Page 4 of Dark Thirst (The Scandalous Novellas)

T he train is overcrowded and stuffy. My mom, of course, bought the cheapest tickets she could for the three hour ride.

Had I bought my own, I would have gotten a private cabin so I could openly stalk Sean.

There’s a man sitting way too close to me, and I feel suffocated.

The ride is only for another couple of hours, so I turn to the side and pull out my phone to distract me.

I created burner accounts for different social media pages so I could follow him on them.

He has all the typical socials that he regularly posts on.

No mention of his private pages on there, so I’m unsure where he promotes it.

He must have gained most of his followers when he was making content with his ex, Anna.

She’s a pretty, tall brunette with lots of ink.

I met her twice at family events, and she always seemed less than friendly. Doesn’t surprise me that she would be popular online seeing how beautiful and confident she is.

I decide to look into her pages and find that she still creates content on the same site as Sean. There are solo videos, but she also has some with different guys. Investigating further, she offers her male fans an opportunity to film content with her for a premium price. Interesting.

I wonder if that’s why they broke up a few months back.

I can’t imagine a guy like Sean would be ok sharing his partner with anyone.

He seems possessive. I like that about him.

He always seemed protective of her around the family—not answering too many questions or giving too much information about her.

Which is a good thing, because if given too much info, someone in the family would have found out what they were doing online, and that would have been a shitshow.

Growing up in a Spanish family was hard on me; they can be highly conservative, loud, and opinionated. They didn’t allow me to have a boyfriend until my senior year of high school. Everyone shared and scrutinized every little thing I ever did, making me feel like I didn’t fit in.

When I went to school down south, it was the talk of the year. Why couldn’t I go somewhere closer and stay home? Why was I going to school for cyber security? Why couldn’t I just go to nursing school or a local tech school?

High school graduation couldn’t come soon enough, so I could get the fuck away and grow up on my own. I’ve felt smothered and watched over my entire life, and I’m tired of it.

Independence is something I’ve always longed for. The chance to do things without being questioned, judged, or made fun of. So that’s why I dread going home on breaks from school. I’d much rather just stay alone on campus than be dealing with my family.

I know Sean feels the same way. When his father married my aunt, I could tell he was having a hard time adjusting to all the intrusive questions and unnecessary advice.

He’s more like me, I just never realized it until now.

I know very little about him because he’s kept to himself all these years.

But now, I want to know everything about him.

After searching a little more online, my eyes grow heavy, and I close them for the rest of the ride. I need my rest so I’m perky and chipper when my mom picks me up at Union Station.

A voice over the intercom wakes me out of my sleep and I realize we had just arrived at Union Station.

Finally! My neck is stiff from sleeping in a weird position for the last hour.

People get up from their seats and grab their bags before they move to exit the train car.

I stay seated a few moments longer, waiting for the car to empty before I rise and pick up my suitcase.

As I exit the car, there is a coffee shop to my left.

I could definitely use one, and my mom hasn’t texted me yet, so I swing in and grab an iced coffee while I wait.

Ten minutes later, my mom calls and lets me know she’s close, so I make my way up to the street to wait for her car.

I wonder if my little sister came along; however, it is Friday so she’s most likely at school.

I really hope she’s with her though. I’m not really in the mood to be in the car alone with my mom.

My mom’s green Jeep Sahara comes into view, and I flag her down. She unlocks the doors, and I quickly throw my suitcase into the back and hop into the front seat. The rest of the car is empty. I plaster a fake smile on my face and give her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

“How was your trip, mija?” my mom says as she checks the street around her before pulling away from the curb and into traffic.

It’s late morning so there isn’t too much traffic, and the drive is easy.

We just make small talk on the way home.

It’s not like she doesn’t already know how I am since we talk a few times a week.

“Are you excited to see everyone tomorrow? We still need to pick up a few things for the party and clean the house.”

“Yeah, sure, ma. Just let me know what you need. I can grab it later,” I mutter as I look out the window in boredom.

“Great! Tu papi will be so happy to see you! He’s at work, and everyone else is in school, so we have the afternoon alone to get things together.”

Oh, joy. I think to myself. Not even home yet and I already have a laundry list of things to do to prepare for tomorrow’s party.

I’m not even sure what we’re celebrating, if anything, since my family always throws gatherings.

I am looking forward to seeing my dad, though.

We’ve always gotten along much better than my mother and I.

“You look skinny, Michelle. Estás comiendo bien?”

“Yeah mom, I’m eating.”

“Hmm.” She doesn’t sound convinced.

She’s always commenting on my weight, and I have lost a few pounds since I’ve been home last, but I don’t look that different. My phone vibrates in my pocket. I grab it and notice there is a notification from Sean. Well, his online persona, Ghost.

Ghost: Did you enjoy last night’s video??

Oh shit. I shouldn’t have opened that while in the car with my mom. My fingers are itching to respond. I didn’t notice we stopped at a light, and that my mom was looking over.

“Who are you texting? A boyfriend I don’t know about?” She arches a brow and looks at the phone in my hand.

“What? No, just looking something up for school,” I say quickly, and turn off the screen so she won’t see the app I’m using.

“Well, maybe while you’re in town, you can meet up with Corey.”

“Corey? My ex-boyfriend? Why?”

“You know he works with your brother, and he’s always over. He’s a nice guy. I just don’t know why you two broke up.”

“He cheated on me, Mother.” My voice is deep with hate and regret that I ever gave him a chance.

“Oh, you’re just being too harsh, Michelle. People make mistakes. You won’t find another guy like him, even if you tried.”

“Yeah, that’s the point. I assume you invited him to the party tomorrow, right?” I can’t even look at her right now. She’s always telling me I’m not good enough without saying those exact words.

I won’t settle for some asshole that couldn’t keep his dick in his pants while I was away at school. And it wasn’t my fault he couldn’t go to school with me in Champaign.

“I invited him and told him you’d be there,” she chimes in.

“Great, can’t wait,” I mutter unenthusiastically.

Annoyed, I pull out my phone and respond,

Anonymous: I did. Especially the mask you were wearing. Thanks for the show. Although, I haven’t seen the grand finale just yet.

Damn girl, I think to myself. Way to throw that out there. I wonder if he talks to his other subscribers? Probably. But really, who has the time? It seems like he has thousands, and why wouldn’t every girl want a piece of him?

I make a mental note to hack into his profile and check his messages.

Weird, but I’m obsessed. I’ll have to find some time tonight to do so.

In the meantime, I’ll keep myself busy getting the house cleaned up and running to the store.

My heart tells me Sean will show up tomorrow, but I don’t want to get my hopes up too soon.