The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Title: A Hill of Beans

Author: Redsliver

Chapter 2

“You hoping to run into that boy again?” Vince, Zita’s father, teased his daughter as she tied up her white sneakers.

“Dad, he’s dating Harper,” Zita rolled her eyes. “Besides, it’s Richie Jackson.”

“Well, some boys can grow up it seems,” Vince said. “Besides, it was nice having you float around here yesterday. You’ve been so grumpy since you and Chase broke up.”

“That makes it sound so mutual,” Zita said. “Harper’s Lily’s sister. She’s great. She deserves a great guy. Richie’s taken.”

“Sweetheart,” he shook his head. “If we Kings only went after single people, I’d never have dated your mom.”

“What?” Zita frowned. “I’m going for my run. Stop being weird.”

“Never!” Vince erupted. “My job as a father is to embarrass and perplex you.”

“OK, Dad,” Zita said, rolling her eyes as she headed out the door. She shouldn’t have said anything about Richie. She didn’t really want Richie per se. She wanted a boyfriend like Richie. Someone who’d come for her every morning, even if she put on weight like Harper. Some days Zita felt like she looked like that. Those days she ran harder.

Zita hit the pavement fast. It usually took her the first few blocks before she started loving the run. Not today. She was still happy from her impromptu coffee date yesterday morning. She ran out under the miserable March sky with a smile on her face.

She got her first kilometer in easy. She frowned. Richie was standing out in front of Lilith’s looking morose. Zita jogged down slowly and up beside him.

“Two days in a row?” Zita asked, looking over at the house.

“I, um… Shit…” He looked over at her. Zita was surprised, he had checked her out before. Harper liked to do that, get her boyfriend window shopping. Girl was crazy. Zita hated it when her exes had looked at other girls. There was something off about Richie this morning. He didn’t look guilty but he looked guilty. Zita didn’t know how to describe it. He was OK with the fact he had openly ogled Zita’s boobs, but his mind was elsewhere on something.

“Did you guys have a fight?” Zita asked, frowning. “I hope not.” She frowned that much harder.

“It wasn’t a fight,” Richie said. “Can I run with you? I’ll grab you a coffee again.”

“You can just run with me,” Zita smiled. “I don’t need to be bought.”

“It’s… Uh… I think I’m going to need the break instead of pretending I can keep up with you.”

Zita chuckled. “So, these morning runs aren’t just for Harper?”

“What? They were for both of us!” He snapped and pinched his nose. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s OK. Relationship fights can make anyone testy,” Zita shrugged. “I’m gonna start running again. If you’re gonna run with me, you gotta get moving. Or you can go see Harper.”

“If those are my options…” he said. She went off ahead but he soon dashed up alongside her. Zita smiled. Victory! She felt more than a little guilty running with him.

* * *

Richie had gotten up like normal. He turned off the alarm on his phone and kicked out of bed. He was the only one up and he’d likely be the only one home when he got back. He pulled on his track pants. Returned to his room after patting his pockets looking for his keys. He found yesterday’s pants in the hamper. He took out his keys and Nat’s car keys.

“Oh shit,” he said. He picked the sleep from his eyes as he ran out in his bare feet to the car in the driveway. He clicked the unlocker but he had left it unlocked when he had got in. The car horn made him swear. He couldn’t wait. He yanked open the door. He frowned as he saw them: six rainbow colored beans in the cupholder.

“What the hell?!” Nat shouted out of her window. “Where are you taking my car?”

“I’m not!” he yelled back up to the second floor. He leaned over the seat and scooped up the beans. The purple one fell out of his fist and clacked off the gearshift falling back into the cupholder. He grabbed it and shoved it and the rest into his pocket. He slammed the door and clicked the clicker until the horn honked. “I just forgot something!”

“Put my keys—”

Richie hadn’t heard the rest as he rushed inside and dumped his sister’s keys on the kitchen table. He pulled out the beans again and looked at them. The purple one was cracked. He frowned. Nat stomped across the kitchen and sneered as she snatched her keys from the table.

“What the hell are those things? Cocaine?”

“What?” He picked his head up and looked at his sister like she had five heads.

She rolled her eyes. “Candy maybe? White chocolate covered whatevers?”

“Beans,” Richie frowned.

