The day starts off just like any other, with the same stares, the same whispers following me everywhere I go.
Everythingâs monotonously the same, even in its loathsomeness.
The only thing different is that Iâve purposely forgotten my textbook in English so that Iâve no choice but to run back to the classroom to grab it during my free period. Itâs the only hail mary I could come up with to give myself a reprieve from my abhorrent high school life.
I open the door to slip in, breathing a sigh of relief when I donât see anyone there, grateful to have at least thirty minutes of complete solitude where I donât feel like Iâm being judged or ridiculed.
But as I head towards the back of the classroom to get my book, I hear it.
The heavy, familiar panting. One that has been haunting my dreams since the first time I heard it.
My own breath is coming out in gasps, and my cheeks flush as I turn towards the supply closet where the sound is coming from.
I should walk away. I really should.
But listening to Noah get offâ¦makes it impossible.
I tiptoe towards the closet, my heartbeat thumping in my ears. Heat builds in my insides for reasons I donât want to think about.
Whoever heâs with must have been in a hurry, because the doorâs cracked, like theyâd thrown it closed in desperation to get their clothes off and not checked to make sure it had actually latched. I know that Noah isnât shy when it comes to flaunting his sexcapades, but not all girls are as adventurous. Curiosity gets the best of me as to who heâs with, making me slowly walk closer to the door just to have a better view of whatâs going on inside the closet. Not that my imagination hasnât planted a pretty picture in my head already.
It doesnât take me too long to see who heâs chosen to drag into the only classroom I feel at home in.
Stacy Monroe.
Her face is flushed, and her hair is falling out of its usually perky raven ponytail. He has her bent in half over a lone desk in the closet, his hand on her throat as he slides forward. His teeth are gritted and thereâs a fine sheen of perspiration on his forehead. But thatâs not what has my heart in a twist. Itâs the fact that he looks almost bored. As if heâs just going through the motions. His body might be here in this dark room doing all the right things, but Noah is nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Stacy is making all sorts of noises fit for a porno audition.
I wonder who came on to who today. Last time I heard they were on the outs. Guess not so much now. Still I canât help but wonder why her? Why Stacy? When there are a million girls available to him, why is she who he always ends up going back to.
I watch for a long moment, my insides writhing. Stacyâs hand sweeps out and knocks a stapler off the table and I jump, backing into the desk behind me, filling the room with a loud screech. They both freeze, and I panic, turning and sprinting towards the door. I donât stop sprinting until I get to the bathroom, hearing the door open down the hall as I slip inside.
I donât think he saw meâ¦but what if he had?
What would he do to keep me quiet?
And then thereâs the fact heâs already labeled me as a stalker. If he saw me, actually pulling a Peeping Tom on him, itâs sure as shit not going to help my defense.
I feelâ¦hotâ¦and bothered as I slip into a stall, my hands still trembling as I debate perhaps never leaving.
But when the bell rings a half hour later, like the studious person I am, I drag myself out of the stall and back into the real world. Thankfully Noah is nowhere to be seen when I come out to join the stragglers who havenât made it to class yet.
Itâs going to be fine, he didnât see you, I chant in my head.
The period passes uneventfully, but then itâs lunchtime. Iâve made a habit of bringing my lunch every day so I can disappear into the library in peace. But today of all days, we didnât have any food in the house to make lunch.
And Iâm starving.
I think about just not eating, but then that makes me angry because the only reason I wouldnât be eating is because of Noah. And why should I let him keep me from that? I decide Iâll slip into the cafeteria and grab some food. And then slip out.
Easy peasy.
I make it to the food line and pay for my food before I see Noah. Or ratherâ¦before he accosts me. Iâve just stepped out of the lunch line when he grabs me by the back of the hair and pushes me against the wall, uncaring who watches.
âTell me, little stalker. Were you in the English room today?â he murmurs, his eyes locked with mine, one hand still tangled in my hair while the other one is lightly pressing against my neck.
