For some reason, she just kept reliving that feeling.

It was the feeling of being filled by that slimy creature that came out of the river. The sensation, horrid yet sickly satisfying, of that bulbous head thrusting against her unprotected snatch and forcing its way in. The bursts of pain as inch after inch of the slick body worked its way inside the girl’s body.

As the last few inches of the creature slipped between Leah’s nether lips, the pain had faded, leaving a burning between her legs that only grew with each moment the creature was inside of her.

For several minutes, Leah leaned against the rock outcropping, tears dripping down her cheeks. She desperately needed to process this, but nothing made sense. This thing. This horrible, disgusting thing was inside of her.

Leah lurched and whimpered as she felt a horrible stretching sensation deep within. The creature had forced its way through the girl’s cervix.

At that point, panic gripped the young woman. She thrashed in the water and tried to belt out a scream, but only managed a pathetic little cry that barely extended beyond the little pool.

It needed to be out of her. Leah knew this and only this. It needed to go. She needed to be free of it.

Leah desperately grasped the rock outcropping, ready to scream for real this time. She was a singer and goddamnit she could be loud.

Before the girl could even open her mouth, a sharp jolt within cut Leah off. For a moment, Leah froze in the darkness, held still by the sudden sense of something piercing into her flesh.

Then it hit her. An overwhelming shock of pleasure rolled over Leah unlike anything she had every felt. Bliss and carnal delight danced a tango through the girl’s veins, causing her vision to temporarily go blank. Within seconds, Leah came, sending of a jet of girl-cum into the water and leaving the young woman entirely immobilized.

Then came the voice.

It didn’t speak to her in words. Mostly just impulses. It told her she needed to leave this place and go somewhere private. Somewhere where this, whatever this was, could finish.

As punctuation for this point, another blast of pleasure rolled over Leah, causing her eyes to water and her hips to buck. How could she not obey?

Leah stumbled out of the water and made it a few steps before she realized through her foggy consciousness that she was buck naked. That wouldn’t do. She needed to be somewhere private. Unnoticed. This needed to finish.

For this good instinct, another wave of pleasure rolled over the college girl. Leah felt a gush of sticky fluid run down her legs. Her pussy burned.

Leah found her clothes a couple hundred feet away, by the docks. Clumsily, she slipped on her panties and shorts, revelling in the pleasure of the fabric against her pussy, which all of sudden felt hyper-sensitive. When she tried to slip on her bra, the sensations proved too much. Her nipples were so sensitive that even the slightest sensation against them sent powerful jolts into her crotch.

Leah dropped the bra and searched around in the clothes. She seized on the shirt of one of the larger freshman boys and tossed it on her. It came down past her ass, but it did the trick. Even so, the pleasure from the fabric rubbing against her tits made it hard to manage. Every so often on the trek back, Leah would have to stop and brace herself as a small orgasm rolled over her body.

What is this? The girl wondered. Deep down, there was still horror and disgust. Leah’s true feelings had not died, only been submerged by the tidal waves of pleasure and the voice within.

After what felt like hours, Leah made it to her dorm. She stumbled through the abandoned hallway and fumbled at the door with her keys, hoping desperately that her roommate was not yet in. She needed privacy. The voice demanded it.

When she saw that she was alone, Leah slammed and locked the door, shut off the lights, and immediately started to rip her clothes off. The voice rewarded the young woman with the biggest orgasmic wave of pleasure yet.

***

Hunter saw the smoke first.

It was a crisp, clear day in late September and the woods were absolutely stunning. It was the perfect day for a hike.

Hunter and Molly reached the small valley that terminated in the diminutive stream by around one in the afternoon. Hunter rounded the bend, looked off towards the river, and saw the billowing wisps of white smoke rising into the air.

“Check it out,” Hunter pointed off in the distance.

“Shit,” Molly said softly. “What should we do?”

“Let’s see what it is first.”

The pair had been dating for nearly a year. Both met in organic chemistry their junior year and bonded almost immediately over their love of the outdoors.

