The Succubus's Plaything

Chapter 17: Apple Smoothie

"I.. Uhm.. I'm not feeling so well so I'll be heading home. My stomach hurts really bad and I have a headache."

"Yea.. Right.." Sara frowns at me unbelieving. "And I'm sure that mark on your neck is just another symptom isn't it?"

I instantly cover it up again, but of course the damage is already done. With a sigh I give up. "I can't show up to class with it.."

"Thought so." My sister seems unusually calm for this situation, I would have imagined her completely freaking out. "Your girlfriend?"

This is still pretty awkward though. I allow my shoulders to slump a bit but keep my hand up. "Yes.."

"You really shouldn't be doing things like that in school, and not really anywhere come to think of it! That mark looks awful! I can condone a little kiss here and there discreetly, but come on Hal! Surely even you can be a little bit responsible! At this rate, if you can't hold back even this much, she will be pregnant in no time!"

"P-pregnant!? No! I'm not thaat irresponsible!-" I planned to say a little bit more, but cut myself off when I realize that I am speaking a bit louder than I had intended.

"Look brother, I can understand and even relate a little bit to your situation."

Wait, relate!? What don't I know here!?

"So I'll help you through just this once, but then you really have to PROMISE me that you won't miss any more lessons after today, and I will personally force you to study extra to catch up on everything that you missed. Alright?" She puts her hands on her hips. Back to her normal sternness. "And you'd better not repeat this, because I won't help you again."

"Alright.. I promise. Just please help.."

"I still have one more lesson, so I can't go home just yet. But I'll go to the principal's office and register you as sick. So you just go home to wait for me. Just make sure to not let anyone see, and also bring all the books you need to study with."

"Ok.. Thanks.."

"And also! Don't expect me to stop asking questions! I'm interested in these stuff just like any other big sister. And maybe I'll even bring backup."

Backup? What, to interrogate me!?

"Just hurry on out. The longer you stay here the more you risk bumping into someone and letting the truth out."

"Got it." I am still too shaken up to give her more than short answers.

She then turns around and just walks off, giving me the slightest bit of deja vú as I remember Inesa doing the exact same thing.

...

At home I allow myself to collapse onto the couch and my books to spill out of my bag and over the floor.

I'm pooped. It has really just been less than forty-eight hours, and somehow everything has changed.

Sara told me she would help me just this once. With makeup? Is that her plan? She made me promise to be back in school tomorrow, so that has to be it. But what do I do the next time Inesa does this to me? Do I have to learn to apply my own makeup? And what if the makeup comes undone? Does that happen? I don't even know..

But it has to come undone if I get sweaty? Like PE? And the showers!?

Ahhhh.. I sit up and rest my head in my hands. This is just way too complicated.

In a way, just staying tied up at her house would be so much simpler. But I shake my head, that would be way worse. It is simple to come up with drastic measures, but a pain to follow through.

My phone buzzes. Fishing it out of my bag I see a text from my sister sent a half-hour ago. "Done. Your absence is now registered." So like her, so formal that it would be indistinguishable from an automated message.

But it wasn't this message that caused my phone to buzz.

Valorie.

"Hey Sweetie! How was day one? I hope Inesa took it a little easy on you? ;)"

I take a deep breath and let out an ever breathier sigh before writing back. "A rollercoaster.. Got a big hickey and now I'm hiding at home."

My message is almost instantly marked as read, and the typing icon appears next to Valorie's profile picture.

"Need help with that? If you come over I can cover it up for you."

I chuckle ironically. Had she mentioned that a little earlier maybe I wouldn't be here awaiting my doom when Sara comes through the door. "Thanks, but I've got it covered this time." Maybe I have a mild case of Stockholm syndrome, or maybe because my own mother has been gone for so long, because she only fills me with reassurance rather than the fear and trauma that I technically should be feeling.

"Good for you. If you have anything you need said, don't be a stranger."

I pause for a second, but then send a quick thumbs up before putting my phone to sleep and tossing it on the opposite side of the couch.

My stomach growls like it has been doing for the entire trip home. I feel ravenous, but have no compulsion to get some food to fix the problem. My head is spinning way too much.

My left hand subconsciously grips my left leg and squeezes hard to the point of hurting.

Whatever. I need to take care of my health at least a little.

I walk over to the fridge and the first thing my eyes fall on is a pack of tomato juice, on first glance it reminds of blood. Just the thought makes me feel sick now that my "Inesa high" has worn off.

Reminds me of post-nut clarity honestly, but still completely different.

I ignore the tomato juice, and instead grab a pack of plain yogurt and an apple.

After closing the fridge, I dump some yogurt into the blender, and then I hesitate for a second before putting the whole apple and closing the lid.

I know you are supposed to peel the apple and cut it up before blending it, but I just don't feel like doing anything. Our blender is strong enough anyway.

The loud sound from the blender echoes and hurts my ears, but I hold down the button until the apple is completely reduced to a paste and mixes with the yogurt into a smoothie.

Pouring the "smoothy" into a glass I see that it looks alright, but when I taste it, it is awful. It has a bitter aftertaste and the plain yogurt completely overpowers any fruitiness, but there is still an unmistakable apple flavor.

But I drink it all up anyway.