Harem House Chapter 38 Part 1

Kelly’s Thursday went better than most. Waking up with the girls had made the difference. Rani’s lack of shame extended beyond sex, removing any embarrassment Kelly might have had over spotting or cramps. Cooking everyone’s breakfast had been fun as well. It’d been a while since Kelly had the chance to cook for a large group, and although it was work, she loved every minute of it. They’d been great about cleaning the living room while she was in the bathroom, and everyone left Arthur’s apartment in good spirits.  

The morning passed routinely enough, except Katelyn joined her return and wasn’t waiting for her at the apartment like last week. 

Lunch was more nerve-wracking. Rani bailed, texting something about homework. Selene was with Arthur in the cafe, and his conversation with Yvonne. Katelyn’s schedule meant she was eating a packed lunch on the other side of campus. Mindy bailed, texting about having a lunch meeting with Beth. That left Kelly and Kat in the dining hall for lunch, but they couldn’t discuss Arthur or the harem because the table soon filled with Kelly’s old field hockey teammates. 

Kelly introduced her and did her best to include her in the conversations, but Kat was quiet and shy among the girls—the total opposite of the bratty young woman Kelly knew among the harem. It made sense, though, given that Kat had never met these girls before. Their conversations were raucous, and none of them seemed particularly interested in getting to know someone new. 

Kelly felt awful that Kat was the odd woman out. After a round of initial greetings, Kat retreated into her chicken salad and said her goodbyes when she’d finished her food. 

Kelly exited the cafeteria later than usual, walking toward her next class at her usual speed. She was feeling better today than yesterday. She wore a pair of ‘mom jeans’, as Katelyn called them, high-waisted and comfortable. Her vintage striped brown, red, and orange sweater was tucked into them. It had tight sleeves and a baggy middle, making her look like someone who’d stepped out of the seventies. It was one of her favorite Thrift Store finds. 

The autumn day started colder than those before it, but quickly warmed as time wore on. Her zippered boots made her feet hot during the walk across campus. She regretted going with the sweater instead of a removable cardigan. She could always use one of her emergency outfits, which she kept in her locker, or one from her car, but it wasn’t uncomfortable enough to require removal yet. 

She sat through her class with her pen in hand, taking notes as the professor presented on gamification and its applications in teaching children in various subjects. Today’s subject was history, which she treated as a type of trivia game. Kelly took diligent notes but couldn’t help letting her mind wander to Arthur. She wondered how his conversation with Yvonne went and kept checking her phone for updates. So far, the chats were silent. 

She sat in the back row, her legs crossed, her eyes showing her disinterest with her dull expression, despite her usual precision with her makeup. Her mind kept wandering to Arthur and the many items on their agenda. Saturday’s Ren Faire meant losing Saturday and some of Sunday to the harem, which she was looking forward to. Fall Break meant recharging with Katelyn in her family’s mountain cabin on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. That was always fun. Then they would return to the usual routine, Halloween, and packing things for her eventual move. 

She had a lot to do before Thanksgiving.

Moving in with Arthur and the others was a good thing. She wouldn’t have to store clothes, extra makeup, or anything at his apartment. It was like skipping steps in her relationship plan, but Arthur had turned most of her plans on their head. She’d never have imagined that submitting to him and indulging her request for a casual relationship would lead to the harem and the total upending of her life plans. 

Still no text messages. 

Kelly wondered when she’d hear from Arthur or Selene about the conversation with Yvonne. Was it still going? Had things spiraled out of control? Had Yvonne made a scene? Did security get involved? Did they need her to come and help restrain her or calm her? Was Rani there to help? Did Yvonne and Selene reconcile? Was she going to be in the Theater Club again? Did she think she still had a chance with Arthur? Did the harem have yet another enemy to keep an eye on? Kelly had many questions, and no answers. 

At least it wasn’t Lynn. For as much stress as Yvonne gave Arthur, she was no Lynn. After hearing Arthur’s confession last night, Kelly had a half a mind to disregard everything Arthur warned her against, march straight up to Lynn, and breaking her fucking nose. 

