Chapter 9
Emma walked until she couldn’t see the hotel anymore. What had she done? The last 24 hours had been the most bizarre of her life. She slept with a man for money. How could she do something like that?
“You’ve got to get over this,” she said to herself. “You’ve got to move on.”
A reflection from a store window caught her attention. It was a beautiful, elegant woman dressed in luxury brand clothes. But she carried an old bag stuffed with old clothes. Emma decided she had to change out of those clothes. That elegant woman was someone else. Someone she didn’t want to be. She ran into a store and into their restroom. Emma ripped the clothes from her body. They were another reminder of what she’d done and she just wanted this day to go away.
Jason had done her a favor and had her clothes washed. After she changed, Emma washed the makeup off and removed her jewelry. She released her hair from the tight bun, and threw it up in a messy ponytail.
“There,” she said as she smiled at her reflection. “Much better. But what should I do with these fancy clothes?” Emma decided it would be best to just leave them behind. There was no use for anything like that in her life. She felt bad for Jason, but she had a feeling he’d understand. Emma left the clothes in the restroom and left.
It was like a burden had been lifted. Leaving the clothes behind was the right to do. She was a poor college student after all. She has no use for things like that. All that was left was getting this check to Jane. Then she’d never have to see her again. This was it. That check was the means to her freedom.
Her legs were heavy after miles of walking when she reached her house. Jane was out front gossiping with a neighbor. No doubt talking trash about someone who hadn’t wronged her at all.
Jane’s cheerful disposition disappeared as soon as she saw Emma.
“You little brat,” she yelled forgetting the neighbor was there. “You better be ready to pack your shit and move in with—”
“Here,” Emma balled up the check and tossed it at Jane’s face. “This is the money you need. Now give that to the man you sold me to.”
“How dare you?” Jane screeched. The neighbor was horrified at the exchange. Jane had sold her stepdaughter? Jane was furious that Emma would say that where people could hear.
“Fuck you, Jane. Stay as far away from me as you can. You won’t get another dime from me. Oh, and you better learn how to clean a house. Because I’m not coming back.” Emma walked away and felt immense satisfaction as Jane’s screams became more and more distant. She was free.
As she arrived to her dorm, she prayed that it would be empty. The last thing she needed was for Vivian to be there. Her prayers were answered. The harpy was nowhere in sight. Emma collapsed on her bed and the weight of everything finally hit her.
“I can’t stay here,” she mused aloud. Her future was up in the air. She got her money. It was supposed to set her free, but she felt more trapped than ever. This was not a way to start a new life. It was tainted by her decision to sell herself to a stranger. Hot tears rolled down her face. What had she done? She never placed heavy importance on her virginity, but she did want her first time to be special. And it was in a hotel with an asshole billionaire.
On top of everything else, she needed to find a place to live.
“Some new life,” she cried.
A knock at the door pulled Emma out of her sadness.
“Em? It’s me, are you there?” a pleasant voice called from outside. It was Sabrina. A friendly face is just what she needed.
Emma let her in, and Sabrina noticed she was crying.
“Oh hun, I came as soon as I heard! I’m so sorry!” Sabrina embraced Emma in a giant hug. She was a whirlwind of arms, and hair. It was exactly what she needed. “I could kill them for what they did to you! We’ve got to get some kind of revenge. They can’t get away with this!” Sabrina raged.
“No, please,” Emma pleaded. “I don’t want to get back that them. In fact, I don’t want to see them or even talk about them ever again. I just want to forget about it.” Emma often wished she was more like Sabrina. Fun, exciting, and gorgeous. Sabrina was popular with everyone. People fell at her feet, but Sabrina didn’t care about them. She never needed validation from anyone.
“You’re too good. But I get it.” Sabrina’s chocolate eyes lit up. “You know what you need? A girl’s night.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Emma agreed.
I’m gonna call Jess. We haven’t seen her since she graduated and I know you miss her.”
“You miss her too!” Emma teased.
“Well yeah!”
They laughed.
Jess arrived about half an hour later while Emma and Sabrina were getting ready to go out. She was a feisty girl about six inches taller than both of them. Always ready for a fight, but still gorgeous. Emma had always envied Jess’s full curly hair and caramel skin. Her friends were both amazing. They were all she had. And if she had them, she should be able to get through anything.
Sabrina dressed Emma in a small, sparkly top, tight leather legging, and strappy heels. Jess curled her hair and did her makeup. It was like armor. They empowered her to get through the day. This felt different than when Jason dressed her. While he was nice, Jason was doing a job. These girls loved her. How was going to tell them about what happened. That would have to wait. Right now, she just wanted to go out and have fun with her girls.
They laughed and teased each other on the way to the club. Emma was happy to be in Sabrina’s nice, normal car and to be driving by familiar places. Her day had been overwhelming, but it started to fade away.
“Something’s different,” Jess commented to Emma.
“Yeah,” Sabrina chimed in. “She lost about 220 pounds of stupid ass man.” Jess laughed.
“And about 125 pounds of skank ass roommate,” Jess added.
“Come on, guys,” Emma laughed. “I don’t want to talk about them.”
“All right. So, here’s the plan tonight. We’re gonna dance, drink, go back to my place, have ice cream, and talk shit. But tomorrow, we’ve got to talk. We need to figure out your next steps. You can’t stay there. Deal?” Jess asked, her tone serious.
“Deal,” Emma agreed.
“Good. Tonight, we party!” Sabrina cheered. The other two followed suit. They hollered and sang the rest of the way to the club.
The atmosphere was contagious. Emma felt a sense of fun and freedom as soon as she walked in.
“I called ahead and got us a VIP booth,” Sabrina bragged.
“That’s my girl!” Jess clapped her on the shoulder.
“Thanks!” Emma shouted over the music. The girls made their way over to the private tables. As they approached their table, they heard a familiar voice.
“Oh yes,” the voice moaned.
“What the—” Jess was about to make fun of the couple until she realized who it was. “Well, shit,” she cursed.
“What’s going on?” Emma asked. Jess tried to stop her from seeing, but it was too late. In their reserved VIP booth, were the last two people she wanted to see. And they were doing something better left in private.
“Not again.”
It's Vivian and Matt.