"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Phil shouted, rampaging around in Chuckie's room. "That sonuvabitch! Where the hell is he Tommy!"

Tommy just finished telling Phil what happened to Lil. He and Chuckie were trying their best to calm him down.

"Phil! Phil, calm down! Your lucky my parents aren't here!" Chuckie yelled.

"How the hell could you keep this from me, Tommy? You knew for all this time that my sister was raped and you kept it to yourself? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Look, Phil, your sister didn't even tell me, I read her diary. Plus, I knew you'd totally freak if I did tell you. Lil hates me now. I didn't want to jeopardize anyone else's friendship with her by telling you guys what happened. The only reason she's avoiding you guys is because she doesn't want to talk to me." Tommy sighed. "I'm really sorry, Phil."

Phil sat down on Chuckie's bed and wiped his face with his hands.

"Phil, the reason I stayed after school the other day was because I told Brett to meet me there. That's how I got the black eye. Trust me, Phil, it hurt me just as much to think of Lil being used that way."

"Wow. I can't believe that she went through something that serious. Now maybe I understand where she's coming from."

There was a long pause before another word was said.

"I'm gonna go home, now. I have to think things through."

Phil left Chuckie's house. Chuckie looked to Tommy, anger building in his eyes.

"I can't believe you, Tommy." Chuckie said, as calm as he was able to in this situation. "You lied to me, Tommy, you lied right to my face! I asked you the day of Phil and Lil's birthday party if there was anything wrong! You looked me square in the face and told me that if there was anything wrong with any of our friends, you would tell me! That must have been the day you found out! I can't believe this!"

"Now, Chuckie, let me explain!" Tommy pleaded.

Chuckie looked at Tommy with an expression pain and anger.

"Explain what, Tommy? Explain the fact that our friendship isn't as strong as I thought it was? I care about Lil, too! It's really painful to know that I can't even trust my best friend in the world when I ask him if one of my friend's is hurt."

"How do you think I felt Chuckie?" Tommy was now shouting. "This happened a year ago and Lil wasn't even able to tell me herself."

"Well, she shouldn't have told you first, anyway. She should have told the police, or her parents, or even Phil! How do you think Phil feels? Phil and Lil used to have a nice relationship until you decided to step in and play 'big brother' to everyone. He feels left out, Tommy. And he's got you to thank for that!"

Tommy felt his face getting hot. Was all this true? Was what Chuckie was saying actually true?

"I have to go." Tommy walked out of Chuckie's room without a single glance back. What made it worse was the fact that Chuckie didn't even try to stop him. Whenever they get into a fight, Chuckie always stops him to talk things out. This time he just let Tommy go.

Tommy walked the streets. He didn't go home he really didn't feel like it. Instead, he decided to go to the park. He sat on the park bench and watched the people around him. It was a warm day out, so he figured he would be there for a while.

Meanwhile.............................................

Phil was walking down the street towards his house when he bumped into somebody.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"Phil?" Phil looked up into the face of Kimi.

"Hey, Kimi." He said. "Where are you going?"

"To my house. I'm coming back from your house, remember?" Kimi's voice was cold, relieving the harsh words of the previous night.

"About that, Kimi, I'm sorry. I was out of line. Lil is my sister and I never should have said that about her. I'm sorry that I offended you."

Kimi was speechless. She was not expecting an apology from Phil. Especially not one so heart felt.

"It's okay." Kimi said softly.

"Is Lil home?" Phil asked. "I kinda need to talk to her."

Kimi nodded. "Yeah, she's home. I think she's planning on going out, though."

Phil smiled. "Thanks Kimi." He said as he planted a kiss on her cheek and ran off.

Kimi smiled back.

Phil ran into the house. His mother was still resting and his father was taking over her place at the Java Lava. He read the note.

Phil walked silently up the stairs, as not to disturb his mother.

He knocked on Lil's door. He heard her voice from the other side of the door.

"Let me call you back, Leslie, but those plans sound really good. See you later."