Lynn was the harem’s enemy. She had already earned their dislike, if not their hatred, with her antagonism. Lynn stalked them and Arthur at homecoming. She tried to crash their party at the hotel. She’d attempted blackmailing Selene last Sunday. Outing Mindy to her parents had been her most direct strike against them. Then she’d messed with Selene at work. She was tormenting Arthur every chance she got, despite Kelly warning her to keep her distance. 

There was no end to what Lynn might try to do, and now Arthur worried that she’d try to get in touch with their families. She could out them as polyamorous and cause trouble for those who might find it. If Lynn reached out to Kelly’s family, she’d be disappointed. Her brothers would never listen to some stranger over their sister. Her mother was more complicated. She’d fibbed when the harem was new. Her mother was not open-minded. Their relationship was complicated, but there was no way Lynn could make it worse. 

Still, she worried for the others. Rani, Katelyn, Selene, and Kat were more vulnerable than Kelly was. After class, Kelly decided to cut some of that off at the neck, if she could. She browsed socials as she sat in the lounge, friend-requesting all the parents she could track down. Rani’s socials didn’t connect to her family, so at least that was a dead end. It seemed strange, though. Rani had a lot of sisters, but not a single one of them followed her Instagram. Or did she have more than one Insta? 

A search for Rani Shah produced far too many results to comb through. Kelly didn’t remember any of Rani’s sisters’ names to search them out individually. She’d have to ask Rani about it later, but at least if Kelly couldn’t find Rani’s family, Lynn couldn’t either. 

Mindy’s family was easy to find. Her parents didn’t have Instagram, but they had Facebook. Kelly sent them both friend requests. They might not know her, but with Mindy as a mutual contact, they might understand she was one of their daughter’s girlfriends. 

Kat and Selene’s mother also had a Facebook account and accepted the friend request within seconds. Kat and Selene were mutual friends, as was Katelyn. 

Katelyn’s parents were already friends with Kelly and Kat on social media. Her older brothers didn’t live at home, and there was a significant age gap between them. They were protective of her, though, and might be a problem if Lynn managed to track them down. 

Kelly added Deb on socials a few days ago, but she didn’t find George on anything but LinkedIn. She searched again, but found nothing, and ended up perusing some pictures Deb had posted of the weekend brunch. One of the comments caught Kelly’s attention. 

Lynn: You look so hot in this pic, Auntie Deb! You need to tell me where you bought that dress. 

By rights, she should block Lynn. But if she did that, she wouldn’t be able to see what Lynn was doing on her own. Not that her Insta gave many hints about her nefarious activities. It was all pictures of her in different outfits, presenting her ‘look’ for each day, with plenty of cleavage clickbait. Otherwise, her feed included pictures of her food, new apartment, and basic stuff. 

Following Lynn might give her better insight into her activities. She could set up notifications to learn of Lynn’s activities as soon as she posted. On the other hand, it would also give Lynn access to Kelly’s feed, which was otherwise marked as private. 

Against her better judgment, Kelly sent the friend request and was shocked to receive a notification a few seconds later that Lynn had accepted it. 

Half a minute later, Lynn sent Kelly a message. 

Lynn: Hey! I was going to ask Deb for your number, but this works better. 

Kelly: Why? 

Lynn: Because I wanted to talk to you. 

Kelly: About… 

Lynn: What are you doing tomorrow night? 

Preparing for the Ren Faire, packing for Fall Break vacation, and being on call in case Arthur wanted to fuck, but Kelly wasn’t about to say that. 

Kelly: Why? 

Lynn: I want to have you, Mindy, and the others over for dinner at my apartment. We can make it a girls’ night. No Arty. I wanted to apologize for accidentally outing Mindy the other day, and thought I might try to apologize to the rest of you so we can start over. 

Kelly didn’t know how to respond to that. The level of delusion necessary for Lynn to believe any of them would fall for that was ridiculous. She’d threatened to get Selene fired. She’d been a total bitch to all of them from day one. And what she’d done to Arthur was unforgivable. Kelly clenched her jaw just thinking about it. Kelly didn’t trust herself to see Lynn again. 

Kelly: Honestly, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll pass along your apology, and we can leave it at that. 

Lynn: You won’t even give me a chance to apologize to Mindy myself? She won’t accept my friend request, so I can’t message her. Can you tell her to accept it? 

Kelly: Will you admit it wasn’t an accident? 

