Turned on to nearly his maximum capacity but with no relief in sight, Vic accompanied Marcia to the checkout counter, and then back to Dampgate, forgoing heading into town and looking for someone to find that relief with together. As he helped carry her bags through the forest road, and as they laughed about whatever – classes, friends and enemies, Vic truly began to appreciate the advantages of being this comfortable with sex and sexuality. When there were no boundaries between friends, it somehow made things easier and not harder.

When they got back to the Academy building, Marcia waved him goodbye.

“Thanks for your help today, it was surprisingly helpful,” she said.

“I would say something like ‘it’s my pleasure’ but that gives off the wrong vibes.”

“Well, it’s no lie at least,” Marcia said and gave him a smile that looked almost apologetic.

“I guess I’ll see you in class tomorrow?”

“Guess so,” she said, and with that, they parted. As he walked away, a stray thought did follow Vic where he wondered whether any of Marcia’s new purchases will be put to good use that evening without him. He was though getting better and better at silencing that part of his brain.

When he reached his room, his thoughts moved away from Marcia entirely, because at his desk he found the new student, Rita, her chin in her hand as she propped up her arm on her elbow, looking very hopelessly bored.

“Hey,” Vic said, walking into the room.

“Hey,” Rita answered, somewhat startled. “I don’t suppose you know where Marek is?”

“Sorry, still not familiar with most of his comings and goings.” Then after, after brief consideration, he quipped, “I think you may be more familiar with his comings though.”

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He smiled to show that he was joking but Rita just stared up at him with glossy eyes, not saying anything. “Wow, that really was not funny,” she said with a shake of a head.

He was surprised to find that this made him burst out in laughter. “Oh man, it really wasn’t, wasn’t it?”

Now it was Rita’s turn to laugh a shy laugh. “Sorry, I can be pretty blunt sometimes.”

“Well, bluntness will certainly get you far in here,” Vic said, sitting on the edge of his bed.

“I think I know what you mean,” Rita said, turning around in the chair and facing him. She was wearing short booty shorts which highlighted the length of her legs, and a tight t-shirt, which highlighted the weightiness of her breasts.

“I take it you’ve been adjusting well?” Vic asked.

“To Dampgate?” Rita said with a thoughtful frown. “I think so. There was Marek, obviously, and a guy named Jules, and also Owen?”

“Owen?” Vic interrupted, “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“He gets around, huh?”

“Well we get all kinds here,” Vic said. “Ones who go through the place like wildfire, the serial monogamists. And then there’s the teachers.” Rita nodded. “Though unfortunately for you the male teacher stock isn’t that great. Mr. Tourette, for starters, though you might not to be tall enough for him, and definitely not blonde enough.”

“Are we talking about Tanya?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to miss.”

They both nodded then and Vic found himself enjoying this – feeling pike he was a Dampgate regular and going from not feeling like he fit in to imagining himself a natural extension of the school.

“Then there’s Mr. Box,” Vic said, putting out a finger as if he was counting.

“The gym teacher? Ugh.”

“Acquainted already?”

“Yeah, he does this thing where when he has you bent over he puts a thumb in your asshole.”

“Well, not my asshole, at least,” Vic said without hesitation and this time Rita laughed a loud proper laugh.

They continued to talk and just like that, a couple of hours had disappeared without Vic really noticing, at which point he was actually hoping Marek would not return and interrupt them. What did finally break up their conversation and put their evening to a close, was something Rita had asked.

“Hey, do you, uh, do you ever miss home?”

“What?” Vic asked, suddenly finding his head in a fog.

“What?” Rita echoed. “Sorry,” she shook her head slightly, “I’m not even sure what I asked just now. What was my question?”

“I don’t know,” Vic said, finding that the fog was not lifting.

“Sorry, I think it’s late, maybe I should go.”

“Maybe,” Vic said, but he was looking past Rita now as she picked up her bag and left the room.

What was that question again?