Page 122

Story: Pretty Poison

Kendra had a side to her I hadn’t seen before. She sounded a little needy, yet her tone carried a hesitance, as if she didn’t want to be a burden. This wasn’t the tough, stuck-up girl I’d known all my life. It was something vulnerable, and seeing her like this made me feel lighter.

“No way!” I replied firmly. “I’m not letting that happen.”

“Roni…”

“I’m not arguing either.” I stepped beside her and offered my arm for her to hook hers through. It wasn’t unusual—plenty of friends walked like that, so it wouldn’t be a problem. Even so,Kendra hesitated for a moment before slipping her arm through mine.

We went back into the party and said our goodbyes to the few people we bumped into—mainly my brother and Colleen. Kendra’s cousin gave us a teasing look that made the blonde beside me blush, while my brother seemed a little thrown off by how close we were, though he didn’t say much.

We left the chaos of the frat house, called a rideshare, and returned to our dorms, walking arm in arm. In the car, sitting close together and too tired to care, Kendra’s usual fears seemed to fade.

We reached the dorm with heavy eyes, both of us. Walking side by side, we headed inside.

“What do you think about having coffee together tomorrow?” She suggested.

“I think it's a good idea...” A few more steps and we reached my floor. “I thought about running before training, okay?”

A grimace spread across her face.

“Fine, as long as the bath is in the same stall…” The calmness in which she said the sentence and the memory of our first bath made my body burn for her.

“Deal!” A goofy smile spread across my face, and I loved the way she made me feel. Carefully, Kendra walked me to my room door. She glanced both ways, and after making sure we were alone, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. It was brief, leaving me craving more. “Good night, shorty.”

“Good night, Ken…”

She turned her back to me, giving me the chance to lean over and slap her ass. Quick as lightning, she turned to me, a big “O” open on her lips.

“You naughty!” She whispered, in good humor.

“I couldn't resist.” I gave her a wink and opened the door to my room.

The clock struck half past eleven and I was almost asleep standing up, so the only thing I did was take off my clothes and throw myself on the bed.

I didn't know how it was possible to wake up in a good mood and eager to run in the cold, but I found myself like that. In fact, all this excitement could be traced back to one person. But I was calm about that too, I was sure of my feelings and that was okay, because I knew they were reciprocated on the same frequency.

I left my room ready to find Kendra when a strange noise caught my attention. It was coming from Emily's room. It was like tapping on wood.

I went to my roommate's door and, luckily, it was unlocked, so I just opened it. The scene I came across was something I never thought I would see: Emily in pajamas, with her hair tied in a perfect ponytail and with her face buried in the table. A strong snort noise resounded through the place and I was sure of what was happening there.

“Emily!” I called her mad.

The blonde turned around, exasperated, knocking the small bottle that was on the end of the table straight onto the floor, scattering the rest of the white powder there.

“Shit!” She threw herself on the floor and started picking up that shit. It was a deplorable scene to say the least.

“What are you doing?” She snorted and mumbled something, but it wasn't audible enough for me. “Speak up, damnit! What the hell is that?”

Bulging eyes glared at me furiously.

“Can you keep your voice down?!”

“No!” I replied, entering the room and crouching down beside her. “What the hell is that?” My tone was lower, but it still came out harsh.

I wanted an answer as to why my roommate, the one who was the most exemplary among the three of us, was getting high on cocaine.

My stomach turned, even though it was empty.

“Emily… Please talk to me.”