روايات بقلم Valentina

"I found Alisha," Jenna reports breathlessly, catching up with me at the exit of the coffee shop where I usually buy my morning cappuccino. "I had to wait for her for an hour after her science class...""Get to the point," I say, glancing at my watch. "My class starts in ten minutes. Did you get the samples?"Jenna hurriedly rummages through her bag, pulls out a colorful package, and hands it to me."No Brazilian thongs, just like you asked."I critically examined the cropped tops and nylon shorts with the university logo and was satisfied. Everything looks much more decent than last year when onlookers could assess the depth of the participants' waxing and see their protruding nipples. The colors are also appropriate; there's no nauseating combination of red and green."Check with Christina about the team lineups and the girls' sizes, and pass the information on to Alisha. I hope she doesn't have another uterine frenzy by Saturday."Glancing around quickly, Jenna leans toward me and

"My parents are expecting us for dinner at seven tonight."Isaac kisses his way down my thigh, catches the lace of my underwear, and pulls it down."I remember that. Keep in mind that I have yoga in an hour and a half, so hurry up with the foreplay."After taking off his T-shirt, Isaac removes my underwear and leans on top of me, his belt buckle digging into my stomach. I help him take off his jeans, wait for him to put on a condom, and then wrap my legs around his hips. Isaac became my first boyfriend three months after we started dating, and I can't imagine anyone else in his place. I like feeling his toned muscles against me. I like his smell and his passionate kisses. Our fathers had long since married us off in their dreams. After we announced our relationship, their companies unexpectedly signed a cooperation agreement. The idea of marrying Isaac after graduating from college has firmly taken root in my mind, and I'm fine with that.Ruby once asked me if I would regret having on

"You've organized everything perfectly, baby," Isaac says as he hugs me around the waist and kisses me long and hard on the lips. "As always, in fact. Everyone's having a great time.""I was worried about the DJ." The DJ we usually hire is performing at an up-and-coming singer's birthday party in Beverly Hills today, so we had to hire a new DJ. Luckily, he's not bad.In half an hour, everyone here will be so drunk that they won't care what music they're dancing to. Just order more alcohol next time."I am angered by Isaac's dismissive attitude toward what I devote most of my time to during the week. I always give my all when I take on a task, whether it's studying, choosing a birthday present, or organizing a party like today's. To me, the power I've acquired is a privilege and a responsibility. At the events I host, every detail is considered, from the high-quality alcohol to the sober drivers who take guests home. There are no trips to the police station or cheap booze poisoning at

I sit through the rest of the classes on pins and needles. Even Ruby's talk about the upcoming party can't bring me back to my senses. My thoughts keep coming back to Jaden like a stuck boomerang: How did he end up here? How has he been living all this time? Did he recognize me? If so, why didn't he come over? Why the hell is my heart pounding so hard?I rush out of the auditorium, barely waiting for the lecture to end, and walk quickly to the parking lot. My childhood friend's unexpected appearance threw me back many years, bringing back memories of the past: an endless feeling of guilt and a sense of cold loneliness. After Jaden and Rosa moved out, my mother took me to a psychotherapist for a month because I had stopped eating and refused to leave the house. The sessions helped me tremendously. My appetite returned, and I started socializing with my peers again. However, the guilt didn't go away. Rather, it had been suppressed by the weight of the past years. Now, with one glance at

Thirteen Years Later.As usual, the university café is filled with the noise of conversation and gossip. But today, for the first time, the noise annoys me. My head hurts, and the pill my mother gave me didn't help. I wish I could get everyone to talk more quietly. Even I can't do that, though; the room is too big. Smoothing a nonexistent crease in my silk shirt, I locate the right table and head toward it, nodding to the fawning glances and welcoming smiles along the way. My daily ritual is like a queen's procession through a crowd of subjects. I am Tasha Evans: president of the student council, organizer of the most talked-about parties on campus, head of the sorority, and a style icon that everyone wants to emulate. I have earned my popularity."Hi, sweetie!" Miley and Jenna get up from the table and take turns kissing me on the cheeks. They don't touch my skin so as not to ruin my makeup, as I taught them."Nice shirt, Tasha," Jenna comments as she pushes a green salad with aspara

"I can't do it because I'm younger," I say angrily as I watch another pebble sink to the bottom of the lake with a gurgle, leaving circles behind. How does Jaden do it? The stone he throws skips across the surface at least five times."Watch," my friend says. He bends down to pick up the next stone, places it in my palm, and stands behind me. "Bring your arm back like this, bend your knees, Try to throw it parallel to the water."He guides my hand as he launches the stone himself. For the first time in an hour of training, it happens: the stone hits the water three times before sinking into the lake."Yay! I'm nine, and you're twelve.”I squint my eyes and assess my friend's figure. "You're really skinny, though. Why is that? Do you eat very little?"Jaden is usually not bothered by the tactless questions I ask him. He just shrugs his shoulders."I eat normally. Maybe my dad was thin."Jaden is the son of our housekeeper, Rosa, whom my mother hired a little over six months ago. She ha