Page 11 of Fetch

“You playing tonight?” she asks.

I bite my lip. If I say no, then she’ll definitely know something’s up. I nod. “Yeah, for sure. I’ll be on later.”

She blows me a kiss and sets her sights back on Coast. Poor guy. It’s a wonder he hasn’t quit yet.

I freeze when I get to my car. The passenger side door is wide open.What the fuck?

I glance around to see if anyone’s lurking. Satisfied that I’m not being watched, I inch forward. A chill snakes up my neck when I peer inside. There’s a flyer from Joystick on my passenger seat. The one Vinyl Delights sent out for the party the other night.That wasn’t there earlier, was it?

My stomach knots. I suddenly feel like I’m being messed with.Did someone else see what happened to me that night?I crumple up the flyer and throw it in the back. I’m shaking by the time I slide into the driver’s seat and lock the doors.

I take deep breaths as a panic attack threatens to surface. Maybe it was my flyer that I just forgot to throw away. And I could have easily left the door open when I grabbed the carry tray with our lattes off the seat.

I’m just being fucking paranoid. I need to stop. And yet I can’t help glancing in the rearview mirror every two minutes the entire drive home.

“Bro, Godzilla would annihilate Dracula. No question.”

“You’re drunk. No fucking way. Dracula would eat Godzilla for fucking breakfast,” Skat snaps at RageMachine.

I laugh as I log into the group chat. “We’ve already established this. EvenifDracula managed to sink his fangs into Godzilla, he’d never be able to drain him fast enough.”

“One hundred percent,” Juniper quips. “Listen to Jilly, boys. She knows her monsters.”

“Oh yeah? So, who’s your favorite monster?” Jack rasps.

His voice jars me. I didn’t notice him log in. I swallow down the nervous lump in my throat. “Frankenstein’s monster, of course.”

“That’s weak, Jilly,” RageMachine says.

Jack chuckles. “Tell me why.”

There he goes again. It’s the demanding tone in his voice that no one seems to catch but me.

I clear my throat. “Because he’s not really a monster at all. He didn’t choose to exist. The townspeople vilified him for being different. But he never meant to scare anyone.”

“So you like misunderstood villains? You think you can save them with that sweet spot between your legs?” Jack asks.

“Whoa! Welcome to the party, Jack,” Juniper shrieks.

The heat in my chest rises. He’s antagonizing me. Pushing my buttons. “You can’t save anyone who doesn’t want to be. And I certainly would never confuse sex with compassion.”

“So you’re saying you don’t want to fuck Frankenstein?” Skat chimes in. “I thought you girls like monster cock.”

Juniper cackles. “I’d fuck Frankenstein.”

I white-knuckle my controller. “Frankenstein is the doctor,notthe monster. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Godzilla would destroy Dracula. And you’re all dumb as hell.”

Laughter erupts.

I’m seething. Even Juniper is pissing me off tonight. I usually don’t get riled up by their teasing. It’s Jack who’s winding me up.

“Hey, Jilly, I’m just fucking with you. Relax for me,” Jack coos.

I shudder. His commands are subtle to everyone else, but for me… they’re a trigger. The memory of the controller vibrating between my thighs sends a wave of tingles through my core.

“I know. It’s all good.” I force myself to say it in a lighter tone.

I go through the motions, following them around the swampland while they continue to roast each other. The more I listen to his voice, the more feral I get. My body and mind are in opposition to each other. I’ve never let anyone degrade me like this before.

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