Jordan was sitting in the library, reading at one of the tables, when the blonde with the startlingly green eyes sat down at his table. She flashed him a quick smile as she slid her tight little body into the seat.
Every time Jordan looked in her direction, the blonde had her green eyes on him. Each time, she’d quickly look away and blush. It was adorable and very distracting.
Finally, he could take it no more. He pulled off his glasses and met her green eyes. “I’m Jordan,” he said to her.
“I’m Tiffany,” she replied, smiling shyly. “You’re Kirsten Grant’s cousin, right? I think I’ve seen you around.”
He nodded. “Yep. I didn’t realize Kirsten was so famous.”
“Oh, she is! She’s, like, really awesome.”
Jordan tried not to roll his eyes. Why were the cute ones always so dumb?
“So, um,” Tiffany began. “What’s up with the wheelchair? I never knew any guys my age who were in a wheelchair. My grandpa’s in a wheelchair, but he’s old.” She paused thoughtfully. “I guess there are those kids in the telethon and stuff. They’re all in wheelchairs and they’re not old. But I thought those kids are retarded... oh, I mean, mentally challenged. You’re not mentally challenged... are you?”
“No,” Jordan said, although he felt tempted to ask the same question of her.
“So can you, like, walk?”
“Uh, no,” Jordan said. Tiffany was making his head hurt.
“Not at all?”
“No.”
“Wow,” Tiffany breathed. “Then, like, what do you do when you have to go up stairs?”
Oh god, stop talking. “I take the elevator.”
“What if there’s no elevator?”
“Then I guess... I just can’t go in...” Jordan bit his tongue. Don’t hit on this girl. Just because he was feeling bad about Kirsten, there was no reason to sleep with a bubble brain like Tiffany. Then again, a hot girl like Tiffany might succeed in making Kirsten jealous. “It’s very hard sometimes,” Jordan said tearfully.
“Oh, you poor thing!” Tiffany sighed, touching his hand.
“It’s okay,” Jordan said, blinking back his fake tears. “You don’t have to talk to me because you feel bad for me. Really.”
“But I like talking to you,” Tiffany said, picking up his hand in hers.
“Oh, come on,” Jordan said. “Look at you. You’re like this really gorgeous girl. Nobody like you ever even looks at me...”
Jordan could see Tiffany’s green eyes melting. Right about now, he could get her to do anything he wanted. It wasn’t even a challenge.
“Jordan, there you are!”
He turned his head and saw Kirsten’s pretty face looking down at him and Tiffany. Kirsten put her hand on his shoulder. “I’ve been looking all over for you, cuz.”
“Kirsten!” Tiffany jumped out of her seat. “Hey, I was just talking to your cousin. You guys look a lot alike.”
“No, we don’t,” Kirsten said stiffly. She gave Tiffany one of her famous icy stares. “God, Tiffany... why don’t you give the bleach a rest?”
Tiffany blushed. “I guess I’ll get going now.” She looked at Jordan with another shy smile, “It was nice meeting you, Jordan.”
When Tiffany had wandered away, Kirsten sat down at her empty seat. “I have to say,” Kirsten said to Jordan, “I know your little routine works for you, but it makes me want to vomit every time I hear it. ‘Poor me, I’m this pathetic cripple, nobody will love me.’ How do you keep up that bullshit?”
Jordan slid his glasses back on over his nose and opened up the book he had been reading. “Fuck off, Kirsten. I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now.”
Kirsten’s eyes softened. “Look, I want to apologize for last night.”
“Yeah?” He lowered his book.
“I didn’t mean to be such a bitch,” Kirsten said.
“Excuse me, but you always mean to be a bitch. Try again.”
Kirsten smiled. “Okay then: I’m sorry for being a bitch. How’s that?”
“Slightly better,” Jordan remained guarded. “How about the prince?”
“I like the prince,” Kirsten admitted. “But... you’re more important to me, Jordan. So... if you want, I won’t ever see him again.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Kirsten picked up his hands in hers. “Really. He’s finished. You don’t even have to ask.”
Jordan was shocked. He knew how Kirsten felt about royalty and she had been talking about Prince Edward all summer. He couldn’t understand what had made her change her mind. Maybe it had something to do with the bet. Maybe she was afraid of losing. Of course, that meant as soon as the week was over, she’d drop him for the prince. Still, he was willing to take that chance.