Lynn: What wasn’t an accident? 

Kelly: Outing Mindy to her parents. You knew what you were doing. It wasn’t an accident. 

Lynn: Yes, it was. She and Rani were so open on Sunday, I just assumed they were out and proud with everyone. 

Kelly rolled her eyes. Lynn played dumb so often that Kelly started believing it was her natural state. That must have been the lie she’d told Deb, and as dumb as Lynn was, she wasn’t about to put anything in writing that Kelly could show Deb to disprove her. She didn’t need to be smart to be dangerous. 

Kelly: Tomorrow night? As in Friday? 

Lynn: Yeah. If you’re willing. 

Kelly didn’t respond. A different text came through to the harem chat, and she hopped over to it immediately. 

Master: Some updates. The conversation with Yvonne went less well than I’d hoped, but it was better than expected. She’s not going back to Theater Club, at least not this semester, but she’s not spreading rumors about me anymore either. We’ve agreed to keep our distance since she doesn’t want to be just friends. 

Okay. Kelly read the text several times before the next one came through. So Yvonne still wanted Arthur, but Arthur turned her down. What did that mean for the future? Did Kelly have to worry about Yvonne trying to steal Arthur away? Had she reconciled with Selene? Was Selene going to push for Yvonne to join the harem now? 

Master: I’m having dinner with my mother tonight. I’m planning on telling her about Lynn. I know it’s sudden, but I need to do it before I chicken out. 

That was unexpected, but welcome news. Kelly smiled to read it, but the smile faded as she realized the implications. They hadn’t prepared for Lynn’s retaliation if Deb suddenly evicted her from the house. If she had a signed lease, it would be even more difficult, if not impossible, to evict her. They hadn’t done any research into this. Kelly’s mind kicked into overdrive as she imagined various worst-case scenarios. Rani, meanwhile, responded before Kelly did. 

Queenie: That’s great! 

Wifey: What about fallout? Didn’t you say you were worried she’d lash out? 

Master: Yeah. I’m going to do what I can to minimize that. Hopefully, I can convince my mom to be smart about it. Evicting her won’t be easy, even if my mom believes me and takes my side. 

Whore: How could she not? She’ll believe you. 

Master: Maybe. I also wanted to let you know I ran with Rachel today, Mindy’s roommate. She’s very anti-poly, and anti-me, but she got me thinking about therapy, so I agreed to have a conversation with her for her to try and save me after she goes to some therapy sessions. 

Whore: WHAT?!?

Master: Also, I’m going back to therapy. I scheduled a session this afternoon. 

Wifey: Wow. Okay. That’s confidential, right? If you’re complaining about all your crazy girlfriends to some guy in a lab coat, he’s not going to write a tell-all book about us, is he? 

Master: It’s confidential. Also, my therapist is a she. 

Queenie: Of course, she is. Don’t fuck your therapist. 

Master: lol. 

Queenie: I’m not joking! Don’t do it! 

Master: That’s not even an option! I’m not going to do that! 

Queenie: Good. 

Pet: We can add that to the list of roleplay ideas, though.

Queenie: Hot. 

Whore: lol. 

Brat: [rolling-eyes-emoji]

Slut: [smirk-emoji]

Arthur reacted to Brat’s emoji with a ^this emoji, and Kelly shook her head as she smiled at their antics. As worried as she was for the future, the harem had a way of soothing her anxieties. It took her back to this morning, when the whole clean-up, breakfast, and get-ready operation ran smoothly with all of them working together. Living in the house wouldn’t always be a dream. They’d clash eventually, but this morning had been a wonderful preview into what living with her found family might be like. 

Slut: While we have everyone, Jen asked me for an interview again. She said it’d be anonymous, and she wouldn’t publish my name or anything, but obviously, people would know it was from one of us within the harem. What do you think? 

Slut: I know we said we wanted to keep things private, like it isn’t the whole campus’ business what we do, but with Yvonne, Sanjay, and Lynn out there it might be nice to get ahead of everything and control the story, answer the rumors, that kind of thing. 

She had a point, Kelly thought. People often believed whatever version of a story they heard first. Trusting others to work to discern the truth was a fool’s errand. Yvonne’s little rumors, even retracted, had caused Arthur to get some looks. They’d each been approached by classmates or friends whose curiosity got the better of them. Maybe it was better to address it all at once. 

