by Nora Cobb
“Naughty girl,” Justin shuts the hallway door and stands in front of it. “It’s against the rules to be in the boys’ dorm above the first floor. It’s in the student handbook.”
“She probably didn’t read it,” laughs Pierce, “She’s waiting for the movie.”
I walk quickly to the door, but Justin won’t move out of my way.
“There’s no money in here,” I tell Bryce and ignore the other two, “And where’s Wyatt?”
Bryce lies down on the bed with his shoes on. “He’s probably at the bank, making a deposit,” he replies listlessly, “You should’ve come yesterday.”
“I was only told yesterday!” I almost shout.
Pierce shrugs his shoulders and smiles. “We have another task instead. One that you’ll probably find easier to do. And enjoy.”
Bad morphs into worse, and it’s obvious I’ve been tricked. I move to the center of the room and watch them cautiously. “What task?” I ask.
Pierce smirks as he steps closer. His tall frame towers over mine. “We’ll approve you for the club if you have sex with all of us.”
“No way,” I shake my head furiously, “You’ll film it and then call me a slut.”
Bryce folds his arms behind his head, appearing relaxed with the conversation. “Interesting,” he says, “that you didn’t say no for a different reason.”
“I was…” I stammer.
“But what?” He glances at me.
I shake my head, thinking they’re only taunting me. “I’m not going to.”
“What’s sex among friends?” asks Bryce, “We’re consenting adults. Unless you’re concerned about your virginity.”
They laugh, but I scowl. Lost virginity. What a concept. Being prized in a relationship only because you haven’t fucked yet. I’ve already let Bryce touch me, but there’s no way I will touch the other two. Maybe I won’t have to. Bryce isn’t the sharing kind. I don’t like it, but I’m already committed to getting in.
I scowl at Bryce. “I’m a member if I do this?”
Bryce sits up on the edge of the bed. “If you complete your task to my satisfaction, then I’ll approve your membership.”
“And I get to keep all the money I make?” I ask, “You’re not going to ask for half?”
He shakes his head. “No, whatever you make is yours.”
It doesn’t feel right to offer myself as a trade, but Mom and I will have what we need if I have my own money. One day, I’ll be too old for the Pit. Mom won’t have to worry about me working a shit job and ending up on disability and painkillers like her. And just a fraction of what these rich boys have will keep my mom and me from disappearing into the system.
“Not at the same time.” I look at Bryce. “And they can’t watch us.”
Pierce scoffs, and Bryce raises his hand when he starts to argue.
“That’s odd,” I turn on Pierce. “You didn’t want to debase yourself by touching me. Debase. D-E-B-A-S-E.”
Pierce doesn’t care for the spelling bee and holds his lips tight. He sneers like he could not care less, but if Pierce didn’t care, he’d have left the room.
I gaze at the door, hoping it will open. “Where is Wyatt? Is he included?” I ask.
“Wyatt left for a few days,” answers Justin, “His mom is visiting Boston, so he went to see her.”
My heart takes a dive. I would’ve picked Wyatt and stayed with him for the entire night. I swear it will only happen once with the rest of them, and Mom and I won’t ever have to worry again about money. I might lose Wyatt, but it’s my mom.
“There have to be rules,” I state clearly, “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t share. One at a time in the bathroom, and you only get four minutes.”
“Four minutes.” Bryce shakes his head.
I step closer, so my legs are next to his. “You need longer?”
Glaring, Bryce gets up from the bed. “Watch the door, Justin. If the proctor walks by, keep him out.”
Justin smirks, but he doesn’t lock the door as Bryce pulls me into the bathroom. I mean to ask, but soon I’m distracted. “It’s private,” I say out loud. I look at the opposite wall, and the connecting door into the next room is missing. I continue to look around the bathroom, which Wyatt keeps surprisingly clean. I walk over to the sink and pick up his face cleanser, reading the label. I want to place it under my nose and sniff. But Bryce watches me with interest. Maybe they picked Wyatt’s room for a reason. Maybe trying to fuck me here is his way of getting one up on Wyatt.
“When do we start the clock?” I ask.
Bryce smiles. He’s up to no good. “You can keep count.”
I nod, forming a plan in my head. He never hangs out with girls. I’ve seen Charlotte Howland hanging on him a few times, but he snubs her. He checked out Nova, but she’ll never have him, and she told me that. I figure Bryce probably hasn’t had sex in a long time. I know some hand tricks to make him cum prematurely, and then I’m gone. The other two can yank themselves off.
“Okay,” I turn around to face him. “Starting now.”
He watches my fingers as I slide each button open on my shirt. Bryce stares as I pull one sleeve off my shoulder then the other. I let my shirt fall to the ground then step closer. He places his hand on my breast, gently squeezing it through the cup. I bite my lip and moan suggestively as he gazes into my eyes.
“I’m going to frame those panties,” he whispers.
“You swear I’m in the club.” My voice cracks as he slides his fingers under the cotton cup. I let him feel my bare skin with his fingertips as his breathing becomes noticeable. My nipple starts to tighten, and I push his hand away.
