Enough Time Page 5

'Ethan?'

  She nods.

  'The video he's releasing on Thursday?'

  Her eyes widen, and she nods again.

  'It's of you and Ethan doing it?'

  She grimaces, shaking her head.

  'Of him doing something gross?'

  She shakes her head.

  'Of you?'

  She nods, swiping hair behind her ear. Fat tears roll down her cheeks.

  'You did something ..um..sexual for him, and he filmed it?'

  She shakes her head.

  Charli frowns; her eyes search Zoe's face, looking for clues. She grabs her hand and squeezes.

  'You're naked?'

  She nods.

  'You stripped for him?'

  She shakes her head.

  Charli releases Zoe's hand and sighs.

  'This is impossible. Just tell me. How is he ever going to know?'

  Zoe presses her lips together.

  'It's my problem; I have to solve it.'

  'Come on, just tell me. We can solve it together. We always do things together. The three musketeers, remember?'

  Charli grabs both of Zoe's hands and squeezes.

  'There's nothing you can do.' She sobs. 'It's too late.'

  'Mum says it's never too late.'

  'Well, your mum wasn't a teenager in the age of social media.'

  'Tell me what happened. I'm thinking the worst here.'

  Zoe lets out a sigh.

  'He had a hidden camera in his bathroom, and he filmed me when I was changing out of my wet dress into some of his mum's clothes. Now he says if I don't have sex with him, he's going to post it on the Internet for the world to see.'

  'Oh my God. That's awful. Why were you getting changed in his bathroom?'

  'Someone pushed us into the pool. He insisted I change into dry clothes. I just thought he was being nice.'

  'Won't people be able to see you're just getting changed, though? They'll know he had a hidden camera.'

  Zoe drops her head and twists her hands in her lap.

  'Well, I had two cruisers, and he slipped me something when he kissed me. I think it was a pill.'

  'What pill? What did you do?'

  'I don't know what it was, but it made me feel good. Ethan is one of the hottest boys at school. He was getting me drinks, talking to me, and kissing me.'

  'Zoe, what did you do?'

  'I might have done a little twirl in front of the mirror, blew a few air kisses, and said his name a couple of times.'

  'And all that's on film?'

  Zoe nods, a tear streaking her cheek.

  'It'll make it look like you did it for him and that you let him film you. That and the fact that half the school saw you two together at the party. What are you going to do?'

  'I don't know really. I can't stand the thought of letting him touch me, but I don't want the world to see me naked and saying his name either. It will ruin my reputation and my family. I'm still a virgin, but this clip makes me look cheap. He'll do everything possible to make people think I am. I don't know why he's doing this. I've never done anything to him.' Zoe starts to sob, and Charli slides across the floor to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

  'He's doing it because he's a despicable human being. You haven't done anything. Don't worry; we'll figure something out.'

  'We haven't got much time. He's posting it on Thursday at seven.'

  'What he's doing is illegal. Have you thought about going to the police?'

  'He said he'd post it if I talk to anyone. I'm sure he's got a back-up plan to get it online if anyone talks to him about it.'

  Charli rises from the floor and sits on Zoe's bed.

  'So it sounds like he's going to post it whether you sleep with him or not. I think it would be a mistake to give him what he wants without getting the film first. How can you trust someone like that?'

  'I don't, but what else can I do?'

  'We have to tell your mum.'

  'I can't; she'll freak. It won't go well.'

  'What about my mum then? She's awesome in a crisis,' Charli says.

  'I'm too ashamed to tell anyone. I don't want anyone to know about this. I just want to do what he says and get on with my life.'

  'Do you think it will be over then? Do you really think he'll stop making demands? He'll use you until he gets bored and moves on to something or someone else.'

  That's when Zoe remembers the overheard conversation in the girls' bathroom.

  'You might be right. I heard some girls talking about Mia Collins in the bathroom today. She used to go out with Ethan.'

  'Mia was at St Joey's last year. I think she went to boarding school. Her parents went overseas. It was all very sudden. Do you think something like this happened to Mia?'

  'I don't know. Maybe we should look her up on the Internet and find out where she is.'

