13. Sydney
thirteen
sydney
Me
Have you ever thought about running away?
L.
Like, out of state?
Maybe out of the country
I have not considered it. Where would you go?
I think about it often.
Where? As far as I could get.
We’re approaching a month since Penn and Oliver made that stupid over-under bet. And obviously Carter doesn’t count. He came through with the morning after pill, delivering it to my door the next day with a muffin and coffee. And I got my period a week later.
All’s well that ends well…
Except I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched.
Things have actually calmed the fuck down on campus. I don’t seem to be in mortal danger anymore, although that’s starting to create some paranoia on its own. I walk around with my shoulders inching higher and higher, waiting for that shoe to drop.
Everyone has backed off.
I spot Kate walking across the quad one day. And although it’s been a few weeks since that scrimmage game where she assaulted me, her eyes are still a lovely shade of green bruising. Kind of like how Penn’s were…
He’s back to normal, though.
And Kate? She turns tail and practically runs away from me.
After leaving Intro to Law, I had a change of heart about transferring out of the class. I’m not going to let one asshole dictate my course of study. So I never filed the paperwork, never even met with my academic advisor.
He hasn’t tried anything. He’s being kind of nice, actually.
It’s weird .
Now, Penn sits beside me and automatically reaches for my hair. He plays with it during class sometimes, never tugging, but constantly twirling locks between his fingers. I tried to get him to stop once, and he just smirked.
So now I let him. Grudgingly.
But when he pulls twice, I glance over my shoulder at him.
“You didn’t come to the party.”
“I was never planning on it.”
The party that Oliver previously invited me and my friends to was last weekend.
“Are you coming to our games? It’s a double header this weekend.” He leans into my space. “Against SJU.”
I shake my head. “No, I like to avoid that arena at all costs.”
“What if I could guarantee your safety?”
I narrow my eyes.
He smiles. It’s absolutely a gotcha smile.
“Don’t you miss hockey?” he questions. “Since you missed most of that scrimmage, you didn’t get to see my kick-ass skills. Just saying.”
“Hmm.” I don’t want to encourage him, so I go for nonchalant instead.
The lecture begins, and I face forward. There’s the familiar sensation of him fiddling with my hair again, but then he tosses it over my shoulder.
A piece of paper lands on my breast, tied in my hair .
I scowl and carefully undo it. I hold the note in my palm, considering reading it or just throwing it back at him. Curiosity finally gets the better of me, and I open it.
Pick you up at five, princess .
Now I do crumple it, dropping it on the corner of my desk. This class gets out at five. I shake my head, but there’s not much I can do about it.
After a long moment, he resumes playing with my hair. It’s actually kind of soothing. There’s nothing better than someone running their fingers through my hair, and he’s getting dangerously close to that.
“Do you run?” he asks me on our way out of class.
He stuck with me as I dragged my bag closer and packed up. I purposefully moved slowly, but now we’re alone in the hallway.
“I do…” I eye him. “Why do you ask?”
“You have the look.”
“Lovely.”
“I’ll run with you.”
“You really don’t have to do that.” My grip on my bag’s strap tightens. “I like solitude.”
“So does Ollie. It’s why he lives all alone in that big house.”
“You’ve said that before.” I sigh. “What’s that angle about?”
He smiles and nods at someone passing us. Takes a moment to slap hands and pat backs—the guy version of a hug—with another. I keep walking.
I’m hungry and not entirely sure I want to be dragged to the arena on a Friday night.
“I could just sit with the SJU crowd,” I say when he catches up to me. “They’d be nice to me.”
He considers that, subtly guiding me to a car in one of the student lots. When we reach the sleek black car, he leans on the passenger door and faces me.
“You so sure about that?”
“I…”
“Rumors have been spreading over there, too. About how you’re fucking Carter Masters to get info from him. You’ve switched sides, so to speak.”
My cheeks burn. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, hasn’t he mentioned?” Penn’s expression is the picture of innocence.
And I almost believe it, except for the keen sharpness in his eyes. Like when he touched the bruise on the back of my head—he doesn’t care, he’s just trying to expose a secret.
“He wouldn’t mention , since he and I aren’t anything.”
“Oh, of course.” He steps aside, yanking open the door for me. “Get in.”
I balk. “No.”
“Yes.” His brows furrow. “Sydney. I’ve been nothing short of nice to you. I’ve got to get to the arena early for a meeting, but what you need for students to leave you alone is there.”
“What I need,” I repeat.
“Yeah.” He lifts his shoulder. “If I had it in my car, I’d just give it to you now.”
“And what is it?”
“A magic talisman.” The duh is silent.
I wait a beat, then sigh.
Fine .
Going will make my dad happy, at any rate. He made sure I knew that I had tickets available at the box office whenever I wanted to go. And while I haven’t taken him up on it, at least it’ll come in handy tonight.
