Phil was standing there. "Sorry I had to do that. I thought PJ might have seen the note I left you, so I thought it would be better to talk somewhere else." He was right. Who knows, maybe PJ had bugged the bathroom. I wouldn't want anything to happen to Phil, even though he had helped PJ. He was now helping me. "It's fine. Please, explain to me what PJ wants. How much money does he want and when does he want it?" I asked while brushing the dirt off of my jeans. "He wants 50. Tomorrow." "What?! How does he expect me to get that without Dan noticing?" I couldn't get that much money, not without Dan noticing. I didn't even know if he had that much in his wallet. "I know. I'm sorry, but that is all I can do for you." He said and he turned around and disappeared around a corner.
I sneaked into Dan's apartment. He wasn't home, but I still didn't want to make a noise. I went to his bag and took out his wallet. Shit. Just a 20. I took the money and sat down, just looking at the piece of paper that was supposed to keep me safe. How was I going to get more money from him? PJ would know if I gave him my own. An idea popped into my mind as Dan walked into the room. He came over to me and kissed me. "Hey Dan, can I ask you something?" I saw the puzzled look on his face. "Sure." He said. "Can I… can I borrow some money?" I hated having to ask him for things. "Why?" he asked. I needed to come up with an excuse. "I ran out of money buying a birthday present for a friend and there is a bag I really want to buy, preferably while it is still on sale." I hope he didn't hear the fear in my voice. "Okay, how much do you need?" I stared at my hands. I really didn't want to do this. "Fifty. If it is too much it's okay, I'll just wait for my allowance." I hid the twenty I already had under the couch. Dan walked over to his he had taken to work and took out a 50. "Thanks Dan, I promise I will pay you back." "It's okay, consider it a gift from me." he kissed my forehead and went to the bathroom to take a shower. I quickly grabbed the money from under the couch and put it back in his wallet. I wrote a note saying I was going to sleep at home because my parents wouldn't be home and they wanted me to do some chores. I went out the door, into the rain.
I woke up before my alarm went off. Something didn't feel quite right. I got out of bed and noticed that my door was open. I was sure I had closed it the night before. I knew what this meant. Phil had said PJ would want the money today. I put on a bathrobe and went downstairs with the money clamped in my hand. I saw him sitting in the kitchen, brutal as he was, eating my cereal. He looked up as I stared at him, too scared to move but determined not to show my fear. He shoved another spoon in his mouth before standing up and walking over to me. He stood before me, and I saw the look in his eyes. He had had it before, the night he… I didn't want to think about it. He surely wasn't going to do it again, right? He took another step towards me and I took one away from him. "Aww, you aren't scared of me, are you?" another step forward on his part, one back on mine. He was closer than I was comfortable with so I took a few extra, but there was a wall blocking my way. I pressed myself against it as if I was trying to get it to move, but it wouldn't budge. He casually walked over to me, and I couldn't help but stare into those green eyes. I felt nothing but fear and hate for him. I opened my hand and showed him the money. He didn't look at it though, he kept on staring at me. I managed to tear my eyes away from his. "This is what you came here for. Take it and leave." He looked at the money in my hand and took it, but he didn't leave. "Now, you still don't seem to understand. I am the one to give the orders, not you." He kissed me roughly, and I squirmed underneath him as he pressed me firmly against the wall. My knees gave out but he held me by my waist, keeping me upright. He broke the kiss. "You never seem to learn." At that he left with the money. Dan's money. I started shaking uncontrollably and sat on the floor, wrapping my arms around my legs. Why did he do this? He knew I wasn't going to leave Dan. He just wanted to see me suffer. At some point I would have to tell Dan, but I was too scared PJ might hurt him or my parents. PJ knows my every move. Everything I do he knows about. One thing made me stop shaking. He hadn't asked me to get more money. I didn't have to ask Dan again. I got up and went to get a shower.