  Zoe pulls out her laptop and starts to tap on the keyboard. Mia's face pops up on her social media page. She scrolls through multiple photos of her at St Joey's with her smiling with friends and doing fun activities. Then the photos stop. There's nothing more until two weeks ago. There's a photo of Mia with her older sister in a graduation gown and another one of her with her parents and sister.

  'Her sister must have graduated,' Zoe says.

  'Yeah, but what happened to the photos between November of last year and now?' Charli asks. She looks at Zoe. 'Does it say where she lives?'

  'Sydney. Look at her photos and see if you recognise anyone. She might still have some friends at school,' Zoe says. 'They'll be year twelve this year; they finish this week.'

  They scour through the photos, looking for familiar faces, and spot a couple of girls and a boy that are still at the school.

  'That's River; he's still here, and that's Jenny Ryan,' Charli says, pointing at the screen. 'Do you think we should talk to them to see if they know what happened to Mia?'

  'If anything happened,' Zoe says. 'She could have just moved interstate for family reasons and was too busy studying for year twelve to worry about social media.'

  'Maybe, but I think there's more to it than that.'

  'It's worth looking into,' Zoe says.

  'I can go and see Jenny. My mum plays tennis with hers, and we've been to their house a couple of times. It might be better if I go alone so Ethan doesn't get suspicious.'

  'What if he's watching the house and follows you?'

  'Don't be stupid; it's you he's after, not me.'

  'I just want my life back. It's not your breasts being released to the world. I want to be a lawyer. What law firm is going to hire me after this? This will be big news. My dad just became the CEO of the biggest telecommunications company in the country. I'm totally screwed.'

  'Okay. Sorry. I'll call Jenny and see if she wants to meet me at my house,' Charli says. She picks up her phone and dials Jenny's number.

  'Hi, Jenny! It's Charli Richter...I'm great. How are the exams going?...Wow, you're finished. That's awesome. It must be such a relief. How do you think it went? Really? That's great...Yep...Yep...Hey, I just wondered if you have time to catch up? I need to ask you something, but I don't want to talk about it over the phone...Yeah, that's perfect. I'll be home in ten minutes. Thanks... See you soon.'

  She hangs up and squeezes Zoe's shoulder.

  'She's going to meet me at home in fifteen.'

  'Okay.' Zoe says in a small voice. 'Let me know what happens.'

  'I will. Don't worry; we'll figure this out.'

  'Please don't tell anyone. Promise me you won't.'

  Charli hesitates, staring at Zoe's stricken face. She crosses her fingers behind her back before making the promise. She hopes she won't go to hell for lying. She hugs Zoe and feels her sag against her. They walk to the front door arm in arm, and Charli squeezes her once more.

  'See ya soon.'

  She feels Zoe's eyes on her as she leaves and turns to poke her tongue at her, which makes her smile.

  Zoe disappears inside.

  Charli arrives home
just before Jenny buzzes the gate. She lets her in and leads her up to her room, telling her mum they're doing homework.

  'Homework? What's this all about?' Jenny asks once they're behind Charli's closed bedroom door.

  'Sorry about all the secrecy,' she says. 'I just wanted to ask you about Mia Collins. You were friends with her last year, weren't you?'

  A muscle in Jenny's jaw twitches, and the light fades from her eyes. 'Yes, I know Mia. We're friends. I still hear from her now and then.'

  'I knew her too,' Charli says.

  'I didn't know that.'

  'Our parents were friends for a while when we were in primary school.'

  Jenny nods.

  'My Mum was going through some old photos the other day, and I saw one of Mia. It made me think of when we were kids, and I was wondering how she is. She left Delany so suddenly that I never got the chance to say goodbye.'

  Jenny nods. 'Yeah, it all happened pretty fast.'

  'What happened fast?'

  'Well, her grandparents were killed in a plane crash, and her parents inherited their fortune. They went to live overseas, Dubai, I think. Her dad had business interests over there. But Mia didn't want to go, so her parents said she could stay in Australia if she went to boarding school in Sydney 'cause her sister was there.'

