[nobody's_slave]

For the first time since I joined the academy, I was actually feeling bold and confident. I don't know if it was the little black dress that hugged my curves perfectly while emphasizing my long legs or my favorite red lipstick and mascara that never seem to disappoint me. Or maybe it was that notebook full of questions waiting on the nightstand. But it didn't really matter because, in the end, whatever that was didn't have the power to save me from the heartbreak.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Tina's comment was accompanied by a wolf-whistle coming from a blonde guy that I didn't know.

I immediately regretted leaving my room, but waiting all alone inside those four walls had been driving me insane.

"Why are you even here? Did you and Adonis run out of questions?" Nadia snickered ironically after tilting her head back over the armrest to look at me.
"He still hasn't returned." I pouted.

"Oh, honey, come join us." Tina patted the free spot next to her, encouraging me to sit on the couch. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"When exactly did he leave?" Nadia looked at me pointedly while absently playing with a strand of her red hair.

"Right before noon," I replied as I sat next to Tina.

"Wait... That was like 10 hours ago." Nadia let the strand of hair fall near her temple and frowned."

"I know." I bit my lip impatiently. "He said he'd be back in a few hours."

"Hey, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Tina assured me. "Did you try to call him?"

"No. I didn't want to sound desperate."

"For fuck's sake, just call him already." Nadia rolled her eyes. "Or send him a text and tell him you're horny. That should bring his sexy ass back here."

"What?" I felt my cheeks heat up.

"Is she the virgin?" The guy asked Nadia like I was invisible.

"How did you figure that out?" She snorted, amused.

"Hey', I'm still here." I crossed my arms across my chest and looked at her, annoyed, before turning my attention to the guy. "And I don't even know you."

"This is James. He's really annoying at first and you'll find him even more annoying once you get to know him." Nadia said teasingly. James opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him quickly. "But you'll love him anyway."

"Yeah, I'm a very lovable guy." James winked at me, making Nadia giggle.

"I don't doubt it." I said sarcastically, then turned my attention back to Tina. "What do you think I should do?"

"I think you should go back to your room and wait for Adonis. You don't want him to walk in and find you here looking like that." She smirked at my outfit and I looked away, blushing.

"And once you're back to your room you may as well start packing." Nadia taunted me shamelessly.

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow, taken aback by her unwanted comment.

"What the hell, Nadia?" Tina backed me up, but it wasn't enough to shut her up.

"What? You know that everybody talks about-"

"Okay, that's enough. You're scaring her." Tina interrupted her, growling.

"About what?" I asked confused.

"About nothing," Tina answered quickly. "You don't want to pay attention to rumors and gossiping, babe."

"What do people talk about behind my back?" I stood up, completely ignoring Tina and focusing all my attention on Nadia's smug face.

"Well, people say that your beloved Liam paid some really nice cash for your virginity and now that you're no longer a virgin, he has no reason to come back. But people are just mean and envious and he would never do that to you, would he?" She shook her head mockingly, a hint of a satisfying smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

"That's enough!" Tina stood up and threw a warning look in Nadia's direction who rolled her eyes but remained silent. "Don't listen to this bullshit. Just go to your room and call him. That's why he gave you his phone number, right?" She turned to me and rubbed my arm soothingly.

"You're right." I smiled weakly, pretending that I wasn't on the verge of tears. All I wanted was to crawl under a rock and never see the light of day.

"I'm out of here too, anyway. My master said he'll return for round two. And he always delivers." Nadia said smugly, emphasizing the word 'always'. She started walking down the corridor, then stopped on her tracks to deliver one final blow. "If I'm being honest, I'm sad too. I'll really miss that fine piece of ass."

With my heart shattered into a million pieces, I didn't have the strength to confront her, so I just sighed heavily and said goodnight to Tina before returning to my room, wishing I hadn't left it in the first place.

