In the Classroom

~~~~~~Sunday, 10:40 a.m.~~~~~~

Sesshoumaru took a few minutes to clean himself up in the bathroom and then let Rin take as much time as she needed. After dressing himself and hearing the shower turn on, he glanced toward the bed and grimaced at the streaks of blood on the bedspread. Guess I forgot about that part.

He felt humbled, seeing her blood there on the blanket. None of his previous girlfriends who had actually gone that far with him had been virgins. It felt like Rin had given him an enormous gift, and he wasn’t quite sure how to repay it. Hauling off all of the bed’s linens, he made his way downstairs to the laundry room and made sure to wash the bedspread first. Then walking to the kitchen, he started the pancakes that he had promised, first turning on the television on the counter.

“…the San Francisco treat!! … Do you need credit counselors that listen to your needs? Do…” Commercials were on, and he flipped to CNN, not really paying attention to what the anchors were saying. Though it was closer to lunchtime by the time he got around to making pancakes, the batter was ready by eleven. He checked the frying pan to see how hot it was, and heard the shower turn off upstairs. In truth, he didn’t watch CNN nearly as much as he used to, and when he did, it was only because it reminded him of the time when Rin had given him a break from grading homework and brought him to a scalding climax. The memory still made his blood boil.

Flicking a little bit of water onhe fhe frying pan, he was glad to hear it sizzle and stirred up the pancake mixture a bit more. Pouring the first pancake onto the pan, he set the pitcher to the side and watched the circle of batter, not really seeing it. His mind kept wandering back upstairs to the bedroom where he had deflowered the young woman he loved, and he felt the same telltale heat seeping into his groin. He only wondered how long he would have to wait until he could thrust himself between those silky thighs again.

Clearing his throat and shifting his weight to his other foot, he flipped the pancake over, absent-mindedly poking at it. Realizing that he needed a plate to put it on, he went searching for a clean one since they hadn’t washed dishes yet that weekend.

Upstairs, Rin wondered if she would need to line her undergarments since it seemed that she was still bleeding. Deciding to do so since it was better to be safe than sorry, she pulled on her underwear and bra, hissing once in a while since it felt like she had cramps or something. Losing your virginity sucks…

Stepping into a pair of dark gray sweatpants that hugged her rear and a plain white t-shirt that she had long ago stolen from Sesshoumaru, she shuffled into a pair of slippers and pinned her hair into a loose bun at the back of her head. Walking was strangely more difficult, but she managed it. God, what did he do to me?

She took it easy down the stairs, which squeaked upon her passing, and followed her nose to the kitchen. Making her way around the breakfast table, she heard him flip a pancake, and he ed ted towards her, giving her one of his cocky smirks. He had put on a dark green t-shirt and a gray hooded sweatshirt, settling for jeans to cover the rest of him. Coming towards her with his arms out, ready for a hug, he said,

“You look delicious enough to eat.” Rin smiled, letting him pull her into his arms. She set her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling herself close. They held each other for a while, still getting used to this new level of intimacy. The cloth of his t-shirt was warm and soft, and his chest was firm underneath her cheek. His chin lightly rested on the crown of her head, and his body gave off heat that kept her warm. She felt like she was going to melt right then.

“Shouldn’t you be watching the pancakes?” she eventually asked, taking a deep breath of his masculine scent. He suddenly let go of her, whipping around to take the pancake off of the stove.

“Ah, crap!” he exclaimed, seeing that the bottom was much browner that he had been aiming for. She giggled behind him, walking up to survey the damage.

“Aw, it’s not that bad. Here, I’ll eat that one,” she said, pointing at a plate. He plopped it on top of a short stack of pancakes, sighing in resignation.

“I always burn one of them,” he lamented, picking up his own plate and turning off the stove. He tossed a pat of butter onto the top and poured on some syrup before grabbing a fork. Turning to the breakfast table, he saw Rin set down her plate and pause as a shiver tickled its way up her spine.

“Are you cold?” he asked, walking to his seat and setting down his plate.

“Not really…must be a draft?” she suggested, looking up at the ceiling as if that held the source. Sesshoumaru unzipped his sweatshirt and pulled it off, handing it to her.

“Here, wear this. Can’t have you catching a cold before the last meet of the semester.” Rin shyly smiled, taking the proffered sweater. As she shrugged into it, her nose immediately noticed that his scent clung to the garment, and inwardly sighed to herself. “It seems that half of my clothes will soon belong to you, anyway,” he joked, gesturing towards the shirt she was wearing. She gingerly sat down, and he sat adjacent to her, digging into his food.

“You can still wear these, you know. Then I could always guarantee that whenever I wore them, they’d still smell like you.” She admitted, cutting out a wedge of pancakes with her fork.

“Ah, so there’s the culprit. I could just send a spray of that cologne your way in the morning, you know.”

“Where would be the fun in that?” she said down to her plate. Though she didn’t see it, he smiled, looking at the graceful line of her neck as he chewed. They then fell silent for a few seconds, enjoying the food and each other’s company, both thinking of the same thing.

“…H-…are you very sore?” he hesitantly asked, avoiding her gaze when she looked up at him. She could see the redness on his cheekbones, and felt her own face warm up.

“Yeah, but…it was worth it,” she quietly said, setting down her fork. She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. It could have been from amusement or happiness, but either way, she was grinning. He cleared his throat, flashing his eyes over to her for a split second.

“Sorry…guess I was, uhm…overzealous near the end,” he finished, shoveling another mouthful of pancakes up to his face. What are you so nervous about? She thought it was funny that he was shy to talk about his “zealous” behavior with her, especially since he was the one who usually started anything.

“Yeah, you were crying out like a girl,” she joked, waiting for his reaction.

“I was not! I didn’t sound at all girly,” he insisted, looking at her again as he swallowed. He saw the joking gleam in her eyes and immediately calmed down, though, having somewhat salvaged his masculinity. Smiling in jest, he tweaked her nose with his thumb. “I certainly didn’t feel feminine when I was inside you.” It was Rin’s turn to blush, and she looked down at her plate, eyes widened.

“Sess…” she admonished, holding one hand to her enflamed cheeks. He laughed lightly, leaning closer to her.

“Now, my only question is…” he began, waiting for her to look up at him. When she did, she saw that his eyes were fairly smoldering. “When can I be inside you again?” He watched her cheeks turn fire engine red. She opened her mouth to say something, but the doorbell rang, startling both of them. His fork fell from his hand to land noisily on the table, and she jerked hard enough to bang her elbow against the chair.

“Hehe…saved by the bell,” he commented as he stood up. Patting her shoulder as he exited, he went to see who was at the door. It was starting to get cold outside, so he kept all of the curtains closed to keep in the heat, and had to peek through the front window to see who was at the door. Seeing the social worker there for her random weekly visit, he hurried over to the door.

“Good morning, Mrs. Tsuyu. Come in…it’s cold outside this morning,” he observed, ushering the woman into his house. She came in gratefully, rubbing her hands together. Hearing the woman’s name, Rin came to the front of the house.

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Hakkaku. This morning’s weather report certainly wasn’t good. Temperatures are already starting to plummet, and it’s not even December yet! But at least there’s no snow in the forecast,” she pointed out as she removed her coat. Sesshoumaru took it from her and hung it on the coat tree behind him. Mrs. Tsuyu was a petite, kind-looking woman that was starting to get into her thirties, but she already had the tone mothers used with their kids, thanks to her profession, and it made her sound like she was pushing fifty.

