“Hold it. Hold it! Watch your form,” Sierra urged, as Alex strained every sinew to keep the heavy barbell in her grip exactly the way the muscular trans girl had shown her. It was so hard; she’d been weight training for what felt like hours, and her body was aching beyond belief. But still, as always, working out felt good. “OK, and… drop. Great job, that was the last one!”

  Alex carefully lowered the barbell down onto the mat, and then promptly collapsed onto the floor, heaving with desperate breaths. That was the hardest workout of her life. She hadn’t known what she was in for when she’d asked Sierra to teach her how to weight train. She’d just been filled with the sudden, powerful desire to emulate Sierra’s muscular form. She’d been surprised when Sierra accepted. Then, even more surprised when it turned out that, while her usual playful, cocksure demeanor didn’t disappear, Sierra approached her workouts with the attitude of a drill instructor. She put Alex through her paces mercilessly; thanks to her, Alex was spending more time in the gym than ever before. She was there every day now - she had a cardio day, a core day, an arm day, a leg day, and more. It was hard, and it was interfering with Alex’s studies more than she was comfortable with. Every night she promised herself she was going to make up her work, and every night she just collapsed onto her bed with exhaustion. But it was worth it. Not only had she shed more weight than she’d ever imagined possible in such a short space of time, she could also feel her body becoming more toned. It was subtle, but her arms and legs were firmer, more shapely. It was an amazing change. But especially now that she’d gotten to know Sierra, Alex wanted to go further.

  “Good workout!” Alex looked up and saw Sierra grinning down at her. She blushed. Sierra had that effect on her. Being around the tall, imposing girl made Alex feel weak, flighty and even a little submissive. It didn’t help when Sierra made some kind of crude comment reminding Alex of what they’d done in the showers the time they’d first met. Or any of the times they’d fucked since then. Alex had become one of Sierra’s regular booty calls, although far from her only one. That was another change Alex never would have imagined before. But she just couldn’t help herself! Working out got her so hot and bothered, and Sierra made it so easy, so fun, so consequence-free. Besides, it was way better than masturbating - although, Alex had to admit to herself, she wasn’t doing any less of that. When she got home from the gym and collapsed on her bed, it was all too easy to spend hours and hours slowly fucking herself into cum-drunk haze. Alex giggled. What the hell was her life turning into?

  “Thank you,” she said to Sierra, accepting her outstretched hand. Sierra hauled Alex to her feet and clasped her shoulder.

  “No problem! You’re making great progress. Someday you’ll be lifting as much as me!”

  “Someday.” Alex returned Sierra’s joking smile. She’d seen how much Sierra could lift, and she knew she was a very long way from that. But, she reminded herself, as long as she stuck with it then nothing was impossible.

  As her breathing returned to rhythm and her muscles stopped screaming at her, Sierra realized something else about her body: she was horny. Really horny. It was a familiar feeling at this point, but no less intense for it. She needed to get fucked. She was aching for it. She eyed Sierra’s powerful body hungrily. She knew what Sierra was hiding under those pants, and she wanted it. But still, she blanched at the notion of actually saying that outright. That was just too embarrassing.

  “Hey…” Alex said, trying to sound suggestive. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up in the showers.”

  Sierra replied simply: “Oh, cool.”

  Alex blinked, and then pouted. This was Sierra’s way of teasing her, wasn’t it? She hated playing into Sierra’s hands, but she was so desperate she honestly wasn’t sure if she could bear to wait. Besides… maybe Sierra bullying her wasn’t the worst thing in the world, she thought, blushing.

  “Maybe… you’re thinking of taking a shower soon too?” Alex asked quietly.

  Sierra just looked at her for a moment, and then barked a dirty laugh. “Wow. Since when did you become such an eager little slut?”

  Alex half-knew it was coming, but all the same she turned completely red and looked down at her feet, flustered beyond words. And the teasing only made her more aroused.

  “Well, actually, I’ve got something else I need to do. Or should I say, someone,” Sierra continued, grinning so smugly it made Alex roll her eyes despite herself. “Anyway, didn’t you say you were gonna be busy right after this?”

