by Lilah Walker
He only laughs.
I try another tact, feeling my face burning with humiliation over what he’s just reduced me to. “How are we going to finish up our project if you pull stunts like that?”
“I’ll complete it on my own and we’ll get an A. The only project I want you to work on is me, Goddess.”
Oh God. I can’t let him get me in that private room of his again. I’ll be totally undone. Even now, I can’t stop thinking about his touch felt like, and he’s being a total bastard. I can’t let him realize how much he’s affected me.
“Fine,” I hiss at him. “I don’t care what you do with it as long as I don’t have to spend time with you anymore.” I take out my phone to check the time and call for an Uber, but the app is down. Outside, I can see rain pouring down.
Predictably, he seems to know exactly what I’m thinking.
“I’ll get you home safely in my Ferrari, Goddess,” he says, and in the next moment, he’s lifted up my skirt and slapped my bare ass—hard.
I whirl away from him, staring at him. “Dammit, stop it. I’m not your slave, motherfucker!” I yell at hm, rubbing my butt cheek.
Me yelling at him doesn’t phase him for a moment. “I know,” he states simply. “You’re my Goddess, and I’m your God. Just make sure you don’t get any of your pussy juice on my leather seats.”
I curl up my lips in disgust.
The ride to my home is silent. I’m not able to bring myself to look at him. The only form of communication comes when I tell him my address and then point to the spot for him to pull over once we arrive. I get out of the car and head straight into the house without saying a word.
When my grandma asks me about my reddened face, I lie.
“Too much Florida sun today, Grandma, so I’m just going to take a nap.” What is true is that I’m tired, and I need to sleep.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
L owell and his stupid friends know about my hiding place, the girl’s bathroom on the third floor in the science and technology wing. It’s mostly empty during lunchtime.
He pushes open the door of the bathroom stall, holds it open with his hand, and walks in.
He stares down at me sitting on a closed toilet, and I can’t even say that I’m shocked. There’s no low he won’t sink to, and I am alone, after all. To him, that must mean I’m ripe for torment.
“Look at the Goddess sitting on her throne.”
“Get out of here, Lowell. You shouldn’t be in the girl’s bathroom.”
“You shouldn’t be in here, either. You’re supposed to be in the café eating lunch with us, remember?”
“I don’t want to eat with you and your hooligans,” I spit back.
“Wrong answer. You don’t want to eat. That’s what Katelyn said.”
“She talks too much,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Maybe she cares too much.”
“I guess you do, too,” I tell him sarcastically. “Why are you looking for me?”
“Aww, you’ve never had anyone look for you, have you? You’re used to people leaving you.”
I must let a reaction show on my face, because I see his blue eyes narrow on me even more. There’s no point in hiding the truth, then. “You know what? You’re right. People do leave me. Even my mom abandoned me. So, why don’t you just leave right now?”
“Nope, Goddess. I can’t do that,” he says, taking another step inside of the stall.
I know Lowell is capable of doing something bad to me in this stall. Suddenly, it occurs to me that this is just as bad as being in his private room. My head begins to spin as I feel his powerful presence filling the tiny space. This is my zone. My piece of freedom where I can be alone when stress is getting to be too much. And he’s taking that from me. Like he’s taken my dignity, and even my ability to walk around this school without being fearful of what he’ll do next.
He’s nothing but a thief, and I hate him.
I squeeze my legs together, pulling my skirt down closer to my knees. I slide myself further back on the toilet seat and turn sideways so I can keep my legs together, with my feet back as far as they will go. Another step and he’ll stomp on my Mary Janes. I could do damage to his groin if I wanted to with these platforms, but he’s blocking my movement by standing over me. The smell of his masculine body wash invades the stall, and it’s such a reminder of what he did to my body in the study room that it confuses my senses.
I refuse to let him touch my body again, but he’s standing right in front of me with his groin just inches away from my head.
I will not look up. Aleta, just keep looking at the floor, I tell myself.
He takes both of his hands and slides his fingers down through my dark brown hair on both sides of my head. The spinning in my head subsides. Damn it, why does his touch make me feel better?
I don’t want this demon to soothe me. I want him to get out of my life. Instead, he massages my temples, his fingers smooth against my scalp and exerting just enough pressure. Somehow, it’s as if he knows exactly what I need. Damn him.
“I’m not leaving you alone, Goddess. Ever since I touched your fat pussy and tasted your sweet cream, I couldn’t wait to rub your clit again.”
I close my eyes.
“I dream about watching you orgasm over and over again with my hand,” he says, now moving a finger to caress my ear. “I want to flick my tongue against your clit to eat your sweet cream.”
“I want it,” I whisper, more to myself than to him.
“I didn’t hear you, Goddess,” he says, bringing my head closer to his groin.
I want him. The way he makes me feel is undeniable, and even if I can’t look him in the eye, I can’t deny it. I let myself shift under his hands, tilting in his direction, and my neck strains to get my face into the front of his slacks. I want his dick in my mouth.
Lowell strokes both of my ears. “You want to suck my dick, Goddess?”
