The Disguise, Arc Two, Part Three

[*Lady Lucia*]

This is a continuation of "The Disguise," a story written for last summer's story contest. You can read Arc One of the story here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1517

I meant to link it when I first posted, but forgot by the time I was done editing. Special thanks to AllieNF for the reminder!

All the best,
Lady Lucia

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PART ONE

Nude photos. Of me.

I had heard horror stories of it happening to other girls, of course, but never once considered it would happen to me. Mostly because I don’t take photos of myself like that. I don’t have a spiteful ex, I don’t have anything on my computer for someone to hack, I don’t own ANY inappropriate pictures of myself. The worst I have is a few photos of myself in bikinis and sports bras, but a handful of those are already out there on social media. My body may be a little small, but I’m not ashamed of it. If I’m at the beach with friends, then we’re going to post about it.

But these? There was nothing left to the imagination. Nothing. My small, bare breasts were right there, looking more perky than usual thanks to the cold of being naked in Danielle’s room for so long. Little pink nipples and a few freckles dotting my fair skin, some that had never seen the light of day in a photo. As if that wasn’t enough of my modesty stripped away, all three photos had me posed with my legs spread to various degrees. Since I didn’t grow the most hair down there, I kept myself fully shaved. My bare mound was just as exposed as my breasts, and the photo of me doing a leg lift fully revealed my little slit, captured in high definition. Then there was the naked split, equally splaying me to the camera. Even the ‘top of the pyramid’ pose had my legs slightly spread, and the big smile on my face made it seem like I was happy to be doing all this naked.

If these photos got out, I’d be ruined. It didn’t matter that I was a cheerleader, or at least mildly in with the popular crowd. Even if I could somehow live it down, no one would ever look at me the same way again. Every girl would secretly judge me, even if they hid it well. And, no matter what I was wearing, every boy would be able to visualize me naked. Not through fantasy, but through memory.

Danielle and I were friends. She wouldn’t do this to me. Plus, with her reputation of always being fair, there’s no way she’d dangle this over my head. It wasn’t her style. Would Chloe? I didn’t know her as well, but I knew that she liked to flirt with just about anything that moved. This still seemed a bit much for her, unless the text was meant to be read in a flirty way and I was too hung up on how it sounded like a threat.

I tried calling the number, as it wasn’t either of the girls’ contacts in my phone, but each time led to the texter answering and then immediately hanging up. No voicemail meant no clues, and they were either a night owl or kept their phone volume on, as none of my late calls succeeded in making it to voicemail either. Eventually, I gave up and went to bed.

I barely slept, tossing and turning in both frustrated curiosity and mortified projection, at some point unsure if the nightmare of my pictures spreading was my half-awake imagination or an awful dream, or something in between. At some point, I must have finally passed out, as the blinding morning sun was the next thing I saw through squinted eyes. Fuck. I must have forgotten to close the blinds. Since it was summer, I didn’t need to bother with an alarm, but my groggy state was quickly shaken off when I realized.

Oh God, what time was it??

Abruptly sitting up, I grabbed my phone and prayed. 9:13 AM. Thank God. But also, only 45 minutes. No new messages, from anyone this early, but I couldn’t help but reread the mystery one now that reality and a looming encounter were slapping me awake.

‘The bridge, at 10 AM tomorrow. Come alone.’

Of course, I knew where they were talking about. Our neighborhood is split into two halves, and there’s a small creek running between the two. While cars just take a road that spans the narrow gap, there’s also a small wooden bridge for foot traffic. That’s where I was supposed to go.