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Kyle found Elaine Tryston sitting at a bench in a park nearby the school. He had been hoping to catch Elaine outside of her room, so he could talk to her about Kirsten and Jordan. He thought Elaine would be thrilled for a chance to get back at those two, but when he tried to sit next to her on the bench, he received a chilly reception.
“I’d rather not talk to you, Kyle,” Elaine said. “After what you did, I’m surprised you have the nerve.”
Kyle wondered if Elaine knew about the bet. He decided she probably didn’t—she probably just thought he had been plotting to get her to hook up with Jordan. “I didn’t do anything wrong, Elaine,” he said to her. “I had no idea what Kirsten and Jordan were up to. I swear.”
“Yeah, right,” Elaine muttered. “Don’t think I forgot that whole speech you gave me about how much Jordan loved me.”
“Because I really thought he did,” Kyle insisted. “You’ve got to believe me, Elaine. I’m as pissed off at Kirsten as you are. I think what she did to you was really wrong.” He made eye contact with her. “I swear.”
Kyle could see in Elaine’s eyes that she was beginning to trust him. “What do you want, anyway?”
“I want to help you get back at Kirsten and Jordan.”
“No way,” Elaine said. “I’ve already lost to Kirsten once and I don’t want to know what happens in round two. Besides, I’m dating Trevor now thanks to that whole mess and... well, it’s been pretty great.”
Of course, Kirsten had been ready to squelch Elaine’s anger with her boy-toy Trevor Danziger. Elaine was probably in seventh heaven dating the school’s biggest heartthrob. She didn’t want to make waves right now... at least until Trevor dumped her. But Kyle couldn’t wait that long.
“But they manipulated you,” Kyle pointed out. “Jordan lied to both of us. Don’t you want to get back at him, at least?”
Elaine shook her head. “Jordan is a sweet guy. I don’t want to hurt him.”
“A sweet guy??” Kyle could hardly believe his ears. “Don’t you get what happened? He tricked you into sleeping with him! He lied to you about everything!”
“Not everything,” Elaine said quietly. “He helped me a lot with my calculus class... he really is very smart. I think a lot of the things he told me about himself were true. I guess he lied about some things, like about his feelings for me, but... I think I understand why he did it.”
“Elaine, listen to me carefully,” Kyle said. “Everything Jordan told you was a lie. Everything he did or said was just to manipulate you and get you into bed.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elaine said. “Jordan isn’t like Kirsten. He’s got a lot of problems, things he confided in me when we were alone. I don’t think he was making that stuff up. I could never do anything to hurt him.” She smiled. “Besides, he was... really good in bed.” She added, “Better than Trevor.”
Kyle nearly choked. Was Elaine telling him that Jordan was a better lover than the famous Trevor Danziger? That seemed almost too unbelievable for words. Once again, Kyle had a bad feeling he was underestimating his roommate.
“Well, if you ever change your mind, give me a call,” Kyle said to Elaine, standing up from the bench.
“I won’t,” Elaine said.
Kyle muttered curses to himself as he walked home from the park. This wasn’t going well at all. Earlier that day, he had talked to Prince Edward, who told him that Kirsten had seemed preoccupied and distant last night, and had even refused his suggestion of a second date. Kyle had hoped to at least get Elaine on his side, but now that seemed unlikely. Maybe Kirsten and Jordan had deeper feelings for each other than he had thought. Still, he knew there had to be some way to break them apart.
When Kyle reached his suite, he heard the phone ringing. He ran over and picked it up before the caller gave up. “Yo?”
It was a deep male voice. “Is Jordan there?”
“No,” Kyle said. “Can I take a message?”
“Is this Kyle?” the voice asked. “This is Jordan’s father. How is he doing?”
Kyle gripped the receiver, seized by a sudden inspiration. This was going to be too easy. “Hello, Mr. Grant,” Kyle said. “I’m afraid Jordan isn’t doing too well.”
“No?” There was deep concern in Mr. Grant’s voice.
“He’s been very depressed,” Kyle said, remembering the medication he had bought for Jordan. “He hardly ever comes out of his room except to go to class. To be honest, I’m worried about him.”
“I was afraid this would happen,” Mr. Grant sighed. “Listen, maybe I’ll come out to visit tomorrow. I have a little free time in my schedule. When would be a good time?”