“Chocolate covered espresso beans?” Nat said. She reached for one. He aggressively shut his fingers and pulled them away. “Jesus! I lent you my car, the least you can do is give me a treat.”

“They’re not chocolate. You think they’re white?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve been hanging around with that art school snob girl again!” Nat rolled her eyes.

“I work with Oksana,” he frowned. “I see her practically every shift.”

“Not important, dickhead. I’m talking about those white candies. Oh, not white? Ivory? Alabaster? Cream? Mother of pearl? Whatever off-white you think they are.”

“She said others wouldn’t see the color…” Richie stepped away from the table and grabbed his hair. He stuffed the beans back in one pocket; he yanked his phone out of the other.

“Fine!” Nat said, grumpily. “Keep your weird bean shit, mumbles.” Nat yawned. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock on the stove. “Do you eat before your run?”

Richie wasn’t listening. He texted Harper. “What happened last night?” He didn’t get a response. He knew he wouldn’t. He patted the beans next to his keys again. He ran upstairs, grabbed socks, and bolted out the front door, hopping into his sneakers, and not bothering to tie them until he reached the first intersection. He ran madly all the way to Harper’s. Then he stopped. He just stared at the house.

He was juggling the beans in his pocket. Morwen had said no one would see them in whatever they got dissolved in. But he still could. That’s what the color was for.

Nat had seen white. Maybe?

Time had stopped. He couldn’t deny that.

Magic wasn’t real. Fucking truth.

“Two days in a row?” He turned, surprised to see that Zita had ninja’ed up right next to him. He looked her up and down, poorly auto-replying to the words she was saying. He could buy her a coffee like yesterday? Desire, devotion, and debauchery. She was a high school senior, eighteen, pretty. He was at college. He only had her for a moment. Sooner or later, Lilith or Mr and Mrs Cowie were going to be asking him about Harper. He didn’t have a lot of time.

“Can I run with you? I can buy you a coffee again.” It was the play. It had to be done. He didn’t give up Harper for no one.

Zita was pretty, cute, tiny, hard, and soft all at once. She had gorgeous dark skin and the hair and bracelets and nose ring and ear studs made her look like more than just the musclehead he mostly knew her as. He smiled. Yeah, Zita’s coffee first. Cailtin and a smoothie. Oksana and a burger.

He could figure out the rest of the beans after.

If this didn’t work, he’d hunt down Morwen. Yeah… because that was a thing he could do.

* * *

“You’re not going to tell me I didn’t have to buy it for you again?” Richie asked as he put down the coffee cup in front of Zita. To him, it swirled with a purple maelstrom. To her, it had maybe a splash too much milk.

“Nope, you wanted the break, it cost you the coffee.” She took a sip and burnt the tip of her tongue. It actually tasted stronger than she expected. He was eyeing her like a lion watching a lone zebra. Zita hid her flattered smile behind the cup. She gave him the ‘watch it’ eyes. She took another sip.

“How is it?”

“It’s coffee, from here.” She gestured to the coffee shop around her. “It’s good-ish.”

“Oh…” he said. How long does it take to magic bean somebody? Maybe it gotta sit in her stomach for weeks? Or maybe it’ll be really fun really quickly and then she’ll piss it out in a couple of hours and he’ll be the one fucked? Or maybe magic beans aren’t a thing and he just made her drink some protein and food coloring.

“What happened with you and Harper?” Zita asked.

“Oh, um… I, uh, met a witch and traded her for magic beans?” he answered.

If he hadn’t made it sound like a question, she’d’ve run with the joke. She decided he needed a serious friend. “Did you say something to her? Is that why she was holed up yesterday?”

“I checked out a girl she didn’t like,” he lied by omission. “And then I spent the day with you, Caity, Lil, and a couple of other girls saying I was a good boyfriend. I let that go to my head.”

“Note to self, stop complimenting men, it fucks up their life,” Zita said. She drank down another swallow of her coffee.

Richie smelled really good this morning. Zita loved the way his smile turned up when he wanted to laugh but he was too down on himself to let go. Plus, he wasn’t immature and dumb like all of the high school boys she knew. Harper was so lucky.

Zita blinked her eyes in confusion. Where had that sappy train of thought come from? Sure, Richie was going to be an absolute beast of a sex machine, but…

“You OK? You gonna finish your coffee?” he asked.

“What?”

“You blew through it yesterday,” Richie said. “You’re taking your time now.”

