The Housekeeper, Chapter 38
Chapter 38
I had no idea how long the drive was going to be.
Based on our previous outings, it would probably be at least twenty minutes. Hannah’s estate was such a secluded property, and it always took some time just to reach the edge of the city.
Once again, she and her friends had found a way to make things worse for me. Now that I was stuffed into the boiling trunk of her car, I found myself wishing I could be naked in the back seat like I had been before. The smell of Hannah’s stale sweat was already a bit overwhelming in the confined space, and it wasn’t long before I started perspiring myself as I remained uncomfortably curled up in the tiny trunk. While the girls almost certainly had the AC running, none of it reached me.
The bumpy country roads caused me to jerk and bounce along the way, and I couldn’t seem to find a good position. Hannah’s athletic shoes were way too small on me, but after being barefoot for so long, I grimaced and put up with it. I highly doubted they had brought anything else for me to wear, and the gross gym clothes were better than being naked. Not exactly a high bar.
By the time the car stopped moving and Hannah cut the engine, I was a total mess. Sore all over, literally dripping with sweat, and feeling even more self conscious about myself as Hannah opened the trunk and I once again saw the three of them looking stunning in their dresses.
They all giggled at the sight of me, and Hannah was quick to snap from amusement to her more harsh demeanor. “Get out, Jessie. We have places to be. Unless you want to stay in there?”
Definitely not! I scrambled out of the cramped space, at which point Hannah swiveled on her heel and walked away, telling me to close the trunk and follow.
We were at the absolute worst place for a girl who looked like I did. It looked like some kind of open-air, upper class party for the super wealthy. Even in my nicest clothes, I would have felt underdressed. Was I going to be allowed in? If I was, I was going to immediately stick out to anyone who glanced my way.
As Hannah flashed her ID, I felt beyond humiliated as the young man at the main entrance gave me a skeptical look.
“Don’t worry about her,” Hannah said. She handed him a crisp $100 bill to smooth things over, “I’ll keep her out of sight until later. She’s one of the charity girls.”
What did that mean? Before I could ask, not that I would speak up without permission at this point, Hannah’s friends were ushering me through the canopy and off to some side area that barely had any visibility to the main area of the party where the well dressed guests were all socializing and enjoying drinks and appetizers that probably eclipsed my total annual grocery expenses.
The moment it was just the four of us, Hannah crossed her arms and said, “Not a single word, Virgin. Not unless you want to go right back into the trunk. Naked this time.”
It was an effective threat. I was still recovering from the extended period of being curled up back there, and I had just been given something to wear. Gross as Hannah’s workout clothes were, they were better than being exposed all over again.
Once she could see that I didn’t plan on speaking, Hannah ushered me down the secluded path we were on. As we walked, Lillian asked me if I was excited about wearing something with Hannah’s scent. Luckily, I wasn’t allowed to speak, as I had no clue what to say in response to something like that. I wasn’t actually a lesbian, nor did I have a crush on Hannah; a girl’s sweat was hardly sexy, either.
The cool breeze was a constant reminder that I was going commando, and Hannah’s shorts were a bit loose on my body. Then there was the tank top, that was almost as tight as the bra; my chest was uncomfortably constricted, and my stomach was fully on display. I’d never wear an outfit like this under normal circumstances, and that was before getting into how the athletic clothes were thoroughly used.
For a few minutes, we just stood around in the spot where Hannah had chosen for us. Then another girl around their age arrived, wearing a black cocktail dress. I was immediately more self conscious than before, and nervous about yet another rich brat seeing me like this. Was this one of the girls from that first night? I had been too overwhelmed by everything then to really memorize all of the names and faces.
“Hmm, this is your girl?” she asked, “She’s not very presentable.”
“She had a charity race before this,” Hannah said, “Not my fault she needs all the help she can get.”
The new girl looked me up and down, then sighed, “Fine. We just won’t do a close-up. You’re on in about ten minutes.”