My gaze drags around the room, my eyes begging for someone to help me.
Is anyone going to step in? Where are any of the teachers? Is everyone just going to let Noah manhandle me like this and not say a goddamn word?
âI donât know what youâre talking about,â I hiss. âNow get off me.â
âI donât think you want to know what Iâm capable of when Iâm really angry,â he answers calmly, the burning in his eyes belying his tone.
Itâs only when I catch a glimpse of a familiar caring face that I smirk right in his face.
âAnd I think that you should get your hand off my neck before Mr. Evans comes over here and does it for you.â
Noahâs teeth clench, but he takes a step back, just in time for our Algebra teacher to timidly appear.
âEverything okay over here?â he asks, his gaze bouncing off the both of us in equal measure.
Noah shoots him an annoyed look and stomps off with not so much as a reply, while I stand there shaking in my chucks.
âEverythingâs fine,â I murmur with the fakest of smiles.
âAre you sure?â he questions further, not entirely convinced.
I nod and quickly pass him by, rushing to leave this godforsaken cafeteria, food be damned.
As I pass Noahâs table, I distinctly hear the word âstalkerâ, Stacy shooting me an ugly glare.
Looks like things are going to get worse before they can get better.
But they have to get better.
Right?
This canât be how I live the rest of my highschool years. It just canât be.
I wonât let it.
Unfortunately by nightfall, something comes over me and all thoughts of sweet retribution evaporate from my mind.
After finishing one of my smutty romance books, I feel more restless than usual, unable to fall asleep. All I can think about is the sight of Noah today. In that supply closet. The tension in his jaw, in his shouldersâ¦the sound that came out of him. Had he actually been making her feel good, or was he just getting off because he needed the release? Because he was so bored, he needed something⦠anything⦠just to feel alive?
I find my hand trailing down my stomach, inside the band of my underwear.
My eyes close as I begin to imagine it was me bent over that desk. That it was me heâd been pushing his punishing dick inside.
Iâd never done this before, fumble around to try and ease the ache in my core.
But then againâ¦Iâd never had an ache like this before Noah stepped into my life.
My fingers move through my folds, trying to find the sweet spot. And all the while I imagine itâs Noahâs hands touching me. Itâs me causing him to make those sounds. A moan slips from my lips as it starts to feel goodâ
âWellâ¦what do we have here?â murmurs Noah as my door suddenly flings open.
Itâs late at night, everyone else in the house has long since gone to bed.
I squeak and immediately yank my hand out of my underwear. But that only makes it more obvious what Iâve been trying to do.
Noah steps into my room and closes the door behind him. I can see his features outlined in the moonlight streaming through my window.
âGet out,â I whisper-yell, not wanting to wake anyone else up.
âNot a chance of that.â I can see his smirk even in the dim lighting of the room. âI want you to finish what you were doing, little stalker.â
My cheeks flush because Iâve been hoping he somehow missed what Iâve been doing. He prowls towards my bed, lounging at the foot of it like this is an everyday occurrence.
âGo ahead, Sky. Finish what you started. I dare you.â
Thereâs a challenge in his voice, and his words, obviously, and it must do something to my head becauseâ¦I take his dare.
I slide my covers down so he can clearly see my hand push under my underwear. The heat of his gaze makes it even more obscene. Iâm suddenly much more aware of the ache between my legs, my breath, the beating of my heart.
And how much I wish it was his hand making me come.
My fingers begin to press on my clit, the feeling foreign and kind of wrong. Maybe in time Iâll be an expert at thisâ¦but right nowâ¦
âYou were picturing me fucking you, werenât you, little stalker?â Noah purrs all of a sudden. And a fucking moan slips from my lips. âYou were picturing it was my dick sliding between those legs. I bet your pussyâs the tightest Iâd ever feel. Thereâs no way anyoneâs been in there yet.â
I should kick him out, slap him in the face for what heâs saying. But the sound of his voice and his mean, dirty words are acting as tinder for the fire building inside me.