"Come in." Lil called.

Phil opened the door and stepped in her room.

"What do you want?" She grimaced.

"I want to talk to you Lil."

Phil closed the door and sat on her bed.

"Make it quick, Phil. I'm not in the mood to be screamed at by you."

Phil's voice was soft when he spoke. "Lil, you know you can always tell me anything, right?"

"That's funny, Phil, the last thing I remember you telling me is to leave you alone."

"Lil, you've been part of this gang forever. So, for you to just up and stop talking to us is really hard. I love you, Lil. You're my sister and I care about you."

Lil was sitting on her bed, rolling her eyes. "Do you have a point, Phil?"

"My point is, Tommy told me what happened to you. I know he had no right to look at your diary, but I think it was for the best."

Lil stared at Phil, open-mouthed.

"Who else knows?" She asked softly.

"Just Chuckie. Lil it's nothing for you to be ashamed of. It's Brett who should be ashamed. I mean-"

Before Phil could finish, Lil started to cry.

"Lil, what's wrong?" Phil asked his sister with concern.

"I can't believe I let him do that to me! Am I that low?"

Phil let his sister bury her head in his shoulder.

"Absolutely not! Lil, he's the one that's low. If he's able to live with himself after he did that to you, then he's nothing more than a slime ball. He deserves to be thrown in jail, and you can do that."

Phil was able to feel how fragile and skinny Lil was when he put his arm around her.

"Lil, I think there's something else you should know."

Lil looked at him, her eyes red and her face stained with tears.

"Tommy took a punch at Brett the other day after school. That's how he got his black eye. He did it for you. I don't know if he wanted me to tell you that, but that's what happened. Lil, he cares about you. Whether you like it or not, we all do. We always will."

Lil gave her brother a weak smile. "Thanks Phil."

Phil gave Lil a tight hug before he stood up. As he went to open the door, he turned around.

"Lil?"

"Huh."

"I think you need to talk to Tommy. For both of your cases."

With that, Phil left her room, leaving an overwhelmed Lil sitting on her bed. She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Leslie? Listen, there's something else I have to do tonight. I won't be able to go shopping with you guys. Sorry."

Lil hung up the phone. She laid on her bed. She thought about what Phil had said. She smiled at the thought of Tommy Pickles taking a punch at Brett for her. Lil jumped up and ran across the hallway.

"Phil, if mom asks, I'm at Tommy's." Phil smiled as his sister ran down the stairs and grabbed her coat.

Lil took her time going to Tommy's house. For some reason she didn't think he'd be home on a Saturday afternoon. She stopped at Angelica's house.

Lil knocked on the door.

"Hi Mr. Pickles!" Lil said cheerfully. "Is Angelica home?"

"Sure. She and Suzie are upstairs. Come on in and I'll get her."

Lil walked into Angelica's home. She looked around. It wasn't often that she came to Angelica's house. It was very neat and well kept.

Angelica came skipping down the stairs.

"Who is it daddy?"

"See for yourself."

Angelica walked into the living room. Her eyes nearly fell out of her sockets at the sight of Lil sitting there.

"What do you want?" She asked rather snottily.

Lil looked slightly embarrassed.

"Tommy isn't here, Lil. So why don't you go find someone else to harass." Angelica said that so coldly, it sent shivers up Lil's back.

"I actually have to talk to you about something." Lil told her, feeling the tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

"You're not to good to talk to me?" Angelica asked sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Angelica. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't. Can I please talk to you?"

Angelica rolled her eyes. Just as she was about to make another snide remark, Suzie interrupted her.

"ANGELICA! HURRY UP!"

"You better make it quick and snappy." Angelica told Lil as she started up the stairs to her room, beckoning Lil to follow.

Angelica and Lil stepped into Angelica's room and shut the door.

"What took you so long, Angelica?" Suzie asked. "Lil?"

Lil nodded.

"What is she doing here?"

"She said she had to talk to me about something." Angelica said, rolling her eyes once more.

