maid for hire

8/21/2019 Maid for Hire

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Chapter 1: Meet Andrea, the Party Girl with Serious Financial

Problemthis might be one of my first attempt to make a humorous story. My friends often comment that I have a great

sense of humor so don't worry, this won't be that bad.

edit: 17-!-"1#

$%I& &$() I& I*+&$ I$% /(0MM0$I02 (((&.

34ease proceed with caution.

0side from that, thank you for giving this a chance. It's the first time I finished a fu44 nove4 in eng4ish, and I have

no one but you guys 5especia44y the ear4ier readers6 to thank. :6 I'm current4y editing this off4ine, in prospect of pub4ication.

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Chapter One: Meet Andrea, the Party Girl with Serious Financial Problem

I put up my hands above my head, moving my body according to the music that b4asted off the big stereo. 044 of

my gir4friends were dancing around me, a simi4ar euphoric smi4es were on their faces.

$he p4ace was fi44ed with at music that was bound to make your ears b4eed and your chest thump 4ike cray.

Initia44y, I never thought that I'd 4ike parties, but soon I changed my mind. hi4e I cou4dn't rea44y afford going to

a c4ub, house-parties were great and free 5we44, most of the time6. 8esides, this was the on4y time I cou4d 4ose

myse4f from my cray, erratic 4ifesty4e.

9My /od, 0ndrea, this is the best night that I've ever had... (;9 %annah screamed at me, her face was a44 redand her hair 5which I'd he4ped her to straighten6 had been reduced into a bush of f4yaways.

I put up a smi4e. %annah was my bestfriend, it was a pity that she a4ways got her heart broken by boys, but

fortunate4y a good party cou4d a4ways ease her up in a snap.

9*e


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I pocketed back my ce44phone and progressed to e9

$he voice be4onged to the sing4e most annoying boy in Merryweather %igh, 04ec 84ae.

0nd why he was annoying> 8ecause he was an arrogant, big-mouthed, good-for-nothing p4ayer who broke

%annah's heart. 0nd not =ust %annah, prior to %annah, he had dumped around twenty gir4s.

f course, I'd to4d %annah that 04ec was troub4e, but %annah wou4dn't 4isten to me. *o gir4s cou4d ever resist

04ec, his good 4ooks and suave manner a4ways charmed the gir4s into bending their knees over him. 0nd then the

inevitab4e happened, 04ec dumped %annah because he was bored, and %annah spent about five hours crying to

me over the phone.+ive hours. $hat's the most %annah had cried because of a guy.

$hat was two years ago, and that marked the time that 04ec and I became arch nemesis. %annah forgave 04ec not

4ong thereafter, but me, I sti44 breathed fire whenever he came around my vicinity.

My nostri4s f4ared as I spurned around. %is arrogant face adopted a perpetua4 annoying smirk as he stared back at

me. n his 4eft hand was a red p4astic cup, on his other hand was a gir4 who c4ung to his torso 4ike there was no

tomorrow.

9%ey, 044ie, how fascinating to see you here,9 I said whi4e scrunching my nose up. 9h, and 4ook, you found

yourse4f a gir4;9

04ec smirked as he took a g4impse to the poor brunette who was dang4ing on him. It was so typica4 04ec to show

up with a new gir4 every month. I was sure he had dated at 4east 7?@ of the fema4e popu4ation that Merryweather%igh had. 8ut sometimes he a4so dated gir4s from other schoo4, and at one time, a gir4 from hina f4ew here =ust

to get dumped three days 4ater.

erdict> espicab4e assho4e.

9%oney, who is she>9 the gir4 pursed her mouth more than necessary as she spurn out those words.

9h, =ust a friend, Mindy.9 04ec said in a me44if4uous voice, the voice that he'd used to hundreds of other gir4s

prior to Mindy.

Mindy scanned me, her eyes s4ight4y sAuinted and her =aw tensed as she took in my appearance. &he was

comparing how much of a competition I was to her. +ina44y, her p4ump 4ips opened: 9Is her name rea44y 0ndre>

hy is she ca44ing you 044ie, anyway>9

I arched an eyebrow, actua44y waiting for this gir4 to surprise me with her 4eve4 of stupidity. 0ccording to 04ec's

report cards a4one, he summed up to be a smart boy with higher IB points than most peop4e. hy he chose tokeep bimbos around him was beyond my grasp.

9It's =ust a 4itt4e inside =oke between us,9 04ec e


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9/o to he44, 04ec;9 I screamed as I rea4ied that no matter what I did, I'd never be ab4e to take the phone from

him. *ot when he was raising his arm 4ike that. My mind raced fast, and before I cou4d even process my train of

thought, I 4unged for his arm and sunk my teeth on his skin.

It was painfu4. I near4y forgot that 04ec p4ayed basketba44 and footba44. It was on4y natura4 that his arms bui4t

formidab4e musc4es that were so hard it made my teeth ting4e. %e ye4ped, though, and his hand 4ost its grasp of

the phone.

My eyes bu4ged as I watched the brand new i3hone Cs fe44 down in s4ow motion and crashed against the hard

f4oor. $here was a 4oud, resounding (0&%, before a noticeab4e crack formed on the screen.

h, /od, no...

98-8aby>9 Mindy b4inked her eyes severa4 times.04ec on4y stayed there, his e9

04ec furrowed his brows as he g4ared at me. I e


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%is eyes widened as he worked on his mouth, opening and c4osing it without any words coming out. hat> Is it

so surprising to see a gir4 who was wi44ing to rep4ace something that she broke> as the on4y type of gir4 that he

knew was the ones who regard money as something higher than gods>

I he4d my chin high as he turned around and 4eft the house. $he cafF that I worked was about three mi4es from this

p4ace and I had no more money for cab. 8ut that's okay, I cou4d take a 4itt4e wa4k. I needed some time to soothe

myse4f, anyway.

0s I took steps away, I saw peop4e turning their heads towards me, inaudib4e whispers fo44owed afterwards. I

tried to keep my gae straight to the street. My name is 0ndrea (obinson and if there's one thing about me that

I'm goddamn proud of, then it's my pride.


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Chapter 2: Meet Andrea, the Girl who 3ic4ed a Guest5s GutChapter +wo: Meet Andrea, the Girl .ho 3ic4ed a Guest5s Gut

0fter about ha4f an hour a4ternating between wa4king and running and =ogging 5and p4anking, if you count the

embarrassing fa446, fina44y I cou4d see the pink sign of Giny4 afFH, the p4ace that IHd been working for about five

months.

3anting, I brushed off my forehead, which was drenched with sweat. If on4y I sti44 had any money on my pocket,

then IHd be ab4e to take a cab or a bus here, but my stupid pride made me give 04ec everything that I had.

oe is me, woe is definite4y me.

*o, oh no. I rapped my sku44 with my knuck4es, trying to knock off the negative thoughts off my head. *o way,0ndrea, you donHt have the time to se4f-pitying yourse4f. /et your butt to work now; (emember that wa4king is

good to tone up your body;

ith the newfound determination shrouding me, I entered the cafF.

I guess I came much 4ater than ani wou4d 4ike. 8y the time I wa4ked in, she was in the verge of crying. e44,

ho4d that thought, =udging by her red eyes and puffy nose, she very probab4y had.

h, 0ndrea;J she screeched. +ortunate4y, the cafF was empty at that time so no customers were bothered.

0ndrea, 0ndrea, I was afraid that you wou4dnHt come; hy didnHt you answer my teJ

I gave out an apo4ogetic smi4e. IHm out of credit, ani. ItHs near4y the end of the month.J

ani 4ooked at me with her big doe-eyes, and I a4most fe4t gui4ty. ani had this effect to everyone. &he was

pushing thirty, but her 4ithe body and her si4ky b4onde hair diminished years off her e


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e44, if you havenHt noticed a4ready, IHm not G$he 84ondieH and IHm not interested with surrounding myse4f with

you fi4thy o4d men.J

I knew I was being unnecessari4y rude, but the best defense is good offense.

IsnHt she a 4itt4e rude, donHt you think>J one of them asked.

0nd weHve done nothing wrong but being nice to her,J the other one was burrowing his brow in pa4pab4e

disappointment. 84ondie never shouts at us.J

$he third one didnHt contribute on their series of comp4aining. %e was a4ready as4eep with his eyes open.

I to4d you before. IHm not 84ondie, and if the three of you arenHt p4anning to buy any coffee, then get the he44 out

of here;J

$he remaining two 4ooked at each other and then smi4ed in unison. 0nd then, to my horror, they approached thedoor to inside the counter. My heartbeat fastened in a sudden panic. h, shit, oh, shit. My ce44phone was out of

credit and even if I scream, nobody wou4d hear me out at this time;

I racked my brain for ideas fast. $wo of the men had a4ready reached the counter, and they were approaching me

with drunken smi4es p4astered on their pudgy faces. I gritted my teeth in revu4sion, and in attempt of se4f defense,

I kicked one of them on the stomach.

$here was a considerab4e pause, before then the one who got kicked co44apsed to the f4oor. %e was prostrating, his

back tremb4ed a bit as pained moan escaped his 4ips.

$he 4ast man 4ooked at me with widened eyes, the fear on his face was so obvious that it amused me.

e 4ooked at each other for a good ten seconds. I took in his reddened eyes, his disheve4ed hair, the e


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%e44o>;J I snapped to the phone. 044 of my friends knew me we44 enough to not bother me before twe4ve o c4ock

at &aturdays, so it must be someone e4se. I swear if the person ca44ing me in such ungod4y hour was anything akin

to sa4esman, then IHd fillet his eardrums.

+ortunate4y, aniHs voice was on the other end of 4ine. h, 0ndrea; +ina44y I can reach you;J

0nd thatHs the on4y thing that I cou4d digest, before she went on a near4y incoherent ramb4e.

%uh>J I tried sitting up. My eye4ids were sti44 practica44y g4ued to each other so I rubbed my eyes. I a4so rubbed

the skin above my nose, trying to knock some 4ife on my drained brain. hat>J

$he boss is furious at you, 0ndrea;;;J aniHs voice sudden4y boomed against my ear.

*ow, that certain4y was an a4arming wake-up ca44.

hat>;J my mouth fe4t dry. hy>;Jid you harass anyone yesterday, 0ndrea> 0nyone who are supposed to be our customers>J

My face fe44.

h. *o. 34ease not this.

e44, kind of,J I admitted. I heard ani sucking breath, ready to 4aunch a 4ong 4ecture about how to be courteous

and po4ite a44 the time, but I wasnHt going to hear any of it. I had my reasons; 8ut theyHre the one who harassed

me first; $hey were drunk, and a44 of them 4ook 4ike they cou4d pass as crimina4s;J

+or the first time, I fe4t that ani was out of words. e fe44 into an awkward si4ence, eJ I said over the phone. My mouth had dried out so much my voice was bare4y above

a whisper. I need to work. I need moneyLJ

0renHt your parents working, 0ndrea>J ani said carefu44y.

