The New Norm 04: The True Meaning of "Family"

"You'd be the hottest babe on campus if you went to school here," he laughed.

Lola remained silent.

"Show me your panties."

When Derek's mother glared and didn't move, Joel sighed. "You're doing it again: you're acting like a stubborn dog that needs to be trained. Do you really want me to tell the world about you and Derek? Now, show me your panties or, so help me, I'll tear your clothes off myself!"

The way Joel's demeanor shifted instantly from calm to crazed frightened Lola more than anything. Hating herself, she slowly stepped out of the track pants. The young man's eyes were glued to her as he sneered and whistled.

"I have to admit, Lola, I figured you'd be a thong kind of gal. But the pink... what do you call 'em... boyshorts? They make your fantastic ass look even better!" He held out his hand and, in a quiet voice dripping with cruelty, commanded, "Take them off and give them to me."

Lola couldn't believe what she was hearing, but robotically complied and slipped the panties down her long legs. She couldn't bear to make eye contact as she handed them over. Standing in Joel's room naked from the waist down, Lola covered her intimate areas with her hands. The gesture was woefully inadequate, but at least it was something.

Joel stretched the underwear by its waistband and closed his eyes as he sniffed them deeply. The helpless woman was horrified as he trembled in orgasmic delight. "Fuck, they smell so sexy."

Lola remained deathly still and tried not to flinch as Joel began kissing her. The repugnant young man stood a good 6 inches shorter than her and was so scrawny that the fit woman knew that she could easily beat him into submission. But whenever she merely appeared as though she was about to resist, Joel would casually remind her about Derek.

Now the president of Pi Rho was groping her boldly as he kissed down her neck, his intrusive fingers feeling like nasty bugs crawling all over her skin. Lola wanted to brush him away and flee, but realized that the worst thing she could do right now was fight back. His hands slipped beneath the cup of her bra as he squeezed her breasts. The poor woman cringed but remained rooted in place.

Then Joel lowered his hand between her legs where he discovered that her womanly hole was dry.

Lola's face twisted in rage.

"Don't fight," he whispered sweetly. "It'll just make things worse for you. Take off my clothes." Lola kept her eyes averted as she obeyed. "That's a good dog. Now take off your clothes and get on my bed." Joel smiled appreciatively as her flawless nude form. "Derek is a lucky bastard. I guess he and I have more than just the fraternity in common now."

"Don't ever mention my son's name ever again. Do you hear me?"

"And did you hear me when I told you to get on my bed? I gotta make this quick, I need to be somewhere in 20 minutes."

In a strange way, Lola was relieved by the admission because it told her how long the rape tonight was going to last. The moment she sat on Joel's bed, he was upon her, placing his disgusting lips all over her body before forcibly mounting her. Joel's penis was miniscule compared to Derek's, but the emotional and psychological pain made it feel like she was being stabbed with a knife. Strangely, he was gentle, even slowing his movements as he ejaculated inside of her.

It was the most horrific thing Lola had ever experienced and the longest 3 minutes of her life.

When Joel mercifully finished, he pulled out, rolled over, and sighed contently. "I'm so glad I discovered you, Lola. You're such a great fuck. I'm going to have fun with you... we are going to have fun together. This is just the beginning." Then he glanced at his watch. "Shit, look at the time. I'm done with you. Get dressed and get the fuck out of here."

Suppressing bile and vomit, Lola pulled on her top then reached for her underwear.

"Leave the panties. They're mine now."

Lola swiftly finished dressing, and bolted.

Joel casually watched her fleeing form. Christ, what an incredible ass! When Derek's mother was gone, he sniffed her pink panties again.

"I love you, Lola."

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Lola's physical and mental abuse continued.

Sometimes, Joel wouldn't contact her for days while other times he would taunt her with dozens of lewd messages within minutes. The worst was no longer not knowing when she would be blackmailed into seeing him again; rather, it was what he might do whenever she was summoned back to the Penthouse. Clearly, the repugnant president of Pi Rho was unstable, and Lola knew that he was capable of much greater cruelty.