Jordan’s last class tomorrow ended at three. He and Kirsten would undoubtedly be humping in his room by three thirty. “Three thirty should be okay,” Kyle suggested.
“Great,” Mr. Grant said. “You’ll let Jordan know I’m coming?”
“Of course,” Kyle said, smiling to himself.
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Elaine Tryston hugged her thick calculus book against her chest as she stood at the door to Jordan and Kyle’s suite. She hadn’t been back here since the night she lost her virginity and Kirsten had thrown her clothes out the window. Thank god Trevor had been waiting for her at the door, holding her clothes out to her like a gentleman. Trevor was so wonderful. And Elaine loved the way other girls looked at her now that she was dating him.
Elaine reached out and knocked on the door. She waited quietly and finally the door was pulled open by none other than Kirsten Grant, who was wearing nothing but what appeared to be one of Jordan’s shirts. Kirsten’s lips curled into a smile when she saw Elaine, “Hello, roomie. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I... I know,” Elaine stammered. Kirsten made her very nervous, especially now that Elaine knew what she was capable of. “But I... I need help... with my calculus class.” She held out her book as evidence.
“Aren’t there real tutors for that?” Kirsten raised her eyebrow.
“It’s just a quick question,” Elaine explained. “I just wanted to ask Jordan...”
Elaine heard the door to Jordan’s room opening and he wheeled himself out. He was shirtless and Elaine guessed his shirt was the one now on Kirsten. Jordan had been to visit Kirsten in her room a couple of times since the weekend and the circumstances were beginning to seem more and more suspicious. And now Kirsten was practically naked in his room. What was going on between these two? They were cousins, after all.
“Hey, Elaine,” Jordan said. “What’s up?”
Elaine found herself blushing. “Um, I was just... hoping you could help me with a calculus problem...”
Kirsten flashed her cousin a disapproving look, but Jordan smiled at her, “Sure, Elaine. Have a seat.”
“Well, I see you’re going to be busy,” Kirsten said haughtily. “I guess I’ll leave then.”
Jordan nodded. “You’re leaving? Can I have my shirt back then?”
Elaine inhaled sharply as Kirsten started unbuttoning the shirt right in front of them. Underneath she was wearing only a thong and no bra. Kirsten winked at Jordan and threw the shirt so that it landed on his lap. Elaine couldn’t help but stare at her as she made her way back into Jordan’s room to get dressed.
Jordan picked up the shirt and put it on over his bare chest. Elaine thought Jordan had a really great chest, considering how lanky he was. She remembered feeling the tight muscles in his arms as they made love. “So how can I help you, Elaine?” he asked her as he buttoned up the shirt.
Elaine blushed again. “It’s just one problem I can’t get.” She turned her book to the page she was having trouble with. Jordan was reading the problem when Kirsten came out of his room.
“I’m off,” Kirsten said, blowing him a kiss from across the room. “I’ll be back later tonight, okay? I’ll bring the handcuffs.”
Elaine stared at Jordan as Kirsten shut the door behind her. Jordan smiled, “She’s joking.”
Elaine didn’t say anything. Kirsten very rarely joked about anything.
“How are things going with Trevor?” Jordan asked as he made some notes on a scrap of paper.
“Really good, actually,” Elaine replied.
“Great. I’m really happy for you.”
Elaine looked over at Jordan, his brow furrowed in concentration. Only a few days earlier, she had decided she was in love with him. She had done her best to turn off those feelings, but her conversation with Kyle made her wonder how much of the real Jordan Grant she had even known.
“I miss you helping me,” Elaine spoke up.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been lost the last few days in calculus,” she said.
“It’s a tough class for freshman,” he said sympathetically. “I can’t believe they gave you this problem... it’s pretty tricky, but I’ll walk you through it.”
He went through the problem with her, going through the steps in the same patient way he had for the last two weeks. When she came up with the right answer, he beamed at her. “Thanks, Jordan,” she said with a grateful smile.
“No problem,” he said. “If you ever need help with any other tough ones, you can come by.”
“Really?”
“Sure, why not?” Jordan shrugged. “As long as you’re not too pissed at me for...”
“I’m not,” Elaine said quickly, before he could say the words. The truth was, she felt the same warmth toward him that she had for the last two weeks. It wasn’t just that Jordan was cute... he was actually a decent person. Despite what he had done to her, she couldn’t dislike him. “Remember when you let me wheel around in your chair?”