Master: Does she want to interview just you, or all of us? 

Slut: This one would be just me. I’m sure she wouldn’t say no to interviewing all of us, though. And I don’t have to do it if you don’t want me to, Master. 

Master: I appreciate that. What does everyone else think? 

Wifey: Controlling the narrative could be a good thing. 

Queenie: But do we really control it, or does Jen? 

Brat: I’m against it. 

Pet: I don’t care either way, but whoever gives the interview needs to go in ready for battle. 

Whore: I’m out with my parents now, so I don’t think it’ll be that bad? Especially if we leave our names out of it, and it’s just the harem on campus. 

Master: They’d probably prefer the term polycule. 

Whore: Yeah, that one! 

Master: Can I think about it? I’m just about to go into my appointment. 

Slut: Sure, just let me know. She wanted an answer by Friday, and I think she’s hoping to get the interview done before fall break. 

That made sense, but the timing made Kelly suspicious. She knew Selene’s plan for Friday night involved Jen, so it was more likely that Jen was using what minuscule leverage she had to get what she wanted. Devious, but not necessarily malicious. She seemed accepting and sex-positive, so it was probably better for her than one of the other journalism majors who wrote for the school paper. 

Didn’t they just have a big conversation about Mindy and her lies? Now, Selene was lying? Maybe she was telling the truth. She was likely still trying to keep Friday night a surprise for Arthur. It was a sweet gesture, though Kelly’s annoyance at being left out buzzed in the back of her head. It should have been the harem doing it for Arthur, but with Mark and Brad there, not everyone wanted to participate. 

Kelly didn’t know if she could face Brad again if he saw her doing some of the things she’d done with the group. At least with the girls, there was a sense of being in it together, but Brad would be on the outside, and she’d have to face him again in the gym, and see him at the Faire the next day. No, it was best if Kelly didn’t participate in Friday night. 

Lynn: Hello? 

Kelly sighed. She flipped over to her conversation with Lynn. 

Lynn: I need an answer sooner rather than later to plan food. Tomorrow night, an apology dinner? You in or out? 

Kelly sighed. That would put her in the basement while Arthur had his guys’ night upstairs. In a way, it was a terrible idea. In another way… it might be a prime opportunity.

Kelly messaged Rani first. The idea was still forming in her head, and might not even be possible. If Deb kicked Lynn out of the house tonight, there’d be no apology dinner. If that didn’t happen, if Deb could play it cool long enough for them to take action, they might have an opportunity to beat Lynn at her own game. 

Kelly: Hey, if I had some files on an old laptop, could you recover them from the hard drive without the password? How long would that take? 

Rani: It depends on how old the hard drive is. It might not even be possible with some of the newer encryption methods, but I could probably do it in a few hours if it's an older machine. Did you forget the password or something?

Kelly: You remember when Arthur said Lynn had video and photographs of their time together? 

Rani: Yeah… do you have Lynn’s computer? 

Kelly: Lynn wants to invite Mindy and us to an apology dinner tomorrow night. 

Rani: Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting? 

Kelly: If we can get the evidence of what she did… 

Rani: Then Arthur could press charges. 

Kelly: And bye-bye, Lynn. 

Rani: What if it’s not on her computer? It was years ago, right? We’d have to get whatever phone or camera she used, any thumb drive copies, etc. 

Kelly: We’d just need one copy of the footage for proof. Not that I’d mind taking it away from her, but it’s not a big deal if she still has a copy. 

Rani: Okay… I can clone her hard drive, but it’d still be tough to access without the password. 

Kelly: Maybe she has her password written down or something? 

Rani: Maybe. Either way, I’d need time to access her machine, so we’d have to run a diversion or something. 

Kelly: Like a proper heist, lol. What if we invite her to the hot tub, assuming we can keep our cool during dinner and make it seem like we’re buying her bullshit? 

Rani: That’s a lot of acting, but… worth a shot? 

Kelly: I’ll let the others know. 

Kelly smiled as she messaged the girls-only chat, informing Mindy, Kat, Katelyn, and Selene about her and Rani’s plan. 

Slut: I’ll keep Arthur and the others occupied upstairs. 

