Aftermath

It was 7:30 pm. I called up the library to explain myself. The voice of a very out of breath Rosie told me to go home and rest, apparently buying my literally true story of finding a place to stay for the stranger without the slightest suspicion.

The walk back was a freezing hell, all alone this time, with the fatigue of having made the trip once already. There was not one tractor bus anywhere, the road a solid block of ice with a rapidly thickening coat of snow on top. No other public transport systems were active. When I finally arrived near the library and nearer home there were still so many people outside, walking, or trying to through the horrible cold. How could this be? Finally I reached Mother's once more at 8pm. Exhausted, I wandered straight upstairs to my room and collapsed into bed, hearing naught of what reactions my arrival in such a state may have got of my family.

The next morning, my legs throbbed at the joints, I could hardly keep my eyes open and I had a cold from trekking recklessly through the freezing City at night. My bed was warm but the memory of biting cold was imprinted in my feet, right down to the bones in my toes. The prospect of walking through that snow and ice again to reach school, although routine, was the final straw that unleashed the beast of migraine. Even that free, instantaneous sexual gratification available from every living woman around could not compensate, particularly since it would be spoilt by having to constantly keep my guard up to appear normal.

“Don’t even think about it, Mel.” said Carmen, “Can’t you see the absolute state of him? Besides, he’s booked.”

Of all people, Carmencita was shielding me from unwanted advances, although in her mind it was a selfish move to establish exclusive access for her. Even as the institution of romantic love and sex was overturned she was creating a system analogous to it without even realizing. I tried not to cringe at the way she basically objectified me, although my facial expressions at that point would probably go unnoticed given I was now considered to be obviously ill.

After Maths ended and there was a blank before the next lesson she stayed with me, stating “she couldn’t have anyone waste me until I was fit again for her”. At this I became suspicious. She couldn’t seriously be thinking in those terms unironically. I was tempted to ask what her attitude made me, person or beast, but she would probably scold me on still being romantically inclined toward her. She was after all batshit crazy now.

We had **** but to separate at the lunch break, as students not paying a yearly subscription to the cantina couldn’t hang around on the grounds for that period. She told me to eat heartily and get better quickly as we parted. She poked me in the stomach saying she expected to see it bulge. In that playful moment her concern seemed sincere.

I did as she said. I took the most I could get the serving ladies to give me, and tried to stuff everything in the plate into my body. In addition to potentially restoring my lost strength, it was a good distraction. I couldn’t help look up when I heard the twins nattering, and saw that they displayed the same signs of recent intercourse as the day before. Maybe they were fucking each other? It made me replay the events of the night before and I puzzled over what the home situation must be. Were Gillian and Mother inclined to go at it with each other now? Absorbed suddenly in incestuous speculation, I was very startled when a strange girl sat down at my table right in front me and immediately used my first name like she always knew me.

“Hello, Frank. I’m Laura,” she said as I tried to remember where I had seen her monumental bosoms before, “I have my locker right next to yours.”

I looked up at her face and there she was indeed, my neighbour all these years yet never a word spoken until now.

“Hi...” I said. It was the best I could manage after a plateful of giant beetle. I don’t know how other people manage, but after eating anything remotely meaty I become just a trifle vegetative, and this was not helped by the unending headache.

“I have a message from the Broken Drum for you, and there’s a few other things we should discuss as well, would you like to find someplace quiet?”

She really did have enormous breasts. Waiting patiently for my answer she lifted them up and let them settle on the table, two huge, soft masses melting into the wood surface. The view was almost soothing, but not enough that Laura's raised eyebrow escaped my notice.

"I don't object to letting you play with them," she said, and leaned forward, "But I want to speak to you first," pointing her index finger at my forehead. "Now, somewhere quiet?"

I met her stare at last, a little more lucid now. "That might be an improvement," I said, "My head hurts."

Laura rose to her feet, and my eyes fell straight back to her chest as the table fell out from under it. "Let's go," she said, grinning.