  'Was that the only reason she moved? I heard rumours that something else happened.'

  Jenny's eyes become wide.

  'What rumours?'

  'I thought you could tell me?'

  Jenny starts to rise from the desk chair. 'No, I...'

  'Look, there's something going on with one of my friends, and I thought maybe the same thing happened to Mia.'

  Jenny looks guilty.

  'Please, it's really important.'

  She sits back down with a serious face.

  'Has this got anything to do with Ethan?' she asks.

  Charli nods. 'Please, I need your help.'

  'My advice is to stay the hell away from him. He's bad news.'

  'Thanks. I will. I need to help my friend, though; she's in a bit of trouble. Can you tell me what happened between Mia and Ethan?'

  Jenny frowns and averts her eyes before looking back at Charli. 'I'll tell you, but you have to swear you won't tell anyone else,' she says. 'You have to promise.'

  Charli holds up her hand, three fingers in a Girl Scout salute. Her other hand is behind her back with the fingers crossed.

  'I swear.'

  Jenny leans back in her chair. 'Mia was friendly, you know. She liked to party and have a good time. But that didn't mean she was cheap or anything. She was still a virgin and planned to keep it that way until she found Mr Right,' she says quickly.

  Charli nods.

  'Well, late last year she was at a party at Lance Gardener's house, and Ethan was there. He paid her a lot of attention, got her drinks, and made sure she had something to eat. He was fawning over her like he was her man, you know. She was flattered. Ethan's pretty hot, even though he's an asshole. And he's popular, although God knows why. At some point, there was a water fight, and Mia got soaked. Ethan took her up to Lance's room to get changed. Trouble is, she'd had too much to drink, and he was talking to her through the door while she was changing in the bedroom. He asked her about girls at school, and she said a few things about people. She also took off her clothes to change them, and he filmed her. He had hidden a camera in the room.'

  Charli nods, registering no shock.

  'Then he used the video to blackmail her into doing things with him. Sexual things.' Jenny squirms in her seat. 'I didn't know. She didn't tell me until just before she left. I wanted her to go to the police, but she was terrified of telling anyone. She said he would post it online.'

  Charli feels bile rise in her throat. What a scumbag.

  'What happened to the video?' she asks.

  'He kept it. Still has it, I think.'

  'And what about Mia? Is she okay?'

  Jenny pauses and swallows, and her eyes moisten.

  'No. She'll never be the same. He ruined her life.' She stops. Her face screws up, and there's colour on her cheeks. 'She got pregnant. He made her do it without a condom. When her parents found out, they didn't believe her. They thought she was sleeping around. They're strong Catholics, so they wouldn't let her terminate. They made her have the baby.'

  Charli's insides churn, and tears prick her eyes.

  'Oh my God, that's terrible. I had no idea. Poor Mia.'

  Instinct has her beside Jenny with a hand on her shoulder. The other girl's face contorts to hold back the emotion.

  'Her parents sent her to Sydney to board with a stranger while they went overseas. They had nothing to do with her while she was pregnant.'

  Disbelief mutes her, and Charli's heart goes out to Mia. How can a mother abandon her child when she needs her most? Charli thinks of her own mum and feels safe in the knowledge that she will always be there, no matter what.

  'I can't believe it,' Charli says. 'I can't imagine how Mia got through it by herself.'

  'I know, right? At least she had her sister. Jodie was studying at the University of Sydney this year. She just graduated.'

  'So did Mia have the baby?'

  'Yep, she had a girl two months ago.'

  Tears slide down her cheeks. She can't imagine giving birth at her age, and looking after a baby. And Mia was alone without any support.

  'That must have been so hard. I can't imagine what it was like for her.'

  'He's a low-life. It makes me sick to see him strutting around the school like he owns it while Mia is halfway across the country alone and scarred for life. It's not fair. The only thing that keeps me going is the thought that karma will catch up with him.'

  Charli nods and wipes her tears. 'He's got a video of my friend too.'

  Jenny's eyes widen, and she stares at Charli. 'It's not you, is it, Charli?'

  'No, it really is a friend.'