)es, they are,J I sighed unknowing4y IHd 4owered the vo4ume of my voice. $he thin wa44s in my house a44owed

everyone to become a professiona4 eavesdropper, my decrepit father inc4uded. +ortunate4y, 4ike me, my parents

considered &aturday as &4eepingday. My mother doesnHt make much as a catering-woman and my fatherHs been

sick for months. %e canHt work 4ike beforeLJ

I cou4dnHt see aniHs face, but according to the si4ence on the phone, I cou4d imagine her furrowing her eyebrows

in abso4ute sympathy. 0ndrea, IHm so sorry to hear thatLJ

ItHs okay,J I said. IHm a big gir4, I need to he4p out my parents.J


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h, 0ndreaLJ ani sighed again. ait whi4e I ask around for any openings, okay> IH44 teJ

$he way her voice had tremendous effects to my initia4 panic was astounding. I found myse4f nodding and

managing a smi4e as I said okay and hung up. 8ut after aniHs voice didnHt eat up my concentration, I found

myse4f staring at the empty wa44s.

My fami4y had never been rich. e were a 4itt4e higher above working c4ass before then my father fe44 sick with

heart prob4ems and brought the who4e financia4-condition to the scraping ground.

$he doctors were nice and generous, but that didnHt mean the medicines werenHt e


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Chapter $: Meet .orthinton /oy, the /oy .ho /ecame a %eend

Chapter $: Meet .orthinton /oy, the /oy .ho /ecame a %eend

My eyes bu4ged three times their norma4 sie as I gaped at the humongous white house 4ooming over me. hen

ani said that the fami4y was raging rich, I thought I cou4d prepare myse4f to face a staggering amount of wea4th,

but I was wrong. ead wrong.

$his fami4y was open4y disp4aying their wea4thy in the 4east surreptitious way. 0nd gosh, =udging by the sie

a4one, I thought the fami4y cou4d bui4d at 4east three soccerfie4ds inside the house and sti44 had enough room for

the b4eachers.I 4ooked down on my shabby c4othes and my ratty bike. &udden4y I fe4t 4ousy and the confidence that I had took

off to *ever4and. $hank /od I saw ani and her sister waiting from my outside the mansionHs humongous gate.

ani rushed to me, her face was a miJ I whispered to onna.onnaHs =aw was tight. 8ecause, the orthington son is rea44y, and I mean rea44y rea44y rea44y rea44y attractive.J

I b4inked. h.J

$here was an awkward si4ent between onna and I as we 4istened to the gir4s gushing about their e


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handsome and rich, why the he44 did he spare his time with a freaking maid>; %e cou4d have easi4y snatched a gir4

of his own 4eve4: a princess with her own cast4e-sied house.

I sto4e a g4ance to onna, who stared at the herd of these fantasy-fi44ed gir4s with eyes that 4ooked 4ike they were

going to burn. I noticed that she wasnHt wearing any make-up.

If the son is so handsome, why are you not do44ed up>J I asked her. $he other maids too, arenHt wearing any

make up.J

onna shuddered a bit. 8ecause, 0ndrea, and this is important,J she 4ooked around, making sure that there

wasnHt anyone in espionage. Mrs. orthington is rea44y, and I mean rea44y rea44y rea44y scary.J

-

--

+ifty-five minutes 4ater, I e


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I had to get the =ob, I had to work and I had to get money. *o matter how hard my mother worked, she wou4dnHt

get enough for the who4e fami4y to eat. My father was hope4ess he cou4d bare4y wa4k a mi4e without panting. I

shou4d be supporting my own fami4y, and this was my on4y chance;

$hey donHt, but I do;J I said, not rea4iing that my vo4ume had risen to match hers.

0 few seconds of tota4 si4ence passed before Mrs. orthington turned around to face me. $he 4ower part of her

face was tota44y froen, but her en4arged eyes showed how much of a shock my sudden outburst was.

0nd not the good kind of shock.

I gu4ped again. LMa-MaHam,J I stammered to comp4ete the sentence.

+or the first time, Mrs. orthingtonHs =aw wasnHt tense. &he was actua44y satisfied with my answer. ver so

s4ight4y, she gestured me to the kitchen. )ou work from four to nine, everyday eJ onna asked

I get to c4ean the =ugs and the grandsonHs room,J I grinned.

h, no she didnHt,J onna didnHt 4ook too happy. 0ndrea, 4isten, thereHs a reason why the orthington fami4y is

a4ways 4ooking for maids.J

)eah>J

Most of the time, itHs because the orthington son is a4ways foo4ing around with them.J

onna,J I smi4ed at her, the sweetest smi4e that I cou4d manage. I donHt get smitten by good-4ooking boys that

easi4y.J

$he orthington boy is a snake, 0ndrea,J onna hissed. %e knows how to f4irt with women. %e a4ways takes

home different women and when Mrs. orthington is out of town, he hosts cray parties.J

0nd thatHs more the reason why I wonHt be smitten by him,J I said firm4y. %e sounds 4ike a party anima4 who4ikes to disrespect women. I hate boys 4ike that.J

8ut the orthington boy is a4so the sweetest boy, 0ndrea,J onna wasnHt 4osing this argument. hen he wants

to, he can spurn out the sweetest words that can me4t my knees. My knees, 0ndrea; My knees =ust donHt me4t to

anybody;J

h, donHt worry about it,J I waved my hand at onna offhanded4y. *ow, why donHt you te44 me how things

work here>J

onna stared at me, si4ent4y p4eading at me to take some heed of her words. 8ut I was too happy to even consider

anything, a44 I wanted to do was to start working and started producing money. (ea4iing that I wasnHt going to

budge anytime soon, she reached for the nearest cabinet and snatched a few napkins.

04right, 0ndrea, donHt say that I didnHt warn you- she said before she began my training.

-

-

-

0t e4even oHc4ock, I was supposed to wake up the orthington son with breakfast in bed. $he orthington fami4y

had at 4east thirty rooms in this mansion. 044 of them were situated in a comp4e< position that took months to

memorie. $hey didnHt need any thief-catching gadget to ensure the houseHs security. ith this kind of mae, the

thieves wou4dnHt be ab4e to find their way out.

0s a maid, I was entit4ed with my own map. I had to give in a copy of my I in e


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0t e4even oHc4ock sharp, the cook prepared the orthington sonHs breakfast on a si4ver tray. I ba4anced the tray on

my hands, Auite unused to its weight. onna was a4ready on her own duty, so she cou4dnHt he4p me around

anymore.

(eca44ing the memories of the map inside my head, I found my way to the orthington sonHs room. $o be honest,

I was a4so curious as to how did he 4ook 4ike. onna said that there were a4ready around thirty maids fired

because they were a44 caught foo4ing around with this boy. *ot on4y that, the gir4s who came here ear4ier were

a4so enticed by his 4ooks.

Eust, how attractive he rea44y was>

+ina44y, I found myse4f staring at the door that wou4d 4ead me to his room. My breath fastened as I twisted the

doorknob, wondering what kind of face that I wou4d see. id he 4ook anywhere near 2ogan 2erman> Oac fron>Mrs. orthington had copper hair and b4ue eyes, so he must had the same features.

hen I stepped inside the room, I found myse4f in awe at the disp4ay at so many gadgets. 0 forty inch $ on the

wa44. 0n e


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ne. 04ec recognied me and magica44y didnHt give a damn that I was working as his maid.

3robabi4ity that this wou4d happen> Oero.

$wo. 04ec recognied me and tortured me to do every dirty work he knew I cou4dnHt stand. 2ike scrubbing his

underwear c4ean. ith my own hands.

3robabi4ity that this wou4d happen> &eventy five percent.

$hree. 04ec recognied me and tortured me to do every dirty work he knew I cou4dnHt stand. And he to4d

everyone at schoo4 that I was working as a maid in his house.

3robabi4ity that this wou4d happen> $wo hundred and twenty five fucking percent.

%ey, you,J 04ecHs voice sudden4y seeped through the e

)ouHre the new maid, right>J I heard a 4itt4e chuck4e came a4ong the sentence. %is voice took a friend4y tone, one

that wou4d actua44y 4ure peop4e into answering everything he asked.

I had to stop myse4f from instinctive4y answering his Auestion with an eAua44y friend4y manner. 0fter I was

convinced that I wou4dnHt be too reck4ess, I he4d the tip of my nose and tested my voice.

It came out higher than my usua4 voice.

)es, Mr. orthington,J I said. I had to keep my identity hidden as 4ong as I possib4y cou4d.

34ease, 04ec is fine. Mr. orthington makes me fee4 o4d,J he said through the door.

hat the he44> ne minute, and a4ready he a4ready f4irted with me>; $his guy was a manwhore through and

through.&o whatHs your name>J he asked again.

0t this time, my brain decided to abandon me on my own and refused to think straight. I was 4ooking for a name

that wou4d sound forgettab4e and had an air of p4ainness, but a44 I cou4d think was my own name.

I-I donHt know, 04ec,J stupid4y, it was a44 I cou4d think about.

onHt be stingy, Ms. Maid. )ou donHt want to be ca44ed Ms. Maid a44 the time, huh>J

0ctua44y, thatHs a good nickname.J

I heard him 4et out another 4augh. $his was not the kind of 4augh that he used to me. +or me, his 4augh was

obnoJ he cha44enged. )ouHre supposed to wake me up ate4even, right>J

4ear4y, youHve woken up now. $hereHs breakfast on your bedside.J

I know,J and after that, a sound of munching came through. IHm eating right now.J

hich marks the end of my =ob,J I said.

%e 4aughed again. *ope. )ouHre sti44 up to c4ean my room.J

/oddamn it.

hi4e he was a44 friend4y and charming, 04ecHs voice sti44 he4d authority. %e knew that he had power over his

servants, and the 4ack of G34easeH on his statements showed that. I had to eJ

IHm ug4y,J I said, my back was sti44 facing him. IHm so ug4y that your eyes are going to burn when you see my

face.J

$hat seemed to amuse him even more. hat, are you going to c4ean my room with your back turned to me a44

the time>J

I didnHt even need to think about it. $hatHs the p4an.J


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$here was a pause, but I cou4d fee4 his curious stare bored against the back of my head. I nibb4ed on my 4ower 4ip,

trying to contain a44 kind of curses that were a4ready on the tip of my tongue.