“Good morning, Mrs. Tsuyu,” Rin said, walking slowly to try to minimize any awkward movements. The social worker stepped over to her, taking her hands inotheotherly way and inspecting them as if looking for dirt under her fingernails.

“How’s it been here since I came last Tuesday? Everything still running like clockwork?” she asked, patting her arm. Rin nodded in response, looking to Sesshoumaru for backup.

“It became apparent to me last week that having a star student visit your home for a few weeks is an idea that should be done more often. She informed me that a practice AP exam for Calculus was coming up in early December right before break, so I changed the date of the last exam of the semester, and the number of students in my classes who sighed in relief was enough to create a breeze. Seems that I relieved a little bit of unnecessary pressure,” he reported, glancing over at Rin. Playing the jovial ‘I’m-only-a-friendly-teacher’ role put a restraint on him that he didn’t like, but if it meant that he got to spend more time with Rin, then he was willing to play that part.

“Ah, that reminds me,” Mrs. Tsuyu said, casually walking around the sitting area in front of the house. “Does anyone else at Rin’s school know that she is staying here?” Rin answered that question.

“Except for a friend of mine, no. I was too embarrassed to explain why I was temporarily living with a teacher, and I know that I’d only get a few nasty jokes for my trouble,” she explained. Mrs. Tsuyu sagely nodded, looking at the cleanliness of the room around her. Rin recalled the conversation she had held with Yukino in which she confessed of her father’s abusive tendencies. Yukino was mostly shocked, and for once she didn’t say more than a simple “I’m sorry” once Rin had finished her story. Ever loquacious, Yukino had actually been stunned speechless. Rin had come to value her friendship in the past weeks. They actually got along very well, and had a lot of things in common. It always seemed, though, as if Yukino wanted ell ell her something. Either way, she reminded her of what it was like when she and Miki had been best of friends…

“Oh, is this the clay sculpture they always make you do in art class?” Mrs. Tsuyu chuckled out, seeing Rin’s “masterpiece” on the desk next to her closed laptop. Rin walked over, giggling as well.

“Well, it was supposed to be a mermaid, but her…uhm…hoo-hah’s got to be too big, and I couldn’t quite figure out how to make fish scales in clay, so that’s why it looks like she’s got human legs and a shovel for feet.” Mrs. Tsuyu was red in the face when she put the sculpture down, shaking with laughter. Rin turned to chance a glance at Sesshoumaru, and he was smiling, too.

“Well, I think it’s worthy of the Chicago Art Museum, myself. ‘Here we have the latest modern artist, Rin Ginta, with her newest creation, Imperfect Merfolk.’” That got Mrs. Tsuyu laughing even harder, and a few tears managed to squeeze themselves out. Rin pretended that she had taken offense, and pressed her hand to her chest.

“I do not appreciate your sarcasm, Mr. Hakkaku!” She walked over to him, ready to give him a playful punch on the arm, and hobbled a bit in the process.

“Rin, are you sore from track practice? You seem to be limping or something,” Mrs. Tsuyu noticed, holding a kerchief to her cheeks. Rin, having punched Sesshoumaru harder than she had intended when she remembered just how she got to be so sore, turned to nod at the social worker.

“But of course…Mrs. Roenstein runs us ‘til we’re ready to hurl. We one in every three days to rest, but other than that, we run and run and run,” she lamented, getting the social worker nodding in sympathy.

“Well, before I head off, I wanted to let you know that the therapist had good news when I called her on Friday. It seems that they’ve finally surpassed the mountain that is your father’s illness. As strange as it sounds, the therapist believes that he has post-traumatic stress disorder. He was the one who found your mother, right?” she asked, her voice more serious. Sesshoumaru unconsciously placed his hand on Rin’s shoulder.

“Yes…the hospital said that mother was well enough to come home for Fourth of July weekend, and we had her seated in the back yard while I cooked inside. Father came in to get the…the table cloth, and we took a couple of minutes to talk about how well she looked,” she explained, looking at both Mrs. Tsuyu and Sesshoumaru. “We think that she got up to go take a closer look at the roses, but…well, all I know is that father went back outside, and found her collapsed down by the rosebushes…she died at the hospital two days later.” Rin stopped then, and an awkward silence settled over the room. Her eyes misted over, and she took a hard swallow. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen any man cry that hard in my life.” She felt a squeeze to her shoulder, and took a deep breath. Mrs. Tsuyu had a sad expression on her face, but continued nonetheless.

“Dr. Porter believes that your father’s short temper and violent behavior is from the post-traumatic stress disorder. With that and the problems he has been having at work with his boss, your mother’s death sort of pushed him over the edge. He has prescribed a medication, and we’ll see if it helps. But this means that you might not be long from going back home, if it does help!” Mrs. Tsuyu explained, plastering a smile on her face. Rin more hesitantly returned the smile, feeling the lump in her throat growing in size. Seeing that it was about time for her to go, Mrs. Tsuyu made a few closing remarks and then took her leave, walking briskly to her car. Once Sesshoumaru closed the door, he turned to find that Rin was wiping a tear off of her cheek.

“Rin, why are you crying? This is good news,” he admonished, leaning down and chucking her chin. Only more tears seemed to follow, though. Rin hiccupped, which got a laugh out of her since it was rather loud, but the tears didn’t stop in the slightest. “Is it because of your mother?” he asked. It wasn’t at all why she was crying, but she nodded in agreement, anyway. If things continued the way they were, she would be moving back in with her father, and she wouldn’t see Sesshoumaru nearly as much. She felt like a horrible daughter, wishing for more time to spend with her older lover rather than wishing for her father’s recovery, and that…was the reason why she cried. He could no longer hold out from pulling her into his arms, and drew her to him. Rubbing his hands against her back, he let her silently cry against his chest, and wondered how much longer this whole ordeal was going last.

“How can he love someone so much?” Rin asked aloud. “How did it turn into hate so easily?”

He thought silently for a few seconds, trying to find the words that she needed to hear.

“Love and hate are the strongest of all emotions…but they’re two sides of the same coin. If someone you love is taken away, you feel that the world has turned its back on you…so you turn your hate onto it—hate that is as strong as the love you lost.” He felt Rin laugh into his chest, and she mumbled a reply,

“You’re starting to sound poetic.” He smiled into her hair, pulling her closer. Then taking a deep breath, he straight-armed away from her, leaning down until his eyes were only inches from hers.

“What?” Rin asked, reaching up to wipe the last of her tears off of her reddened cheeks.

“Though your father is sick, I…admire the intensity of the love he holds for his wife. It’s not common these days. If something ever took you away from me…I have no doubt that I’d rip the world apart until I had you back or died trying,” he strongly uttered. She felt her mouth fall open, and was practically frozen for a few seconds, disbelieving his sentiment. My God, Sess…you just made my heart skip a beat! Letting out a nervous laugh, Rin backed up a step.

“I think we need to go finish our food.” She turned away to walk back to the kitchen, but was immediately spun back around. She might have fallen down since she had been turned off-balance, but she found herself off the floor and pressed tightly against his chest. Gasping in surprise, it wasn’t too long after that his lips set themselves to ravaging her own, pressing insistently until her jaw opened to allow him access. She shut her eyes, feeling her arms automatically wrap around his shoulders and her lips cling to his. The kiss wasn’t forceful, but she felt a definite intensity behind it. Just loving his attention, she let him kiss her for as long as he wanted, which turned out to be awhile. Though she eventually made it back to her feet, she wasn’t so sure if she could walk on them anymore. She felt so light-headed that she clung to him for support all the way back to the kitchen. I think that’s called ‘being swept off your feet.’