  “What? Oh, I guess.” Alex remembered she’d promised herself that tonight in particular, she absolutely had to get some work done. She didn’t remember mentioning it to Sierra, though. Professor Sinclair had been riding her really hard over her missed assignments, and had told her she was going to be in serious trouble if she didn’t submit something in the next couple of days. She’d been trying her best, but it was just so boring. And so hard. She’d never struggled with school before, but now every time she tried to concentrate on the textbook, it was like the words didn’t make any sense anymore. The harder she concentrated, the fuzzier and emptier her head became, until she gave up. It was a problem, but Alex couldn’t bring herself to care about it. She was tired of living to work. It was high time for her to learn to have some fun and blow off school for once. She smiled ruefully. “Yeah, I’ll probably be pulling an all-nighter in the library. I’m gonna need a lot of coffee.”

  “Huh?” Alex frowned at the confused expression on Sierra’s face. “No, I was talking about your plans with Winter.”

  Now it was Alex’s turn to look confused. Plans? With Winter? That was news to her. She’d never even spoken to Winter - she was far too timid to approach the girl she was harboring such an ardent crush on. “What are you talking about?”

  Sierra cocked her head to one side. “Winter was telling me about it. You’re going to a party with her or something?”

  “What the…” Alex had no memory of anything of the sort. She couldn’t remember ever talking to Winter, beyond a few words in passing, let alone planning to go to a party with her, but her head still wasn’t at all clear. She couldn’t be sure, and it was bothering her. Starting to feel a little unnerved, she checked the messages on her phone. A chill came over her when she saw that, indeed, Winter’s name and number were right there in her phone, along with a whole load of messages between them. As she read over the messages her jaw dropped open. Winter had invited her to a party! Alex’s confusion dissipated, only to be replaced by excited-anxious butterflies in her stomach. It was coming back to her now, just a little, even though the memory was strangely vague and distance, almost like a dream. Yes. Winter had invited to a party. Winter had invited her to a party! Her crush, the girl she’d been dreaming about for months, actually wanted to spend time with her! Alex grinned. Then she checked the time, and the time she’d arranged to meet with Winter. Shit! She needed to get going, or she was going to be late. As quick as she could, Alex thanked Sierra again for helping her out, then raced away to shower, got changed and go home to get ready as quickly as possible.

***

  A little over an hour later, Alex arrived at the address Winter had told her to meet her at, and was looking around for any sign of the goth girl. Maybe she was actually running a little early. At home, she’d been in a desperate hurry to grab something to eat and get ready for the party. Getting ready for parties wasn’t something she had much experience with. She’d eventually managed to get her makeup looking pretty good, but she’d had a hard time picking an outfit. She had no idea what kind of thing she should wear. She didn’t want to seem like a prudish nerd, but she didn’t want to overdo it and look like a ridiculous slut either. In the end she settled for a pink short-sleeved top with a slightly more daring v-neck than she was normally comfortable with, and a black mini skirt that was short, but hopefully not too short. It was a classic combo, she’d convinced herself, and only a little chilly in the evening air.

  “Hey there,” said a sultry voice from behind Alex.

  Alex wheeled around and found herself face-to-face with Winter, and she was instantly made speechless. Winter looked stunning. There was no other word for it. She stepped up her goth aesthetic - her makeup made her look like some kind of dark enchantress from a fairytale, and she was wearing an incredibly intricate lace dress that clung to her body in all the right ways. She also had a chain necklace around her neck, with a heavy pendant hidden in her bosom, under the dress. She was looking at Alex with a smoldering look that turned her legs to jelly. 

  “O-oh, hey,” Alex replied, trying and failing to sound casual.

  “Hey,” Winter repeated, amusement at Alex’s awkwardness dancing in her mesmerizing eyes. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

  “No, not at all,” Alex said hastily. “I only just got here.”

  “Perfect.” Alex’s heart stopped when Winter clasped her hand within hers and started leading her up to the house they were standing outside. “Come on!”

