Devil on My Shoulder

Mom was giddy on the ride back home. She was as happy as I'd seen her in months.

"Things'll be different now, Julia," she said. "We're actually really lucky. Not many people have rich relatives who can help them out like this."

I listened to her in glum silence as the rain pattered over the windscreen and the wipers squeaked over the glass. Aunt Martha had never actually agreed to help, only that they'd 'discuss it.' That smirk on her face sent a shiver down my spine. Whatever her 'proposal' was, would surely not be as simple as just gifting us the money.

Mom continued, oblivious to my discomfort. "This is just what we needed. I'm so proud of you. I know it wasn't easy for you to deal with Shannon."

The devil on my shoulder snickered into my ear.

She doesn't know the half of it, does she, freak?

I blushed, picturing myself on my hands and knees, kissing Shannon's Mary Jane pumps, declaring her as my queen. It was like an out-of-body experience like I was watching someone else.

Except it didn't, freak. It happened to you.

Mom continued, happily. "I don't think Shannon's ever invited you anywhere before. This is huge. Maybe this'll be the start of a real friendship? If she's finally taken a liking to you, this will open up so many possibilities for you. She's really popular. She might even invite you to parties. Wouldn't that be cool?"

I cringed. "Mom, Shannon doesn't want me as a friend."

"Nonsense, she's taking you shopping! I'll have to find some money for you. You can't not buy anything. That would look bad. I think I can find you twenty dollars. Just don't let on that's all you have. Oh gosh, this is so exciting."

I'd not seen her this animated for a long time. It was like her hope was renewed. I felt awful. If she knew the only reason Shannon had asked me to go with her was to prank and humiliate me, it would crush her.

Mom patted my knee and smiled. "Be extra nice to her. If she sees you as a friend then she'll definitely put in a good word to her mother. Shannon won't want to see you evicted."

I blinked at her. "Evicted? What the hell, mom?"

"Shhhh, it won't come to that. Martha will help us. For all our issues, she's still my sister. We're family. The only family we have left."

It was a sore topic that Martha didn't want anything to do with Grandma when she got sick. The burden of care rested solely on Mom. I tried to help as best I could, but I was just a kid. There was only so much I could do. Martha wanted to throw Grandma into a home and forget about her. Mom fought for Grandma to stay in her own house, even taking a hiatus from work to be her full-time carer.

Martha refused to help after that. It was like she was punishing Mom for not agreeing with her. It was how we'd ended up in this financial mess to begin with.

I didn't know how Mom could stand to be around Martha after all that went down. I guessed she felt like she didn't have a choice but to swallow her pride. But did she really have to fawn over Martha, stroking her ego at every opportunity?

All of this was fuel to my desire to escape all this. I would publish a novel. Not just any novel. The great American novel. It would make us rich and we'd never have to degrade ourselves for scraps from Martha anymore.

That'll never happen. Nobody wants to read anything written by a freak with a fetish for her own cousin's feet.

My pussy squirmed with the fear and excitement of what Shannon had in store for me next.

*

The next day, Mom's Buick sputtered back along Martha's winding driveway, coughing exhaust and stalling.

"Oh god," said Mom, huddled over her steering wheel, red with embarrassment. "Please not now. Please god, not now."

Mom insisted we wear dresses again. I don't know why, but she seemed to think our clothes had played a role in Martha asking her to lunch and Shannon inviting me shopping.

It was ridiculous. Martha and Shannon were two of the most superficial people you would ever meet. We could never afford the type of clothes they would've approved of. They would look down on us no matter what we wore, so in my view, we may as well be comfortable.

Not that I said as much to Mom. She was way too stressed, anxiously emptying her wardrobe in the hopes of finding something, anything, Martha might approve of. I didn't even complain about the hideous floral print sundress she stuck me in. It was the antithesis of my grunge style. Honestly, it was the antithesis of style generally. But I wore it without complaint. The last thing I wanted was to make this more difficult than it already was for her.

Mercifully, we made it without breaking down, although the ruckus had alerted Martha and Shannon to our arrival. They were waiting outside the main entrance to the mansion under the shade of the classical front portico.

We parked a respectful distance from Shannon's brand new metallic Bentley and Martha's luxury black Mercedes-S class as if they might be offended if our 1983 Buick Estate Wagon shared their space.

We exited the car and Martha and Shannon descended the front steps of their mansion to meet us.

