Amber’s past few months had been going well.  She felt strong, beautiful, and healthy for the first time in her life.  The programming major typically spent most of her time in front of a screen.  Her passion in life was watching stupid B movies with her friends, though she also enjoyed the occasional gaming session.

Now, her time was spent working on her body.  

For as long as she could remember, she’d always wanted the instagram body.  She wanted to look like a goddess, tight butt, curves, and toned abs you’d want to run your mouth over.

Being your typical nerdy girl had sadly always gotten in the way of that dream. Amber would rather watch Terror From Planet 9 for the 9th time than spend an hour exercising, and ordering a pizza was much easier than cooking a proper meal.  The past month, however, she and her two friends, Sasha and Clair, had spent almost every day at the gym.  Amber had even begun generating meta-data on their workouts.

“Always the programmer,”  her friends would say.  Amber herself just wanted to get the most out of her current situation.

She had subsequently found other aspects of her life sliding into place.  Like clockwork, she started waking up earlier.  Her grades, while adequate, had shown a marked improvement, and she completed assignments almost as fast as they were given.

She now had less time to watch stupid movies with her friends, but that just made the times when she did get to watch them all the more satisfying.

Amber’s proudest achievement had been her new outlook on fashion.  Where baggy hoodies and workout pants had been Amber’s defence against the world—a way to hide what little figure she had—the world was now privileged to look upon figure-hugging clothes, tight jeans, crop tops, and leather jackets that made heads turn.

Thank god for thrift shops and consignment stores,  Amber thought.  She shuddered to think how people could afford brand new clothes like this.  Her new figure was breathtaking.  She was elated at the progress she’d made.  Everything about her body felt right.  She had a tight waist and an ass you could bounce a quarter off of.  Her shoulders were strong, but her choice of outfit and the curve of her waist still made her look feminine.  Amber remarked that if she looked this good to herself, she could only imagine what others thought.

She had never been much into guys or girls.  Even with her new look, she wasn’t really interested in picking up dates.  She loved the attention, and especially the compliments, but didn’t want for much else.

She did, however, find a new appreciation for parties with her friends.  The feel of everyone’s eyes on you as they watch three beautiful goddesses walk into the room was euphoric.

Amber flicked her raven hair back as she put on a cute little black dress with just enough room to show cleavage.

Sasha was already waiting outside the dorm.

“Where’s Clair?”  Amber asked.

“Couldn’t make it tonight, too busy with assignments,” Sasha responded.

“You still made it out.”

“Ya, but I’ve gotten used to being busy.  Clair still needs time to adjust,”  Sasha said, winking.  “Besides, I just half-ass my work anyways.”

Amber held back the urge to flick her friend’s forehead, instead giving Sasha a quick nudge on the shoulder.

“You work plenty hard, Sash.  Nobody knows ancient history like you.”

“Very cute.  But seriously, I’m probably just gonna end up somebody’s editor.  Not much work for a history major.”

Amber nudged her friend again, shaking her head.  One day, Amber would get Sasha to see just how talented she really was.  For now, Amber and Sasha had some heads to turn.

The two of them walked arm in arm into the party.  Men naturally flocked to them, some girls too.  They were offered a few drinks but ultimately ended up dancing with each other while hungry eyes watched.  Amber loved every minute of it.  She loved being on display, like a beautiful thing that people could admire.  She would never admit it of course, but in her fantasies at night, she dreamed of being used.

“I’m gonna get a drink, can you hold my coat?”  Sasha asked, already handing Amber her outerwear.

As Sasha walked away, Amber took the time to appreciate the view, along with everyone else.  Sasha had beautiful red hair that she always wore in an elaborate design.  Tonight, it was a single french braid, but Amber had seen Sasha’s hair in every conceivable state.  Amber wasn’t interested in her friend like that, but Sasha did look really good in her white crop top and black mini-skirt.  Everyone else watching Sasha leave clearly thought the same.