He has me where he wants me, right in front of it. He knows how to get what he wants, even from an enemy. But I can’t go through being humiliated by him again. I muster up the courage to answer him. “I don’t think it’s big enough for me. I’ll pass.”
He laughs softly. “Oh, I’ve never heard that before. If I whip it out, you don’t think you can handle it?”
I feel my mouth watering at the thought of seeing his hard dick.
“We can test it out and see what you think.”
I can’t let this happen. I can’t. I ease my head back away from his crotch and grasp both of his hands where they’ve rested on both sides of my face.
“Leave—”
“That’s not what you want,” he cuts me off, his eyes meeting mine. “You want to wrap that heart-shaped mouth around my hard dick,” he says, attempting to pull my head closer to his crotch again.
I have to make him get out of my space. I swallow down my desire, and harden my nerves. I have to get myself out of this rather than fall into him again. “You may get out of here with half of your dick after I bite it off.”
His hands freeze under mine. “You are a cruel bitch. Damn.”
“Okay. Then leave me the fuck alone, Lowell.”
“How many times have you said that to me? Leave me alone, Lowell,” he mocks me.
“Then take the hint, dammit!” I tell him, glaring up at him. I try to stand, but he pushes me back down.
“I don’t follow hints. I don’t take orders. You should know that by now.”
He grips both sides of my head and squeezes hard. It’s as if he has me in a vise. Like he wants to squish my brain out of my ears.
“When will you learn, Goddess? I will make sure you learn your lesson.”
Who does he think he is?
I know he’s a bully, but he’s also crazy as fuck. My head hurts like never before. My eyes begin to water as I try to yank on his hands and free myself.
“Your puny hands can’t stop me.”
I know the more I fight, the harder he’ll squeeze. That’s h
is mode of operation.
He’s right, too, I realize; I need to learn my lesson. If I don’t, he just might kill me. Choaking back a sob, I wilt, dropping my hands down to my lap.
He caresses the side of my sore head. Tears fall down my face as I breathe in and out.
“That’s better, isn’t it?” he asks, stroking my hair. “This could be fun if you let it.”
I don’t want to have any fun with my tormentor. I want to be free from this hell. Lowell tilts my head up to scan my face.
“I knew it would be like this,” Lowell says as he wipes the tears away from my flushed cheeks
“The bathroom is closed,” Alec says in a loud voice outside of the bathroom door.
I hear a group of girls protesting. A second later, I hear the door being shoved open.
“Time’s up, brother! Lunch is over!” Myles yells. “We’ve got to go.”
I cannot let other students see me leaving the girls’ bathroom with Lowell Bartlett. They’ll think I’m another one of his brainless fans willing to suck him off in the bathroom. I don’t want that type of reputation.
“Let’s go out there and show them how you’ll now be spending your lunch period,” Lowell says quietly, and there’s a real threat in his voice this time.
I won’t do it. I won’t be humiliated like that.
I reach out and open the menstrual trash receptacle. Yes, there is a used pad in there. Before he can react, I’ve ripped off a piece of toilet paper and picked it up, holding it threateningly between us. “I’ll wipe your pristine white polo with this period blood if you don’t get out of my fucking face.”
He backs up, shocked. “You are a nasty little bitch.”
A moment later, he’s all but racing from the bathroom.
I slam the door of my stall shut and put my feet up on the toilet, needing to be alone. And anyone who comes in here would notice my shoes.
“What was he doing in here?” asks a girl walking through the door.
“I don’t know, but I wish he’d do it to me,” replies another girl as they burst into giggles.
Trust me. No, you don’t.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“W
hat do you want to tell me?” I ask. Suffolk Academy’s headmaster, Mr. Nathaniel Radforde, looks at me as if he’s drilling a tunnel through my forehead, straight to my brain.
The saga dragged on till the end of this week. And now the headmaster has called me into his office again.
“I have not found you guilty of changing your scores, but there was also nothing to absolve you. Someone changed your grade.”
“Sir, I don’t know what to say,” I answer honestly. “I didn’t do it.”
“You say that, but the case remains that someone did, and you seem to be the only one with any motive to take such a chance. If I didn’t respect your grandmother so much, and if your own teacher weren’t defending you as a good student, I would expel you from Suffolk at least temporarily, but I’ll give you another chance. Perhaps you’ll learn to follow the standard procedures of Suffolk. I’m assigning you to one month of lunchroom duty, which means thirty days of keeping the café clean and washing dishes.”
Oh God, he can’t. I’m already a target of bullies, and that will be the linchpin in ruining my senior year. “Please, sir, I can’t….” I shudder and begin to sweat, feeling faint drops of moisture appear on my upper lip.
“This is a grave offence, Aleta, but you’re getting off easily. This is not up for debate, however. You will be assisting the staff in the cafeteria during lunch hours for the next month.”
Blinking back tears, I shake my head at how unfair this is. I can’t believe what’s happening. I have absolutely no knowledge about this score issue, but I’m being punished for it. There is no way to absolve myself.
“Can you please not tell my grandparents about this situation?” I ask quietly, before I can stop myself. The headmaster frowns. “I don’t want them to fret over something I didn’t do,” I explain.
