Self Inflicted

♠️Chapter EIGHT-TEEN 🃏

Solitaire counted the money she had ready to reward Jason with. Solitaire had bought a camera recorder at Radio Shack that she had fiddled with for over two hours the night before to grasp how to use it aptly. She put a thousand dollars aside to give to Jason upfront like she had promised him and hoped he would stick to his word. She was confident that everything would work out just like she had planned.

She had purchased duct tape and ropes to tie up Krissy. The cashier had jokingly asked Solitaire who she was going to kidnap. Solitaire laughed nervously and told the cashier that she was going to send a package to her mother. Solitaire had hidden the duct tape in her school bag. She could not get her hands-on marijuana, but she got someone to purchase beer for her in exchange for a free tattoo.

Jason had already called Solitaire that morning, assuring her that he was coming by. She was anxious to know if Krissy was coming over, so she grabbed her cell phone and gave her a call. It was eight in the morning. Talena and Kimberleah were heading out the door to catch their school bus. Richard finished his coffee cup before he headed out to work.

The phone rang five times before Krissy finally picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Krissy," said Solitaire relived that Krissy had answered.

"Solitaire, my mother is dropping me off at school, so once I see the coast is clear, I'm gonna grab a taxi and head to your place," said Krissy attempting to speak in a low-pitched voice to avoid having her mother hear her plan on playing hooky today.

"Cool, I can't wait to see you!" said Solitaire attempting to sound enthusiastic and hide the fact that she was nervous. Solitaire hung up her cell phone, sat on her bed, and waited patiently until she heard everyone had vacated the apartment.

Solitaire felt guilty and thought about not going through with the plan for a moment. "No, there's no turning back now, Solitaire," she said to herself.

If Solitaire had felt a little bad for what she was about to do to another human being, the feeling evaporated once the thoughts of her violent rape two years ago filled her mind. If two men had raped her, Krissy could handle being raped by just one. She had already offered Jason the money, and Krissy had agreed to come over.

Once her family had left the apartment, Solitaire grabbed the twelve-pack of beers that she had hidden under her bed with a blanket over them and placed them in the freezer. The first person to arrive at Solitaire's was Jason. He appeared to be nervous and kept looking around Solitaire's apartment like he expected a cop to jump out of a closet at any moment and place him in handcuffs. He only wore a black hooded sweater in the cold February weather.

"Is she here?" Jason whispered to Solitaire.

"Not yet, but I'm glad your early," she said. "Come over here; I'm gonna show you something."

Jason followed Solitaire as she led him to her room. She pulled out the ropes and the duct tape from her school bag and placed them on the bed.

"Were gonna use this to tie her up," said Solitaire.

Jason looked at the ropes and duct tape and raised his eyebrows. "Where's the booze? I need to loosen up a little," he said. The sight of the duct tape and ropes was a reality check that this was really about to happen. Solitaire had not been joking around.

Solitaire walked to the kitchen, pulled out the beers from the freezer, and placed them on the small kitchen table. Jason drank his beer; he seemed less tense and more laid back. Solitaire's phone rang. She picked up the phone as soon as she realized Krissy was calling her.