Page 7 of Hate That Blooms
“Totally! I bet she would have fun.” The smile on his face seems so genuine.
“Okay, so next Wednesday then.” I look at him through my lashes and wait for him to make some kind of move, whether it’s a hug or a kiss on the cheek.
I see him look over my shoulder, and his eyes narrow for a moment, then he looks down at me. “Yeah, Wednesday. I’ll text you later tonight.”
Then he walks away.
I spin around, and as Isaac leaves the hallway through the open double doors, he makes eye contact with Joaquín. The way he makes his way toward me has my heart racing.Just go into the classroom, Gabby. He can’t hurt you if the teacher is there.I wish he would just leave me alone.
“Enjoy your little admirer while you have him, Gabriela. It won’t last. Whores like you can’t keep guys.” He flicks my braid off my shoulder as he walks by, his fingertips brushing against my exposed shoulder. The tingle on my skin has me drawing in a breath.
I should hate him. His touch should make me sick.
But it doesn’t.
God I’m so fucked in the head. The boy who I’ve secretly had a crush on for forever starts bullying me and I still find him attractive.
* * *
As the days pass, I find myself looking forward to Friday night. It’s a welcome distraction from the constant torment I face at school and the chaos at home. Despite the doubts that occasionally creep into my mind, I remind myself to embrace this opportunity for happiness.
When the day of the dance finally arrives, I spend hours getting ready, hoping to leave behind the troubles of my everyday life. I slip into my dress and fix my hair, and for a moment I feel a sense of empowerment. Tonight, I won’t let anything bring me down.
“Girl, that dress is so fire on you!” Cora squeals over the video chat. Natalie nods in agreement. “Do you think he wants to be your boyfriend?”
“I think he just asked me to the dance,” I say, rolling my eyes. “It’s not like I have time to have a boyfriend. I need to find a job so I can help my mom. She needs to cut back on her hours. I’m lucky the dance was on her only night off. I’ll see you guys there, okay?”
* * *
I meet Isaac outside the school gym, and he greets me with a warm smile. He holds out his hand to me. I take it, and we make our way inside, the music filling the air and the energy buzzing around us. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a while.
The beat from “Stare”vibrates all around us. Isaac pulls me by the hand to the dance floor, deep into the crowd of other students. He spins me around so that my back is to his front and his hands drop to my hips. “Is this okay?” He says in my ear.
All I can do is nod. I sway my hips back and forth, feeling his dick harden against my ass.It’s a natural response to you pushing on him, Gabby. Don’t freak out.I grind against him, and while he is semi-hard, he just lazily sways with my hips.
The hair on the back of my neck prickles; I feel like I’m being watched. A pit forms in my stomach and I can’t shake the feeling. I look around, but I don’t see anything other than students dancing the same way as Isaac and I are. One of Isaac’s hands leaves my hip, resting on my lower stomach, gently applying pressure to have my ass press harder into him.
I pull back a little and spin around to face him. “I’m gonna go grab some water. It’s so hot here. You wanna come with me?”
“Nah, I’ll be here. Hurry back.” He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses it.
The dance floor erupts as“Go Dumb”starts playing. I’m so glad I got out of there before it started. People get all hyped up and act like fools when local music gets played. It’s such an old song, but it still has a hold on everyone. I grab a bottle of water from one volunteer and stand off to the side. I pull my phone from my bra and text Cora and Natalie, trying to see if they’re here.
Where are you guys?
Nothing.
I shove my phone back into my bra and take another drink of water. I head toward the dance floor, but before I get to the edge of the crowd, I’m pulled by the arm to the back of the gym.“Fall Back”kicks up, and whoever this is grabs me, leans back against the gym wall, pulling me ass first into his lap. At first, I think it’s Isaac, trying to be coy, but I turn my head to get a look at him, and this person has their hood up. Just like Isaac, they rest their hands on one hip and my lower stomach. This feels different though—where Isaac went with the flow of what I did, this guy is taking control.
I feel the heat spreading through me, and I let my hips take over. Grinding against whoever this is. Unlike when I was dancing with Isaac, this guy is into this way more than he was. He meets the movements of my hips, grinding back into me and his dick twitches every time I press back into him. I swear I hear him groan as I rub my ass back and forth. The hand he has firmly pressed on my lower stomach inches a little lower, teasing the hem of my dress, his fingers lightly grazing my exposed thighs.
“No,” I whine, breathlessly.Can’t let strange boys feel us us, Gabby!
They move their hand up to my throat, fingers circling, and apply light pressure. I gasp as they pull me flush with their body, still grinding their dick into my ass. “If I want to touch my pussy, I will. Whether or not you want me to. So let me make this clear,Reina. No one touches your pussy, this perfect ass, or these lips. Better yet, not an inch of your skin should be touched by someone other than me.“ They drag their thumb over my bottom lip before I feel their lips on my ear. “You won’t like how I’ll punish you if I find out someone has.”
I’m frozen. A confusing combination of fear and arousal fills me. “Who are you?” I groan as he drags my hip back into him. The feeling of him making me flush—at this point, I’m getting so wound up, I just might let him touch me.
“The only guy that will ever be inside of you.” Then he leans into my shoulder, kissing and sucking on my exposed neck. “The only guy who will ever taste you. Remember that, Gabriela.”