044 right, then,J 04ec fina44y stated. )ou donHt want me to see you, fine. IHm okay with that.J

8efore I cou4d stop it, my feet a4ready made a 4itt4e bouncing dance. 2ucki4y for me, it on4y 4asted for three

seconds because 04ecHs gae burned deep inside my nape.

&hit, shit, shit.

&o this was how he seduced a44 those gir4s.

I had to admit. If I didnHt know him and hadnHt witnessed how much of an ass he cou4d be, and I didnHt need

money so desperate4y, I wou4d have fa44en into his traps. 04ec was good at making gir4s fa44ing in 4ove with him.

04ong with basketba44, it was his specia4ty. %e knew he had power over the de4icate se

I 4istened carefu44y for his footsteps, before I cou4d re4a< a bit and re4ease some tension off my shou4ders. %e

wasnHt approaching me.

IHm going to take shower,J he announced.

I sighed in re4ief. kay.J

%e was strange4y Auiet after that. 8ut I cou4d fee4 some the voices of his movement. $he voices of somethingL

fishy. $he voices of c4othesL being taken off.0nd that was when I rea4ied it.

3ut this on the 4aundry for me, wi44 you>J he said.

o4or rushed to my face, and my breathing became frantic once again. I never considered myse4f a prude, and I

knew I didnHt b4ush easi4y. 8ut 04ec knew where to push my buttons.

%e stripped in the same freaking room with me.

5donHt 4ook, donHt 4ook, donHt 4ook6

%e freaking stripped.

%e rea44y did.

I knew that there was a bathroom attached to his bedroom 5seemed that the (ich fe4t that it was pivota4 to have a

bathroom e

I heard his feet a4ready taking steps, and once again, I shuddered. I had never been in the same room with a naked

boy before. %e44, even I never wa4ked around naked in my room before; $hankfu44y, I heard the sound of the

bathroom door g4ide.

5donHt 4ook, donHt 4ook, donHt-6

+reaking he44, I turned around =ust before the bathroom door g4ided c4ose.

%o4y mother ofL. ass.


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Chapter -: .hen +hins Get All O;er the PlaceChapter -: .hen +hins Get All O;er the Place

Monday afternoon, after schoo4, I 4itera44y had to drag my feet to the orthington 3a4ace. $his was on4y the

second time IHd gotten here but a4ready I deve4oped an ear4y stage of agoraphobia whenever I stepped my foot in

the house.

onna was the first to greet me. 0s a4ways, she wore an eJ

)es>J

34ease stop ta4king.J

onna thought about it.

0re you in the verge of punching me>J onna took a step back steadi4y.

I smi4ed, and that seemed to confirm her suspicion. I never practiced my eJ

It was so surrea4 to hear him ta4k in such a me44if4uous voice 4ike this. Eust ear4ier at schoo4, I was chasing the he44

out of him because he 5de4iberate4y6 spi44ed his choco4ate mi4k a44 over my schoo4 notes. 04ec may be a potent


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basketba44 p4ayer, but I was in $rack and +ie4d and within three minutes, I got to grab the co44ar of his po4o and

p4anted my foot on his back.

&afe to say that he went home 4imping.

ItHs me,J I said with my high-pitched voice. 0re you proper4y dressed>J

efine proper4y dressed,J there was an undeniab4e amusement dripping in his voice.

Is your pretty bottom covered>J

&hiiiiiiii- fuuuuuuu- /rah;; id I =ust address his ass as G3rettyH>; I bit on my finger, a habit that I cou4dnHt break.

I b4amed the s4ip on my speech to onna, because she was the one who mentioned 04ecHs nakedness to me.

04ec, of course, didnHt fai4 to notice that I was ta4king about his body. ne thing that I was certain about 04ec, he

was utter4y se4f-absorbed. %e might a4ways ta4k about gir4s "CP7 but he cou4dnHt foo4 me. %e sti44 consideredhimse4f as the best-4ooking out of them.

My pretty bottom, Ms. Maid> %ow did you know that itHs pretty> id you take a peek 4ast week>J

My finger was pretty much chewed up. It 4eft a nasty teeth mark. *-*o, 04ec.J

*o> Is G*oH how you say G)esH, hmm, Ms. Maid>J

&ince my hands were fu44 with mop and brush, my feet were twitching. I noticed this twitching as the sign before

my body 4ost connections with my brain and started committing fe4onies.

*o. $ake contro4. 0ndrea, take fucking contro4.

I cou4dnHt =ust barge in and sudden4y kick 04ec for the second time today. hen I was a kid, I thought that the

other gir4s a4so had a penchant to punch peop4e, but overtime I noticed that this vio4ent trait on4y happened to me.

0pparent4y, norma4 peop4e didnHt think that fighting was the best way to get your emotions across.8esides, if I punch him now, 04ec wou4d definite4y recognie me. /ir4s never punch 04ec. 0t most, theyHd s4ap

him. 8ut =udging from the gir4s that 04ec dated, these gir4sHs s4aps wou4dnHt fee4 a thing. Most of them probab4y

weighted not more than 1 pounds soaking wet.

an you p4ease stop f4irting with me>J I fina44y managed to say.

IHm not f4irting with you, Ms. Maid. )ou know how strict my grandmother cou4d be. I wou4dnHt want you to get

fired,J his rep4y came Auick. 0nd my pretty ass is proper4y covered so itHs safe for you to come in and start

c4eaning my room.J

…and start cleaning my room.

/oddamn. ven if he was good-humored, he a4ways s4ipped bits of authority inside his words. %e remembered

his position, and he was reminding me that my position was be4ow his. Is that how he manipu4ated peop4e around

him to be his hangers-on>3utting my head down, I twisted the doorknob and got inside his room. 0s soon as 04ec saw my face, he groaned

inward4y. ome on;J he threw his hands up. *ow that IHm not seeing your back, you put on a mask> 0re you

kidding me>J

I to4d you IHm ug4y. ou4dnHt want my face to smear the g4ory of your room.J I said as I started sweeping his

f4oor. I noticed that there were Auestionab4e magaines spraw4ed a44 over the marb4e f4oor. ith the tip of my

inde< finger and my thumb, I picked it up and put it on the tab4e. 8oysHs rooms a4ways freaked the he44 out of me.

04ec didnHt 4ook in the very bit embarrassed that I was touching his stash of porn. %e was wearing a wife-beater

and a boJ

%e didnHt even put the magaine down. 0re you ta4king to me>J

*o, I was ta4king to the high4y e


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04ec 4aughed, another me44if4uous one. &ometimes I wonder if he cu4tivated the way he 4aughed to make peop4e

4ike him more. $he gir4s and the boys in my schoo4 certain4y worshipped the ground he wa4ked on, even though

he made it c4ear that he was a professiona4 =ackass.

(e4a

e44, it was pretty acceptab4e, though, since I most4y behaved eJ 04ec droned on, and now the words that came out from his mouth

made my eyes twitch. $hat gir4 never pays other guys much attention. I mean, I can safe4y say that IHm the on4y

one who can push her buttons, that gotta count something, donHt you think, Ms. Maid>J

8y the end of his u4tra-narcissistic mono4ogue, the mop that I sAueeed was a4ready dry and there was a

noticeab4e handprint on it. I was ree4ing so hard I didnHt rea4ie that my breathing became very audib4e. hen I

fina44y noticed it, it took a44 of my contro4 to =ust shrug noncha4ant4y.

I donHt know, 04ec.J

%ey, is there something wrong with you>J 04ec got up from his bed. )ou sound hoarse. 0re you sick>J

I gu4ped down my urges to =ust kick him on the shin. *o.J&erious4y, if youHre sick, you can stop working now,J there was an honest concern in his voice. )ou donHt have

to force yourse4fLJ &omehow, he had a4ready gotten out of the bed and was on his knees beside me.

0t norma4 times, IHd be gratefu4 of his concern. 8ut he had =ust open4y to4d me that he thought I was infatuated

with him, when clearly, I did not. 0n ama4gamation of embarrassment, hatred, and disgust sett4ed on my stomach

and these emotions spin the insides around.

Ms. Maid>J 04ec ca44ed me and I turned around to face him.

hi4e 04ec and I were a4ways fighting, IHd never gotten this c4ose with him ever . $he on4y time that I had seen

him up c4ose was when I tried to pinch his nose unti4 it changed its shape, the day after 04ec broke up with

%annah.

+rom seven inches away, 04ec wasL striking. %is green eyes had a4ways been his greatest feature, but I now

noticed that he a4so had amaing4y arched eyebrows and 4ips that wou4d make mode4s weep. %is nose might be a

4itt4e crooked, but it suited his face =ust fine. %is skin was a4so f4aw4ess. Maybe it was the e


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04ec didnHt seem convinced, but he didnHt try to press on. &hrugging, he went back to his bed and resumed his

reading. I didnHt see you this morning, Ms. Maid.J

My shift starts at four,J I said hurried4y. 04ready ha4f of his f4oor a4ready got covered. I shook my head so that it

fe44 on my face, to further obscure my face from him.

0re you in schoo4>J

*o, I have two kids at home,J I Auick4y 4ied. IHm married.J

04ec arched his eyebrows. )ou 4ook young for someone married.J

&udden4y, I thought of ani and started spi44ing her 4ife-story. It was an accident.J

04ec was strange4y Auiet after that.

I fu44y know that IHm being nosy right now, but is your husband nice to you>J s4ow4y, 04ecHs tone became moreand more intense. Is the sa4ary that my grandmother gives you enough to cover everything>J

NmmLJ I wasnHt even c4ose to answering when I saw a few sheets of do44ars that 4ooked too fami4iar being

pushed onto me. It was my hundred do44ars that I gave 04ec a few days ago.

$ake it,J he said, pushing the money onto my hand.

I was froen in p4ace. My mind drew a b4ank as I saw his hand sAueeing money to my hand. 0pparent4y, 04ec

considered my si4ence as a GnoH.

I b4inked at the money severa4 times, contemp4ating if it was proper for me to take it and if it was proper for me to

4ie and subseAuent4y, made him pity me. 2ike any other 4ie, when you have started, you cou4dnHt stop.

bvious4y, I cou4dnHt stop 4ying now. Maybe after a whi4e IHd dye my hair and put on twenty pounds and pretend

to be someone e4se. *ow that 04ec had obvious4y pitied and took sympathy with me, I cou4dnHt admit that IwasnHt married and my hymen was sti44 intact and that that money had been mine.

2ook at you, 0ndrea, 4ook at the mess that youHve created.

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

ey! Thanks for readin". :# I know that $lec's back"round is still not fully established enou"h by now, but be

patient. %ou'll "et to know more of him soon.

