20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lacey

NICO: If you don't get your cute butt over here, I'm letting Wes pick the movie.

NICO: Which will mean another HSM marathon.

NICO: Don't make me do it. There's only so much Troy Bolton a man can handle.

I snort a laugh and quickly type a response. The weekly movie nights have been a nice addition to my weekly routine, although I do wish they didn't fall on the same night as Skylar's night shifts. Trip has started to join our movie nights as well which means Nico and I get to be the third and fourth wheel all night long.

Grabbing my residence access card from my desk, I snag an extra blanket and head out. My roommate's bedroom door is open, the steady tap of her keyboard filling the otherwise silent dormitory .

I hesitate before walking past her room. Cecelia hasn't been going out as much lately, and if the endless stream of profanity is anything to go by, I'd say midterm season is hitting her pretty hard. It hasn't stopped the sex marathons she manages to squeeze into her schedule, but it does make me wonder whether her mental health is doing okay.

Of all people, I tend to be a little more cautious when it comes to keeping a healthy school-life balance. It helps me appreciate the time and effort that goes into assignments and classes, but it also ensures the stress level won't bleed over into other aspects of my life as well.

Taking a courageous breath, I knock softly against her door. Muttered curses flow through the crack above the doorframe, the angry undertone making me nervous before she opens the door.

"What?"

Cecelia glares at me, her usual spunky hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her black tank top is stained and caught on the waistband of her grey sweatpants, officially confirming my theory.

As soon as exams hit, even the most fashion-oriented students succumb to the anxiety of midterm season. Freshmen and seniors alike have to re-organize their schedules and priorities to make sure a passing grade is reached.

Basically, we all look like shit from the moment exams start until the end of the semester .

"I was wondering if you would like to join a movie night with me and some friends?" I clear my throat, trying not to sound nervous, "There's no pressure, of course. Just thought I would offer in case you needed a break from studying."

"Since when do you have friends?"

I try not to flinch, "Technically, it's Nico, my brother and his girlfriend, but I consider them my friends."

An embarrassed flush creeps up my neck, the sorry state of my social life composed of blood relations and childhood friends.

Well, besides Skylar that is.

"Oh." Cecelia blinks, staring at my face like she's never seen a tomato before, "That's kind of sad."

"It's not sad to me." Clamping my teeth to keep from screaming, I turn and walk away.

Sometimes it feels degrading trying to be nice to people who don't want to be nice back. Sometimes it would be nice to not care as much. To shrug off the insults and continue on with my day like nothing ever happened.

"Lacey, wait."

My feet and train of thought slow to a halt. Turning from the door, I look and see Cecelia pulling on a sweater and a pair of shoes. She gives me a smile that looks more like a grimace.

"A break would be nice right about now. Even if it is with your annoying friend."

I blink, watching her readjust the sloppy ponytail. She catches me staring and sighs, letting the dyed strands fall down her shoulders .

"Look, I didn't mean to insult you. I can be blunt sometimes and it can come off as rude."

"Sometimes?"

The snarky remark slips past my lips and Cecelia lets out a surprised laugh.

"Fine. I'm always rude. But someone has to be the bitch and it certainly isn't going to be you." She pulls a face, "You're a little too sweet for my taste."

Despite the earlier humiliation, my lips tug into a smile, "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"You should. It wasn't an insult."

I huff out a laugh and together we head over to the residence building reserved for varsity athletes.

Nico and Wesley live on the second floor, and although they are sophomores now, their dorm room isn't any bigger than my own. Most students move off campus after their first year to find bigger living spaces and more privacy, but both co-captains vetoed the larger beds to stay close to their teammates.

Although knowing Wesley, he probably wanted to stay in vicinity to Trip as well.

The door swings open before I can knock and Nico's exasperated face steps into view.

"What took you so long?! I swear to God, those two haven't stopped touching since Trip got here… Oh, shit."

He stares at Cecelia in horror, "I didn't prepare any conversational contingencies and my self-esteem is at an all-time low after history of rock and roll kicked my ass this morning. Please don't hurt me."

She eyes him warily, "I left my weapons at home."

"Babe, we both know that tongue of yours is weapon enough." Nico shudders before waving us in, "Just give me a warning before you insult me. I'm achingly fragile right now."

My roommate rolls her eyes and I stifle a laugh. We follow him into the dorm where mismatched blankets are strewn along the ground. Trip is lounging on one of the couches, watching my brother do some sort of reenactment.

"All I'm saying is there was this much room on the board. Jack totally could have survived if Rose had shifted a couple of inches over."

Nico throws his head back and groans, "Dude. You need to let that go. That movie came out before you were born."