~~~~~~Mock Track Tour Bos Boston, Friday, 6:30 p.m.~~~~~~

Leaning against Yukino, Rin pulled up on her right ankle to stretch her quad muscles, doing warm-up stretches before the first heat. This was the fall tournament, in which all the high schools in Massachusetts who qualified competed in different classes. There was no trophy since it was an exhibition meet—the real one occurred in the spring. This fall meet was for coaches to find the weak points in their teams and improve them over the winter months.

“Oooh, I’m so nervous. Boston High School is hard this year,” Yukino fretted. Rin smiled at her, changing legs. “But we’ve got you! I hope we place better this time. Last year we only got to eighteenth.” Releasing Yukino’s shoulder, Rin sat down on the fake turf in their little section of the track area. Her friend followed suit, plopping down and making a V of her legs. She and Rin stretched as they talked, watching their teammates, and the other teams as well.

Their team consisted of four seniors, two juniors, four sophomores, and three freshmen—a small team compared to a couple others. Boston High had twenty-five members, so they were able to compete in more events. Loyola’s other two seniors were boys that competed in the sprints, while the two junior girls were going for the longer distance heats. The sophomores were going for the baton race, and the freshmen were competing at the junior varsity level in sprint running. It was barely enough people to cover the main events, but there were no shot-put members or long-jump members…their team was better suited to be called the cross-country team rather than the track team.

“Geez…that girl from Garnie High keeps looking over at me,” Yukino said, her nose wrinkling between her eyebrows.

“I think she’s looking at Masaki behind you…probably thinks he’s hot stuff,” Rin said, winking at Masaki, who was blushing furiously down at his sneakers.

“Well, she better keep her eyes off of him,” Natsuki said, Masaki’s girlfriend. She was up in the stands behind them, glaring at the runner from Garnie. Rin giggled to herself, looking to Sesshoumaru who was a few rows behind Natsuki. He gave her a wink.

Yukino and Rin turned to each other, pressing the soles of their running shoes against the other’s shoes. Rin reached for her friend’s hands over their extended legs and pulled her forward, stretching the back of Yukino’s legs.

“Last year, someone on another team got me nervous right before we started. She was a junior from Boston High and told me that I had ‘a snowball’s chance in hell of winning,’” Yukino complained, her voice sounding a bit more strained since she was practically bent in half.

“Do you think she’s here again?” Rin asked her, pulling a bit harder.

“Of course…she won the heat right after telling me that.” Yukino leaned up then, grabbing Rin’s wrists and pulling her forward. Rin was glad that her inner plumbing was working again. After making love for the first time, it felt like someone had punched her internally until she bruised in several places, and it wasn’t until Thursday morning that she felt better. Of course, she thought, smirking to herself, Sess has been at me for another round ever since I said I was better.

“What’s she look like?” she asked, her nose almost to her knees.

“Hmm…well, I remember that she had long blonde hair and green eyes. An ugly chin and a bad hair-do,” Yukino recalled, her eyes looking up to the sky as if picturing the girl. Rin laughed down at her legs. Yukino let go of her wrists then, and both got to their feet again just as Mrs. Roenstein jogged up to them with her ever-present clipboard.

“Okay, here’s the line-up for today. Yukino, you’ve got the third 200-meter heat. That’s against MacAnerney, Rifton, Garnie, Packall, and Richmond. Rin, you’ve got the sixth 200-meter heat against another of Garnie’s, another of Rifton’s, Boston High, Boston North, and Vespey. Katami, you’ve got the first 200-meter heat against…” She went on, listing everyone’s race. If anyone won their heat, they got to go on in the tournament, but usually only one person on the entire team ever won their individual race, and the baton team had never won. The junior varsity members were lucky to get third.

A male announcer called for the first heat participants to come to the starting line and for shot-put participants to meet at the shot-put circle in the center of the field. The crowd seemed to sit straighter in their seats, and several groups of parents called down encouragement for their kids. Rin watched Katami and Mrs. Roenstein walk off towards the starting line where other male runners were doing last-minute stretches or calming themselves down. Yukino stood close next to Rin, and a few of the underclassmen were holding their stomachs as if sick from anxiety.

