I re-checked my clothes in the mirror. I was wearing black denim pencil dress, a leather jacket and black leather ankle boots. I had my toiletries and phones in my bag. You never know when you need them. My short hair was combed perfectly and my make up satisfactory enough. As to why I had short hair, it was a MUST at school. They wanted us to be equal, whether poor or rich. Stupid but understandable.
It was a Saturday meaning that dad was home. I did and still love spending time with my dad, ‘cause in my picture, he’s been there. All the end of term closing ceremonies, he was there, cheering me on and it was shame there was a bash that same Saturday, really.
My phone beeped.
I’m waiting outside. Be fast.
-Boo
I smiled and got out of my room, confidence rolling off of me in waves. I found dad watching sports, cart racing, in the living room. He turned towards me as I passed by him.
“Going somewhere?” He asked with a raised brow and a knowing look.
I give my sweetest smile. “Just going to get fresh air, you know, from the week’s stress. I’ll be with Lucy and Jim.”
“Ok, be safe. Here you go. See you in the evening.” He said as he handed me L2000. Sweet!
“Thanks.”
I got out and found Jim right outside with LuLu. Apparently they had been laughing at something he had said and they stopped as they saw me. They were best friends dare I say. But at first they were enemies.
“Hey,” I said to Lu as I hugged her.
“Hey you,” I said as I turned to Jim and he pulled me in for a kiss and I returned it.
Lu faked a gagging sound, “keep it PG guys.” We all laughed at that. It was bliss spending time with two of the most important people in my life.
“Let's go.”
We got to the terminus and boarded a taxi which dropped us off at a hotel. Splash Hotel. It was cheap but beautiful.
As soon as we get there, Lu left to find her boyfriend, named Luke. Lost in my thoughts, I felt Jim’s hand snake around my waist and he pulled me closer to his chest. I smiled at him. I looked around and saw the party was in full swing. Music was playing full blast, some Amapiano music. I noticed with some discomfort, Jim’s hands were all over me by then.
“Let’s go get a drink!” I shouted at Jim over the loud music in hopes to get his hands off me. He nodded and he pulled me away to the mini bar at the other end of the room.
“Two cups of dry gin please.”
“Jim you know I don’t drink strong stuff.” I frowned at him. “Just give me amarula please.” I told the bartender.
“But come on, the two next week’s will be pre-occupied with exams. No one knows when the next bash we’ll be. Let loose. Let’s party and get freak-ey!” the way he talked and wiggled his eyebrows made me laugh.
“Ok, fine, but I still want amarula.” After all, it’s one drink only.
He smiled and turned to the bartender and nodded to him and he nodded back, sharing a look between the two of them and I paid them no heed.
I received the drink and gulped it down in one go, it burning my throat as it went down. It tasted funny, not like the usual amarula I drank at home, I just ignored it though.
The next 1 hour was hectic. I was dancing on the dance floor with Jim, laughing freely. As the song was over, I felt a zap in my head then dizziness.
“Woah, look who’s drunk, you should probably rest up. Let’s go, there’s a vacant room upstairs I think.”
I just nodded, feeling high. I turned to Lucy and gave her my cup and pointed to Jim. She furrowed her brows but I was starting to feel numb, too tired to speak to her. Jim dragged me to the room and as we entered, he closed the door, but didn’t lock it. And by then, my brain was groggy.
He laid me down on the bed and I closed my eyes as I groaned and I expect him to leave, but I didn’t hear the door close. I felt something warm on my lips. I lifted my hand to push whatever it was and I felt Jims’ head. I didn’t respond because I was really, really tired.
“Hey, Jim, let’s leave the make out session for later, I’m tired.” But he still didn’t leave and his hands started roaming my body his lips on my shoulder and it was seriously making me uncomfortable.
