#Chapter Thirty
Melanie Evans.
She contacted her on Instagram via DM, and within a few hours, she responded. Kitty introduced herself and after proving to Melanie that she was who she said she was, she asked if she could come over to her place to exchange some words with her. Melanie readily agreed.
When that day came, Melanie was quick to open the door. As Kitty sat down on the couch, she was served a better look at Melanie. She was a timid girl with strawberry blonde hair, who was almost as tiny as she herself was. She had tinted lip balm on, and her face was spotted with freckles.
"Hi, Melanie," she said.
"James talked about you often," Melanie told her. "He really loves you."
"I know, I've always been closer to my dad than to my mom."
"That's what he said," Melanie smiled.
"I guess I'll cut to the chase," Kitty said. "I want to know what happened between my father and you."
"There's nothing much to say," Melanie told her. "I was in his theatre class. I'm not a very good actress but I love acting with a passion, so I often stayed behind with him to practice my skills. We played roles like Romeo and Juliet and soon, one thing led to another, and our characters bled into our real lives."
"I'm so sorry for what he did to you," Kitty said. "He's actually a good person, can you believe that? He's a great father and he has a lot of love in his heart but he's only a human who makes mistakes."
"What he did? He didn't hurt me, Kitty. I am very willing in our romance. I love your father and I know firsthand that he has a lot of love in his heart, because he loves me very much too. I don't regret sleeping with him, and I'd do it again."
Kitty's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe her ears. "But you're a minor!"
"Age is just a number," Melanie said. "Most people don't understand that."
"But - " Kitty said but stopped herself.
"Since James was arrested, life has been hard," she said. "I can imagine it's been the same for you."
"I'm being bullied at school everyday."
"I'm sorry," Melanie said. "I really am, I never meant for anyone to get hurt."
"You really don't think that you were a victim?"
"No, I don't."
Kitty spent the rest of the evening at her house, listening to tales about her father and Melanie. She saw a side of her father that she never expected to see, and saw that Melanie wasn't lying when she told her that she loved her father. Her eyes brimmed with affection whenever she talked about him and soon, it was time for Kitty to head home. She took a bus and throughout the entire ride, only one thought dominated her mind.
If a minor genuinely believed in her heart that a sexual relationship between her and an adult was true love, would it make the adult less culpable or rather, would it still be wrong?