Page 47 of Dirty Roulette
“You never brought her here?”
“She’d bitch about sand in her ass. She doesn’t know this place exists, so I’d rather keep it that way.” Ryder smiles at me, and it ignites flames in my chest that are hard to ignore.
“Was Dirty Roulette always a thing?” I ask.
“If there was a haze, it wasn’t Roulette. Brody setthatup. There were two guys who came in that year for the quarterback position – Brody and Logan. The previous ones graduated, and one of them got drafted. Logan had a better record for touchdown passes and more yards. Brody was looking at being the backup, and in college, he wasn’t going to have cameras on him.”
“How did he convince you all to play, then?” I ask.
“I thought it was strip poker... but it turns out Brittni and some girls stole the booze. Brody was given footage of it from the store. How he got it, I don’t know. But the guys there were dogs, so they wanted to sleep around and if any of us backed out, the girls were looking at charges. Classic manipulation with fear, I guess... but we were eighteen and stupid. We all found out Logan was into dudes and a Mormon. I guess getting fucked in the ass and it being filmed was not something Logan wanted out. He dropped out after the first semester... Never heard from him again. Brody has been the quarterback and captain since...”
“Oh shit...”
“Yeah...”
We are silent, listening to the waves crashing to the shore, and receding. The last bit of sunlight disappears, and the sky turns into a dark blue. I get lost in the restless motions of the water and stare at Ryder, who gazes at the sea. I scoot closer to him, burrowing my face into his neck. He’s smouldering hot, and I’m an ice cube. It must have caught his attention because his hands mold over my cheeks and he drugs me with a kiss. The strong hardness of his lips parts mine, leaving my mouth to burn with fire as our tongues brush together.
***
Crab:I couldn’t stop looking at you at practice.
Payton:Stop teasing me. Lol
Crab:Come over after practice, and I’ll really tease you. Xoxo
One step out of my underwear and the door swings open, letting the cold air flood in before I hop into a steamy shower.
Charlie invites herself in, kicking the door shut. “You could knock!” I shriek and cover up my chest with an arm.
“Learn how to lock a door, then.” Charlie’s mouth drops to the floor, and she points a finger. “Is that a Brazilian?” I swivel around with my heart about to rip out of my throat.
“It’s not like you don’t shave down there!” I pull the shower curtain to the side and let the water run over my back. There is no way I’m going to spill the bad decisions I made in searching up tutorials on how to do it.
“Okay, butyou’venever shaved down there before! How many times have I seen you naked?”
I replace the curtain and say, “I don’t need you up my ass about my grooming habits!”
Using her hand, she clears the fog from the mirror and applies a neutral shade of lipstick. “You gonna stop being soggy, and come hang out with me?” She asks.
“No, I’m gonna study for our first French quiz this Friday.”
“Study?” Charlie asks with sarcasm laced in her voice. “Whatever, have funstudying.” She places the lipstick on the counter and blows me a kiss before racing out the door.
When I’m done showering and the condensation starts to clear in the mirror, I put on a light coat of mascara and stare at the long-sleeved crop top I picked out. It’s white, but my bra leaves creases and the outlines look weird. Frustrated, I unclip the bra and toss it to the floor, then readjust myself.
Now my nipples peek out, and they seem smaller. I smooth out the shirt with nervous strokes. Jitters are coming out of nowhere. I’m going over there to eat pizza with cheese and pepperoni. The shirt is doomed to die from tomato sauce, so why am I panicking? My palms are sweaty.
The lipstick gives me a death glare. I pick it up and look at the name – Caramel Nude. It’s pretty, and I’m feeling a bit more desperate than usual. The cap pops open, and it’s a rosy beige. I try it out for myself.
I check my phone and notice that it’s a little past eight. Oxygen flees from my brain as I dip out of the dorms. My chest aches, I can barely breathe. The reasonable voice in my head tells me to chill out because I shaved my legs, but my nervous one says that I probably missed a spot.
I pass the courtyard and cross the main street at a traffic light. The walk isn’t too far away, but the closer I get, the more nervous I am. I’ve been sneaking around with Ryder for the past two weeks. When Charlie isn’t around, he’s finding me to make out. We’re eating dinner together when he’s not working. It only seems to be making Charliemore suspicious, but she seems to keep buying the fact I don’t want to hang.
Once I’m standing on the sidewalk, the front door is too daunting. I round the house and find Ryder’s window cracked open. With two hands, I push it up and crawl in, landing on Ryder’s mattress with a plop.
He’s at his desk typing on the computer. “Y’know... there is a front door...” He swivels around and pulls off a pair of nerdy glasses.
“Yeah... umm I know.” I sit on top of my fingers.
