Like, where the hell was Miss Yu going with their money?
Lillian scolded herself for being such a dumbass. As if she's just been bumming around the loft, fiddling with her newspaper puzzles and waiting t'cook us dinner! No, while the coven worked or attended classes, the ex-teacher had the entire weekday to cook up trouble. Then there were those long afternoon walks she took on weekends. "To the park," Miss Yu always shrugged when asked.
Well Lillian was through asking. Ditching work for a second day, the goth girl zipped up her most anonymous black leather jacket and bundled her hair under a knit beanie with a skull logo. Dressed like she was about to case a joint, Lillian ducked into the bus shelter across the street and waited for Miss Yu to leave the apartment.
Two cigarettes and a wad of gum later, Miss Yu exited looking shady as fuck: popping the collar of her long trench coat and immediately whipping out a baseball cap to hide her hair and face. Collar up and hands in her pockets, Miss Yumi started power-walking South.
Lillian mashed her gum on the bus shelter wall and marched in pursuit.
Miss Yumi moved quickly and the streets grew busy but Lillian wasn't worried. Can't hide from me, bitch. Once she strapped on Zoey's goggles, Aiko blazed in her vision as that black hole of tentacles; blending into a crowd became impossible.
She was jumpy as fuck, though, darting her head left, right and over her shoulder, as though glancing for tails. More than once, Lillian had to duck behind a lamp post or shove her face into a magazine. (Huh, even the weekly teen fashion mags were chiming in on the raised drinking age bill.)
Miss Yu's twitchy-ass behavior took Lillian back to her high school days - trying to escape the building without running into Mr. Dixler and getting a shakedown about that overdue history report. Who the fuck're you hiding from, Miss Yu?
A couple blocks from Dawnwood Park, Miss Yumi took an odd left turn that lead them into a ritzy district for boutiques and restaurants. Lillian caught her staring at the menu signboard outside of Vinnie's, one of the fancy-ass Italian eateries. After a few minutes deliberation, Miss Yu walked in.
Gotcha now, bitch! Treating herself to pricy Italian cuisine? Ha! Lillian waited an agonizing five minutes, then crept towards the door with her camera phone charged. I'll snap a pic with you sampling the wine menu, then you're toast.
Lillian's stealthy entrance got badly shot down by the front door chimes. That, and bumping into the trenchcoated woman waiting for her in the front foyer. Lillian looked up. Miss Yumi looked down and flashed a grin.
Behind the front desk, the red-vested maitre d' cleared his throat. "Your number two, madam?"
"You got it, Charlie. Exactly who I was waiting for." Miss Yumi's grin took on an extra level of smug. "Hey, Lilly Pie. Wanna talk?"
Charlie lead them to a private booth at the back, hidden by potted ferns and a folding screen. Lillian's skin crawled, imagining all the shady monster deals that'd taken place here. Underneath her shabby baseball cap and coat, Miss Yu had dressed for the venue - a snug wool sweater in hot red and a tight-ass pencil skirt. Lillian yanked off her beanie but Aiko raised a hand when she began unzipping her jacket.
"Whoa, this is a nice place, kiddo. Tube tops and corsets get served in the back alley."
"Eff off, you're not my mom." And just to spite the bitch, Lillian peeled her jacket half-open, enough to flash the passing waiters some cleavage and her boob tattoo. "So, come here often?"
"Not for ages. Nice spot, though. They bring you breadsticks right away, so if you hem over the menu you can score a free meal and run."
"Hmph."
"You know you stick out like a sore thumb, right? All black and reading preppy teen magazines? Not to mention the goggles. Had you pegged twenty blocks ago."
Lillian took a swig of water and slammed the glass down. Her every move seemed to amuse Miss Yu. "So, I thought you had work."
Lillian shrugged. "I decided to ditch. I'm just that badass."
"Wow, what would Zoey say? You not paying your fair share to the rent and utilities?"
"I dunno. What'd she say about you? Bet she'd love to know where you're spending all our cash."