Martha looked as stylish and powerful as always in a pinstripe blazer and cloak jacket over a black turtleneck. She wore suit pants with a large gold Cartier square buckle belt, sockless high heels, a wide-brim black hat, aviators, silk gloves, and pearls. A Cartier purse was slung over her shoulder via a gold chain.

Shannon had opted for a chic pastel pink tweed jacket over a white blouse and matching mini skirt. But my eyes were immediately drawn to the white leather, statement block heels she wore on her feet. The same ones she'd caught me sniffing. I knew this was no accident.

My stomach twisted in horror and excitement. It didn't matter how many times I'd masturbated last night, my pussy still throbbed at the memory. I blushed and squeezed my thighs together, aware of a small wet splotch growing in my underwear.

Martha strode confidently toward us with her thumbs slotted into her Cartier cinch belt. "Having car problems?"

"No, no," answered Mom, a little too quickly. "It's nothing to worry about. Everything's fine. I've been meaning to get it checked, it's just, you know, I haven't had time. But anyway, you look amazing, Martha. I love your outfit. It looks so good on you."

Martha smirked. "That's sweet. And you," she began as if about to compliment my mom before stopping to take a closer look at her dress. She sighed and frowned.

Mom flushed and looked apologetically down at her sandals.

"Honestly, Susan," said Martha. "I told you to wear something sophisticated. Is this really the best you could manage?"

"I'm sorry, Martha," she replied, meekly. "I just...don't have many nice clothes."

Shannon giggled. "She looks like a Missouri housewife attending Sunday service."

Martha had a good chuckle at her daughter's joke.

Mom responded with the dead smile she saved for interactions with her sister.

Martha smirked once more and turned her judgemental gaze onto me. I folded my arms in the hopes of hiding myself.

"My my, Julia," she said, "what a pretty dress. I'm sure you'll be quite the talk of the fashion mall."

Her sarcasm was poorly disguised, especially with Shannon snickering alongside her.

"Thank you, Aunt Martha," I said, not knowing what else to do.

Martha opened her Cartier purse and removed the key fob to her Mercedes. "I suppose you'd better ride with me," she said to Mom. "No offense, but I doubt that 'vehicle' of yours can make it far on the freeway."

"Yes, Martha," said Mom, "that will probably be best. I'm sorry."

Martha leaned down to give Shannon a kiss on her cheek. "Okay. You girls be good."

"We will," said Shannon with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Have a great lunch."

Martha beckoned Mom with her finger and Mom followed her to her Mercedes like a summoned dog.

Shannon gave them a big wave as they drove away. She waited until Martha's car had disappeared from our vision before turning to me with a sneer.

"Okay, peasant," she said, pointing down at her shoe. "You can greet your queen properly now."

A part of me had hoped Shannon had somehow forgotten about the whole thing, but a much larger part of me was glad she hadn't.

Your queen deserves respect.

I looked around timidly in case someone was watching. When I felt confident we were alone I did as she said, crouching down on my knees before her, and edging my face to the leather toe of her expensive shoe. They were so clean and white. I felt ashamed as my lips sullied them.

Shannon smirked down at me. "So, how much have you got on you, peasant?"

"Not a lot (kiss) Your Majesty (kiss)"

"Give it to me."

I nodded my head, rubbing my nose over the intoxicating leather. I sat back up and opened the sunflower purse around my shoulder producing the twenty dollar bill as tribute.

Shannon stared her nose down at it. "What's that?"

"It's all I've got, Your Majesty."

"Twenty dollars? Are you kidding me right now?"

I blushed. "No, Your Majesty. I'm sorry. It's all we could afford." I wasn't sure why I was apologizing. It just somehow made sense.

She sighed and snatched it from my grasp. "God, you're pathetic. What am I supposed to do with this?"

I hadn't realized Shannon had expected money from me. I'd intended to keep the twenty dollars rather than have her make fun of me for it. I had no idea she would take it from me.

"So gross," she said, clicking open her Chanel purse, and pulling out a stack of hundreds.

I'd never seen so much money in one place. She'd gotten all of it for her birthday just because she was already rich and popular. It wasn't fair.

All because she's better than you.

"I guess it can go toward gas or something," she said, adding it to the back of her wad and then placing it all back in her purse. "It's actually pretty funny. Your mom gave me a hundred dollars to spend and she only gave you twenty. I think that means she loves me more than you. Around five times more."

