The first day of Lectures had numbed Jackie. She was bored out of her mind, other students got off and on the bus as she stared off into the middle distance. She was disheartened to hear her Tennis wouldn't start for another Semester. She'd have to run to stay fit and finding the motivation for that was always difficult. Maybe she'd have to come up with some rules for herself.
She liked rules...
An open binder with an empty page marked Jackie's progress on a list of rules. It lay next to her mouse at her computer desk as she sat scrolling through the web. She'd sunk hours into browsing anything and everything on life hacks to motivational plans to make sure she was going to be at the top of her game when tennis coaching started. She unfortunately hadn't found anything that resonated. Everything just seemed to assume you could get up early, push yourself and succeed without any problems.
Her tired eyes were still glued to the screen at 1 am, her dark brown, shoulder length hair starting to grease sightly from her long day. She reasoned she wouldn't shower as it was late enough. She pulled herself away from the screen and set an alarm for 05:30. She was going for a run. She had to start somewhere...
On the 3rd day of term, as She pushed herself on the final stretch home, Jackie felt good. She was motivating herself. She was admittedly not jumping out of bed straight after her alarm, but she was coping. She did however, have a sinking feeling that this was going to be a very long Semester. She was going to have to stick at it somehow.
Jackie elected to use the elevator, made it to her floor, walked to her room at the end of the corridor and turned her key... "Hey!"
Jackie jumped out of her skin and turned to see a girl she didn't recognise standing in the doorway of the neighboring room.
The girl's grin was emphatic. She looked so amused at startling Jackie, that she might burst out laughing. Jackie plumped for an almost mouse like "hi" in return.
"So, you're the one who keeps waking me up at five thirty in the morning."
The girl still seemed amused with the situation, so Jackie to a second to compose herself, standing straight, she still felt short next to the girl, who must have been 5' 9" or even 5' 10". Jackie's 5' 5" had never felt so small, the girl had a presence to back up her height, so when Jackie replied, it still sounded meak.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
The almost tender grin the girl returned was heartening to Jackie.
"I'm Alice. "
Jackie just grinned in return... Then remembering herself:
"Jackie."
"Well Jackie, would you mind turning your alarm off when it goes off tomorrow morning please?"
Then it clicked. Jackie was lying in bed for 20 minutes each morning with the alarm blaring, struggling for motivation; and the poor girl next door was suffering through it!
She blushed.
"I am so sorry. It won't happen again. Can I make it up to you somehow?"
She'd said it before she realised. But she liked this girl. Her confidence was inspiring and Jackie had, despite herself, enjoyed their short exchange.
"Sure, you can buy me breakfast."
Jackie started to walk into her room, but realised Alice was waiting expectantly. She was about to ask if she minded waiting for her to shower, but stopped herself, she could shower later and as she stepped inside, just grabbed her purse, span and walked straight out again.
The pair sat in an almost empty cafe. Alice looking composed and Jackie feeling the complete opposite.
She felt like her tied back hair was glistening with a day's wear and the sweat of her run, her sweatpants and running top didn't match Alice's jeans and blouse. The situation was making Jackie uncomfortable, but she couldn't say anything, Alice was so engaging.
She had already told Alice about her Tennis, her running and the fight she was having with self-motivation with it and even without thinking: about the empty binder with the page of rules she was planning to write...
"Tell me more!"
Alice seemed even more engaged than before. She was leaning forward conspiratorially, which egged Jackie on. She told Alice how she had always enjoyed rules, no matter how small. It kept her motivated in School, at tennis and at home. But with moving to college she had lost a lot of her rules. Rules from teachers were gone, from coaches and from her parents. She felt a little lost.
"You know. I could help with some rules."
"Let's head back to your room and have a look at that binder."
Jackie had stood up before Alice had finished the sentence, she loved it! She wanted this. Needed it.
"Rule 1 - wake up and get ourt of bed at 05:30" Alice dictated.
"I've tried that!" Jackie protested.
"Not as a rule you haven't, and not with me to answer to."
Her heart skipped a beat. That simple sentence made it all click for Jackie, everything was going to be so much easier. With a set of rules she had accountability and purpose. She had to keep Alice close.
"Of course, I can do that for you."
Alice's smile was different this time, it had a new quality. But Jackie couldn't place it and she was too excited.
"Rule 2 - Run every weekday morning."
"Rule 3 - Go to the gym with Alice every Saturday."
"If you're getting this fitness regime going, I can't have you making me look bad, you can help me train on Saturdays."
Alice winked.
Jackie melted.
The conversation continued.
Later that week, Jackie was heading out for her run at exactly 05:30 and Alice was waiting, she wasn't dressed for a run, just a tshirt and panties, presumably her sleepwear.
"New rule. Come to Alice to get dressed after your morning shower."
Jackie blushed. Nodded and walked away timidly, Alice watched, amused and relieved her boldness had paid off.
She had been sat behind Jackie on the bus, on their first day of School and spotted a color scheme she was familiar with on Jackie's phone. It was a kink website. She couldn't believe someone was brazenly scrolling through the site in public!
On closer inspection, the girl wasn't even looking at her phone, just scrolling and staring into space. Intrigued Alice had managed to lean in close to see her username for future use.
On reading her profile at home, Alice knew she wanted her. She hadn't posted, but had prepared a signature with a list of likes that drew Alice in immediately.
"Likes: clothing control/dares, semi/hidden public, complex dares, water sports, flith, cumplay, Masturbation, loss of control."