[Candycane]: 728.Dangerous Secrets.Chapter 1

A slow, almost unheard knock on the door woke up Kyle. He had fallen asleep on the couch watching horror films which he assumed was what woke him up. He checked the TV guide before turning it off and the DVD player. The knock repeated and he ran a hand through his short hair as the door opened. Standing there was a very wet, very distressed girl. She looked up from underneath stringy hair and smiled unpleasantly. “You said, you’d always be there for me,” she said.

Kyle’s brow furrowed a bit before he opened the door wide enough for her to enter. He closed the door and escorted her to the living room and brought out a towel from the bathroom. “What happened?” he asked. She’d been his best friend for years, since childhood. They even tried the dating thing, but to no avail. They were just best friends.

Lillian shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just wet,” she said, her left arm holding something on her right one. “I…was attacked.” She looked up at him. “It’s nothing, really. Please don’t tell my parents. I wasn’t even supposed to be out this late and I couldn’t go anywhere else without feeling like they were gonna betray me.”

Kyle pulled his towel-wrapped friend into a warm, embracing hug. “I wouldn’t ever rat you out,” he said, pulling back to see her face. He was just like the older brother she never had, the caring brother who always took care of his little sister. “When did this happen? How? I thought I told you to learn some kind of defense.”

Lillian smiled and shook her head, her own arms at full length. “I…was stupid. Alone. Vulnerable.” She let go and sat down on the couch, ruffling her hair with the towel. She stopped and dropped her hand to her lap as she looked up at Kyle’s face. Obviously, he wasn’t too happy about her description.

“Lilly,” Kyle said, almost as a sigh and slightly like a parent would had they found, and plopped down on the opposite couch. He glanced over to his best friend. “Did anything happen?” Worry took over his face.

“No! I wouldn’t have let it get that far!” Lilly replied. She couldn’t exactly feel the greatest, lying to her best friend since childhood about being gang raped. She had stood up and stomped her foot only to remember that Kyle’s parents were still asleep. Her hand shot up to her mouth as Kyle looked wide-eyed and stunned at her. “Sorry,” she whispered and moved over to sit next to him, but instead sat on his stomach.

Kyle grunted as her light frame hit his stomach, but he smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s fine, I’ve kept every secret you’ve told me…no matter how gross they were. Just so you know, I never want to hear another word about your…time of the month.” He smiled lightly and got the laugh he was looking for.

“I only said that once, Kyle,” she replied, cocking her head as if pouting, but instead smiled and ruffled his bed head styled hair. “You really need to lighten up, hun.” She glanced at the clock. It was nearly five thirty.

Kyle reached out and barely touched the spot her left arm was holding and Lilly flinched in pain. Up until this point, he’d been smiling, willing to laugh and lighten the mood. His face changed instantly. “Lilly,” he said, his brow furrowed, his eyes surveying the area he just touched. Her hand stopped that which moved his gaze to her own eyes.

“Didn’t I tell you already?” she asked, tired of him asking, but glad he was as concerned as she expected. He was her best friend after all. “I was attacked. I couldn’t see their face, and they took my money. That’s it.” She stood up and moved opposite him, around the coffee table. She couldn’t look him in the eyes, she was lying to him. She just couldn’t.