  Even from the sidewalk, Alex could hear loud music coming from inside the house - heavy, fast beats underneath discordant metal screaming and haunting female singing. It wasn’t the kind of music Alex was accustomed to, although she thought it suited Winter to a tee. As they approached the front door and Winter knocked, the music grew so loud Alex wondered if anyone inside would be able to hear them. But the door swung open right away, and they headed in. It was only at that point that Alex started to wonder where they actually were. A student house, she assumed. It was that kind of neighborhood. But who’s student house? Who was actually hosting this party? She probably should have tried to find out the answers to those questions before she’d showed up. But it was too late now, she told herself. She was here with Winter. She wasn’t about to flake in front of her crush.

  It was dark inside, and hot. The music was coming from a nearby room, but even in the hallway it was almost deafening. There was smoke in the air, not all of it tobacco, and the lights were moody shades or red, blue and purple. Alex immediately felt deeply out of her comfort zone. She tried to peer through the gloom at the person who’d let them in, although they were already turning away. It was a girl, and a goth like Winter, although leaning a little more punk with her spiked jacket and short pixie cut. Winter turned and her mouth moved, but Alex couldn’t clearly make out her words.

  “What?” she shouted back.

  Winter put her head by Alex’s shoulder, making her blush for a moment. “I said, follow me! I want you to meet some people.”

  “OK,” Alex said, and then once she realized Winter probably couldn’t hear her, she nodded emphatically. Winter just laughed, and beckoned Alex to follow her. She led Alex past the room the loud music was coming from and upstairs, and into a bedroom. Alex followed cautiously, not exactly sure what was supposed to happen. Being introduced to Winter’s friends was cool. In fact, it was amazing! Didn’t that make her one of Winter’s friends? That was a thrilling idea, but Alex was more anxious than she was excited. What if she made a fool of herself? What if Winter’s friends didn’t like her? That was almost guaranteed, she thought glumly. Compared to Winter and the kinds of friends she must have, Alex was just a dork.

  In the bedroom, the lighting was just as dim and moody. The music was still audible, although it was muted enough to allow for ordinary conversation. Besides Alex and Winter, there were four other people inside. One of them was the punk goth who’d let them inside, and the others were just as alternative in their styles. As they entered all of them nodded warmly to Winter, and then turned to stare at Alex with intense expressions that Alex couldn’t quite read. She was starting to feel intensely uncomfortable, but Winter’s easy manner set her at ease a little. Winter sat down on the bed next to one of the others.

  “Alex, sit down!” Winter indicated next to her, and Alex followed suit. “Let me introduce you. This is Violet.” She gestured to the goth punk, who nodded to Alex once. “This is Fiona - Fi.” She pointed at a black girl, sitting on a chair on the far side of the room, who was wearing a fantastically frilly gothic lolita dress and had braided hair and vivid purple eyeshadow and lipstick. Fi was looking at her phone, but when Winter called out her name she raised her hand in a friendly wave.

  “Hey,” Fi said.

  “Hey,” Alex replied.

  “This is Marie.” Winter pointed to an incredibly androgynous looking girl wearing a sleek bodysuit, slumped on the floor. She just looked at Alex, and didn’t say anything. “And this is Kiyo.” The last girl was the one sitting next to Winter, on the bed. She lent forward and waved to Alex in a friendly manner, who gratefully returned the gesture. Kiyo was goth, like the rest, but her over-sized sweater was emblazoned with a pastel-colored pattern, and her makeup was all blues and pinks, in glittering metallic shades. “Everyone, this is Alex.”

  “Hi everyone,” Alex said, more for the sake of saying something than for any better reason. “Nice to meet you.”

  The girls all made vaguely affirmative-sounding noises, but that was it. Alex lapsed into silence. She felt very unsure of herself, and increasingly out of place in her pink outfit. She got her phone out, and checked the time and her messages. Nothing. She put her phone away. Then, not long after, she did the same thing again. Alex sighed. This was going badly. She started running through potential conversation topics in her head, but nothing came to mind that wasn’t hopelessly dull. Conversation had never been her strong suit. 

  “Fi,” Winter said, breaking the silence. “Could you get me and Alex a drink?”