Lil looked hurt. Was that the way she treated everyone? Is this just a taste of her own medicine?

"Angelica, I came to you for advice. I remember when you went out with Mark last year. I remember how he used to treat you and what he tried to do to you."

"Do you have a point to this story, Lil, or are you just trying to bring back bad memories?" Angelica snapped.

"Angelica, what did he do to you?" Lil asked.

"Excuse me? I don't see how that is any of your business! You avoid all of us for two months and now you start talking to me to see what my boyfriend did to me! How dare you!" Angelica shouted.

"Angelica! Calm down! She should have a reason, shouldn't you, Lil?" Suzie intervened.

"Angelica, I don't really want to tell you what happened to me, but something did. I just wanted to know if he ever tried anything to you, and if he did, what did you do?"

"I'm sorry, Lil, but unless you can tell me what happened to you, I'm not going to tell you anything. There is not an explanation big enough to justify how you treated us."

"I know that this isn't my conversation, but I think that if you want to salvage any relationships with any of your friends, you have to start by telling us what happened and what changed you." Suzie stated matter of factly.

"Did nobody hear me? There is no explanation for the way she's been treating us! I don't care what she went –"

"I was raped, okay! Brett raped me!" Lil started to cry again. She was really hoping she didn't have to tell anybody else that. It wasn't bad enough having Phil, Tommy, and Chuckie thinking she was a slut, but she had to go ahead and tell Angelica and Susie, too.

"What?" Angelica hissed.

"Did I just hear that right?" Suzie replied.

"It was last year and he took me out for my birthday. He started to get physical and I told him to stop. He didn't though. I swear, you guys, I didn't want it to happen. I know you must think I'm some, some prostitute or something-"

Lil was interrupted by Suzie giving her a hug. Lil buried her head in her shoulder and cried. After getting over the shock, Angelica joined the hug.

"I'm sorry, Lil. I had no idea." She murmured.

The three girls hugged and cried there for a long time.

Finally, Angelica broke away.

"No, Lil. Mark never raped anything or me like that. I stopped it before it got to far." Angelica was trying her best to be sincere, but what she just said made Lil feel even worse. It made her feel like she wanted it to happen because she wasn't able to stop it like Angelica did.

"Thanks, you guys. I just wanted to know what I should do, I guess. I mean, I've-"

"Have you gone to the police?" Suzie asked.

"No, but-"

"Lil! What if you weren't the only one he did this to! We could have rapist walking the streets!" Angelica cried.

"I know! I mean, it happened last year, but I was too ashamed to tell anybody. Then Tommy read my diary and he knew. That's why I started to be such a bitch. I mean, I figured he told all of you guys, so I thought that you would all think that I was some type of a dirty slut or-"

"Lil! First of all, you should know Tommy better than that. You know he would never gossip, especially about something so personal. Second of all, you should know us better than that! Do you really think that we'd think that you wanted to get raped? All kidding aside, I'm seriously insulted that you think of us that way!" Angelica reprimanded.

Lil looked at the floor. Her tears were starting to trickle down her cheeks again.

"I know. That was an awful thing to think. Could you guys forgive me?"

Suzie and Angelica looked at each other.

"In a heartbeat." Susie told her before she and Angelica wrapped her into another hug.

Lil stayed over Angelica's house for dinner. The girls all decided that the right thing to do was to go down to the police station the next afternoon and file a report.

"It's seven-o-clock, Lil. Suzie's spending the night. Do you want to?"

Lil shook her head. "I didn't realize how late it was. I have something I have to do."

Lil grabbed her coat off of the floor and headed for the door.

"Thanks you guys." She said as she opened the door.

"No problem. We love you, Lil." Lil smiled at Angelica's words.

"I love you, too." Lil said as she ran down the stairs. She said goodbye to Mr. And Mrs. Pickles and left their house.

"Next stop, Tommy's house." Lil said to herself as she started her short walk to the other Pickles' house.