Molly was a vivacious woman with black hair cut short and beautiful olive skin. Hunter knew the day he locked eyes on her that she was the one.

They reached the origin of the smoke after ten minutes of hiking. Molly gasped when she saw it. Hunter simply stared, too shocked to process.

Before them was an impact crater the size of a small car. In the very center of the crater was a steaming rock roughly the size of a watermelon. From the jagged crack that ran down the length of the meteorite, lime-green slime oozed.

Molly was the first to act. She farted over, grabbed a twig and started to poke at the meteorite.

“Molly wait,” Hunter called.

“Babe, do you know what this means?”

“A meteor. We found a meteor.”

“No,” Molly said. She held up the twig, green slime oozing from the tip.

“Organic compounds hunter. This is the discovery of a lifetime!”

“Holy shit,” were the only words he could muster in response.

***

Jessie Miller stumbled into her room and groped around for her bottle of ibuprofen. Her head pounded and her lower regions felt even worse. She downed three pills and took a moment to steady herself.

That’s when she noticed the lump under the covers of her roommate’s bed.

“Well that answers that question,” Jessie mumbled to herself.

She stared at the lump in the bed, watching who she assumed was Leah toss and turn slightly. It was then that Jessie noticed the smell of the room.

The air was heavy with what almost smelled like sex, undercut by a deeper, darker odor that Jessie could not place.

Jessie took a couple steps towards her roommate. While she still could not make out Leah’s face in the tangle of covers, it was clearly her. Jessie could see the girl’s tangle of chestnut hair peeking out from the top of the covers. From where Jessie was standing, there was no one else under the covers with Leah.

A knock at the door broke Jessie out of her investigatory mood. She padded across the room as quietly as she could manage and opened the door a crack.

Megan Jenson stood on the other side of the door, arms crossed and looking as uncomfortable as usual.

Jessie liked to think of Megan as a virgin cosplaying as a slut. Megan always wore low cut tops and push-up bras to make her tiny a-cups seem like so much more. Despite all the extra makeup and work, Megan never seemed to sell the look quite right.

Like a little girl playing dress up with Mommy’s clothes, Jessie thought as she gazed at her friend with bleary eyes.

“Hey, you guys going to brunch?” Megan asked, trying to peer into the dark room.

“Yeah, I’ll be ready in, like, ten minutes. Sound good?”

“Yeah, is Leah coming too?”

Jessie turned back towards the lump in the bed. The girl showed no sign of waking anytime soon.

“Nah, just me. She’s sleeping something off.”

Megan nodded.

Jessie closed the door and grabbed a change of clothes. She thought about heading to the bathroom, but Leah was so thoroughly knocked out that she decided to change right then and there.

Five minute later, Jessie Vitelli was on her way to brunch, leaving Leah alone once more.

***

“Anyone hungover?” Eliza asked. She looked especially pale and deep purple rings hovered beneath her eyes.

Bethany responded with her usual brightness.

“Nope! Plenty of water does a body good!”

“Perfect,” Eliza said.

Haley gazed out the window, thinking about the shooting star she saw the night before. More and more, she was certain it had landed near the campus. She wondered if anything was left of it.

“So, anyone have any fun plans for today?” Melissa asked. She was a pretty, plump asian girl with blue dyed hair and round, cherry-colored glasses.

“Homework,” Eliza grumbled.

“Oh same,” Melissa said.

“I’m going down by the docks. It such a beautiful day. Gonna get my sun on!” Bethany chimed in.

Haley thought that sounded wonderful. She was starting to feel anxious, but she could not figure out why. Her homework was done for the week, no big tests or assignments approached on the near horizon, nothing.

It was as if some far off storm were creeping closer with each second. Some time outside in the sun might be a good counter balance.

“Mind if I join you?” Haley asked Bethany.

“Sure! More the merrier!” Bethany beamed.

Haley felt her internal world brighten a tiny, but significant bit.

