Richard Laymon: Blood Games

Helen blew out a long breath that puffed out her cheeks and lips. She rolled her eyes upward. ‘Hey, if you don’t want to, it’s all right.’

‘Well…

‘You aren’t a lesbian, are you?’

Abilene’s face went hot. ‘No!’ she blurted.

‘Me, neither.’

‘Well, that’s good. Not that… you know.’

‘So how about a shower?’

‘Now?’

‘Yeah. It’ll feel good.’

She grimaced. ‘I don’t know. I was planning to wait till morning.’

‘Please?’

‘Geez, Helen.’

‘It’s just that… I really don’t want to go alone. There might be some other people there. Strangers.’

‘If anyone’s there, it’ll just be kids from our sector.’

‘But I don’t know any of them. Not really. And they kind of scare me. If you want to know the truth, I haven’t taken a shower since last Thursday night.’

'Last Thursday?'

‘I just haven’t quite worked up the nerve again.’

‘Did something happen?’

‘Well, that was the night I walked to the movies. I saw a really scary one. It was great. You were asleep when I got back. The place was really quiet. I thought everybody in the whole sector was asleep, so I figured it would be a great time to take my shower. Anyway, I was in there and all of a sudden the lights went off. Somebody turned them off. It was pitch black. I couldn’t see a thing. I couldn’t hear much, either, because of the water. I was sort of spooked, but I figured it was just some creep’s idea of a joke. So I went on taking my shower. I was soaping myself, you know? And suddenly there was an extra hand on me.’

‘Holy shit,’ Abilene muttered.

‘The one that wasn’t mine… it squeezed one of my breasts. I kind of jumped back and slipped and landed on my butt.’ She shrugged. Making a sickish smile, she said, ‘And that’s the true story of why I haven’t taken a shower since Thursday night.’

‘No wonder.’

‘So, will you come with me?’

‘Okay. Sure.’

‘Great. You’re a real friend.’

‘Hey, after hearing that, I’m not sure I want to take any more showers alone, myself.’ Abilene shoved the chair out of the way with her feet, scooted off the low bookcase and stood up. ‘What happened after you fell?’ she asked.

‘Nothing.’

‘Nothing?’

‘Well, I sat there for a real long time. But nobody touched me again. Whoever it was just left, I guess. Finally, I worked up enough nerve to get up and leave.’

‘God,’ Abilene muttered. ‘You never got any kind of look at her? She never said anything, or…?’

‘For all I know, it might’ve been a guy.’

‘Jesus.'

‘It probably wasn’t,’ Helen said, and started to unbutton her blouse.

Abilene took that as her cue to move on. She walked past her bed. Facing her open closet, she stripped to the waist and put on her robe. Then she pulled down her shorts and panties, stepped out of them, and knotted her robe’s cloth belt. She didn’t realize, until she was done, that it was a pretty dumb way to undress.

Why worry about modesty at a time like this?

From their first night as roommates, less than two weeks ago, they’d maintained unspoken rituals to keep their privacy. They’d jumped at every opportunity to change while the other was away from the room. When that failed, they’d turned their backs to each other. Abilene often stood facing her closet — more to avoid a view of Helen than to prevent Helen from seeing her.

Silly .

If they’d been more open about things, maybe Helen wouldn’t have felt compelled to take that shower alone in the middle of the night.

She crouched, scooped up her clothes, and sidestepped past her dresser. She tossed them onto her bed. ‘You about ready?’

‘Yeah.’

She turned around. Helen had her nightgown on, but her arms weren’t in its sleeves. They were busy underneath the loose gown, removing her bra. When they appeared, one was towing the undergarment out through a sleeve.

‘You won’t tell anyone, will you?’ Helen asked.

‘About what happened?’

‘Yeah. It’s… you know, kind of embarrassing. There’d be an awful lot of gossip. I’d rather just forget about the whole thing, okay?’

‘Fine. I won’t tell. We don’t know who it was, anyway. It’d just spook people.’

‘Thanks.’

They gathered their washcloths, towels, soap and shampoo. Abilene dropped her room key into a pocket. She followed Helen into the corridor, then pulled the door shut and made sure it was locked.

The corridor was filled with music, voices and laughter. On their way to the restroom, they passed several open doors. Girls in the rooms were sprawled on beds, sitting at desks, some studying, while others carried on discussions or watched small televisions. A few were eating snacks and drinking sodas. Abilene nodded and smiled at those who noticed her going by. Though she recognized all of them, she wasn’t sure about some of the names.

The restroom was just this side of double doors that separated the east wing of Hadley Hall from the main stairs and west wing.

Abilene entered first. She saw no one. But sounds of rushing water came from the shower room.

‘Maybe we should try later,’ Helen whispered.

‘Don’t be ridiculous. Come on.’

Helen grimaced, but followed her past the toilet stalls to the dressing area. Steam was drifting in from the shower room. Voices, too — cheerful, amplified by the tile walls. A couple of robes and towels had been left on the bench.

Abilene slipped out of her sandals, emptied her hands onto the bench, and took off her robe. She rolled it up, set it next to her towel, then picked up her washcloth, soap and shampoo. She looked at Helen just as the girl’s large breasts, briefly caught by the hem of the nightgown, came free and dropped, bouncing and swinging. Helen finished dragging the nightgown off her head, gave Abilene a somewhat frantic glance, and deposited the nightgown on the bench.

‘Here goes nothing,’ she muttered, and gestured for Abilene to go first.

Abilene stepped over the low, tile barrier, and entered the shower room. The steamy air wrapped her.

She raised a hand and said ‘Hello’ to the two girls who stood under nozzles near the far end. She recognized both of them. ‘Cora, right?’ she asked the one near the corner.

‘Tucson?’

‘Abilene. This is my roomy, Helen.’

‘Hi,’ Helen said from behind her.

‘I’m Vivian,’ said the other girl. Abilene had never actually met her, but she’d seen her around and knew her name. She supposed that everyone knew her name. Vivian Drake was easily the most beautiful girl in the freshman class: tall and slender with dark auburn hair, emerald eyes, a flawless complexion and a stunning face.

Abilene had stayed clear of her, certain that she must be a conceited bitch.

Now, she said, ‘Nice to meet you,’ went to the shower right beside Vivian and turned on the water. She stepped out of the way, testing the spray with her hand. When it felt hot, she moved underneath it.

Helen chose the shower on the other side.

‘Abilene’s a cool name,’ Vivian said.

‘Thanks.’

‘Is that where you were conceived?’ Cora asked.

‘No, I was named for the song.’

Vivian began to hum it as she soaped her legs.

Abilene began to like her.

‘It was my parents’ favorite song,’ she said. ‘It was their song, you know? Also, my dad’s a western writer.’

‘No kidding?’ Cora said. ‘No wonder you’re such a hot-shot in Dalton’s class.’

‘I’m sure having trouble with Shakespeare.’

‘The guy should’ve tried writing in English.’

‘I’ve got the Cliff Notes for Othello,' Vivian said. ‘If you want to stop by the room sometime, you can borrow it.’