“You guys, it’s okay,” she called over to them. They looked at her half-hopeful, looking worried. “No one is going to come over and shoot you if you don’t win.” They took deep breaths and nodded, and Rin heard Yukino in her ear,

“Robbie is coming by tonight to take me to dinner. He’s on Thanksgiving Break starting next Monday.” Rin turned to Yukino, smiling conspiratorially.

“He is, huh? Are you going to…you know? You said you were going to go all the way with him the next time he was in town.”

“I don’t know,” she quietly whined, fretting her hands. “I’m afraid that it’ll hurt really badly.”

“Well, you’re never going to get rid of your virginity in a painless way. And it doesn’t hurt that badly. It’s just…not comfortable.”

“Rin! You—! You and—?!” she asked, her eyes wide. Rin threw her hand over her mouth, unable to comprehend how stupid she had just been. “Ohhh, you naughty girl!” Yukino squealed. Rin punched Yukino’s arm, using her facial expressions to hush Yukino to a quieter tone.

“What was it like?” she whispered, gripping Rin’s jersey in her hand. A gunshot went off, and both looked over to the line of boys now speeding around the track. They immediately forgot their conversation and began to shout Katami’s name. He eventually pulled ahead to second, but the finish was coming up fast, and it was obvious that he was tiring. He fell to third before he got to the finish line. A section of the crowd from the winning member’s hometown roared its applause. Mrs. Roenstein got to Katami first, and his chest weavieaving with exertion. From where Rin stood, it was obvious that he was upset with himself. The coach seemed to say something to make him feel better, though, and patted his back as they returned to the team’s area.

The announcer then called for the second heat participants, but no one from Loyola was competing so people continued to stretch their legs and pace in nervousness. Yukino, however, tenaciously continued their conversation.

“What was it like?” she repeated, earning two rolling eyes from Rin. She pouted and tugged on her jersey, though, and Rin sighed in vexation.

“Fine, fine, I’ll tell you…I…well, it was…well, he made sure that I…y’know…c-came first.” Yukino grinned, but didn’t say anything. “And then he…Yukino, this is embarrassing!” Rin moaned. Yukino pressed her, though.

“I promise to tell you every nitty-gritty detail with Robbie when I see you on Monday. C’mon, Rin!” she begged.

“But I don’t want to know ‘every nitty-gritty detail!’”

“I’ll buy you lunch next Sunday…”

“Deal.”

“Hehe…”

“Okay…after he…you know, got it in, something, of course, ripped. I bled a bit and…I think the worst part was that it was way too big, and my muscles were already really strained.”

“So I should be as relaxed as possible?”

“Yeah, that’d be good. And make sure that…that you’re…uhm, lubricated,” Rin said, biting on her lower lip. She looked over Yukino’s shoulder at Sesshoumaru again, but he seemed to be watching the second heat.

“Yukino!” Mrs. Roenstein called from a few yards away. She was waving at her to follow, and Yukino groaned in disappointment.

“You’ll need to finish your story, you know!” she forewarned as she walked away. Rin called out some encouragement and heard the announcer call for the third heat participants. Turning back and looking at Sesshoumaru, he smiled at her again, mouthing ‘good luck’ to her. She nodded, turning to watch Yukino brace her feet in the track stirrups. Since Yukino was the team captain, everyone on the team was already shouting for her to win. Rin stood with the other two senior boys, ready to scream her lungs out once the gunshot went off. She couldn’t hear it, but the line referee told the runners to get set, and all six stuck their hind ein tin the air, some looking forward and some still looking down at their hands. The line referee raised the gun in his hand and fired it, sending all six high school girls ripping down the track.

The look on Yukino’s face was intense, and she immediately pulled out in front. However, the girl from Rifton was close on her heels and coming fast. Yukino couldn’t seem to pull out any more speed and began to lose her position. The group sprinted past their area on the track, and Rin screamed for Yukino to push it. The finish line was approaching, and Yukino seemed to be trying her hardest, but it wasn’t hard enough, and she came in second, coming to a quick stop and bracing her hands on her knees. Mrs. Roenstein jogged over to her, smiling brightly. She jostled Yukino with a big hug, patting her on the back and pointing at the clock times on the marquee behind her. Yukino got a big smile on her face and hugged the coach back, both seemingly happy. Rin, confused, looked to the time, and saw that Yukino had beat her personal best by half a second.

The fourth heat arrived, in which Loyola wasn’t participating. Rin hugged Yukino once she got back, still breathing hard, but happy as ever.

“Did you see me? I got second place! Did you see?” Yukino asked excitedly, hugging her back. Rin agreed with everything Yukino said, patting her back. When they finally let go of each other, the fifth heat had just started, and Rin felt a few butterflies of nervousness flit into her tummy. Katami and Masaki both congratulated Yukino, and she looked to Mrs. Roenstein, who was looking at her as well. She nodded and motioned for Rin to follow her. Jogging over to the coach, still in her warm-up suit, she followed her to the starting line, where two of the other runners were already psyching themselves out and doing last-minute stretches.

“Are your leg muscles feeling okay?” the coach asked, motioning for her to take off her warm-up suit. Rin did so, feeling a slight chill in the air. Though they were using an indoor track, the cold from outside was still managing to seep its way inside. She stretched her calf muscles again while the coach talked, who encouraged her and gave her a pointer on how to block out the other runners. The butterflies in her stomach were flying about in a frenzy, but she simply looked over to the stands, finding Sesshoumaru’s face in the crowd, and her internal bug-zapper took care of the little pests. Mrs. Roenstein, with Rin’s warm-up suit in tow, gave her a pat on the arm and told her which lane she was taking, and then ran off to wait at the finish line. Looking to the five other runners, finally all assembled as the announcer called for the sixth heat, she found the Boston High runner. Blonde, green eyes, ugly chin…and she still had a horrible hair-do.

Excellent.

Standing in lane three, she took a deep breath, and the blonde runner in lane four looked at her, reading the school name on her jersey.

“Heh, Loyola, right?” she asked her, getting her attention. “You don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.” Rin laughed inwardly, wondering if the Boston High girl was already out of neteriterial.