***

Leah peered at her roommate as she left the room, watching the girl’s full hips sway. An impulse washed over Leah then and for a moment, she nearly leaped out of bed and dragged Jessie back into the room.

Then the voice stopped her. Not yet, it whispered to her. Not ready.

Leah obeyed. She had come to trust the voice through this ordeal. It gave her clarity. Simple purpose.

Instead, Leah waited for her roommate to close the door and walk down the hallway a few steps before she ripped off the covers. The cool air on her naked body was exhilarating.

Leah jumped out of bed, feeling a sudden burst of inhuman energy in her limbs. She felt like she could lift a boulder over her head with this kind of energy.

She skipped over to the lengthwise mirror on the door, her fingers idly reaching for her pussy. Sopping wet and slimy flesh met Leah’s fingers. That and the burning, dizzying pleasure that radiated from her snatch.

What Leah saw in the mirror made her gasp. While the old Leah had been beautiful in her own right, her new incarnation was jaw dropping.

Leah’s firm, perky C cups had blown up by at least two cup sizes and now bulged off her chest like a pair of soft melons. Leah cradled her breasts and felt the sudden rush of pleasure. They were so sensitive!

The rest of Leah had been enhanced in a dozen little ways. Plumper lips, Fuller ass, no blemishes, longer, curlier hair. She now had to be one of the hottest women in the school by far.

Leah massaged her big tits and fingered her pussy desperately. Within less than a minute, a series of powerful orgasm rocked the young woman’s body, sending her to her knees.

In the burning heat of the moment, the voice came to Leah again. It came as a deep urge. Hunger.

***

Sarah’s heart beat rapidly as she worked her way towards the library. It was a sunny, beautiful day out; a real shame given that she was not going to be enjoying it whatsoever.

The next several hours were going to be nothing but research in a gray, fluorescent-lit computer lab. It was at moments like this that Sarah questioned why she was even pursuing a biology degree. She possessed no ambition to be a doctor and all personal curiosity in the subject had drained from her after the first year.

She felt trapped.

It was in this bitter trance that Sarah failed to notice Hunter and Molly waving at her. She nearly walked right past them when Molly tapped her on the shoulder.

Sarah jumped, suddenly feeling mortally endangered.

“Hey,” Molly said softly. “It’s just us.”

“You okay, Sarah?” Hunter added.

“I’m so sorry guys. I’m just in a mood.”

“Senior project mood?” Molly asked.

“What other mood is there?” Sarah said, trying to crack a smile. She half-managed it.

“Well don’t overwork yourself,” Hunter said.

“What are you guys up to?” Sarah asked, hoping to change the subject.

It was nice having human contact and the sun was warm and soothing on her skin. In this place, she could almost forget the sterile hell waiting for her in the library.

“You won’t believe what we found in South Woods,” Molly said, bubbling with excitement.

“A meteorite!” Hunter chimed in.

“Holy shit!” Sarah said. “That’s awesome! You’ve got to give me the details!”

“We found it hiking in south woods,” Hunter said. “We were hiking and saw the smoke. It must have just landed in the last few hours.”

“You didn’t even mention the coolest part,” Molly said, playfully nudging her boyfriend in the arm. “We found this goo leaking from it. It might be organic! We’re on our way to collect samples.”

“Potentially the best senior project ever!” Hunter said.

“Wow, that’s great guys. Well good luck,” Sarah said.

Somehow, she left the conversation more dejected than before. Someone sure was enjoying biology and it certainly was not her.

The library loomed before Sarah, beckoning her with dark windows and dreadful whispers of a listless, colorless future.

***

“So Brad and I hung out last night. Now by hang out, I don’t mean hang out,” Megan punctuated this with large air quotations. “We just played board games with some of his friends. It was kind of boring, but also kind of nice?”

Jessie desperately wished Leah was here to absorb some of the radiation from Megan’s constant need to fill air. Leah had the heart for that type of thing.

Instead, it was just her. Just Jessie. The wild child, her mother had always called her. Wildly bored, Jessie thought.