I knew Mom had gone without food to find the money for Shannon's birthday. It was a huge sacrifice. Even the twenty dollars hurt her weekly budget. Not that Shannon could ever understand. She had taken it all as her right.

As she should.

She chuckled at her own joke and continued. "We'll call it your peasant tax. I think it's only right since I have to suffer your ugly face. Plus, I'm allowing you to ride in my car, so really it's the least you can do."

I nodded sadly.

Thank her then, freak.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Shannon burst into laughter. "You're sooo welcome, peasant." She grinned and pointed her finger down at my nose. "Now, this is how this'll work. You'll obey everything me and my friends tell you to do. You don't need to acknowledge me as your queen. But you will show me and my friends respect."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"If you piss me off, I'll tell my mom about your gross fetish. There's no way she'll lend your dumb ass mom money after that."

My heart sank to realize Martha must have shared with Shannon how my mom had asked for a loan. I pictured their discussion: Martha with an expensive chardonnay, tittering as Shannon wondered how anyone could have made such a mess of their life. Martha would shrug. Her sister was always destined for failure.

Just like you.

*

Shannon's friends likewise all lived in the exclusive suburb of Paradise Hills.

I sat awkwardly in the middle of the backseats as Shannon drove to each of their mansions to pick them up.

The cream leather seats were plush and more comfortable than our couch at home. There was plenty of legroom and the burr walnut veneer was sporty and sophisticated. Music from the built-in CD player pumped through the stereo surround sound. Shannon apparently enjoyed Euro dance. I hated it, but it wasn't my place to question her taste.

Kelly was first. Shannon honked her horn and her blond bestie bounded out of her parent's mansion wearing a two-piece tweed jacket, mini-skirt, and Burberry ankle boots with a matching beret.

She took the front passenger seat and exchanged kisses with Shannon making theatrical 'mwah mwah' noises which sent the two friends into giggles.

"Oh my gosh, Kelly. I love your purse!"

Kelly smiled and hugged the small Burberry bag over her shoulder. "It was a gift from Daddy's latest business trip to Cannes."

"It looks so hot. I love how it matches your boots."

They spent a couple of minutes complimenting each other's outfits, boasting over their designer labels while I just smiled along nervously.

I remembered Kelly from the party. She had laughed harder than anyone when Shannon fired the pellet gun at my face.

Eventually, Kelly's piercing blue eyes focused on me. A smirk crept over her pretty face. "Wow," she said to Shannon, "you weren't kidding."

"Um, hi," I said, raising my hand in greeting. "I'm Julia."

"Ew," said Kelly, "what's she wearing."

Shannon turned to me and smiled. "I know. I think her mom buys all her clothes at thrift stores."

Kelly continued. "And what's that bag? Did she knit it herself in home ec?"

I blushed. I knew the bag was stupid, but I didn't own anything else other than a school backpack. I guessed they would have found me lugging that around even more embarrassing.

Kelly turned back to Shannon. "She's really going to hang out with us? I don't even her sitting in the same car as us. What if someone from school sees us with her?"

"Don't worry about it," said Shannon. "If anyone asks we'll just say she's my maid."

Kelly's eyes brightened. "That's right. She can carry all our bags, can't she?"

Shannon smirked at me. "You'll refer to us as Miss. Miss Shannon, Miss Kelly. Got that?"

I nodded sadly. It was slightly less degrading than 'Your Majesty.'

But not as fun for you

.

My pussy tingled and I slyly squirmed my crotch around the seat.

"Yeah," said Kelly, enjoying herself, "you're working hard because you're a slut who got herself pregnant. Shannon's mom took pity on you and gave you a job because you're such a sadsack."

Shannon laughed. "She got raped behind some trashcans by her mom's drug dealer."

Kelly giggled, bouncing excitedly in her seat. "I love it. Her mom is addicted to crack and she makes her go pick it up for her. Her mom can't go herself because she works the streets sucking cock for a dollar."

"It's two dollars to swallow."

They both erupted into laughter.

I nodded along, blushing, with the same dead smile on my face I'd seen Mom use so many times with Aunt Martha. There was no point in trying to defend myself. Shannon could easily destroy me by telling Kelly how she'd caught me sniffing her shoes. As degrading as this was, the alternative was far worse.

They continued to make fun of me as Shannon drove from Kelly's to pick up Stephanie and Leah.