“Am I in?” I persist.
“I’ll vote you in.” He places his mouth against my bare shoulder, and I’m trying not to become aroused. “Is that all you’re thinking about, Astrid?”
He tugs me tight against his hard form, and I squirm against the bulge in his pants. What would it be like with Bryce Shelton when he’s wrapped in nothing but a towel? I’ve noticed that ripped body of his. If Bryce knew how to fight, he could do some damage in the Pit.
“Last summer, I wanted to bend you over a table.” He pulls my bra strap off my shoulder, slowly sliding it down my arm until he exposes my hard nipple. “We all did, Astrid. But I told them you are mine.”
His mouth presses against my nipple, and his tongue draws slow circles over my skin until it aches to be sucked. Fuck, he’s turning me on, and I can’t lose control. This time, I’m the one with the advantage. He’s just some frustrated rich boy. I squirm again, and Bryce presses my body hard against the counter with his hips.
His cheeks are flushed, and his rosy lips are moist with spit. He takes my hand and guides it along the bulge in his trousers. My eyes widen. He’s so thick.
“You like that, don’t you?” He pushes my hand down until my fingers travel over his entire length. He moves my hand further until I’m cupping him. “It’ll feel so good inside of you.”
I push against him, but Bryce pins my hips with his body.
“I still have time to make you feel good,” he whispers.
With one hand, he unhooks my bra, tugs it off, and it falls to the ground. He places his mouth on my breast as his hand travels up and down my thigh. My breath is low, and I tilt my head back as his fingers leave tingles in their wake. This isn’t how this is supposed to play out. I was supposed to seduce him.
I’m topless as his mouth hungrily teases my nipple while his hand strokes my inner thigh. Fuck it. I start to moan as the heat rises up my body. It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve had boys before. I think about Roni’s warning—all the girls want Bryce Shelton, but he’s following you around like you have his balls on a lead.
I gasp loudly as his fingers slip under the elastic of my panties and brush my slit.
“Let me taste you, Astrid,” he whispers, “I’ll make you scream.”
I shake my head. I’m not too far gone. That will lead to sex, and I do
n’t see a condom. “No, I’ll give you a hand job, and that’s all.”
He scoffs. “We’re not in the back seat of a car in a parking lot,” he whispers, “Let me please you—the right way. The way I please a girl I want.”
I bite my lip as my resistance starts wobbling. What would it be like to fall for Bryce?
“If not that,” he kisses my neck, “then let me kiss your lips.”
I hesitate so close to him that I can feel his breath on my mouth. Unthinking, I lick my lips, and Bryce grabs my chin and his lips cover mine. My head swims as his tongue glides over mine. I wrap my arms around his neck. And for a long delicious moment, he’s more into the kiss than into being fucked.
I’m barely cognizant when I hear the doorknob turn, and Justin looks inside the room. First at Bryce and then at me. His eyes widen as he takes in my bare breasts. I raise my hands to cover them, and Bryce steps in front of me.
“Christ, she’s burning hot,” mutters Pierce as he peeks into the bathroom. But he waits in the doorway as Justin enters the room.
“Watch the door.” Justin’s voice is deep and husky as he unzips his fly.
“Get out!” shouts Bryce. “Get the fuck out now!”
Justin scowls at Bryce. “You always pull this shit by being greedy. It was my idea.” Justin grabs my arm, and I stumble, trying to cover my breasts. “It’s my turn, and you’re getting out.”
I reach for my shirt on the floor and lose my balance, tripping over my feet as Bryce tries to yank me away. I land on my knees on the tile floor and wince in pain. But I forget the stinging pain quickly when Justin yanks his cock out and points at my face.
“Come on, Astrid,” he whispers, “Put it in your mouth.”
I turn my head away, and Bryce pushes Justin back. But Justin still has a firm hold on my upper arm, and I can’t get up onto my feet.
“Get off her, Justin!” shouts Bryce. His face is flaming red from his forehead to his neck as he shows his teeth.
“Stop wasting my time!” shouts Justin.
Justin takes the tip of his cock and rubs it along my cheek, leaving wet line on my skin. I lift my chin, and I’m about to threaten him. To tell Justin I’ll bite it if he tries it again, and then it happens. His eyes shut, and he groans. Holding his dick, he shoots a stream of cum in my hair.
I scream, but that’s a mistake. Bryce punches Justin in the chest, and finally, he lets go of me and stumbles backward into Pierce. I curse as the cum drips off my hair. I grab my shirt, trying to wipe the sticky mess off me.
“You asshole!” I scream as Pierce pushes a shaky Justin off him.
“I’ll fuck you up for this!” Bryce shouts. “You’re just like your bastard of a father.”
Bryce tries to touch me, but I smack his hand away. The sound echoes off the tiles. Bryce steps back quickly, and his eyes widen at something outside the door. His look is borderline fearful, and then it transforms. His eyes narrow, and his lips curl like a coyote about to go in for an easy kill.