&o what do you think %ou think $lec really likes (s. (aid or do you think he likes $ndrea )r maybe he's

*ust tryin" to mess with (s. (aid's head +lease don't be a silent reader and "ive me some si"ns that you're

readin" this, okay I really like it when readers comment and such. ven a vote is really "ood for me.


19/220

Chapter J

%annah gigg4ed, which confirmed my suspicion.

I gaped at her in disbe4ief.

*o, 0ndrea, these changes are not for 04ec. ItHs for /4enn.J %annah said as she gestured the cafeteria 4ady toreduce the +rench fries from her portion. /4enn was the guy that %annah met at the house party 4ast week. &i<

days 4ater, they were officia44y a coup4e. 0s %annah started b4abbering about how awesome /4enn was, I gestured

the cafeteria 2ady to pass %annahHs unwanted +rench fries to my tray.

0fter we had gotten our food, we sat on our tab4e. I usua44y sit with the cheer4eaders and dancers because our

c4ubsHs activities usua44y ensue in the same hour. hi4e some nerds swore on their ha44owed &tar$rek action

figure co44ections that the cheer4eaders were mean gir4s, they actua44y were not. Maybe they cou4d be intimidating

with their constant need to shriek and their obvious 4ack of mora4, but as far as I knew, they were decent.

$hen again, I was the kind of person who punches peop4e when I was angered, so I cou4dnHt =udge anyone.

04ec 84ae is sing4e, gir4s;J $atianaHs voice was more than a shri44. If I cou4d on4y use one word to describe

$atiana, then it wou4d be GdeafeningH. It took my ears about a month before they cou4d ad=ust to $atianaHs

unusua44y 4oud vo4ume. ven sometimes I pondered to buy a pair of earp4ugs.

%ey, 0ndrea, maybe you can try to date him this time,J $atiana winked at me. *ear4y a44 of us has gotten a 4ick

of 04ecHs yummy abs, youHre the on4y one who hasnHt.J

In unison, a44 the other gir4s in my tab4e gigg4ed. It was true, there were about fifteen of them, and 04ec had dated

each of them in succession. $he gir4s werenHt even being coy about admitting it to each other: 04ec was their

shared trophy boyfriend.

My friends were menta4. +act.

0nd no way in he44 I was going to go down in the same road with them, no matter how much I 4oved them. *o,

thank you. ItHs said that if I date a guy, IH44 a4so date a44 of his e


20/220

0s a4ways, %annah was the first to answer. &he had Auite amaing ears and she cou4d hear from a cray amount

of distance. If on4y she wasnHt so interested in fashion and practiced her ears more, the +8I wou4d recruit her as a

spy.

h, you guys are going to 4ove it,J %annah put her finger on her 4ips as her voice gradua44y became shushed. It

was the cue for us to 4ay down our heads and be Auiet. %annah was going to drop the bomb.

I heard from a re4iab4e source that 04ec has a crush on another gir4.J

$he impact of this news was incredib4e, to say at the very 4east. &ome gir4s gasped dramatica44y, some started

shrieking at the top of their 4ungs, and %annah in particu4ar was a4ready red as she bounced on her seat. $ons of

G+ina44y;;H were being thrown here and there.

I was trying so very hard not to grow4 when I said, o you know who 04ecHs crushing on>J%annah shrugged. *o, itHs a mystery gir4. I heard 04ec said to one of his friends that the gir4 wou4dnHt even 4ook

at him.J

%e deserves it; %e needs to be taken down a peg or two when it comes to 4ove;J $atiana said with fire, and other

gir4s fo44owed with the same amount of enthusiasm.

I hope this gir4 wi44 break his heart,J %annah said with a 4ow voice. hi4e she and 04ec were now in good terms,

she sti44 had difficu4ties erasing the memories of her first 4ove. %e needs to know what itHs 4ike to be re=ected.J

r better yet, 4oved and dumped,J one of the gir4s barked.

I on4y faked a smi4e here and there as my friends started discussing on what this Gmystery gir4H shou4d do to hurt

04ec. My mind was on something e4se, my mind was trying to convince myse4f that 04ecHs previous words did

not have any corre4ations to his decision to break up with Mindy.0nd I shou4d te44 you, my mind fai4ed miserab4y at that.

-

-

-

&ince I cou4dnHt ta4k to 04ec where my friends cou4d see, I sta4ked him.

)ou heard me right. I sta4ked him.

I started at the fifth period, at Mathematics. ur teacher, Mr. 2ayton was an o4d geeer with eyes that cou4d be

categoried as b4ind and ears that cou4dnHt hear anything that wasnHt thunderous. I sat on the very back at the c4ass

and started my mission by g4aring to the back of his copper-co4ored head for fu44 twenty two minutes, before the

guy beside me tapped on my shou4der.

0 note for you,J the guy said. itHs from that 04ec dude.J0 crump4ed paper ro44ed onto my tab4e, and when I opened it, I recognied the neat handwriting as 04ecHs.

-een thinkin" /rated thin"s about me, huh, $ndre

$o say that I was furious wou4d be a vast understatement. I was pretty sure if I were in a cartoon character, IHd be

breathing fire to the paper and then proceeded to grow horns on my head. ith haste, I drew my pen from my

penci4-case and wrote back a rep4y.

%es, $llie. It should be rated for the 0I)123!

0nd then, to make sure that I got my point across, I drew a ba44ed knuck4e and bandages after the word

Gio4enceH.

I gave the guy the crump4ed paper, and after shooting me a frown, the guy threw the paper back to 04ec, who 4et

out a pretty audib4e chuck4e upon reading it.

$he paper came back to me fast. $his time, the guy beside me had a4ready tattooed a G3issed ffH sign across his

wrink4ed forehead. )ou guys shou4d pay me for being a frickin good messenger.J

%eHs the rich boy, not me,J I said as I snatched the paper from his hand.

hat I read inside a4most made me puke.

I always knew you4re the kinky type, $ndre. %our frustration must be why you4re so short/tempered. Want me

to teach you how to relieve some of it

0nd as if it wasnHt bad enough, he drew handcuffs and whips around the words. *ow I knew why the guy beside

me had been giving me the dirty eye.


21/220

I was fuming so hard I didnHt know what to rep4y. If I scribb4ed something a4ong the way of Ggetting my c4aws

under your skinH, heHd turned the words around to be something dirty, despite the fact that he fu44y knew that I

meant everything that I wrote 4itera44y.

+rom the front of the c4ass, 04ec turned his head towards me. $here was that smirk. %e wagg4ed his eyebrows, as

if cha44enging me to rep4y the note.

I c4osed my eyes momentari4y. God please stop the o"e right now.

8ut it was nowhere near the end. $he guy beside me e4bowed me. %ard. %ow about you rep4y #Alright. $et%s

screw.%and get it over with> IHm tired of being your messenger.J

I g4ared at him. )ou read the notes>J

%e shrugged with no gui4t. )ou gave me the paper.JMy shou4ders were a4ready rigid with too much anger that I cou4d contain. ith much frustration 5though not the

kind of frustration that 04ec hoped I had6, I massaged my temp4e. 0fter a whi4e, I got up from my seat and sta4ked

off the room. I de4iberate4y passed on 04ec and tugged on his armshirt.

I heard some guys gave us muted catca44s and I had to swa44ow my tongue to prevent myse4f from screaming

obscenities at them. 04ec 4ifted both his hands as he 4et himse4f got dragged by me, his eJ I cut him off.

I seemed to catch him off guard. +or the first time, 04ec neither put on his annoying smirk nor annoyed frown. %e

simp4y 4ooked baff4ed with my Auestion. 04ec took a few seconds to work on his mouth, but even after he spoke,

his tone was fi44ed with uncertainty.

)ouHre interested in my 4ove 4ife>J

I groaned.

*o, you rat-face. I was =ust asking you a simp4e Auestion.J

%e cocked an eyebrow, but answered anyway. $his is the first time you asked me why I broke up with my e &heHs got no brain and her boobs twice the sie of average

women. &heHs tota44y your type.J

hoa, whoa, easy with the stereotyping, okay> &heHs not that dumb and IHm not a4ways interested in bimbos.J


22/220

I crossed my arms, my foot tapped on the f4oor continuous4y as I demanded an answer from him.

&heHs hot, yeah,J 04ec admitted. 8ut I think itHs not fair if I date her whi4e IHm having my eye on someone

e4se.J

8ump. 8ump. 8ump. My heartbeat =ust got 4ouder.

&It was nice tal"ing to yo' (s. (aid. I "now yo'%re married b't is it o"ay if I develop a cr'sh to yo'? I

wo'ldn%t do anything that yo' don%t li"e I promise.)

*o. 0bso4ute4y no fucking way.

ho>J I asked, my voice became hoarse against my wi44.

04ecHs face changed. It was a miJ

8ecause IH44 punch you if you donHt answer,J I spat. I didnHt know any other way to coo him to answer.%mmm,J instead of answering, he on4y rubbed his chins with his thumb and inde< finger.

ho, 044ie>J I demanded.

%e grinned this time, his teeth white and g4eaming. 0re you hoping that itHs you>J

hen I rea4ied it, 04ec was a4ready 4eaning against the 4ocker, writhing in pain. %is hands were cupped around

his 5now b4oodied6 nose and he groaned and groaned and groaned .

hat the he44, 0ndrea> anHt we have a conversation without you punching me>; I was =ust =oking, for /odHs

sake; 0 =oke;J

I was torn in between fee4ing gui4ty or annoyed. 8ut as I saw him writhing and knocking against the 4ocker to

ease the pain, I decided that the horrib4e fee4ing on my stomach was the resu4t of my gui4t.

%ey, sorry, okay>J I 4ifted my hand, contemp4ating whether to put it on his face or his shou4der. 8ut then Iwithdrew it and 4et my hand hung on my side. Maybe 4ater you shou4dnHt =oke around with me.J

04ec didnHt respond, as he was sti44 busy rubbing against his nose. hen he 5fina44y6 removed his hands from his

face, I saw that there was a river of b4ood trai4ing from his nostri4s. r maybe you shou4d practice se4f-restraint,J

he said curt4y.

I cou4dnHt answer.

2ucky for you, though, IHm a forgiving person.J 04though his nose was b4oody and he had been sAuirming 4ike a

baby =ust five seconds before, heHd regained his stance and 4eant against the 4ocker now. ne of his feet was

tucked in as his hands were crossed over his chest. I noticed that the stance 4ooked 4ike it came out right from a

Magaine.

*urse my nose,J he demanded. *o, he sounded 4ike he was giving me an order.

