Les Jeux | by Lastlegolife | Chapter 22: Goodbye

Days went by and the press made Nico's case as one of their top 5 stories. Using funds from the
Lumbari account, Harry bailed Nico out of jail but he was decline to leave the state for the
hearing. All twenty-four girls that he had slept with had been identified, all but one. The public
highschools involved in Nico's crimes were swarmed with news vans eager to get any
information from a willing student.

Every teacher sat down with their classes and discussed the situation, begging any one that had
been violated to talk to the police. Jenny felt pressure building up in the pit of her stomach. A
few of her peers remembered Nico's name and asked her about it. Harry's story was the only
thing she could tell them. The tension was nearly unbearable. The stress was getting to her.
Emotions and rapid thoughts made a migraine flare up on the side of her skull.

Jenny laid down on her bed and took some aspirin. Nico was indeed a sick man but he done
nothing to violate her. Everything that they had done together, she took part in willingly. But he
intended to do the same thing to her like those other girls........but he didn't. Those other
girls.......24 of them. He took the innocence of 24 other teenagers..... Some of them now weren't
teenagers anymore. She had no idea that his fixation dated back to his early 20s, so the news
broadcasts say.

She curled herself into a ball.

Nico's confession hadn't bothered her so much before but it did now. She didn't know what to
feel. Should she be disgusted? Scared? Or come forward like the others..... No, she'd never tell.
The least she could do for him right now is do as Harry instructed. Anything else would make it
worse.

Nico looked different on television. The media replayed shots of Nico sitting in the courtroom,
surrounded by a protective wrap of lawyers. Every physical aspect about him that Jenny had
come to know had been altered. His boyish face was that of a mature young man taking care of
business. His fancy hair-cut magnified his manly features. He sat erected in his chair rather than
in his trademark slouch. Nico had been completely transformed. The good part was that her
parents didn't recognize him either.

For an added effect, the anchors showed shots of the crying victims and their families as they
viewed a digitally blurred screen across the room. Georgette had been on television. She had on
the innocent of all innocent looks. Her mother was always seen with a comforting arm around
her. Her step-father was rarely on camera.

Jenny willed herself to sleep. Tomorrow, she'd be able to see him.

*****

After school the next day, Jenny waited in front of a fast food palace for Harry to come pick her
up. Her leg twitched and shook with nervousness as she sat on one of the outdoor dining tables.
She ordered a small shake to drink while she waited.

Harry arrived ten minutes later. Jenny got into the passenger side in a hurry. The young lawyer
took her to a secluded suburban area five miles away from Nico's mansion. Harry pulled out a
small device from the backseat. It looked like a miniature flat screen tv, with a small camera on
the side with a key board. He switched it on and raised an antenna on the top.

Jenny watched while he fumbled with the buttons. After a few minutes or so, a voice came out of
the machine. It was unclear and hard to make out.

"Hello?"

Jenny felt as if she had no heard that voice in years. Harry adjusted the screen and fiddled with
the antannae till the screen cleared up.

"Afternoon Mr. Lumbari. Someone's eager to see you." The lawyer handed the device to Jenny
and exited the car for a smoke.

Jenny sat the device on her lap comfortably. There on the screen before her was the face of her
love. He was clad in a business suit. The room looked like an old closet or storage area. She
nearly broke down in tears when she saw him.

Nico smiled at her. "Hi babe."

She chuckled. "Hey."

"I'm sorry we couldn't meet in person but I'm on house arrest till they gather all the witnesses."
He sounded sincere.

"Nico, what's going to happen to you? The news said you were facing a heavy sentence."

"I know. I won't lie to you. They will lock me up for quite a while." He said sadly. "I'm sorry I
won't be there to see you graduate."

Tears teetered on her eye lids. "Don't talk like that. No matter what they do, I promise I'll wait
for you. They can't keep us apart forever."

"Jenny . . . please don't."

"Don't what?"

"Please . . . don't wait for me."

"Why not? I love you Nico. I don't want to grow up without you."

"I'm sorry sweety. Please don't wait for me. If you wait for me, you'll be waiting for the rest of
your life. You have a bright future ahead of you. I don't want to be in prison knowing that your
ruining your life waiting for me."

Jenny didn't say anything. She just covered her face and sobbed. Nico wanted so badly to hold
her and cuddle her. He wanted to sooth her pain and tell her it will all turn out okay. He cursed
the very essence of the bonds that kept them apart.

Jenny paused in her sobbing to speak. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I will never forget you Jenny. You mean more to me than anything." He went silent to listen to
something going on off screen. "I love you Jenny and I made a promise to you that I intend to
keep."

Jenny eased up on her crying to listen.

"Harry is going to put away some money for you. It's enough to put you through college and take
care of anything you may need in the future. Harry will go over the details with you later." Nico
told her. "I want to make sure you have everything you need even though I can't be there for
you."

Jenny started to cry a little more. Nico wished he could jump through the screen and kiss her
tears away. He looked up at something off screen again then turned back to his love. His own
eyes watered with tears. It was the hardest thing for him to ever do in his life.

"No matter what the media says or whatever people may say about me, know that I love you
deeply and that no one can ever tear that love away from me no matter how far apart we are.
(Sob) I love you so much Jenny. You did a miracle. You turned me around from my wicked
ways.(Sob) But my past cannot be erased and I have to face justice when it is served." He
stopped to wipe his face. Waterfalls poured from Jenny's eyes as she stared at the screen. "I'll
never forget your sweet face, your smile, your kiss . . . your touch. It's locked away in my heart
forever."

"You are the best thing that ever happened to be Nico. I never thought anyone would love me for
who I am. I was so depressed. You saved me . . . . I don't want to say goodbye." Jenny wiped her
face with her sweater sleeve.

"I don't want to either but now I must."

"No . . ." Jenny whined.

"Forever Jenny . . . my love will be for you."

Nico and Jenny stared into each others eyes, red and puffy from tears, taking in as much as they
could. In the future, they knew that they could never touch, never kiss, and never talk. This
moment wouldn't come again. This moment felt like it went on for several hours but lasted only
twenty seconds before the screen went black and all the other could see was their own pitiful
expression in their reflection.

That moment was the last time they ever saw each other again.

Nico was sentenced to 113 years in prison with no possibility of parole for multiple counts of
sexually molesting and raping a minor and for possessing and distributing underage pornography.

Because of the charges, Nico's business suffered heavy losses and dropped two places as the
nations leading electronics store.

After the case, Georgette and her step-father were diagnosed with genital herpes. Now a believer,
her mother divorced Bill and sued him for every penny he had. Georgette eventually grew
depressed from her condition and committed suicide several months later.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rich's drug lab was later seized by authorities however he was not present during the raid. He
relocated in New York and eventually died of an overdose.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Harry, the lawyer, carried out Nico's final wishes and collected a hidden salary. He later became
one of the city's top lawyers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

With Harry's help, Jenny created a bank account in Switzerland where the money sat in wait. He
made up a phoney scholarship contest and claimed that Jenny had won. She went to UCLA and
studied architecture. As time progressed, she moved, obtained a car and a house, all purchased
with the money Nico had given her. Ten years after her ex-lover's incarceration, Jenny married a
man and had three children. One of them was named Nico.