âIs this the first time youâve touched yourself? Or did you come home after that day in the restaurant and make yourself come? Youâre obsessed with seeing me get offâ¦of imagining it was youâ¦arenât you?â
He purrs the words and a soft moan slips from my lips. âYouâre delusional if you think you could ever make me come,â I whisper, trying to hold on to some sort of dignity.
âOh really. Then who are you thinking about right now?â he taunts as my fingers start to move faster across my clit.
âKyle.â
His name escapes from my lips. Probably because heâs the only one Iâve actually had an interaction with where I havenât been insulted.
Noah rears back briefly before quickly recovering.
âI donât want to hear that assholeâs name come out of your mouth again,â he growls.
I would have been thrown off my game, but his thumb has started lightly rubbing my ankle and itâs distracting me from the fluent âassholeâ coming out of his mouth.
âHmmâ¦â I muse, slightly out of breath as I continue to touch myself. It feels goodâ¦but I canât quite reach where Iâm desperate to get to.
Iâve crossed the lineâ¦no, Iâve crossed the fucking wall. And thereâs no way Noah and I are leaving this moment without me getting an orgasm out of it.
Noah would get far too much satisfaction from leaving me wanting.
His hand suddenly grips my ankle tightly and I squeak in surprise. âYou think Kyle could make you come? You think he could leave you dripping? Leave you screaming his name?â
The sound of his voice is the sexiest soundtrack I could have playing, quite honestly.
âAnswer me!â
âNo,â I whimper as the heat flares inside me once again.
âGood girl.â
Another moan comes out because Noah Fontaine calling me âgood girlâ is almost more than I can stand.
âSay it again.â
Itâs official. Iâve lost my mind. Iâm lost in lust, drunk on the feeling of power I have from Noahâs attention focused on me like this. And God how I hate him for it.
But Iâve never wanted anything more.
âOhâ¦you like being my good girl,â Noah murmurs, while his hand slides up my leg. I press on my clit harder. But somethingâs still missing.
His hand keeps going until his fingers are running along the seam of my panties. My breath is literally coming out in gasps with the anticipation of what heâll do. My fingers have stopped playing with my clit.
âDid I say you could stop?â
I write about my characters having âbig dick energyâ, but I realize at this moment that Iâve never understood exactly what that even meant before now. The term equalled Noah. Iâm quite sure there is no one else that could hold my attention like this. Have my heart beat desperate for every word that comes out of his mouth.
His finger pushes under the edge of my underwear, until heâs grazing my sensitive skin. âAdmit it,â he says softly, his finger moving slightly back and forth.
âWhat?ââ I swear the air is glittering around us. I didnât recognize my surroundings.. or myself. He has me under some kind of spell.
âAdmit you wanted it to be you that I was fucking today.â
I grit my teeth, shaking my head as his finger surges up and brushes my soaking wet slit.
âIâll give you what you want, little stalker. All you need to do is ask. No. Beg.â
âStop calling me that,â I growl, my fingers moving feverishly again. Desperate to get thereâ¦before he makes me get there.
âIsnât it fitting, though? You always watching me when Iâm about to come. Kind of seems fair that I get to watch you right nowâ¦doesnât it?â
âIt was all by accidentâ¦I assure you.â My voice is breathless, and I moan again as it starts to feel really, really good.
Noah slips his fingers out from my panties and I pathetically whimper. Which only makes the cocky jerk smile harder. The effect is dazzling, and I find myself taking a mental picture of it and wishing I could keep it forever.
âDonât worry, little stalker. Iâve got you,â he whispers, his gaze focused on my face, an almost confused expression replacing his smug grin.
I wantâ¦more. Even though everything inside of me is saying Iâm not ready.
