by Young, M. L.
“Oh relax,” Chandra said.
“Did you just come from class?” Tom asked.
“Yeah, it’s been a rough day,” I said.
“So tell us about you. Do you work? Family live nearby?” his father asked.
“My family lives down in San Diego actually. I don’t get to see them that much. As for working, I’m in between jobs,” I said nervously.
“Nothing wrong with that,” his father said as he readjusted his pants.
“Now, Junior, what was the name of that girl you dated? You know, the one who got naked for a living,” his mother said.
Junior, I mean Tom, dated a girl who got naked for a living? Was she a cam model like me, or something like a stripper? Maybe they didn’t care much about it. I’d love to be honest with Tom and his parents, but something about not knowing how they’d react made me hesitate. I didn’t want to come off like a slut, but I also couldn’t hide this forever. Sooner or later, someone was going to recognize me, and it would likely be when I was out with Tom. There was no getting out of that situation easily.
“She did nude modeling for art students, Mom.”
“Oh yes, that,” she said as she closed her buttoned up shirt, as if she were disgusted.
“He never told me about that,” I said as I looked at him.
“Oh yes, he usually picks weird ones,” his father said.
“But not you, you seem like a nice girl. God only knows Tom could use a nice, wholesome girl,” his mother said.
“Okay, that’s enough of that. I’m sure Chloe wants to get back to her apartment and study. We still have a lot of ground to cover,” Tom said, trying to run interference.
“Look at him, being all grown-up and bossy,” his mother said with a surprised look on her face.
“Well, it was nice meeting you both,” I said with a friendly smile.
“Nice meeting you too, dear,” his mother said before Tom corralled them away.
I watched them walk away, and Tom, behind his parents now, turned around, opened his eyes wide, and shrugged, as if telling me he had no idea what just happened. I flung my hand down, shooing him away, before turning around, and heading back to my apartment. That first meeting went a lot better than I thought it would.
•••
“Chloe, we’re going to have a great night!” Morgan said as I walked through the front door.
“Why do I have a feeling that I won’t like what you’re going to say next?” I asked hesitantly.
“There’s a party at Kappa Theta Omega, and you’re going with me.”
“Morgan, you know I don’t want to go to those things,” I said with a whiney voice.
“You loved the last party you went to!” she said.
“Yeah, only because Tom was there.”
“Then invite him or something. You can’t let me go alone,” she said.
“His parents are in town, so that’s a no-go. Why can’t you find someone else? I know you have friends who really would love to go,” I said.
“Yeah, but you’re my roommate. Come on; just do this for me once. I’ll wash all the dishes for a week if you do,” Morgan said, trying to make a deal with me.
Hm, dishes for an entire week? I really did despise having to do dishes. Morgan and I had split up chores when we moved in together by picking them randomly from a hat. I got stuck with dishes, and they’ve been my job ever since. It would be nice to get away from them for a week, even if wasn’t that much time. I guess a couple hours at some lame party was worth it if it meant I could have a whole week without those damned dirty dishes.
“Fine, Morgan, but only because I hate doing dishes. I’m not staying all night though,” I said.
“That’s fine. I don’t want to stay all night either. I’ve just heard they throw great parties, and I really need to find a guy. I haven’t gotten it for a long time,” she said.
“Too much information,” I said before walking past her and into my room.
•••
As time began to get closer to my little excursion with Morgan, I didn’t do anything to doll myself up or really try too hard. I showered, but only put on fairly minimal makeup, a black dress, and didn’t give my hair too much attention. Morgan, on the other hand, looked and dressed as if she were using up her final chance to meet a man. As if every eligible man in the world would be there, and if she didn’t score someone tonight, she’d be a lonely old woman forever. Hairspray, makeup, ass almost hanging out of her dress, and high heels that made her calves bulge out. This was her last hoorah, and I’d be damned to not say that she looked like a million bucks.
“That’s what you’re wearing?” she asked as I slipped on my shoes and she realized my finished outfit.
“Yeah, why not?” I asked as I looked down at it.
“Well, last time we went out you were super-hot, and now you’re just…mediocre,” she said.
“Well, I don’t really care. Things with Tom are going well, and I don’t want to go meet guys. I’m only doing this so I don’t have to do dishes, you know,” I said, defending my choice.
“Whatever, let’s just go. Maybe this means more guys will want me anyway. Less competition,” she said as she grabbed her clutch.
“That’s a good way to think of it,” I said.
The house party was about fifteen minutes from us. We walked the entire way, getting drowned out in a sea of other students likely going to the same party, with most of them already hammered and stumbling about their words. A few campus police officers had what almost seemed like checkpoints, with them arresting a few of the students; other officers toting them away in their cars.
Luckily Morgan and I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, so we got by with no problem. We continued walking, the line of people considerably smaller as they all either got to their destination or were pulled aside, and we walked up to the large white building, huge pillars outside, as people were pouring outside like an overflowing sink.
“This looks insane,” I said.
“I know, right?” Morgan replied, not getting that I didn’t mean it in a good way.