“But hell just froze over…didn’t anyone tell you?” she rebutted, sitting down on her haunches and positioning her hands. The Boston High runner said nothing and did the same, obviously quieted since the line referee was about to say ‘ready.’ Rin got her feet in place just as the line guard said ‘set,’ and lifted her rear into the air. Lifting her head to look at the finish, she pictured Sesshoumaru standing there, arms out. A gunshot rang out inside the covered track, and she pushed forward with her strong leg. The track had excellent turf, making the grip on her shoes work perfectly, just like the track back in Loyola. Her legs began to burn mildly, and her lungs were already working hard. The crowd was cheering, but she couldn’t hear them. Her own breathing and the pounding of her shoes on the textured track filled her ears. The other runners were falling behind her, but she couldn’t see the other lanes. All she saw and concentrated on was him. His arms seemed to reach for her, and the smile on his face was heavenly. However, the vision faded a bit, and she ran faster, hoping to grab him before he vanished.

Just as she was upon him, though, he completely disappeared, and she saw the curve of the track in front of her, having passed the finish line. She heard piercing screams from behind her, and looked to see her team about one hundred feet away going nuts. Mrs. Roenstein was suddenly in front of her, and Rin gripped her knees, pulling in air as fast as she could. She didn’t get much of a chance to catch her breath, though, before the coach pulled her into a hug.

“You did it! You won! Fastest 200-meter time today! Oh, good job! Good job!!” the coach praised, finally releasing her and handing her a towel. Rin looked to her time on the marquee, and her eyes bugged out. I should use Sess as motivation more often! She was so stunned that she had to be steered back to the team’s area and placed onto a bench, where the entire team came over to congratulate her and give her a pat on the back. Masaki didn’t stay long, though, and ran to the start line of the seventh heat.

“I knew it! I knew you’d win! Did you see the look on that ugly-chinned Boston High girl?” Yukino breathed out, handing Rin some water. Rin only took a few sips, knowing that too much would put cramps in her stomach. She shook her head, still disbelieving that she had won. With the other meets, she only sprinted occasionally and mostly participated in the long-distance heats. All of her sprints ended up with her being second place, never first place nor even third place. She won several long-distance heats, but this was the first sprint that she had ever won. That it was a statewide tournament and won by a landslide was enough to knock her off her rocker.

“I—I think Mr. Hakkaku is trying to get your attention,” Yukino butted in, prodding Rin’s side. Looking behind her, she looked up to Sesshoumaru, who clapped for her despite the fact that the seventh heat hadn’t even started yet. She smiled, happy for the attention. Another gunshot went off, and six male runners were gunning it for the finish line. Masaki got off to an early lead, holding it and slowly pulling away from the other runners. It was time for the Loyola team to scream for victory once again as he flew over the finish line, having beat the other runners by a full half second, but still almost a second slower than Rin’s time. She could hear Natsuki losing her voice behind her, jumping for joy in the stands.

Once the team had regrouped, the eighth heat was about to start, and Mrs. Roenstein called for everyone’s attention.

“Okay, after the tenth heat is the four-man race for our baton team. There are three heats of it with seven schools for each. Then Junior Varsity will get their one round of heats, and we’ll get to have the second round of 200-meter heats for Rin and Masaki before the long-distance heats for our juniors.”

Since Rin had plenty of time to get her legs to stop feeling like jelly, she paced the fake grass turf for a couple of turns, squatting down once in a while to stretch her quads. Yukino offered to help her stretch and as the baton race started, they were busy doing just that. Loyola’s baton team finished third in their heat, so they didn’t go onto the second round, and neither of the freshmen boys won their Junior Varsity sprints. With her legs refreshed from the break and from the stretching, Rin and Mrs. Roenstein walked to the second round of Varsity Women’s 200-meter sprint, in which she was running against the other four winners of the five women’s races in the first round. All four were looking at her apprehensively.

“Just do whatever it is you did last time,” the coach said, smiling. “And if you don’t win, that’s fine, too. But win for the heck of it, okay?” Rin nodded, almost laughing. The butterflies had re-spawned inside her stomach, and she wasn’t so sure if she could get rid of them this time. She placed herself into position in lane one, planting her hands and looking up at the finish. Once again conjuring the alluring image of Sesshoumaru in her mind, she imagined him standing right on the white line, the fire in his eyes threatening to consume her entirely. Hearing someone say ‘set,’ she lifted her haunches up, listening for the signal that would let her run to him. A loud pop, and they were off. Imagining the smile that had been on his face when he looked at her from the stands, she tried even harder to get to him, ignoring the faint footfalls of two runners to her right and behind her.

His smile slowly melted, though, into that sinful expression he had the morning that he took her virginity and admitted his love for her. Rin felt her heart skip a beat for the second time that week, and it only bolstered her, stiffening her arms and making her legs reach farther and kick off the ground harder.

Reaching his devilishly handsome vision, she threw herself across the finish line, letting the world come back to her slowly as she skidded to a halt. Gasping for air and wondering how her legs had managed to transform into water, she braced herself for the hug that came from Mrs. Roenstein. Did I win? she wondered. Looking to the marquee and not paying attention to what the coach was saying, she saw her time above everyone else’s, which was 0.18 seconds faster than her first time.

She had won by a full half-second.

Her coach practically dragged her back to the team, which gave her one big, unified hug. She managed to crane her neck around to find Sesshoumaru, and he was clapping very enthusiastically along with the rest of the crowd, which hadn’t expected Loyola to even be worthy competition that year. The announcer managed to say over the applause that the Varsity Men’s 200-meter heat was about to begin, and Rin saw Masaki make his way over to the starting line. Yukino crushed her in her arms once they finally got to sit back down on a bench.

“I knew it! I knew it!!!” she squeaked, jostling her with her fervor. Still very much out of breath, Rin gasped for air, watching the second-round runners squat down to take their positions on the track. Someone pressed a cup of cold water into her hand, and she gratefully gulped it down, not caring if she got cramps.

The gunshot fired yet again. She and Yukino both hollered for Masaki to win, watching him zip past them, already in first. A boy from Boston North was very close on his heels, though, and it was obvious that he would overtake Masaki before the finish line came. Rin felt her heart sink, but of a sudden, the Boston North runner cried out and stumbled to a stop, gripping the back of his leg.

“Yes!!” Yukino cheered, sounding extremely competitive. “That’s from not drinking enough orange juice!” she called, watching Masaki retake the lead with no one close enough behind him. Natsuki was stomping her feet on the bleachers now, having lost her voice mid-race. When Masaki ran past the finish line, even the announcer was excited, and the crowd applauded for Masaki as if he had found the cure for cancer. That Loyola, an underdog school if ever there was one, had won both 200-meter sprints was a complete miracle. Rin and Yukino clapped their hands until they buzzed from numbness, and Natsuki, no longer able to wait for Masaki, dropped down from the bleachers and skirted around the rest of the Loyola track team to fling herself at him once he regained his breath and came back to the squad.

