolve swirling inside me. "I don't want to, but if it gets Tina to straighten her act up, then I'm gonna try and help her." He smiled, a soft, understanding look on his face. We got out of the car and walked up to the house. Since everyone else was already inside, I just opened the door.

I walked past the staircase and saw Tina sitting at the top, a venomous death glare fixed on me. I returned it, my own anger flaring, before walking into the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez were sitting, talking to the guys. I sat at the edge of the chair where Jenni was sitting, and Mrs. Sanchez looked over at me, her face warm. "Oh, Ali, it's so nice to see you again," she said.

"Yeah, you too," I replied, trying to sound normal.

"I heard you were in California. How is it out there?" she asked.

"It's okay. It's always sunny and never a cloud in the sky," I stifled a nervous laugh, my palms already sweating.

Jenni cleared her throat loudly, unable to contain herself. "Uhh... Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez, Ali has something to tell you." She blurted it out so fast, I shot a glare down at her, but she just looked innocently off at a wall.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Mrs. Sanchez asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

My palms were drenched now, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Tina standing silently in the doorway, listening. "I... uhh... You guys remember when Tina and I were friends, right?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. They both nodded their heads. I took a really deep breath and, without looking up from my hands, explained everything that happened that day: the alley, the chase, how she slipped away, the rape, the beating, and her desperate need to hide it all. When I finally dared to look up, her mom was crying, silent tears streaming down her face, and her dad, who had essentially stopped speaking to everyone since Tina went "crazy" and started acting like a "slut," stood up. Everyone looked at Tina. She had tears running down her cheeks too, and despite everything, I felt completely terrible for inflicting this pain.

"Tina Kyla Sanchez," her father's voice was low, filled with an unbearable grief and confusion, "is it true what Ali just told us?" She looked at me, a raw, undeniable hatred in her eyes, more intense than I'd ever seen.

"Yes, Dad. It's true," she said, looking down at the ground, her voice barely audible.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" her mom sobbed. "We could have helped you get through it!"

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry," she whispered, then she pointed a shaky finger at me. "And you! Why did you tell them when I trusted you not to? I thought you were my friend!"

I looked at her, searching for any hint of sincerity, any recognition of the twisted reality. "Friends?!" I retorted, my own voice rising. "How could we be your friends when you pushed Jenni, Nikki, and I out of your life? We know that it hurts to talk about this, but trust me, I know your pain. And if we were really friends, then that should've been enough for you just to feel that you were going to be okay, right?"