&i4ence, then.3ardon me>J

*urse my nose,J he repeated with the patience that I didnHt e 0nd now I'm b4eeding and I want you to nurse me unti4 my

b4eeding stop. $hen IH44 forgive you and maybe 4et you know who the mystery gir4 is.J

)ouHre not serious.J

%is chin ti4ted up higher. I b4oody am.J

e stood froen 4ike this. My hands were sti44 on my sides, a part of me wanted to withdraw a pack of tissue that

I had on my pocket, but something somehow he4d me back. Maybe it was the 4ook on 04ecHs eyes, the 4ook of

cha44enge and anticipation. Maybe it was the idea of nursing him, which means that I wou4d be touching him in in

a way that didnHt invo4ve any vio4ence.

$hen this wou4d be the first time I touch him without the intention of hurting him.

r maybe it was my fear. My fear of getting c4ose to him, since I was supposed to work with him after schoo4 and

a44 that shit.

I didnHt know which of the three options that made me do it, but before I knew it, IHd a4ready whir4ed around and

wa4ked back to Mr. 2aytonHs c4ass a4one. I ignored the catca44s that 04ecHs friends threw me and =ust su4ked at the

back of the c4ass.

04ec didnHt attend the rest of Mr. 2aytonHs c4ass, or any c4ass afterward that.


23/220

Chapter =: .hen Secrets ">posed and %ies isco;eredChapter =: .hen Secrets ">posed and %ies isco;ered

$he door to 04ecHs room 4oomed high over me. IHd put on a44 of my gears and became unrecogniab4e to the eyes

of my schoo4mates, but sti44 I fe4t fear whenever I thought about the possibi4ities about 04ec knowing my rea4

identity.

$oday I punched his nose. %e didnHt turn up again after the incident 5though IHd rather ca44 it an accident6 and I

had to run eInha4ing, I knocked on his door. 8ut un4ike before, there was no answer.

Mr. orthington>J I ca44ed for him.

I ha4f-hoped for a series of 4aughter or a f4irty ca44 or something that wou4d indicate that there was 4ife inside the

room. 8ut no, nothing came on. Maybe 04ec was out.

&4ow4y, I opened the door and ha4ted when it was ha4f-open. I was waiting for something 4aughter, a surprise

peek-a-boo, anything, but sti44 none came bombarding me. 0s I stepped inside the room, I knew why 04ec wasnHt

keen on bothering me today.

%e was fast as4eep.

0nd boy, what an imp4ausib4y attractive s4eeping face that he had.

IHd never seen 04ec with his mouth c4osed, 4itera44y, e


24/220

0nd I was dabbing my tissue on his nose.

0t first, I bare4y even touched anything. Eust as soon as the tissue tweaked, I =erked my hand away from him,

watching his reaction.

&nore. &nore. &nore.

3hew.

I tried again this time, with more determination that I had ever mustered. +or two fu44 years, the on4y times I ever

had physica4 contact with 04ec was when I punched him, kicked him, or pinched him.

(ight now, there was a thin 4ine of a tissue in between us, but my hand was sti44 tremu4ous.

&4ow4y, meticu4ous4y, I dabbed the tissue on the dried b4ood, trying to pee4 it away. It cou4d disturb his breathing,

and I fe4t the need to assuage my conscience by nursing him even a bit.0fter the gooey was gone, I fe4t a ton 4ighter. 8ut then I saw the b4uish bruise on his upper arm. )et another one

of my mark.

*ow that I thought about it, I did cause him a 4ot of in=uries. Eust in this week, IHd p4anted my foot and my

knuck4es on three parts of his bodies. 2ast week, there was a teethmark on his upper arm and another punch on

his stomach. h, and I a4so remembered scratching him across the chest.

&ee. $here was the mark. It was a4ready fading, but it was sti44 there.

Mmm.J ithout warning, 04ec murmured something on his s4eep.

8y the time 04ecHs s4eeping position changed to be on his 4eft side, IHd a4ready hid behind his curtains, about

fifteen meters away from his bed.

amn. ven I was amaed at my own speed.$iptoeing my way back to the door, I took yet another g4ance at 04ec. %e sti44 4ooked 4ike he was deep in his

dreams, and for the first time, I fe4t 4ike I was the worse human being of the two of us.

-

-

-

$o my surprise, onna didnHt greet me as I trudged towards the orthingtonHs kitchen. Instead, there was a dark-

haired guy who was busy scurrying around carrying whipped cream and strawberries. $here were a4so a few

sma44 cakes spraw4ed a44 a4ong the kitchen counter.

I watched him for a few seconds his amaing4y big cur4y hair caught my attention because they bounced so

ferocious4y. %is tanned skin and bur4y physiAue might make gir4s frown in fear, but the way he hand4ed his

strawberry cake suggested de4icacy. %e was the orthingtonHs 3atisserie, and I thought that his impressive armswou4d make me memorie at 4east his name.

8ut no, my memory was bad when it came to peop4e. I c4ear4y remembered that onna had tried to introduce me

to this fe44a, but even as he spoke of his name and 4itt4e tidbits about his 4ife, I cou4dnHt get any of his words

etched inside my mind.

h, we44.

&ince I didnHt think heHd remember me, either, I passed by him Auiet4y to take off my mask and untie my apron. I

didnHt in the very 4ast bit eJ

%is voice had a deep, rich sound that midd4e-aged men wou4d have. 2ast time I checked, this guy 5&antos>

$orres> Eose> &omething &panish that I didnHt eJ


25/220

%is 5tota44y ripped6 arms moved as he took a few strawberries from the fruit bow4 and eJ

$here was an incredu4ous 4ook on his face as he took in my appearance. &ome peop4e might find your staring

offensive.J

I knew very we44 I shou4d be at 4east show a bit of embarrassment, but I didnHt fee4 anything akin to that. Maybe itwas the way the Nnnamed &panish guy 4ook his e


26/220

0t the mention of 04ec, I cou4dnHt he4p thinning my 4ips. $hatHs how bad the aftertaste with him was. %e needs

to know that not everyone can and wi44 4ike him.J

2ike you.J

2ike me,J I confirmed. 0nd you, obvious4y.J

/abrie4Hs brown eyes were fi44ed with humor that made me wonder why I didnHt notice him ear4ier. hi4e I

wasnHt as wishy-washy as %annah, I was sti44 vu4nerab4e to handsome guys. Maybe my type made it hard for

anyone to catch my eye, but superficia44y, from the cur4y dark hair to the hard arms and even to the c4ouded

brown eyes, /abrie4 fi44ed everything I cou4d want in a future-partner.

Mind the keyword here. ,'perficially.

)ou want to taste the cake>J /abrie4 suggested. I swear I didnHt put as many sugar as I shou4d have.JI shrugged, but I came up to him anyway. /abrie4 seemed very p4eased with my decision and gave me one of the

sma44er ones. I ate it up in one bite, and inside my mouth, I fe4t 4ike there was a rainbow eJ I 4icked my fingers c4ean since the cream was so good. 0re you sure you didnHt put any drugs in

there>J

Eust a 4itt4e /abrie4Hs magic,J he winked secretive4y.

My cheeks were hurting from grinning too 4ong. +or me, making friends hadnHt a4ways been very hard, but

whenever 04ec was around, I found my socia4 ski44s p4ummeted to the ground with a hard crash. I was too aware

and too annoyed of his presence, and he was a4ways Q always- around. I a4most forgot what it was 4ike to makefriends without having to endure his superci4ious stares.

&o why do you make so many cakes>J I asked. e were standing behind the kitchen counter, and he was fi4ing

the icing bag with more whipped cream. %is tanned skin was prominent against his white cook uniform and his

musc4es bu4ged whenever he moved. I =ust cou4dnHt stop staring.

amn. &o this must be a guy fe4t 4ike when he encountered a woman with an impressive rack.

$he orthington daughter is having a birthday party this weekend,J he said. &heHs 1# and she needs a 4ot of

strawberries.J

$he orthington fami4y has a daughter>J I inAuired. I tried to remember if 04ec ever mentioned any sib4ings,

but no. %e never had. $hen again, even to his c4osest friends, he never ta4ked about his fami4y.

$he daughter 4ives in another house,J /abrie4 said. hen Mr. 84ae fi4ed a divorce with Mrs. orthington, Mr.

84ae got the daughter and Mrs. orthington got the son.Jh. 0 broken fami4y.

I was thirteen when the divorce happened, but what was done was done. orthington son was never the same

person again.J

)ou mean, 04ec was decent once>J

%e was,J /abrie4 nodded. e used to p4ay together because weHre in the same age and my parents a4so worked

here as the cooks, but then the divorce happened and our friendship reached its demise. 2o and beho4d, the new

persona of orthington son was born.J

$hatHsLJ I tried to find the appropriate word, but it was hard. &imi4ar4y, imagining 04ec p4aying around with a

%e4p was a4so eJ /abrie4 offered. retched> +ucked up>J

I shrugged once more.

)eah, orthington son is pretty much the manifestation of the devi4 nowadays.J

)ou never ca44ed him by his first name,J I said.

$here was a 4ook of hurt f4itted across /abrie4Hs face. orthington son doesnHt 4ike a %e4p to ca44 him by his first

name. %eHs a respectab4e gent4eman and respectab4e gent4emen doesnHt associate with those of 4ower c4asses.J

I fe4t my upper 4ip cur4ed in distaste. %e asked me to ca44 him 04ec once.J

$hatHs because he wants to bang you.J

ven more distaste crept into my mouth unti4 a44 I cou4d fee4 was bitterness. Ngh.J

&o are you going to be here for the birthday party>J /abrie4 changed the topic into something much 4ighter.

I donHt know. I donHt work on weekends.J


27/220

0ndrea>J a fami4iar voice boomed from my behind. ItHs 0ndrea, right>J

I had my back facing the owner of the voice, but the goosebumps a4ready confirmed my suspicion.

It was him.

%e stepped into the kitchen, his footstep sounded fami4iar to my ears, as IHd heard his footstep practica44y

everyday.%e stopped =ust a few inches behind me, and in the presence of his warmth, my hack4es rose.

hat the he44 are you doing here>J 04ec asked.

0nd that moment, my friend, was when my 4ife turned into something worse than he44.

Mr. orthington,J as fast as 04ecHs appearance was, /abrie4 Auick4y bowed his head s4ight4y and returned to his

work.

04ec didnHt even rep4y to him.I knew I shou4d be 4ooking for my mask, but my who4e body got tota44y froen. $he hairs on my nape sti44 stood

straight as I fe44 04ecHs breath fanned my back. %e was standing so c4ose, and there was abso4ute4y nothing to

cover my face.

I a4ways knew that itHd be tota44y impossib4e to keep pretending to be an anonymous face whi4e I was assigned to

c4ean his room. &ti44, though, I never eJ my back was facing 04ec, but I cou4d tota44y see a smi4e in the way he ta4ked.

