"Oh God," Ruby's throat choked up as she nudged a putrid sock with her toe, "Max! Please clean this!"
Max stumbled out of his room, clad only in heart-stamped boxers, with a dry white line across the side of his face. He'd clearly just awoken, despite it being well into the afternoon. "Wha?"
Ruby grimaced, "You left laundry in the common area," she punctuated with a frustrated, "Again."
Max's gaze lazily fell to the gray, tattered sock he'd left on the coffee table. "Oh, sorry," he snorted his nose full of morning mucus, "I dunno how it fell. Just a sec."
Max ducked into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked so he could yell out from within. As his liquid streamed and splashed in the echoing room, his voice rose over it to be heard, "Don't toss that one! I need to get going."
Ruby was horrified, "I wasn't planning on it. It looks... used."
Max rushed out of the bathroom, adjusting his genitals under this boxers, "It was, but it's just me using it. Whatever."
He stooped down and snatched it up. It held its shape like stiff cardstock. He winked at his sister, "This was a good one, thinking of Valerie."
Ruby sat down to prevent herself from fainting. "Bro, go flush that fucking toilet."
Max thumped his head, "Shit, sorry!"
As he headed off, Ruby stared into space, shivers of disgust shaking her, "Wash your hands," she murmured, more to herself. Ruby hated her brother.
It was later in the day, when her graduate classes had ended, that Ruby found herself leaving the lab. She rubbed her eyes, taking a moment of peace from the night air to find respite. She didn't want to go home. Not back where Max had any power. Her apartment would be a better home for pigs than for people. But, any complaint to her parents, who paid for it, would be returned with platitudes and calls for patience.
Ruby looked into the full moon. It was beautiful, glowing magically. In it, she saw a future of independence. She longed for the day of financial stability. It wasn't long now. She squeezed the folder under her arm, within which was the last of her review work for the company that would hire her. It was the industry leader, the future, the global #1 in her field.
Echoes of their praise rang in her ears. They saw her talent, appreciated her valedictorian status, and recognized her research as pioneering. A tear began to form. She wiped it and smiled. It felt like the world was finally validating that she wasn't crazy. All those years of work weren't wasted. It didn't matter if her brother skated by on luck and family money, the ease of being a man in a world with no expectations of him. At least now, at least for her, it was earned. She could be proud of herself.
Footsteps behind her. "Oh my God, HI Ruby!" A familiar voice.
"Shit," Ruby scowled, turning back, "What do you want?"
Valerie looked down at her, hands on her hips, with a cold smile. Beside her was her sidekick, Louise. "We were just talking about you! How's the job search going for the school's golden girl?"
Ruby replied flatly, "Successfully. What do you want?"
Valerie was dangerously gorgeous, distracting passers-by, even in this dim moonlight. She stood taller than Ruby, with pearlescent teeth and piercing blue eyes that seemed to glow when excited. What most men saw first, though, was her endowments that made physical activity a particular defiance of gravity. Ruby's same blessings had encouraged her to wear more sweatshirts and jog less. How Valerie continued on to become an athlete was amazing in its own right.
"We were just in the neighborhood after cheerleading. We thought there was something you might want to know."
"I need to go," Ruby pressured the sneering woman to hurry.
Louise pouted playfully, "You're never any fun."
Louise was short and stick-thin. She was Valerie's dog, presently hanging on her leader's arm and unironically sticking out her tongue. For a college student, she behaved like a toddler. Ruby shook her head, "I don't have time to hear more dumb bullying from you two. Move on from it, we're not high schoolers anymore."
Valerie let the facade fall with a grunt, "Fine, bitch. I was gonna draw it out. We found out about the Cleveland Survey."
Ruby's blood ran cold. She played it off, without reaction, "What are you talking about?"
Her voice caught. A bead of sweat ran down her neck. Louise giggled, "Damn, that was convincing."
Valerie shook her head, "Tsk tsk, very coy. You cut some corners and got something published that really, really shouldn't have been. Now, if anyone had proof," Valerie handed a folder to Ruby, "then they'd be able to undermine your degree."
