My Badass Luna

The Weight of Desperation

(Alison's Point of View)

"Ella, do you really want to participate in this competition? We can find another way to repay your father's debts if you want. Even though Robin said if any sponsor bothered you, we would find a way to deal with him, I can't help but worry about you," Ella said, her worries evident in her voice.

"I know you are worried about me, Ella, but we don't have any choice. We are running out of time," I replied with a smile that did not reach my eyes.

"You know, you can always ask for help from us," Ethan interjected.

"If it was just a small amount of money, I wouldn't have worried about it and would have asked you guys for help. But it's not. It's a huge amount," I said with a sigh, massaging my head.

"Just how much money did your father owe him, anyway?" Ella asked, clearly annoyed with the situation.

"Two million five hundred thousand dollars," I whispered, but they still heard it.

"What?" Ella and Ethan yelled in unison.

"Truth be told, it was $1,500,000, but the interest accumulated and then the amount grew to $2,500,000," I said, moving my shoulders up and down to release the tension gathered there.

"What was your father thinking, taking such a huge amount of money from a loan shark?" Ella's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"What was he planning to do with such a large amount of money?" Ethan asked me.

"He had invested the money in a scheme to earn money quickly and start his new business, but it turned out to be a scam," I explained.

"My mother paid fifty thousand dollars, and my father paid twenty thousand dollars by selling my mom's jewelry and some assets he owned in their name. But there's still a huge amount of money that needs to be paid in one or two months. If not, then...then," I stopped mid-sentence and hid my face in my hands.

"Then?" Ella asked, gulping nervously.

"They will abduct me and maybe sell me to a rich guy to recover the debt my father owes them," I said, crying and hiding my face in my hands.

"Oh, Alison," Ella said, hugging me tightly.

"Why didn't you tell us about this? You only told us that the loan shark is harassing your family for the money," Ethan asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Because I didn't want to make you worry about it," I sobbed into my hands. The gravity of the situation finally struck me, and I felt a wave of despair wash over me.

"Do you know the name of the loan shark? Maybe if I know them, I can help you using my connections. Or maybe I can make them reduce or cancel the interest you need to pay with the debt," Ethan proposed.

"I don't know their full name, but I know his first name," I said, looking up at him with teary eyes.

"What is it?" Ethan asked eagerly.

"Mathew," I replied, watching as Ethan's face went pale and he stumbled backward in shock.

"Ethan!" Ella yelled, rushing to catch him before he fell.

"Ethan, what's wrong?" I asked, panic rising in my chest.

"Out of all the loan sharks in the world, why did it have to be Mathew your father borrowed money from?" Ethan said, clutching his head in despair, his voice shaking.

"Ethan, who is this Mathew? Why are you reacting like this?" Ella asked, her worry intensifying.

"Mathew isn't just a loan shark. He's notorious for his cruelty and for the lengths he'll go to in order to collect his money. People who've dealt with him...they don't usually come out of it unscathed," Ethan explained, his face pale.

"How could my father have been so reckless?" I murmured, more to myself than to anyone else. "He must have been so desperate."

"Knowing Mathew, he won't reduce the amount of interest or deduct it," Ethan said, sitting down on the floor. "In fact, if we ask him to do that, he might increase it instead."

"Then can we ask him to give us more time to pay the money back?" I asked, desperate for a solution.

"It's no use," Ethan replied, shaking his head. "If we do that, he'll probably shorten the time. He takes pleasure in seeing people in pain."

"There must be some way to help Alison, even a little," Ella persisted, not wanting to give up.

"I would advise her to run away, but knowing Mathew, he would have someone keeping an eye on her. So that's impossible," Ethan said, massaging his temples with his hand.

"What about going to the authorities?" Ella suggested. "Is there any chance they could help?"

"Mathew is careful. He has connections, and it would be risky to rely solely on legal action," Ethan explained.

"There has to be something we can do," I said, my voice trembling. "We can't just sit here and wait for the inevitable."

"We need a plan," Ethan said, finally looking up. "Something unconventional. We can't approach this situation in the usual way."

"Oh, I remember now. I have a friend who had taken a loan from him a long time ago, and he also knew Mathew. So maybe he will be able to help us," Ethan said, taking his phone out of his pocket. He tried calling, but no one picked up. He tried again. He tried many times, but there was no answer.

"It looks like he's busy right now. I'll contact him again and let you know about it later," Ethan said to me. "It's getting late. We should head home now." He stood up, brushing dust off his clothes.

I packed my bag and walked outside the club. Ella and Ethan offered me a ride home, but I refused, not wanting to bother them more than I already had. Besides I need some alone time to gather my thoughts. I bid goodbye to my friends, got on my bike, and rode home.

It didn't take much time for me to reach home. I tiptoed inside the house and quietly made my way to my room, making sure I didn't wake my parents. I threw my bag onto the bed and headed straight to the washroom.

Hurriedly, I removed my clothes while turning on the shower. As the steam and fog rose from the hot water, I stepped inside. I winced in pain as the scalding water hit my skin, but after a few moments, I began to get used to the temperature.

I sighed in contentment as I felt my body relax in the hot water, the tension leaving my muscles. My mind also began to clear, and I remembered why I loved taking hot showers—they calmed both my body and my mind. I closed the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself.

After drying off, I dressed in my favorite pajamas and took some painkillers to reduce the lingering aches. I climbed into bed, feeling the day's stress ebb away. As I drifted into sleep, my thoughts turned to ways I could escape Mathew if my friends failed to come up with a solution.