I slide in, and he shuts the door. I’m immediately enveloped by his cologne. It smells like some sort of sandalwood and citrus. I find myself breathing a bit deeper—until he gets in anyway.
“What are you majoring in?” he asks.
“English.” It’s not official, but I like it.
“You’re in a writing class with Andi?”
“Um…”
“She’s dating Ollie.” He glances over at me. “Well, maybe dating is too constricting. They fuck sometimes.”
“Lovely.”
“Just in case you had any ideas about him.”
I grit my teeth. “Definitely didn’t. Don’t.”
He chuckles.
The arena really isn’t that far—it’s around the corner from campus, which makes the drive seem silly. We could’ve walked and been here in ten minutes. It was built with the idea of being just for Framingham State. It’s the SJU hockey team that has to travel farther for practices. Something Carter occasionally griped about.
“Come on, I’m running late.” He’s out of the car in a flash, and he practically drags me out along with him. He keeps his hand locked around my wrist, going in through the metal doors and straight down the hall toward the locker room.
Most of the lights are off, like no one’s here for the game yet.
Instead of leaving me outside the locker room, he keeps me with him. We get inside the darkened room, and my heart all but lurches into my throat.
He’s not alone.
Oliver Ruiz stands with his hands on his hips, waiting for us.
“Girl of the hour,” he drawls. “Your month is up.”
My mouth dries. “That’s not exactly the terms of your bet.”
“We bet under.” Penn leaves me standing there, drifting back to flick the lock on the door. “And we don’t lose.”
Oliver watches me and tilts his head. “Are you scared?”
“I just don’t particularly see the need to screw one of you.” I cross my arms.
“Has Scarlett called you back?” he suddenly asks.
I narrow my eyes.
Oliver motions. From the showers comes Andi and Scarlett. They’ve got their arms linked together, their makeup perfect… they’re both looking at me like I’m an alien.
“Lettie?”
She doesn’t react, minus a nostril flare that says quite a bit. About how far I’ve fallen in her eyes, or how disappointed she is with me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I’m wondering how you could go so far off the rails, Sydney.”
She looks me up and down, and her lips press together. She’s given that look to many people who don’t make the cut in her eyes, too. I’ve just never seen it directed at me .
“Didn’t think you’d be friends with a girl with so much mean-girl energy,” Penn says in my ear.
I almost jump out of my skin. I didn’t hear him approach. And he drifts to the side, sitting at his cubby.
“The tape wasn’t funny, Andi,” Oliver says suddenly. “You left her in bruises. I thought you were more clever than that.”
Andi’s mouth drops open. “I?—”
“For the record, I’m against all of this,” I interject.
Andi scoffs. “Right.”
“I don’t want to be part of this,” I repeat.
I back up, but Penn catches me. He moved again. The fucker is silent, but his hands on my upper arms stop my movement.
Ice floods through me.
“Whose cock do you think she’d enjoy more, Scarlett?”
Is he asking because she’s already?—
“Save some of that anger for the fuck,” Penn whispers to me.
A flush creeps up Scarlett’s neck. And probably colors her cheeks, too, but she’s so made up it’s hard to tell. “I don’t care. She’ll choke either way.”
“Unlike her.” Penn continues to narrate softly, the words just for me. “She swallowed him down like a good little slut.”
I wrench to the side, but he holds fast. He drags me back against him, and his erection digs into my ass. Oliver and Andi are still talking, seemingly trying to elicit an answer from my ex-best friend.
“Personally? I like a bit of crying with my face fucking.” He licks at the shell of my ear. “And gagging. And choking.”
I exhale.
“I’ll pick,” I finally voice. “As soon as they get the fuck out.”
Oliver’s eyes widen. I get the impression that not much surprises him, but that did. And then his expression is gone, wiped clean and replaced with smugness. “You’re too late. Scarlett picked for you.”
I narrow my eyes.
Andi moves fast, suddenly dragging Scarlett out past me. I want to yell at her, but Penn might actually be right. I need to hold on to my anger.
I shake Penn loose immediately after the door closes behind him, and I raise my eyebrows.
“Well?”
Oliver sneers. “Your lucky day, doll. You get Penn.”
The hairs on the back of my neck rise.
“And we’re on a countdown,” he adds, checking his watch. “Team’s arriving in fifteen.”
Penn tilts his head. “We could move this to the offices.”
Oliver’s eyes light, and he nods once. Penn crowds behind me, moving me simply by getting too close. I follow Oliver’s quick steps out of the locker room and into an elevator. We arrive on the suite floor—but there are offices here, too. Most are locked, except one.
Marked with my father’s name.
“He probably just left,” Penn says to me. “And hopefully he doesn’t come back. Wouldn’t that be awkward?”
I just shake my head.
The door swings in, and the automatic light flickers on when Oliver crosses the threshold. I look around, expecting to see some sort of familiarity.
I don’t. It’s as unfamiliar as his home, as this school, as the boys in front of me.