Stephanie had stunning black hair that shimmered in gloss. She wore a square neck, slim fit, black and white patterned mini-dress with long sleeves and a gold button front, and apricot ankle boots.

Leah was the curviest of all Shannon's friends. The blond wore a baby pink V-neck crop sweater that showed her bare shoulders which she'd tucked into a high-waist, black, mini-flare skirt with knee-high socks and ankle booties.

Like Shannon and Kelly, these girls carried themselves with the same entitlement and confidence their good looks and money afforded them.

As they took their seats in the back, on either side of me, I could smell the strong sandalwood and amber of their expensive perfume. Neither were happy to see me, nor suffer the indignity of sitting next to me.

"Gross," said Stephanie, curling her lip, "don't even try and talk to me."

"And you'd better not touch me," warned Leah.

I nodded sadly and shrank into myself to take up less room.

Shannon revved her V-8 engine and zoomed away, pushing the Bentley to its limits. Outside of Paradise Hills, she picked up even greater speeds, weaving in and out of traffic and smashing her horn at every opportunity as if she couldn't believe drivers in cheaper cars would dare get in her way.

"Why's she here again?" asked Stephanie.

Shannon giggled, eyeing me through the rearview mirror. "Because we're going to have some fun with her."

Kelly turned, smirking. "She's going to be our maid and carry all our bags. Isn't that, right, maid?"

I nodded, staring down at my lap.

Kelly cupped her ear. "What was that? I didn't quite catch that."

"Yes, Miss Kelly," I said meekly.

Stephanie and Leah were shocked for a moment before bursting into laughter, quickly joined by Kelly and Shannon.

"What the fuck?" said Stephanie disdainfully, to my face, "why would you agree to this?"

I glanced up to see Shannon still smirking at me through the rearview mirror.

Your queen expects you to embarrass yourself. Don't disappoint her.

I gave a slow shrug. "You're all richer and prettier than me. I'd do anything to be allowed to hang out with you all."

I regretted saying that as soon as it left my mouth.

Stephanie opened her diamond-quilted Chanel purse and pulled out a pack of Marlboro, slipping one between her glossy lips. "Can we smoke in your new car, Shanna?"

"Sure," said Shannon, "just don't drop any ash."

"I won't," said Stephanie with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She held out the pack for Leah and then offered them to Shannon and Kelly who refused. "I'm going to need an ashtray, though." She leered at me. "I know, how about we make this one of the maid's duties?"

I paled and glanced nervously back to Shannon.

Shannon giggled happily. "That's so evil. I love it. Hey, maid, get down on the floor so my friend can use your mouth."

They all snickered at me, eyeing me greedily.

This was getting out of hand. "You...you can't be serious?" I said.

"Why not?" said Shannon, "you did say you'd do anything to be allowed to hang out with us, didn't you?"

It wasn't exactly what I'd had in mind.

Kelly turned back to me. "You have to prove you can follow instructions if you want to hang out with us. If you can't even do this one little thing then what use are you?"

Stephanie lit her cigarette with a sleek black lighter and then passed it to Leah who lit her own. Stephanie took a long drag and then blew her smoke directly into my face.

I winced and coughed, bringing another smirk from Stephanie. I'd only tried a cigarette once before. I was in the restroom at school when I caught some of the girls smoking. They accused me of being a tattle so to prove I wasn't, I took a drag, pretending I smoked all the time, believing it might make them think I was cool and then maybe they'd be my friends. My fantasy was destroyed when I coughed my guts up and they all had a good laugh at my expense. So much for being cool.

Oh yeah. That was pretty funny. They all mimicked coughing sounds whenever you passed them in the hallway. You're such a loser. It's no wonder you have no friends and everybody hates you.

"I'm waiting," said Stephanie, taking another drag.

"Seriously, maid," said Shannon firmly. "I'm holding you responsible if my friends drop their ash on my floor."Her eyes narrowed at me through the rear-view mirror. "Or maybe I should just share your secret with them now?"

A shiver went through my spine. I gulped and nodded.

Shannon smirked.

"What?" said Kelly excitedly, "what secret?"

"Maid?" said Shannon, relishing my fear.

"It's nothing," I answered, sliding off the middle seat and squatting on the floor, although not fast enough for Stephanie who flicked her lighter and pressed the flame against my earlobe. I yelped and cringed away, looking back at her with wide, scared eyes.

"Hurry up," she whined.

Leah got in on the fun, bopping her knuckles against the side of my head.