“Do you think I should push him more?” Megan asked.

Jessie panicked as she realized the past several seconds slipped by without her paying even the slightest attention to Megan.

“I’m sorry, what?” She said.

“Should I push Brad to be more active? I don’t want him to think I’m a slut or anything. Hell, we aren’t even dating. Then there’s Mikey. Poor Mikey…”

And Megan was off on another tangent.

Jessie swiped her keycard at the entrance of the sophomore dormitory and opened the door for Megan. Jessie followed and started towards her room, all too painfully aware that Megan was following her.

“You might want to ask Leah about this. She’s better with this sort of thing,” Jessie murmured.

“Better with what sort of thing? Talking? Having a meaningful conversation,” Megan said. She was starting to get a little huffy.

“It’s just that she has better advice, usually.”

“Well I’m also friends with you,” Megan said indignantly. “I want to know what you think.”

Jessie opened the door and turned on the light, revealing an empty room. That, however, was not what cut Megan off mid-sentence.

Trailing from the doorway to Leah’s bed were splotches of lime-green slime. The path ended in Leah’s bed, where the sheets were entirely drenched in the stuff.

“What the fuck?” Jessie said reflexively as she carefully tiptoed around the goo.

“What’s that smell?” Megan whined, pinching her nose.

Jessie sniffed the air and remembered the odor she picked up hours earlier. Before, it had been muted and difficult to distinguish. Now it was overwhelming.

It was a cloyingly sweet smell. Deep and rich like molasses with floral hints and an undertone that was sweaty and animalistic.

“Did she pee herself?” Megan asked. Jessie turned to face the girl and saw the growing concern on her face.

“Does that look like pee?”

Megan did not respond.

Jessie grabbed her laptop, her backpack, and her water bottle and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

“I’m not dealing with this right now.”

“Do you think she’s okay?” Megan asked, wide-eyed.

“How should I know?” Jessie felt a growing pit in her stomach. “You know as much as me.”

“Sorry,” Megan said.

“I’ll see you for dinner. I-I can’t deal with this right now.”

Megan started to follow Jessie and was met with a hard glare that withered her.

“I’ll see you later,” Jessie said with an air of finality.

***

Leah found him in a study room on the opposite side of her floor. He was a pudgy, nonde*********** boy of about twenty. While Leah had seen him before, she didn’t know his name. It didn’t matter.

What mattered was that the guy was alone in a mostly abandoned dormitory. This the inner voice assured Leah.

She slipped into the seat beside the guy and waited for her body to do the trick. The girl was dressed in the sluttiest outfit she had, a low cut tank top that ended above her belly button and a pair of spandex dance shorts. With her enhanced curves, nothing was left to the imagination.

The guy looked up with a start and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. His gaze was fixed on Leah’s chest.

She did not give him much time to stare, however. Leah lunged forward and pulled the boy into a wet, sloppy kiss.

Leah felt him pull away, but she persisted, yanking him into her embrace once more. Drawing on the newfound energy within, it was easy to jerk the boy into her grasp.

At first, it was awkward-Leah sloppily lapping at the guy’s mouth as he desperately tried to get away-but second by second, the boy’s resolve started to fade.

Leah could sense the growing arousal inside the boy. She knew he found her attractive. These things she could feel on instinct even though there was no way of knowing by any physical sensation.

As they kissed, as the boy submitted to the beauty vigorously making out with him, Leah started to catch glimpses and sounds. Bits and pieces of memory. The guy’s memory.

But how?

Leah felt a rough hand grasp her right breast and then she knew the boy was hers for the taking. She pulled away all of a sudden and whispered the word “room”

The guy nodded, catching her drift. He stood up, not even trying to hide the throbbing boner in his sweatpants, and grabbed Leah’s hand. They darted into the hallway and into the guy’s room several doors down.

As soon as they reached the room, which was thankfully empty, they began to claw each other’s clothes off. The guy yanked off Leah’s tank top and ogled at her exposed tit-flesh.