  “Sure.” Alex realized everyone else was nursing a plastic cup. Fi reached down beside her and produced two empty cups, and a nondescript bottle from which she poured two drinks for them. Fi passed the cups down to Winter and Alex. Alex sniffed the drink experimentally. It smelt strong.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “It’s something a little bit special,” Winter answered, winking. “Try it and see!”

  Alex felt powerless to argue, reluctant as she was to drink something completely unknown. She almost never drank herself, and as far as she could tell she was an incredible lightweight. If the drink was as strong as it smelt, she needed to be careful. But Winter was looking at her, and she didn’t want to seem like the kind of girl who didn’t know how to have fun. Alex raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. Instantly, she had to fight to suppress a coughing fit at the taste of the strong liquor, so strong her throat burned as she forced it down.

  She managed not to cough, but evidently her discomfort showed on her face, as Winter laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn to like it soon enough. We drink it all the time.”

  Alex just nodded. She guessed it was some kind of vodka, but there was some other taste there too. Something she didn’t recognize. But whatever the drink was, that sip alone was making Alex light-headed. She decided she wouldn’t drink too much, but under Winter’s watchful gaze she felt compelled to take a sip, and then another, and then another. Before long, half her drink was gone, and she was starting to feel the effects.

  “Hey Alex, what do you study?” Violet asked suddenly.

  “I… um…” still light-headed, Alex struggled to find the words.

  “You don’t know?” Marie spoke up, sounding equal parts amused and derisive.

  “I do,” Alex flushed, “ I just… liberal arts!”

  “Nice!” replied Violet. “How do you like it? What classes are you taking? What kind of stuff are you interested in?”

  “Um…” Alex felt like she just needed a moment to clear her head. Maybe some fresh air, or a drink of water. But as it was, she found herself dazed in the face of the barrage of questions.

  “You’re in Professor Sinclair’s class, right?” Kiyo butted in.

   “Yeah… yes.”

  “What do you think of the textbook? It’s a little weird, right?”

  “Um…” All Alex could think about was how she’d barely opened the textbook in the last two weeks. “Yeah, I guess you could say… the perspective is a little… er… the writer has some… s-strange opinions-”

  “Oh my god,” Marie interrupted, rolling her eyes. “Look at her, she hasn’t read the textbook. She can barely remember what classes she’s taking. Such a ditz.”

  Alex instantly fixed her gaze down on her cup. She took a couple of nervous sips, trying to hide the intense blush of shame and embarrassment hitting her cheeks. She’d never felt so humiliated in her life, and it was in front of Winter, too! A ditz… Alex wanted to argue but truthfully, she felt like a ditz now. She couldn’t think, and she’d failed to answer basic questions about her studies. Why couldn’t she think?

  “Well, hey,” Violet chimed in helpfully. “You kind of are a ditz, Alex. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Ditzy girls have all the fun, right?” Alex squirmed uncomfortably at what Violet was implying.

  “Girls.” Winter warned, an indulgent smirk on her face. “Play nice.”

  They all fell silent again, like Winter was the queen and had just issued a royal command. No-one else seemed to be feeling it, but to Alex the silence was awkward beyond belief. She made to take another sip of her drink, but to her shock her cup was already almost empty. She groaned internally as she realized she’d been drinking nervously almost the whole time. She needed to be more careful! No wonder her head was so fuzzy.

  “Looks like we need refills.” Winter’s cup was just as empty, although the goth girl showed no signs of intoxication. Alex started to splutter a polite refusal, but by the time she found her words, Fi was already pouring into her her cup, and her protestations trailed off. She had to avoid sounding like a dork. She should at least try and keep up with Winter. Besides, she was a little grateful to have more to drink. Maybe the alcohol would help take the edge off her awkwardness.

  “This is a party, right?” Fi asked, suddenly, with a strange, purposeful inflection in her voice. “Let’s put some music on.”