She was back at the fraternity house about a week later, arriving in a fancy little black dress as told. The woman anticipated that Joel would force himself on her again, but he instead had cooked her a magnificent meal that they ate with fine china, fancy silverware, and a high-priced bottle of wine. Lola kept waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, but after finishing the well-prepared meal, Joel conversed with her politely then simply sent her home.

The next time Joel summoned Derek's mother, however, he took Lola to the basement, where the fraternity often threw their parties during the school year, stripped her clothes off, and handcuffed her to the radiator. Then, to her horror, Joel closed the door, locked it, and simply left! Lola attempted to yank the handcuff free from the radiator, but it proved impossible even for the physically strong woman.

She had to wait in fear for her abuser to return, naked and cold in the dank basement.

At one point, Lola heard some of the other Brothers returning to the house. And her horror increased exponentially when there were footsteps coming down the stairs! They were so close that she could hear their voices and laughter clearly. Yet when the Brothers attempted to open the door to the basement, it remained locked. They gave up after several attempts, and the trapped woman sobbed in relief as they went back upstairs.

Yet another time, Joel forced Lola to strip naked then crawl throughout the deserted fraternity house on her hands and knees as he led her with a leash.

There was no rhythm or reason to Joel's torment; no way to guess what harm or humiliation he would inflict upon her during each visit. All Lola knew was that the young man was a sociopath and who was aroused by the power he wielded over her. And there was, unfortunately, no end in sight to the nightmare.

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Lola was sitting on the couch streaming a movie with Derek one night when she received another text from Joel.

I want a blowjob. Get over here right now. And bring some beer.

"What is it, mom?"

"Nothing, babe. I just need to run some errands."

"Really? You need to run some errands at 11pm?" His eyes narrowed. "Who just texted you?"

"No one."

"You're a terrible liar. You either haven't been coming home from work or you take off at really weird hours." Derek hesitated. "Are you seeing someone? If you are, you can tell me. I just want you to be happy." Though he strangely hoped that was the case, he didn't believe that to be true. The teen knew that his mother would be forthcoming if she was merely dating someone.

Lola sighed. During the past few months, she had grown weary of immediately dropping everything to answer Joel's summons. She had grown weary of the physical abuse and mental abuse.

Lola had also grown weary of lying to her son.

"Derek... I... I've just been going through some things. Things that I need to work through and figure out on my own."

"Mom, I'm not blind. I know something's been bothering you. But you don't have to figure it out on your own. I'm here." His tone immediately softened as he pleaded desperately, "Please tell me what's going on. Whatever it is, I don't care. I'll help you get through it... we'll get through it. Together."

Lola turned away and tried her best not to cry. It was horrible and heartbreaking to hear her son pleading with her. "Derek... babe. This is something that you can't help me with. Someday, I'll tell you what's going on, but not right now. Right now, you have to just trust me."

"Mom, you're scaring me. You've been acting weird all summer. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Lola forced a smile. "You just have to trust me that everything is going to be ok. Mommy is going to take care of everything and keep you safe." The woman didn't intend to be so cryptic and immediately regretted her choice of words.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Derek demanded.

But Lola didn't answer nor did she look at him as she rose. "I have to go." She grabbed her car keys and disappeared.

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What the fuck is going on?

Derek helplessly watched his mother leave yet again. She was in some kind of trouble; that much was obvious. But what kind of trouble? Lola wouldn't be into anything illegal, like drugs. That much, he knew. But WHAT?!?!?

Lola hadn't been herself since the onset of the summer. Though glimpses of the free-spirited, vivacious, sexy woman occasionally returned, Lola had fallen into some kind of melancholia that she couldn't pull herself out of and, almost as heartrending, he couldn't help her out of. Fall semester would be starting soon, and he'd be returning to school and leaving his mother home alone once again.

The thought terrified him.