Brat: Can’t we get in trouble for this, like, legally, isn’t it theft? 

Concubine: It’s a risk. Though your part in the heist is just keeping her distracted. I’d be the one running the risk.

Whore: I don’t want you to get arrested. 

Concubine: I’ve got some pretty good lawyers. Don’t worry. 

Mistress: I worry. But we’ll do everything we can to keep Lynn in the dark. 

Pet: Would it even be admissible as evidence if it was stolen in the first place? 

Concubine: Sure. It’s not like the cops stole it. We turn it over to them anonymously. Also, it’d be enough to get a subpoena to get the data off her drive in the first place. 

Mistress: That’s probably the best plan. 

Slut: And then poof, no Lynn on campus next semester either. 

Brat: Well, I’m not the one risking my freedom, so… 

Mistress: Who knows what else we’ll find evidence of if we can get into her files. 

Concubine: So we’re all good with the plan? 

Slut: Does Master know? 

Mistress: No. If we tell him, he’d tell us not to do it. 

Brat: He might have a point. 

Mistress: He does. But we can’t do nothing, can we? We have an opportunity to get her out of our lives and shut her up. 

Pet: You’re not anxious about this? You're anxious about everything. 

Mistress: I’m anxious, but it’s either this or I break every bone in her body. 

Slut: I’m also fine with that plan! 

Concubine: Let’s keep that as plan B. 

Pet: I don’t know what happened, officer. She just ran into her fist so many times. 

Whore: lol. 

Whore: In all seriousness… if we can do it… Let’s try. But let’s try not to do anything illegal. Is there any way to obtain the evidence legally? 

Concubine: Not really. Think of it like… bending the rules. We do this, and we give Arthur his power back over Lynn. She goes away for a long time, and we know we helped put a monster behind bars. 

Pet: You girls talk me into the weirdest things. 

Brat: Just wait until they start pulling you into bisexuality. 

Pet: lol. 

Mistress: Expanding one’s horizons isn’t a crime, Brat. 

Brat: [rolling-eye-emoji] 

Concubine: So we’re in? 

Mistress: I’m in. 

Slut: I’m in. 

Whore: I’m in, but I want us to be careful. 

Pet: I’ll help however I can. 

Brat: Fine. But if you get caught, you’re on your own. And if Arthur finds out I’m disavowing you, Mission Impossible style. 

Concubine: Love you too, Brat. 