  'Zoe?' Jenny asks flatly.

  Charli hesitates before she nods.

  'Do you think Mia will help her? I want to go to the police, but she won't. She said she can't tell anyone. He's just going to keep doing this until someone does something to stop him.'

  'Yeah, if it were up to me, I'd be first in line to make sure he pays for what he's done. I don't know if Mia will help. She's not herself anymore. She won't even talk to me about it.'

  'We can't let him get away with it.'

  'I know. I'll talk to her and get back to you.'

  'Thanks.'

  Jenny stays until Charli's mum calls her for dinner. Charli thanks her with a hug.

  After the dishes are stacked in the dishwasher, Charli escapes to her room and calls Zoe to tell her about Mia. She doesn't talk about the pregnancy or baby. She knows that kind of detail will freak Zoe out and make things worse. After she hangs up, she texts Jenny to see if there's any news. Even though Jenny has tried a few times, Mia hasn't picked up the phone yet.

  Then she scrolls through her social media and notices there's a few posts from Jael. She clicks on his profile but there's not much to see. His profile photo is an action shot of him leaping in the air for the football, in one of his games. Charli recognises it from the school newsletter, the week before. She notices he's not seeing anyone and that most of the friends on his page are boys from the team. She's still thinking of him when she turns off her light and closes her eyes, half an hour later.

  Chapter Nine

  Zoe tiptoes into her parents' room, and opens her mother's bedside drawer. She listens as her parents clatter the dishes in the kitchen, and her heart flutters at the thought of getting caught. Her fingers tremble as they dig through books, eye masks, and pens before they curl around a narrow pill bottle. She withdraws the bottle with one eye on the door and reads the label: Diazepam 5mg. Zoe's mum got the prescription after her Nan's death to help her sleep. She pockets the pills and slides the drawer closed before returning to her own room. She clicks the lock and retrieves the pills, reading
the label again. She fumbles with the lid and tips the contents on her bed. Ten pale, yellow pills spill across her blue quilt cover. She studies them for the briefest of moments before scooping them back into the bottle, and shoving them as far beneath her mattress as she can reach.

  She waits until the opening music of her parent's favourite soap opera booms from the television before sneaking into the kitchen. Her dad always has a large collection of duty free alcohol stashed in one of the cupboards. She doesn't know why he keeps buying it, when it's obvious they prefer red wine. She slips a bottle of vodka from the back of the cabinet, sure it won't be missed, and dashes back upstairs, where she hides it in her wardrobe beneath the winter clothes she hasn't used in months.

  When her mum peeks through her door on the way up to bed, Zoe pretends she's asleep. To her surprise, her mum tiptoes into the room and kisses her forehead. A single tear almost gives her away. But her mother's gone before it trails her cheek. As soon as the door clicks closed, Zoe's eyes fly open, and she turns on the lamp. She takes a notepad and pen from the chest of drawers by her bed and sits up. Balancing the pad on her knees, she chews the pen. What will I write? How do you say a final goodbye?

  Her hand trembles as she scrawls the letter: 'Dear Mum and Dad, I'm sorry. I know this isn't the right thing, but I don't know what else to do. I don't want to disappoint you, so it's better this way.'

  She rips the page from the pad, balls it in her right hand, and tosses it across her room. It falls short of the wall and drops to the floor.

  She starts on a fresh page and swipes the tears that spill from her eyes. What's am I doing? Will this make it worse? She sits up. I can't put mum and dad through this. It will kill them. There's got to be another way. She slumps back. Her mind searches until she's numb. No matter how hard she tries, she can't think of a solution that won't hurt someone. She can't bear the thought of Ethan's hands on her, of letting him win. The only way to beat him is to disappear. She imagines his reaction to her plans, and it ignites a tiny spark of joy that's gone before it takes hold. Dread fills her.

  She stares at the page in her lap, trying to come up with something memorable, but her mind is bereft; fear chases the words away. She wishes she didn't have to do this. She liked her life before Ethan. But he's changed everything. She wishes she could turn back time and do that night over. How can one night change your life forever? She picks up the notebook and starts to write.