Page 37 of Play Dirty
Shiloh
Walking down the halls, my heart races inside my chest. June isn’t part of tonight's event. She was granted the wish to not participate in Delta Keppa Thetha, but not me.
Not Joselyn Johnson’s daughter– the child of a crowned. Today, I will initiate as a petal. I swallow hard as I walk down the dark path. It's eerie and cold. Candles dance with the small draft that comes from the open windows. I suck in breath, trying to fill my lungs– expand them with life. The closer I get to the end of the path, the harder it is to breathe and the more this feels like death.
Mom warned me that this is a rite of passage. A privilege. A great honor to be part of the crowned. Part of the women who lead by example.
“You only have to bleed a little bit.” She said as she dusted my nose with more powder, trying to hide the imperfections tonight. The long, satin, red dress clings to my skin— I’m still a virgin.
It’s important; however, it didn’t matter to Asher that I needed to stay intact. If I didn’t give him something, he said he would leave. So I guess I’m only a virgin where it matters. I swallow the bile and glass of champagne that’s worked its way up my throat.
I put on the best smile I can muster, as I slip on the lace mask and open the door.
I almost let out a scream when I realized how petals are broken in and what mom meant by bleeding. You would think she would have warnedme, told me something more than vague statements. A hand wraps around my thin arm. The man is fully masked, and I can’t tell who he is.
He drags me towards a room, shoving me onto a bed, and in an instant, I understand my mother’s teaching. Her words become a sacred prayer as my legs fall open and my eyes fix on the ceiling.
That was the origin story of the ice queen– that was the night I lost my virginity and whatever warmth I had left in me.
The sound of my phone brings me out of the same nightmare. I bypass all the text messages of screenshots and go straight to the notification from the blog.
The Pulse Blog
Warmth spreads through my cheeks, working its way up to my ringing ears as I re-read the words. This doesn’t make any sense. Iwas with —
The fragmented memories are hard to recover. I remember arriving at the club, walking to the room, but once I started to sip on the bourbon, it all becomes a blur. My body hurts, so I know he got his way with me, but how did I end up here?
How did they manage to get in here?
The rage inside me grows and grows until it consumes me. Grabbing the nearest pillow, I do what any person in my situation would do. The only reasonable thing.
I scream.
Hard and loud.
Until my throat contracts from the dryness and the overextention. Plus, someone is knocking at the door. Throwing the pillow into the far corner of the bed, I let out a groan as I move. My lips feel cracked and sore. Especially the corners.
The knock grows more insistent.
“OPEN UP.” Tatiana chirps from behind the door, and I almost tripover how fast I move to open the door and bring her in for one long hug fest. Tatiana wastes no time in pulling out her phone and showing me the blog. Her golden brown curls frame her face, as her long braid slips from her shoulder to her back.
“Care to elaborate?”
I don’t, but I know she won’t let it go. It’s not in her DNA. If she weren’t one of the richest girls in the room, I would say she could go and become the best detective because she never stops until she gets the truth.
Closing the door behind us, we take a seat on the bed. She tries her hardest not to look at the empty part of the room, the one usually occupied by June. Instead, she pushes the hair from my face, cupping my chin. She looks at the cuts in the corner of my mouth.
“Still?” Her perfectly arched brows knit together, Tati’s olive skin is such a contrast to mine. Her long hair is perfectly placed in a long braid, and she’s already dressed for school. “Now explain, I can understand Thiago and E. But Nico?”
I shake my head, trying to relocate my memories, and my hand clutches the side of my head. “I don’t remember, but I know where we can find some answers.”
Jumping out of bed, I get moving first. I need a shower to get the sticky feeling off my skin. I walk into the bathroom and close the door behind me. I grab my toothbrush and add toothpaste before turning on the faucet of the shower and stepping inside. The warmth of the water feels good on my sore body. I close my eyes and let out a sigh.
“I’m sorry,” Tati shouts from outside the bathroom. Pushing the avocado cat curtain courtesy of June to the side, “It’s okay, it’s not like you weren’t busy.”
“Still, I wanted to be here. I just couldn’t manage to get back on time.”
Placing the toothbrush into my mouth, I begin to brush my teeth. Yes, I’m one of those people who likes to shower, exfoliate, and brush my teeth all in one go. “Don’t feel bad, her dad didn’t show either.”
