The Tobanga totem stood steadfast on the top of a small hill at the limits of the Blackwell dormitory grounds, its eyes observing expressionlessly at the courtyard opening below it. If you walked to the totem, you could see a small trail starting behind it. The trail would lead you maybe ten yards to a small clearing that was coated with gravel, and occupied by a single item, a stainless-steel bin for cigarette butts.

While smoking was strictly forbidden at the dormitory premises and grounds, as it had been since the early 2000's, the Blackwell administration was well aware that some students and members of the faculty indulged their habit at the clearing, which was conveniently outside the dormitory grounds. Not wanting to risk a forest fire, the clearing had been coated with gravel and the steel bin been set up soon after the smoking had been prohibited. The smoking place wasn't officially recognized by the school and it wasn't mentioned in any guides or info pages, yet everyone seemed to be aware of it, and the bin was regularly emptied by Samuel Taylor, the janitor.

At that particular clearing, Kate Marsh was now staring at the cigarette that was slowly blazing between her fingers. She could only wonder how easily she had picked up the unhealthy habit that she'd once solemnly sworn never to pick. Kate had not believed that the single cigarette she'd had at Victoria's room would've been enough to cause an addiction. Nevertheless, the following day, she'd found herself at the Arcadia Bay 7-Eleven, buying a pack and a lighter.

A week later, Kate was still on her first pack, having smoked two to three cigarettes per day, depending from her mood. She hated to admit it but she was beginning to get used to the taste. Truth be told, Kate still thought they tasted foul, but she had to admit that the nicotine, in all its harmfulness and addictiveness, helped to calm her down.

Today, however, Kate was already on her third cigarette. It was just early noon, and Kate doubted that this one would suffice for the rest of the day. She was still suffering from the trauma that their session had triggered, but she was also anxious because she hadn't talked or texted with Victoria since that night. The blonde hung out with Courtney and Taylor like she had before she'd approached Kate with her proposal. The only difference was that Victoria and her peers didn't harass her like they'd used to. Still, Kate missed Victoria's company, and not just for the sessions. She liked talking to Victoria and spending time with her. During their games, Kate had discovered new sides of the notorious Queen Bee of Blackwell. When Victoria wasn't keeping up her front, she was considerate, caring and affectionate; someone who made Kate feel loved and safe. Kate had to admit to herself that she'd begun to develop feelings towards the pixie-haired girl that went beyond friendship. It was becoming more obvious, especially now, as Victoria kept her distance to her.

Kate couldn't really blame Victoria, though. Anyone would want to take time to themselves after having to endure the kind of assault that resulted from Kate's fit. The memory of the blonde's bruised buttocks made Kate still shiver in shock. She still had a hard time grasping that she'd been capable of such act. Under normal circumstances, she would surely have been facing assault charges and expulsion from school, but these were hardly normal circumstances. Kate and Victoria were in this together, and they were both responsible for what had happened.

But where do we go from here? Kate thought as she took another drag from her cigarette. She knew that she needed this… outlet to be able to cope with all her traumas. She also realized that she needed a safe environment and guidance. Otherwise, there would be a risk that the incident from last week would happen again. It was obvious that she and Victoria needed to sit down and discuss about the future of their mutual project, and their relationship in general. Kate believed that Victoria didn't want to leave things linger like this, but until Victoria was ready to confront her, there was little Kate could do about it.

"Never thought to see you here." The spoken words made Kate jump. She turned to find Max standing a few feet away.

"I, uh," Kate stammered, alternating her bashful gaze between the brunette and the burning cigarette. "I've… been going through a lot of stuff lately." She stubbed the cigarette and put it in the container.

"Hey, I'm not judging," Max chuckled, "Although, from what I've heard, vaping is the thing now. Me, being totally stuck in the retro zone, can appreciate you doing it old school, though." As Max was talking, she picked up something from her satchel. Kate's brows lifted in bemusement when she saw it was a blunt and an orange lighter.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kate asked.

"Weed? Yup," Max confirmed. "Guess you're not the only one who needs to self-medicate."

"Where'd you get that?"

"Chloe's mother gave me some of Chloe's stuff," the hipster explained. "I guess Joyce didn't know Chloe's stash was among them. Or maybe she did," she said, shrugging before she brought the blunt onto her lips and lit up. She took one long drag and held her breath for a moment before exhaling. "Want a hit?"

Kate looked at the offered blunt briefly, before she smiled and raised her palm. "Um, thanks, but no thanks," she declined politely. "I think one vice is enough for me."

"Suit yourself," Max said, taking another hit. "Chloe offered me a puff once, but I didn't take on it. Now, however, I can see why she liked to bake."

Kate raised her eyebrows upon Max's words. I thought she said she'd not seen Chloe since she moved to Seattle. She looked at the other girl curiously for a passing moment, before she brushed the thought off. Maybe the grief is confusing her.

"I usually take just a couple of hits when I feel the anxiety coming down on me," Max explained, taking one more hit, before she stubbed the joint and put it back into her satchel. "Gotta try to make this stash last as long as possible, 'cause I really don't know any drug dealers here, other than Frank Bowers, and the rumor has it that he's given up on dealing."

"Well, I'm not judging either," Kate said, smiling, before her expression turned to apologetic. "I'm so sorry for having ghosted you in the past weeks. How are you holding up?"

"I guess I'm hanging in there," the brunette said, shrugging. "Some days are better than others. To be honest, I wouldn't have minded a friendly shoulder to lean on."

"Sorry about that," Kate said bashfully. "I've been so preoccupied with my own things that I've completely neglected my best friend. I promise to make it up to you."

"Can I ask you something?" Max said, looking Kate straight in the eyes.

"Anything."

"Were you in Victoria's room the other night?"