Ruby snatched the file, flipping through it quickly. She knew there was no need, but panic was in-control now. She struggled to keep a level head, "Hold on, now. Wait. I didn't--I didn't cheat, I didn't do anything! Yes, this was suspect, but it doesn't reflect on me directly."
Louise jumped, excited, "Yeah? But who cares. This never should've gotten through and you know it. Will you go to jail? Nah, obviously. But this would smash your chances at that job for sure."
Valerie's voice was like sour honey, "Don't downplay it. If you had a harsh court, they could even reject your academic career so far. They might do it just to wash their hands of any stain to their reputation--dropping you out of convenience."
Ruby heard light snapping sounds, like miniature footsteps, and realized feeble tears were falling onto the folder. She sniffled, "Please don't."
Valerie put a light hand over her chest, "Sweetheart, there's no need to get upset. We just wanted to let you know this was out there, for your own good. Can you imagine how terrible it would be if it fell into bad hands!?"
Ruby exhaled, "Okay. I... I get it. How can I get you to throw this all away?"
Valerie arched an eyebrow, "You're tech savvy. I have a secured drive with the original data. These printouts are nothing, easily faked and easily dismissed. But that drive isn't. So, I'm going to give it to you."
Louise smiled, beaming and buzzing, "Just come over to my loft on the corner of campus tomorrow at 4."
Louise blew a kiss, before skipping away. Valerie looked down, then up at her prey, "See you there, Ruby."
That night, Ruby got little sleep. She scoured every corner of the college intranet, verifying that all trace of her past was scrubbed. Some of this was recent--Valerie had done this. Ruby was baffled: Did Valerie clear away all this other evidence as a token of good will? Ruby held her head in her hands.
Valerie was her bully from childhood. She was a malicious megalomaniac, but she was consistent: If she ever swore to something, she held to her word. In any other context, she was a manipulative and deceitful rat.
And Valerie had done some terrible things. She'd forced a man to dress in fetish gear for a month. She'd had a teacher kiss her feet in class. Once, a devoutly religious, reserved student had flashed a crowd at a party, exposing her bare bottom with the words "Valerie's Ass" written onto her in sharpie. The things that this woman could orchestrate were known, but so far documented in a way to avoid systemic action.
Ruby would do anything to get the future she deserved. Her one slip up was a reasonable error, not even caused by her. But, it could cost her everything if it came to light so soon to her life's turning point. She could fight it, but it would lose her everything. She sighed. "If it doesn't hurt anyone," she said aloud, to herself, "If nobody else knows... I think I'd do a lot."
She'd overcome much to get where she was. Prejudice in her field was rampant, with men looking down at her and assigning trivialities to waste her time. Women who felt threatened by her would vocally insult her, gossip at her reputation--anything to undermine her brilliance. Harsh teachers would slant grades against her, as if insulted that she could ace their work. She would fight for her future. She could win.
The next day, Ruby stood at the door of Louise's loft. It was pristine, and Ruby couldn't help but feel envy. Her place could look this good, if she was down a roommate.
Louise opened the door. Ruby gasped: Louise was dressed shockingly. She was in a pair of hot pink panties, stockings up to her knees, and her nipples poked through a thin baby blue crop top with the words "ANGEL" printed across the front. "See something you like?" Louise joked.
She turned around, ushering Ruby inside, "Valerie wants you to see that she's good to her word."
Ruby collected herself, blinking, "Did you wear that... of your own volition?"
Inside, Louise withdrew a water bottle from the refrigerator. Ruby couldn't help but appreciate the organized interior. Soft wooden interior with warm colors invited her to feel comfort. Fuzzy carpet padded under her feet, and there were no sweaty shorts to eschew like in her apartment. Not a single errant odor assaulted her. She frowned.
"Here," Louise handed the water to Ruby, "Drink up, you'll need it. Val should be back soon."
"Thanks," Ruby said habitually, before chiding herself internally for thanking her co-extortionist. "So, what's she got in-mind for me? Humiliating or sexual?"