It Sure Is!

Sanah's grin was pure lightning—reckless and electric—as she yanked me upright by the collar, her phone clattering to the floor in her haste. "*Up!*" she commanded, shoving my sneakers into my chest with her free hand. "*We're going in five or I'm live-streaming the walk of shame.*" The threat coiled in my gut, but the *real* horror was the way her socked foot nudged my shin—*gentle*, almost *encouraging*—as if this was just some *game* we were playing.

Across the room, Aisha's voice blared from the discarded phone: "*Nyla's already picking out your outfit, pet!*" followed by the unmistakable *zip* of a backpack opening and Nyla's breathless "*Found the ears!*" Sanah's fingers dug into my wrist as she dragged me toward the door, her breath hot against my ear. "*Hear that?*" she murmured, her thumb stroking the pulse point beneath the collar. "*They bought you *ears*.*" The bell chimed softly with each step, a cruel counterpoint to my ragged breathing.

Sanah's fingers slid from my hair to the collar, unhooking something from her pocket with a metallic click. The leash was thin, pink, and—horrifyingly—studded with tiny rhinestones that caught the light as she fastened it to the ring. "House rules," she murmured, giving the leash an experimental tug that made my throat jump. "*You* walk two steps behind me. You don't speak unless given a treat. And if anyone sees us..." Her socked foot nudged my knee apart, her grin widening. "...you beg to be their pet too."