*o way in he44.J

hy not> IHve known your rea4 identity, anyway. hatHs the difference>J

)eah, 0ndrea, whatHs the fucking difference> hether or not he saw your face, heHd a4ready known that youHre

0ndrea (obinson, and that youHre working as his maid.hatever, 04ec. )ou know who I am, fine. 8ut I sti44 wonHt ever show my face when IHm in your house;J I

actua44y snapped at him. I didnHt know what kind of 4ogic that my brain was current4y creating, but it made me

fee4 better to not 4et 04ec see my face when I was working.

It was a4ready humi4iating as it is.

8ut I got your mask here,J he said. 0nd even though youHre my schoo4mate, in here youHre sti44 my maid, ergo,

I have authority over you, so I want you to turn around.J

I c4osed my eyes and counted into ten. neL twoL threeL. +ourL

$urn around in three seconds or IH44 cut your sa4ary.J

I pivoted in an instant.

04ecHs face was =ubi4ant upon seeing me. It was amaing how fast his eJ

%ow can things turn out to be worse than this>J I muttered under my breath.


28/220

hat are you doing, acting a44 su4ky 4ike that>J 04ec nudged my shou4der. )ou c4eaned my room and my

bathroom. $hatHs by far the furthest any gir4 had ever entered my privacy. ItHs something you cou4d brag about to

your gir4friends.J

I understood the imp4ied conteJ

%e f4ashed a bri44iant smi4e, one that might make my heart skip a beat if I werenHt so focused into ki44ing him right

now. More than what you can ever imagine, sweetheart.J

$hat got my mouth to work. )ou sme44y 4itt4e piece of- Q04ecHs inde< finger once again waved around- poo;J

04ecHs 4aughter roared in my eardrums, rendering a44 of my positive energy negative. My mind was fu44 of a

mi44ion ways to ki44 him with an apron, which was the on4y thing that I had in my hands.

/od, 0ndrea,J 04ec managed to say in between his fit of 4aughter.

hat>J

(e4aJ

$he tip of my tongue was so fu44 of very bad words, but the on4y thing that I cou4d manage to 4et out wasIntercourse you.J

$his was a mistake, because right now 04ec broke into the second season of his series of 4aughter. $his time, it

was even 4onger than the first.

%e rubbed tears off his eyes. hat are you ta4king about>J

)ou said I canHt swear, so I =ust rep4ace things with its forma4 version,J I said curt4y. r am I not a44owed to say

those words, too, Mr. orthington>J

0aaaaaaand there you go. $he third season of G04ecHs espairing4y espicab4e 2aughterH commenced.

0fter what seemed 4ike an eternity, fina44y the traces of eJ I spat.I wi44 if you stop g4aring at me.J

$hatHs not an option.J

If possib4e, his smi4e got even bigger. +or me it is.J

I sighed. 8y this point, I might need to bring a4ong strait=acket to keep my hands from inf4icting in=uries to him.

Mr. orthingtonLJ

)ou donHt ca44 me Mr. orthington here, 0ndrea,J 04ec said. ome on, 0ndrea. eHre schoo4mates; )ou donHt

need to ca44 me the same way my other %e4ps do.J

I waited for more, because there was no way 04ec wou4d be so mercifu4 enough to 4et me ca44 him GouchebagH.

0nd I was right. %e didnHt 4et me choose his moniker.

)ou have to ca44 me Master.J

&omething inside my head snapped.

)ou demented son of a prostitute; I swear IHm going to eviscerate you and feed your testic4es to the dogs;J

)our bana4 imagination is improving,J 04ec didnHt seem affected at a44 by my 4itt4e outburst. 8ut you have to

stop there before I want you to ca44 me GMy %andsome MasterH.J Eust as I was about to start again, he inter=ected

me. )ou know you have to obey me no matter what, I have your sa4ary in 4ine.J

0nd he was right. %e did have direct inf4uence whether or not I was going to get my month4y sa4ary.

&neaky bastard,J I muttered.

04ec put his hand over his ear as he 4owered his head c4oser to me. hat did you say>J

I was =ust saying what a wonderfu4 person you are;J I said with a faked smi4e and e


29/220

My mouth turned very bitter when I said the very word. M-Master.J

$here was no end to my torture. If I werenHt being forced into saying things that wou4d make my mouth taste

meta4, then IHd be hearing 04ec 4aughing at my eJ

I hated how his shampooHs sme44 was so sharp it made my senses b4ur. I hated how he had such soft skin even

though it was genetica44y impossib4e.

Most of a44, I hated how he seemed to not react the same way as I did when our shou4ders bump.Make it two hundred,J I said.

*o, thatH44 be too eJ

)ou donHt rea44y understand the concept of pers'ading , do you>J

%mmm,J 04ec stopped midway and rubbed his chin with his thumb and inde< finger. kay. 0 hundred and

ninety five.J

-es!!

/reat; IH44 swing by at the weekend, then. hen wi44 the party start>J I snuck out my hand to sea4 the dea4.Nnfortunate4y, 04ec didnHt outstretch his =ust as fast. 8ut you have to ca44 me Master thorough the party.J

verything went downhi44 from there.

*o,J I shook my head s4ow4y, in awe of how appa44ing his offer was. *o, not in front of a44 the kids. *ot in

front of your sister.J

8ut you sti44 get your a hundred and ninety five bucks.J

My eyes must have bu4ged three times of their origina4 forms, because right now my sight were b4urring and

hurting so bad. *ot in the mi44ion years. IH44 on4y ca44 you Master when there are on4y the two of us.J

04ec nodded, his amusement cou4dnHt be any c4earer. $rue, in private and at my sisterHs birthday party.J

My eyes twitched as my chest rose and fe44. $he notion of strang4ing him with my bare hands passed through my

mind, and I was strugg4ing between giving in to the impu4se or try to be civi4.

+ortunate4y for 04ec, my demanding need for money won. +ine. 0 hundred and thirty, but I donHt get to ca44

you that way.J

0 hundred bucks,J the g4are from 04ecHs impossib4y white teeth were a4most b4inding.

0 hundred and twenty five.J

0. %undred. 8ucks.J 04ec put so much pressure on each and every word. r e4se.J

)ou rea4ie that itHs not ca44ed bargaining anymore, donHt you>J I was ree4ing, but I managed to keep my hand

steady in the air, waiting for his handshake. ItHs bordering into b4ackmai4ing.J

r, you cou4d =ust agree to my first offer,J 04ec shook my hands firm4y, and after that, he turned around and

wa4ked away.


30/220

h, and 0ndrea> 8ring me a g4ass of orange =uice upstairs.J %e said after his figure was out of view. I want a

hundred percent natura4, so you have to sAueee the oranges by hand.J

$hat motherfuckerL.

-

-

-

It took a whi4e to get him the hundred percent natura4 orange =uice, but after everything was done, I fina44y cou4d

get a 4itt4e rest. &ince the orthingtonHs house was Auite 4arge, I decided to 4ounge at the garden for a 4itt4e whi4e.

$he orthingtonHs garden was everything you cou4d ask from a stereotypica4 rich-white-house. It had a vast

variety of f4owers, thick bushes of grass, and of course, a magnificent mini-fountain.h, and on the park bench, I saw a fine species of human being.

/abrie4 was smoking, and once again, the amaing view of his arms never fai4ed to entertain me. 044 of my 4ife I

was surrounded by men who were either a 4itt4e too frai4 54ike my father6 or a 4itt4e too prissy 54ike 04ec6. /abrie4

was a nice change.

0nd besides, when matched with the right kind of countenance and the right kind of body type, smoking can be

kind of hot.

)ou smoke>J I waved at him.

%e seemed genuine4y surprised to see me. h, do you mind>J

I shook my head. *ot at a44.J

%e put the cigarette away, anyway. &it here,J he tapped the p4ace beside him. 0fter I sat, he immediate4y turnedaround so that he was facing me direct4y. &o what the he44 happened back there>J

ith &atanHs son>J

%e chuck4ed. ith orthington son, yes.J

e44, 04ec and I go a 4ong way backLJ

id you break his heart>J /abrie4 inAuired. id you re=ect him or dump him before> ere you two 4overs>J

%is Auestion near4y made me gag, and for a moment there I thought that he was =oking. 8ut then the 4ook in his

eyes said nothing but seriousness. 0fter the si4ence went on for a whi4e, /abrie4 e4aborated. I mean, itHs pretty

evident thatHs heHs keen on bu44ying you. ItHs 4ike heHs got a persona4, impending grudge towards you.J

%a. It shows, huh>J

%e shrugged. e44, it does. 0nd it might be hard to be4ieve, but orthington son is not usua44y that mean. %e

can be pretty civi4 to us.JeHve never actua44y engaged each other in civi4 manners,J I said truthfu44y. 0nd to answer your Auestion, no,

04ec and I have never been 4inked romantica44y, thank /od. I =ust kick him in dai4y basis.J

)ouL what>J

&ometimes I punch him. ther times I might use my nai4s or teeth.J

/abrie4Hs face 4ooked a 4itt4e red. 0re you sure youHre not describing your se< 4ife with him>J

My face sudden4y contorted in a way I had thought impossib4e.

/abrie4 took the sudden change of my eJ

3retty much.J

hat happened ne %e deserves

it.J

)ou have to be carefu4, though. %e might come up with good vengeance,J /abrie4 sudden4y changed his tone

into being serious. 2ike asking you to work at his sisterHs birthday party.J

%is sister canHt be that badLJ I 4aughed it off, but then I saw the 4ook in /abrie4Hs face that absorbed a44 the

mirth inside of me. can't she>J


31/220

It took /abrie4 a whi4e to come up with an eJ

0nother pause.

My /od, what have I gotten myse4f into>;

Imagine orthington son, but with considerab4y 4ess bu4k and with more prissiness and a penchant for the co4or

pink,J /abrie4 said s4ow4y as he 4ooked at me with more sympathy than anyone had ever given me.

I was daed, dumbfounded, and even the sight of /abrie4Hs arms cou4dnHt nurse me back to hea4th. I had =ust

stupid4y agreed to 04ecHs offer because of money, and now I might have signed myse4f to participate in a

potentia44y most disastrous birthday partyL ever.&hitL

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

+lease let me know what you think. Thank you for readin". :#


32/220

Chapter ?: (n .hich the Party +urns Out to be Pretty .ildChapter ?: (n .hich the Party +urns Out to be Pretty .ild

haos was the first thing that came into my mind when I got into the orthington kitchen.

veryone was scurrying around, something in hand. &ince onna was round, it was easy to spot her. &he was

putting on ba44oons on every corner of the house. %er face was a ba4anced mi %e4p me out here;J she be44owed at me.

