A couple quick warnings, there are mentions of abuse in the story as well as the topic of revenge porn.
Additionally, this is in the Lesbian Sex category, but both the women are bisexuals and there is a male female sexual encounter as part of the story, so if that isn't your thing, this is your warning.
Blake -- Mid-September 9:30 pm on a Friday
Friday nights at the comic store were never as good as when Mitchell came along. Being an attractive young blonde, Blake got far too much attention from her fellow nerds, particularly the males who far outnumbered the women.
At least there were three of us this time.
The other two ladies were there as a pair with their boyfriends that deflected male attention and let them concentrate on the game. Mitchell consistently filled that role for Blake despite the absence of any romantic connection between them. He skipped out on the weekly ritual for a second date with Lindsey.
New guys at the comic shop liked to underestimate Blake at the booster drafts or constructed, and she often took the opportunity to stomp on them in their matches. She finished second tonight to a deck that had gotten extremely lucky in the pair of bombs he pulled from fresh booster packs. Blake probably shouldn't have taken the chase rare that didn't go with her white and red deck, but she was going to need it for constructed in the coming weeks, and it was cheaper than buying it as a single from the comic shop or internet. Splashing a third color wasn't the best idea with a forty-card deck.
"Hey, kitty!" Steele, a dark blue-gray-furred cat that was barely not a kitten, prowled the kitchen counter as Blake came in. He was an affectionate and goofy kitty, very much in the vein of the cats that her grandparents always had. Their old house wouldn't seem right without one of them haunting the place.
"You still have food? Water?" Blake checked his bowls on the way by. "And there's a cup on the counter that you haven't knocked on the floor. You're slacking!" Blake announced and gave him some attention before the beast bounded away.
Blake set her purse on the counter when her cell started ringing. She checked her smartwatch before rifling through the bag to find her phone with a smile on her face. It was the one name that would make Blake drop everything to reach for, especially since her best friend had missed their weekly Pathfinder campaign the weekend before. Their bard rarely skipped a week, and when she did, it was intentional. Blake needed her Orianna fix.
"Ori!" Blake smiled broadly as she picked up the handset.
"Help." It was a simple word that came out meek and frightened. That wasn't Orianna, at least not for the last decade. She was brash and confident wherever she went. The prom queen and head of the dance team rarely had anything that tamped down her swagger.
"What's wrong, Ori?" Blake's tone shifted immediately as her heart rate swelled.
"I... It's all gone to shit, Blake." Orianna said between sobs.
"Is it Dante?" Blake asked about Orianna's fiancé, whom she had always gotten a bad feeling from. Before tonight, it had convinced her it was because of the latent jealousy of the man. Something was screaming for Blake to pick up her purse and head to her car.
"It's everything. We're done. I'm staying at a hotel with Lidia." Lidia was Ori's young, bright, and energetic border collie.
"What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it... I just... I just need to see you, Blake. I know it's late, but I can't be alone, and I have no one else that will talk to me after..." Ori's voice faded out.
"I'm on my way." Blake checked the house was locked tight before jogging to her car.
"Tonight? It's too late and a four-hour drive. Don't you have debate tomorrow?" There were more sobs from Ori. Her best friend was in some sort of real trouble.
"You just said you needed me." Blake elbowed open the garage door and tossed her purse in the passenger seat of her small, reliable, hand-me-down car. "I'm on my way. Don't make me look up hotels that accept dogs and have vacancies."
"The La Quinta just off the highway, Rm 106." The lack of further arguments from Orianna compounded Blake's panic. She would need to resist her lead foot as she hit the interstate and sped north.
"I'll be there in four hours, Ori. Keep a light on for me."
"I will, Blake. Thank you. You don't know how much I need a friend." Ori disconnected after she said it. She didn't answer when Blake tried calling her back.
After a stop for gas and a large coffee, Blake called Mitchell, even though he was likely still on a date.
They should be out of the movie by now.
Blake texted SOS before calling him back when he didn't answer. That was their signal that this was something important and not for chitchat.
"Blake?" Loud music was blaring in the background as Mitchell answered. "This better be good. My date is going well. Really well."
"I know better than to abuse the SOS, Mitchell. Isn't it a little early to be at the clubs?"
"The movie ended, and Lindsey wanted me to take her dancing before taking her home." Blake could imagine his eyebrows bouncing suggestively.
"I need you to meet the debate team at South High in the morning." Mitchell's apartment was in the city while he and Blake taught in a suburban district. They worked for the same high school they graduated from six years ago.
"Ten a.m., right?" Mitchell didn't even argue. He had been on the other side of frequent favors, and the amount that he owed was piling up.
"Yeah, Sandy can ride with the team before she has to go to a funeral."
"Okay, I owe you. Have you called Mr. Yanko? Where are you going to be, Blake?"
"That's my next call," Blake answered one question before going to the next. "It's Ori." She really didn't need to say more. Orianna was her best friend and not-so-secret crush. The three of them had gone to the same college and shared an apartment before Ori moved north for a job opportunity following Dante.
"What happened?"