Amber couldn’t help but notice the resident meat-head jock, Matt, looking at Sasha too.  That guy made her skin crawl.  Something about him specifically gave off the wrong vibe.  She was used to being looked at as a sexual conquest.  Hell, Amber even enjoyed it sometimes.  Matt, however, just looked at her in a way that set off alarm bells in her mind.  Like the difference between someone wanting to take her home, and someone making her come home.

Amber brushed away the feeling of unease as she watched Matt leave.  She found a nice quiet place to wait for Sasha.  She sent a quick text to let her friend know where she was before going on social media to distract herself.

“Not interested, creep!” Amber heard in the distance.  She recognized Sasha’s voice.  Amber put her phone away, moving in the direction of her friend.  Rounding the corner, Amber saw Sasha and Matt speaking with each other.

Fucking degenerate,  Amber thought to herself as she prepared to rescue her friend.  She stopped in her tracks right as Sasha slumped forward, like all the tension had just been taken from her shoulders.  Amber couldn’t hear what either of them were saying, but she could tell the two were speaking with each other.  Then, Matt and Sasha hurried away.  Sasha still with the same slack posture, Matt with a smug expression in his walk. Just as they rounded the corner, she saw Matt reach over and grab Sasha’s ass.

Amber couldn’t believe what she just saw.  The nerve of that guy to man-handle her friend like that!  A few seconds passed and Sasha seemed to have no reaction.  No retaliatory smack across the face, no verbal outburst, not an ounce of discomfort shown.

Is Sasha into fratboys now?  Amber thought to herself.  I mean, I guess I’d keep something embarrassing like that a secret too… I just thought we shared everything…

Amber could overhear giggling coming from round the corner.  A trio of girls with drinks in hand were exchanging gossip.  “Did you just see that!?  She must be stupid drunk if she’s going home with him.”

“Right!” another girl continued.  “Ugh, guys like that make my skin crawl.”

“Bitch, guys in general make your skin crawl.”  The three friends laughed and returned to their drinks.

Distracted by the drunk party-goers, Amber turned her head to find Matt and Sasha gone.  With little information, and not enough time to make a plan, she threw caution to the wind and went to the most likely place they were headed - the boy’s dorm.   Her doubts turned to worries when Sasha began ignoring her phone.  The worries doubled as she arrived at her destination just in time to see Matt and Sasha enter the building before the door closed behind them.

Her mind raced with possibilities.  She could enter through the front door. It’s not like anyone was going to protest against a bombshell like her walking inside.  Almost on cue, the doubts crept back into her head.  What if Sasha really is just embarrassed by her choice in men?  It would explain all the mixed phone calls, the rushed exit…  If she already doesn’t trust me enough to share something like this, she really won’t appreciate me barging in to check up on her...   Amber decided at that moment that discretion would be the best tactic here.  She was worried about her friend, but bringing undue attention to herself would only cause more problems.  Plus, the last thing she wanted was being stalked, questioned, gawked, and otherwise detained from her goal by every male in the building.  Determined, she made her way around the side of the building.

The boy’s dormitory was a large, imposing building.  Luckily, it was identical in design to every other residence on campus.  Which meant it had fire escapes, and much like in the films she enjoyed, boys were lazy creatures that didn’t lock their windows.

Amber found her way up the fire escape to an empty dorm room on the 4th floor.  Just to be safe, she stole an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweatpants she found lying on the floor. Clean up after yourself!  she remarked at the state of the room in general.

The dorm was mostly empty being a Friday evening, but the few people that populated the halls paid her little attention.  Much like Amber’s own dorm, a registry could be found on each floor.  A five minute search across a few floors found room 7C, Matt’s room.  Amber’s doubts reared their ugly head again when she saw the ultimate red flag; a sock on the doorknob.  Maybe this is just what Sasha wants to do…

Feeling betrayed that her friend wouldn’t share something like this after everything they’ve been through, and equally guilty that she had been spying on her friend, Amber dragged her feet to the nearest exit.  As she rounded the corner, she froze in her tracks.  Approaching from the stairwell was one of the gossiping girls from earlier; she’d recognize that platinum blonde hair anywhere -Mrs. Guys make my skin crawl.  Her expression was slack and emotionless.  While her partner’s face had a shit eating grin and a bulge in his pants that would make a porn star jealous.