I came back to my senses and then immediate4y fo44owed her. $here were so much things to dish out: the

decorations, the tab4ec4oths. 0nd then we had to move the couches and the tab4es, because we might need to make

a p4ace for the kids to p4ay. I was hoping for a piRata or something chi4d-4ike, but no such 4uck. Instead, I got ahuge-ass strawberry cake 4ooming over the tab4es.

0nd thatHs how you make a cake,J /abrie4 said, noticing my awe at his handicraft.

%ow did you manage to bui4d thatL that thing>J

asy. affeine, red-bu44s, and s4eep deprivation,J he was grinning a44 too wide4y, and that was when I noticed

that he hadnHt been ab4e to stay in one p4ace for more than two seconds.

$he effectHs that bad, huh>J

h /od, yes; I fee4 4ike e


33/220

%er minions even had the same way of 4aughing. /o figure. &he must have trained them hard.

2ay4a was what youHd ca44 a miserab4e doormat. &he had eyeg4asses with b4ack-frames that were too thick for her

sick4y appearance and eyes too big on her sma44 face. hen she spoke, there wou4d a4ways be a hint of tremor on

her tone, and upon hearing iennaHs words 5or order, in this case6, she deve4oped a bad case of hiccupping.

3oor gir4, that 2ay4a.

$he Eohn guy that she was supposed to kiss on the nose was aL I didnHt even know what word I shou4d choose

without sounding mean. 2etHs =ust say he was a comp4ete and utter grease-ba44. /reasy s4ick b4ack hair, greasy

skin, and on top of that, super shiny nose with cystic acnes.

Imagine kissing that. I was sure the 4ook on 2ay4aHs face meant, GIHd rather kiss a frog, p4ease;H

kay, 0ndrea. &top being such a big bad bu44y.$here were about thirty peop4e who p4ayed a4ong. $hese were the Gcoo4-guysH, iennaHs version, and the others

that were not coo4 enough were sitting outside the circ4e, practica44y droo4ing as they watched us shooting pranks

to one another.

$he other tweens were cheering over 2ay4a as she craw4ed to the p4ace where Eohn sat. hen she passed over me,

I thought that I saw tears we44ed up her eyes. 8ut then again, either she undergo that kiss or undergo a44 the GboosH

and the GhootsH from her peers.

3eer pressure. $hey rea44y screw peop4e.

I casted a sideway g4ance to 04ec, who g4anced back at me. I tried sending off te4epathic messages, G,top her yo'

idiot! he girl%s going to have an 'nforgettable tra'ma and yo'r sister will be hit by bad "arma!%

04ecHs narrowed his eyes, and I tried to decipher his te4epathic rep4y.Nnfortunate4y, after awhi4e I rea4ied that he was =ust 4ooking confused.

)ou have to stop her;J I whispered to him.

%ow>;J

I donHt know; %umi4iate her or something. $e44 her that itHs past her bedtime. $e44 her that sheHs going to have

acnes if she forces peop4e to do something against their wi44s.J

ienna might 4ook 4ike she doesnHt have any functioning brain-ce44s, but sheHs not dumb, 0ndrea; &he wonHt

4isten to those nonsense;J

I saw 2ay4a puckering her 4ips as she inched c4oser to Eohn in an eJ ienna put on an irresistib4e cute face that wou4d have make me go GawwH if on4y I hadnHt g4impsed

on the monster inside her. I heard 04ec gu4ped at the sight of such cute creature, but I nudged him, reminding him

of the business.

$his is not right, 2ay4a shou4dnHt kiss EohnHs nose. Eust before she 4icked a gir4Hs toe;J

ienna gigg4ed. 8ut that was funny and everyoneHs having fun. onHt you a44 want to have fun again>J

%er minions, Eohn and 2ay4a inc4uded, nodded in unison.

+reakingL he44..

0renHt you having fun, 04ec>J ienna asked, her high-pitched voice sudden4y made me shudder.

I-I am having fun,J 04ec stammered. In schoo4, he might be the Ding of fema4es, but in his house, he was be4ow

his sister at the orthingtonHs food-chain. &ti44, ienna. $his wonHt be fun anymore if 2ay4aHs the on4y one doing

a44 the actions. 8esides, I think the bott4e didnHt rea44y point at her.J

3outing, ienna 4ooked at the bott4e. 0t the same time, I inched to 2ay4aHs previous spot. ops;J I put a hand

over my mouth. I guess you caught me. $he bott4eHs actua44y pointing at me, not the bespectac4ed nerd.J

ienna gigg4ed at the way I ca44ed her friend. $hat 4itt4e bitch. 04ecHs friend is the rea4 victim; hat shou4d we

ask her to do>J


34/220

I want to see her kiss EohnHs nose;J a gir4 ho44ered.

*o; Make her kiss me;J a guy chimed in.

h; Make her take off her shirt;J

&ince sheHs o4der, she can make out with me.J

0s I heard these hormona4 tweens ho44ering and cheering, I regretted ever wanting to save poor 4itt4e mousy

2ay4a. In fact, I regretted my decision to take up fifty do44ars ear4ier. I regretted ever stepping into the

orthington mansion, and most of a44, I regretted meeting 04ec fucking 84ae, the source of a44 the misfortune of

my 4ife.

$hey were a44 sti44 arguing over what kind of humi4iating thing I shou4d do. Meanwhi4e, I tried my best to put on a

smi4e as 2ay4a thanked me for my kindness.ItHs decided then;J ienna, as the reigning Aueen of these tweens, spoke on the beha4f of her minions. 0ndreaHs

going to make out with Eohn;J

My eyes were set on her tiny 00-cup boobs, and as I scooted over-

*o;J

nce again, 04ecHs word managed to stop the time and movement, and as I 4ooked over to him, I saw him

panting. &he canHt do that, ienna.J

$he gir4 crossed her arms over her chest, c4ear4y dissatisfied by her o4der brother. 0nd why canHt I, 04ec>J

04ec g4anced at me, and at that one second eye-contact, I cou4d read a 4ot of whatHs going inside his mind. Most4y,

he was =ust afraid that I was going to ruin his sisterHs chest.

8ecause weHre adu4ts and adu4ts who kiss minors wi44 go to =ai4.JI menta44y s4apped my forehead.

8ut as absurd 04ecHs reasoning was, this got a44 the tweens into yet another discussion. $hey were whispering this

time, iennaHs bri44iant green eyes snooped to and fro as her mouth moved. I took the opportunity to 4ean at 04ec.

$hatHs super dumb, you idiot. 0s if theyHd buy it.J

I canHt think of anything e4se;J he whispered. I know that 4ook on your eyes, youHre going to aim for my sisterHs

breasts.J

)ou rea44y shou4d pay me higher than fifty do44ar.J

ienna coughed to gain our attention. &eemed that they have reached a conc4usion.

kay, 04ecHs friend, youHre not going to kiss Eohn because you might go to =ai4 for being a pedophi4e,J ienna

smi4ed bright4y. &o youHre going to make out with my brother instead.J

&ay %0$>;&ince weHre so generous, you can pick any room in this house, and weHre going to 4ock you two inside for seven

minutes. 8ut by the time you get out, we want to see proofs,J her shiny white teeth g4ared at my eyes, whi4e 04ec

was gaping at me with eyes three times their norma4 sie. &o, get up now and have your seven minutes in

heaven.J

04ecHs eyes didnHt retract back to their origina4 sie, and I =ust rea4ied that my mouth was hanging open a44 the

time.

&even minutes in heaven> ith that cretin> )eah, right. It shou4d be ca44ed G&even Minutes in %e44H, instead.

-

-

-

My feet fe4t 4ike they weighed a ton each as I c4imbed the roya4 stairs of the orthington Mansion. 04ecHs broad

back was right in front of my and iennaHs narrowing eyes were fo44owing me from the back.

$rapped between the orthingtons. )eah, definite4y my favorite position.

hen we reached 04ecHs room, iennaHs voice, if possib4e, got even higher. h my /od oh my /od this is tru4y

happening;J

%er tiny 4itt4e minions cheered on cue.

&o you two are going to get inside and do whatever heaven4y things you adu4ts do, and weHre going to wait for

seven minutes,J iennaHs gigg4es became uncontro44ab4e as she babb4ed. I te44 you, this gir4 watched too much

M$ and adu4t-oriented movies.


35/220

04ec ro44ed his eyes. 0nd then he saw me and gestured me to come inside. 8efore he c4osed the door, though, he

made a 4itt4e announcement to the kids: onHt do this at home, fo4ks. 0t 4east not unti4 youHre 4ega4.J

80M.

&even minutes to "o.

)our sister needs he4p. $hatHs fina4,J were my first words as soon as the door was s4ammed shut.

8e4ieve me, the 4ast time I saw her, she was ta4king about ponies and rainbows.J

%a. 0re you sure youHre not ta4king about another gir4>J

04ec shot me a 4ook so homicida4 I actua44y fe4t the need to stop ta4king. %e went over to his tab4e and started up

his iMac. I swear I =ust 4ooked away for a second, but when my gae came back to his iMacHs screen, I saw porn.

(ea4, raw, repu4sive porn.hat the he44, 04ec>;J

%e put a finger on his 4ips as he raised the vo4ume of his computer. $he sound of the gir4 moaning became

increasing4y 4ouder I fe4t my ears wou4d b4eed. $hank /od he minimied the video so that on4y the voice cou4d be

heard.

I bet a44 of my app4e products that my sister and her hangers-on are eavesdropping. Might as we44 give them

something to 4isten to.J

&hit;J I hissed. $hatHs cray;J

e44, IHm pretty sure I wou4dnHt be getting some with you, so- he cou4dnHt finish his sentence as I a4ready threw

one of my shoes towards him. %ey;J

)ou cray =erk;J04ec didnHt sound offended at a44. In fact, a44 I cou4d see was amusement that was hovering over his face. %e

4ooked at me for one second, two, three, before then-

h /od 04ec, youHre so gooooodd, gooooodd /;;;J he began shouting in a high-pitched voice that sounded

suspicious4y 4ike a woman.

+uckiiiiiinnngggg heeee444444-

I stormed fu44 speed towards him and he had the good sense to run before I cou4d get a ho4d of him. e ran across

the room, circ4ing as I tried to catch him, me whi4e ho4ding another of my shoes, and him with a face that 4ooked

4ike he was about to face death.

0nd damn, that went on for Auite a whi4eL

&i minutes left.

04ec sat cross-4egged on the f4oor with a f4aming red ear. I sat across him some of his hair was sti44 tang4edaround my fingers. $he on4y sounds that cou4d be heard were the actress en=oying herse4f and the actor grunting

4ike an anima4.

$hat porn sounds dirty,J I muttered.