Kelly smiled at her phone. The ramifications of failure aside, this felt like finally doing something. Finally, moving against Lynn in a way that could remove her from their lives once and for all. That bitch was going down. 

~~~

Arthur stepped out of his therapy session feeling amused, more than anything else. His history with Doctor O'Cinneide was several years long, and they’d picked up more or less where they left off, with Lori’s departure. Summer break had caused him to stop coming to sessions, and then life happened, and now he was picking things up again. 

Most of the session had been catching up about summer and establishing how he’d been since Lori’s departure. Summer had been a depressing time for him, but nowhere near as bad as others. He’d thrown himself into work, distracted himself, and kept busy. Then he told her about moving on and asking Kelly out, about her wanting to keep things casual, and about Selene’s friends-with-bondage-benefits proposal. 

“So you’re currently active with two casual relationships?” 

“Um…” Arthur hesitated. “Well, it started with two causal relationships. It’s uh… grown since then.” 

“Three?” The doctor asked, though Arthur couldn’t tell what she thought of it from her tone. “Or have they grown beyond casual to the point you now have to choose between them?” 

“No, well, yes, kinda.” Arthur said. 

The doctor raised her eyebrows, but let him continue. 

“I’m currently dating six women in a polyamorous arrangement. They’re all aware of each other, and we’re all in the relationship, which has progressed beyond casual for most of us.” 

The doctor stared at him, not even writing. Her open-mouthed expression stared at his earnest face in a clash that would have made any witness laugh. The soft chime announced the end of their hour, and Arthur gathered his things. 

“Wait–” The doctor had almost stopped him. “I mean, uh… you’re telling the truth? You’re dating six women? Together?” 

“Yes.” Arthur said, nodding. 

The doctor didn’t say anything for a while. Then she finally nodded. “Okay. Well uh… We’ll talk about that more next week. Maybe we should have led with that this week.” 

Arthur smiled. “Sorry for the cliffhanger.” 

“No, no, don’t worry about it. We’ll talk more next week. It was good to see you again, Arthur.” 

“Thanks. It was good to see you, too,” Arthur said, leaving her to prepare for her next meeting. 

Usually, he’d have work right now, but with his new schedule, he’d cleared the time between class and dinner for homework. He didn’t often do his homework on campus, so he hadn’t found his preferred spot yet. Outdoors presented itself as a good option. The weather had warmed considerably from the cooler morning. A warm autumn breeze tossed crisp leaves across his path as they swirled away like brown, red, and yellow butterflies. 

He hadn’t accomplished much in the therapy session, but talking with Doctor O’Cinneide reminded him of the tools she’d given him in other sessions. The anxieties of his workload and future lifted from his shoulders as he focused on one at a time. 

He stopped at the gazebo where he and Katelyn had lunch the other day. It was a picturesque structure between the pond and the field of leaves. Luck let him find it empty. He sat with his bag between his feet, looking out at the pond to his right, the field to his left, and the campus buildings looming ahead of him. 

It was a peaceful reading spot. The sea of leaves stirred more than the pond, though the ducks squawked their annoyance at his lack of treats for them when they waddled past. He sat and did his homework while the sun did its job to brighten his spirits. The chats were quiet, so he did his work undistracted by any traffic until a familiar voice made him lift his eyes. 

“Hey there, handsome.” Caleb’s voice sounded its cheerful way again. The flamboyant young man plopped on the bench across from Arthur and smiled. 

“Hey, Caleb.” Arthur said. “How’s Yvonne?” 

“Oh, she’s a mess.” Caleb said. “But you did the best you could. Now she’s just gotta cry it out. I’m going to buy us some junk food, and we’ll binge-watch some musicals.” 

“Sounds like a good time, honestly.” Arthur said, smiling. 

“She needs it.” Caleb said. “But how are you doing?” 

“I’m okay.” Arthur said. “Honestly, I’m relieved we talked it out, and while it sucks that she doesn’t want to be friends, I can’t force her. I understand. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.” 

Caleb nodded. “Yeah…” He crossed his legs and folded his hands on his knees. “I’m going to stay friends with her, obviously. I was pretty harsh on Monday. I felt so guilty, but it was crazy for her to come at you like that.” 

“Thanks.” Arthur said. “Hopefully she doesn’t hate me forever.” 

“Oh, she has the opposite problem.” Caleb said, shaking his head. “But you know that. She caught the Arthur-flu and isn’t as practiced at your rejection as I am.” 

“The Arthur-flu?” Arthur asked, laughing at the idea. 

“It’s a pandemic.” Caleb said, laughing. “And that stubble isn’t helping. It makes you look like some rugged man who’d be good with his hands.” Caleb fanned himself. 

“Sorry?” Arthur apologized, unsure of how to apologize for his lack of shaving that morning. 

“Oh, you can’t help it. Poor thing.” Caleb said, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’ve met a gay man or straight woman who knows you who wouldn’t be down to fuck if you threw some interest their way.” 

Arthur chuckled. “Well, that’s one hell of an ego boost. You’d better stop before my head explodes.” 

Caleb laughed. “Okay, maybe it’s an exaggeration, but not by much. Even Logan couldn’t stop talking about how hot you are to the point it got annoying.” 

“Oh.” Arthur said, confused. He’d met Logan, but the only time he recalled spending time with Caleb’s new boyfriend, if they were even in a committed relationship, was at homecoming. “I’m sorry.” 

Caleb waved his concern away. “Don’t be. It was only annoying because I told him you’re straight and he kept harping on it.” 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “You realize I’ve told you I’m straight and you keep flirting with me, right?” 

“Right, but I’m harmless, and it’s me. It’s our thing. And you can’t blame a guy for trying.” Caleb said. “You’re still straight, right?” 

“Still straight.” Arthur said, laughing. 

“Had to try.” Caleb shrugged. “I wanted to ask you… I know Brad mentioned you were going to the Ren Faire on Saturday. He invited me to tag along, which I want to do, but would you be cool if I brought Logan along? Everyone else seems to be bringing a plus one. Or in your case, a plus five?” 

“Six.” Arthur said. “But yeah, bring Logan along. The more the merrier.”  

“Fuck you.” Caleb laughed. “Six? Well, at least with you collecting all the women on campus, Yvonne will have plenty of fish in the sea when she’s ready. I pity the breeders if you’re their competition.” 

Arthur laughed. “Yeah. I hope she finds someone if she wants a relationship.” 

“Yeah.” Caleb agreed. “I’ll see you Saturday? Unless you’re coming to the Brewery on Friday?” His band was playing. 

“What time’s the show?” Arthur asked. 

“We start at eight.” Caleb said. “I think there’s another band before us, at six if you like hipster banjo music.” He made a gagging motion with his finger. 

Arthur laughed. “I’m supposed to hang out with Mark and Brad, but I’ll pitch them the idea. It might be nice to have a night out or get dinner out, though we can’t get too hammered if we’re doing the Ren Faire the next day. We don’t want to be too dehydrated.” 

“Eh.” Caleb said as he stood. “Don’t worry about it if you already had plans, but why wasn’t I invited? Is this a straights-only guys’ night?” 

“We knew you had a show.” Arthur said. “You always have a show, I’m honestly surprised you don’t have one on Saturday.” 

“Oh, we do.” Caleb said, shrugging. “Logan and I will have to leave early, but we still want to go for the day.”

“Cool.” Arthur said. “I’ll let you know if we decide to carpool, but if you’re leaving early, it might be more like a caravan, you’ll probably want to drive yourself.” 

“Oh, I let Logan drive. I’m a total passenger princess.” Caleb said. “I’ll see you Saturday, then. Enjoy your homework.” 

“Thanks. Enjoy your musicals!” Arthur said, calling after him as he walked away. Caleb waved in response, and Arthur went back to his homework. As relieved as he felt after his conversation with Yvonne, he was glad she had Caleb to lean on. After Selene’s report of Monday’s meeting, he was worried they might not reconcile, but Caleb and Yvonne were best friends, and she needed him. 

The rest of the homework continued as usual, though the park by the pond filled with traffic as time passed. Students were eager to enjoy the last warm weather before it vanished into winter. Luckily, he’d gotten to the gazebo first, and no one tried to take it from him. They kept to the open areas, or the benches, and left Arthur alone. 