Jordan laughed. “Yeah, you’re not doing that again. I only let you do it because I was trying to get into your pants.”
“So are you saying you don’t want to get into my pants anymore?” Elaine said, smiling suggestively.
Jordan raised his eyebrows, an amused look on his face. “Are you saying I have a chance?”
“Anything is possible.”
“In that case,” Jordan leaned forward so that she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. “You can come by any time you want, Miss Tryston.”
As Elaine scooped up her book in her arms, she felt certain that she’d take him up on his invitation.
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Jordan lay on his bed, reading one of his textbooks and doing problems with a scrap of paper and pencil, when the door to his room cracked open. He looked up and saw Kirsten’s face. “Kyle let me in,” she said.
“That was nice of him,” Jordan commented.
“Yeah, and he hardly pouted at all,” Kirsten said, sliding into the room and closing the door behind her. “I can’t wait to watch you fuck him.”
“I can’t wait for you to watch me,” Jordan replied. “Of course, I’d really rather the video tape didn’t get out...”
“Oh, you think it might cramp your style?”
Jordan shrugged. “Do I really need a reason to not want half the school to see me fucking my roommate?”
Kirsten smiled and reached into her handbag. She pulled out a pair of metal handcuffs. “Brought you a gift.”
Jordan eyed the cuffs. “That seems more like a gift for you. Come on, Kirsten, you know I’m not into that.”
“You always say that,” Kirsten yanked his textbook off his lap and threw it onto the floor to make way for her slim body, “but you always have a good time.”
Jordan grabbed at Kirsten’s fingers as she tried to unbutton his shirt. “Yeah, but I’m always in pain the next day...”
“So?”
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
Kirsten shook her head.
Jordan held his wrists close to the headboard so that Kirsten could put on the cuffs. She secured them tightly, so that he could feel the metal biting into his skin. He watched her pulling his pants then his underwear off his limp legs. His penis grew before his eyes. “See? I told you that you like it,” she said.
He watched her tongue grazing the head of his penis and although he couldn’t technically feel it, he had that warm, good sensation through his whole body. He wished he knew what it was like to feel his erection, really feel it. But he supposed maybe it was better he didn’t know. This way, he had no idea what he was missing.
Kirsten squeezed his penis in her fist. She never would have tried such a maneuver on an able-bodied guy, but Jordan found that the rougher she was with him, the more sensation he had. He didn’t mind whatever she wanted to do, as long as she didn’t cause any permanent damage. “Good?” she asked.
He nodded.
She ran her sharp fingernails up and down his chest, leaving red lines behind. It hurt like hell, but it only made his erection larger. Her nails dug into the skin of his thigh and although he couldn’t feel it, his heart sped up a notch. “Don’t,” he said. He was scared of her breaking through the skin and creating a wound that would take a very long time to heal. He knew that as a paraplegic, any cut or sore he had could easily become infected and cost him his entire leg.
“You don’t have a choice, remember?” Kirsten said, digging her nails deeper. “You can’t move.”
When Kirsten finally removed her hand, there were angry red slits on the skin of his thigh. She hadn’t broken through the surface though. As nervous as she always made him, he knew she was careful to never actually hurt him.
Kirsten climbed on top of him and he felt a warm tingle go through his entire body as he entered her. As she rode him violently, he felt the cuffs biting into his wrists, cutting into his skin. He wanted to touch her so badly, but he could only watch. This was what it was like to be a quad, he supposed.
Sometimes Jordan wondered what their relationship would have been like if he had broken his neck instead of his back and had been rendered a quadriplegic. As far as Kirsten was concerned, she probably would have liked it better. She’d be able to move him however she liked with no worry of him overpowering her. And imagine the attention she’d get going out with a guy using a vent.
Kirsten came three times in quick succession and then collapsed on top of him. He wasn’t sure if he had come or not—sometimes it was hard to tell. In any case, Kirsten was on birth control pills, in case he ejaculated into her. As the weight of her body pressed on him, he felt the cuffs digging deeper into his wrists. He looked up and saw a drop of blood rolling down his forearm.
“Hey, Kirsten,” he said. “Would you mind undoing the cuffs?”
Kirsten just smiled up at him and rested her head on his chest.