)ou wanna see =ust to make sure>J 04ec said, before then he Auick4y took back his words. It was =ust a =oke,

goddamn it; I thought by now you a4ready got an idea about my sense of humor.J

0nother time, another p4ace, another circumstances, I might have given it a thought. 8ut I was such in a sour

mood every word that came out from his mouth sounded 4ike a bad rap. I cou4dnHt appreciate the one when you

pretended to be me, screaming your name.J

%ey, a manHs got a reputation to upho4d. $hese 4itt4e boys need to know that IHm the man no woman can turn

down no matter-

5ive minutes left.

04ec sat cross-4egged with two f4aming red ears. My fingers ting4ed as I pinched him a 4itt4e bit too hard, but at

4east my chest became a 4itt4e 4ighter as my frustration pent up at 4east.

$he porn actress was now practica44y screaming.

&ay something, 04ec,J I groaned. 34ease say something. 8etter you than that fake moans.J

%ow do you know that itHs fake>J 04ec inAuired. I gave him a pointed 4ook. +ine. IH44 be decent. 0ndrea, what

do you think about my sisterHs birthday party>J

ItHs fine. $here are cakes, peop4e, gamesL we44, the games are kind of disturbing, actua44y.J

It is, isnHt it>J 04ec sighed.


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)ou too, actua44y,J I 4ooked up to him. I heard from a 4itt4e bird that youHre actua44y not thisL we44, not this

bastard4y before.J

%e 4aughed. It was dry and wry. e screwed up bad growing up.J

I didnHt know how I found this courage to actua44y have a conversation this intense with him, but I kept going on.

Is it the divorce>J

04ec was si4ent for a rea44y 4ong time. 2ong enough to make me rea4ie that he didnHt want to answer my

Auestion.

5our minutes left.

hat about you, huh>J 04ecHs voice somehow shot through a44 the grunting and dirty ta4king that the porn actor

was shouting towards the actress.hat about me>J

hy do you work as a maid>J

I brought my knees near my head, sudden4y defensive. 8ut 04ecHs face 4ooked sincere, no =udgment on his eyes.

$hat was one of the idioscryancies that I found out about him. %e might be a horrib4e, dirty-minded p4ayer, but he

didnHt =udge.

%e never did.

hat do you think> IHm short of money,J I confessed, and as soon as the words came out from my mouth, a

huge ass amount of weight vaporied from my shou4der. $his was the very first time IHd confessed my financia4

difficu4ties to someone from schoo4, and boy, how good it was to be truthfu4 once in a whi4e.

%e didnHt say anything, but he inc4ined his head, urging me to continue.My dadHs sick and my momHs =obL it doesnHt pay we44,J I 4icked my 4ips. I need to he4p them, and your

grandmotherHs offering a good sum of money.J

I can coa< her into giving you more if you want.J

$his time, it was my time to be si4ent and Auite confused on how to answer. 3art of me, which consisted a good

amount of KK percent, fe4t offended that he was offering he4p so b4atant4y. 8ut the other part fe4t 4ike it was okay

for me to take up his offer.

+ina44y, I shook my head. My neck ached after that, though, seemed that my sku44 had sudden4y grew heavier as I

turned down the offer. *o, thanks. I donHt need your he4p.J

Three minutes left.

)ou shou4d te44 your friends, you know.J

I had to give him my patented G0re-)ou-ray>;H 2ook before I cou4d answer to this reAuest. hat the he44 areyou ta4king about>J

04ec was bending over near his tab4e. %e was 4ooking for my shoes that IHd previous4y thrown at him. o I need

to repeat myse4f> +ine. )ou shou4d te44 your friends, you know.J

I donHt need to te44 my friends about my financia4 condition. I donHt need to give them ideas.J

%e was sti44 bending over. hat ideas>J

$hat IHm poor. $hat I might be friends with them because theyHre rich. specia44y %annah.J

It was true. *ear4y a44 of my friends were upper-midd4e c4ass, which put them in a good position to spend money

in eJ

f course not.J

$hen I think itHs okay for you to te44 them,J he said as he threw over my shoe.

I caught it firm4y. Eust 4ike how my brains captured his words firm4y.

Two minutes left 8

I found myse4f stea4ing mu4tip4e g4ances at 04ec, who was chuck4ing soft4y as he read on artic4es on the internet.

$hankfu44y, heHd turn off the porn. 0fter he threw me my shoes, we stopped ta4king and he si4ent4y decided that

the internet was a better conversationa4ist than me.


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0fter Auite a whi4e, he sudden4y got up from his seat. It caught me off guard to see him sudden4y move and I

a4most stumb4ed over.

ItHs a4most time we get out,J he said.

I cou4d practica44y hear iennaHs shri44y voice bombarding my poor hearing again. $hey were asking about

proofs, and IHd thought up an idea how to fake one. I cou4d make a fake hickey by pinching my neck, and I cou4d

bit my 4ips to redden it and ruff4e my hair. eHd come out 4ooking 4ike we =ust made out.

I approached 04ec. IHm going to pinch you on the neck, so be ready.J

%e cocked a Auiica4 brow. IHm sorry> hat did I do wrong this time>J

*othing. IHm =ust trying to make you a fake hickey.J

0nd then, without further ado, I reached for his neck and twisted a bit of his skin. &ince 04ec cried out in pain, I put my other hand around his mouth to deafen the voice. hen my fingers were done, there was a Auite 4arge,

reddish mark on his skin.

04most as good as the rea4 one,J I fe4t Auite proud of myse4f. $hese kids wou4dnHt know.J

04ec was 4ooking at his ref4ection on the mirror, his fingers graed on the mark, his brows sti44 furrowed. In a

sudden, however, his mouth cur4ed up into a smirk. 0 smirk that radiated troub4e.

)ou poor gir4LJ he shook his head s4ow4y, a 4ight chuck4e escaped his mouth as he shadowed his face with his

pa4m. )ou donHt date a 4ot, do you>J

0nd before I cou4d react to any of his movements, before I cou4d even digest his words, he a4ready 4unged for my

neck and p4anted his 4ips there. hen my hands tried to push him away, he pinned me against the wa44.

$his is how you make a hickey, 0ndrea,J he whispered to my skin, before he sucked, 4icked, and oh /odL.oooohhh mmmmyyy /oooooooodddL..

&hit, shit, goddamn it, does necking a4ways fee4 thisL this good> amn, I thought the skin wou4d fee4 icky

because a44 of the dirt and sweat and-

04ec started nibb4ing and my thought was 4ost once again.

My /od; &omebody put a 4ock on his mouth;

My eyes were sti44 c4osed for a whi4e, and the ting4ing sensation hovered, even after his mouth 4eft my neck. My

chest rose and fe44 rapid4y, and my breathing became so 4oud. *o matter how embarrassed I was in this situation,

though, I cou4d stop neither my s4amming heartbeat nor the b4ush that suffused on my cheeks.

ItHs seven minutes a4ready,J 04ec said, his face shone bright4y as he stared back at me. %is mouth was reddened

and shiny. 2etHs get out now, sha44 we>J

e went out to the sound of a 4itt4e riot from the kids. $he boys started to circ4e around 04ec, a44 of them ta4kingabout things that 1# year o4d boys shou4dnHt ta4k about, and their faces were a co44ective eJ ienna was the first to ask Auestions.

It fee4s good, isnHt it> I heard you moaning 4ike cray;J

)ou si44y, it must fee4 good; (ight, 04ecHs friend>J

$his. as. $oo. /oddamn. 0wkward. 0nd worse, they didnHt even bother to remember my name.

044 of the Auestion f4ew away 4ike 4itt4e confetti, and combined with the 4ingering sensation from 04ecHs

suckingP4ickingPbitingPwhatever the fuck it was, I fe4t 4ike digging a ho4e and hid there unti4 the end of the wor4d.

$hankfu44y, 04ec took matters of the situation.

%ey guys, guys;J he said whi4e rapping on the wa44, getting everyoneHs attention. $he partyHs over now, okay>

0nd donHt ever try to do that if youHre not 1!, gir4s. /uys, good 4uck finding a gir4 to make out without grossing

her out,J and then he shot a g4are at ienna. 0s for you, 4itt4e 3rincess. )ouHre not going to engage in any se


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Thank you for readin"...!!


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Chapter @: (n .hich Sweet Scadenreude Feels so Good and /adChapter @: (n .hich Sweet Scadenreude Feels so Good and /ad

)ouHre staring at 04ec.J

%annahHs words start4ed me back to the rea4ity. I tried to cover my gasping by coughing, but to no avai4. 0s soon

as %annah saw me choking, she gigg4ed and s4apped my back.

)ou tota44y were;J

I wasnHt;J I hissed, since we were sti44 in c4ass. 3rof. 8urgundy was droning on about how the Eapan was

dropping bombs on the 0merica. It wou4d have been informative if he hadnHt been te44ing on the same stories for

the 4ast three weeks.%annah smi4ed. $he smi4e 4ooked wicked.

%annah,J I enunciated her name carefu44y. I wasnHt.J

0nd it was the truth.

kay, ha4f of the truth.

L

+ine. It was a 4ie.

8ut it meant nothing. 2ike a4ways 04ec was either te


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&he scooted even c4oser to us, and then whispered to me. $he boys are ca44ing you a nasty 4esbian because you

punch boys who 4ike you. $he gir4s are afraid of you because youHre too vio4ent and you a4ways 4ook 4ike youHre

going to go berserk.J

8ernadette drew back, and now I cou4d see her face turning smug. &o I donHt think itHs a good idea if you punch

me.J

My mind was so busy trying to process the words that she said to me to even bother responding to her. hen I

rubbed my temp4e, I rea4ied that I was sweating. *ot on4y that, %annah was 4ooking at me with such concerned

face I might have thought I was b4eeding to death.

)ouL bitch;J $here was so much venom in %annahHs words, but 8ernadette didnHt f4inch. In an easy grace, she

spurned around from us. +rom her upturned cheek, I cou4d te44 that she was smi4ing.onHt mind her, 0ndrea. )ou know how much of a 4ying bitch she is.J when I rea4ied it, %annah had a4ready

ha4f hugged me. &he rubbed my shou4der, and my eyes cou4d fina44y see things without a44 the b4ur. $he shock of

8ernadetteHs reve4ations sett4ed on my stomach, giving it a crue4 twist.

I-I think I need to go to the toi4et,J I said, forcing a smi4e.

o you want me to go with you>J

*o.J

%ey, 0ndrea, she was 4ying, okay>J

I nodded, but I fe4t empty. I know.J

&omething f4ashed on %annahHs eyes. &omething that I hated so much. 0ndreaLJ

3ity.I 4eft the c4assroom.

-

-

-

My eyes were dry, my mouth was aching, and my who4e body fe

maid for hire

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