"I, uh," Kate stammered, blushing. The question had come completely out of the woods, and Kate's mind was racing as she tried to figure out an answer. For a brief moment, she thought about lying, before she decided that Max deserved to know the truth. "Yes."

"I knew it!" Max exclaimed. "What on earth were you doing in Victoria's room at that hour?"

"I… I'm not in liberty to tell." Well, maybe not the whole truth.

"I heard someone scream. Well, the whole floor did. Did she do something to you?"

"Good heavens, no!" Kate hurried to say. "That was Victoria. She… um…. was frightened." Close enough.

"What is it between you two?"

"It's… um… complicated," Kate said hesitantly.

"Is Victoria making you do something against your will?" Max asked, putting her hand on Kate's shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Anything…" Kate touched the hipster's hand.

Max stood before her, naked as the day she was born, freckles scattered across her back. The only items the brunette was wearing were a pair of pink, fingerless, latex opera gloves that were attached to a pink posture collar, forcing her arms to be folded against her shoulders and thus useless. A ball gag harness was wrapped around her freckled face and chestnut hair, rendering her speechless. A single leather strap, starting from a D-ring on the posture collar ran down between Max's modest-sized, freckled breasts to another ring on her sternum, where another strap ran horizontally around her body. A third strap continued vertically all the way down to the brunette's crotch, to come back up between the round buttocks and connect with the horizontal strap on her back.

Max turned her head slowly from side to side with a mixture of distress and bemusement on her face, her breathing audible through her nostrils. Kate put her own latex-clad hand on the brunette's mittened one and hushed her calmly. Kate put her other hand on Max's collarbone and began to slide it slowly downwards, towards the perky bosom. Max gasped sharply through the gag as Kate's fingers reached the erect nip, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Kate's other hand started its journey down, along Max's bound arm, and then her side until it reached her hips. From there Kate slid her hand diagonally across the brunette's thigh between her legs, feeling the other girl's body shiver from the sensation. Not stopping, Kate began to slide her fingers slowly upwards. She rested her head on Max's shoulder to be able to see better as her fingertips reached their target, releasing a blissful moan from the other girl. She could feel how the leather strap had dug its way between the soft folds, securing the phallic intruder that now occupied the crevice in between. Kate's fingers found the switch at the base of the dildo. One flick and the vibrators deep within would send the brunette on a rollercoaster of agony and ecstasy.

"Kate?" Max asked suddenly, completely unhindered by the gag. Had it fallen out of place? How was that even possible? The whole point of a ball gag head harness…

"Kate!" Max said again, snapping Kate out of her fantasy. "Dog! You space out even worse than I do!" she continued, chuckling.

"Uh, sorry," Kate said, embarrassedly. "I… just remembered something…"

"It must've been something really good, based on the grin you had on your face," the hipster remarked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were having a wet daydream."

"What if I was?" Kate mumbled inaudibly.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"Uh, nothing like that," Kate hurried to say. "You know me, the champion of abstinence," she chuckled. Goodness! Did I just fantasize about domming my best friend? What is happening to me?

"Well, if you say so," Max said, sounding not completely convinced. "But if there's anything you want to talk in confidence, you can come to me."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So, are we done being bad girls for today?" the hipster asked, nodding towards the path to the dorms.

"I guess we are," Kate grinned.

They walked one after another back to the courtyard. Kate headed towards the main door of the dormitory building, but Max excused herself half-way, saying that she was going to pay a visit to Joyce and David. Kate watched how the brunette disappeared into the alleyway, before she herself entered the dormitory. As Kate opened the door leading to the hallway of her floor, she could immediately see that there was something hanging from the door knob of her room. Her heart rate climbing, Kate hurried to her door and picked up what turned out to be a large paper bag. She entered her room and put the bag onto her bed.

Kate knew already that the bag, and its contents were from Victoria as she looked to see what was inside. The first item was a note, with a curt message:

Meet me at the parking lot at 4 p.m. sharp.

V

Kate picked up the items inside the bag, one by one. The first item was a dark lavender cocktail dress, her size. She unfolded the dress and walked to her mirror, holding the dress in front of her. It had short, lightly puffed sleeves that accented the very generous décolletage. The hemline was just above her knees. This was nothing like the dresses Kate was accustomed to wear. It was… bold. It looked just stunning.

Kate laid the dress next to the bag and picked up a cardboard box that had 'Manolo Blahnik' printed on the lid. Inside was what Kate thought to be the most beautiful pair of shoes she'd ever seen. They must be also the highest heels she'd ever worn. How on earth will I stay upright wearing these?

The last item was a black lingerie set, consisting of a balconette bra, G-sting panties and a garter belt with a pair of stockings. Eek! I'd better get myself re-shaved from down there, Kate thought as she wondered at the small, sheer triangular patch of fabric that was supposed to cover her mound.

Kate had expected to hear from Victoria sooner or later, but she'd really not expected it to be in the form of expensive clothing and a mysterious note. Obviously, Victoria wanted Kate to wear these clothes to their meeting, but she couldn't help but wonder what the blonde had in store for her. Whatever it was, Kate had no time to be contemplating about it. She had less than three hours to get ready. She'd need to shower and get her hair done. I wonder if I could ask Dana to do my hair? With that, Kate went to her closet, took out her toiletry bag and began undressing.

A/N: Welcome back! This time we take a break from Vicky and Kate's games and concentrate on Kate going through her own issues and confronting Max. I figured that at some point, Kate might fantasize about domming her best friend. Only time will tell, if that will remain just fantasy...

Thanks again to Lyta Halifax and Googlycat for beta reading! Both of your insight and feedback is greatly appreciated! Also thank you everyone who reviewed or commented on the last chapter! Please keep 'em coming.

Until next time!