Chapter 1 A Pet

I went back home and locked myself in the bathroom. Then, I turned the shower's heat up as high as possible. The steam fogged up the mirror and my eyes. I took off my drenched pants and tossed them into the bin, along with my panties.

It was my desperate attempt at washing off the stench of humiliation and the looks everyone threw at me. Again and again, I scrubbed my body. I scrubbed my skin hard enough until it peeled off and turned red.

No matter how hard I washed myself, I could not shake off the sense of vertigo and the howls of the winds ringing in my ears.

I could never forget their grins.

Joseph Pinscher and Wendy Wood.

My mother was knocking on the door. "Jess, your father has an appointment tonight, and I'm going to Helen's for game night. You handle dinner yourself."

"Yeah," I answered, my voice hoarse and drowned out by the running water. Might as well. I didn't want my parents to see me like this.

I stayed in the bathroom for what felt like an eternity. The steaming water eventually became colder than ice. I came out, shivering like a chick. My phone was buzzing wildly on my desk. It was the class' group chat. There were already more than ninety-nine messages tagging me.

I opened the chat, and the first thing I saw was a bolded headline.

'Movie of the year! Police Story in real life! Watch her fly!'

I was hanging in midair like a puppet with strings holding up its limbs in the video. When the camera drew close to my face, it showed nothing but a twisted expression of horror.

The comments all laughed at me.

"Holy shit, I think I can meme her!"

"Honestly, Joseph, I can't believe you went so far just to make Wendy happy!"

"I can't believe Jessica wet her pants! I made sure to get a close-up! Anyone want it?"

"Come on, show us already! Shut up and take my money!"

"Hah, that's what she gets for trying to take Joseph. She should look in a mirror sometimes!"

I left the group chat. The socials were worse. Joseph posted a status with a photo of me struggling in the air. He tagged Wendy. 'Another day, another happy moment for my princess.'

Wendy replied immediately, 'Oh, you're the best, Joseph. But are you sure Jess won't get mad?'

The comments mocked me even further.

'You're so kind, Wendy. You shouldn't care about her.'

'Her? Mad? She has no right to get mad! She should be on her knees and thank Joseph for letting her tag along with him.'

'Yeah. She's just an annoying bum.'

I turned my phone off. My heart had frozen up. An ice-cold hand had it wrapped around its palm. The agony was cutting off the air from my lungs.

Ten years. For ten years I knew Joseph. I'd been his lackey since the day my father worked as his father's driver. I did everything he told me to and never said no.

When he got hungry, I would jump over the house's walls and sneak out just to get his favorite shrimp burger. When he told me he hated tests, I would burn the midnight oil just to highlight all the important parts and make notes for him.

If he were playing any kind of sport, I was his gofer. If he got into any fights, I would be the one to apologize on his behalf. Everyone called me his loyal pup.

I thought he had affection for me. Now, I saw what I was. I was nothing but a plaything.

…

I went to school the next day. No, I wasn't degrading myself. I had some things I had to take back.

The moment I stepped inside, everyone had their eyes on me. I could see the mockery, disdain, and amusement in their gaze.

When I walked down the corridor, some of the students mimicked how I struggled in the air. Everyone around them laughed.