Alarm bells were ringing in Amber’s head.  This isn’t right, something really fucking weird is going on here! she thought to herself, slowly becoming more self assured in her earlier distress. 

Her mind was racing through every possible scenario, questioning everything.  Had Sasha been roofied?  If so, how!?  Why didn’t Amber notice anything?  Sasha was only gone for less than a minute.  The more that Amber thought about it, the more she realized there was no way Matt actually managed to seduce Sasha!  Amber was almost 90% certain Sasha was gay anyways!

Throughout the tirade of mental questions and scenarios in her mind, Amber was certain of only one thing:  Sasha was in danger.  Panicking, she scurried to the nearest fire alarm, closed her eyes, and pulled the bar down as hard as she could.

The blaring of the siren was louder than she anticipated.  The sprinklers going off caught her completely off guard.  The moment the water hit her clothes, she mentally thanked herself that she was wearing something over her evening dress.  Her plan began to bear fruit when she heard Matt’s voice from inside 7C.

“Ahh, FUCK!  Which asshole pulled the alarm!?”  Matt’s voice grew louder as he exited his room, looking disheveled.  “Danny!  Did you do this!?”

Amber ducked around a corner as Matt scanned the hallway.

“When I find you, you little prick!”  Matt took one last glance inside his dorm room, cursed to himself, then stomped off down the hall.  “I’m gonna make you pay for this!  I paid good money for her!”

Amber didn’t even want to think about the consequences of that statement.  She peered through Matt’s open door, and her night went from bad to worse.

Sasha was on her knees, mouth open, one breast hanging out of her top, with the same blank, thousand-yard stare Amber had seen earlier that night.  Sasha’s clothes were wet from the sprinklers, but she made no attempt to cover herself.  Amber could see Sasha’s body through the white shirt.  For all Amber’s shock, Sasha herself seemed unphased by the situation.

“Sasha!?” Amber screamed.

Sasha made no reply to her friend’s outburst.

“Sasha, it’s Amber.  Can you hear me?”  Amber said, approaching her friend.

“Yes, Mistress,” the redhead replied.  Her voice was calm and relaxed.

“Sasha!?  What the hell is going on!?”

The relaxed girl opened her mouth to respond before being cut off by the overly anxious one.  “Hey!  Come on!  This isn’t funny!”  Amber shouted, only to be met with Sasha’s blank-faced response.

“Come on, snap out of it!  WAKE UP!!!!”  Amber screamed, louder this time.

Sasha blinked a few times and looked around the room.  Her eyes eventually focused on Amber. 

“Oh, hi Amber,”  Sasha greeted, no sense of distress in her voice.

Amber was completely terrified and in shock of the whole ordeal.  She wanted to leave this hellscape of a dorm and find some answers only after her heart stopped beating out of her chest.

“Sash, please.  Can we leave?”  Amber pleaded, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

“Sure thing, Amber.  Everything ok?”  Sasha asked, tilting her head.

“Y-yeah… let’s just get out of here, ok?”

“Ok!”  Sasha said, standing up.  Her breasts bounced slightly.  After she was halfway out the door, Sasha looked down at her state of undress.  “Oops, silly me.”  She fixed her top before waltzing out of the room, Amber following behind her in horror and bewilderment.

The general state of confusion and alarm made it easy for Amber and Sasha to leave through the front door.  As much as Amber wanted to run away from campus and never come back, she knew her smartest move was to get as much information from Sasha as possible.  The redhead had a nonchalant attitude towards being half naked, kneeling in front of a man she hates, doing... things Amber could only assume, the image of which Amber had to force out of her thoughts.

After what felt like hours, the two women finally managed to settle down in Amber’s dorm room. “Ok, let’s just,”  Amber cleared her throat, “take a bit of a breather.”  She poured some instant coffee into a pair of mugs.  

The dorm was quiet, everyone was either still out partying, or fast asleep.  The one benefit of university life.  She thought to herself.  Sasha was in the middle of changing out of her still damp outfit.