âGive me your hand,â he growls, and without thinking, I slide my fingers to meet his. He moves my fingers until theyâre hitting the right spot, feeling far better than my earlier pathetic attempts. His hand stays on top of mine as he slowly moves my fingers over my clit, finding the perfect rhythm, doing his utmost best not to touch me. Leaving it completely up to me. Thereâs nothing but the sound of our breaths in the room.
Iâm getting close, far closer than I was before. Itâs building inside of me, and everything in me hates that itâs focused onâ¦him. Itâs his glittering eyes that Iâm staring into, itâs his golden hair that Iâm wishing my hands could touch. Itâs his full lips that mine long for.
âThatâs it, little stalker. Give it to me.â
My eyes start to flutter shut as I make it to the precipice. âLook at me,â he snaps, and they immediately fly open, like heâs the puppet master holding my strings.
His lips are curled arrogantly, and I gasp as I finally fall over the edge, more pleasure than I could ever comprehend coursing through my body. Our eyes are locked the entire time, but as soon as I finish, as soon as my pulse starts to slow, and my breathing regains some dignity, heâs off the bed like itâs burned him.
âItâs a funny thing, Sky,â he purrs as he stands by the door, a huge tent in the front of his pants.
âWhat? Whatâs funny?â I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
âYouâve probably never been kissed and yet youâre going to think of me every time you get off for the rest of your life because Iâm the one who gave you youâre first orgasm. Like I said. Itâs a funny thing to think about.â
With that, he winks at me and then strides out of the room like he didnât just carve a hole in my aching chest.
I lay there on the bed, disgust and shame running through me like a river. My panties are wet, and thereâs a tingly feeling in my veins.
I donât fall asleep that night, dreading every second that will bring me closer to seeing his smug face again.
Itâs the afternoon, and the day has actually goneâ¦smoothly. For the most part, Iâve been ignored, something Iâd started to long for, which I used to hate. The bell rings, and Iâm walking out of class when I see him.
Kyle.
He strides towards me with a huge black eye. His gaze is locked on mine the entire time.
People are whispering around me, and I find myself frozen in place.
Kyle walks right up to me.
âWhat happened to you?â I gasp, my hand reaching up tentatively as if Iâm actually going to touch his face, before I remember myself and hastily drop it down.
âWhat do you think happened?â he retorts.
It takes me a second, until my eyes flick over Kyleâs shoulder, and I see Noah standing at the end of the hallway, surrounded by his usual adoring crowd.
Noah.
Noah did this. But why?
âI donât understand. I thought you wereâ¦friends?â
I guess at least as close as anyone is friends with Noah. When youâre a king, Iâm not sure youâre ever friends with the people you think are beneath you.
âEvidently, Fontaine has a problem with me talking to his stepsister.â The word stepsister comes out in a mocking tone, and I flinch, thinking of what happened last night. And thinking of what would happen, and what people would say if anyone ever found out what happened in my bedroom last night.
Thatâs all I need. Iâm pretty sure that rumor would eventually find its way back to my mother, and I couldnât imagine the look on her face if she heard it.
Thankfully, Kyle continues on as if Iâm not having a panic attack in front of him.
âToo bad for him, I recognize gold when itâs in front of me,â he murmurs. Kyle brushes a piece of hair out of my face and slides it behind my ear, winking at me with his good eye before he strides past like he hasnât just dropped that bomb.
Iâm feeling a bit lightheaded when I glance down the hallway, and Noah and I lock stares.
Thereâs a warning in his gaze that should terrify me. But itâs offset by the memory of the heat in his eyes last night. The way I held him captive there.
As if he can read my mind, he grabs Stacy next to him, and smashes his lips against hers. She immediately melts against him, and something that suspiciously feels like betrayal shoots down my spine.
I force myself to look away, and I wander down the hallway as if I donât have a care in the world.
And as I slip into class, thereâs some sick satisfaction inside of me.
Because the entire time Noah was kissing herâ¦he was looking at me.