We walked in, one right behind the other, and my ears were overrun with the noise of shitty house music, with the screeching robot sounds and overbearing bass. So typical was this music. It was so cliché it was painful. Morgan didn’t pay much attention to me, instead looking around for guys standing by themselves, making me believe there truly was no reason for me to be here. I could just leave and walk away, and I was positive she wouldn’t even notice, especially if she found a guy. I figured I had put so much effort into getting ready and walking here, though, that I should give it a chance, even if I really didn’t want to.
“Want something to drink?” she asked as we walked into the crowded kitchen, where the beer was.
“No, I’m fine,” I said before she shrugged and went to get herself something.
“Hey, baby, you ever seen a huge one before?” a guy asked me as he grabbed his crotch and jiggled it.
I rolled my eyes and looked in the other direction, looking for Morgan, hoping she could save me.
“Come on…baby,” he said as he hiccupped.
“Sure, and now it’s shriveled,” I said before quickly kneeing him in the groin, nobody else seeing it with how packed the place was.
He groaned, his face turning red, as he held onto his crotch tighter and walked away, well, hobbling really.
“Man, that line was rough,” Morgan said as she came back with her red cup.
“I already got hit on,” I said.
“What the hell? You have a man and they still come to you. Was he cute? Maybe he’ll settle for this,” Morgan said.
“I don’t think he’d be a good match. He seemed a little sore,” I said.
“Well, maybe I could massage him,” she retorted.
“Yeah, I bet he’d like that,” I said under my breath.
•••
An hour passed and there was nothing for either of us. I was happy no other guys had come
back to me and tried to hit on me, but Morgan looked a little agitated, and a lot sad. I wanted to wave my magic wand and get her something, anything, but it just didn’t work like that. As I looked at these guys, some of them hollering and acting stupid, I wasn’t even sure half of them were clean. As much as I knew that Morgan wanted some action, I was sure she didn’t want a lingering reminder in the form of the herp.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I said.
Morgan shook her head, and I walked away, trying to find the bathroom. I might as well have been in a maze, for I had no idea where anything was in this house, and there were so many people in this place that you could easily walk by a room and not even know it. After about two minutes, I saw a line and someone opening the door and other people going in alone. I figured this was it, and got in line, waiting patiently behind five other people, mostly girls. After five minutes, it was my turn, and I went inside and did my business. The toilet was gross, looking like it hadn’t been cleaned, but with all of these guests using it, I was afraid I would be the one getting the lingering reminder of this party. I quickly washed up and walked back outside, letting the next person in line go inside.
As I walked back over to where Morgan and I were hanging out, I saw her talking to a guy. They were smiling, and it seemed that me walking away might’ve given them the push they needed to find each other.
“Oh, Chloe, this is Robert,” she said as I approached them.
“Nice to meet you, Robert,” I said with a smile.
“Nice to meet you as well,” he replied.
“So, do you two know each other?” I asked, drawing out my sentence.
“Just met. We kind of just—”
“Bumped into each other,” Robert interjected.
“Look at that! Already finishing each other’s sentences,” Morgan said with a smile as she shoved him playfully.
“Well, it looks as though you don’t need me here any longer,” I said.
“Nope, I guess I don’t.” Morgan smiled as she looked at Robert.
“Well, I’ll see you at home, if you decide to come back,” I said.
“Oh boy,” Robert said.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Morgan replied.
I gave her a sly wink, and turned around to leave the party and go back home. I had stayed close to two hours, just like I had planned, and now I was finally free! Free to go home and curl up inside my comfy and warm bed, hopefully texting Tom and falling asleep with a smile on my face.
I squeezed through the people blocking the doorway, and walked down the steps of the porch, going into the sea of people and finding my way back the route Morgan and I had come from. There were two more police roadblocks. I guess either their quotas were running low or a crazy party night, but I luckily got right past them like I had when we came. I had nothing to drink, not even a sip of that piss beer, and the only stumbling I was doing was from the cracks and pebbles on the sidewalk.
As I got home, there were people all over the sidewalk yelling at each other, but mostly happy and very drunk. I took out my keys, opened the door, and quickly locked it behind me, my paranoia kicking in and making me believe that someone, a masked man, would run in behind me and try to kill me. My parents let me watch way too many crime shows when I was a kid.
I slipped off my heels, tossed my stuff by the front door, and walked into my room with my phone in hand, unlocking it to text Tom after a long night without him.
"Went to a party tonight. It was so boring and nothing without you."
I tossed my phone on my bed and grabbed some clothes, going into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. I was diligent about washing my face and brushing my teeth; making sure I flossed and that every speck of makeup was off of my face. I splashed my face with water for the last time and patted it dry, looking back up at the mirror and smiling at myself, as I looked as fresh as I could be.
I turned off the bathroom light and walked back into my room—shutting my door behind me in case Morgan brought that guy over—and grabbed my phone, seeing I had a message waiting for me from Tom. I smiled, and quickly opened it, only to smile even more.
"I wish I could’ve been there. Would’ve loved to dance with you. I’m going to bed. I’ll talk to you soon."
