2. CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
Tilda
I figured we were going back to theirs when we enter one of the villages, a small cul-de-sac of three-storey log cabins where most second and third years reside. Halls are infinitely cheaper, but I hope to live in one of these lodges come next September. Me and Natasha had it all planned out but I guess that’s gone to shit now.
‘This is us,’ Elly says, leading us up a small path to the furthermost lodge.
‘How many of you live here?’
‘Three.’ She unlocks the door. Haz kicks it open, holding it with a palm so I can enter first. It’s a chivalrous move but the sly smile on her face is anything but.
The door opens straight onto the kitchen with panelled walls, ceiling beams and a live edge oak table. Walls of empty cider cans line the windowsills and there’s stuff strewn pretty much everywhere. I thought a bunch of girls living together would be tidier but clearly not.
‘What’s your poison?’ Elly tosses her mask and glow sticks onto the table. I place her cloak there too, warming quickly in the balmy house. Guess rich kids don’t have to worry about heating bills.
‘Anything. Vodka. That’s what I’ve been on all night.’
‘Pepsi okay?’
‘Yup.’
Haz nods her chin towards the living room, and I follow her through to the large open space, a spiral staircase to one side leading up to the first floor.
‘If you don’t like the music,’ she says, crossing to some speakers, ‘you’ll have to suck it.’
I huff at her bluntness. ‘I’m pretty easy.’
She looks over her shoulder with a grin. ‘Hope so.’
Something heavy and bassy cracks through the room and I settle on the sofa, preferring it to the shit they play at the club over on the mainland. Elly comes in with my drink, a six-pack of ciders under her arm. Haz rips one free. Drink downed, I reach out to roll one of the cans towards me.
Haz narrows her eyes, possibly pissed I didn’t ask first, but Elly only smiles, pushing a second can my way.
Cracking open the first, I drink down the sour, fizzy liquid.
Here’s to Halloween.
And here’s to forgetting wanky boyfriends.
One hour bleeds into another, and then another. I’m at that point in the night where alcohol can’t touch me anymore, no matter how much more of it I drink. My eyes blur under the soft living room lighting and I have to keep rubbing them to keep them focused, no doubt smearing my eyeliner.
A stack of sticky playing cards are strewn between us. We’ve cycled through pretty much every drinking game in my arsenal—Ring of Fire, Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever—and I now know more about the sexual escapades of my course mates than I ever wanted to.
Back aching, I slip onto the sofa as Elly regales us about her first time with a girl.
‘It was pretty much like that,’ she says, nodding at the cards, ‘expect when I dared her to have sex with me, she actually did.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Still salty I’d rather drink a dirty pint than snog you?’
She flicks a card at me. ‘Yeah actually, I am.’
Haz lets out a huff, can of cider up to her mouth from the second pack of the night. ‘Truth,’ she says, eyes locked on mine. ‘Me or Elly, who would you pick?’
‘Neither. God’s sake, how many times? I’m straight.’
She holds up a frustrated hand. ‘Yeah, just put down your love of dick for one second. If you were into girls, which one of us would you pick?’
I lean back against the sofa, pretending to give it some thought. ‘I don’t want to break any hearts here.’
Haz shakes her head. ‘Don’t have one.’
I look to Elly who folds her arms protectively. ‘I can take it. I think.’
I purse my lips, nodding slowly. It’s weird—I’ve probably said about ten words to these girls in total over the last year, and most of them would have been at our Christmas meal. Now here I am, knowing both their (very roughly estimated) body counts, exactly which dildos are their favourites to use, and which positions they like to use them in.
Our media course is the only one of its kind on campus, amongst all the pretentious Latin, ancient histories and philosophies, and for that reason garners a large number of enrollees. It’s not often we all hang out as a whole group. I tend to stick with Natasha and the girls we met during freshers, and I’ve never seen these two bother much with anyone. Elly’s alright, smiley and friendly and getting stuck into group projects when she has to, but Harriet…Haz…she’s always kind of mean. Refusing to share equipment, acting like she’d rather eat her own toenails than lower herself to work with someone else. I’ve never given too much thought to either before but something about tonight has put me on their radar.
Haz shifts impatiently and I refocus, taking in her olive skin and thick fall of glossy black hair. Enviable hair, really. Mine’s nice enough but it’s only as shiny as that perhaps the first hour after washing it. Elly’s, on the other hand, couldn’t be more different. It’s much shorter, a colour she’d probably call strawberry blonde if anyone was to ask. It’s tufty in places, the cuteness matching the twin dimples when she smiles. I was with a boy once who had the fluffiest, softest hair from years of swimming in chlorinated water. Makes me wonder if that’s a sport Elly favours too, though there’s no pool here, only the unforgiving sea.