Oh! He paid attention to the little things! What a good man! Zita wished she had… a man… like the man… right in front of her.

“Ow!” she burned her tongue drinking down the rest of her coffee. Richie looked defeated when she wiped off what spilled on her chin and sweater.

Great! What if they were precisely measured doses and… How would that make sense? Morwen didn’t know which girls he was going to give which color bean to. And…

“Hey,” he said.

“Yeah,” Zita said.

“You’re really pretty,” he told her. She smiled excitedly. She could feel her heart ramp up. She had to do her best to not loudly clap her thighs together under the table. Why was she so keyed up this morning?

“You wanna get out of here? Get running some more?” Zita asked. Oh my god! She sounded like an idiot! He’s gonna hate her and—

“Let’s, um, let’s go somewhere else,” he said.

Richie tossed most of his coffee. He wasn’t sharp enough to know she was fired up for him, but he knew she was excited. He hoped this was how the beans worked.

“So, are you and Harper gonna break up?” What kind of question was that! It was so mean! Harper’s lovely. What if she was willing to share?

“No, that’s not something I can do, right now,” he said, guiltily.

Zita hadn’t listened to his answer. She was fighting in her own mind. Share? Oh my god! I’m thinking like a skank! “Why don’t I just take him behind the trees and suck his dick?”

“What?”

“What?” she asked, her face twisting in shock.

“Behind the trees?” he said. It was working! But, really? Just like that? Was there a window to act?

“What?” Zita gasped. I said that out loud! Oh no! She hurried the words out, “I mean, not if Harper would get mad.”

Not if Harper would get mad! This is Dad’s fault! He teased me and put ideas in my head.

“I’d have to film it,” Richie said.

“Oh, yeah, that’s no problem,” Zita said. Why was she smiling? Since when had she become a porn star! “But we’d better hurry if I’m gonna get back home in time for the bus.”

“Right, I wouldn’t want you to be late for school,” he said.

He cared about her! Zita was practically flying as she led him to a mostly, not perfectly, hidden place off the road and back from the coffee shop’s dumpster.

“No,” he caught her shoulders. “Don’t kneel down, you’ll get grass stains, or…” he toed the soil and pushed it in a circle, “or tetanus or something.”

“Then what do I do?” Zita asked.

“Squat? Stay on your toes and bend your knees?” He offered. He looked back to the road. His reflex was to bolt and apologize and run. But this had cost Harper and... She was worth the best women he knew. He had to. He. Had. To.

Zita squatted down as Richie pushed his track pants and boxer briefs down enough to release his cock. Zita hoped her heart in her throat wouldn’t get in Richie’s way. She reached up and grabbed it.

You’re not a foolish virgin, Zita! You gotta get to school so you gotta do this like you’re fucking Lilith! Unless he wants to skip school… She licked his head and pumped her wrist.

Richie had become as hard as he could in an instant. It worked. Or Zita was a total slut… No, it worked. He had true magical powers. He was gonna put together the greatest harem of desirous, debaucherous, devotees there had ever been. He wasn’t gonna worry about crises of confidence or crazy mood swings. He was gonna be a real sex god.

Zita was beautiful. It was good he had started off with Zita. Close enough to be friendly, removed enough to be a stranger. She had perfect skin, soft hair to grip. Her fingers were soft, her curves plentiful, her muscles tight. She gobbled his cock into her mouth and he made sure to make eye contact.

She popped her mouth off.

“Shouldn’t you take your phone out?” Zita worried. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with—”

“Right! Of course!” he said, cutting her off. Focus on the victories. He got her face in the lens and she struck a sexy pose. All the more sexy when her lips suctioned around his cock. She rolled her neck and bobbed her head, folding her cheeks against the sides of him. She didn’t do much with her tongue, pressing the head and slipping left or right as she rebounded.

Why did guys always grab her head? At least Richie was finally doing it right! When he pulled her hair it was to move her, help her give the best blowjob that he deserved. Finally, this was what sex with a real man could be like.

Her eyelids lowered and Richie zoomed in on her face. He wouldn’t have to delete this video later either! And once he helped Caitlin, who needed someone to love her close to home, he could even share it! He just had to get there in time to give her a breakfast smoothie!

Richie was thinking of Oksana next. Jimmy wouldn’t be there tonight. Richie could slip a bean into whatever she ordered! That’s three amazing girls today! Hopefully he had that long to operate without trouble.

