Annabelle lowered the tailgate of her truck. A modest sized red truck with a small cab that was as low to the ground as typical car, nothing showy as Annabelle put it.

“All right hop up and dish it out,” Annabelle sighed. Patty, Sarah, and Tara all jumped onto the tailgate with Annabelle. The truck noticeably shifted and the four were squeezed together but it held firm.

“Of course A.J.” Patty said as she opened the blue duffle bag she had been wearing. Inside was several baggies of…

“The good good,” Sarah grinned as Annabelle opened one of the bags and began rolling up some into cigarette paper. All of the girls were dressed for class, which meant t-shirts and jeans. Annabelle’s shirt was a plain white one, Patty and Sarah wore band t-shirts, and Tara’s was merchandise from a book series about witches. Annabelle passed the joints to Sarah and Patty who both lit them up with lighters in their pocket. Tara notably did not partake, but since Patty was her roommate she usually ended up hanging out with the others.

“This batch is on me girls,” Patty zipped her duffle bag back up.

“That better not get you in trouble with anyone,” Annabelle let out a puff of smoke.

“Pfft, I’ll get them a gift in Colorado,” Patty waved her hand.

“Speaking of,” Tara interjected. “Give us some deets Sarah, you said this place was decked out right?”

“Yeah it’s pretty legit,” Sarah coughed as some smoke went down the wrong pipe. “6 bedrooms, a huge hot tub, game room with a pool table and a tv with all the game systems on it. It’s tight.”

“6 bedrooms? I guess you and the mistress are sharing a bed. How saucy.”

“Well just don’t bother me with all that stuff you guys get into,” Annabelle punctuated her thought by inhaling the joint.

“Oh come on A.J. Free love,” Patty chimed in.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with it. I just don’t want my relaxing to be interrupted by you hanging from the ceiling or something.”

“We don’t really do a lot of suspension actually,” Sarah exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah I getcha. And we always try to be discreet, but there was something Rae wanted me to bring up to you guys.” Sarah smirked, she didn’t even have to set up the conversation for this it flowed naturally.

“Does it got something to do with all that time you two have been spending with Fara?” Tara leaned in her interest piqued.

“Well yeah actually,” Sarah huffed a little annoyed that Tara was speeding things on. “We’ve gotten Fara to open up a little, and she has certain interests that we want her to be more comfortable with.”

“Interests?” Annabelle asked.

“Well we think she may be what’s called a little. Basically she wants to be treated like a baby.” A lie of course. Fara had no interest in such a thing, for the moment, but their friends needed to not freak out when Fara eventually dressed little around them, this was the easiest way to do that without arousing too much suspicion. Besides she would eventually embrace the title so it wasn’t a total lie.

“Right on,” Patty clapped her hands. “Glad our little Fara is discovering herself.”

“So what does this mean for us,” Annabelle crossed her arms. “Is she gonna be prancing around in diapers while we’re there.”

“Well maybe not prancing,” Sarah shrugged.

“Come on A.J. you really gonna harsh our sister’s mellow?” Patty put out the tiny bit of her joint left.

“Hey don’t try stereotype me as an ignorant redneck,” Annabelle fired back defensively.

“A.J.’s got a point,” Tara wagged her finger. “None of us consented to being a part of this, so it would be a bit rude to have her prancing around unless we were ok with it.”

“That’s what I’m trying to ask,” Sarah hid her grimace. Tara was getting ahead of her. “I’m basically asking you guys if it’s ok. If it bothers A.J.,” then she would be persuaded later to agree. “Then we won’t do it.”

“Geez put me on the spot like that,” Annabelle inhaled for the last time and put her joint out. “Like I said I don’t really care what you do, I just don’t want to see it. But you and Rachel know more about this stuff than I do. If you think it’ll help Fara open up then I guess I can live with it. Just to expect me to get too involved.”

“Thanks A.J.,” Sarah smiled. “Don’t worry you won’t be too heavily involved.”

“You got the ok from me too,” Patty gave a thumbs up.

“Same here,” Tara added. “I’m a little interested in seeing it in action actually.”

“That makes one of us,” Annabelle sighed. “Have you guys run this by Riley yet?”

“Yeah, does she even know?”

“I don’t think so,” Sarah put out her joint. “Riley is going to be a little difficult. She won’t be too happy to learn her friend from high school has been keeping a secret from her.”

“Less so when it’s her own bully breaking the news.”

“Yeah thanks for reminding me Tara,” Sarah growled.

“Good luck with that,” Annabelle giggled.

“Yeah Riley is about as stubborn as A.J. is,” Patty giggled.

“It’s true especially when it comes to Fara.”

“I guess I’ll leave that one to Rachel then,” Sarah giggled embarrassed. In truth the Riley problem was one she or Rachel didn’t have an answer for at the moment. On the bright side one thing Sarah did know was that nobody here wanted to break the news to Riley that Fara might be hiding something from her, which meant she didn’t need to give Riley the same lie she just gave them. She could come up with something specific without the worry that anyone here would give the whole thing away.

“Right you got any more Pat?” Annabelle hit the tailgate.

“Not for free I don’t,” Patty smirked.

“Figures,” Annabelle dug out her wallet from her back pocket.

Riley emerged from Fara’s bathroom, tying a bath robe on as she had just gotten out of the shower. Fara’s apartment was a small studio, really not much bigger than the dorms that were on campus, and not that far away from campus either. The only separate room was the bathroom which was next to the entrance. The room was dominated by Fara’s bed. A bunk bed, though the top was used for storage only. The bed doubled as a couch and a place to eat. A small tv, mini fridge, and microwave was on the wall opposite the bed.

