Page 106 of The Prodigy

Jakari nodded again.

“We got to talking after class and he asked me out. I went, and that night…after the date, he asked if I wanted to see his house. The mansion.”

I stopped to take a breath, because this part was as embarrassing as it was painful.

“I’d driven by that house before, but I’d never seen the inside. It was stupid…I should have known better, but I said yes. I was star struck, in a way. And…when I was in his house, he…” I closed my eyes. “He forced himself on me.”

I felt a shift in the bed. I opened my eyes and saw Jakari moving around until he got to my side. He sat next to me and leaned slightly until his shoulder was touching mine. “Are you saying he raped you?”

“No…I don’t know. I mean…he kept pushing, and I kept saying no. He didn’t hit me or anything, but he kept asking, and then he pushed me down and…I was too scared to say no. I…I don’t know what you call that.”

“I call that rape.”

“I was so embarrassed. I still am.”

Jakari put an arm around me and pulled me closer. I was grateful for the comfort.

“I told Dario,” I continued, “and he told me I should call the police. So I did, and they said I’d have to come in and get examined and I…I didn’t know what to do. I told my dad, and he was gonna take me to the police station, but apparently somebody there had already told Gray. He had friends in the department. The next day, first thing in the morning, he came to our house and begged me not to press charges, and then he wrote us a check for fifty-thousand dollars.”

Jakari’s eyes bucked. “The fuck?”

My face crumpled. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “My father…my father…” I devolved into sobs, barely able to get the words out. “My father convinced me to take the money.”

Jakari jumped to his feet. “Your fuckingfatherwanted you to take the money? Instead of bashing that motherfucker’s face in?”

“Yes. And I did. Because wereallyneeded that money.”

“I can’t believe this shit.” He paced the floor, wearing a path in the plush carpet. “So nothing ever happened to him? He just been walkin’ around breathing air?”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

Kari paced his way over to me and knelt in front of me. “How did you deal with it? Did you see a doctor? Talk to somebody? Cuz how do you get over shit like that?”

I shook my head. “You never do.”

“I’m sorry.” His nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched. “I’m so sorry.”

I gave him a nod. “It is what it is.”

“Alright, well….I just got one motherfucking question.”

I looked at him and waited.

“I got a sawed off, a Glock, and a forty-five. Which one should I use to blow his fucking cap off?”

“Don’t. You can’t.” I grabbed his face in my hands. “You cannot do this.”

“I can, and I will.”

“I wasn’t your wife then, Jakari.”

“What that got to do with anything?”

“I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but it doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s not your battle to fight. And honestly, I just wanna forget the whole thing. I’ve been pretending it never happened ever since it happened. It’s just…seeing him today brought it all back.”

He looked like he didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Alright. I won’t blow his cap off,” he said, probably lying. “But I can make it so he don’t bother you. Ever again.”

“You can’t. You need the Hightowers on your side.”

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