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As she always did whenever Joel forced himself on her, Lola quickly dressed and tried to flee as quickly as she could. She stopped being terrified of him long ago and willingly accepted his abuse as the price she had to pay in order to protect her son; no, her true reason for rushing home was to wash the diminutive man's stink from her body.

The beautiful blonde was putting on her top when Joel embraced her from behind. The gesture was without violence and would've appeared genuinely affectionate to anyone who witnessed it. Lola instinctively tensed, half-expecting that he would make more sexual demands. But Joel sighed happily.

"I look forward to these moments with you, Lola, and I hope you feel the same."

You're insane: the retort was on the tip of Lola's tongue, but she smartly bit it back. Though she was still at Joel's mercy, she did learn how to control him to a small degree. Insulting or ridiculing the president of Pi Rho unleashed his anger, and that was when he was at his worst.

That was when the violence occurred.

Even acting distant towards the diminutive young man often subjected Lola to treatment that was cruel and demeaning. However, though Lola had figured out how to manipulate Joel somewhat, tonight she discovered that it was backfiring. Something unbelievable, to her horror, was occurring.

He was beginning to act as if they were in love.

When Lola was too stunned to respond, Joel caressed her face affectionately. "My god, you're so beautiful. I can understand why your son enjoys fucking you." Then his eyes flared and his face twisted in jealous rage without warning. "You're not still fucking him, are you?" He demanded angrily.

Lola's first instinct was to defend her son's honor, but she realized that she had to tread carefully. "No, Joel. I ended things with him once you and I... started being together."

Joel's enraged visage lingered, and the beautiful woman steeled herself as she expected him to hit her again. But then his expression softened as quickly as his initial mood swing. He sighed in relief and hugged her. "Thank god, Lola. I don't want anyone getting between us." Then Joel smiled pleasantly. "I was going to share you with the Executive Council. Let them each take a turn with you. Let them gang-fuck you while I watched."

Derek's mother felt cold dread; one man forcing himself on her was already horrible enough, but a whole group? That was the stuff of nightmares.

"But," the diminutive young continued earnestly, "I don't want to share you. With them or anyone else. I want to keep you for myself." He hugged her close and was short enough that his head rested between her breasts. "You're mine, Lola. All mine."

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Two Pi Rho Brothers were approaching the fraternity house just as Lola was exiting in a hurry. Joel was surprisingly discreet and always summoned her when no one else was home. Now, however, these two Brothers stared at her with wide eyes. Lola averted her face, and prayed that they didn't see recognize her as she rushed past them.

Lola quickly entered her car that was parked around the corner, and was about to insert the key in the ignition when she paused to stare at her reflection in the rearview mirror. It felt like Joel had been blackmailing her for so long that the beautiful blonde, for better or worse, had become desensitized to the horror. She viewed it with resigned acceptance, like punishment for being a horrible mother. Perhaps she deserved it.

No.

Yes, the type of love she shared with her son was undeniably wrong, but that didn't justify rape; nothing did. Lola realized that she needed to have more courage and self-respect for herself regardless of her own failings. She breathed deeply. And just like that, the beautiful mother suddenly knew what she had to do.

Lola sped away and hoped that Derek was home.

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Not long after Lola left, Derek, by pure happenstance, arrived at the fraternity house with Kenny. Fall semester was only 2 days away and as was tradition, the newer Brothers returned to the Pi Rho house early to clean and make any necessary repairs. The Pi Rho House had to look immaculate, after all, for the incoming students, potential pledges, and any impressionable girls.

Unlike Kenny, Derek knew he wasn't much of a handyman so he diligently set himself to cleaning. He shook his head in amusement as he discarded up leftover food that resembled a science project and empty beer cans. In truth, the young man still couldn't believe that he was a member of the fraternity. He had been so disenfranchised that he had almost de-committed several times last year. And while many of the Elder Brothers--- Joel, in particular--- grated on his nerves, it was guys like Kenny who nurtured Derek's sense of friendship and brotherhood, and convinced him to stay.