Just look at the way his face twists with his breath! Zita looked up adoringly. She would need to see this every morning! Harper better share!

What if she shared with more than just Zita? It was one thing being second to Harper! They had rules: film it to prove the girl wasn’t trying to take what was Harper’s. Who had they done this first with? Lilith? That redheaded girl? Harper did point out a lot of women to Richie.

At least there was somebody Harper had vetoed. Zita slurped loudly.

“Hello!” Richie froze when he heard the woman from behind the cafe. “Look, if you’re waiting for us to throw out something you can eat, just come inside and I’ll give you a coffee and donut, OK? You could get sick if you keep eating out of the trash.”

Richie held Zita’s head still until they heard the dumpster lid fall shut. The worker went back inside.

“Can you go faster?” Richie asked.

The answer was yes. The novel new blowjobber and the allure of power were enough to shake Richie down and ready to blow.

Zita put her all into the suck. She was trying to get it in her mouth! Normally, she made the guy finish into tissues. That wouldn’t be OK with Richie. This wouldn’t be OK now that she was having more grown up sex. She had to put her scared high school girl rules behind her. She was gonna do it! She was gonna do it!

Richie pulled her down his cock as he started to spasm. He was cumming in her mouth, not pulling out and jacking off into Kleenex! This was so good! His brain floated as he splashed against the back of her throat.

Zita coughed and spit and cum flew out of her mouth around the sides of his cock. She tried to swallow but pulled the tip of his cock into her throat and spat it out before she could retch. He started to deflate and he pulled himself out of her mouth. He reached down, took her hands off of his hips and helped her up to her feet.

She tilted her head back and swallowed. He wiped the edges of her mouth and fed her the mess. She smiled as much as she could around his thumb.

He had stopped accurately filming as he had climaxed. She lifted his wrist and brought the camera to her face.

“Ta-da!” she said, laying out her tongue to show off her empty mouth.

Richie smiled as he turned his camera off. He stuffed himself back into his pants. She turned the phone so she could see the time.

“Right,” Richie said. “We better get running. Don’t… Don’t mention this to Lilith, K?”

“Oh!” Zita mimed locking her lips with an imaginary key, but kept talking. “She doesn’t know you and Harper do others besides her, does she?”

“You’re the first, actually,” Richie said. Zita swooned and hugged him when she had her feet. “I just need to make sure the right people know. In order. Or…” Or Richie would have more difficulty getting all of the girls he wanted. “You ready to run?”

“Do you want my number?” she asked. “Or was this a one time thing?”

Please don’t say it was! She looked at him with her best pathetic puppy dog pout. He brushed her hair back.

“It’s definitely not a one time thing,” he said. “Hey, um, how do you feel about threesomes?”

She lit up and hugged him again. Harper was gonna let her get even closer to Richie! This was the best day of Zita’s life!

* * *

Nat buckled herself in. She really wanted to get out of the house before her dad could badger her into letting Richie get a ride to the college. He wanted to run in the morning, she didn’t want to wait for him. If Richie needed a ride, Harper needed a ride. Nat liked her brother well enough. Harper was the closest thing to a girlfriend Nat had. Still, she really couldn’t take their saccharine sweet romance.

Get going, Nat! She told herself. Still, first, she connected her phone to the radio. She was about to drop it in the cupholder when she saw the smear of powdered white.

“Goddammit Richie!” She said, but scooped up the powder on her finger. She rubbed it on her gums but it wasn’t cocaine and it didn’t taste like white chocolate. It was bland really. He needed to learn to party.

Maybe that was something a big sister could teach her little brother? She’d have to make some phone calls, but this was gonna get good!

She suffered a nagging feeling of guilt as she pulled away without waiting for him to get out of the shower. It passed, but the need for a wild party doubled or tripled up.

The thought of climbing into the shower with her brother settled in her stomach like a lump of lead.

* * *

Caitlin hadn’t slept. She would’ve needed as much makeup to get the red off of her eyes even if she didn’t have the bags under them to cover up. For the first time in four years, she was single. She wouldn’t have been if she had followed Richie’s advice. She just couldn’t do that. Hide something that big.