The tournament wound down from there, and as everyone packed up their things, cleaned up the mess from Masaki’s Gatorade shower, and pulled on their warm-up’s again, Mrs. Roenstein gathered her runners into a circle.

“Well!! This has been an extraordinarily successful tournament, boys and girls! But don’t think I’m letting up on you!” she warned, waving her index finger at them. The entire team groaned, thinking of the miles they still had to run before the year ended. “I don’t want to hear any complaints! You won because you practiced!! So we’re going to do more of it!” she declared, fairly glowing with pride as she looked at her twelve runners. Rin didn’t want to hear it, though, and looked to Yukino for help. Yukino, zipping up her warm-up suit, butted into Mrs. Roenstein’s speech.

“I think we should all go home and party!” she yelled, picking up her sports bag. The entire team joyfully and noisily agreed, ignoring the coach’s protestations. A couple got into cars, including Masaki and Natsuki, who were giving Yukino a ride home. The rest got into the bus that headed back, and Mrs. Roenstein finally followed, very much deed. ed. Rin, on the other hand, hung back, saying she had a ride, and waited until they all left. Sesshoumaru found her then, pulling her into the tightest hug she had yet received.

“I am so proud of you,” he said, rocking her a bit from side to side. Rin smiled into his shoulder, also proud of herself, but she felt this nagging in her stomach that the person who’s approval she wanted most wasn’t there to see her. As if reading her thoughts, he went on to say, “I’m sure he’ll come to your spring tournament to see you get a real trophy.” Her eyes stung slightly at this comment, but she said nothing, and only tightened her arms.

However, that sad thought couldn’t even trouble her for long today. Still glowing from her win, she pulled back from his hug, looking around at the teams still straggling to leave the track. Already 9:30 p.m., everyone’s Friday night was gone since most teams had to drive back to their respective locales, and most were tired. People were dragging their feet towards the track exit that lead to the parking lot. She, however, was riding a cloud of bliss. Feeling his hand grab onto hers, she looked towards him as he passed by, pulling her along to the exit as well.

“Want to celebrate?” he asked, looking askance at her once she caught up and walked next to him.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked, picturing a late dinner at a nice, cozy restaurant or a quick trip to the ‘kiddie bars’ that let in 18-year-old’s in Boston, which mostly existed to get a cover charge, sell soda pops, and blast out their under-aged brains with loud, indiscernible music.