Today, I was Avery, not Ava. High school rising sophomore who will NOT be intimidated by blackmail. Granted, I’m not the most intimidating girl in the world, but what choice did I have? Hopping out of bed, I picked out a pair of black jean shorts and a white tank top. The opposite of yesterday afternoon’s ensemble, but still casual and comfortable for the summer heat. And a little bit sharp with the black/white. I normally don’t consider things like that, but I’ve managed to retain bits and pieces of fashion tips from the girls I spend time with. Other than that, however, I didn’t put too much thought into the rest. I just brushed my teeth and ran a brush through my hair a few times. Good enough. I’m not big on make-up, especially when it’s hot outside.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about morning smalltalk with my parents wasting time. Since it was after 9 AM, they were both long gone. I still had thirty minutes, but I’d rather be the first one to the bridge. Showing up late would make me seem nervous, but showing up early would make me seem desperate. Of the two, I settled on the latter. Let’s be honest, I would be desperate either way, but at least I could fake some confidence. According to those damning pictures, apparently I can sell confidence when I’m not so convinced myself.

Throwing on a simple pair of sneakers, I headed out. It’s a short walk from my house to the bridge; past the tennis courts and playground, and then it's just before the public pool on the other side. The middle of the short bridge had two benches facing each other, and I chose to sit rather than worriedly pace in circles.

Five minutes passed. Ten.

I glanced down at the text and the three nude photos again, realizing that I actually never attempted to text back. Just a string of phone calls that went unanswered. Well, answered and then immediately dropped. Maybe I should have made the effort to text, but it was too late now. It’s not like I could negotiate when Danielle or Chloe could show up any minute. At this point, it was better to face things head on, as a face to face would make it a lot easier to interpret tone than a text would.

Over the next ten minutes, only two neighborhood parents with a baby in a stroller used the bridge. Obviously not my blackmailers, but just the site of people walking towards me was enough to put me on edge. I took a calming breath before they hit the bridge, then gave my best smile and friendly ‘hello,’ saying that I was waiting for a friend. Kind of true, I guess? And then I was back to waiting in solitude, glancing more left than right, as that was the direction of Danielle’s house.

Finally, at 9:54, I saw someone else headed my way.

From a distance, I thought it was Danielle for a fleeting moment. And then I realized why. Same hair color, and same skin tone. But, as I got a better look, I could see that the figure was undeniably male. My eyes widened and I felt a tight knot form in my stomach as I realized who it was.

Will.

Danielle’s younger brother.

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Author's Note: I'm going to try a <Hold> system for future parts that I've seen on other forums, so story parts aren't separated from each other by comments. Viredae, feel free to delete them if you disagree with that format being used on here.

[*Lady Lucia*]

PART TWO

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

This was SO much worse than I thought it was. Despite the fun they had at my expense yesterday, Danielle and Chloe were still my friends and fellow cheerleaders. In all of my projections last night, I really only imagined it being one of those two girls. The photos were too crisp, and there’s no way someone could get such a perfect angle through a window. Of the two, Chloe had been my main suspect. Even so, I figured things would only go so far if it was girls that I knew.

A middle school boy, however, would have no such reservations.

It was naive and beyond wishful to think that Will was just passing by, considering the time. But maybe there was another explanation. Maybe Chloe wasn’t the suspect after all, and Danielle was the one running the show. Maybe she sent Will as a messenger, promising him another favor in return like she did yesterday. Maybe, maybe, maybe. There was only one way to find out.

When the dark haired boy reached the edge of the bridge, I turned to him with a casual “hey.” Once again, all those maybes ran through my mind. Maybe he’s just passing by. Maybe he won’t notice the striking similarities between me and ‘Ava.’

“Hey, Avery,” he said. With an annoying amount of confidence, he walked right over and sat down next to me on the snug bench. Not good. Yeah, he knows me from all the times I’ve been to Danielle’s house, but he doesn’t know me that well. “Or, should I say Ava?”

Crap.

“What do you want, Will?”

“It was the craziest thing,” he said, “Danielle took the new kid back to our house, and suddenly you’re naked in her room and Ava is gone. It was pretty easy to connect the dots.”

Wait, he knew about that?! Dani wouldn’t tell her younger brother about what she and Chloe had me do. No way. Or would she? To ensure his help somehow? There was only one way to find out. “Will, what do you want?” I repeated. No song and dance for the thirteen year old boy. I was tempted to get up, but decided that sitting next to him exuded some of that false confidence instead of awkwardly getting up.