It turned out Jason had also had a bit of trouble with the whole long distance thing. Except he hadn’t simply made out with some chick at a party. No! He was juggling three girlfriends! How?! He was Jason! He was quiet, nerdy, and kinda repressed. He had been so affectionate when he had come home over Christmas break.

Maybe he had been trying to cover his sense of guilt? She sighed morosely.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t known their relationship was doomed. Long distance didn’t work. Knowing it and experiencing it were very different animals. Experience had much sharper teeth and claws. A big part of her wanted revenge. She wanted to doll herself up and go fuck the first interested boy she could find. Preferably one of the really big football players.

Jason still seemed to care for her though. He had been right when he told her.

“Just because being a slut works for me, doesn’t mean you’re built for it, Caity,” he had said. “It’s not my place to tell you what you can’t do, what’s stupid or what’s going to leave you feeling broken and worthless. Whatever you decide, probably talk to Harper first.”

Harper had only become Caitlin’s best friend over the summer and last semester by default. The main circle of friends she had built up over school had left home or aggregated with their own college cliques. Richie was a connection to Jason and Harper turned out to be just the best friend, always there for her. Until this morning.

No text back. Where was Harper?

“Hey Cait!” Richie said. She shot up but frowned to find him alone. A smile crept back across her lips when she saw three smoothies in the tray he was carrying.

“Richie! Is one of those for me?” Cailtin asked, smiling.

“Of course, banana and whatever that green stuff is,” he said, frowning before shaking his head and smiling. He had shoved a straw in one, differentiating it from his and Harper’s.

The other two were actually empty cups, cover for the fact Harper wasn’t here. He didn’t want to answer any hard questions. He was paranoid Caitlin would notice. He could see the swirl of blue even through the nearly opaque cover of her smoothie.

“Thank you! I couldn’t get a message back from Harper,” Cait said, as she slurped her drink. He took the seat across from her. Caitlin was put off by how he watched her. That kind of intensity she wasn’t used to. Not from Richie. She retreated from the straw, shocked. “Oh god!” She touched her face. “Is my makeup a mess?”

“You look great,” he said, as she went digging for her makeup mirror. “Though a little sleepy.”

“Gah…” she slumped her shoulders after checking her eyes. She looked miserable when she put down her mirror and picked up her drink. Richie sat up straighter. It was like he was looking at her lips… He must be hard up for a blowjob or something. “Harper didn’t find you last night?”

“She did,” he said, slumping down again.

“Where is she? Did you guys get out for a run?”

“Um, she’ll be here. You sure you’re OK? How are you feeling?” he said. “Might I recommend stress eating?”

She laughed when he pointed at her smoothie. She stuck out her tongue. He could see the thin blue smearing the muscle. She took another drink. He was being really horny today. Caitlin leaned her shoulders back, showing off her boobs.

What am I doing? she thought. She quickly put down her drink. Change the subject! Change the subject! Change the subject!

“Did you know about Jason?” she asked. He tilted his head and frowned. “You didn’t?” she felt better. If Richie had known Jason was fucking around on her, of course Richie would tell her! If Harper… Ha! Caitlin would surely tell Harper on Richie… Unless Caitlin herself had… She shut her eyes and dropped her face. “It’s over. We broke up.”

“Oh, that’s actually a relief,” Richie said.

“Thanks!” she flashed open her eyes to scowl at him. Did he always have that jawline? What? She shoved her straw in her mouth to keep from saying anything stupid. He was on cloud nine again!

“You’re welcome,” he said. “Drink your smoothie. So, you told him?”

“Yeah, and you know what he told me?” she said, punching the table. “He said he’d been fucking three other girls!”

“You’re shouting in the cafeteria,” he said. She pouted but took a big sip. He smiled.

“Stop it!” Caitlin said. “I’m really broken up here.”

“Stop what?” he asked.

“Looking like it’s your birthday or something!” Caitlin said. And I’m about to pop naked out of the cake!

“Oh?” he asked, looking embarrassed. She went to take another drink. His smile was back so fast!

“You’re being weird!” she whispered. Get out of there, Caitlin! She got up and stormed off. She almost took another sip but saw Richie’s bright smile in her mind’s eye. She slammed it down into the first wastebasket she passed. Richie’s face turned ashen. Caitlin only jogged out of the cafeteria because full on running would’ve embarrassed her.