~~~

Selene didn’t bother staying present for class. Her phone messages were more interesting. Selene’s imagination ran wild after the harem decided on a plan of action. She rather enjoyed the thought of taking Lynn down once and for all. Plus, it seemed everyone else had a lot happening. Kelly had messaged Lynn back and accepted the dinner. Everyone from the harem but Selene and Arthur were going. They’d keep Lynn busy, Rani would nab the evidence, and they’d be free of her forever. That was the best-case scenario, but Selene didn’t see why it shouldn’t go according to plan. Even Deb would be on their side after Arthur talked to her tonight. She hoped that it went well. 

With her distractions, it was several moments after class ended before she realized that everyone around her was leaving. She also packed her things and rushed to exit, but stopped when the professor addressed her. 

“Miss Weber, a moment please?” Professor Sweeney’s polite southern drawl was soft and high as ever. 

Selene paused in her packing. It was never good when a professor asked to see her after class. She frowned, but nodded, and approached the lectern after the other students left. Some of them gave her the side-eye as they passed, as if knowing why she was in trouble. 

Professor Sweeney, a petite woman in her mid to late forties, waited for Selene. 

“You wanted to see me, Professor Sweeney?” Selene asked. Caution filled her voice, but she braced herself for the coming condemnation. 

“I wanted to talk to you about two things, Selene. Do you mind if I call you Selene?” She asked. 

“It’s my name.” Selene answered. “No, I don’t mind.” 

“The first reason is… well… I see that your grades have really struggled this semester. You seem distant and unfocused in class, but I think some of that may be due to the second reason…” The professor fished something out of her purse and handed Selene a small brochure. 

Selene turned it over, her puzzled expression giving way to realization as she read the front of the pamphlet. “You are not alone.” Selene read. “SASA? What’s SASA?” 

“Sexual Assault Survivors Anonymous.” Professor Sweeney said. “It’s a RAINN-sponsored support group here on campus for… well, the name explains it, I think.” 

