KILL THE VIRGIN IN YOU 5

Sasha eyed us like missing this payment meant funding her hitman next. Ethan shrank under her stare and handed over his cash. Seeing no escape, I dug into my wallet too.

- "Take it and go."

- "So petty," she sneered. "Was that worth the fuss? I don't get why Chloe hangs with you!"

She spun, heels clicking back to her desk. Why Chloe stuck with her was beyond me. I'd say Chloe picked lousy friends, but then, she picked me too.

- "She totally wants you!" Ethan whispered, conspiratorial.

Doubtful. The whole time Sasha loomed over us, the medallion stayed cold—no hint of heat. Rubbing it absently, I decided to stop staring at girls. One more demanding cash would leave me lunchless, with no guarantee I'd snag her flag.

- "So," Ethan pressed, undeterred, "how'd you hook up with Stella Brooks? Spill it!"

- "Fine!" His nagging wore me down. "Listen…"

Ethan froze, all ears.

- "You won't believe me anyway…"

I didn't soften the tale—just dumped the wild truth: Scarlett, succubi, and the medallion meant to harvest sex energy for hell. Lifting it by the chain, I twirled the gilded disc before his eyes, expecting a finger-to-temple twist, a "you're nuts!" and an end to his questions.

But when I finished, silence blanketed our desk, despite the auditorium's chatter, laughter, and creaking benches.

"I knew it," Ethan said at last.

- "Knew what?"

- "It's real! Urban sex legends—they're true!"

- "You bought that right off?" I blinked.

I'd only believed after seeing Scarlett in a bikini.

- "Duh," Ethan nodded. "It's a classic! A succubus picks a clueless virgin as her pawn, hands him devilish charm. He hops from girl to girl, racking up wins, spreading sin wherever he goes! Your medallion's straight out of it… Lucky bastard! But, honestly, I don't envy you much…"

- "Why not?" I asked, thrown.

I figured he'd beg for one too.

- "Deals with demons for normies are… sketchy," he said. "Before, demons ignored you. Now you're on their radar. Brace yourself," he clapped my shoulder, "they'll swarm you. You'll see some freaky shit! And the kicker: they're immortal, and you…"

He trailed off, letting it hang, and I tensed. What the hell? Scarlett never mentioned other demons. But it tracked—if she existed, others might too. Damn! How many hidden catches did this deal have?

My face must've betrayed me, because Ethan burst out laughing, making the old desk rattle.

- "Chill, man!" he wheezed. "It's just a legend! You fell for it…"

I wanted to smack him for that.

Familiar light footsteps approached—I'd know them blind.

- "What's so funny?"

Chloe paused by our desk, smiling.

- "Noah's exploits from yesterday!" Ethan blurted.

I elbowed him to shut up.

- "What exploits?" Chloe's eyes shifted to me.

"Nothing big," I said fast. "Just dumb stuff!"

- "Let's just say," Ethan grinned, rubbing his side, "Noah almost became a man yesterday. Tried webcam with Stella Brooks herself!"

Chloe's face stretched in shock; I wanted to facepalm. Not a brag I'd share—especially with her.

- "So," Ethan rolled on, enjoying himself, "Noah's about to be a celeb, our group's sex symbol. Want the link?"

- "Shut up already!" I snapped.

Chloe stared, dazed, like she'd checked out of reality. We'd been friends forever, no secrets—almost. Yesterday was meant to stay on that "almost" list.

"I think I'll go…" she mumbled, snapping back, and hurried to her desk without a glance my way.

I glared at Ethan.

- "What the hell, man? Who asked you?"

- "Relax," he said, all-knowing. "You'll thank me! I signed up for that course you bailed on—learned some tricks. Fame with some girls boosts it with others. Chloe'll stew on this and want you herself. The medallion'll seal it!" He snickered.

I elbowed him again. Too many people lately cared about my sex life.

---

Right after class, stepping into the corridor, I caught snippets of a spat.

- "This isn't my job at all!" Sasha nearly shrieked. "I've done all I can!"

I turned, curious who her latest prey was. Our prickly monitor only used that tone with peers like me. But there, by the opposite wall, stood Lila Grayson—calm, unflinching.

Her patience was unreal. As a teacher, she could've yelled or threatened the dean's office by now. Yet I'd never heard Lila raise her voice—always sweet, kind, angelic. I couldn't help admiring her long, light hair, elegantly braided.

- "Find her yourself if you want!" Sasha barked. "I'm not doing it!"

"Okay," Lila said evenly. "You can go."

But a faint chill undercut her calm—Sasha had pushed even her limits. Sasha stormed off, and Lila turned, spotting me. I couldn't dodge; she'd know I'd overheard. She fluttered her lashes, beckoning, and my feet carried me over.

"Noah," she began, her voice melodic, "remember offering help?"

I nodded. At that moment, gazing at her, I'd have done anything. The only snag: the medallion stayed cold. It hadn't warmed all morning.

- "There's a girl in your group, Yana Carter," Lila went on. "She hasn't shown up since the session…"

Yana popped into mind instantly. Hard to forget her, even if you tried. Black hair, bold lipstick, wild tattoos on her shoulders—she radiated defiance wherever she went. But her rep wasn't about that—it was the harsh whisper behind her back: *whore*. True or not, maybe the other girls were just jealous. She outshone them with guys.

- "She's the dean's niece," Lila continued. "Her parents live in another city; she's here alone. Very independent. Doesn't listen to her uncle, who's worried. He asked me, as your advisor, to get her back to class…"

My thoughts flicked back to Lila. Hard to buy she was frigid, like Scarlett claimed. How would Scarlett even know?

- "I asked Sasha to help," she said, "since they're friends. But Sasha couldn't—or wouldn't," she added, a faint reproach in her tone.

No shock there—Sasha hated taking orders, only giving them. Though if the dean had asked her directly, not a grad student like Lila, she'd have sprinted to obey.

- "Could you help me?" Lila tucked a stray lock behind her ear. "Talk to Yana, convince her to come back. I'd be so grateful…"

Her trusting look made me nod—too eagerly, like she'd invited me to a movie, not dumped a chore on me. Hauling truants back wasn't my thing. But for Lila, I'd do it.

---

"Thank you," she said, brushing my sleeve with a smile. "I'm glad I can count on you."

My sleeve tingled, but the medallion stayed cold.

---

Once Lila vanished around the corner, the mess I'd signed up for sank in. I had to track down a girl I barely knew, and my only lead was a bitch I'd rather avoid. Two chats with Sasha in one day? A trial for even the toughest nerves.

Sighing, I shuffled to the room for our next class. The door was locked as usual, students lounging by walls or windowsills, waiting for the teacher's key. Sasha tapped her smartphone screen with an air of importance—texting her boyfriend, no doubt. He was infamous: her endless "oh, I'm so lucky!" tales about this amazing, generous football star had worn everyone out. I'd never met him but felt like I knew him as well as Ethan did.

Turning from her, I scanned for Chloe. Smartphone in hand, she stood in the hall's darkest corner, far from Sasha, far from everyone—like she was hiding. Odd, unlike her. Her screen-lit face mixed surprise, guilt, and upset, like when she'd broken my toys as kids. Curiosity tugged me toward her. Plus, a genius idea hit: send her to grill Sasha instead.

Chloe, earbuds in, didn't hear me approach, lost in her screen. Peeking over her shoulder, I saw my own baffled face, Stella, and her robe sliding off. She hadn't deleted it? Guess the subscribers loved her dad tossing me out.

I slipped away quietly. She'd have questions, and I didn't want them.