Leah grabbed his crotch and began to stroke his boner before pulling down his pants and dropping to her knees to suck his cock. More images and emotions fluttered into Leah from the boy, almost as if she were reading his mind. It was an exhilarating feeling to take in the mind of someone else.

Leah ran her tongue up and down the length of the guy’s six inch cock, pausing at the tip to lap up his precum, reveling in the taste of it. This was certainly not Leah’s first time giving head, but never before had she done it with this kind of gusto. The formerly repulsive obligation now filled the coed with glee.

Soon, Leah was bobbing her head up and down, sucking hard on the shaft while gently kneading the guy’s balls. It would not be long before he came and Leah couldn’t think of a better thing to happen.

The inner voice stopped her. His cum was needed to complete the process. All pleasure drained from Leah’s body momentarily and she found herself gagging on the large member in her mouth.

Leah spat out the cock and pulled her hands away.

“Is everything alright?” The guy said through heavy panting.

“More than that, tiger,” Leah giggled. Then she grabbed him and thrust him towards the bed.

The guy climbed on top of Leah, pushing his hot, throbbing cock against her inner thigh.

“Put it in,” Leah moaned. “Please, put it in.”

“I don’t have a condom. I can check my roommate’s side of the—“

Leah grabbed the guy with sudden ferocity and pulled him close.

“Put it in!”

From there, animal instincts took over. He shoved his cock inside Leah, filling her magnificently.

The trickle of feelings and thoughts and memories that Leah had been picking up from the guy turned into a torrent. It was like their brains had melded together. Each new thought filled Leah’s brain, giving her strength and energy.

The guy’s vitality burned red hot against Leah’s inner walls and she could feel the psychic power filling her.

The boy thrust into her at an ever more rapid pace, accelerating towards the final, delicious conclusion that Leah so desperately needed.

Sex had never been like this for Leah. The pure, unadulterated joy of consuming every bit of essence the young man threw at her, searing pleasure that seemed radiate from every cell, it was all so new and fresh.

The man grabbed Leah’s ass and buried his cock as deep within her as he could manage. In the next moment, the pair came together in an unspeakable climax, the man’s cum jetting into Leah’s womb.

Leah felt her insides shifting as more and more hot fluid pumped into her. She felt something within wrap itself around the guy’s dick, puncturing his flesh at several places.

The young man let out a sharp roar that trailed off into a deep moan of pleasure. He immediately redoubled his thrusts into Leah, pumping even harder than before.

Leah, unable to comprehend what she had done to the guy, merely held on, savoring the bliss of being rammed a second time.

It did not take long for the guy to send another jet into Leah, this one slightly smaller than the first. Still, he didn’t stop.

Meanwhile, Leah burned with inhuman pleasure. The beast within drove her to squeeze her legs against the man’s ass and thrust her hips, milking every last drop of the boy.

It was never going to stop, Leah thought. He was never going to stop cumming inside of her. The thought of it overjoyed Leah.

***

Bethany skipped a rock out onto the river. It bounced once, twice, and three times, sinking several yards away. The sun danced brilliantly on the water, reflecting shimmers of light across every surface available.

“You’re a lit major, right?” Bethany asked.

“English, yeah,” Haley said.

“I love reading,” Bethany said. “Probably not the same stuff you read in class though.”

“Oh?”

“I’m a big nerd. Lots of sci-fi from thirties, fourties, and fifties.”

“Do you like Ray Bradbury?” Haley asked.

“Uh, hell yeah! I love me some Ray Bradbury. You a fan?”

Haley smiled. She was feeling a lot better.

“Of course,” she said.

“You know this means we have to be best friends now, right?” Bethany asked. “Come on Haley, drink the dandelion wine!”

Bethany extended her hand and Haley took it. Both girls burst out laughing.

They worked their way down the shoreline, enjoying the lazy afternoon sun.

“Hey, Bethany,” Haley said. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeppers!”

“Do you and Melissa get along?”

Bethany giggled at this.