“I want a lot of things, Avery. You’ll have to be more specific than that!” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and his face instantly unlocked the screen. Not caring about me watching what he was doing, apparently, he tapped on his Photos and pulled up one of the latest pics on the reel.

I could practically feel myself go white. It was the photo of me doing the leg lift, fully splaying myself while naked with a soft smile on my face. But HOW?! Did Danielle secretly take pics of me? Did Will somehow snoop around on her computer? It couldn’t be her phone, because I literally watched when Danielle and Chloe set their phones aside, and she sure as hell wouldn't send them to her younger brother.

My first instinct was to grab for the phone, but Will was ready for that. “Not so fast!” he said, extending his arm and the device as far away as possible with the hand on his other side. Before I could start wrestling him for the phone, he kept talking, “You can chuck this into the creek if you really want to. I have these photos saved in like fifty other places.” As if to prove it, he pulled the phone back and offered it to me while only holding it with his fingertips. If I wanted, I could snatch it right out of his hand and there’s no way he’d be able to keep a strong grip. Which was the point. “Go ahead. I need an excuse to get the newest model anyway.”

Right. Danielle’s family is rich.

I tried to find the words, but found myself utterly speechless as I processed everything. How? Why? Danielle’s brother. My modesty. Pictures that shouldn’t exist. It shouldn’t be possible, it shouldn’t be happening to me. But it was. And I couldn’t stop myself from asking. Instead of demanding that he delete everything, I found myself needing to know. “Will, where did you get those?”

“Oh, don’t worry. This wasn’t Dani. It was all me!”

All him. All him what? Then it hit me, and I gasped. “Will, what the hell? You put cameras in your sister’s room?!” Ugh, gross. I know boys can be perverted, but spying on your own sibling??

Will just laughed. “It’s not like that, Avery. I just wanted something on her.”

And then he explained everything. It was less like a villain monologue, and more like someone who was just excited to spill a secret he had been keeping all to himself up until now. Apparently, he recently set up two hidden cameras in Danielle’s bedroom. One for pictures, one for video. Motion sensing so they know when to start up, compact and easy to hide, etc. etc.. I was still shocked and disgusted, so some of the finer details were lost on me.

Will went on to explain that they were angled so they only captured half her bedroom. The half without her bed. That way, he could get footage of Danielle bringing her boyfriend over when their parents weren’t home, and let the ‘blackout’ of them going to the bed be damning enough without actually secretly filming porn of his own sister. Solid blackmail. If Danielle didn’t leave him alone, he could just ‘hide’ the tape somewhere in a place their parents would quickly find, and let them assume that she was the one who decided to film herself.

Okay, not as disgusting as perving on his own sister. But still, what the fuck? Danielle was clever and devious, but at least she was classy about it. This was just gross. Also, totally pointless. He clearly didn’t know her like the rest of us did, or maybe there were just more details he wasn’t telling me. The Danielle I knew would find a way to turn this around on him so quickly that he might as well not bother.

But she wasn’t the target right now. I was.

“Who knew my little setup would work for a completely different kind of show,” Will said. He tucked his phone away, a smug smile plastered on his face, “There’s some video too, but I haven’t had time to edit it yet. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to make it all about you.”

Oh God. Video. The thought of this perverted boy watching me spread my legs over and over with a simple click of the ‘rewind’ button made me want to heave. And, if I was hearing him correctly, Will was going to remove the sections with the girls’ voices and once again make it seem like I was just doing this because I enjoyed it.

Which led me back to my initial question. “What do you want, Will?”

Clearly he wasn’t above a bit of blackmail. Otherwise, he would just show this to all his friends and post it for the whole world to see. No, the texting and the bridge meeting made it pretty obvious, plus the idea would already be on his mind since that’s what the cameras were for in the first place. But instead of his older sister, he lucked into a target who wasn’t nearly as clever or cunning.

I had no idea how to get out of this! Even if I asked Danielle for help, what could we do against someone who backed up such life destroying things in countless places?

