Page 3 of Spit

Her hands began to sweat as the bike pulled to a stop. Dylan put the kickstand down, getting off in one swift motion. He held out his hand and helped her down before revealing a blanket stashed in his seat compartment. He arranged the blanket on the grass and waited for Lexi to get comfortable before he sat by her side.

“It’s your sister’s prom tonight, right?” Dylan slanted a look her way.

Lexi fiddled with her hands. “Yeah. I liked her dress.”

Dylan hummed. “Are you going to the Wilmington prom next week?”

She hadn’t bothered buying a ticket, but now that Dylan had started spending time with her, she wished she had.

Lexi shrugged.

“I’d like to go to prom with you,” Dylan told her as his smile grew.

Lexi’s eyes widened, but inside, she was dancing and screamingwhee! Her shadow, her constant companion, leaned forward and sniffed the human—though Shadow didn’t really like the taste of humans.

“Y-yes.” She’d meant it as a whisper, but it came out as a bark.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked, his eyes flicking to her lips and the curve of her cleavage.

She’d never been kissed before. She had never been close enough to a boy to warrant such an intimate touch, but she had known Dylan formonths.They walked to class together. They had lunch together. His friends were her friends, and vice versa. Lexi had told Dylan about having to live in the cottage, though she hadn’t mentioned that her family were witches. As far as Dylan knew, Lexi was neglected, lonely, and the scapegoat—and he still wanted to be with her. He still wanted to take her to the prom.

Dylan closed his eyes as he leaned in, and Lexi watched the pucker of his slightly chapped lips and the spot above his right eyebrow. She closed her eyes before she lost her nerve and pressed her lips to his, feeling the softness of his kiss. His hands came to her waist, and Lexi felt warm all over. Her stomach began to flutter in the best way imaginable. Her fingers tingled, and her heart raced.

Lexi didn’t know if Dylan had kissed anyone else before, but he was more skilled than her and seemed to know what he wanted. Lexi felt his tongue brush against her closed lips, seeking an invitation inside her mouth.A French kiss, she thought with a modicum of both fear and excitement.

Dylan’s tongue pushed past her teeth, swirling like a cross between a washing machine and a dog trying to lick peanut butter out of a jar. The kiss was wet, and she felt his saliva on her cheeks, where her mouth struggled to contain that level of spit.

She knew that she had to do something. The kiss wasn’t unpleasant, just new and somewhat moister than she had expected. Lexi pushed her tongue forward to meet his, dancing and tangling without rhythm as Dylan pressed close enough to her that she felt the hard line of his cock in his pants. With no frame of reference, she could only imagine the anatomy drawing of the male reproductive system that she had seen in Bio. Lexi broke away for a moment, blinking and resisting the urge to wipe her swollen lips with the back of her wrist.

“Dylan,” Lexi whispered; she didn’t know why she kept her voice low. It felt important not to shout. It felt like they were both sharing a secret.

“Lexi.” Dylan’s smiled wide, goofy, and somewhat drunkenly. His eyes glistened, and his cheeks were flushed. Dylan reached forward again, using Lexi’s waist to maneuver her body. He held her in place as he kissed her again. His tongue stabbed out immediately as if he wanted a taste and no longer cared about slow and delicate seduction once she had proved interested.

Lexi wished she wasn’t lying down. He washeavy.

Lexi wrenched her head back, pushing her sweat-streaked hair away from her face.

“Dylan.” She admonished. “What was that?”

“I need to kiss you, Lexi.” His chest heaved as if he had run a mile in a minute. “Please. I need…”

“Dylan, are you okay?” She pressed her hand to his forehead. “You’re burning up.”

Dylan pushed her down. Lexi’s breath left her lungs with the impact, and her eyes flashed stars as she tried to sit up—but Dylan’s weight was too much.

His hands gripped her shoulders, ignoring her as she squeaked in protest and raised a knee to hit him. Dylan leaned in again, pressing a kiss to her closed mouth. He tried to force his tongue inside, but her teeth were locked tight. Dylan whined like a tortured dog as he reached up and gripped her chin.

“Open your mouth for me.”

“Fuck you!” She howled.

“Lexi. I need—”

She struck fast, her knee connecting with his crotch, but the boy barely noticed. Lexi froze, unable to process what was happening.This is Dylan, she thought.Dylan wouldn’t hurt me.

But hehad.

Her head swam from being knocked to the floor. Her skin bruised under his fingertips. Lexi had never wished for magic more than she had at that moment. She wanted to be like Rosie—to be able to reach into the ground and produce vines to skewer him and push him away.

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