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Authors: Jen Frederick
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Six
BO
“H EY , S UNSHINE ,” I SAID , HOLDING the door as AM and her roommate rushed out. Ellie gave me a small smile, but AM didn’t turn toward me at all. As she passed by me, I could see something glistening on the ends of her eyelashes. I tightened my grip on the door, not liking what that meant.
“Hey,” I repeated forcefully. When she looked at me, the pain I saw reflected hit me harder than an unexpected blow to the jaw. I knew AnnMarie only a tiny bit, but my guess was that this girl who tried to appear even-keeled in the face of minor ribbing by a classmate would prefer that her agony wasn’t riding so close to the surface.
“Here for the show?” she said, her voice brittle as an icicle. I moved to hold her, thaw her out, and pass on whatever warmth I could, but she held up her hand. I stayed my impulse because I didn’t want to be the one to break her as she stood there trying to hold it all together.
“No, just for dinner.” I smiled benignly, simulating normalcy as best as I could, but anger rose up from my gut. No girl looked like AnnMarie did right now, bruised around the eyes and the mouth, just from having a simple meal. The urge to storm in and rain down retribution like hellfire sawed at my nerves. My entire body tensed up with the unrelieved desire to deliver a beatdown to someone, but I managed to eke out a normal sounding response. “Meeting Noah and his girl Grace for dinner. See you in class tomorrow, right?”
AM looked confused for a minute, then nodded. She took a deep breath and said, “Tomorrow.” With that last word, she allowed her friend to lead her away.
I walked slowly so it didn’t appear like I was trying to chase down and enjoy the last remnants of whatever show AM was referring to. When I got to the stairs, however, I jogged down and bypassed the food line to look for Noah and Grace. The two of them were seated at a table against the window, talking seriously. I went over and sat down. “So did something just happen here?”
Noah grimaced and Grace looked away. “Just some guys being assholes,” Noah said.
“No big deal?”
“Yeah,” Noah said unconvincingly, looking over at Grace.
“So if it’s no big deal then why can’t Grace even look at me?” I pointed at her turned face. She heaved a big sigh and turned toward me, scrunching up her nose as if something smelled terrible. I was pretty sure it wasn’t me, the shower being the reason I was late to meet the two of them for dinner.
“Just a lacrosse guy trying to prove the size of his dick,” Noah interjected before Grace could open her mouth. Grace and I weren’t great friends despite our mutual connection with Noah. I wasn’t entirely convinced that she was good enough for him, and she thought I was a bad influence. I tried to tell her that Noah wasn’t influenced by anyone but her, and she was slowly coming to realize that. But I wanted to hear how Grace had seen the events.
“Grace?” I asked, as gently as possible. Noah, ever protective, jumped in before Grace could say a word.
“It was ugly, just leave it alone,” Noah commanded.
“It involve a girl named AnnMarie?” I asked Grace, ignoring Noah. She nodded. “Tell me,” I asked, tacking on “please” so she didn’t think I was a peremptory jerk even though I was, kind of.
“Do you know her?” Grace asked.
“She’s my biology lab partner.” A day ago I’d have said that maybe we were on the road to a hookup, but based on the look she’d shot me on her way out of the commons, I was guessing less than nothing.
Grace frowned. Maybe she thought I was bad news for everyone, not just Noah. “I don’t want to spread rumors,” Grace said, casting a glance over at a table full of lacrosse guys, a table that was abnormally subdued. Usually these guys dominated the classroom, the lunchroom, everything with their loud talk. They were always acting jacked up, like a newbie at boot who thought he was ready to join Marine Force
BO
“H EY , S UNSHINE ,” I SAID , HOLDING the door as AM and her roommate rushed out. Ellie gave me a small smile, but AM didn’t turn toward me at all. As she passed by me, I could see something glistening on the ends of her eyelashes. I tightened my grip on the door, not liking what that meant.
“Hey,” I repeated forcefully. When she looked at me, the pain I saw reflected hit me harder than an unexpected blow to the jaw. I knew AnnMarie only a tiny bit, but my guess was that this girl who tried to appear even-keeled in the face of minor ribbing by a classmate would prefer that her agony wasn’t riding so close to the surface.
“Here for the show?” she said, her voice brittle as an icicle. I moved to hold her, thaw her out, and pass on whatever warmth I could, but she held up her hand. I stayed my impulse because I didn’t want to be the one to break her as she stood there trying to hold it all together.
“No, just for dinner.” I smiled benignly, simulating normalcy as best as I could, but anger rose up from my gut. No girl looked like AnnMarie did right now, bruised around the eyes and the mouth, just from having a simple meal. The urge to storm in and rain down retribution like hellfire sawed at my nerves. My entire body tensed up with the unrelieved desire to deliver a beatdown to someone, but I managed to eke out a normal sounding response. “Meeting Noah and his girl Grace for dinner. See you in class tomorrow, right?”
AM looked confused for a minute, then nodded. She took a deep breath and said, “Tomorrow.” With that last word, she allowed her friend to lead her away.
I walked slowly so it didn’t appear like I was trying to chase down and enjoy the last remnants of whatever show AM was referring to. When I got to the stairs, however, I jogged down and bypassed the food line to look for Noah and Grace. The two of them were seated at a table against the window, talking seriously. I went over and sat down. “So did something just happen here?”
Noah grimaced and Grace looked away. “Just some guys being assholes,” Noah said.
“No big deal?”
“Yeah,” Noah said unconvincingly, looking over at Grace.
“So if it’s no big deal then why can’t Grace even look at me?” I pointed at her turned face. She heaved a big sigh and turned toward me, scrunching up her nose as if something smelled terrible. I was pretty sure it wasn’t me, the shower being the reason I was late to meet the two of them for dinner.
“Just a lacrosse guy trying to prove the size of his dick,” Noah interjected before Grace could open her mouth. Grace and I weren’t great friends despite our mutual connection with Noah. I wasn’t entirely convinced that she was good enough for him, and she thought I was a bad influence. I tried to tell her that Noah wasn’t influenced by anyone but her, and she was slowly coming to realize that. But I wanted to hear how Grace had seen the events.
“Grace?” I asked, as gently as possible. Noah, ever protective, jumped in before Grace could say a word.
“It was ugly, just leave it alone,” Noah commanded.
“It involve a girl named AnnMarie?” I asked Grace, ignoring Noah. She nodded. “Tell me,” I asked, tacking on “please” so she didn’t think I was a peremptory jerk even though I was, kind of.
“Do you know her?” Grace asked.
“She’s my biology lab partner.” A day ago I’d have said that maybe we were on the road to a hookup, but based on the look she’d shot me on her way out of the commons, I was guessing less than nothing.
Grace frowned. Maybe she thought I was bad news for everyone, not just Noah. “I don’t want to spread rumors,” Grace said, casting a glance over at a table full of lacrosse guys, a table that was abnormally subdued. Usually these guys dominated the classroom, the lunchroom, everything with their loud talk. They were always acting jacked up, like a newbie at boot who thought he was ready to join Marine Force
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