Maybe if I just played along, at least for now, I could buy some time to figure this out.

Will’s knowing smile, however, didn’t bode well.

“A lot of things, Avery . . .” he said. The same annoying answer from a few minutes ago. But I’d almost prefer the vague answer to what came next.

“. . . but for starters, having a high school girlfriend for the summer would do wonders for my reputation.”

[*Lady Lucia*]

PART THREE

His girlfriend . . .?

Oh God, was it too late to throw myself from this bridge? Or, better yet, throw him over the edge? Though falling twelve feet into a creek would hardly do the trick. The water damage to Will’s phone would be a nice consolation prize, though he already made it crystal clear that those damning photos were saved in countless places just in case. Hell, he practically offered me the phone for that very reason.

“Will, I’m not dating you,” I said.

How would that even work? Dating a middle schooler. It would be almost as bad as the pictures if anyone found out, and yesterday already proved that I can’t keep anything from Danielle when it comes to her brother. She’s the opposite of a helicopter sister, but she still shares a house with him and a neighborhood with me. No, forget Danielle and my reputation. What about me, personally? I can’t date a younger boy, much less a boy like Will.

He just laughed in response. Laughed. At the idea of me rejecting a relationship that would be both started and maintained with blackmail. “Not for real, Avery. We’ll just fake it. It’ll be our dirty little secret.”

Ugh, he did not just reference that song. “But-”

“Take the day to think about it,” he said, “I’ve got some friends coming over tonight. If you show up, then I’ll know you’re in. If not, then both our schools will get a special treat first thing tomorrow morning.”

“But I have a cheerleading meeting tonight!” I exclaimed. Suddenly flustered at the impossible choice he was giving me, I blurted out the truth that just further complicated things.

“Skip it,” he shrugged, “I’m your boyfriend, Avery. I should be your number one priority. See you tonight?” Before I had time to react, Will leaned over and kissed my cheek. Guessing correctly that I would jolt away and maybe try to hit him in response, the dark haired deviant hopped up and stepped back, looking down at me with a confident smirk. It was weirdly reminiscent of Danielle’s, just a younger, male version of her patented expression. “I’ll miss you, babe.”

With that, he headed off.

Despite my little jolt, I still found myself sitting fairly still as I watched Will walk away. I was STUNNED. What just happened?? He was so presumptuous, and self satisfied, and downright bold. He kissed me. I’ve only ever been kissed by one boy, and that boy was my age. For Will to be my second, even it was just a cheek kiss, felt wrong for so many reasons. And yet, as I rubbed the lingering feeling of his lips off my cheek, I found myself projecting the rest of the day in terms of Will’s preferences. Messaging our cheerleading group chat with an excuse. Walking to Danielle’s house to meet with her younger brother instead of her. Putting on a show for all of his friends. Being his ‘girlfriend.’

Head spinning, I found myself getting up from the bridge’s bench and wandering home.

Luckily, summer break didn’t extend to many adults. My parents were both at work, like they usually were on weekdays, and I had the house to myself. I’m not sure I would have had a lie prepared if one of them asked me where I just was. ‘Out for a walk’ would work, but my face probably wouldn’t reflect the casual nature of the half truth. A middle schooler’s girlfriend. And he definitely wasn’t talking about Ava. Will said he wanted a ‘high school girlfriend.’ As in, he wanted to date ME. Avery. A rising sophomore.

Plopping down on a living room sofa, I took out my phone and looked back through the texts. They weren’t from Danielle or Chloe using a spoof number; they were from Will. Ignoring the few texts between us where I fished for information, I went straight to the photos. My naked body, in multiple cheerleading poses. Zooming in, as if something might have changed between now and the first time Will texted me, I found myself confirming just how bared I was. Boobs fully visible in every shot, and shaved crotch and exposed slit not a mystery at all as I splayed myself in a leg lift. My ass was still a mystery, I guess, but I would much prefer showing off my bare backside to what was visible here.

