Small World

Ivy walked across the quad on her way to the cafeteria. She barely ever ate there anymore, since the sorority house had a full kitchen, but today the school was putting on a big barbecue to celebrate the football team making the playoffs.

“Go talk to him.”

Ivy turned to find who had spoken, but none of the other students milling around seemed to be paying her any mind. Then, across the quad, she spotted someone she knew. Her regular from work, Adrian. Ivy hesitated, thinking that it might be awkward seeing each other outside of the coffee shop, but she thought better of it. They'd had some nice chats. He’d be happy to see her.

“Hey Adrian!” she shouted, waving her hand. He stopped and looked over, surprised. Ivy ran over smiling. “What’re you doing here?”

“I know somebody who works here.” He kept his body turned halfway away from her, seemingly eager to continue wherever he had been going.

“Oh cool," Ivy pressed on. "Anybody I’d know?”

“Probably not,” he said. He didn’t elaborate.

Ivy was getting a weird energy from Adrian. She knew that he was a serious kind of guy, but something was off. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

Adrian gave her a funny look that she couldn't figure out. Then he sighed, “I’ve just got a lot on my plate right now.”

“I know what would help,” Ivy grinned. “Want to see a movie?”

Adrian looked caught off guard. “Um, I…”

It clicked for Ivy that he had probably thought she was asking him out on a date. “With some friends of mine!” she quickly clarified, feeling a slight blush creep up her neck. “We’re going to see Lost in Translation on Saturday.”

“Oh." He seemed relieved. "I don’t know. Like I said, I’m pretty busy.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun," Ivy insisted. She could tell he could use something to look forward to.

"I don't think I can swing it," he hedged.

"If there’s one thing I know, it’s that you've gotta blow off some steam every once in a while. It'll be good for you."

Despite his glum mood, Adrian chuckled. “You’re not going to let this go until I say yes, are you?”

Ivy flashed him a right, needling smile. “Nope. Just agree and we can move on.”

He shook his head. “Alright. Fine. I can’t promise I’ll make it, but I’ll try.”

“Good enough, but I'll hold you to it. Now hand over your phone so I can give you my number.” She hadn’t really meant to invite him, it had just sort of happened, but Ivy was kind of excited about it. It'd be nice to hang out for real. They'd always had a spark, but it was tough to find an excuse to take that next step and become actual friends.

Ivy gave Adrian his phone back. He put it back in his pocket and shuffled his feet. “I’d love to stay and talk,” he said, “but I have to get going.”

“No worries,” Ivy told him. “I have to go meet a friend, but I’ll see you soon, right?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Adrian answered.

"If you don't go," Ivy warned, "I'll cry. And I mean real ugly crying. Snot and everything."

"Cute," Adrian deadpanned.

"You joke now, but when you get the picture of me blubbering the guilt will break you."

Adrian laughed. "Yeah, I guess we couldn't have that."

"Exactly. So be there."

"Fine, fine. I promise."

"Good." Ivy gave him a satisfied smirk. "Now you can go."

Adrian snorted. "With your permission then. I'll see you Saturday."

Ivy watched him walk away for a few seconds, then called out. “Text me!” He waved his hand to show that he’d heard her.

That had been a surprise, Ivy thought as she finished her walk over to the cafeteria with a skip in her step. The place was packed. Ivy hated crowds; she was only an inch over five feet and what bigger people could shove their way through was, for her, a sea of swinging elbows all trying to take her eyes out.

The line was long but Ivy managed to load her plate up with all the good stuff: ribs, mac ‘n cheese, potato salad, and onion rings. She wandered around until she found Julia, then set her tray down ready to dig in.

“Went for the ribs, huh?” Julia asked, taking a bite of her burger.

“I love ribs. My dad used to make them for us on Father’s Day. He said it made him feel American.”

“Hard to eat them like a lady though,” Julia mocked.

“Must suck for you ladies then,” Ivy laughed. She hoisted one up and took a big bite, smearing barbecue sauce over her mouth.

“So uncivilized,” Julia said in a mock British accent. “The proper etiquette is to daintily remove a small piece with the two foremost teeth. ” She held her burger up and reached her lips out like a horse, then took the tiniest bite imaginable.

“All the boys must be suitably impressed,” Ivy joked. “I bet they’ll all be racing to court such a fine, upstanding woman.” The two friends shared a laugh as Ivy wiped her face. “Oh," she said. "I ran into a friend of mine on the way over. I invited him to the movie if that's ok.”

“Sure, the more the merrier. Who’d you invite?”

“He’s a regular at my work, stops by a couple times a week.”

“A guy huh? What happened to Ethan?”

“I told you, I’m not into Ethan. And Adrian and I aren’t like that either.”

“So his name is Adrian?” Julia asked with a pump of her eyebrows.

“We’re just friends,” Ivy insisted, exasperated. “I mean, when we first started talking I thought he might have been into me, but he never asked for my number or anything. There’s nothing there.” Ivy took a bit of an onion ring to punctuate her point.

"Is he cute?"

Ivy shrugged. "I guess. He's got like, a bit of a loner mysterious vibe going on. But he's funny. Why, you interested?"

"Pft, and steal your new beau? Please."

"I told you it isn't like that," Ivy repeated. She looked down at her plate, shoveling macaroni onto her spoon.

“You should let him butt fuck you.”

Ivy’s mouth dropped. “What did you just say?” she asked, utterly shocked.