Selene’s confusion turned to revelation. Yvonne. Somehow, something Yvonne said to someone had made its way to Professor Sweeney. 

“But I’m–” 

“It’s okay.” Professor Sweeney said. “You don’t have to explain or talk about it if you don’t want to. I just wanted you to know that the support group exists if you want it. Some of its online. They have a Discord, chat, and sometimes meet on campus or host events to distribute kits, whistles, self-defense devices, or even teach self-defense courses.” 

Selene made to return the brochure, but Professor Sweeney refused it. 

“Just know that it’s okay.” She said. “I have some extra credit work for you, if you want it. It might help your grades, given everything you have going on.” 

Selene stared at her for a second. “Miss Sweeney, I wasn’t assaulted.” 

Miss Sweeney raised an eyebrow. “Your boyfriend didn’t–” 

“No.” Selene said. “I know there’s a rumor that he did, but he didn’t. Not even a little bit. The girl who started that rumor did it to get him in trouble, but she was wrong. She saw us together and jumped to the wrong conclusions.” That wasn’t technically true, but it gave Yvonne the benefit of a doubt. 

“Oh.” Miss Sweeney looked embarrassed, shaking her head at her mistake. “I’m so sorry. When I heard it, it just made sense. It explained so much. I’m so sorry I jumped to conclusions.” 

Selene smiled. “It’s okay. I’m just a bad student.” She shrugged. “Honestly, I’m probably in the wrong major. I’d drop out if my mother wouldn’t freak out.” 

“Oh, don’t do that.” Professor Sweeney shook her head. “If you know you’re a bad student, you can take steps to adjust to the material. Have you tried the tutoring center?” 

Selene made a face. 

“I can’t put the work in for you, but I don’t want to see you flunk out either. You’re a sweet young woman who needs to plan for your future appropriately.” Miss Sweeney said. “If you don’t like education, other majors exist. Perhaps theater? I’ve seen you perform, and you’re quite talented. I’m sure you could get into the theater program.” 

Selene shrugged and shook her head. “My mother would disown me, which would make affording it kinda tough.” 

Miss Sweeney frowned, but nodded. As unfair as it was, financing ruled many young people’s decisions, and she never advised anyone to take out student loans to cover the cost. She reached for the brochure to take it back, but Selene pulled it away. 

“Actually… I’m not a survivor, but I know someone who is. Would it be okay if I passed this on to them?” Selene asked. 

Professor Sweeney smiled sweetly. “Sure. Let her know to get in touch if she needs more information.” 

“Oh uh…” Selene hesitated as she put the brochure in her backpack. “It’s actually a guy.” 

“Oh.” Professor Sweeney’s smile fell. “Then I’m afraid that won’t be much use to them. Sasa is a women’s only society, to keep it a safe place for survivors.” 

“But…” Selene hesitated. “He’s a survivor. Is there a club like that, but for men?” 

Professor Sweeney shook her head no. “Not that I know of.” 

“That doesn’t seem fair.” Selene said. “Isn’t there anything?” 

“I’m not sure.” Professor Sweeney said. “And while I know it’s not fair, the truth is there’s simply more female survivors than male, nearly six times more, statistically.” 

Selene frowned. She didn’t like it, but there didn’t seem to be any point in arguing with Miss Sweeney. It wasn’t like she decided who needed support and who didn’t. 

“But if you wanted to start one, and could devise a marketable plan to educate others about sexual assault against men, I’d be willing to mark it as extra credit for this course. Some of your other professors might even be willing, if you can find ways to fit it into their curriculum.” Miss Sweeney said. 

Was that a thing? Selene wondered. It’d be a lot of work, but if it benefited Master, she’d do the work gladly. Would he want something like that? He hated discussing what happened with Lynn. She’d known him for years, and he’d only told her because of their relationship now. It was a deep, dark secret. She wondered if assaults against men were reported less. She’d have to look into the facts. 

“I’ll think about it.” Selene said, smiling slightly. “Thanks. And I’m sorry for the miscommunication.” 

“Don’t worry.” Miss Sweeney said as she packed up her bag. “Maybe some good will come of it.” 

Selene nodded and made her exit, deep in thought.