I had breakfast with Karl. I felt awful. I was meeting Ilke at noon behind my brother's back. It didn't feel right to sneak around, but I was doing it for Karl's sake.
He didn't mention the girl. After breakfast, he went over to the neighbor boy's place. They would be playing NFS for hours.
Good.
In the morning, I watched two episodes of Sailor Moon, did some reading, and then headed to the park.
Ilke was more upset than yesterday. She didn't hide anything. She got straight to the point.
"Now he's blackmailing me, threatening to go to the police about the banned substance if I don't let him touch my chest."
I was outraged, but I was just as clueless as Ilke.
I had only one idea:
"Stay home for now and lie that your parents put you in room confinement."
Ilke liked the idea. A lie? Yes. At least she wouldn't have to meet that blackmailing scum. Clearly, she didn't want to continue the relationship with him. But because of the blackmail with the banned substance, she didn't dare break up.
She liked Karl, but she lost him.
Ilke was a little disappointed. I still hadn't talked to Karl.
I didn't mention the words my brother had used yesterday morning.
Ilke was wrong, but out of fear. She didn't want to hurt my brother. I understood why she confided everything in me. I am Karl's sister.
It became clear that she really cared about Karl. She didn't want to play with him.
I would be there for them the whole time. No matter how big the responsibility.
From Karl's confession yesterday, it wasn't clear how Ilke had seduced him.
Now I know: she flirted, chatted, and kissed him.
While walking home, I remembered last year's school fiasco. Our history teacher had caught a conversation under a desk.
Dóra had gone for a walk with a boy from our class. She urgently wanted to share this with her desk mate in the middle of the history class. The teacher caught the conversation. Dóra's wording was ambiguous, and it turned into a huge fuss.
"I was with him yesterday." That was at the end of the note.
The teacher called Dóra's parents, the boy's parents, and for days, our classmates had to clarify the misunderstanding.
Adults don't understand our language. Sometimes, neither do we.
The seductive Ilke was just as innocent. Karl used ambiguous words when he told me what she did.
The short walk home wasn't pleasant. I was hot, hungry, and my soul was weighed down by the secrecy.
Karl was already home when I arrived. He was shoving chips into his mouth in front of the TV.
If only he knew what Ilke was going through…
Without asking, I grabbed the bag of chips. That used to cause arguments.
"Little sis, yours—the paprika chips are in the kitchen cupboard," he grinned at me.
Oh! He thought of me too. He bought chips for me as well. I circled today's date in red on the calendar.
"You met with Ilke, right?" he asked.
"Uh… yes," I answered. Maybe he had seen me with her in the park.
"Good. I went to the police," he said simply.
"Why?" I gasped.
"You know, I did a little investigating on that guy. I found out he lures girls, blackmails them with nonsense, and once they're scared enough, he offers them to rich pedophile assholes."
My eyes widened in shock. Karl was serious.
"They're called lover boys. People like that scum. They wanted to pimp out Ilke. Little sis, you better know about this stuff before it's too late."
My brother was a hero. I didn't understand how he could grin and shovel chips into his mouth like nothing happened.
When I told him that the scum had tried to grope Ilke, Karl clenched his fists.
"The police will take care of him. This won't be groping—it'll be jail for minors."
I was proud of my brother. I was glad Ilke was saved.
"You found out on your own. Ilke wasn't honest with you because she didn't want to involve you…"
Karl cut me off.
"Ilke had no idea how much danger she was in. I was angry at her, but then I started investigating. This morning, the neighbor boy and I hacked the scum's Messenger. I won't repeat what we saw. Little sis, I didn't tell the cops. I just said I overheard a conversation and that Ilke is in danger. The police will handle it."
So they weren't playing NFS. This was serious. They hacked another guy's Messenger.
Does the end justify the means? I don't know…
Karl hacked, and he lied to the police too. He didn't hear the conversation—he saw it. I won't tell anyone.
I'm glad that thanks to Karl's intervention, the police are looking at the scum, and Ilke is saved.
"Helga, the police have my info, but my report is anonymous. Please, don't tell anyone, and if necessary, be there for Ilke."
"Why aren't you going to be there yourself?" slipped out of my mouth.
"If Ilke finds out what danger she was in, I don't think she'll be able to look at a boy for a long time. I don't want to waste my chance at the wrong time."
Reasonable? I don't know. My brother thinks so today.
If necessary, I'll be there for Ilke.
I couldn't take it anymore. I ran up to my room and cried.