But then something else strikes me, and I fix my glare on David. “You knew?”
He rubs the back of his neck, looking decidedly sheepish. “Yeah, kid.”
And I explode. “I’m. Not. A. Fucking. Kid!” I don’t care that heads turn our way, or that David frowns so hard his brow seems to swallow his eyes. “Damn it, David! You don’t have to barge into my conversations, or warn guys away from me like I’m your helpless little sister! You’re not my brother! You’re just my brother’s friend, and you barely even know me.” It isn’t true, and we both know it, but I have a point to make. David doesn’t know what’s best for me, and he doesn’t get to control my life. “I’m not a child that needs to be coddled or lied to!”
He recoils like I’ve slapped him. Well, good! “Beth—”
I turn and walk away from him. I’m a little drunk, and a lot aggravated, and I just want to get the hell out of here. I let my anger feed me, consuming my thoughts, mentally cursing David. I have to. Because if I don’t overreact, if there’s room beyond the anger, then I will have to process Brian’s presence, and I really don’t want to do that right now.
I storm through the crowded house and out the front door. I text Lani that I’m leaving, and get about three feet off the front porch before I’m snatched back by a huge hand on my arm. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” David practically snarls.
“Back to my dorm!” I wrench from his grip.
He jumps in my way and gets in my face. “You don’t walk home alone. Ever.”
“I can take care of myself!” We square off. Rationally I know he’s right, but I’ve dug my heels in so deep I’m afraid I’m stuck.
“Dicknose!” David shouts.
Huh?
Some kid appears by his side as if summoned by royalty. He looks attentively up at David, who’s casually lighting a cigarette.
“Pledge task—walk Beth home. Keep your fucking hands to yourself and your eyes off her ass,” David orders.
“For God’s sake.” I turn on my heel and leave.
Great. Now my babysitter has assigned a pledge to do his duty for him.
He shuffles up to me. “Hi. I’m—”
“Dicknose. I got it.”
His steps falter. “Well, that’s my pledge name. But my actual name is Grant.”
“Well I don’t need a babysitter, Grant, so why don’t you scurry on back to the frat house,” I spit.
He hesitates. “Uh…I can’t really do that.”
I suspected as much. I increase my pace, and, thankfully, he doesn’t try to catch up, but I’m continuously aware of his footsteps echoing about five feet behind me the whole way home.
It’s less than a ten-minute walk, and while there are a few other students around, Thursday is a notorious party night, and most people are out, not hanging around the dorm. I have to reluctantly admit I’m glad I didn’t leave alone, after all. Well, to myself anyway. To Dicknose, I only turn and glare, silently dismissing him. He does have kind of a long nose, and I have to suppress a giggle at the image my mind conjures up.
“I uh—should probably walk you to your door,” he mumbles uncertainly.
Not going to happen. I’m perfectly capable of walking the fifty yards through the small quad at Standman Hall. “I’m not going inside yet. I want to have a cigarette,” I lie.
He shuffles from foot to foot. “That’s okay. I’ll wait.”
I sigh in exasperation. I don’t even actually have a cigarette. “Look, I just want to be alone, okay?”
He doesn’t move, and every moment that passes, I grow more and more irritated.
“Okay, Dicknose. You have three seconds to leave. After that, I’m going to start screaming, and well, people are going to assume what they’re going to assume, and then—”
He splays his palms in surrender. “All right, Jeez.” He scowls at me like I’m more trouble than I’m worth, which was, of course, my intention. “But if Brother March asks, I walked you to your door, okay?”
“Totally,” I agree, and off Dicknose goes.