She didn’t have to treat Richie that badly! Even if he did seem to have a thing for watching her suck on a straw! So he had an oral fixation! Guys loved blowjobs! If it wouldn’t’ve hurt Harper, Caitlin would’ve loved to drag Richie off to a quiet corner of the school and—

She skidded to a stop before the quad. She’d have to tell Harper to give him more head! He deserved a really good blowjob. She picked up her phone… How do you tell your best friend that her boyfriend needed to get laid? Face-to-face.

“Find me at lunch. Our table.” She texted and quickly typed out: “Girl talk. No Richie.” to follow up, but didn’t send that one. Richie’s schedule meant she’d have half an hour with Harper first. If she really was down for a threesome, not just some “I’d fuck that perfect titted pop tart with you, Richie!” then Caitlin could convince Harper that it’d help bury things with Jason. Caitlin was happy, Harper prevented her best friend from getting slutted up with some random dude, and Richie was blown away. Win! Win! Win! Caitlin headed off whistling to Econ 1001.

* * *

“Shit!” Richie said, looking down to the mess of the garbage bag. If the cap hadn’t come off, he could’ve saved it. Gross. What if he didn’t get what he had traded Harper for? He walked off to a sparse turn in the hallway and looked at his last remaining beans.

Red, Oksana. Yellow, Perla? Brown… Shit. Green! He had an idea!

He put them away and looked at his phone. Two backstage passes to Gabrielle Xu in concert. It was the only real cheating pass Harper had given him. The cheesy pop star was manufactured gorgeous and all but one of her songs were as bubblegum as she seemed to be. He closed down her Instagram. Goddammit! Caitlin had run off.

Zita had drank the whole coffee. It looked like there was more than half of the smoothie left in that garbage bin. Was he going to have to try again?

No, Oksana tonight. Three down and…

He couldn’t sit through class. He grabbed the bus back into town. If he couldn’t close on Caitlin, he’d get what he was promised out of Perla.

* * *

Perla had started her morning with a couple of Xanax. They were her mom’s but getting through the day as a waitress couldn’t be handled straight. She put the pills back behind the medicine cabinet and closed the mirror.

Rent? Why was Papi being so cruel? She had just wanted to travel Europe for a year before going to college. If she had to work to pay her way, fine. But to live as well?!

And all of her friends had abandoned the plan too! They were all off at some school far away and she was stuck in town! She had gotten so lonely, she had talked to that dork last night! Dammit, she really did need a friend.

She looked at her uniform, a bland babyshit yellow short sleeve button up with a pair of black shorts behind her apron. Uh, gross, and they had made her buy it out of her first paycheck! Life wasn’t fair.

She touched up her eyeliner and brushed out her hair. Smile! That she could do; she just wasn’t used to doing it for anybody and everybody.

At least she hadn’t given that dork her number. Thank god, he and Harper had ditched that party Perla had crashed. Actually, she wished they had stayed, being swarmed by still high school kids made her skin crawl. She needed someone worth more. She really didn’t want to find a different kind of daddy though. She wanted freedom, and Papi said you had to work for freedom.

Life wasn’t fair.

She grabbed the car keys to the Honda Papi had bought for her and drove out from the eight bedroom home Papi now charged her $150 a month to stay in. She pressed down the gas pedal with the $500 shoes Papi had bought her for her nineteenth birthday. She looked at the fuel needle nearly pointing to E. She had to pay for that too!

None of the music on the radio reflected the hurt and anger she was feeling. She gave up and left on Where Are You? And How Do I Get There? Gabrielle Xu’s worst song!

Life really wasn’t fair.

* * *

Lilith and Zita met up with their circle of friends at the high school cafeteria. Zita was munching on a power bar. Lilith was eating a salad. Lilith tilted her head. Zita was humming to herself.

“I need to pee!” Lilith said, grabbing Zita’s hand and getting up from the table.

“Hmm?” Zita frowned. She still managed to devour her bar as Lilith dragged her down the hallway and into the girls washroom.

“You got laid!” Lilith said. “Who! Tell me everything!”

“What?” Zita asked, shaking her head. “No.”

“What do you mean no! Details now!” Lilith slapped her hands on her hips. A mousy looking younger girl sneaked out of one of the stalls behind them and started washing her hands. She looked at the two seniors hopefully.

“I mean, I don’t—It’s not your business,” Zita said. “I can’t tell you.”

“Is it a teacher?”

