The Dare

I walk idly, sinking my eyes low as I think about what could happen if this video gets leaked, if whatever Zack tries to do doesn’t work and Karen lets it out to the world. It will ensure that my whole existence is destroyed. Everyone will see it and know a side to me that I don’t want to let out. I won’t be able to get a job somewhere else, any new person I meet might see it, it will crush me. I won’t be able to escape it. That moment when I decided to do something sexy and cheeky just for myself will become my biggest regret.

I don’t go home. There’s no way I want to be alone in my apartment. Especially since I am so freaked out about Karen finding me. If she can break in to the office and find that video of me, who else knows what she’s discovered. She might have my address and she might come back to destroy me some more. I don’t have the money for her, there isn’t a chance in hell that I ever will, and I don’t know how far she’ll go.

Why can’t me and Zack have a bit of smooth sailing? Just one day to be happy would suit me.

Eventually, without even directly realizing where I am headed, I end up outside of Zack’s home. I don’t know if he’s in there or not, or if she’s with him, but I find myself drifting towards the front door to knock up on it. I would rather be with Zack than dealing with this alone. I need him right now.

Knock, knock. I rock back and forth anxiously as I wait for someone to answer. Knock, knock.

But as the front door swings open, my stupidity hits me hard. Zack’s mother. Of course, she’s the one here. I know that about his life now, that she looks after Amelia while he’s at work, which is a problem. We hid away from her this morning, we decided to keep us a secret, and now it’s out in the open.

“Latesha?” she guesses with a warmth to her tone. “Zack isn’t here right now, but please come in.”

This wasn’t exactly in my plan, but the idea of being by myself is even worse, so I follow her inside all the way o the kitchen where she pours me a glass of hot tea. She can sense that I need it without even asking.

“I can tell by the look on your face that something has upset you today, Latesha, and I can guess who.” She cocks a knowing eyebrow at me. “Karen, am I right? That woman has always been trouble, so this is no shock.”

Zack did say that his mother warned him and he didn’t listen. She’s clearly a wiser person and he should have listened. I hope he learns his lesson after all of this because it’s too much drama for me.

“I’m not going to ask you all the details,” she reassures me. “We have only just met and I’m sure you don’t want to spill everything to me right now. Particularly as I know how manipulative Karen can be. That woman always goes for the jugular and she will do what she can to destroy things for Zack. She doesn’t like him doing well and having it all when she walked out on him and lost it all.”

“She wants money.” I might as well be honest about that much. “I told Zack not to engage with her or to give her anything, but he decided to go and meet with her anyway to sort this out.”

Her lips set in to a thin line. “I might have guessed that something like this would happen. I knew she wasn’t here for Amelia. I’m just glad that she showed her true colors sooner rather than later.”

“Granny…” All of a sudden, our conversation is interrupted by a small girl, I assume Amelia, enters the kitchen with a little smile on her face. She is a mini Zack which makes me smile immediately. A miracle considering the shitty day that I am already having. “Are you coming to finish playing with me?”

“Oh sorry, sweet heart.” I see Zack’s mom light up as well. This girl is a ray of sun shine in everyone’s lives. No wonder Zack is so dedicated to her. “I have a guest at the moment. I’m having tea with Latesha.”

“Tesha can play too.” Without any warning, she holds out her hand to me, accepting me far too easily in to her life. “Would you like to come and play the board game with us?”

I glance at Zack’s mom who nods encouragingly at me. Actually, spending time in the company of this lovely little girl and playing games in the comfort of Zack’s family’s company might be the best distraction that I can have until he arrives, and I finally find out what’s going on. After all, sitting and waiting, teetering on the edge as my life might be being destroyed isn’t healthy. It makes me feel really sick.