Standing next to each other, they’re of a similar height but where Elly is plump and soft, Haz is sheer, solid muscle. I’ve seen her in the gym before, seen them both, Elly usually pissing around with the equipment whilst Haz works out with a single minded, stony intensity. It’s clearly paid off; I’m sure she could pick me up with her little finger and toss me across the room. I’m sure they both could.
‘You’re both beautiful ladies,’ I tell them.
Haz scoffs, fingers falling to her belt buckle as a glint comes to her eyes. ‘My cock’s bigger though,’ she croons, untucking her shirt and gracing me with a view of her deeply ridged abs. She unzips her trousers, shoves her hand inside and emerges with a dildo.
‘What—Haz, that’s obscene!’
I hold my breath as she begins milking it. She’s not wrong about it being big. Even Ryan, a grower not a shower, couldn’t harden to this size.
‘Oh, but I am obscene.’ Dropping her hand, she leans over where I’m sprawled on the sofa, palms either side of my shoulders. She thrusts her hips, the tip of the strap-on bobbing against my thighs. ‘Whatever your little boyfriend can do to you, you bet I can do it a million times better.’
‘Doubt that,’ is all I can think to say. Vodka always makes me horny, and my body clearly hasn’t got the memo we’re not with Ryan anymore. Behind her thick fall of hair, Haz could be any pretty boy right now.
Her final thrust lands right on my clit and I suck in a sharp breath. Her smile deepens as she pushes off me.
‘Knew she’d choose me,’ she says to Elly.
‘I chose no one! You’re both girls.’
‘Well spotted.’ She zips herself back up. I follow the movement with my eyes. She really wears that thing everyday? Even to class, when she’s straddling computer stools and alienating everyone with those dark, depthless eyes? Makes my brain short-circuit.
With a grunt, Elly hauls herself to her feet. ‘brB, people.’
Listening to her jog up the stairs, I place my drink down to rearrange myself, grimacing when my boots chafe my ankles.
‘Mind if I take these off?’
‘It’s normally polite to.’
With a pointed look at Haz’s own boots, I unlace mine, hissing as I pull them off.
‘Still breaking them in?’
‘Yeah. Fuck.’
‘Ouch.’ Her eyes linger on the blisters weeping through my tights. ‘Gnarly.’ She gets to her knees to peer closer. ‘Want a foot massage? I’m ace at them.’
I clearly take too long to answer when she wordlessly pulls my foot into her lap.
‘You should take these off,’ she says of my ripped tights.
‘Nah, you don’t want that. They’ll be getting bristly.’
‘You think I give a fuck?’ As if to demonstrate, she starts running her fingertips up and down my leg.
I go to kick her off but hold myself back. It feels nice and there’s nothing wrong with some innocent stroking, even if it is waking up areas further up.
She holds my eyes, a hint of a challenge in them as she draws higher and higher, skimming over my knee and onto my thigh. I force myself to hold still, jaw clamped. Yeah, shit, it really does feel good now.
‘Let me get you off,’ she whispers.
‘No!’ I yank my foot back but she holds on tight.
‘You want me to, though. You should see your face right now, all tight and pinched like you’re trying to not let yourself get wet.’ She digs a knuckle into the sole of my foot, making me gasp. ‘Not working though, is it?’
I don’t bother denying. Yeah, her stroking’s got me wet. Bodies respond to that kind of thing, it’s automatic. But I know, if I woke up Monday morning with the knowledge that I’d had sex with a girl, I’d be feeling all kinds of weird.
‘Just stick to my feet, Harriet. I’ll take care of the rest later.’
She chuckles, dark eyes rolling back. ‘Fuck, I’d pay to see that.’
I do kick her away then, just as Elly comes padding back down the stairs.
‘Thought you’d passed out,’ Haz says to her.
Elly shakes her head, a tremulous smile on her face. ‘Just had to do a quick tactical chunder. All good now.’
The threat of sobriety has me checking the time on my phone. Well, it’s definitely Monday now and I’ve got about as many bars of battery life as I do signal.
‘You know we’ve all got uni in a few hours.’
Reclaiming my foot, Haz tweaks my toe hard. ‘Party pooper.’
Elly falls on the sofa, her soft bulk warm against me. ‘Crash here if you want. Can all walk in together. I’ll give you a hoodie or something.’
‘Maybe,’ I murmur noncommittally. There’s always been something abhorrent about waking up in a bed that’s not mine. But then I remember Natasha and Ryan and fuck that too.
Eventually Haz’s vigorous massage slows to lazy caresses. She lies on the floor, my foot resting on her stomach, eyes open barely a slit.
A yawn overcomes me as I wiggle deeper into the cushions. This is the part where I should leave but the sound of Elly’s breathing, the warmth of the house, is soothing.
