Chapter 94   - You Were Duped

"She thinks you are his age and doesn't know your name. Don't worry. You are safe."

"I don't care. He said he was… Cage! He was just a little boy? What does this make me? A predator?" Angelina looked scared.

"Honey, don't worry. You didn't know. You were duped." Katherine sighed.

"I should have taken your advice. I know the two of you thought that he wasn't who he led on to be, but I didn't believe you." She paused. "I sexted a child."

"Stop thinking about it."

"Katherine, god. Thank you… thank you for saving me. I'm never going to talk to someone online. Nothing good comes out of it." Katherine kept silent.

"Let's not get carried away," she defended. "Not everyone is bad on the internet." Angelina frowned. "And look at the bright side, you really felt something for Damon. That's something, right?"

"I told him to fuck me in odd positions that he has no business knowing at his age. He probably google searched it." Angelina had calmed down and was taking it a little better. Or maybe she was bottling it all in and was going to weep when she went inside her room.

Angelina took her leave soon after, leaving Katherine and Lily kept silent.

"You were right," Lily commented.

"Don't talk. She might hear us," Kitty warned.

"Hey. Don't let this scare you. Ray is not this kid and you are not in the same situation. When you meet tomorrow, you are going to see the guy you like and despite his age, you are going to do fine."

She hadn't realized that had worried her.

"Right. As long as he is legal. I don't know what I would have done if he was underage." Kitty fiddled with her hands.

"We have seen his body. That is not a child. And you have spoken to him for a long time. It's not your fault if she kept a secret from you," Lily reasoned.

"Guess I'll find out tomorrow," she sighed.

[RayKon53: I can't wait to meet you tomorrow.]

[Rinten: Same. Things aren't that good at home, though. My friend got lied to by someone she was talking to. Don't know what to do.]

[RayKon53: Wanna talk about it?] She smiled.

[Rinten: No. I don't want to spoil the mood. I will eventually tell you. Let's give it more time.]

[RayKon53: A bit tired from going to an event.]

[Rinten: Sleep. Will see you tomorrow. Go.]

[Rinten: Dream of me. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow.]

- - -

It was already half-past ten in the morning and she was standing in front of her wardrobe, thinking about what she would wear. She had spent the night before thinking about how it would go, a ball of nerves.

Anyway, Katherine had two options. One was a white top and a nice skirt she had brought for any dates that she would go to (and never went) and a pikachu overall that would catch a lot of attention.

While Ray knew that she had a thing for such clothing, she didn't know if he would be okay with her wearing something so flashy on their first meeting.

She was on the verge of tears when Lily peered into the room.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Why aren't you ready yet? It's a weekend and everyone is going to flock to the mall. It's rush hour, too. The traffic will be terrible."

Katherine pouted and picked up the top and skirt.

"What do you think of this outfit?" she asked. Lily gave it a once over and sighed.

"The skirt is fine, but the top needs to change." She went to her room and appeared with something in her hands.

"You want me to wear a floral print shirt with this skirt?" Katherine squeaked. It wasn't really her style.

"I have discerning eyes when it comes to fashion. This will suit you well." She placed the top in front of Katherine's torso and nodded in approval. "Try it on. You can always take it off if you don't like it."

Katherine grudgingly changed and came out in the outfit. She had already seen herself in the mirror and knew that she looked lovely. "What do you think?" she asked softly.

Lily gave a thumbs up and was about to speak when Angelina appeared.

Katherine felt selfish for being happy when her friend was miserable, but how could she give up on such an important meeting?

"Where are you going?" Angelina asked suspiciously. It was not that Angelina would pounce on her if she found out, just that Katherine and Lily had kept Ray a complete secret from her and suddenly finding out after the shock she received the night before would be… terrible. The results would be devastating.

Katherine was stumped for words. She was about to answer incoherently, when Lily took over. Without blinking she lied about a new publishing house wanting to sign a contract with Katherine and this being a meeting.

"Oh," Angelina frowned. "Best of luck," she said with a small smile. It didn't really reach her eyes, but the fact that she had attempted to be nice was enough for the two other friends. "You look really nice." She scrutinized her with a keen eye. "You should wear the heels I bought for you last year."

"Heels?" Katherine wondered. "What if he is shorter than me?" she muttered. Angelina perked up.

"He?" she inquired.

"Someone from the company," Katherine added quickly. "I'll just go with flats."

"You do realize you are fairly short, right?" Lily commented with raised eyebrows. Katherine gave her a look. "I find it hard to believe that someone who went to their last meeting in a hoodie and jeans is actually putting in effort." Lily laughed.

Angelina had scurried away, making her way to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water, and then disappearing into her room.

Katherine breathed a sigh of relief.

"You should really get going. But Angelina is right; wear the heels."

"As I said, he could be shorter," she said again.

"Well, he'll just have to get used to it, then!" The snarky reply made Katherine laugh. She took the advice and wore heels.

She took a cab, glancing at her clock frequently.

"Ma'am, do you need me to speed up?" the cabbie asked. She shook her head.