Blushing in my solitude, I tried to imagine what might happen tomorrow if Will followed through on his threat. He was a rising 8th grader, which put him right in that sweet spot where he’d know people in both middle school and high school. These pics would spread like wildfire. Everyone I knew would see me naked. Even the younger teens who didn’t know me would be starting high school before I graduated. Any passing look in the hall could be enough for them to connect the dots, especially if Will attached any information along with the nudes.

Was it worth it? I could rip off the band-aid right now, and Will would have nothing on me any more. Danielle would promptly murder him, and I could attempt to live this down.

Or I could be Will’s ‘girlfriend.’ Did any of his friends know any of my friends? Did any other cheerleaders have younger siblings that would recognize me from sleepovers or house meetings? It would only take one person to mess this up for me, and summer was a long time to keep such a secret. Wait, how much of my summer vacation was this going to mess with??

Hating that I was considering it, and hating even more that I was going to give him the satisfaction, I fired off a quick text. “What else besides tonight?”

I could see the little dots signifying his typing immediately, but then they stopped for a minute. The worst part was, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. I knew the brat was probably taking the time to think about his reply rather than send one impulsively, rather than intentionally holding me in suspense, but I found myself impatiently and curiously waiting nonetheless. After what felt like an eternity, he sent back a short and frustrating reply: “We’ll talk about it tonight.”

A few seconds later, a follow-up text from him. “You’ll be there?”

It was now or never.

Well, not really. We were texting. I could avoid replying for hours, but instead I answered right away. Similar to what started this whole mess, I’m nothing if not impulsive. Between letting the whole world see me naked and pretending to be dating someone, the latter struck me as the right choice. For now.

So, with a nervous swallow, I sent him a simple answer to the not so simple question.

“Yes.”

[*Lady Lucia*]

PART FOUR

I really went the extra mile for my first appearance as Will’s ‘girlfriend.’

Not to impress him, or any of his friends for that matter, but more because anyone who overlapped from the previous day’s game could potentially recognize me as ‘Ava.’ I don’t know why, but the thought of trying to explain that sounded mortifying. Either way, I mentally prepared for the possibility, but I was hoping to avoid it. Unlike the girly outfit I wore for Manhunt, tonight’s combo was the kind of look normally reserved for weekend parties. Black skirt, white crop top, and short black heels. Just for good measure, I added a gentle curl to my hair and wore a push-up bra underneath. A stark contrast to the pigtails and sports bra I paired yesterday. A splash of make-up too, considering I pretty much never wear make-up in the summer.

The girl in the mirror was yet another version of myself; the opposite extreme of Ava. Skirts and dresses aren’t exactly my favorite, and I pretty much only wear them thanks to the peer pressure that goes with being surrounded by cheerleaders all the time. My school outfits are a lot more casual and comfortable, as I have plenty of excuses in case anyone asks: swamped with homework, early mornings, laundry day, dress code concerns, strict parents, etc. But evenings and weekends with girls who have seemingly bottomless closets and never ending outfit combos makes it more difficult to stay true to myself in terms of what I like to wear. Hopefully Cheerleader Avery could sell this fake relationship thing, because my regular self was still cringing about the whole thing and tempted to call it off.

It felt SO weird going to Danielle’s house like this. She was off at Fiona’s place, where I was supposed to be as well. The squad only met once a month for cheerleading over the summer, which made me feel a lot more guilty about my ‘sick’ text to the group. Will texted me the all clear once his sister left, and I walked over while still debating whether or not I should actually go through with this. What if my parents heard that I was ‘sick’ when I already told them I was going to the cheerleading meeting tonight? What if one of Will’s friends did know someone on the squad? What if Danielle came home early? What if this whole ‘dating’ thing totally blew up in my face for any of those reasons, or in a way I hadn’t considered?

Thankfully, my feet managed to function despite my brain’s hesitation. In a matter of minutes, I found myself on Danielle’s porch. Will’s porch too, I guess. Nervously clutching my purse with one hand, I lifted the other to ring the doorbell.