He shakes his head solemnly, "It doesn't matter when it came out. That story will forever live on in us."

"You know it was fictional, right? Based on a true story does not make it real."

My brother gasps, swinging his gaze from me to Cecelia, "Tell me it's not true. The greatest love story of all time has to be real."

Cecelia blinks, "You think Titanic is the greatest love story of all time?"

He drops his head in a sacred nod, "Second only to High School Musical ."

Nico pulls a face, "It's embarrassing how many romance movies you watch. "

"How is that embarrassing? Now I know exactly what to say to get Trip to swoon for me."

Trip rolls her eyes and I bite back a smile. Cecelia looks visibly disgusted, flicking her eyes from the girl on the couch to the class clown that is my brother.

"How long have you two been together? If you're still in the honeymoon stage, I'm leaving."

Wesley grins, "Going on one year and two months today."

Nico mouths pathetic behind his back and I laugh.

Trip sighs, walking over to introduce herself, "Please excuse Wes. He tends to overplay the dramatics whenever other people are around."

"Do I?"

She ignores him and holds out her hand. Cecelia stares at it for a moment before reaching out and taking it.

"It's a good thing he's cute."

Trip smiles, "Tell me about it."

Wesley holds up a hand with a frown, "Excuse me, but I think I fall into the more than cute category. Someone definitely called me sexy yesterday."

Nico smirks, "Sure it wasn't your own reflection?"

My brother flips him off and wanders over to give me a hug. I squeeze him tight, the familiar embrace putting a warm glow in my chest.

"What movie are we watching tonight?"

He sighs before releasing me, "Nobody is letting me pick, so I think it's up to you."

I smile, glancing over to find Cecelia watching us closely. This is the first time we've hung out outside of the Silverwood excursion and I find myself hoping she enjoys herself tonight. Our relationship might not have started off the best, but that doesn't mean we can't find a comfortable friendship for the rest of the semester.

"Actually, I think my roommate should pick the movie tonight."

Cecelia blinks in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Nico looks mildly terrified as he passes her the remote. My roommate pinches her brows together before addressing us.

"Does it have to be romance?"

"Hell no." Nico interjects before my brother can open his mouth, "It would be nice if it wasn't romance this time."

She nods, pressing the remote and flicking through the options.

"How about the new John Wick ?"

"Now we're talking." Nico pumps his fist in the air before settling himself down on the pile of green blankets, "Keanu Reeves could fuck me any day of the week."

Cecelia points the remote at him, "This may be the only time I ever agree with you."

"Babe, you're speaking my language."

Trip laughs, watching the interaction before settling herself down beside Nico. To my surprise, Cecelia takes the spot on his other side, leaving me and Wesley to join the end of the line. My roommate and my closest friend strike up a shockingly long bucket list of celebrities they would do given the chance, while Trip chirps in the occasional comment.

It's a scene I never could have pictured happening at the start of the year. The only thing missing is Skylar and his deadpan jokes that seem to confuse Wesley more than anything.

Pulling out my phone, I read the last message he sent me.

SKYLAR: I'll be off by eleven if you want me to come by for the rest of the movie.

ME: That's a long drive just for a movie.

The hardware store must be slow tonight because it takes less than ten minutes for a response to buzz in my pocket.

SKYLAR: I don't mind.

"He puts in a lot of effort, hey?"

I look up to find my brother reading the response over my shoulder. Pulling my phone closer to my chest, I tilt it so he can't see the screen.

"It's not nice to spy, Wesley."

He grins, "I was making sure you weren't sexting right next to me."

"Ew! Who would do that in public?"

Both Cecelia and Nico raise their hands from across the room. I stare at them in horror, pretending I can't see the red flush staining Trip's cheeks.

Wesley shrugs, "Like I said. Just making sure you weren't sexting next to your brother. That's wrong on so many levels."

"Is it wrong to sext someone else's brother while sitting right next to them?" Nico muses the question out loud, "Because I have definitely done that with Stella."

Cecelia glances at him in surprise, "You're still fucking the assistant coach?"

"You know it, babe. I locked that fine ass down."

She nods in acknowledgement, "Nicely done. He's hot."

"Wait. Mighty Mo gets called hot but I only get cute?" Wesley frowns, looking at his girlfriend, "That doesn't seem right."

Trip smiles, "Your dimples are cute, Wes. Don't read into it."

His jaw drops, "You did it again. You called me cute."

Nico snorts, "My alpha is hands down the hottest lacrosse player at this school."

"Whoa, wait a second. The guy doesn't even play anymore…"

I tune out the bickering friends and pull out my phone to quickly type a response.

ME: Actually, I have something to show you tonight (and it's not the movie). Maybe you could stay over afterwards?