Fara was resting on the bed in an outfit ready for her next class. A white t-shirt, a blue pull over, and a knee length blue pleated skirt, knee socks and black shoes completed the look.

“Thanks for letting me use your shower,” Riley wrapped a towel around her head.

“Of course,” Fara smiled. “No reason you should walk all the way home after practice when I’m so much closer.”

“I wanted to ask while I’m here,” Riley sat down next to Fara on her bed.

“What is it?”

“Why have you been spending so much time with Sarah?”

“I thought I told you already. I needed some other friends.”

“Well yeah that I understand, but Sarah?”

“Rachel too you know.”

“I don’t think she’s enough to overlook Sarah.”

“Well she’s been helping me come out of my shell a little,” Fara started to mumble. “You know she gave me some of her old dresses that are super cute.”

“Really? You’re getting into that again?” Riley sighed in frustration. “I thought you were over all of that after all the teasing you got from Sarah.”

“You say that like I should’ve just given up on it.”

“Well I mean, no .. but yes … but,” Riley groaned in frustration. “I mean I guess you can do it if you want to, but in front of other people. In front of Sarah.”

“I’m not worried about Sarah,” Fara responded quickly.

“Really? You probably should be. She finds one picture of you at a convention and rides that shit for two whole years of bullying, no telling the ammo she’s gonna get if you’re posing for her.”

“Things are different,” Fara was struggling to explain.

“It’s romantic to think that people can change, but I don’t know if I do in Sarah’s case.”

“Well she doesn’t have to change because I’ve got … insurance.”

“I’m sorry what?” Riley leaned forward intrigued.

“I’m not supposed to show anyone,” Fara mumbled quietly. “She said it was to make sure she stayed honest.”

“Well it better be pretty damn good.”

“It definitely is,” Fara thought about the lewd video on her phone.

“Well now I want to see it.”

“No you can’t,” Fara covered her phone. “I’m only supposed to show it if she makes fun of me again.”

“Well at least tell me what it is.”

“It’s something that Sarah and Rachel came up with,” Fara explained meekly. “Something they both thought would be suitably embarrassing.”

“Oh it’s got something to do with their thing they got going on doesn’t it?” Riley relaxed a little. “Not sure I want to see it then. I’m surprised you could watch it.”

“Don’t be so judgmental,” Fara scolded.

“Not what I meant,” Riley was defensive. “I just meant I didn’t think you would be interested in watching them do those kind of things.”

“Oh,” Fara blushed.

“Obviously I was wrong,” Riley huffed and crossed her arms.

“Well at first I didn’t really want to,” Fara continued to blush. “But hearing Sarah talk about it, about how freeing and liberating it is. It sounds like she gets a lot out of it, and it’s interesting to see the dynamic in person.”

“I don’t know if ‘free’ and ‘liberating’ are the words I would have chosen.”

“That’s wat’s so interesting. It’s like contradictory and everything, but it makes sense when you think about it. You don’t have to think, or worry about anything other than what you’re told to do. It probably is freeing to have all that stress taken away.”

“I guess so,” Riley eyed Fara with concern. “Just don’t end up as part of lady Wollington’s harem.”

“Oh no,” Fara blushed a bright shade of red. “I don’t think it’s for me, at least not with Rachel and Sarah.”

“I don’t have to tell you why that’s a bad idea do I?” Riley said getting up to put clothes on.

“No,” Fara groaned defeated.

“Well, just watch yourself around those two ok, I don’t trust either of them.”

“Ahh Miss Wollington,” Came the plain voice of Emma Stain from the other end of Rachel’s cell phone. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard from you, much less throwing your name around like you have been to get to me.”

“Yes well my request is of the utmost importance,” Rachel said pleasantly. “So I thought it best to play my hand strong from the start.”

“Trying to leverage the Wollingtech contract I see, whatever it is must be important,” Emma was a little frustrated. “Don’t know why you need help from a professor such as myself.”

“Well it’s important, but also a little personal to you.”

“How so?”

“I need some supplies from little land. I know you have your way of getting them.” Emma huffed audibly.

“Listen if you’re trying to harass me about this.”

“Oh no no not at all. I just need access to their catalog of equipment, and I don’t really have the time to go through the proper channels.” Emma sighed and calmed down a little bit.

“You know you were right. This is extremely personal,” Emma said still annoyed. “I don’t know why you are throwing your name around for this. Or why you even want it at all.”

“Just for some personal exploration for myself and my girlfriend,” Rachel laughed innocently. “I could always have this stuff made myself of course, but that’s a good deal more expensive, and I would like to have it all in time for a little trip we are taking.”

“It’s good that you’re wanting to explore, but some of this stuff isn’t for playing around.”

“I wouldn’t have called you if I hadn’t done my research. Rest assured we will be as safe as possible.”

“I guess you’re right. You must know what you’re talking about to even be asking me about it. I can see that an order form gets mailed to you,” Emma sighed. “In future try not to throw your name around over something like this.”

“Of course and thank you for your help.” Emma hung up the phone. Rachel donned a smirk usually reserved for Sarah. Little land order forms were hard to come by. Their products are high quality, and sought after by those in the know like Rachel. Additionally they are sent out to former patients before anyone in the general public so that patients can continue at home treatments which makes the limited number sent out even more of a commodity. Of course Rachel could order the products made as she said to Emma, or find some other solution. Now that she had the line to little land though, things would be a lot easier.