I couldn’t do it. My finger froze inches from the button. Before I could turn tail and retreat, however, the door opened anyway. Will stood there in the same casual jeans and tee he had on earlier, clearly putting in no effort compared to everything I had done for this.

“Hey, babe!” Before I could recover from the surprise of the door opening amidst my reservations, he stepped forward and kissed me.

On the lips.

It was just a peck, but it felt SO wrong. Danielle’s brother. Middle school boy. Second kiss ever. My jaw dropped just the slightest bit as I tried to find the words and the proper emotional response. Shocked? Offended? Furious? Will just kissed me!!

Sensing my distaste, or maybe guessing as accurately as he had done so on the bridge, the dark haired boy jumped in before I could blow up on him. “We have to sell it, Avery,” he quietly said. Staying close, Will gently but assertively placed his hands on my hips. I let him, somehow, without flinching or slapping his hands away. Fight, rather than flight. Impulsively Avery wanted to show this boy that he didn’t scare her, much like she wanted to show Danielle and Chloe that nudity didn’t bother her. If I had just picked flight to begin with, however, then the girls would only have a few pictures of my bare backside and Will would have nothing. If only.

With my one inch heels on, I was exactly Will’s height. Stupid boys and their stupid growth spurts. “Don’t ever do that again,” I said, looking right into his eyes, “That’s not part of the deal.”

Just like Danielle, her younger brother seemed immune to intimidation. Despite my firm tone, he just met my gaze with an amused smirk. “You’re my girlfriend, Avery,” he said, “If you want to back out, then turn around around and go home. Otherwise, you need to act like you like me. Can you handle that?”

“No. Kisses.” Putting my foot down on that front, I decided to at least show him that I was willing to play ball in other ways. Swallowing my pride and pushing down my disgust, I traced my fingertips down one of his arms until I reached his hand. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friends, babe?” I asked. My fingers interlaced with his, and I even gave my best cheerleader smirk. If those nude pictures taught me anything, it’s that I’m apparently good at smiling even when I don’t believe in the smile myself.

Flirting is NOT my strong suit, but I was in too deep. There’s no way I was going to let Will have the satisfaction of kissing me and sharing those pictures anyway.

We walked into the house together, and the door closing behind us was when reality hit me. The hand holding wasn’t the end of the world; I was more worried about everything else. I had to pretend to be Will’s girlfriend. That meant acting happy around my blackmailer. Letting him drape his arm around me and show me off to all his friends. Hanging out with a bunch of middle schoolers and pretending to have a good time.

I may have managed to resist flinching and heaving so far, but there’s no telling how I might react moving forward when it came to the brash boy and his devious antics.

It was going to be a long night.

[*Lady Lucia*]

PART FIVE


I was thrown off for a second when Will led me right past the stairs and down the long hallway on the first floor. When I was here for Danielle, there were three directions I was used to going: Left, to circle up with the cheerleaders in the living room. Right, to grab drinks and/or snacks from the kitchen. Up, to hang out in Danielle’s bedroom. The only time I went farther down the hallway was to use the bathroom, and even that was on the same half of the house on the first floor.

But then I remembered the basement.

Back when we were all kids, it was a popular spot for sleepovers. Tons of sofas and floor space, foosball, air hockey, and ping pong, and a big screen to watch movies. These days, however, it was basically Will’s man cave. The siblings had an agreement that Danielle got the first floor and Will got the basement. Heck, there was even a bathroom, a kitchenette, and an outside door down there. When Danielle and Will were hosting at the same time, it made it possible for neither group to ever see each other or get in each others’ way. Will’s friends had everything they needed down there, and didn’t even have to cross through the main floor upon arrival thanks to the alternative door. To me, the basement was still the better hangout spot, and Danielle should have claimed it for herself. But my dark haired friend preferred sacrificing the bigger space for the nicer furniture upstairs, the better kitchen, having more sunlight, etc.

Danielle’s younger self would be ashamed of her present self choosing taste and appearances over fun and games.