“I’m pretty sure I get along with everyone. Kind of a potted sunflower with legs like that. Why?”

“It’s about Eliza. I just feel like I’m annoying her all the time.”

“To be honest, she seems annoyed all the time. I wouldn’t take it personally.”

“I usually don’t. It’s just that-” Haley paused, trying to find the right words. “I guess I always imagined pairing up with my freshman roommate and becoming best friends for life or something. It’s kind of a let down to not have that.”

Bethany pondered over this with uncharacteristic sobriety.

“To be honest,” she said. “I don’t feel that way with Melissa either. Don’t get me wrong. We like each other just fine. Still, it’s not like a BFFs, matched for life thing. I think most people run into that.”

“Thanks,” Haley said. “I think I needed to hear that.”

“Sure thing! Besides, we’re BFFs of a different kind!”

“Oh?”

“Bradbury fans for life!”

they both snickered loudly.

***

Leah closed the door on the dark room and slipped into the hallway wearing nothing but the guy’s oversized sweatshirt. Every so often, a droplet of cum and slime would fall to the floor as Leah worked her way towards her room.

She felt so very strange. Deep inside, something was wriggling like mad. Perhaps it was in her womb? Whatever it was, it was getting bigger.

Leah still burned with excess energy from her fuck session. She thought back to the boy. How she left him practically in a coma. In the sterile light of the dorm room, he had seemed to have taken on the color of cottage cheese and deep rings of purple circled the bottoms of his eyes. He was fast asleep.

Even after hours of relentless fucking, Leah still brimmed with energy. She needed something else. Something more satisfying than a boy to fuck.

Leah opened her room to find it abandoned. She thought of the last time she had been here. There was a flash in her mind’s eye of swaying hips and pretty blonde hair belonging to her roommate, Jessie.

A soul wrenching desire washed over Leah. Jessie. Gorgeous, sexy Jessie.

***

Megan saw Brad out of the corner of her eye and dashed down the hall after him. This was her chance.

She looked down and adjusted her bra to try and emphasize what little assets she had.

“Hey Brad, wait up!” She called.

“Hey,” he said, turning to her.

“Wanna hang out tonight? I’ve got more board games!” Megan immediately kicked herself for choosing such a stupid thing to say.

“Oh, I’ve got homework tonight, I can’t.”

“Oh, well we could do homework together if you want,” she said.

“Nah, I really need to focus Megan. Maybe some other time?”

“Alright,” Megan said, feeling dejected.

“Alright. I’ll see you,” Brad said, turning to walk down the hall.

Megan walked back to her room, licking her wounds. Hot tears filled her eyes. What the hell was she doing wrong?

No matter how hard Megan tried, no matter how she made herself look, Brad always seemed to keep her at arms length.

Megan reached her dorm when she heard the sound of an opening door. She turned to just catch a glimpse of a figure with long brown hair disappearing into Leah and Jessie’s hair.

“She’s back,” Megan whispered to herself.

She made a note to go over and check on Leah later. And ask for advice. Megan was always asking for advice.

***

Jessie reaches her door and took a deep breath. She wasn’t angry anymore, just apprehensive.

Leah was her best friend and a grounded, normal girl. Whatever the cause of the slimer-incident, as Jessie now referred to it, Leah probably had a good explanation.

She opened the door and glanced inside. Leah was leaning against her bed, her eyes locked on Jessie. Immediately, Jessie felt uncomfortable.

The slime was still all over the floor and the smell from before was now so strong that it made Jessie’s head swim.

“Leah,” Jessie said tentatively.

Instead of responding, Leah stepped towards Jessie. She was wearing a ridiculously oversized sweatshirt Jessie had never seen before. In her eyes was an unpleasant glare.

“Leah, honey,” Jessie said.

“Jessie,” Leah whispered.

Jessie started to step forward and then stopped herself. Something was very wrong.

“Leah, whatever is happening, we can-” Jessie did not get a chance to finish her sentence.