“You’re still saying you didn’t do it?”
“Sir, I’ll take the punishment,” I say as my voice begins to shake. “But even you aren’t sure of what happened. I am telling you I didn’t do it. Please, just don’t let my grandparents get worked up because of this.” I bite down on my lower lip to avoid begging the headmaster any further.
From the look on his face, he actually believes me—finally. Either way, he gives in. “I won’t tell your grandparents about this situation, but you will cooperate with your punishment religiously.”
I wish I could tell him thirty days of working in the café will make me look like the poorest student at S.A. I want him to know Lowell Bartlett and his clones did this to me to create a living hell for me. More and more, I think it must have been them. And I want the headmaster to understand the humiliation I’ve already experienced, and what I’m in for now.
But there’s not much I can say at this point.
If I get any evidence that I can turn in to him to prove other students set me up, then he will realize I have done nothing wrong.
I look away at his family photo on the side of his desk. The headmaster is dealing with his cancer-stricken wife. He doesn’t have the time or patience to deal with everything going on at this school. Maybe the revenge I want is petty, anyway.
I can handle his punishment with ease. That’s the lie I’ll keep telling myself for the next thirty days.
“Time to leave,” he says, re-focusing on his computer.
Outside the main office, I throw open the door to a nearby bathroom and stalk across the blinding white marble floor into the last stall. I pull down a seat cover to sit down on the closed toilet, and I sit down with a thud.
I’m crushed. How did I get myself into this shitty situation?
I close my eyes in silent meditation, comforting myself by shutting the bathroom out of my mind. I learned to do this from a meditation and yoga video I used to watch with my mother, but today, it’s not freaking working. I can only see the harsh eyes of Headmaster Radforde. I want to cry.
What am I doing to myself by staying at this school?
I could actually think about enjoying my time away from S.A.
I could plan a beach spring break trip. A vacation I’ve always wanted to take before, but which never fit in our puny budget. I bet Grandma and Grandpa would be open to helping me pay for one if I got a job to chip in. Or maybe we could all go together. Or maybe I could just run away.
I should think about what I’ll tell my mother when I see her again, or about how I’m going to survive thirty days working in the café, but there doesn’t seem to be a point.
I’m so disappointed with Headmaster Radforde for coming down this hard on me. Can’t he see I didn’t do this? This would never happen to Lowell Bartlett, Alec Weathers, or Myles Walston. They never have to agonize over the possibility of anything negative happening to their little group.
Alec and Myles may as well be Lowell’s Dobermans on a leash, and they have just as much power in this place as he does. All of them can get away with murder, and they know it. As Katelyn explained to me, their parents keep this school’s budget floating in the millions, so they can do whatever they like at S.A. Them and all of their goody-goody hangers-on. Janyce and all of her friends. I hate all of them, but I know none of this would be so hard on me if not for Lowell.
I fucking hate him. Sometimes, I’m fucking scared of him, and too often, I’m turned on by him, but when my head is clear, I hate him. My body tells me to run from him every time I see him, and yet we still have to finish our class project.
I have him to thank for all of this. I’ve never felt so much hate in my entire life. I even fucking hate myself right now.
And meditation is useless. I’ve got so many questions. I wish I could find my mom and talk it all over with her, but I’ve tried calling and gotten nowhere. It’s like she’s decided to disappear off the grid and out of my life. And meanwhile, I desperately want to know
who’s responsible for getting me in trouble.
I’ve never been happier to see Katelyn than I am when I find her waiting for me in the lobby.
She hugs me tightly, and then pulls back to get a good look at me. “What happened with Headmaster Radforde?”
I bring her outside to explain to her what the verdict was in the privacy of her car.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
B y the time I return to school on Monday, I have a firm idea about who set me up. It has to be someone from Janyce’s group. I guess I knew this from the beginning since they were the only students who approached me on when I first got in trouble, making it clear they knew what was going on, but I spent all this time trying to think the issue would just go away and hadn’t given it much thought till these last few days. But now that I’m actually facing punishment, it’s time that I made it clear I’m not a push-over.
On my third day working at the café, I notice that only one of the girls in Janyce’s group has arrived at their table. Time for a special delivery message. I pick up a bottle of water and go on over.
“I didn’t order that,” she says.
I love the way she blinks rapidly when I slam my fist down on the table, just barely masking the sound with the water bottle coming down in case anyone is paying a little too much attention. Either way, I intend to make my message clear. “I know you didn’t. What you and those other idiots asked for was trouble, though; so, I’m gonna give it to you. You bitches think you can fuck with me like this, and I won’t come for you? This is a warning. Watch your fucking backs. I’m going to find out exactly who did this, and they’ll be sorry. You all just might be sorry.”
The fear in her body shows up on her ashen, pale face as I turn to walk away. That’s the result I hoped for. There’s no way she won’t act now. Her gossiping ass will tell the others to scare them, too. One of them will probably talk, and I’ll then know exactly who was behind it all; at the very least, they’ll be too scared to do anything more to me. There is also the risk of her blabbing my threat to the headmaster, but I’m hopeful they won’t have that much gall, given what they’ve done to me.