“Well, you’re probably tired, so I thought we’d take home something from a fast-food place. We’ll have a nice quiet Friday, and I’ll take you somewhere fun on Saturday.” Rin thought of the conclusion she still had to write for her English paper, but knowing that she could do that on Saturday morning, she didn’t comment and merely nodded.

~~~~~~Loyola, Friday, 10:40 p.m.~~~~~~

By the time they exited the highway, back from their trip to Boston, Rin was napping in the passenger seat, looking exhausted. Believing that she’d go straight to sleep when they got home, he skipped the fast-food restaurant and drove towards home. It was especially dark that night because of the New Moon and a deep layer of clouds. The suburb streets had a couple lingering cars with teenagers in them, all ready to go out wherever. The streetlights glowed, lighting up Rin’s face as they drove deeper into the older part of Loyola’s residential area. She seemed to realize that they were almost home and shifted, breathing a bit deeper as her mind regained its focus. A half-sigh escaped her mouth as she sat up straighter in her chair, watching the car pull around the last corner.

“We’re almost home?” she asked, still a bit dazed. He rolled his head around his neck, working out the kinks from sitting so still for over an hour.

“Yup. I think I heard you snoring,” he fibbed, looking over at her. She half-heartedly whacked his arm, denying such an accusation.

“I do not snore…” Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she added, “And thankfully, neither do you. When father was asleep I could still hear him through his door and through mine.” He could hear the smile in her voice, as if remembering times before her mother’s death. Random mentions of her father were bothering him less now, but even now he still paused a bit before lightly laughing. She needs him in her life; I know that. What child does not want the love of a parent?

“Like a bomb going off?” he joked. Hearing her answering chuckle, he smiled, sincerely hoping for her father’s recovery. He only dreaded telling him the truth of what existed between and and Rin. That day probably wasn’t soon, but it was definitely and unavoidably on the horizon. Pulling up the driveway and into the garage, he brought the car to a halt, turning off the engine and taking off his seatbelt.

“Why are you parking in here?” she asked, having seen him park outside everyday up until then.

“There’s supposed to be some snow tonight, and since it’s starting to get below freezing, the car will appreciate it if I let it stay in the slightly warmer garage,” he answered, closing the driver-side door. Then pulling out her sports-bag from the backseat despite her insistence that she would carry it, he walked to the garage door, pushing it open with his shoulder.

“I can’t believe that it’s already almost eleven. Where did my Friday go?” she asked no one in particular, following Sesshoumaru to the stairs. He looked over his shoulder at her as they ascended, his words echoed by the squeak of the stairs.

“To a sensational win at the Massachusetts-wide high school mock track tournament. It’s a good use of your day.”

“It is, isn’t it?” she grinned, holding onto the back of his sweatshirt once they reached the top of the stairs.

“You can just go on to bed if you’re tired. I thinking of staying up a bit longer to finish grading some of the tests from Thursday. I wanted to turn them back in on Monday, so…” he said over his shoulder, walking into their room and setting her bag down near the closet. Not bothering to turn on the light in the bedroom, he turned towards her.

“Maybe I should go to bed…but I want to stay up a bit longer, too,” she answered, setting her hands on the back of her hips. Even under the somewhat baggy warm-up suit that she wore, he could easily discern the way her breasts were thrust forward.

“We could watch something,” he suggested, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hooded sweatshirt.

“Nah…we could…work on the research report?”

“Good God, no!” he mockingly gasped, getting a laugh out of her. “No work today if you’re staying up. Hmm…want to play poker?”

“And lose to your poker face twenty times in a row when I don’t even know how to make a full house? Yeah, right…I’ll pass,” she said, waving one hand in front of her.

“Oh, come on, you only lost five bucks the last time we played,” he cajoled, now wanting to play more than ever.

“But we only betted about fifteen cents in each round! I think I only won once because you ‘got the crappiest hand ever seen in the history of poker!’”

“I promise to explain some strategies…”

“Nope…no poker. At least not tonight. I’d like to fall asleep a winner today.”

“Well, what do you want to do then?” he asked, having run out of suggestions. This…this had been the cue she had been waiting for.

“How about some sex?” she asked, looking nonchalant about it. His mouth fell ajar, and ookeooked like the light had gone off behind his eyes. Hmph…must have shocked him. His head then moved slightly, and his lower jaw jerked a bit. Blinking at her, he watched her smile in amusement.

“Don’t toy with me,” he said, half-serious. She couldn’t see it, but his hands were fisted inside his sweatshirt pockets.

“I’m not toying with you. It’s been almost a week, and…I’m feeling better. Let’s have sex,” she said, smirking.

“You’re not joking?” he asked, more of a statement than a question. She shook her head to indicate that she wasn’t, and reached up to pull down the zipper of her warm-up jacket. Tossing it to the floor, she kicked off her shoes, and then looked up at him again.

“You really, really want to have sex?” he asked one last time, bringing his clenched hands out of his pockets.

“Yes, Sesshoumaru,” she laughed out. “Are you going to do this every time we do it?” Shoving her sweatpants down to her ankles, she stepped out of them, now wearing just her track jersey, running shorts, and socks.

“Just be aware that the next time you suggest it first, I won’t stop to make sure you mean it,” he smiled, his face half-lit by the light spilling in from the hallway. Not expecting it, Rin gasped when he lunged for her. He threw her over his shoulder and hefted her up. Half-screaming with surprise, she clutched the back of his sweatshirt, certain that she would fall off.

He took the four steps between where he picked her up and the bed, tossing her onto it. Bracing his knee on the bed between her bent legs, he grasped the waist of her shorts, gripping the waist of her panties as well. Pulling them off, he was surprised that she didn’t try to stop him out of embarrassment. She did protest, though,

“Are you in a hurry?!” Still shy, she quickly closed her legs once her shorts and underwear landed in a heap on the carpet behind him, and obviously wanted to cover herself with her hands.

“I’m always in a hurry when it comes to you,” he suavely supplied, taking a bit of her anger away with his charm. He continued to strip her, though, pulling her jersey up over her head and throwing it behind them. Smoothing his hands up her waist, he felt her shiver, and went for the edge of her sports bra.

“I’ll get it…take off your clothes,” she requested, her voice obviously affected. Taking his knee off the bed, he jerked the zipper of his sweatshirt down before hastily wiggling out of it. Then whipping his shirt over his head, he went to work on his belt, watching in the semi-darkness as she pulled her bra off and threw it like a Frisbee towards the door of the room. Seeing the half-lit outline of those soft mounds, his hands worked even faster, pulling the belt through the loops as if ready to crack a whip. He unbuttoned and unzipped them as well, pushing them down and kicking them away with his shoes and socks. Looking down at his pelvis, she looked at the half-rigid member quickly increasing in size. She didn’t have much time to inspect it, though, before he blocked out the light from the hallway. Feeling his hands on her knees, she resisted from opening her legs, a bit too rushed. He would have none of that, though, and pushed harder, spreading her thighs even as he laid over her.

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispered, dotting her neck with wet kisses. “It’ll only make it harder to get inside.” Certainly not wanting that, she tried to relax, but still felt an acute lingering embarrassment. Lying across the bed gave them less room, so he lifted her slightly and hefted them to lie diagonally across the bed. Then bracing his weight on one elbow, he leaned up and guided her mouth to his, already finding it open and waiting for his tongue's invasion. Rubbing the smooth skin on her thigh and hip, he tried to relax her for a minute, enjoying the hesitant caresses of her hands on his shoulders and neck.

“Does this feel good?” he gruffly asked, rubbing his hand over a wider range and finding the smooth planes of her stomach as well as the firm muscles on the back of her thigh. Hearing the embarrassment in her voice, he heard her answer in the affirmative, and continued to brush his hand over her skin. Taking her mouth again, he pressed his pelvis down upon hers, passively reminding her of the real act.

She moved restlessly, mysteriously aroused by his haste and the distracting hand that she knew was slowly making its way to the apex of her thighs. Her hands rubbed his upper back, finding the knots of muscles and kneading at them with her trembling fingers. Her feet were suspended over the bedspread, feeling its texture with her toes as her legs brushed his hips and backside.