Despite the loud music still playing, I manage to drift off, only coming to at the sound of a door banging. I peer round but Haz and Elly are still crashed out with me. Careful not to jostle either, I find a toilet, struggle with the bodysuit that’s fused to my skin by now, then make my way to the kitchen to chug some water.
Just as I’ve filled a glass, the kitchen light shuts off.
A body fills the doorway.
Not Elly, not Haz. Taller, skinnier, ropey arms stretched above their head to grasp the top of the door frame. Only the vague suggestion of boobs tells me they’re female. I relax, for some reason feeling safer around these girls despite them being as leery as boys.
This one’s dressed up too. In the dim light, Ghostface stares back at me. It’s the only costume piece on them, the rest donned in jeans and a cropped tank baring abs far more sinewy than Haz’s.
Leaning back against the sink, I sip my water. ‘Hey.’
Lanky arms slide off the doorway. My hand tightens on the glass as she strolls towards me. She picks up one of her housemates’ glow sticks from the table, stopping only when she has me pressed up against the sink. Slower than either Haz or Elly, she uses it to tuck back my hair, tracing it down my neck and between my boobs. Her right arm is inked to fuck, the sleeve swirling with skulls and flora. Something glistening on her knuckles snags my attention, the skin on them messed up and weeping.
‘What’s the other guy look like?’
‘Nothing of her left.’
She has a nice voice, low, drawling, sly. Shame she has tits and a vag. I wouldn’t have minded bringing either a purger or Ghostface back to halls to throw in Ryan’s smug little shit face.
A chuckle sounds from behind the mask, breaking the spell she’s woven. She steps away just as someone throws the light back on.
‘Been punching trees again?’ Haz says, beelining for the snacks on the table.
I glance back at the girl who’s now removed her mask, bloodied hand paused in her short hair.
If I thought Ghostface was menacing, it’s nothing compared to the look she’s giving me now.
Cold.
Dark.
Furious.
She points a finger at me like a dagger. ‘Get that out of my house.’
‘Our house.’ Hand deep inside a packet of crisps, Haz leers. ‘And why would I get rid of that?’
‘Because I fucking said so, that’s why.’
‘Calm down.’ I frown, my hackles rising. ‘I’ve done fuck all to you.’
The girl laughs darkly, grabbing a can of cider from the fridge. She keeps her back to me as she cracks the top and chugs half of it down. ‘Fuck all, hey?’
‘I don’t even know you, so yeah.’ I turn to Elly as she enters the kitchen, my ire soaring. ‘You know what, I think I prefer purgers to Ghostface—’
The words stall in my throat when the girl whips back around. Eyes murderous, she herds me towards the front door. ‘Get the fuck …out of my house.’
‘Come on, man,’ Elly cajoles, Haz’s face behind her remaining passively amused as she munches on her crisps.
The cold swarms in as the door slams in my face. Stumbling over the front step, I put my arms around myself. My stomach twists, feeling nauseous. Tears prick my eyes as I shiver. I’ve crashed hard, my booze high waned. I should be in bed by now but… Thinking of Ryan and Natasha, I reluctantly turn away from the lodge.
‘Psst.’
Rotating my head, I spot Elly hanging out an upper floor window. ‘Sorry about Nic. She’s tetchy when she’s tired.’
I snort, not buying that. Her anger could rival Ryan’s. ‘What’s her problem?’
‘Dunno, but she’s got plenty so don’t take it personally.’
Sighing, I look over my shoulder at the pitch-black woods I have to walk through again.
‘You good getting home? Nic’s barring the door.’
‘Yeah, I’ll manage.’
‘Sweet.’ She leans further out the window, dangling something from it. ‘Hey, here, catch this.’
I hold my hands out, letting the jacket fall into them. It’s corduroy, the navy cotton feeling like velvet between my fingers.
‘For the walk back. Check the pocket.’
I dig around, pulling out a phone.
‘My number’s there. Text me.’
I tut. ‘I’m straight, Elly.’
‘And I’m hot for you, so text me.’
Shaking my head, I tap the phone screen. ‘I’m locked out.’
‘1759.’
‘And the PIN for your card?’ I murmur, transferring her number to my contacts.
‘Stick it through the letterbox when you’re done.’
I pull on the jacket once I’ve done that, rolling up the too-long sleeves. ‘Thanks for this.’
‘Poor substitute for my arm around you but it’ll do. Can sleep in it if you want, in case you miss your boyfriend.’
‘I have no boyfriend.’
‘That’s my girl.’ She smiles, fluffing out her hair with a hand. ‘Go easy, hey, Tilds? Text me when you get in so I’m not up worrying.’