Chuxi awoke with a groan. He could be forgiven for hoping to find himself in his cozy bed, full-sized an able-bodied. Instead, a sadly familiar odor greeted him, and he opened his eyes to see Julie’s billboard face. A quick glance around revealed that he sprawled atop one of Julie’s sodden socks, the sock itself atop her desk.

“Good morning sleepy!” Julie gave him a kilowatt smile, as if she hadn’t just practically raped him. Chuxi chose not to respond. “Aw, why so grumpy?” she pouted. He remained stoic, and for several moments, they simply stared at one another: her smile fixed, his face blank.

Then her eyes narrowed. Julie slammed her open palm onto the desk, knocking him back with frightening ease. Like a close-range thunderclap, the sheer sound of it sent his heart fluttering. “Listen to me, little man,” she hissed. “If you value your life you’ll keep your mouth shut about our afternoon together. Understand?” The last word hung in the air like the smoke from a discharged gun.

Chuxi swallowed before nodding slowly.

“Good.” With that, she scooped him up, sock and all, and carried him away. As she left the room, she gave him a squeeze, forcing his face into the filthy fabric once more. Nothing was said, but the message was clear.

I own you.

…

Three days had passed, and in those three days, something of a routine had developed. Of course Chuxi didn’t breathe a word to Haley. At one point he had seriously considered it, but right as he had opened his mouth she preempted him with, “I’m actually really excited for this weekend; and thanks to Julie, I’m actually gonna be social. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” So Chuxi shut his mouth.

When Chuxi really thought about it, he knew she would never believe him. Even if they weren’t best friends, how could anyone take his claims seriously? “Your best friend is abusing me with her feet.” Yeah, that would go over well.

So instead, he endured. And really, “endured” was the only word to describe it, because Julie certainly wasn’t going to de-escalate after that pivotal afternoon. Every morning after Haley left, Chuxi waited in fear for his tormentor’s arrival and a fresh new session of abuse. Without any attempt at pretense, Julie would stride into the room and lift her feet onto the bed before pointing at those same worn socks. “Worship me,” she would command with outrageous haughtiness.

Still, even after inhaling her post-run stench and licking the filth from between her toes, Chuxi counted himself lucky that she never became violent. That moment when she slammed her hand against the desk weighed heavily on his mind – how could it not? – and while he was always at least peripherally aware of how relatively puny he truly was, he never felt it in such a visceral way up to that point. Now though, he happily played the role of meek submissive, hoping to stave off any potential physical harm. Ultimately, the last 72 hours followed the same pattern, and in that time his emotions alternated between joyful to terrified.

Presently, he swallowed another mouthful of Julie’s acrid, salty sweat. When his gut heaved liquid back up into his throat, he couldn’t tell the difference between her sweat and his bile.

“That’s enough for today,” Julie said from above. Her feet shifted away from him like a massive, receding wave before disappearing beneath the edge of the bed. “Haley and I are boozing a bit today, and obviously I have big plans for us.” She gave him a wicked smile, but Chuxi didn’t share her mirth. He shuddered to think of whatever new abuse she had in store for him. With that, she rose from her chair and walked to the door, but just then he realized something critical.

“Julie!” Chuxi blurted, stopping her midstride. She turned her head back to look at him, her expression one of genuine surprise more than anything. Chuxi realized that this might be the first time he’d spoken to her in days.

“Yes?” she asked. She actually sounded curious.

“I… uhh…” he faltered for a moment, but then figured he might as well take the plunge, especially since she didn’t seem angry at all. He pointed to his iPad, which she had pushed off the bed with her feet at some point. “Little help?”

Julie’s eyes narrowed, and those eyes pinned him down not unlike her feet did on a daily basis. For a long pause, she didn’t move – long enough for a bead of sweat to trickle down his back. Then she threw her head back and laughed.

“Oh my God you are such a nerd!” She walked over and scooped his iPad back onto the bed, laughing all the while. “I can’t believe you actually want to study after everything you’ve been through.”

Chuxi looked up at Julie, not sure what to make of this latest interaction. She only briefly glanced at him before turning back for the door, her expression rueful yet unreadable. It felt like the fourth wall was being broken, like he was speaking to the villain in a play. It also felt very dangerous, like sticking his head between an alligator’s jaws.

“Well I suppose my little slut can still study up when daddy’s away.” Then she slammed the door behind her.

…

Haley inspected and re-inspected herself in the mirror, twisting her neck in obscure ways to examine every inch of herself. She looked stunning in a white dress that was form-fitting without being overtly sexual – also it was dotted with oranges.

“You sure you don’t want to come out with us?” she asked, not quite pouting.

“I’m not much of a drinker,” he replied evenly. “Also, the logistics of such a trip are daunting. Have fun though. You deserve it after this week.”

“No, I think you deserve it more than me. What with everything you’ve been through.”

Chuxi allowed himself a smile. “You have no idea.”

Haley smiled back and said, “I promise I’ll come back a bit earlier. But you have to promise me you’ll have a drink with me then. I know a few tasty recipes.”

“Well if your bartending is as good as your cooking, count me in.”

“Awesome. Well then see you in a bit.”

Chuxi heard the general hustle of Julie and Haley in the common room, punctuated often by Julie’s laughter. Looked like she had already gotten a head start. Finally, he heard the front door slam and the apartment became silent.

This lasted for less than a minute when the door opened once more – naturally, it was Julie. She came barging directly into Haley’s room, saw him immediately, and then seemed to hesitate, as if having an internal discussion with herself. “Ah, what the Hell, Haley can wait a sec.” She slipped a foot out of her sandal and lifted it up to him. “C’mon, lick between my toes. It won’t even be that bad since I just showered.” Chuxi obediently hustled over and began to run his tongue along her skin. She was right: her feet tasted much better after a shower as opposed to after a run. “Anyway, listen up. No don’t stop licking. Can’t you do two things at once? Okay, so when we get back we’re gonna play some good old Truth or Dare. You will pick Dare, understand?” Chuxi nodded while licking. “You’re a smart kid, so I’m sure you know where this is going.” Chuxi nodded again. “Good. Okay that’s enough. We’ll be dancing it up somewhere so our feet should be nice and fragrant for you. I think Haley’s wearing her leather boots, and believe me, those things do not breath well. How funny would it be if you’d rather lick my feet than hers just because they stink more. Which they probably will – I mean I’m going open-toed tonight. These are definitely cuter though.” Julie seemed drunker than he initially realized. “Anyway, I know all about your little crush on Haley.”

Chuxi looked up at her.

“Oh, so I hit a nerve, did I? I see the way you’re always pining after her. It’s kind of pathetic, really.” Chuxi had no idea how or why, but Julie was finally able to get a rise out of him. White-hot fury boiled up in his chest, anger that he had been able to suppress up to this point despite all the abuse he had endured at the hands of this college co-ed. He literally shook – but before he could do something ill-advised, she had already left.

“Hope you like licking Haley’s feet as much as mine!”

Just as soon as it arrived, his anger dissipated. He felt like a burnt-out husk – suddenly all he wanted was to sleep. Unfortunately, every time he closed his eyes he saw Haley’s feet rushing towards him, her face twisted into an awful sneer.

It was gonna be a long night.