Page 1 of Dubious Secrets

Chapter 1

Stassie

“How fucking dare you.”I glare at Archibald II. He’s named after the cat we got when we were little because my sister lacked the originality to come up with another.

Meow.

I scoff, crossing my arms. “Don’t talk back to me. I thought we were friends. And you betray me like this? Not cool.”

My eyes roam over my broken diffuser and prickles of discomfort scatter over my skin. I have the same routine every night. Lights turned to low blue, my sleep blend of oil drops in my diffuser, thunderstorm playlist on my white noise machine. I’d spent the majority of the afternoon unpacking my essentials to ensure I didn’t disrupt this routine because I need sleep. I’m barely a pleasant person to deal with on a normal day; adding sleep deprivation would be cruel to others.

I blow out a breath and pick up the pieces, grimacing when I see the base is cracked and there’s no way to use it tonight.

It’s okay. It’s fine.

I can sleep without it for one night.

It’s okay, I got this.

I flip off the cat sitting on my dresser, who I swear glares back, and toss my diffuser in the small trash can under my desk. Pulling my long dark hair into a ponytail, I try to remember what box I packed my favorite candles in. It’s a limited edition scent that I rarely light because I’m not spending thirty dollars to buy up extras on the internet, but I could light one of the three I have for a bit, just to get a little aroma going in the room.

Archibald hops off my dresser, jumping across to land on my bed before heading to the nightstand. I scramble to stop him just as he bumps into my white noise machine. Diving, I land on the padded carpet in a giant hmph, but grin when I catch my little speaker. I hold it up, taunting the big orange fluff ball.

“I win. Now fuck off, you spawn of Satan.”

He meows back, but I swear it’s cat forfuck you. He jumps off, trotting out of my room while I watch with a scowl. My sister adopted him right before she moved out with her boyfriend, Ryker. Actually, he was a large part of why Mary was kicked out since he peed in our mom’s work shoes. I thought it was hilarious, but now he seems to have targeted me as his next victim, and I’m no longer amused.

Shutting the door, I change into my oversized band t-shirt and tight bike shorts, because they’re the best to sleep in. I don’t care what anyone says, but I flip and flop too much, and anything loose catches. Catching a twisted seam up my ass is not how I like to be woken up.

I grab the box I’d shoved under the bed earlier before my sister could see because I would rather die than explain what half ofit is. If I know one thing about my sister, she’s not adventurous in any sense. My ex-boyfriend may have sucked in the romance department, but he sure made up for it in bed. And he opened my eyes to the wonderful world of toys.

Shuffling through the pile of sex toys, I grab my favorite one. A mid-size vibrator with thrusting action and clit stimulator. This baby gets me off like a rocket. I turn off the lights, and turn on my white noise machine before settling under the sheets. If I can’t have my diffuser, an orgasm should be enough to relax me. Scrolling through my favorite Reddit pages, I struggle to find something I haven’t already watched, my mood diminishing by the second.

After an unsuccessful hunt to find anything that gets me going, I stuff my vibrator under my pillow and roll on my side, tucking the comforter into my arms and pulling it against my chest. Usually, I’d have a large weighted elephant, but I packed her somewhere and I didn’t manage to find her tonight. I resort to my second go-to, imagining fake scenarios in my mind where I get absolutely railed into oblivion.

I pick up my phone and groan when I see it’s only been twenty minutes since I last checked, and I give in and text my sister, who surprisingly answers back immediately.

Me

Heyyyyyyy. I have a question.

Mary

No, Archibald doesn’t sleep outside.

I’m not sure what it says about me that my own flesh and blood assumes I’d banish her pet, but then I remember who the menace really is. And it’s not a cute fluffy cat, that’s for sure.

Me

hadn’t even thought about it until you mentioned it. But now that you did…

Mary

I promise you his revenge will be worse. What’s your real question, Stassie? I only have a few minutes left of my break.

Me

Your demon spawn broke my diffuser and I’m trying to sleep without it, but I can’t. Do you still have the one I gifted you for christmas?

---