Stay with me

Chapter Four

“Moments don’t go away,

they burry and become you.”

—Oliver Masters

TIME STOOD STILL at Dolor. I’d officially been here a week, and everyone walked aimlessly from one class to the next in a fog as the seconds seemed like hours, myself included. I was sure boredom would be the death of me.

The only action—and variety—I got was from Oscar, the trainee, who came by on Tuesdays and Thursdays to drop off letters and useless cash my father sent me.

The only purpose of sex with Oscar was to pass the time and allow me to take control of my mundane schedule. I’d been called many names throughout high school. Slut. Whore. Floozy. You name it—I was called it. It never bothered me in the way it killed other girls’ confidence, and it had almost destroyed Sarah’s, my only so-called acquaintance in high school.

I tried to ignore it, but the crying only got worse in the bathroom stall behind me. Rolling my eyes, I nudged the stall door with my foot to see if it was locked, and it was.

After groaning, I called out, “Please, for the love of god, stop crying.”

But she didn’t.

“Open the damn door,” I said, unsure of why I was irritated by it, only wanting it to stop.

The lock clicked, and weight carried the door open. Sitting over the toilet—pants up, thank god—was a chubby girl with blonde hair and big blue eyes. Her tear-soaked face was red. She looked silently up at me.

“What are you crying over?” I asked her.

She tried to catch a breath as her eyes and nose drained into her hands.

“I made a mistake.” Her voice was shaky and words barely audible.

I leaned against the door, unsure if I had the energy to get involved. It wasn’t sympathy I had for the girl. I honestly couldn’t give two shits as to why she was crying, but I was bored and curious. “What did you do?”

She chewed her lip to stop the trembling. “I had sex with Trey Sullivan.”

Air blew out of my nose as I let out a light chuckle. “And let me guess, he told everyone.” She nodded as another tear fell, and I continued, “And Mallory and her whole posse let you have it? Slut shaming you?”

She nodded again.

“You screw around a lot?”

The girl narrowed her eyes as if my question was insulting.

“Hey, I like to fuck, too. I’ve been with Trey and his micro-dick. You can be honest with me.”

Her shoulders relaxed, and her tears finally stopped. “I don’t know why I do it … I guess I like the attention.”

Exhaling, I fell back against the stall and crossed my arms. “Let me tell you something. The only person you need to worry about is yourself. If having sex with people makes you happy, and it makes you feel good, then who cares what other people think? That’s the problem with people these days … Everyone wants to put others down because of their own insecurities. So, every time someone calls you a slut, what they’re actually saying is, ‘Man, I wish I was secure with my sexuality.’ Anytime someone calls you a tramp, what they’re really saying is, ‘I’m fucking jealous I couldn’t experience it myself.’”

The girl’s eyes went wide, and her smile grew. “You really think so?”

“I know so. It’s been proven single girls who have casual sex with multiple partners have higher self-worth and body image. Look it up if you don’t believe me. They also have higher standards when they are ready to be in a relationship. I’m not saying go out there and sleep around as much as you can … All I’m saying is girls like Mallory and boys like Trey are the ones who are insecure.” I shrugged. “No one has a right to insult something they can’t understand, and tears shouldn’t be wasted on misunderstandings.”

The girl giggled, and I cringed. “You’re unbelievable …” She smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Mia.”

“Sarah,” she said as she pointed at herself. “I think we should be friends, Mia.”

I forced a smile in return. “I don’t do the whole ‘friends’ thing.”

“What do you do, then?”

“Men with more to offer than a micro-penis, for starters …”

We both shared a laugh, and I would never admit it to anyone, but it was the only time I had been genuinely nice to someone.

Jake was the only one I couldn’t seem to avoid since he couldn’t take a hint. He was like an obnoxious dog looking for a bone, and I could only take him in doses. He wasn’t half bad, but that didn’t mean I was going to keep in touch with him after Dolor. Every day, he begged me to join his friends for their midnight rendezvous, and every day I declined.

Until tonight.

I got the impression he would continue to harass me until I agreed. Plus, boredom was eating me alive from the inside out, and I supposed going would be better than reading the book Dr. Conway had given to me last week.

Doors automatically locked on time. Stanley completed his nightly security routine. Midnight came around, and I paced my small dorm room in my fla

The desk wasn’t heavy. I moved my bed to the center of the room and somehow managed to lift my desk on top of it before climbing up. Standing over my makeshift mountain, I pushed up the vent to find the bolts already loose. I swear, if there is a dead body up here, I will have both of Jake’s heads—one in each hand.

The distinct sound of Jake’s giggle echoed through the maze in the ceiling. After crawling four blocks to my left, I reached the opening to where the party was going on, and poked my head in to see Alicia’s curly hair below.

Alicia pointed up when she noticed me. “No way!” She moved out of the way. “Someone help her, yeah?”

Ollie appeared under the vent, wearing a black tee, sweatpants, and a smile reaching his exceptional green eyes. “Come on down, love,” he called out, and I pushed my feet through the hole. “I have you.” His fingers wrapped around my ankles before his hands slid up my hips and continued to pull me down until my feet reached the ground. His hands lingered around my waist, reluctant to break the co

“It’s about time,” he whispered as he sca

“Mia!” The group repeated in a cheer, and Ollie looked down at me as our arms dropped between us. His mouth quirked up to the side. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

My eyes fell on Jake who sat on the floor wearing a red onesie and a content smile.

Yes, a fucking onesie—with candy canes, I might add.

Ollie’s room had barely any furniture. No desk, no chair, no bed frame. Only a mattress on the floor and his clothes in a pile tucked away in a corner beside the mattress. How the hell was I supposed to get out of here?

“You already know Jake and Alicia. This here is Bria,” Ollie introduced with his hand extended toward the pixie-haired girl sitting on the floor. “And this is my mate, Isaac.” Ollie patted Midnight’s chest beside him, the same guy I’d seen him talking to in the mess hall.