Miss Yu, to her credit, kept a mean poker face. She smiled and stared, she held back a snicker and then she broke down laughing! A merry, table-slapping "you got me" guffaw if Lillian had ever heard one. Chuckles depleted, Miss Yu shook her head and sighed.
"You really hate me, don't you, Lilly Pie?"
'Hate' didn't do her feelings justice. "Like, I'd rather move back in with my mom than spend another day with you."
"Ouch, harsh. Haven't we had some good times, though? I showed you all those cool 'oldies' bands; we kicked ass playing all that D'nD. ... No? Well, I know Zoey's been having a good time."
"Gag me."
"You know, you're welcome to join us."
Lillian nearly choked. "What? What the eff?"
Aiko sipped at her water, making her sweat it out.
"I said, you're welcome to join us. You, me, Zoey - ménage a trois?"
"Bitch, cut this shit out. I'm getting way sick of you perving on my ass like this."
"Lil, it's called flirting. Poking at someone, catching their attention? Don't tell me the grade school boys never yanked on your handlebars."
"Handle-what?"
"Pigtails. Sorry, I meant pigtails."
Lillian scoffed but Aiko kept going, her tone totally manner-of-fact.
"I'm serious. I really wanna get in bed with you. I think we'd be good together. I've always had this fantasy about taming a bratty student, and I could totally play the mommy type for you."
"Mommy type?"
"You've got a lot of hang ups about your parents, Lilly Pie. I could help. Slap me, push me down and peg me; put your hands around my throat and squeeze. I can take it. Or maybe you're aching for that discipline mommy and daddy never gave you. Either way, I'm down to fuck."
The way she said it all so casually sent a creeping shudder down Lillian's spine. The unease only redoubled when she felt a light pressure on her shin.
Aiko's foot had slipped out of her ratty sneaker. Her bare toes slid up and down Lillian's pant leg - stroking, teasing, promising.
Lillian jerked away.
"Aww, don't be a sourpuss, Lilly Pie. Besides, with all the bitch face you've throwing around, you seriously need a good lay."
"Like, I don't -"
"No, just stop." The sole of Aiko's foot shoved down hard on her shins. Lillian pushed back but the older woman leveraged her weight, pinning her legs in place. She would listen.
"Don't think I haven't seen your cell phone. You don't hide the screen nearly as well as you think. All those hours pouring over Agent Z. She's pretty damn hot, isn't she?"
The ball of Aiko's foot rubbed along her shin, massaging in the pretty damn hot suggestion. Above the table, Lillian fixed a scowl but deep below her heart was thumping, her skin trembling as Miss Yu worked her magic up and down her legs.
"Like, I dunno."
Miss Yu scoffed back. "Like, I dunno. Why not find out, get it out of your system?"
Asian toes drifted upward, circling Lillian's knee. Lillian grit her teeth
"I'm not jumping in the sack with an old grandma like you."
Aiko shrugged. "Your loss. How about just you and Zoey, then?"
Lillian gasped. Smiling at the newly discovered sweet spot, Aiko circled her big toe over Lillian kneecap like she was working her clit. Lillian found herself growing short of breath.
"I could talk to Zoey. She wouldn't say no if it's from me."
"And like, what do you get out of it?"
Aiko shrugged. "We're coven sisters. We look out for each other."
Zoey's mantra, totally twisted. If not for the heat spreading through her legs, Lillian would have barfed.
"Look, think what you want, I just don't want my roommate creeping behind my back, hating me. I like hanging with you girls. Think of it as a peace offering. And -" Miss Yu narrowed her eyes, "-It'd be frickin hot if you'd let me watch."
Lillian nearly retched.
"No? Didn't think so. Hey, I'm down to take a walk while you girls fuck. Whaddya say? A night in the sack with Zoey Greene? We could make it a regular thing, y'know. Fridays or every other day, she's all yours."