They chatted for another minute or so, while I was left wondering what was going on. Their girl for what? It sounded like I was going to be involved in some kind of charity/fundraiser, somehow. I was still clueless as to where we were or what this event was, and Hannah’s friends didn’t feel the need to fill me in as I awkwardly remained mute per her instructions.
Once the girl who was maybe the host roamed off to talk with another guest in the main area of the party, Hannah said, “Wait right here, Jessie. Lillian will watch you.” Then she took Willow’s hand and took her to socialize around the corner.
Lillian’s version of watching me was simply pulling out her phone and scrolling on whatever app she pulled up. She knew that I wasn’t going anywhere or going to do anything when dressed so poorly and relying on them for a ride home. Without my phone or wallet, I was stuck wherever they took me. And, based on the security guy’s attitude, there was a good chance I’d get kicked out of the upscale party if I strayed too far.
Eventually, Willow returned. “We’re ready for you, Jessica,” she said, “This way.” Not waiting to see whether or not I was following, as Lillian was right there to serve as back-up, she led me further towards the large building in the distance.
As we approached, and I could finally see a little better after mostly being behind bushes and structures that served to separate us from the party, I found myself face to face with a large stage that was clearly the main focus of those that were gathered.
Hannah was up there, standing back as the girl in the black dress from before was speaking into a microphone. “Alright, Hannah’s up next!” she said, pausing for a short cheer from the crowd. The casually cruel blonde was quite the popular girl, apparently beyond how many guests she had at her little pool party.
“Go on, Jessie!” Lillian snapped. Out of nowhere, she started rushing me forward towards the stairs on the side of the stage, “You’re up.”
“But-” I started to say, only for Willow to shush me.
“Hurry, Virgin!” she exclaimed, “You don’t want Hannah to look bad, do you?”
Between the two of them, they ushered me to the steps and demanded that I head up to join whatever this was.
Before I knew it, I was up on the stage, tentatively walking towards Hannah. I had been given no instructions or information whatsoever, and it felt like literally everyone was staring at me.
As I approached the middle of the stage, Hannah took the microphone from the girl and gave the crowd a smile. “My charity girl is named Jessica, but she usually goes by ‘Jessie.’ She’s a year or two into college, and is in desperate need of financial support.”
At some point, I froze. For a lot of reasons. Not only was I super underdressed compared to all the rich guests in their suits and dresses, but I also hadn’t been told where to go or where to stand. Not specifically, anyway. And I wasn’t expecting Hannah to use my real name when introducing me to everyone.
The girl sharing the stage with Hannah came over to me when I looked somewhat aimless and unsure. “Stand here,” she muttered, “There’s literally an X on the ground.”
Oh. In a more calm state, I could have figured that out.
Once I was where I was supposed to be, she told me to stay there and not move an inch until Hannah’s presentation was done. She had to have been one of the girls at that party, or gathering, or whatever it was. Unless she was just that blunt to every ‘charity girl’ at the event.
Hannah continued, “Jessie is doing literally everything she can to pay for college. She gave up her whole summer to be my maid. Even after selling her car and most of her other possessions, she’s still super broke. Just this morning, she ran in a charity race, but was too out of shape to make it to the finish line. Poor girl can barely afford groceries; if I didn’t feed her, I don’t know what she’d do.”
I was appalled at how she was blending the truth and the lies. Yes, I took the lucrative housekeeping job. Financial aid only got me so far, and I was going to have to deal with student loans upon graduating. But I wasn’t broke to the point of needing handouts from a bunch of rich brats. Well, not originally. After all the damage Hannah had done with my wallet, I had no idea what my accounts looked like.
As I glanced around at my surroundings, as there wasn’t much else to do while I was simply standing there as a visual to Hannah’s claims about me needing charity, I let out a small gasp when I caught a glimpse of one of the screens off to the side. Per the conversation from earlier that made more sense now that I knew what was happening, there were cameras trained on me that kept a safe distance to avoid showing just how bad I looked at the moment.
