Chapter 4 Big Trouble

Sarah

Rachel was missing all day, and I ended up doing the entire move to our new address by myself. We couldn't bring furniture, only our personal belongings, but there was a lot to gather, both mine and my sister's, and it was quite difficult.

I rented a simple apartment in a popular neighborhood, but I knew we couldn't stay there for long if we didn't manage to find a job soon. I'm fearful about what my sister intends to do and hoping she gives up on this madness.

I was worried because the last time I heard from her was on Sunday night when she sent a message saying she would hang out with her friend Shirley to try and forget about our problems a little, so she wouldn't be able to help me with the move.

When Rachel finally showed up the next day, my concern only grew because she brought an additional problem into our lives. It was something really serious, and it shook my emotional stability, something that not even the recent "poverty" had achieved.

"What do you mean you lost your virginity yesterday, Rachel?!" I almost shouted, feeling entirely out of control.

She slumped onto the uncomfortable living room couch, running her hand through her hair in a gesture of despair.

"I don't know how this happened!" She spoke with the same intensity. "I was at the club with Shirley, and I admit I had drunk a lot. But..."

"But..."

"I woke up at some guy's apartment, don't even know who he is... don't even know his name... all I know is that I was naked, and he was too... Everything is so confusing."

Rachel was feeling bad, but she had been irresponsible and reckless, more than ever in her life.

"Let me make sure I understand..." I tried to stay calm and summarize what she told me. "You drank, went to some guy's house, and slept with him. You don't know who he is, and you don't remember what happened."

"That's right," Rachel confirmed. "I called Shirley, but she also drank a lot and doesn't remember much about yesterday."

"And where is she?"

"She's at home."

As I had already suspected, only Rachel ended up getting hurt in this whole story.

"Now what, Sarah?" Rachel asked dejectedly. "What do I do? I have to fulfill my part of the auction. I can't just say I'm no longer a virgin."

I sighed with relief. For my peace of mind, there's nothing else to be done in this case.

"Sometimes, things happen for our own," I argued positively. "I didn't agree with this idea, and now it's resolved. No virginity, no auction. Done."

Rachel seemed even more distressed, and I understood that there was more to the story. Frustrated with the madness in our lives, I braced myself to hear what was coming.

"I borrowed money from a loan shark and bought an apartment for us."

"I can't believe it! How did you manage to do something like that in just two days, Rachel?"

Rachel told me that she had been looking for apartments ever since she registered on the auction app and easily obtained the money for the purchase because the apartment was great and had an excellent price.

"Now we're in an even worse situation!"

"You need to help me."

Upon hearing Rachel's authoritative tone, I immediately looked at her, knowing where she was going with this. I got up from the couch and distanced myself, not wanting to hear what would come next. It would be too much for me.

"You have to do this, Sarah." Rachel stood up and held onto me, desperate.

I understood her urgency in asking for my help. But I can't bear the burden of her mistakes, and I wouldn't do it again. It was a far cry from when we were children and she made me take the blame for her forbidden pranks.

"I can't do that, Rachel. I warned you from the beginning that it was a crazy idea," I spoke calmly. "Return the apartment, recover the money, and pay off the loan shark."

"You don't understand." She stared at me, fear etched on her tense face. "I'll lose a lot of money for breaking the contract, and the loan shark will demand exorbitant interest. It's a huge amount."

Even though I knew it would be a substantial amount, I wasn't moved by the situation Rachel had put herself in. Helping her would require a tremendous effort, and I simply wasn't willing. However, Rachel started crying desperately, and that managed to shake me.

"Let's stay calm, Rachel," I said, guiding her back to the couch and embracing her, stroking her hair to console her. "It was your rush to resolve everything that got you into this mess."

We stayed there for a long time and even considering all the possibilities, I came concluded there was no other way but to fulfill Rachel's part in the auction. I prepared myself mentally for what was to come.

Losing our father, the only family we had left, having to leave our home, and being in a fragile financial situation was not enough. Now, we were involved with loan sharks and unthinkable auctions.

*****************

Days passed, and we couldn't find a way to recover the money for the apartment. Rachel was right; we would lose a lot by breaking the contract, and the loan shark's interest was impossible to pay. We had no borrowing options and no one to help us.

We reached out to some friends, the ones we had shared trips and parties with at our beach house, but they were too busy with their own lives and couldn't help two poor friends. Ever since our father's death and the rumors about him leaving us with no money, our friends disappeared, and no one stood by our side.

Even Shirley, who had been Rachel's friend for years and had always been there for everything, vanished the night that to the club, and Rachel ended up with a stranger who took her virginity. Rachel tried to contact her several times, but Shirley was traveling and didn't respond to her calls and messages. Now, we could only rely on each other because no one else would help us.

On the day to deliver the item won in the online auction from the underground app, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I thought about letting my sister face the consequences of her insane actions, maybe then she would finally learn the lesson and avoid getting into trouble again.

Rachel was sitting on the couch in the apartment we rented, as I had decided that we would only move to our place once everything was resolved. Seeing her in tears, I went to my room to get ready, making it clear that we could only proceed once everything was sorted out. I couldn't resist looking at my sister crying, ready to meet a man who expected something from her, something she could no longer offer.

"I will go in your place," I said, gathering my courage.

As soon as Rachel understood what I was willing to do, she ran up to me and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you, sister," she whispered"I love you... so much, so, so much!"

"I love you too, despite all your craziness, lack of sensibility..." I began to say.

"Stop!" she interrupted, smiling with tears still streaming down her face, smudging her makeup. "I know I have many flaws. Forgive me for involving you in this madness, as you always make a point to remind me."

I looked at her with love, seeing the same feeling reflected in her eyes. We loved each other, and I knew my sister would also be capable of doing something so grand for me.

"Everything will be fine. That's what matters," I said, embracing her again and kissing her hair. "Now, tell me everything I need to do and how this madness will be carried out."

Rachel then explained that I only needed to be at the address she sent me in a message, providing me with the name of the yacht where the "outing" would take place and instructing me to make sure I was at the right place and at the agreed-upon time. There would be other girls and people to guide me once I was there.

"You have to go!" Rachel spoke anxiously, consulting her watch. "You need to be at the marina at the scheduled time. It was one of the terms, and it said that in case of delays, it could be deducted from the amount I'm supposed to receive."

I did everything exactly as she instructed, and after verifying with a uniformed staff member who was near the yacht, I made my way to the designated location. At the appointed time, I was climbing the ramp that led to the Mary-Mary yacht.

Nervousness took over me as I waited in an empty area. After waiting alone for over forty minutes and realizing that no other girl showed up, a young woman in a maid uniform, beautiful but with an unfriendly expression, approached the room. She called me to follow her. Agreeing, I got up, feeling my body sore from the tension of the moment. I smoothed the short skirt of my dress and followed the young woman.

She led me to one of the decks on the yacht, located at the back. I noticed a table set with candles, creating a romantic atmosphere that starkly contrasted with the reality of what was about to happen. I smiled cynically, imagining that the man wanted to lighten the strange mood with a fancy dinner. The table had only two seats, making it clear that it would be just me and him for this dinner.

I felt apprehension as I realized that the yacht had already left the marina, and I was in a very different situation from what I had imagined when talking to Rachel. Until that moment, it seemed that there would be no one else besides me, the crew, and the man. It wouldn't be as simple as entering any cabin and surrendering myself to him.