“What the fuck are you doing in my room?”
The shirt bunched up in my hands, I freeze. It’s Wyatt’s voice, and I don’t want to move. I don’t want him to see me like this.
“You missed the meeting,” Pierce laughs. “It’s initiation, but I’m afraid our pledge failed.”
I look up slowly, and Wyatt’s gaze is full of disgust as he looks down on me. I told him I wasn’t a slut. I made him wait. And now I’m topless in his bathroom wiping Justin’s cum from my hair. I’m shaking as my face burns from shame, and I hurriedly pull on my shirt. Justin’s already recovered, and he walks over to the door, casually witnessing the commotion he caused.
“She failed miserably,” Pierce’s voice drags out every syllable. “Maybe it’s better that you weren’t here to see it happen, Wyatt.”
I jump up, wrapping the shirt around me and leaving my bra behind. I push past them, gritting my teeth and knocking them out of the way as I run toward the stairwell that leads out of the dorm. Wyatt’s angry shouts travel behind me, and he’s answered with mocking laughter.
***
I don’t bother to button my shirt as I run to the girls’ dorm. I stay away from the overhead lights. I don’t want anyone to see me cry—the look on Wyatt’s face when he saw us…when he saw me. I stumble as my vision blurs in the dark. I hurry toward the back door and tug at it. It’s locked. Someone must’ve kicked the stick out of the door.
“What happened to you?” I hear a voice behind me. “Are you crying?”
I spin around, and Charlotte Howland is standing behind me. Her eyes narrow, and her lips screw up. I don’t want her to see me as I hurriedly button up my shirt. I tuck it in, trying desperately to hide the wet marks.
“Are you okay?” she repeats herself, and when her hand touches my shoulder, I jerk it away.
“Don’t touch me.” My voice is stern, but the sentence ends in a sob.
She shakes her perfect hair, and it shines in the weak light. “You’re not okay.” She steps past me and puts a key in the door. “Come on. I have a key to the old restroom. You might as well join the club.”
I scoff. “Another club?”
“Don’t worry.” Charlotte opens the door wide and waits for me to enter. “You’re already a member. We all are. It’s called the walk of shame club.”
She cradles my face and sighs. “Boys are bigger pricks than what hangs between their legs.”
Chapter 24
Astrid
Charlotte uses flashlight mode to guide us through the basement, dodging old boxes and furniture piled up in precarious makeshift columns. She opens a narrow wooden door in the farthest corner, and we step inside what looks like an old-fashioned restroom with a separate toilet and a sitting room. The first room we enter has an old yellow couch, a tall freestanding locker, and a full-length mirror. The second room has a toilet stall and a pedestal sink.
I ignore the mirror as she leads me into the bathroom.
“You can clean yourself up in here, or at least aim for presentable.” She plops down on the couch. “You only talk to Roni. You don’t talk to us. Or someone would’ve told you that the guys here are a bunch of horny assholes.”
“You make it sound like I’m stuck-up,” I call out over the running water in the sink. It’s cold, but I’m grateful to have anything to wash myself up with.
She sucks her teeth. “Because you are.” She steps into the doorway and watches me trying to scrub Justin’s mess off my shirt. She reaches for my hand. “Don’t stress. I’ll loan you something to wear. Just fix yourself so we can go upstairs.” She points to my hair.
“Why are you being nice?” I ask her.
“Because I choose to be,” she replies, “I could be a bitch, say mean things, and make you cry. And some girls do that. I hope you’re not one of them.”
I shut off the water. “I’ve never talked shit about you.”
She nods her head. “I know.”
Charlotte opens a locked cabinet and hands me two old-fashioned metal keys. “Use this and stop putting that stick in the door. Wren Thorton, in room four, is terrified someone will break in. So stop.”
“I don’t do that,” I sound sheepish.
Charlotte smirks. “No, but you used to.”
She locks the bathroom door, and I follow her up to our floor. I start to walk past her door, but Charlotte grabs my arm and pulls me back. “You want to wake your roommate and tell her about your night?” She glances down. “You have delightful tits, and it’s obvious that you’re not wearing a bra.”
I follow Charlotte into her room, and I look around for a second bed. There’s a purple velvet couch in its place.
“You don’t share a room?” I gasp as if this is the big news of the night.
She shakes her head. “I don’t like to share, and I made that clear in the sixth grade.”
A chill runs through me, and Charlotte must notice me shiver. She can’t know what Bryce said tonight. I continue looking around he
r room that matches a top post on Instagram. Her bed with a mesh canopy is against one wall, and her cherry wood desk is pushed near the windows. She has a tall bookcase where the roommate’s closet would have been. Charlotte walks over to the opposite closet and pulls open the door. My eyes pop when I see all the clothes.
“Where did you get all that from?” I ask, my jaw slack with wonder. “Do you own a store?”
She laughs and pulls out a denim shirt with a slim waist that snaps up the front and a pair of wide jeans. She hands them to me. “You can change in the bathroom if you’re shy. I’d loan you underwear, but that’s sort of gross.”