  It was true that the atmosphere wasn’t very party-like. The music from the room downstairs was so muted it felt more like being in the vicinity of a party than being at one, although Alex could hear plenty of people talking and moving around. She nodded, welcoming the suggestion. Fi reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a small, round speaker which she set down on the floor and slotted her phone into. A few seconds later, music filled the room. It was more upbeat and less harsh than the music downstairs, although the dark synth tones lent it a similarly gothic feel.

  “Hey Fi,” Kiyo chirruped. The pastel goth sprung to her feet. “Let’s dance.”

  Fi stood elegantly, and the two of them moved into the middle of the room and started dancing, gyrating their bodies up against each other. They made quite a pair - the Asian girl’s pastel sweater against the black girl’s gothic lolita dress, the frilly skirt of which bobbed elegantly in time with the music. Marie and Violet also made to stand, and to Alex’s surprise so did Winter.

  “Alex,” the goth girl said, turning to her. “Wanna dance?”

  Time froze, even though Alex’s heart was beating faster than it ever had. Winter, her crush, wanted to dance with her? It was too good to be true. It was all she’d ever wanted, even though she was deathly afraid she was going to fuck it up. Why was this happening? How was this happening? She needed to take a time-out to figure it all out, but she couldn’t and it was far too amazing of a chance to say ‘no’ to. Alex rose unsteadily to her feet, trying to tell herself she wasn’t too drunk for this. But before she had any chance to prepare herself, Winter was all over her. One of her hands was on her hip and the other was on her shoulder, her collar, her neck, and she was so close Alex could feel her breath on her skin. It was too much. Alex didn’t know how to handle it. She was blushing more than she’d ever thought possible, and her head was spinning. Winter’s scent, heavy and sensual, was the only thing she could think about. She felt herself being swept along by Winter, and she let it happen. She didn’t know how to dance, but maybe that was OK. Somehow it was natural to follow Winter’s lead. Winter made it easy, guiding her body and all her movements, giving her an encouraging look here and a flirtatious wink there. Before long, Alex found herself moving to the music, her hips swinging and bobbing to the beat and her legs carrying her along with the melody. Alex let out an intoxicated giggle as she felt a sudden rush of blood to her head. She felt joyous. This was fun! She felt free. The only thing she needed to care about was Winter, beautiful Winter, dancing in her arms. The girl was a kaleidoscope of black and white, whirling all around her.

  And then Winter was gone, and the rhythm was broken. Alex found herself still dancing, alone, to a song she didn’t remember having started. All the other girls were sitting in various places around the room, looking at her. She didn’t remember when Winter had sat down. It might have been ten seconds ago, or thirty minutes. Alex kept dancing just because it felt more natural than abruptly stopping, but her earlier discomfort had returned tenfold. The way Winter’s friends were looking at her was strange; their eyes were shining with dark humor, like they were enjoying a joke Alex wasn’t a part of. When the song finally came to an end, Alex stopped dancing and slumped back onto the bed.

  “Why did you stop?” Winter asked. “You’re a really good dancer.”

  “R-really?” Alex spluttered, taking a long drink. She couldn’t imagine that being true, but somehow when Winter said it, she believed it.

  “Yeah! Won’t you keep dancing?” Sensing Alex’s reluctance, Winter added: “I’d really like to see it.”

  Alex caved. Winter’s approval was just too important to her. She stood up again, very conscious of the fact that everyone else was just sitting and watching. She tried to pick up the rhythm of the music again but when she started to move, Winter spoke up again.

  “Not this. Something else.”

  Fi obligingly reached out to her phone. A few moments later the song cut out and a new one started. This one was different, very different. It was slower tempo, and a lot more pop-y, but it was also low and sensual. The best way Alex could think of to describe it was that it sounded like the kind of song you’d expect to hear playing in a strip club. Alex was unnerved, but she felt powerless in the face of the expecting stares of her apparent audience. So, after taking another long drink, she started to dance. She began awkwardly without Winter to guide her, but did her best to focus on moving her hips with the rhythm. Before long she picked up confidence and started moving her arms, her head, her whole body. She started to smile, despite herself. Maybe it was the booze talking, but dancing like that was starting not to feel so bad.