“Leave me alone Jim…” I managed to croak out but he didn’t. I tried to push him away but I couldn’t. My body started getting hot, my throat dry, my limbs soft. I struggled against him endlessly but I couldn’t get him away from me as he had pinned my arms to the headrest. His body pinning me down, his hand going to the zipper on my dress.
“Stop it Jim!”
"Shut up will you!" His harsh voice shocked me. "Just lay there silently..." his whisper floated past my ear and he nibbled it.
"Stop it! Leave me alone! Stop!"
My consciousness started slipping and I closed my eyes as tears fell. ‘Someone save me please…’
I heard some crashing and thudding sounds and I opened my eyes and saw Luke with some other two guys I didn’t know and they came and hauled him away and punched him away. I groaned as I felt another headache, it was intense and strong. I grabbed my head, closing my eyes. I felt a hand around my hands pulling them from my head. And the heat intensified, thrashing around, my blood boiling in my veins and the urge to remove my clothes was strong. I needed to cool down. The clothes, the clothes were hindering me.
"The... clothes..." I was surprised at my own voice, it was raspy, more like a moan. "Hot... clothes..."
“Damn it, it’s that aphrodisiac!”
“It’s his father’s business, remember?”
“Call Lucy here, now!”
Two strong hands kept me in place as the heat intensified, my thrashing became worse. I only heard the voices as if they were far away, like a whisper. I then felt myself being hauled up and then later coldness.
“Luke! Lucy’s here!”
“Have her come here now!”
“Luke?! What are you doing?!”
“Now’s not the time, if you wanna save her, strip her and immerse her in cold water, I’ll get some ice. Feed her this too.”
All was just a whisper. And then I knew nothing and I passed out cold.
I opened eyes and I slowly registered what was going on around me. I was lying in a tub of cold water and I was surrounded by four blurry faces. I recognized two as Luke and Lucy.
“Lucy, she’s awake.”
“Lilia, can you hear me?” I nodded
“Give her water.”
“You’re okay. We found you before he could hurt you. It’s okay now.” She handed me a glass of water. Strange thing, I found it warm not ice cold.
“But how did you find me?” my voice was barely audible. She just turned to look at Luke.
“Your cup, it had a funny smell. I knew the smell, so I came to check up on you.”
The look on my face must have showed my disapproval to the answer.
“In details Miste-,” my answer was cut short as I felt a sharp headache and a wave of heat short behind. My breathing started getting more erratic. I gripped the side of the tub tighter I tried not to move around and I went under the water as I held my breath and someone poured in more ice. It was a hot feeling, a burning of lust in my veins and I found it hot.
“Damn it,” whoever it was cursed under their breath. The sharp sting of a headache caught me off guard and I accidentally breathed in but ended up swallowing water. I sat up and started coughing and Lucy patted my back and after that, I felt drained. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on the wall by the tub.
“And that?” I asked no one in particular.
“I’ll try my best to explain but not all of it. Jimmy’s father has hotels right? But most of the money he has comes from selling drugs. He has a lab or something like that where his people make drugs. And rumors were circulating that he has made a new type of aphrodisiac which is more powerful than normal but-,” he was cut short by Lucy asking what aphrodisiac was, but he just gave her a look that said ‘really’. “As I was saying, it is almost poisonous if not cured and for it to be fully cured, it takes weeks. Understood?”
I and Lucy just shook our heads at him. Before Luke could re-explain it again, his friend cut him to the chase.
“Aphrodisiac is a drug used for arousing sexual desire and this new type is more arousing. If you don’t get to do the deed, you get sick for weeks but if you do it, you gotta do it 2 days straight. Get it now? Its originally for those sadistic bastards.” His disgust was as clear as daylight in his words.
I just sighed, “how many weeks?”
“One and a half weeks plus some drugs we'll give you. they can help too, though not much.”
"And I heard its ocassionaly stimulated by heat, or something like that. Its clearly a long lasting poison to the body with one cure."
No way out, I still stood on my fact, 'no sex before marriage.'
'Welcome to the world where you'll live for years Dizzy!'