Chapter 3: The Brother

“Hey, Ash.”

Ashley looked up from her book to see Riley approaching her. Riley was one of the few people in school that could fit the category of “friend” to Ashley. Not in the way that they would hang out constantly, but on occasion she would spend time with Ashley without needing anything from her. She had also never made Ashley feel bad about her financial circumstances, and just accepted her as a person.

It was the first time since her date with Jake, and the consequent ridicule Ashley had had to endure, that Riley sought her out. Ashley didn’t blame her. She knew their connection wasn’t strong enough for Riley to actively defend her against the taunts and jokes, especially when it was coming from people she was friends with as well. That she came to her now, was just another sign that the worst was over. Amazing how even a few boys having a reason to get off her back, had already such an impact on the general behavior towards her, as some of the people who had been participating in the ridicule sensed that that time had passed.

“Hey Riley, what’s up?” Ashley greeted her friend with a small smile.

“Not much.” Sitting down next to her, Riley continued, “I see things have calmed down a bit for you.”

Ashley nodded. “Yeah, thank God.”

“Jake’s a real ass.”

“Yeah.”

The two sat in silence for a moment.

“I feel I should warn you that you may not be at the end of your misery,” Riley started, her voice hesitant.

“What do you mean?” Ashley asked, her brows furrowing.

“I heard something earlier. There are rumors going around that you’re ... you know, doing stuff with guys for money.”

“Oh.”

Riley looked at her, puzzled that Ashley didn’t seem surprised or to even care about such rumors. Studying her face, she noticed a blush spreading on Ashley’s cheeks.

“Wait, are you ... is it true?” Riley asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ashley looked down at her hands, avoiding Riley’s gaze. She hadn’t thought about what her new source of income would mean for the little social life she did have.

“Please don’t tell me you’re whoring yourself out, Ash,” Rily pressed on.

“It’s not like that. I’m not having sex with them or anything. Just ... letting them, you know, finish on me.”

Ashley finally looked up, her eyes meeting Riley’s, pleading for understanding.

“Everyone was already giving me shit for what happened with Jake ... I just thought ... I can really use the money, you know...”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this. I mean, I get that you need money, but ... isn’t it ... degrading?”

“Actually, the boys are pretty respectful during our ... transactions. They’ve stopped giving me flack. And to be honest, I kinda like how appreciative they are of what I do for them, and of ... my body. Before this, hardly anyone seemed to notice me,” Ashley admitted.

“You let them see you naked?”

“Just my boobs, and only if they pay extra,” Ashley explained.

Riley remained silent, processing what she had heard. She looked at Ashley, trying to reconcile the girl she had known for years with the one sitting in front of her now. Ashley could see the conflict playing out on her face.

“You don’t hate me, do you?” Ashley asked with fear in her voice.

Riley looked at her, her expression softening. “No, of course not. In fact, I’ll admit that the idea sounds kinda hot. If I wasn’t so afraid of word getting out, maybe I...”

Riley was too ashamed to even finish her thought, but her meaning was clear.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” Ashley said, relieved that she hadn’t lost the only friendship she had.

Ashley’s “enterprise” had been good for a while. There was only one problem with her business model. Revenue had been good because there were plenty of guys wanting to try out a “service” that not many girls provided them. She knew that a few of her customers actually had girlfriends, sexually active girlfriends. But much easier than risking the fallout of asking to cum on their girlfriend’s face, they preferred to pay up to shoot a load over Ashley. Ashley didn’t really mind that technically she was helping them cheat. But once the novelty was over, they moved on. Her stream of income was drying up to a trickle.

In hindsight, this fact probably was a major explanation for what happened that weekend. Chris, her brother, had come home from college. It had been a long time since she last saw him and she had missed him. These last couple of years she had grown to like him, after a childhood of typical sibling rivalry and bickering. So, when her mother had informed her that he’d be coming home for the weekend, she had immediately decided she wouldn’t schedule any customers. In the end it didn’t really matter, as it turned out there was no demand.

Ashley really enjoyed dinner that Friday evening. Her mother served the family’s favorite, her homemade lasagna with garlic bread. Her mother, who always seemed tired after work, appeared more relaxed and happy than she had been in a long time. She and Chris were chatting about his college experiences and Ashley found herself smiling more genuinely than she had in a while. After dinner she offered to do the dishes, so her mother could have a rare moment of rest on the rare occasion that her family was complete again.