Leah lunged forward and attempted to lock lips with her roommate, but missed, grazing Jessie’s cheek.

“What the fuck,” Jessie screamed.

She shoved Leah off of her, but the girl just kept pushing. Jessie fell back against the door of the dorm and felt Leah’s wet, soft lips against her own. That strange odor wafted off of every pore of Leah’s body, making Jessie’s eyes water.

Jessie felt Leah’s hips start to buck against her own, wetness leaking onto her pants.

What the hell was happening? Jessie felt her resolve starting to fade. She knew she had to get away. Alarm bells rang in her head, telling her things were very wrong, but another voice seemed to lull her towards an unnatural calm.

She felt Leah grasp her right breast, sending ice water into her veins. With a last burst of energy, Jessie pushed Leah back, knocking the girl on her ass.

Jessie wasted no time, she yanked the door open and ran out at full speed, tears filling her eyes. She ran for a long time and never looked back.

***

Across campus, Haley sat with her friends watching a black and white science fiction movie in the common room of her dorm.

The movie was some variation of invasion of the body snatchers, only worse. It had been Bethany’s idea, of course. Haley watched idly, more enjoying the company than the movie itself.

The nervous pit in her stomach was back and getting deeper.

What the hell was it? Haley ran through the list of possible disasters that might be on the horizon and thought of nothing.

She was comfy, snuggled in with new friends and watching a movie. No reason to feel unsettled and still she felt an irrational sense of impending dread.

Something is coming, a little voice in her mind said. Something awful.

Haley tried to push the thoughts away, but every few minutes that nasty little voice whispered in her mind again.

***

“Should I just give up, Emily?” Megan asked for what was probably the sixth time that evening.

Emily was Megan’s roommate; a pretty girl with long, curly red hair and a round face. She was currently trying to finish her computer science project before the midnight deadline.

“Honestly, probably,” Emily said. “You won’t shut up about him and he doesn’t seem to be into you.”

“Thanks,” Megan huffed. “Real encouraging.”

Emily just shrugged. She desperately needed to understand arrays for this intro class and Megan was not helping one bit.

For a blessed moment, Megan said nothing. Emily was starting to believe the girl would shut up for good, and then she just had to open her mouth again.

“Do you think my boobs are big enough?”

“Alright, I’m out,” Emily said.

Undaunted, Megan continued to blather. She grasped her chest and took inventory with her eyes.

“I thought the push-up bras would help, but I think he can tell. I’m just so small. Gah. No matter what, I still feel like the nerdy girl I was in high school.”

She still was that nerdy girl in high school, Emily thought.

“Why don’t you try to get a direct answer. Just text him asking if he likes you or not. Then you’ll know,” Emily said.

“Gah, you’re no help!” Megan snapped. “You know what, I’m going to try and find him. I think I need to prove I won’t distract him while studying.”

“That’s your takeaway?”

“It’s what’s working for me,” Megan said.

She stepped out into the hallway and started towards the front door, her mind racing. What was the key? Megan wondered. What would it take to enchant Brad Mullen?

Megan reached the double doors that separated her hall from the main entrance way when she heard a voice she recognized immediately. It was Brad.

He, along with several of his friends stepped into the main entranceway from the opposite hall, all of them carrying frisbees. Megan watched them through the glass windows on the double doors, feeling sick to her stomach.

The lying bastard, she thought. Her mind reeled, all her worst fears seemingly confirmed.

She desperately needed advice. Good, caring advice from a close friend. Jessie has abandoned her and Emily was useless.

Megan started to dash down the hall when a momentary flash of memory occurred to her. She remembered Leah quickly disappearing into her room.

Leah’s room was only three doors down from where Megan now stood. She dashed over and knocked hard on the door, hoping against hope that her friend was available.

For a moment, nothing happened and Megan braced herself for disappointment. Then she heard a scurrying sound within the room and watched as the door slowly opened, revealing Leah standing in all her glory. Megan failed to notice the strange glint in Leah’s eyes.

---