  “Sluttier!” Kiyo jeered, and Alex almost tripped whilst the others clapped their hands gleefully.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Listen to the song!” Kiyo explained. “It was meant for dancing nice and sluttily to. Give it a try!”

  Alex had no idea what that meant, but from the sound of the song, it seemed like Kiyo was right. Alex didn’t know how to dance slutty either, and the thought of it made her squirm with embarrassment, but she wanted to do her best, for Winter. She started moving her hips more and more. She slid her hand down and lifted the bottom of her top slightly, showing some skin. She span on her heels and bent over, emboldened by the music, to show the girls her ass. That brought forth a few giggles, which in turn brought a fresh blush to Alex’s cheeks.

  “Oh god,” Marie called out. Alex could hear the exasperation in her voice. “This is painful. Let me show you how it’s done.”

  Alex made to turn back around, but she stopped and went still when she felt Marie slip in behind her. She wasn’t still for long, though. Marie forced her back into motion. She stayed behind Alex, groping her and grinding against her. Alex felt like a puppet on strings in her arms. It was a little like she’d felt with Winter, but totally different at the same time. Winter had guided her. Marie was forcing her, controlling her. Winter had pushed her, prompted her, and then waited to see how she’d react. Marie made Alex do whatever she wanted. It made Alex feel small and weak and powerless. She felt Marie kiss her neck, and she moaned. She felt Marie bite her neck, and she moaned even louder. She felt Marie slip a hand up her top, and her breath turned stilted. Then she felt Marie slip a hand down the waistband of her panties, and that… that was too much. 

  Alex tried to shrug Marie off, to no effect. She needed this to stop. She didn’t know what was happening, and she was a little scared of how fuzzy her head was feeling. She tried to pull away but Marie wouldn’t let her. “Get off me!” she cried out, finally at her limit.

  Instantly, Marie backed off. Through her peripheral vision Alex could see faces of frustration and concern all around her. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She’d messed it up, just like she’d known she would. It was her fault. What would Winter think of her now? Alex drifted off to one corner and collapsed onto her knees, wanting to become invisible but well aware that was totally impossible, and everyone was still staring at her. She felt like she was going to be sick. After a moment, Winter stood and walked over to sit on the ground next to her, and put a comforting arm on her shoulder. Part of Alex was grateful for the kindness, but mostly it just made her feel even more pathetic.

  “You OK?” Winter asked. Alex shook her head numbly. “Don’t worry. You’ll feel better in a couple minutes. We’ll get you a drink of water and a moment to calm down. You’ll be dancing again before you know it.”

  “I don’t want to dance,” Alex admitted miserably. “I… think I just want to go home.”

  For a moment, Winter just looked at Alex very intently. A chill ran down Alex’s spine. She felt like she was being inspected. But the moment passed, and Winter’s expression softened.

  “Alright,” Winter said. “Let’s get you home. But I think you should calm down a little first.” Alex nodded gratefully. “Let me help you with that.”

  A strange sense of deja vu washed over Alex as she watched Winter reach a hand down her top and pull on the chain hanging around her neck, pulling out a heavy, round, silver pendant. With a small click, the front of the pendant clicked open, revealing a small, intricately-decorated clock face. For a moment, Winter just let the pocket-watch hang in the air between them ominously. The pocket-watch was conjuring strange images and feelings into Alex’s mind, as if long-forgotten memories were suddenly stirring. An unusual, unnatural calm washed over her, but at the same time, part of her mind was even more eager to get up and leave.

  “Just look at the watch, Alex.” Winter’s voice was soothing and almost song-like. “Look at the watch. Look at the hands move around the face. Around, and around, and around. Never stopping, never ending.” Almost instantly, Alex felt her eyelids starting to grow heavy, and her mind start to cloud over. “Look at the second hand. Ticking around, in a nice, regular rhythm. But perhaps you can imagine it getting slower and slower. Can you do that for me, Alex? Imagine the second hand slowing down. Imagine the time between each tick and tock stretching out, longer and longer, until it becomes an eternity.”

