Jennifer's breath was ragged. Her head full of thoughts, spinning around in a crazy sequence of events, all ending at one question. What would she do now? Distance herself from this double-faced animal or give him a chance to explain. He was a friend after all. Jennifer also considered the possibility of her acting like she never saw anything.
She wasn't supposed to be there and witness everything, after all. She could let this one slide and develop a bond with Adrian. Maybe if he gets to trust her enough, she could bring him to stop this all by himself. What should she do?
The dilemma was killing her. Should she talk to James about this first? How stupid! James was there too. She saw him, with her own eyes, menacing towards Kurt with no affection in his eyes like a tiger moving towards his prey. James was out of question.
Maybe, if she could help Adrian, Adrian would in turn help James. They both could mend their ways and become respectable men in future. Jennifer was unsure of the coming time, but she had to sort it all down. Take control of the situation before it takes control of her.
"One step at a time." She told herself. "That is how you solve problems each time, this is no different." Jennifer assured herself. "Who are you lying to? You just witnessed a crime. A legally punishable crime. Not just some problem of a thirteen years old girl." A voice in her head screamed.
Jennifer went into her bed and laid there, concentrating on her breaths, getting even as the time tickled by. The sweat on her forehead, from the previous adventure had begun to dry up. Jennifer was about to go to sleep, when the sound of her room's door opening brought her back to reality.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw her parents enter the room, they seemed very deep in discussion. When Jennifer's mother's eyes laid on her, she was shocked. "Jennifer are you okay? Why are you breathing so heavily." She placed a palm on Jennifer's head.
"Oh my god! You're burning up. Wait, let me call a doctor." Jennifer held her mother's wrist. "No mom. It's fine. I just went out for a run. I might have over- exercised. I'll be fine." Jennifer's mother still insisted on calling a doctor but her father calmed her down.
Then he came to sit across the bed and said, "Jennifer, I know you're sick but I have something important that you should know. Your mother and I have to go on a business trip. It's a long one. We'll be gone for a fortnight. You'll be home alone. Are you okay with that?"
Jennifer's father always took in consideration, the comfort and opinion of Jennifer before doing anything. He carefully analyzed the consequences of his each doing on Jennifer. He loved his daughter so much. Something as professional as a business trip also, shouldn't be a reason for discomfort to his beloved daughter. He made sure that all the facilities to his daughter were present to her, even in his absence, 24/7. But, unlike Jennifer's mother, he liked to work behind the curtain.
Jennifer knew this very well. So, she never created a fuss about such trivial matters. Now, more than ever, she needed to be alone. She needed to draft a plan. She needed time. Alone. "Yes dad, Please go. I'll be fine. Take care of yourself and mom." She said.
"My lovely daughter." Jennifer's mother said as she kissed her temple, same place Adrian had kissed a few hours ago. "I knew you would never cause us discomfort. So we prepared a gift for you. It'll come home after we have left. We'll leave in an hour." Jennifer's father added this bit of information.
"Now, we'll leave you to rest. Take care of yourself." Jennifer's parents exited the room, leaving Jennifer alone. A gift, What could it be? Well, Jennifer didn't have the time to worry about this yet. She will see to it when it will come. Right now, she had to concentrated on what to do with Adrian.
An hour passed. Jennifer couldn't come up with anything. Usually, she wasn't so indecisive. Usually, she had a plan ready, the minute the problem occurred but with Adrian involved, the things were quite complex. She didn't want to loose his friendship, but she also wanted him to learn his lesson.
Now, it was time for Jennifer's parents to leave. Jennifer went to see them off at the airport. When she was coming back, her mind was still indecisive. What to do next? This question kept on bugging her. Jennifer came back to her home and ordered the servants to get her something to eat.
She thought it was better if she distracted herself for some time. So, she turned on her speakers and started playing music, on the loudest volume. Dancing and snacking, she lost track of time. She came back to her senses, when the butler announced that Adrian had come at the front door.
Since her parents left, Jennifer was in charge of the house. Adrian? What was he doing here? Come back to check upon his so-called friend whom he never told anything true. A poor girl who was struggling with period cramps in the morning. Or worse, he had come here to pass his free time.
"Let him in." Jennifer said. Adrian came inside with a suitcase in his hands.