Chapter 10

In the living room, I saw Val sitting next to her mother Tatsu. And then I saw a lady who looked familiar, but I hadn't seen very often. It took me longer than it should have to realize it was Tiffany's mother. She was standing in the corner of the room, looking not exactly calm but that was the feeling that she was trying to show. Then there was Stan sitting on the floor. I avoided that strange look Stan gave me by turning and sitting in the spare spot next to Val.

Tiffany looked at all of us then to her mother. When her mother shook her head Tiffany said, "Okay. Now that everyone is here there is something I need to say." She paused then didn't continue until her mother walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She swallowed hard, "Okay again. I'm ... I needed ... well I'm pregnant."

Okay I have to admit that my jaw dropped at that one. I looked to Val, and she was in the same state of mind as I was, at least that's what it seemed. Then a thought entered my mind, a dreadful thought, and then it passed. There was no way it could be possible. I scooted up in my spot and asked, "Is this really the kind of conversation that I should be sitting in on? Isn't this really a blood relations kind of thing?"

Tiffany's mother put her hands on her hips and half scolded and half sympathetically said (if that were even possible), "You don't have to be blood to be family. Just look at me, for example. I'm not Tiffany's birth mother, but I'm still her mother and family. Tiffany said that not only were you Val's boyfriend, but you were one of her best friends too."

"I am? Really," I wondered out loud.

Tiffany's mom smiled and said, "Well we just assumed you two were boyfriend and girlfriend now. And as for being best friends with my daughter you've been best friends since kindergarten. You two used to take baths together."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Val scowling at me, so I practically shouted in my defense, "Only when we were in kindergarten. I haven't seen her naked since then. And how do you know about that? You didn't get married to her dad until she was; what eight?"

This lady smiled and laughed a little and said, "Well, well aren't we quick to defend one's self. I never said you were naked while bathing together. Besides I have a couple of your baths on video. It was so cute when you discovered you weren't both boys, and you pointed down and asked what's th..."

This time it was Tiffany, who was quick to shout out while I felt like I needed to melt into the couch and die.

Tiffany said, "Okay mother we get the point. I think. Well, at least don't finish that story.

PLEASE." She turned to me and said, "I don't know why, but I felt that I needed you to be here. Maybe it's because of how close we used to be. Even if it has only been five years since we were close. Any ways I'm going to need friends to be close to me for a while." She started to cry.

Tiffany's mother waited a couple of moments then asked if she should continue. Tiffany gave her the go ahead.

Her mom then said in an insanely and impossibly calm tone, "A few weeks ago, Tiffany went to a party. It was starting to get boring when she saw this cute girl. Tiffany went after her, and they ended up in a room alone together. They had what I'm told were supposed to be drinks of soda pop. However, the drinks must have been drugged because the next thing she knew she was on her back and there was a line of guys going to both, her and her friend."

"Oh my god. You were raped." Val cried out and ran over to her cousin giving her a hug. "Why in the world haven't you called the police?"

Tiffany shrugged, "I guess after seeing what having the cops involved did to you, I guess I was afraid. That and by the time I remembered it was too late to check things out?"

"Check things out? What in the world is that supposed to mean? And what do you mean by, by the time you remembered," inquired Val.

Tiffany looked embarrassed as she said, "For starters it means, there were no male seed or DNA samples left for anyone to collect, other than the obvious bun in the oven. And as far as me forgetting I think I was just so freaked out by what I saw my mind blocked it out. I don't know maybe the drugs had something to do with it." She took her eyes from the floor and turned them back to Val, "You're so lucky that you didn't get pregnant from your rape. Me I have to carry this thing inside me all the way."

The rest of that day was very awkward to say the least. When I got home, Val called me and tried to talk but only got a few words of concern and love towards her cousin and then started crying. This crying was a lot worse than I've ever heard from her before. Eventually we hung up our phones. I picked up my stuff from my desk, and the DVD that Stan gave me fell out. So naturally I put it in the DVD player. It started with a strange effect, and I felt a little weird after and then it did actually go to the hypnotism of both Tiffany and I. It was as cheesy as I remembered. Then a video of Stan came on.