  “Wha…” Alex felt like she was unraveling. It wasn’t the alcohol, it was something so much more than that. Her mind wasn’t working anymore. At least, not for her. “I… I don’t-”

  “Shhh,” Winter urged, and Alex fell silent. “You don’t need to talk. Just look at the watch for me, my pretty little Alex. It’ll make everything better. I promise. Look at the second hand. Look at it slowing, and slowing, and slowing, and… stop.”

  Alex barely had time to hear the word ‘stop’ before her awareness vanished, and she completely blacked out.

***

  A little later, Alex woke up. Or at least, that was what it felt like. But she quickly decided she couldn’t have been sleeping. She was on her feet. She was moving. After a moment, it came back to her. She was at the party Winter had invited her to, and she was dancing. Yes, that was right. Wasn’t it? Then why did she feel like she was only just waking up? Maybe she’d just had one of those moments of drifting off, absent-mindedly, almost to the point of forgetting where she was. Or maybe she was just that wasted. Alex giggled as she looked into the cup in her hand. It was empty. How many drinks did that make? She couldn’t remember, and there was a lot more besides that she couldn’t remember. She giggled again. She couldn’t remember half of what had happened at the party already, and she didn’t care. It felt so good to cut loose for once.

  When Alex had first arrived at the party, she was now remembering, she’d been so nervous. She’d had this sinking feeling that she’d inevitably find it all too overwhelming, with the people and the music, and run home, ensuring Winter would think of her as an awkward, useless nerd forever. But that hadn’t happened at all. To her great surprise, once she’d had a few drinks to help her loosen up, she’d found herself right at home dancing, laughing and talking with Winter’s friends. They were some awesome people. She was so drunk and confused she could barely remember their names, but they were all awesome people, she was sure. But the dancing was by far the best part. It felt so good, so easy, so right, to just throw herself into the music and lose herself to the rhythm, moving her body however she wanted to. There was a kind of ecstasy to dancing wildly like that; Alex had never felt anything like it before, nor had she ever imagined dancing could feel so amazing. It was little like the high she felt from exercising, but more expressive and pleasurable. She never wanted it to stop. She never wanted the night to end.

  Alex felt one of Winter’s friends - Violet, she thought her name was - slip in to dance behind her, and turned to face her. The sultry, impish look Violet gave her made her shiver. They danced close, their hands on each others’ hips and their faces mere inches apart. Violet was beautiful in the strange, purple light of the party, and the way she moved to the music was incredibly sexy. Alex found she couldn’t take her eyes off of Violet’s curves, perfectly accentuated by her tight clothes. She wanted Violet to look at her body too. Maybe it was just the booze talking, but she was feeling strangely confident in her new, increasingly-toned body. She could see Violet looking at her body, and her lustful stare was like a drug. She wanted other girls to look at her that way. She wanted Winter to look at her that way. 

  But even better than the way Violet was looking at her was the way Violet was touching her. The mere caress of her fingertips on Alex’s hip was electric. There was something incredibly seductive about the way Violet’s fingertips flirting with the hem of her top, just barely exposing enough of her skin to touch directly, but always flirting with the possibly of more, of slipping her hand up, or down to touch her in far more intimate and sensitive places. The look in Violet’s eyes promised that, and Alex found herself wanting it. There was something enrapturing about the goth punk girl in her arms. She could faintly smell Violet’s scent, and she wanted to drown in it, to bury her face into Violet’s neck and her hair. She wanted to experience everything she could do to Violet, and everything Violet could do to her, just because of the way they were dancing together. It was magical.

  Suddenly, the music faded. Alex pouted for a moment as she and Violet stopped dancing, but she was immediately distracted when Winter, who was still sitting on the bed, clapped her hands together softly, commanding the attention of everyone in the room with just that one small gesture. Alex and the others all gathered around.

  “Ladies,” Winter began with a knowing smile. “I’m glad to see you’re all getting into the swing of things. But now it’s time to have some real fun.”

  “Umm… what do you mean?” Alex blurted out. Her nervousness around Winter was all but gone, overwhelmed by the buzz she was feeling and how much she wanted to dance again.

  Winter looked straight at Alex. “We’re going to play spin the bottle.”