Just walk away. Please just walk away.
The largest of the group, a beefy guy I recognize as their vice president, steps in close. "Surprised they let you all out without supervision. Especially since DPO became the campus fag house."
The slur hits like a physical blow. Several market-goers turn to stare, looking uncomfortable but not intervening.
"Walk away, Brandon." My voice is low, but the warning is clear. "You're embarrassing yourself."
"I'm embarrassing myself?" he sneers. "You're the ones parading around with your gay bullshit, ruining the whole Greek system."
At this point, other DPO brothers have noticed the confrontation and are beginning to move toward us. Drew and Gavin are pushing through the crowd, but they're still too far away to intervene.
"Your outdated homophobia is both tedious and unoriginal," Caleb says, his voice surprisingly calm. "Find new material."
Brandon's face darkens. "What did you say to me, you little?—"
What happens next occurs so quickly that I barely register it. Brandon reaches toward Caleb, maybe to grab his sweater or shove him, I'm not sure. But before his hand makes contact, Caleb moves with unexpected speed.
His fist connects solidly with Brandon's jaw, sending the much larger guy stumbling backward in shock more than pain.
"You fucking psycho!" Brandon shouts, holding his face. "I'm pressing charges!"
Suddenly, Emily steps up, her phone held up clearly in video mode. "I'd reconsider that if I were you," she says calmly. "I've been recording since you approached. You know, for the sororityInsta. I'm sure the university board would be very interested in seeing what you said."
Brandon looks from Emily to Caleb, fury and calculation warring on his face. "He hit me! Everyone saw it!"
"We all saw a much smaller student defending himself after being threatened with a hate crime," Emily counters. "How do you think that's going to play out in the disciplinary hearing? Especially when Caleb's father is running for Senate on a platform that includes LGBTQ+ protections?"
The mention of Caleb's father seems to make Brandon pause. He glances at his friends, clearly reassessing the situation.
Drew arrives, stepping between the groups. "I think we're done here," he says, his usual cheerfulness replaced by a steely authority I rarely see. "Unless you want to make this official with campus security?"
Brandon spits on the ground near Caleb's feet. "This isn't over."
"Actually, it is," Drew replies. "Walk away while you still can."
The EBM assholes back away, shooting glares over their shoulders. Only when they're gone does everyone's attention turn to Caleb, who's flexing his hand with a wince.
"Dude!" Gavin exclaims. "That was awesome! Where did you learn to throw a punch like that?"
"Boxing lessons," Caleb mutters. "Another one of Mother's ideas for a well-rounded education."
Emily hurries over, showing Caleb her phone. "I got everything. If they try anything, we have proof they started it."
I'm still processing what happened. Caleb, the reserved and controlled one, punched someone. For us. For the fraternity. The realization makes me smile.
Without thinking, I step in close and wrap an arm around his shoulders, pulling him back against my chest in what looks like asupportive move but feels strangely protective. He stiffens for a second, then relaxes into me.
"You okay?" I ask quietly, close to his ear.
"Fine," he says, but I can feel the slight tremor in his body. "Just adrenaline."
The brothers are gathering around now, all talking at once about what happened. Several clap Caleb on the shoulder or offer fist bumps, clearly impressed by his unexpected skills.
"Alright, everyone, calm down," Drew calls out. "Show's over. Let's get back to enjoying the market."
As the group disperses, I realize I'm still holding Caleb against me; my arm has dropped to his waist, now in a much more intimate position than our plan called for at this stage.He's still here. Still letting me hold him. Huh.
"Want to get out of here?" Too many people are watching. Need to check if he's actually okay without an audience.