Miss Yu's toes groped and pawed up her knee; it was getting hard to resist. Lillian clenched her teeth as that bare foot slipped between her knees, as those toenails dragged along her thigh in all the right ways.
"And Suki?"
It was almost painful how that foot stopped dead. Miss Yumi stared at her, genuinely confused.
"What about Suki?"
"You talk with her too? Let her in on the Zoey action?"
Aiko's foot retreated.
"You're kidding, right? I swear, the way she stinks to high hell, it's like that girl's on a non-stop period."
"You're the one who stinks, spending our cash! You're up to something and I'm gonna find out."
"Lillian, you stick out like a sore thumb with all that black. Follow me all you want. I'll spot you and take you on a tour of Glenberry's adult toy shops."
Miss Yumi finished her water, then reached over and helped herself to Lillian's glass, leaving a nice and sticky lip imprint on the rim. She pushed it back in offering.
"But join me for a little pillow talk, and I might share."
She was up and out of the restaurant before the waiter could even object. Lillian collapsed on the table, quivering. A feather touch would push her over the edge.
She needed a cold shower, fast.
At the apartment, Suki had also collapsed - into the melancholy of heartache. The chubby weeb flopped back on Lillian's bed, gazing at her flip phone gallery.
There's senpai and me on campus... there's senpai and me at the pride parade... and there's senpai and me running from the baka barista at the Nutmeg café...
Suki reached for another handful of chocolate chips to choke down the bittersweet memories. Lillian-chan's room really was the perfect place for her to hide. Dark and moody and shelved with monsters, Suki felt like she'd shrunk down and crawled inside her own miserable heart.
A glutton for punishment, Suki opened up a very special and secure text file - NSFW RP with Senpai - scrolling through a story of passion and acceptance she'd long ago written with Zoey.
=BlakePanzer0=
Hey.
I feel so good tonight.
=Cera_Bella=
lol
You made me feel good, sensei.
Sarah reached for another handful of chips, only to fins her bowl empty. Sighing, she began the lonely march to the kitchen cupboards to restock.
"Senpai?"
"Oh, Suki." Zoey was hunkered down at the dining table, breathing sharply. "I um, haven't really seen you since-"
"-since we played D'nD, I know." Suki fidgeted. "Lillian's letting me sleep on her floor. She brings me supper so I don't have to go out."
"I see." Zoey winced, and the sore shifting on her seat did not go unnoticed.
"Senpai, are you sitting on a bag of frozen peas?"
Zoey feigned surprise at the smooshed bag of Green Giant veggies under her seat. "Huh? Oh you mean this? Well I'm… defrosting dinner for tonight?"
"With your bum?"
"I just -"
Zoey tried to stand but a sharp spasm forced her butt down, back onto the soothing cold. Seeing her senpai's distress shifted Suki into automatic 'tend and comfort' mode. She powered over to the freezer and, after a bit of banging with a mallet, returned with a plastic baggie of crushed ice. Zoey gladly accepted the fresh pack and tucked it under her seat.
"Thank you. Last night, things with Miss Alice got … intense."
"Senpai, your wrists!" Suki nabbed her forearm, careful not to touch the red, cuff-like marks below her hands. "Did Yumi-san do this to you?"
"It's all consensual, Suki. She asked and I consented. I just -" another flinch, "I'm still working on my stamina."
Suki fetched another bag of ice, dabbing it so carefully to Zoey's wrist. Her senpai shuddered with relief, shrinking down like a worn-out balloon. Suki bit back a sniffle.
"This isn't right, senpai. When we first met and you made love to me, it was… well, gentle."
A sudden migraine made Zoey groan and massage her weary head. "Suki, we wrote a back-and-forth instant message roleplay and it got a bit erotic, okay? That was just make-believe!"
Suki breathed deeply.
"... our feelings were real."
Senpai looked away, probably ashamed of the hang-dog look on her kouhai's face.
"Well... what I have with Aiko is real. And sometimes… reality can be rough."
