An Innocent little prank

Tatiana

Emily’s confused gaze shifts between Hasan and me, whereas my wide eyes are glued to Hasan. The asshole looks like he just hit the jackpot. He’s staring back at me, urging me to answer Emily’s question.

Emily is still looking at me, her expectant eyes drawing me in. She’s expecting a reply, but what do I tell her? That I snuck into the room of my stepbrother, the man she was kissing a few minutes ago, and felt him up, and he has video proof of it, which he is now using to blackmail me?

“Yes, Taty? What video?” Hassan presses, daring me to tell her the truth.

The fucker. The bloody fucker. If I could, I would gouge out his eyes and make eye skewers out of them.

I force a reassuring smile on my face, which turns into a full-blown nervous chuckle. “Oh, it’s nothing. You know how silly Hasan is. Just some stupid video Hasan took, and he is threatening to share it on the school portal if I tell Mom about his party.” I lie, scratching the back of my neck.

Emily squints her eyes, taking in my reaction. If there’s any indication that she’s caught on to my lie, she doesn’t show it. Needing some weight to my lie, I slap Hasan on the shoulder. He fakes a yelp and holds the spot that I just hit.

“Yeah. Your friend is such a grandma; she gets offended over minor things. An innocent little prank never hurts anyone.” Hasan says to Emily, continuously rubs the spot on his shoulder, a playful grin spreading across his face. “Right, Emily? You’ve got to lighten up a bit!” He nudges me gently, trying to steer the conversation away from the tension that had briefly settled in the air.

“A prank that could cost me everything.”

“Don’t be dramatic.” He rolls his eyes. I am about to hit his shoulder again when Emily grabs my arm. Just then, Dave steps outside too, and just like Emily, he looks confused. Emily starts to drag me toward my room, and I mouth to Hasan to delete that video or I will kill you in your sleep. Dave drags him into his room, but not without Hassan giving me the middle finger.

In my room, Emily lets go of my hand. The looks she gives me tell me she didn’t believe my lie. I nervously sit on the end of my bed.

“Taty. I know you were lying to me back there.” Emily states, her voice clouded with hurt. It aches my heart to have to lie to her, but I would rather lie to her than tell her what I have been up to. Aside from my mom, she’s the only person whose opinion I value, and I’d be damned if I lose her to some silly fantasy I have of Hasan.

“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just…” I trail off, searching for the right words to say. I didn’t want to ruin things further for our friendship. “Hasan caught me masturbating and took a video.” I regretted it as soon as I blurted out those words.

I am a coward. A fucking coward who blames her stepbrother for her wrongdoings. But hey, Hasan is an asshole, and that’s what assholes deserve.

Emily looks at me suspiciously before spreading out her arms, inviting me for a hug. I am a little shocked because she believed me that easily. I quickly stand from my bed and dive into her embrace.

“Don’t worry. Now that Hasan and I are a thing, I’ll get into his phone and delete the video for you.” Emily says as she rocks my hair in comfort.

A knot tightens in my chest. I should be happy for her. She finally, after months of fantasizing and gushing nonstop over Hasan, got to kiss him and be with him. But no, I am not. Jealousy and envy fog my judgment. We can never be together, at least not in the way I want. Society would ruin us.

“Thanks, Emi.” My eyes dart over to my bedside. The clock reads two in the morning. I tell Emily that it’s time for us to go to bed, and she agrees. She walks into my closet like she has done a million times and changes into a comfortable shirt and tee. I do the same, and shortly after, we’re climbing in bed simultaneously.

“Seriously, though,” Emily breaks the silence. Having my full attention, she wraps the duvet over her arms and tilts so she’s completely facing me.

“Do you think Hasan is hot?” Her question is genuine, and her eyes are judgment-free. I could tell her the truth and say Hasan is the hottest man alive and I want him just as much as she wants him. But if there’s anything I’ve learned today, it’s that lying is so much easier.

“Of course not. Dave is so much hotter.” Okay, that second lie wasn’t easy to tell. Emily is silent for a second.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’d love to ride them both.” She replies absentmindedly while staring at the ceiling. The image makes me mentally gag, but I join her in her boisterous laughter.

Shortly after, we doze off. I wake up hours later to loud noises coming from my closet. I get out of bed with a frown on my face. Emily stands by the small built-in bench in my closet, throwing a tantrum like a three-year-old would.

“Is there a reason why you’re being so loud?” I say groggily, dragging my body to where Emily stood. She doesn’t reply to me immediately and continues rummaging through my closet.

“Just so you know, you have to clean up after this mess.” I head into my bathroom and shower. By the time I step out, Emily is nowhere in sight. My closet, however, is in a much better state. I dress up quickly, grab my backpack, and head downstairs.

Everything is spotless. I guess Hasan paid the maids double to sparkle the house and an extra for their silence.

Emily stands next to Hasan in the kitchen. She looks alive compared to the raging lion who was in my closet a few minutes ago. Dave notices me first and stretches out his hand, offering me a cup of coffee.

“A peace offering for getting on your nerves last night.” He says.

I eye him suspiciously, though I take the mug. “This doesn’t make up for it, but it’s a start.” The coffee smells delicious, and it instantly puts me in a better mood. Emily finally peels her gaze away from Hasan and looks at me. She smiles timidly as though apologizing for her mid-life crisis this morning.

I return the smile and sit down for breakfast. I expect Emily to sit next to me, but it’s Hasan who pulls the chair. Emily sits next to Dave. I barely slice into my pancake when I feel a soft hand on my thigh.

I jerk, causing the glass of mango juice to splatter on the table. I apologize timorously to Dave and Emily before turning to Hasan with a glare sharp enough to slice him in pieces. The fucker barely looks at me and digs into my breakfast like placing his hand on my thigh was a totally sane thing to do.

I try to use my hand, but the spots where Hasan sits make it difficult. He sits at my right, and I am right-handed. I can’t eat with my left hand and use my right hand to shoo away his hand. I am left with no choice but to sit through breakfast with Hasan’s hand on my thighs.

With each bite I take, I shift his hand upwards. I am forced to keep a straight face and swallow normally. Hasan somehow senses that I have grown accustomed to his hand on his thigh and, being the devil that he is, chooses to ruin things for me.

He squeezes my thighs, and I almost choke. However, the thought that his hand would be imprinted there creates a turmoil of butterflies in my stomach.

Emily and Dave seem to be buried in a world of their own. They have no knowledge of the damnation I am going through. When it becomes too much for me to handle, I stand from my chair with force. This makes Dave and Emily look at me.

“We’ll be late for school, Emily. We need to leave now.” I am already halfway through the foyer in case Emily tries to retort negatively. Fortunately, she joins me outside shortly after.

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