Page 81 of That Pretty Pucking Mouth

It’s so stupid, but I can’t throw these away. It’s a memory, a pinnacle one. Our dynamic is changing, shifting. I came into this without a choice, but now, I have some power. I have the pleasure of an arrogant cock that’ll fuck me, tease me, and leave me wild.

I smirk at myself. He told me to sit back down, and I didn’t. One point for Rhea. But I didn’t orgasm, so one point for him.

I grab my jeans, and my phone falls out of the back pocket. I don’t wait for the underwear to dry, instead, I start shoving my legs back into my pants and then I pick up my phone.

Cassidy is my first thought. I hope she’s not mad at me or worried. I should give her a call. The thought of her being angry or worried makes the tension in my chest grow. I need to talk to her. I swipe to her contact, my thumb hovering over the screen.

I tap her name and wait, the dial tone a steady rhythm in my ear.

“Hey,” Cassidy answers after a few rings, her voice laced with concern. “Are you okay? What’s happening?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I say quickly. “We’re at a diner.”

“A diner? What’s going on, Rhea? What’s Thatcher doing to you? Is he forcing you to be with him?”

I take a deep breath, leaning back against the bathroom stall. I shake my head even though she can’t see me, trying to push thepanic out of my chest. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. It’s just… I don’t know. I don’t know what to say.”

Cassidy’s voice softens, sensing the turmoil in my words. “You don’t have to explain everything right now, Rhea. Just tell me if you’re safe? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m in the bathroom, just…trying to get my head straight.”

Cassidy’s silence on the other end of the line stretches for a moment, and I can almost feel the weight of her concern through the phone. “Rhea, I’m worried.”

“I have everything under control, even though it might not seem like it,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “But I just needed to hear that you’re not mad at me.”

“I’m not mad, Rhea,” Cassidy reassures me, her voice soft but firm. “I’m just worried about you. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

The Reaper business comes to mind.

“I was just thinking, and what if he’s the killer?” she whispers.

I’m stunned at her words, but immediately my defenses are there as I scoff, “Killer? I’m pretty sure Jack was just drunk, and it was foul play. There’s no killer on the loose, Cass.”

“People on campus are talking. They have theories. They think it might’ve been some girl he was trying to hook up with and he was with us that night.”

My gut sinks, panic rising to my head. I feel faint. Shit. Fuck.

But she doesn’t say more… it’s almost like an acknowledgement that she’s put the puzzle pieces together and knows.

Fuck, does she know?

I hold the phone between my ear and shoulder. “Wow,” I say, not knowing how else to react. “Well, what are the cops saying? That’s the bottom line, isn’t it?”

She sighs. “I guess, but it seems like it’s being covered up. Did anything happen with you and Jack that night?”

I take a shaky breath, nodding even though she can’t see me. “No, Cass… I would have told you if I hooked up with him. You know me. But my coffee is getting cold, so I need to go. I’ll see you later, okay.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I hang up with a huge sigh, leaning my head back against the stall door. My eyes drift shut as I let the phone rest limply in my hand. Just two minutes…

I just need two minutes to pull myself together. My head feels heavy, my chest tight, and it’s like the walls of this tiny stall are closing in on me.

My phone buzzes and I glance at the screen. A text from Connor.

Hey. Just checking in. Hope you’re okay. You aren’t in class so I got worried.

---