Lilith turned on the younger girl. She yelped and ran out of the bathroom. Lilith went over and turned off the faucet the tenth grader had been using. She turned back.

“Is it Mr Coleman?” Lilith said. “If I was gonna fuck a teacher. It’d be Mr Coleman.”

“No!” Zita said. “Listen, Lilith. Cool it. I didn’t get laid.”

“Yeah, and I didn’t get drunk on Saturday!” Lilith rolled her eyes. “You’re smiling like you won the lottery and you’re licking your lips with your head in the clouds. You got dick.”

“But not laid!” Zita said. She covered her mouth.

“What?” Lilith said. “Wait? You’re excited because you tugged a guy?”

“No!” Zita said harshly.

“Blow-jay?” Lilith frowned. “Really? Whatever happened to the ‘Whatever, it’s not a big deal.’ bored cocksucker I know and love?”

“What?”

“We’ve all hooked up,” Lilith said. “You don’t get that kind of giddiness until you get paid back.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Lil.”

“EVERYTHING!” Lilith grabbed Zita’s arms. “OK, no names! How hot is he?”

“Oh my god!” Zita swooned. “Like the hottest!”

“Julio?” Lilith said, brightly. “Shit! I am so jealous! I tried at the party but he left when I threw up on his shoes.”

“Ew,” Zita said. “Not Julio. You said no names.”

“Whatever,” Lilith said. “Hot? check. Big dick?”

“I’m not a size queen like you,” Zita said. Lilith waited in the predatory silence. “Bigger than Chase’s.”

“Big enough for me then,” Lilith threw up her hands laughing. “I’m kidding. I won’t do that to you.”

“Of course you won’t,” Zita said. “Because I’m not gonna tell you who it is.”

“Oh my god! Mr Ipswich!”

“Ew!” Zita said. “He’s like 50-something!”

“Yeah, but I heard he’s got a big dick,” Lilith shrugged.

“From who?”

“I thought we were doing no names?” Lilith said, sweetly.

“Bitch,” Zita said. “Look. He said he was gonna check in with his girlfriend and we might be having a threesome soon.”

Lilith stared aghast at her friend. Zita looked at her shoes.

“You are such a slut!” Lilith had never declared anything so proudly before. She grabbed Zita and jumped up and down hugging her.

“Have you ever had a threesome before?” Zita asked. Lilith almost answered. “With another girl. Not the four times you already told me about.”

“I’m saving myself for you,” Lilith said, fluttering her eyelashes as Zita. Zita scowled. Then she smiled.

“I’ll ask him!” Zita said. “I think I’m not gonna be the only sidepiece and—”

Lilith’s demeanor changed entirely. She was deadly serious and gripping Zita tightly by the muscles so hard that it hurt. Zita could’ve broken the grip but didn’t.

“You are not a sidepiece. You’re in this to steal the big dicked hunk.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Zita said. “You’d hate me forever.”

“Jesus! It’s like you sucked off Richie…” Lilith watched Zita’s face give away the truth. “Oh my god!”

“Don’t tell Harper!” Zita said, pleadingly. “Richie said he was gonna discuss things with her first. That’s why I wasn’t supposed to tell you!”

“Seriously?” Lilith was pissed. “He thinks that’s what it’s gonna take to keep things from Harper? He’s just gonna come by and tell you tomorrow that it was a one time thing and you shouldn’t tell anybody. What an asshole!”

“What if he doesn’t!” Zita said.

“Then I want in,” Lilith said.

“I promised him I wouldn’t tell you! He’s gonna hate me!”

“Nope, that’s my price,” Lilith said. “Richie makes it good with you and Harper? Horseshit! I need proof. He’s not hurting my sister or my best friend!”

“You’re just trying to get laid!” Zita said. “I really love him!”

“What?” Lilith frowned. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Zita admitted, primarily to herself.

“OK,” Lilith said. “If you’re really hung up on Richie. I don’t have to slut him up. But I do have to interrogate him. You’re still my best friend and Harper’s still my sister.”

“Can I warn him? Apologize for you finding out first?” Zita said.

“No,” Lilith said. They both knew the moment Zita was out of Lilith’s sight, Richie was getting a text. Lilith held off from texting Harper. Richie had better have a damned good explanation, because if he turned out to be just like his sister Nat, Lilith had no idea how to dispose of a corpse.

* * *