If it had been Will’s older sister opening the basement door, I would have felt a lot differently. An excitement to hang out down there again; a wave of nostalgia. A fleeting hope that we’d be doing literally anything but Truth or Dare. However, I only felt more hesitation and another pang of nervousness when Will opened the door. Male voices from below carried up the stairs, coming from middle school boys that I was about to be surrounded by. Was I going to be the only girl? Hopefully not.

“Relax, babe,” Will said. He gave my hand a small squeeze. The gesture might have been comforting from someone else, but certainly not from my blackmailer, “Just play along. We both know you’re good at pretending!”

That’s—

. . . It’s not the same.

But I didn’t argue. I just let him tug me into the familiar yet entirely unfamiliar stairwell. Was the carpet different, or was it just my imagination? The door closing behind us felt as if my fate was more firmly sealed. I already had plenty of chances to run away, but I didn’t take them. Not even when he kissed me. Though the door would be easy enough to open again, it really did feel like I had already lost my last the opportunity to leave.

Will and I walked down the stairs hand in hand, and I realized something else along the way: Danielle wasn’t going to be around to save me tonight. This was Will’s domain, and his sister would only confidently saunter down the stairs if he slighted her in some way recently. Chastising him in front of his friends while simultaneously teasing his friends with her hotness was pretty solid payback. She’d done it before, and I’d heard about it firsthand the next day.

The last time Danielle ‘saved me,’ however, came at a pretty steep price. No, I already made my choice. This was between me and Will; nobody else.

“Will, 30 seconds on the queue!” someone called out. They must have heard the door or the footsteps, as we were only just turning the corner. “You ready?!”

“We’ll get the next one,” Will said, “Guys, this is Avery.”

Stepping into the room, I quickly took in the room I hadn’t seen in at least a year, maybe longer. The layout was the same, and it was easy to see the main difference. Instead of one TV, there were five: Two slightly smaller screens flanked the main one in the middle, and the last two were sitting centered on the floor. Unexpected as it was, my attention didn’t linger on the TVs for too long. Four heads swiveled in my direction, drawing my eyes to what I had been dreading. All boys.

Why hadn’t I worn something a little more subtle? Everyone was wearing casual t-shirts and tank tops, and I was dressed up like I was a going to a Friday night party with my cheerleading friends.

I caught a quiet ‘damn’ from one of the boys, but it was hardly flattering. I may be a little self conscious about my size, but that doesn’t mean I want validation from a leering 8th grade boy. All of them were staring, and I immediately recognized one: Colin. Will’s blonde cohort who helped topple me into the creek earlier. The other three didn’t look familiar at all, though I also never looked too closely at Will’s friends the few times they crossed paths with us girls at Danielle’s house.

“Umm, hey guys,” I said. The nervous giggle that followed was barely even acting. This was the definition of awkward.

“Come on, babe.” Will gave my hand another guiding tug, and I reluctantly followed him into the room. Before I knew it, we were over by the couches where everyone could get a much better look at me. “Anyone still want to call bullshit on me having a high school girlfriend?” He asked, sounding quite smug as we stood hand in hand, side by side.

If Will’s words didn’t make me feel objectified, his friends’ looks certainly did. No self respecting girl would let herself be shown off like this, but I wasn’t in a position to object. All four looked me up and down, failing pretty hard in their attempts to be subtle. In my efforts to look completely unlike Ava, I had inadvertently set myself up for this. A crop top that hugged my chest and push-up bra, bare midriff, and a black skirt that showed off more than enough leg. What the fuck was I thinking?

I expected Colin to be the first one to say something, as the look in his eyes made me suspect that he knew something. Either he recognized me from yesterday, or Will had already told him everything. Instead, one of the other boys spoke up.

“Isn’t she one of Danielle’s cheerleaders?”

[*Lady Lucia*]

<Hold, Part Six>

[*Lady Lucia*]

<Hold, Part Seven>

[*Lady Lucia*]

<Hold, Part Eight>

[*Lady Lucia*]

<Hold, Part Nine>

[*Lady Lucia*]

<Hold, Part Ten>