SKYLAR: Sounds good. I'll let you know when I'm on my way.

His response has a smile staining my face. My brother was right, Skylar does put a lot of effort into our relationship. There has never been a time when I didn't feel like his number one priority, and as selfish as it sounds, it feels really nice.

A loud gasp pulls my attention back to the conversation going on around me.

"… I am totally an alpha! Trip, tell them what I did last night." Wesley puffs out his chest, "Tell them how I alpha-ed you. "

Nico snorts, "The fact you just made up a verb proves exactly why you are not an alpha. Accept it, man. You are nothing more than a cinnamon roll."

My brother slumps next to me, "I don't want to be a cinnamon roll."

I nudge him gently, "I always thought you were more of a golden retriever."

"Is that better?"

Nico looks like he's about to burst a kidney laughing while Trip shakes her head and walks over to her boyfriend. He immediately brightens when she climbs onto his lap and presses a kiss against his lips.

"Stop being ridiculous and maybe I'll let you alpha me again tonight."

I shudder and shift away just as a couple of dimples pop out.

"Yes ma'am."

Skylar

She's wearing makeup.

That's my first thought when Lacey opens the door.

Besides the first night I met her, I have never seen her wear makeup. It's not something that bothers me, her natural beauty is more than enough, but now I am having a hard time looking away from the shockingly dark lashes.

The slight addition has made it so her already sparkling eyes are downright magnificent, the dark emerald colour popping against the eye shadow smeared along her lids. Her lips look redder than usual as well, less pink and more dangerous.

I swallow thickly, trailing my eyes down to the exposed skin between her crop top and skinny jeans.

"Was the drive okay?" Lacey smiles, recapturing my attention with the bright shade of her lips, "Those roads are kind of sketchy at night. They really need to put in more streetlights."

"It was fine."

"Good."

She leads me to her room and I try not to stare at the sliver of skin peeking out above the curve of her ass.

"Thank you for driving here tonight. I really appreciate it."

"If you want me here, I am happy to make the drive." Clearing my throat, I tear my gaze away from her body, "What was it you wanted to show me?"

"It seems silly now, but…" Lacey walks over and picks up the romance book I got her. She hugs it against her chest before passing it over to me.

"Look how far I got."

I take it gingerly, noting the freshly painted fingernails as well. The new colour is darker than the last shade of purple, and it makes me wonder if she chose it for me.

Flipping open the book, I skip to the section I annotated for her and find most of the sticky notes gone. My heart skips a beat when I read the first moment of entry without any trace of black sharpie.

"This is amazing, Flower. How did it feel? "

"The first part was pretty easy. Especially since we've done most of it." She blushes prettily and breaks eye contact, "But the pink stage was tough. I cried the first couple of read throughs but by the fifth time it was okay."

The thought of Lacey crying alone in her room has a spark of anger igniting inside me. There's so many things wrong with the way her ex-boyfriend treated her that it hurts to even think about.

"I am so proud of you."

The blush spreads to her neck, the smile taking over Lacey's face dousing my simmering rage with a bucket of cold water.

"I'm trying, so it's nice to see results." She hesitates, running a finger along the spine of the book, "I was hoping maybe you could help me with the red stage."

"Do you want me to take off the sticky notes?"

She blows out a breath, "No. I was hoping you could read one of the passages to me."

I blink, "You want me to read a sex scene to you?"

"If you don't mind. I think it might be easier than reading it alone."

There's no way I'm going to be able to make it through one sentence knowing that Lacey is sitting next to me while some couple fucks through ink on the page.

I should say no. I need to say no.

Repeating the mantra to myself, I'm about to say it out loud when those big green eyes lock on mine. Uncertainty and hopefulness shine back at me and it's enough to throw my rationality back out the window.

"Okay."

She beams at me, knocking away the rest of my uncertainty. Taking my hand, she pulls me towards the bed and climbs on top of the covers. I follow her, gently resting my body next to hers before taking the book from her hands.

"Do you normally dress up for movie nights?"

I'm trying to keep the conversation casual as I flip to the page decorated with red sticky notes. My handwriting screams back at me, my letters calm and collected as they describe the sex scene I am about to be reading.

Fuck. I should have chosen a different book.

"Oh no. I did this for you." Lacey lets out an awkward laugh, "I figured it was time I put in some effort."

I put the book down with a frown.

"You never have to dress up for me, Flower. You take my breath away the moment you walk into the room. It doesn't matter what you're wearing." Hesitating, I look at the sparkles decorating her eyes, "But you do look lovely tonight. I really like what you did to your eyes. And your lips."

She grins, "Did you notice the new nail polish too?"