Derek was so efficient that he quickly finished cleaning the first and second floors; that left the basement and the Penthouse. He turned to Kenny who was meticulously spackling a recently-made huge hole in a wall that probably had an interesting story behind it. "Hey, Kenny. I'm heading up to the 3^rd floor."

"What's the matter? Too special to mingle with us lowly commoners down here?"

Derek rolled his eyes at his friend's impudent grin, and headed up to the Penthouse.

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The Penthouse would've normally been off limits to everyone except the Elders, but the restrictions were always more lax at this time of year. For one thing, the older Brothers weren't home as often and there were no Pi Rho-sanctioned parties during the summer. Any fraternity member was essentially able to come and go as they pleased in this section of the house.

Derek experienced some reluctance as he entered the Penthouse. This was his first time returning since he had witnessed Alicia nearly getting sexually assaulted by Joel [refers to events in Chapter 2]. It was something that kept him awake at night, and now this particular place represented those bad memories. Lola's son often wondered if he had made the right choice by not reporting the incident to the proper authorities.

"Reluctance", however, didn't equate "fear". Derek also hadn't seen Pi Rho's diminutive president since that night, and wasn't apprehensive about running into Joel again. If fact, the brawny young man welcomed it and was more than eager to continue their last conversation.

The entire top floor of the fraternity house was deserted, and Derek was surprised to discover that the lounge area of the Penthouse--- where the Executive Council typically indulged in controlled substances and alcohol--- was fairly clean and devoid of any illegal drug paraphernalia or empty beer bottles. He sighed contently. Since the bedrooms were off limits, anyway, that meant that there'd much less cleaning to do.

He quietly wandered into what he grandiosely called the "Artifacts Room".

Derek was admittedly a history buff and though he realized it wasn't what most people would consider a "cool" hobby, he had always taken an interest in the past. Just like the terrible coronavirus pandemic had left its mark in the annals of time, so had past members of Pi Rho Fraternity. He gazed at all the plagues and awards on display all throughout the room. There were even several busts and framed portraits of notable alumni, some who had lived so long ago that they were now historical figures. Famous authors. Prominent members of the Armed Forces. Revered sports figures. Scientists. Even a former President of the United States!

Derek had always taken immense pride in these particular items, knowing that previous Pi Rho Brothers had left an indelible mark on history.

It contrasted greatly to the so-called "Wall of Fame".

Derek sighed. He didn't spare the panties displayed on the far side of the room a glance as he began to turn away. But something so bright and poignant... something so seemingly familiar... caught his attention at the last moment that he spun back and stared.

The young man's eyes narrowed.

The echo of his footsteps were deafening in the silent room as he approached the collage of panties. There were so many adorning the wall that a single pair should not have stood out. But there, somehow appropriately in the center of it all, like the eye of a storm, was a bright pink pair of panties.

Derek knew it well.

The panties had once been his trophy [refers to events in Chapter 1].

The young man stared at the underwear in horror. No, it couldn't be. He had to be mistaken! There was no possible way that...

But Derek knew. These panties belonged to his mother. He could recognize them anywhere.

HOW? WHY?

The only way his mother's underwear would've appeared on the Wall of Fame was if she had slept with a Pi Rho Brother, but Derek shook his head. There was no explicable reason for what he was seeing. There HAD to be some other explanation.

Then a cold dread slowly closed around his heart like a fist and, for a moment, the young man couldn't breathe.

Joel.

Derek was certain that his vile fraternity president was somehow involved.

And if Joel was involved, that could mean nothing good.

Then Derek recalled how his mother had been acting strange and, literally, appeared bruised and broken for months.

Derek experienced fear like never before.

He nearly ripped his Lola's underwear from the wall, but he caught himself at the last moment. Gently removing the tacks that were pinning it in place, he folded his mother's garment with loving care and placed them in his pocket. Then, clenching his large hands into sizable fists, he stomped towards Joel's room.

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Fortune was shining down upon Joel, wherever he was at that precise moment, because Lola's son would've beaten him to near-death had he been home.