Penn locks the door and pulls the shade down. His hands are already at his jeans, popping the button. “Remember what I said?”
“Choking, gagging, crying.” My voice comes out breathy. “Got it. And… what do I get out of this?”
Oliver is the one behind me now, and his laugh goes straight into me like an arrow. “Haven’t you enjoyed the peace of the last few weeks? Wouldn’t you want to know that’s permanent?” He steps closer and lifts my shirt. “This needs to come off.”
I let him drag it off and drop it on Dad’s chair. He unbuttons my jeans, his hands reaching around me, and I slap at them.
Penn tsks.
I focus back on the goalie. His cock is out, and he strokes it slowly. He twists at the top, squeezing the head, before going down to the root. There are dark swirls…
“You tattooed your dick?”
He lets out a groan. “Makes it taste better. Promise.”
I shake my head.
Oliver has my pants undone, so fast I hadn’t realized he was back at it until cool air brushes my thighs.
“What are you waiting for?” he asks suddenly, the only voice in the silence. “On your knees.”
I’m actually going to do this. It’s kind of crazy to even think about, let alone let myself be in the moment for it. I let my mind take a backseat to the physical desire.
Scarlett always called me a prude… but really, I just never resonated with vanilla.
There’s a thrill with Carter because he’s not mine. At least, that’s what I tell myself. Sex with your ex is supposed to be against the rules, right?
But these two are against the rules, too.
I drop to my knees and inch forward, until his cock is at eye level. It’s bigger up close, and an unexpected dose of nerves flutters in my chest.
I look up at him. “Do you want crying beforehand or?—?”
He shakes his head once and grips the back of my head. His fingers curl into my hair, and he waits only a moment for me to open my mouth.
His dick slides across my tongue and keeps going. And going. Until he’s pressed against the ring of muscles at my throat. I gag, and he groans.
“Relax,” he grunts.
He pushes in, blocking off my airway. I gag again, my throat working around him, but there’s nothing I can do. I can’t pull off him—his fingers tighten painfully in my hair, pulling at my scalp. My nose is almost to his pubic bone.
Don’t fucking panic .
I claw his thighs and flick my tongue against his shaft. He seems content to suffocate me, waiting until I’m on the verge of passing out before he withdraws.
I inhale sharply, getting half a lungful before he thrusts back in. My eyes roll. It’s really his show for this, and I’m along for the ride.
Hands touch my hips from behind, and I flinch.
Penn laughs. His grip on my hair doesn’t let me withdraw, although I try.
“Can’t tell if she likes that or was surprised,” he says.
Oliver’s hands dip lower, nudging aside the hem of my panties. He reaches my core and swipes a single finger down to my slit, pressing into me.
I groan.
“Likes it,” Penn says. “Make her groan again.”
Oliver remains silent, but he finger-fucks me lazily, giving me the bare minimum. I clench around him, but every time I do, Penn takes my breath away.
It isn’t long before the mess of sensations has the tears running down my cheeks.
He makes a noise in the back of his throat, and that’s my only indication that he’s going to come. He spills down my throat, and I choke on it. I try not to swallow, but it’s impossible. I fall forward to my hands as soon as he withdraws.
Before I can expel it, he drops to his knees and pries open my mouth.
He spits.
I jerk again, but he clams a hand over my mouth.
“Swallow it,” he orders, his green eyes boring into mine.
I can’t look away.
Cold air touches my ass. Penn doesn’t release my face, and then something large is sliding between my cheeks. Down lower, to my core. Bigger than a finger.
Oliver strokes his cock through my arousal, then lines up?—
I stare at Penn as Oliver thrusts into me. The goalie’s hand on my face keeps me from flying forward, and his lip ticks up in a shadow of a smile. Oliver’s fingers dig into my hips. All I can think is— what the fuck am I doing?
But I’m too lost in it. Staring at Penn while his teammate drills into me is doing some weird things to my arousal.
Like increasing it by a thousand.
Penn moves to my side, keeping his hand on my face, and he reaches between my legs. His fingers skate over my clit, and I groan again.
This is dirty. We’re on the floor of my father’s office—their coach’s office—and yet, none of us stop. Penn’s fingers rub me into a frenzy, and Oliver matches his pace.
I cry out. It’s muffled by his palm, but it seems to echo in the small space nonetheless. The orgasm that hits me is rough. It wrecks me, my limbs turning to jelly, and it takes me a minute to realize Oliver has finished, too.
He pulls off the condom I didn’t notice him put on, wadding it in a tissue and dropping it in the otherwise empty trash.
“Guess we win the bet,” he says to Penn.
The latter slowly peels his fingers off my face, tipping his head to watch me.
I finally swallow. With intention.
“Good pet.”
I rock back on my heels. The regret is immediate, but the horror of my actions take longer to sink in. It isn’t until the door closes, the snick making me raise my head, that I realize I zoned out while they packed up and left.
And my shirt is gone.