It wasn’t the screens that were the problem, as those were presumably for those that were farther away from the stage. My shock was about how my name was projected as well. My FULL name.
With how many phones were out down there, I had to imagine I was being mentioned on any number of social media platforms. What if someone I knew saw this?! Despite what Hannah put me through when it was just her and a handful of her equally mean friends, she was currently presenting my summer’s existence in a more realistic and digestible way. Anyone who saw this or heard about it would absolutely believe it. A college girl doing whatever it takes to pay for her education, spun in a way that made me look a lot more poor and desperate than I actually was.
“I also just learned that Jessie is still a virgin,” Hannah informed the crowd, “Not that there’s any shame in that. But if she wasn’t so busy scrounging for cash, maybe she would have time for a relationship next semester. If there is a next semester.”
My lips parted in both surprise and offense. It wasn’t necessarily a secret that I was a virgin, but that didn’t mean I wanted it announced to dozens of strangers! Or posted on the internet.
At least Hannah didn’t mention the ‘lesbian’ part. I doubt it was because she decided to be nice on that front. More like she could only say so much publicly while pretending like this was all for my benefit. Or maybe because she expected this to be seen by any number of people that actually knew me, and didn’t want to raise too many eyebrows.
Either way, I was thoroughly blushing by the time Hannah was finished with her description of me. There was also no shade on the stage, meaning I could feel myself perspiring slightly on top of the sweat I was already dealing with between Hannah’s exercise in the clothes and my hot ride in the trunk.
In her closing remarks, Hannah told everyone how they could donate to ‘poor Jessie.’ Essentially, they would be sending her money, either through an app or the page she had linked for the fundraiser. Knowing her, I wouldn’t be seeing a penny of the proceeds.
Well, I would. Technically. Once we were off the stage, Hannah told me that I would be receiving the funds in the form of anything and everything I needed for the rest of the summer. Food. Clothes. Transportation. Cleaning Supplies. “Like today. Now you can pay me for the ride here, and for the ride back to the house.”
That sounded less like some legal loophole, and more like an immature way for Hannah to essentially pay herself for all the things her parents said would be provided for me to begin with. Room and board was part of the agreement and, until recently, I had a car to get me anywhere I needed to go during the extended stay.
“I don’t think she needs anything else to eat,” Lillian teased. She gave my abdomen a sharp poke, as the bare skin was visible from the tight tank top on me.
The stimulation caused my stomach to rumble and groan slightly, literally proving that it was the opposite of what she was suggesting. I had barely been given anything to eat, beyond the bare minimum. Less than that, really. The only reason I was bloated was because I hadn’t used the bathroom all morning.
“Time to go, Virgin,” Hannah said, “Back to the car. Where’s Willow?”
“Being a social butterfly,” Lillian replied, “Should I go find her?”
“Just send her a text. She can always order a ride if she needs to.”
With that, I was taken back towards the entrance to the party. I had mixed feelings about leaving, of course. I wasn’t particularly comfortable at an event where I stood out like a sore thumb, especially now that anyone who spotted me was bound to take a picture and add to whatever was happening on social media at my expense. At the same time, I wasn’t eager for another drive if I’d be right back to the cramped trunk.
Sure enough, that was where I was expected to go. “Whenever you’re ready, Jessie,” Hannah said, already sounding impatient, “You don’t need the bathroom, do you?”
Well . . . I kind of did. After not going all morning, and the latest jabs to my stomach, I didn’t feel the most confident about my bladder.
Easily reading the look on my face, Hannah said, “Hold it. You can use the toilet when we get home, I promise. Now, get in.”
It was the first time she had actually offered since banning me from the bathrooms for a reason that didn’t make any sense. And the journey was only so far; as long as I could hold until we made it back to the house, maybe we could do away with the mortifying and completely unfair rule.