"I didn't want to assume it was for me."

"All of it is for you, Skylar."

Lacey looks down shyly and I can't stop myself from reaching over and stroking her cheek. She blinks in surprise, bringing those sparkling eyes back to mine .

"You asked me what my favourite flower was and I finally have an answer."

The warmth of her gaze has my face breaking into a smile.

"You."

She gasps softly and I kiss her before she can respond. Erasing any trace of self-doubt in her mind, I wait until her nails are digging into my neck before breaking away.

"Are you sure you're ready for the red stage?" Resting my forehead against hers, I search her eyes for the trepidation buried within, "It's okay to wait. I can read it to you another time."

She closes her eyes before giving me a nod.

"I'm ready."

Taking a deep breath, I turn and look down at the page. I can't remember what I was thinking when I picked this book off the shelf, but I definitely wasn't expecting to be reading it out loud.

Bracing myself for discomfort, I clear my throat and begin reading.

" She rocked back and forth against my jeans, her moans growing louder with every shift. "That's it, baby." I said, thrusting up against her, "Let me feel that pussy leaking through those panties."

The fact that I picked a book written through the male character's point of view is really coming back to bite me in the ass.

"By the time she finishes screaming my name, I have her on her knees with her ass in the air. Her soaked panties are the next thing to go and her needy whimpers make me smile. "That's it, baby. Tell daddy how much you want this cock. "

I pull up short, rereading the passage a few times before turning to my blushing flower.

"That was more aggressive than I remember."

"You haven't been called daddy before?"

"I sure hope not."

Lacey's laughter fills the room and the tension between us starts to diffuse. It was starting to get hard to breathe, but now it almost feels bearable.

Once she gets herself back under control, Lacey wipes her eyes and looks at me.

"I'm ready, Daddy. Please continue."

It's my turn to laugh before I return to the page.

"She whines when my dick slaps the round cheeks of her ass. I spread her legs wider, pulling her hips back so I can rub the tip against her clit. It's dripping wet, the arousal coating my cock without a moment's hesitation. Reaching down, I spread her folds and…"

I'm starting to get turned on, but that doesn't stop me from sneaking a glance at Lacey. She's biting her lip and staring down at her jean-clad legs. There's a stiffness in her body that wasn't there before, a hidden anxiety radiating from the way her hands clench the pillow beside her.

It destroys me to see her like this. To lay witness to the scars another guy left on her body before breaking her heart to smithereens. No one has the right to break the clear cut lines of consent for this exact reason .

The violation of nonconsensual sex doesn't just damage a person's body. It takes away their ability to seek pleasure without having to hurdle a million invisible barriers. It stains a person's psyche in ways that can never be explained.

Biting my cheek to keep my anger in check, I turn my attention back to the page and skim the next few lines. The amount of manhandling this character does to his partner is as impressive as it is horrifying, so I make a rash decision to go off-script.

"…and I roll us over so my back is against the mattress. Those long legs wrap around my waist, straddling me gently as I smile up at her, "That's it, baby. Ride me the way you want to." She grins, pressing her lips to mine before sinking down on me slowly. Rocking back and forth, she takes every inch, letting out a soft moan when she finally gets to the bottom. I reach down and brush her swollen clit, rubbing it softly to help ease the tension from her body."

Ignoring the erection rapidly growing in my pants, I sneak a glance beside me and find Lacey's eyes closed, her lips pressed together as she listens to the scene play out. The tension seeping through her features makes me want to stop speaking altogether, but she looks so determined that I don't want to take this moment away from her.

Looking back down at the page, I ignore the pinch in my chest and continue reading the words written only in my head.

"I let her set the pace, watching the way her body moves against mine. The sweet seduction of her hips keeps me trapped in place, the sensual grinding driving me closer to the edge. She's in complete control, pleasuring herself like she would if my body was a toy. The rhythm of her hips grows frantic the closer she gets to finishing and I grab her hips, doing what I can to help her get there. She finishes with a cry, squeezing me so tight I can't help but come myself, feeling the soft strands of her dark hair brush my chest."

My heart is pounding by the time I close my mouth, desperately hoping Lacey didn't notice the slip up of the hair colour. Shutting the book quickly, I clear my throat and try not to think about the dark strands currently brushing my shoulder.

"Red stage complete."

Holding my breath, I look and see Lacey blinking her eyes open. She doesn't look at me for a long time, just stares at the wall standing opposite to us.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"You can tell me anything."

She exhales heavily, finally turning to look at me. Her eyes are brimming with tears and there isn't anything I wouldn't do to make them go away.

"I wish my first time had been with you."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I reach out and wipe away the tear slipping down her cheek.

"I do too."