The Loss of Innocence

ATHENA

She was not just my best friend; she was my sister. She was my soul. She was my everything. We grew up together, attended school together, we even got sick together. Athena was like a ray of sunlight. Her mere presence was enough to make one happy. She was warm and full of life. We were happy and blissful and we just loved each other. That was before she met Guy. Guy was one of our classmates in school and he became interested in her. At first, I was jealous because I thought I was loosing my best friend, and then I resigned myself to the fact that at some point in life, every girl needs a guy. I was happy for her until I noticed something strange.

Every saturday, I used to go to Athena's house, have breakfast with her family and then both of us would retire to her bedroom until lunchtime. While there, we would do some homework, tell some stories, watch some movies and just hang around. While in her room, I was always looking at the different thngs we had. Athena had grown up in a more priviledged environment than I had. She was the daughter of Tom and Ada Michael, two doctors who were well known in their field. Athena had so many things, it was as if she had her own house within the house. I never tired of looking at the things they had acquired for their daughter. Besides the mall-sized closet filled with clothes, my favorite item in the room was the dresser that her grandfather had made for her when she was four. It was very simple, but strong. It was made with aged wood, carefully sanded down and painted a very deep brown. It reminded me of my father's rocking chair.

The suprising thing about Athena is that no matter how much she had, she was always careful with it. If she had ten pens, she made sure that she could account for all ten of them. She was very meticulous and careful with her things and that was one of the traits I loved most about her. She started being sloppy and careless after she met Guy. It was three weeks into the second half of school when Athena met Guy. After their first date, she was so happy that she called me at 2 AM, just to tell me all about it. I loved my bst friend , but I didn't like her date and I did not know whow to let her know.She soon stopped calling me everyday, as she used to, and when I would call she would be impatient with me and drop the phone. Our Saturday ritual soon ended and so did our Sunday after-church ice cream hangouts.

One friday, on my way from a friend's house, I saw a few people wearing clothes and carrying handbags that I thought belonged to Athena. The next day, I went to her house and her mother sat me in the kitchen and told me that she was worried about her daughter. I promised to talk to her and then I went up to Athena's room. The room that was once filled with so many items was almost empty. Half the clothes were gone, most of the furniture was missing, even the draperies were no longer there. Athena came in and found me and when I asked her, she just smiled and evaded thje question. We soon resumed our normal Saturday routine and I hoped things would get better.

Unfortunately, Athena was still loosing things. I mean, she lost her clothes, her dresser, and jewels, even cutleries. They would go missing, and each time I asked, she would fly into rage. After a while, she stopped talking to me and would not talk to her brother. I became worried and, one fateful Saturday morning, I decided to speak with her. She wouldn't listen to anything I had to say and I was determined to make her hear me. I started asking questions and that was when I found out the bitter truth.

Athena was beginning to gamble. We were just 14 yrs old and my best friend (former best friend to her) had lost more that $13,000.00. I wondered where she was getting the money from and I started investigating. During the course of my investigation, I found out that sweet Athena had sold all her things and had been prostituting and stealing to make more money. I also found out that Guy was the one who introduced her to gambling. I did not know what to do, but at the end I decided to keep quiet and I hoped that it would all go away. Now I wish I had told somebody. If I had, Athena would not be where she is and I would be happy.

I came in one Sunday, from church, and I decided to go over and see Athena. When I got to her house, I was directed to her room. As I opened the door, I saw the most horrifying sight I have ever seen. Athena was hanging from the ceiling. She had committed suicide. She owed a lot of money and the local gang had threatened her and her parents, so she killed herself.

Because of my silence, Athena died. I will never forget how she looked just hanging there, cold and lifeless. I hope this never happens to anyone.