His hand traveled down her leg again, only to swerve around the curve of her thigh and sweep up towards the center of her body. He felt her body jerk in surprise, but she made no other move as his fingers manipulated the sensitive skin, slipping inside and rubbing where it created the most pleasure. She was finally responding to his kiss, though, playing with his tongue as his fingers aroused her body. A few heartbeats later, he felt her hips subtly rocking, seeking more from the stimulus between her legs. Finding the knot of nerves with his longest finger, he rubbed it in circles, and was rewarded with a long moan that spilled into his mouth from her warm lips.

She wasn’t sure why, but tonight, she felt especially turned on. Her head was already swimming. Every single twitch of his fingers elicited more than the usual throb of pleasure, and every inch of her skin was warm to the touch. Wanting him to feel the same, she slipped one arm down between them, past the hand that made her body react so lusciously, to the swollen limb that jutted out from his body. Hesitantly wrapping her fingers around it, his hand paused for a split second and air hissed into his lungs. His hand then resumed, and she began to move her fingers over him.

Both kept this up for long minutes, their breathing becoming harsher and shallower, their skin glistening as perspiration broke out from the exertion.

“Ah, God, that feels really good,” Rin finally gasped out, moving her hips with more insistence. Her mind was being bombarded. She was trying to concentrate both on the sensations pulsating throughout her lower half, and on her intent to bring the same feelings to him. His phallus was now wet in her hand, having seeped out a silky liquid that lubricated the hardened length. His pelvis was also lightly thrusting, sometimes brushing the insides of her thighs. When his hand stopped, she thought for a split second that she might kill him for doing so, and his phallus slipped from her dampened fingers. His longest finger squeezed its way inside her body, checking something, and then he leaned b his his chest heaving and his hair slightly mussed from her roaming hand.

“Get a pillow if you need it, okay?” he gasped out, reaching over to his nightstand. Retrieving a contraceptive and applying it while she extracted a pillow from beneath the bed covers, he tried to control his shaking hands as he rolled on the condom. Having cushioned her head, she set her feet on the bedspread, framed around his hips, and forced her muscles to relax. Her womanhood throbbed pleasantly from the stimulation, waiting for the final climb. She watched as he checked the condom one last time, and he lifted himself over her, bracing his hands on either side of her shoulders.

“Did…you want to be on top?” he asked, not quite sure of his motivation for asking such a question. He wanted to do what she wanted—anything that she wanted would be what he wanted, too. She shook her head, though, answering with a husky tone,

“Not this time…I like having you on top of me.” Reaching down, she took a hold of him and squeezed, feeling the processed texture of the condom. The tendons in his neck immediately stood out and his eyes closed. He hissed down at her, lowering his weight onto her. She brought her hand away, letting him take control of the next part. He stretched his arm down between their bodies, finding himself and the warm, wet entrance to his lover. She tried to relax, anxious and yet hoping that it was now painless.
too took a couple of seconds to rub the head over her, stoking her arousal, before nudging the tip between her lips and pressing towards her center. He let out a short, breathy moan, looking down at her as he gently pushed. She was most definitely grimacing, and he stopped immediately.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked, a bit incredulous. She nodded, her eyes shining in the dimness of the room.

“It’s…just really tight. You’re still too big,” she croaked out.

“No kidding… You are…very tight,” he growled. For him, being tight was usually a good thing. Their first time, she was a little too tight, and even now she was only slightly better. He also felt frustrated, wanting her to reach the kind of orgasm he felt he could only give her when performing real sex—but it seemed that she still needed to be ‘broken in,’ so to speak.

“Keep going, please…seems that there’s no way to avoid it,” she wisely observed, trying even harder to relax as much as possible. He nodded, thrusting farther in. She breathed in sharply, but only opened her legs wider. Grasping one of her hips with his hand, he pulled himself the rest of the way inside, moaning. Not waiting more than a split second, he pulled back, shoving his hips into hers over and over again. He felt her hands settle on his sides, and in an attempt to do anything to make it better, swiveled his hips a few times as he thrust.

“Yes…ahhh, yeahhh,” he groaned, biting his lower lip as the heat of orgasm began to pool in his groin. He felt that heat slowly rising, and pumped his hips faster, hearing the bed’s squeaks and the liquid smack of his engorged length hitting deep within her tight, lithe body. Despite the immense discomfort, Rin felt a strange pride in her chest, hearing the lust-driven words that parted his lips. I’m the only one that makes him feel that good.

“Uhhhn! Ahh, God…uhhh… That’s it…ahhh, that’s it,” he groaned, slowing his pace considerably but now thrusting hard and deep. She was starting to feel a little trickle of pleasure, but it was severely dampened by the almost rough thrusting that stretched the walls of her body. Going deep, he rotated his hips over her, rubbing the top of his member against the jewel of her womanhood. His face then dropped down to the crook of her neck, muffling his voice, but he continued to make love to her, gripping the bedspread in his fists and rocking her back with every thrust.

“Sorry…it’s just…so good…ahhhh…that’s good…uhhh!” he suddenly gasped, much louder than before. She felt his upper body stiffen and his lower half sped up, beating his hips against her as he struggled for breath. She watched the ceiling bob in front of her wide eyes, and was also breathing with difficulty. The pleasure had intensified, but she was nowhere near climax. She just let her mind focus on the feel of him moving in and out of her. It was all she could feel and think of, anyway… The slower pullout and the sharp, fast plunge, jabbing at her and creating a friction that warmed her from the inside. The clench of his lower back muscles underneath her hands signaled each new thrust, and as the pace picked up, she tried to widen her legs some more, which made her inner muscles tighten.

“Hmmphh… uhhhh! Uuuhhhh!!!” he groaned into her shoulder, pressing deep and holding himself there, though every couple of seconds, his hips made a small buck. She felt his member throbbing inside of her, slowly and inexorably softening as the strength shot from his body. He was trembling as he laid over her, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the pain between her legs reduced to a dull ache. He was breathing heavily against her neck, and she felt him nuzzle a bit closer. The best part, though, was the heavy pounding of his heart. She could keenly feel it against her right breast, thumping in time to her own.

“Feeling better now?” she asked, rubbing her hands over the ridge of his spine.

“Oh yeah,” he grunted, wrapping one hand around her shoulder and pressing a chaste kiss to the side of her neck. She smiled at the ceiling, for some reason feeling even more proud of herself. She didn’t speak for about a minute, waiting long enough for him to rest.

“Still want to play poker?” she queried, already knowing his answer.

“Tored…red…” he mumbled, his breath finally combackback to him. She pressed a kiss to his damp temple, squeezing her thighs against his hips.

“Already getting old, huh?” she teased, galvanizing him to lift his head. He looked down at her dimly lit visage, squinting one eye at her.

“…On second thought, I’m not that tired.” Taking offense to her barb, he lifted himself off of her, pulling out and helping her sit up. Saying he’d be right back, he wandered off toward the bathroom, as naked as the day he was born. Rin searched around for a shirt, and ended up borrowing one of his white button-down, pinstriped shirts that he might have worn to work. It draped all the way down to the middle of her thighs so she didn’t bother to put anything else on. Finding her brush, she took care of the tangles in her hair, and was setting the brush back down when he reentered the room.

“Heh…I might be upset that you’re wearing my shirt, but you seem to loottertter in it than I do,” he complimented, searching in his dresser drawers for a pair of pants.

“Oh! I’m sorry! Do you want me to put it back?” she offered sheepishly, having completely skimmed over that possibility. He shook his head, smiling.

“You’re welcome to anything in this house,” he responded, earning a happy smile from her lips. Rin then availed herself of the bathroom, using it to clean up a bit and check her teeth in the mirror. In the bedroom, Sesshoumaru pulled on a pair of his black boxer-briefs and a pair of sweatpants, settling for a plain white shirt to cover the rest of him as he pulled it over his head.

“Wanna bet fifty cents per round this time?” Rin suggested, walking by the bedroom door on her way to the stairs. He caught up to her quickly, placing his hand in the small of her back as they made their way downstairs.

“You’ll only lose more money that way,” he joked, rounding the landing with her.

“You said you’d teach me sstrastrategies first—and I pick up stuff really fast,” she sniffed, her feathers ruffled.

“Okay, okay,” he conceded.

They laughed on their way to the back room of the house to play poker, not knowing that something terrible was happening only a few blocks away…