“Thanks for the java,”  Sasha said, putting on a sports bra Amber had lent her.  “Sorry for borrowing your stuff, I promise I’ll wash and bring it back.  Really hating water right now.”

Amber’s eyes trailed over Sasha’a abs.  Her skin was still glistening from the sprinklers.  Amber could see all the hard work her friend had put in at the gym.

“It’s fine.  You’re welcome to stay the night too if you want.  My roommate’s out of town for the next few weeks, anyways.”  

“Thanks, I owe you one.” 

A silence descended on the dorm as the two women sipped their bargain bin coffee.  As much as Amber wanted to give her friend some space, she couldn’t sit by and pretend like nothing had happened.  She needed answers.

“You gonna tell me what happened, Sash?”

“I got wet,”  Sasha said with a giggle.

“I mean at the party.”  Amber’s voice quickened.  “You left to get a drink while I held on to your stuff.”

“Ya!”  Sasha said with an enthusiasm that made Amber shudder.

“Ok! So, what happened next?”  Amber asked, more terse than she meant to.

“Well, I saw that creep Matt checking us out.  It was mostly you, to be honest.  Let’s face it, I’m a 6 next to you.”

Amber found it almost hard to believe that Sasha’s self deprecating humor was still present given the circumstances.  Whatever happened to you, at least you’re still my Sash,  Amber thought to herself.

“Ok,”  Amber said, taking a deep breath.  “If Matt is such a creep, why did you follow him?”

“I don’t know, did I?”  Sasha said with all the gusto of a teenager that was just asked if they had cleaned their room.

“Yes!  You did!  I saw you!”  Amber said, failing to hide her frustration.

Sasha shrugged.  “I mean sure, fine, I guess?  I was drunk.  What can I say?”

Amber took a deep breath, trying to reset herself.  She almost had a feeling her interrogation would end up like this.  She had no idea why Sasha was being so aloof, but Amber wasn’t about to leave without some answers.  It was time to change strategies.

“Alright, how about we go look at things from your end.  What happened after you left for your drink?”  Amber asked, steepling her hands.

“Oh, well like I said earlier, Matt was checking you out, and that really didn’t sit right with me after what happened last week.  So, being that I was still a little tipsy from all the pre-drinking I did, I decided I was gonna give him a piece of my mind!”

Amber mulled over Sasha’s last statement a few more times before finally noticing the glaring red flag.

“Sasha?”  Amber asked, cautiously.  “What do you mean after what happened last week?”

“You know, with Steve.”

“You mean Matt’s roommate?  That Steve?”

“Ya, that guy.  He was a total asshole to you last Friday.”

Amber’s heart began racing.  “Sasha.”  Amber’s hands were shaking.  “I need you to explain exactly what happened between me and Steve last Friday.”

Amber prayed to whatever Gods might be listening that the next words from Sasha wouldn’t be what Amber thought they would be.

“Steve was hitting on you.  You know, typically stupid guy stuff.  You left the party early, said you’d had enough for one night.  Steve had the audacity to follow you out.  So naturally, I came to rescue you.  But when I caught up with you, you and Steve were already walking together back to his dorm.  I didn’t really think much of it at the time.  I mean, you’re a big girl, you can make your own choices.”

Amber couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Her heart sank three times into her chest.  She wanted this all to be a horrible dream.  A dream she would wake up from and laugh about with her friends over coffee. 

“So ya,”  Sasha continued, breaking Amber’s inner monologue.  “I was gonna leave it alone, but I was suuuuper drunk.  So, I figured I would go tell Matt that his roommate’s an asshole, and if he’s gonna fuck you, he might as well give you a call, or flowers, or SOMETHING.  I mean, look at you!  You’re gorgeous.  Who the hell does Steve think he is?”

Sasha’s voice began to fade into the background of Amber’s mind as Amber went over the events of last week.  Try as she might, the more she retraced her steps, the more she could decisively conclude.  Amber had no memory whatsoever of leaving with Steve that evening.

Which means, whatever Matt had done to Sasha... Steve had done to Amber.