The love Tactic

Setting the board Spreading the Cancer

Ariel hung up the phone and ran his hand through his short curly hair. The coarse follicles scratched the palm of his hand. He looked around his room. The glass tumblers were still on his desk, still damp with the alcohol that had once filled them. He pushed himself deeper into the bed. She had just been there. Loose curls, smooth chocolate skin. He was imagining everything she had done before things went wrong. They had danced, she had tried on his clothes, over hers of course....but the way she took his shirt off. He felt himself harden and leaned back against the wall for another On of his usual sessions. He set up a rhythmic pace and let his mind race. Her smooth skin, her black curls, the ring of her voice, her thick curves, her huge breasts. Several twinges shot through him and he picked up the pace, that Ass! Several images of her plump bottom raced through his mind. He smiled to himself. Then the image traced up to her round face. Her eyes.
"Damnit! No!"
The happenings of that night rushed into his head. Her sad eyes as he traced his lips over her. The stillness of her body as he moved inside her. The weak ring of her voice and she pleaded with him. The smoothness of her skin as she finally slipped away and left his room. He was limp, pissed and panicking. She had messaged him an hour before and by the sounds of it she was none to pleased. He tried the play it off. He laid the charm down thick but nothing stuck. In the end he told her to stay quiet and she told him to fuck off.
He had, sort of, but the problem was still there. The ball was in her hands. He laid down on his bed. Outside the campus was alive with the sound of fellow classmates. It must've been around noon but Ariel had no desire to go outside.
--------------------------------------------------------------He fell asleep without realizing, and woke to the sound of his phone vibrating against his face. He whipped the crust from his mouth and the boogies from his eyes then answered the phone.
"Hullo?"
"Ariel? I got your message what happened? No don't say. I've booked a flight over to your school. I'll be there by noon tomorrow."
"James?"
"Who else? Be ready for me."
The phone went silent.
Ariel let out a small chuckle. James was coming to see him. He would beat his ass when he found out what happened but James was coming.
Ariel snuggled back into the embrace of his comforters. Whatever evidence she had on that cheap little phone of hers wouldn't help her now. She would loose before the ball even left her hand.
On the other side of the campus a young girl sat in her bed staring at her phone in shock. He knew what he had done. She could tell from his words. But...he didn't care. Chris pulled her legs close as tears fell from her cheeks. It was so frustrating. She could still feel him inside her. The little shit. She had been readjusting herself on the bed for hours but no matter what she did she felt exposed. The feeling still came. Slipping and sliding in and out of her. Slimy, uncovered and unwanted. She knew she needed to get out of bed but she didn't want to move. In all her discomfort, the reality of her situation was confined to two places. His room and her bed. What happened was like a cancerous disease. Spreading to whoever came in contact with it. She had brought it to her bed when she crawled back to her room early that morning. Now that space was as defiled as she was. She didn't want to carry that to any other place.
The door to her room slammed open and Chris's roommate Kim burst through the door.
"I got it!" She painted. Kim had woken to Chris's stifled tears at 7 that morning. Chris shared what had happened. After sitting through several hours of tears and bitter curses Kim got up to make Chris a big cup of tea. After she was calm Kim left to get the plan B pill.
"How much was it?" Asked Chris gingerly accepting the pill
Kim held up a single finger and a five. Moving to the refrigerator she took several large gulps of water.
"Don't worry about it."
"Really?"
"Actually, no can you pay me back. You know I'm poor." The two girls laughed.
"I'll venmo you 'Kay." Kim smiled and began to undress.
She had thrown on "normal clothes" and a winter coat over her usual pajamas before rushing out of the room. With no classes to go to, Kim had one thought in her mind. Sleep.
Chris watched her roommate undress. With each piece of fabric removed she looked more and more relieved. Chris's mind wandered back to the night. As she tried on then took off each shirt of his. Was she sexy then? A tease?
Kim looked at her friend stare off into space, lost once more in her thoughts. She was so furious, she ready to castrate Ariel for what he did, but after Chris was back to her usual self.
"Do you want me to come up there?" Asked Kim cheerfully
"No!" Chris blurted. It was an irrational thought, she knew it. But she felt cancerous, lIke anyone too close would catch what she had. The heart ache, the disgusted outlook on the world. A notification popped up on Chris's phone.
11:45.
Had it really been 7 hours since she got back?! The memories were so fresh, but her emotions were so strong and jumbled, like they had been there blending and fighting for centuries. Only 7 hours and she was already this changed. Where was the the happy Chris? The optimistic girl? This wouldn't do! She wouldn't let this change her. 
Kim looked across at Chris from the comfort of her bed. She sat with her short legs dangling over the the bed's edge, her eyes fixed on her kneecaps. Chris first. She chimed to herself.
"Chris." Said Kim sharply. Chris slowly looked over to her roommate.
"Let's go out tonight! Esther mentioned getting Korean food. Doesn't that sound good!"
She didn't want to go. But the usual Chris would.
"Sure." She chimed. Her smile was perfect. They would be going out. And it would be good. She needed friends. She needed to get her mind off things.