Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

to the right and assume that’s where the restrooms are. I walk for it.
I would really love to know what’s on her scavenger hunt. The school
uses a template they designed a generation ago, but they fine-tune it every
year, keeping up with the times and all. Since it’s school-approved, everyone
“officially” plays from that one. If asked.
That didn’t mean any of us really use it, though. I still need to get that
photo with a stranger, and there are plenty in here.
Sticking my hand inside my T-shirt, I use it as a glove, twisting the
handle of the men’s room door.
A twist knob on the restroom door. That’s a good indication of the
shitshow I’m going to find inside. Unnnnnnnsanitaryyyyy.
I open the door, the hinges whining as I look around. Three urinals cover
the wall to my right, the porcelain stained after years of use, and two stalls,
one without a door, sit across from them, reflected in the mirror.
Something bangs into a stall wall, and then I hear something else, but I
don’t see anyone.
Letting the door fall closed, I step farther inside. Liv enters behind me,
and I’m not sure if she’s protecting them from me or me from them, but
whatever. My friends will find out where I’ve gone. They’ll be here soon.
Panting hits my ears, followed by a woman’s whimper, and I listen,
hearing the screech of shoes across the tile and a steady rhythm start to hit the
stall. The loose screws holding the walls in place clank as the pace speeds up.
People are fucking in here. Is this why she didn’t want me in this dive?
I look at Liv. “Classy.”
“At least they’re not on YouTube.”
They can be. I take out my phone, but she presses her hand down on
mine, forcing it away. “Stop it,” she mouths.
“Relax,” I whisper. “I’m texting my friends where I am.”
She releases me, leaning into the wall and putting her hand on her hip. I
toss out a group text to Callum, Amy, Milo, and Krisjen, telling them where
to find me. Hopefully that Aracely chick and her friends aren’t holding them
up.
I tip my head toward the condom machine, snapping a selfie as proof I
was here, and then pull some change out of my bag. “So, Iron is single?” I
ask as I put away my phone. “Or is that girl in the pickup still claiming
status?”
She hoods her eyes.