After pacing back and forth for what felt like an eternity, I finally found the courage to pick up the phone and call Liam, but to my disappointment, it went straight to voicemail. I didn't leave him any message, so I just put the phone away, then went to the bed and let my body sink into the soft mattress, my troubled eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

I tried to make myself believe that Tina was right, that it was only a matter of minutes until Liam walked in, but with every moment that passed, another dreadful scenario took over my brain. When I signed the agreement with the academy I was informed that both slaves and masters would live at the academy for the incoming three months which meant that they'd spend most of their time together. Liam didn't attend the picnic, he didn't call or text to check in on me and his number was unavailable. And I was starting to be well aware of the fact that I had come to this place as a virgin who gave herself to a man she didn't know anything about.

'Probably Liam isn't even his real name.'

'What if the rumors are true and he paid for my virginity?'

'What the hell am I doing here?'

I didn't care that it was almost midnight, I just needed answers. With a trembling hand, I picked up my phone and called Mr. Clarke, only to be greeted by another robot voice. Defeated, I decided to do the only thing that seemed wise at that point: I took Nadia's advice and started packing my stuff. Sobbing, I didn't even bother to fold the clothes properly, I just threw them in my suitcase and sat on top of it to forced it closed.

Reluctantly, I went to the bathroom to remove my smudged makeup. I don't know if it was shame, or guilt, or self-pity, but I couldn't even stand looking at myself in the mirror. I didn't even deserve to cry. It was only my fault, after all. Girls like me shouldn't come to places like this.

As soon as I was finished, I returned to the bedroom, finally able to freely cry over my tainted dignity. After changing into something more comfortable, I let my body fall heavily on the bed, then curled up into a ball and cried my heart out until I ended up in a puddle of tears. I was a complete mess, but I didn't care. All I needed was to let it all out. And that's what I did until I heard a soft knock on the door.

'Liam!' My heart did a little hopeful flip as I whispered to myself through sobs.
I quickly wiped away my tears and went to unlock the door, my thin fingers trembling on the door handle.

"Chris? What are you doing here?" My voice cracked with disappointment.

"The walls are pretty thin. I just wanted to make sure that you're okay in there." He replied sympathetically, his voice full of concern.

"I... I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to bother you." I flustered, suppressing another sob.

"You didn't bother me. I thought that maybe you need someone to talk to."

"God, this is so embarrassing. Do you want to come in?" I stepped away from the door frame so he could enter.

"I can't. I mean, I shouldn't." Chris replied awkwardly. "You know, rules and all." He explained and I nodded.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning on the first bus." I blurted out.

Chris sighed and looked at me like he was trying to choose his next words carefully. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke.

''I ran into James earlier and he told me what happened. Are you sure Liam's not coming back?"

"He didn't call or text. I called him a couple of times and it went straight to voicemail." I shrugged bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Chris looked at me sympathetically.

"Yeah..." I shrugged, defeated.

"You should try to get some rest. For tomorrow."

"Yes, I know." I stared blankly at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

Chris placed a palm on my left shoulder which made me finally look at him.

"Let me know if you need anything. Seriously, just knock on my door anytime and we can go sit in the lounge or something."

Grateful, I gave him a small nod. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. I'll go back inside now and let you sleep."

"Take care."

"You too." I smiled briefly.

He turned around, ready to walk away, but stopped in his tracks at the sound of my voice.

"Hey, I was just wondering... Did you hear any rumors about him paying for my... You know... Fuck, I can't even say it." My voice cracked and my eyes started to feel watery again.

"Hey, come here." Chris closed the distance between us and pulled me into a tight hug. "The guy is the biggest asshole if he did that to you. And he doesn't deserve any of your tears."

I let him comfort me for a few moments until I found the strength to suppress my tears.

"You're right." I pulled away and gave him a determined look. "I am stronger than this. I need to be."

"I know you are." He smiled genuinely.

"Thank you." I forced a small smile. "Good night, Chris!"

"Good night, Aria! Maybe I'll see you again one day." He showed me a small smile.

"Maybe." I waved at him, then took a small step back and shut the door behind me.

I felt tired and miserable, but I forced myself to go to the bathroom and washed my face with cold water before returning to bed. After tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity, I was starting to think less about Liam and more about how I was going to tell my parents that my so-called summer job ended so quickly.

'Fuck, I'm not ready to go home. Maybe I should hop on the first train and see where it takes me. Maybe a week at the beach will heal my heart and clear my head. I can fix myself, I just need to get through this night.' I thought to myself before finally drifting off into a dreamless sleep.