"Good night, sweetie."
"Good night, babe."
Babe…I was his babe. I didn’t love pet names when I was single, but now that I was seriously talking to Tom, I felt like all I wanted to be called was some cute pet name. Something that tied a couple together and made them feel even more affectionate with each other.
As the smile was still on my face, I turned off my lights, plugged my charger into the phone, and lay back on my bed, curling myself up in my comforter. My life finally felt perfect.
Chapter Seventeen
Life had a way of taking us by complete surprise. Whether it was a death in the family, flunking out of school, or even getting fired from our jobs. It seemed as though no matter how lucky you were, you could never escape the bad things from happening in your life. I had felt fairly unlucky lately, although it had been looking up. I went from a nobody, a barely had sex kind of a virgin, to a strong woman who was having a love triangle with the all-American kid and an A-list movie star. The problem, though, was that this love triangle had proven disastrous. Being with a movie star was hard enough, but when something happened that put you in the public eye, it could only get worse. I was just about to find out how bad it could truly be.
“Chloe! Chloe wake up!” Morgan yelled from the hallway as she pounded on my door.
I opened my eyes, the little bits of crust crumbling away under the pressure of my fingers, as I tried to focus on the white ceiling and see if this was all some weird dream.
“This is important!” Morgan yelled as she continued to knock on my door.
“Come in,” I said with a groggy and raspy voice, my mouth likely left open for most of the night.
Morgan swung the door open and rushed inside, almost out of breath, as it looked like some masked maniac was chasing her, trying to kill her. She looked at me in the eyes, as if she were analyzing me, before opening her mouth.
“It’s all over the news. Did you see?” she asked with a sense of haste.
“See what?” I asked as I sat up in my bed and ran my fingers through my stray hairs.
“You and Kurt. You’re all over the place!”
“What do you mean?” I asked with hesitation.
“A sex tape…or at least that’s what the media is calling it. It’s all over the place!” she exclaimed.
My heart dropped. My stomach sank. I wanted to cry…badly. Was this some sick nightmare, or was this my reality? That one thing…that one mistake in Napa…was coming back to haunt me. Who could’ve gotten a hold of that? Kurt swore he wouldn’t, citing his privacy as a concern, so it couldn’t have been him. His career wasn’t in the toilet at all, so he didn’t need to leak a sex tape to try and make himself relevant again. Then there was Tom…sweet Tom. He knew I had sex with Kurt…but a sex tape? No, he wouldn’t stand for something like that, and I knew this would ruin things. His parents just met me yesterday, and they were appalled that he had an ex that did nude art modeling. Imagine if they found out his new flame got strangled by an anaconda.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” I said.
“Did it happen? Did you two really do something like this? I’m not mad or judging you…but did you?” Morgan asked before coming and sitting down next to me on the bed.
Morgan was one of my closest friends, and definitely the closest one here. I shared a bathroom with her, an apartment, and we went out together. She was my closest confidante, and I knew I couldn’t sit here and lie to her, especially when the media was talking about this.
“Yes…we made a short one, but it was stupid. It was sudden and not planned at all. When we were in Napa, he whipped it out and set it on some dresser or something, I don’t know. He said it was just for him, and he wasn�
�t going to show anyone or even tell a single soul that he had it.”
“Damn, that’s rough. There’s one positive thing from this, though,” Morgan said as she rubbed my back.
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“At least nobody can doubt that you had sex with a celebrity,” she said.
“Yeah, Morgan, that’s great.”
“Come out when you’re ready. I’ll give you a few minutes,” she said before getting up and leaving my room, the door still open.
I grabbed my computer from my desk and opened it up, MingleCam loaded up, as it was the last website I was on. My cam didn’t go on, only my account stats came up, and even that took me by surprise. I had over ten thousand new followers. How did this get out? The room was dark, so I wasn’t sure how I was already identified. Even then, how did they find me on this site? I was climbing up the charts on here, rated number three worldwide for followers, and while this could help me in the bill department, was it worth it? Not only was this sex tape out, but now everybody, everyone from my family to friends, knew I was some cam whore.
I opened up a news website, seeing the headline scrolling across the screen. This was the top news of the day? Nothing about Syria or North Korea or something? Surely there must be some kind of terrorist attack going on somewhere in the world that was way more important than this tape. I clicked on the headline and was redirected to the news page, which contained a screen grab…with my breasts blurred out. It was grainy, and it was dark, but it was me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I already knew I was there, or if I really was that noticeable, but I could make myself out.
I scrolled down, skimming past the article, which wasn’t very long, and hit the reader comments, which were seven hundred and sixty-six comments strong.
“This girl just wants attention.”
“I knew he loved sex, but not this much! LOL.”
“Poor girl’s life is ruined now because of this.”
Those were just a few of the comments, which ranged from feeling sorry for me, to saying how much of a slut I was, and that I should’ve known better. They stung, knowing that strangers, people sitting behind their computer screens, were being so rude and mean to me. What if this was their daughter…their sisters? I bet they wouldn’t be saying those things then, and if they would, then they had some serious problems.