"It doesn't have to be."
"Unbelievable. Suki, I've found my soulmate. Can't you be a little happy for me?"
"I want you to be happy, senpai. I just -"
The creak and slam of the front door cut off that thought. "Hey, Doll! Miss me?"
Aiko's sneakers padded across the hardwood floor to the kitchen. Hugging Zoey from behind and nibbling her ear, the ex-teacher completely missed the pained wince when her hand started groping the black girl's ass.
"4 PM, doll. You hungry? Cause I'm craving dark chocolate."
Zoey looked into Suki's eyes and, for an instant, her read and blue orbs looked ready to crack. Then the tug on Zoey's leash called her back to obedience. "Y-yes, Miss Alice."
Suki would have none of it. "Yame nasai! Stop it! Can't you see she's tired?"
"Hey, Suki! Uh, sorry about the other night. Think you can grab us some snacks? Arigato!"
Instead, Suki grabbed her senpai by the hand, plopping an ice bag atop her dreads. "Zoey's got a fever. I just checked. Until she's better, she's getting rest!"
Dragging Zoey along, she shoved her into the hall closet and towards Yumi-san's long-neglected sleeping roll. Senpai's face flashed with surprise, then relief before the door slammed shut.
Turning around, Yumi-san had flopped on the couch to work on her crossword puzzles. Zoey's fake sickness didn't seem to phase her a bit.
Suki grit her teeth. Her palms squeezed.
Lillian-chan stumbled in not long after and Suki swooped on her limited print BL doujinshi at Comicon.
"I thought you were following her! What did you find?"
Still in a daze, Lillian shrugged. "Zip."
"Anta baka? That's not good enough, Lillian! Senpai's hurting."
"Will you get off my back? I don't see you doing anything to help! Besides, Miss Yu's jumpy like a hawk out there. She spotted me from blocks away! Like, no way in hell I can tail her. She totally knows!"
Suki paced the floor, thinking it over.
"So... we just need to get someone she doesn't know."
"Like, I guess."
Suki digested that information, a dark shadow overtaking her face.
"So it's come to this..."
She gave a little hiccup. Then a snort. And for a second, her shoulders seemed to heave in a sob that was quickly swallowed by a mad, aristocratic cackle.
"Ohh-ho-ho-ho!"
Lillian followed as Suki stormed into to her pink bedroom. With one hand she was speed-dialing a contact; the other rooted through her closet.
"Moshi moshi? Sherri-san? Can you see me... perfecto, I'll be there right away!" Suki killed the call and tilted her head at Lillian. The goth girl jumped at her grim, dead-eyed stare.
"I won't be coming home tonight."
"Like, what're you gonna do?"
Suki ignored her. She was a woman on a mission, marching to her room and rifling through the back closet for her secret weapon.
Finally, she found her target, seizing and dusting off a thin black book. Her grin stretched wide and dark.
"Fufufu... To think a baka like Yumi-san could push me this far! Well, I challenge accepted, Aiko! And I won't hold anything back!"
Suki hunched her shoulders, chuckling maniacally as her right hand reached across her face to clutch her weeping left eye, fingers squeezing to contain the dark tempest of emotions. Against her chest, Suki's free hand clutched a thin, black hardcover reading Central High Yearbook.
"Get ready! Suki-sama's gonna show you all her final form!"
At the University of Glenberry Department of Mathematics, a tall, bodybuilding redhead shook her head as she spoke into her phone.
"I'm really sorry but I can't give out student information like that. ... No, not even if you were a family member. ... I see... have you tried -? ... uh huh. ... Yeah, I wouldn't want to involve the cops either."
Tala Stone sighed, turning to face the joyful Christmas lights outside her window.
"Look, I can't share her address but... if I were to, say, drop off a paper for a student and someone happened to be following me, well... I guess you could figure out exactly where Zoey Greene lives, right?"
Tala listened and smiled. "Nah, I'm just doing my job. The hard part is gonna be all up to you."