“I didn’t say anything,” Julia answered.

“You…didn’t?”

“Nooo...” Julia dragged the word out and raised her eyebrows.

“Oh…I thought…never mind.” Ivy’s cheeks felt hot. She busied herself with her food.

“Oh no you don't," Julia laughed. "You can’t just leave me hanging like that. What?”

“Nothing!”

“Tell me!” Julia chuckled.

“I…I thought you said something about…” Ivy whispered the final word, “…anal.”

“Oh my god!” Julia burst out laughing. “No!”

“Well it sounded like you did,” Ivy grumbled.

“Absolutely not. Why? Is that something you're into?” Julia teased.

“No!” Ivy replied instantly, mortified. “Gross!”

Thankfully, none of the guys she’d been with had ever been pervy enough to try and get her to do it. She did not see the appeal. That was her butt.

“Good,” Julia told her, snapping a bite off of a french fry. “Don’t let anyone talk you into it.”

Ivy’s eyes went wide. “Have you…?”

“Once,” Julia answered nonchalantly. “Would not recommend.”

Ivy's cheeks were on fire. She couldn't believe they were talking about this. Despite her embarrassment though, she wanted to know more. “What did it feel like?”

“Honestly? It hurt. I made him stop.”

“Oh.”

“Disappointed,” Julia snickered.

“Ew! No! Disgusting.”

Her friend shrugged. “I figured, try anything once. But learn from my mistakes,” Julia said, pointing her fork. “Not worth it.”

“Trust me,” Ivy said. “I don’t need the warning.” She’d never given anal any serious thought. It was nasty, and that was all the reason she had ever needed to write it off. Now though, she couldn't help but wonder. Some girls like it, right? It couldn't hurt for everybody, unless they were just pretending to keep their guys happy. Not that she was considering letting someone do that to her, of course. She was no prude, but there were lines. She was just...curious.

Ivy shook her head, clearing it of imaginary cocks and buttholes. “Can we change the conversation? I’m trying to eat.”

“You brought it up.”

“I misheard you. Now, new topic. What's the plan for playoffs?”

Julia launched into an explanation of the sorority’s obligations; it was important for the chapter to be involved in matters of school pride, like when one of their sports teams had a good season.

At some point, Ivy excused herself to the restroom, sliding between the packed tables towards the back of the room. There was a line, which figured seeing as how the place was so busy that day, but Ivy had been attending the university for four years now, and that meant that she knew a thing or two. She cut right away from the restrooms and took the stairs up to the second floor. Down the hallway at the top, tucked away near its end, were two single-person restrooms. She picked one and had it all to herself.

It was as the door closed behind her that the whispers began. They came on like a hoard, fast and loud. Ivy jumped and let out a shrill scream that echoed harshly off of the bathroom’s tiled walls. She fell, back against the wall, and tucked her head between her knees as she tried to hide from their onslaught. It was no use.

“Wet…” hissed one of the voices, louder than the rest. “A good lover should overflow.”

Ivy let out another scream. Even with her hands pressed against her ears, the whisper sounded like it was speaking over her shoulder.

A tingling, numbing sensation began to form between her legs and inside of her gut. Ivy scrambled back, but it had no effect. Tucked underneath the sink, she desperately tried to throw off her pants to see what was wrong. Her panicked motions weren’t effective; her pants caught at her waist, and again at her knees. By the time she had shucked them off sensation was beginning to return.

The whispers suddenly abated. All that Ivy could hear in the bathroom was the echo of her shallow breaths. She stood still for a moment, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. Nothing.

Her hands trembled as she began to remove her panties. They were damp, she noted with fear. Her first, terrible thought was that she was bleeding, but no. They were soaked with her juices. She peeled them down her skinny, pale thigh and saw why. Her sex was practically running with fluid. She watched with concern as a solitary drop fell from her lips. Whatever had caused the issue, it seemed to have stopped. For now at least.

With shaking hands, Ivy leaned forward and fumbled through her pants pocket to get at her phone. She pulled up Julia’s contact and sent a text: “Second floor bathroom. Please come help.”

Then she waited, scared witless, with her arms hugged around her legs. A minute later she heard the sound of racing footsteps pounding down the hallway outside, then a faint thudding from the door of the next bathroom over. “Ivy! Are you in there!” Julia called out.

“Other door,” Ivy answered.

The handle rattled. “It’s locked!”

“It’s ok,” Ivy told her friend. “I’m coming out. Just a second.”

Ivy got up on unsteady legs and pulled her pants back up. She opened the door to find Julia, wide-eyed and out of breath. Ivy took a hesitant step, then rushed forward and embraced the other girl, burying her face in Julia’s chest. Tears begin to well.

“Ivy,” Julia asked, worried, “what happened?”

Ivy just shook her head.

“Are you alright?”

“I…I don’t know,” Ivy replied. “I think…I think I need to see a doctor.” She was starting to hyperventilate.

“It’s ok,” Julia said. “It’s ok. Come on, I’ll get you to the clinic. It’s just down the road. Can you walk?”

“Yeah,” Ivy answered, her voice raw.

Julia worked her arm under Ivy’s shoulder anyway. “We’ll get you there,” Julia promised. “Don’t worry.”

Ivy knew Julia was doing her best to act calm for her sake, that she was freaking out as much as Ivy was, but the effort was appreciated. Ivy's thoughts were a jumble. She feared the worst, that she was sick. Thank God Julia was there to help.