Sean plucked Jake’s fingers from his shirt and took a step back. “Jesus, calm down. What the hell do you care?”
“Ezra’s a good guy, and he did all that stuff to change his looks for you.”
“Really?” Sean grinned. “How flattering.”
Jake bunched his fists. “He went through a lot of trouble for you. And all you’re doing is using him. But not anymore. I’m not going to hide this from him.”
Sean shrugged. “Fine. Let him know. But whatever you say, he won’t believe you.” He pretended to polish his nails on his polo. “Like you said, hereallylikes me.” Sean twirled the golf club. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He turned to walk off.
Jake was seeing red, and he couldn’t stop himself. Before Sean could take two steps, Jake shoved him. Sean’s arms flailed like a perturbed chicken as he fell backward into the pond. The pond wasn’t deep. Jake had waded into it plenty of times to get golf balls, but Jake still waited until Sean was done flopping around like a spastic fish and could stand up.
Sean wiped moss from his face and hair. “What the fuck?! I’m going to kick your ass!”
“Bring it, shithead!”
As Jake turned to storm off and leave Sean soaking wet and swearing behind him, Moe walked alongside Jake, making threats about his job and not giving Jake a tip.
But Jake didn’t care at all. He had to go find Ezra.
Jake first looked for Ezra in the library.
Then he went to the student center. Jake wasn’t completely sure where Ezra’s dorm was, he only had a vague idea, but as he walked along the hallway, he spotted a door with a dry erase board that hadcool beanswritten on it, along with a drawing of some jelly beans in ice cubes.
Jake knocked on the door a couple of times, but there was no answer. Jake didn’t want to ruin Ezra’s drawing, so he tried to write a message around it. He was worried that Sean would find Ezra first and lie to him. Ezra didn’t have a pager, so Jake had to go back to his room to call Ezra’s number and leave a message.
Jake waited all evening and all night, but Ezra didn’t call him back.
So, Jake went to the choir room early the next day to wait on Ezra, thinking he might come in early for once, but Ezra didn’t and when he did, he showed up with Sean.
Sean gave Jake dirty looks. And Jake gave him dirty looks back.
And after choir practice, after he’d been sitting next to Sean seething and singing with a clenched jaw—which didn’t help his enunciation at all—after Sean sat there and acted likehewould be the one that would win Best Looking, and winking at Ezra over Jake’s head, Jake was feeling a bit psychotic.
And like he might snap Sean’s neck like a twig.
So, after choir practice was over, Jake went over to Ezra before Sean could get to him, but Sean must have had the same idea because they both approached Ezra at the same time.
“I need to talk to you,” Jake said the same time Sean said, “You want to go hang out in my room?”
Ezra looked at each of them. He seemed confused at the serious—and slightly maniacal—expression on Jake’s face. “Are you okay?”
Sean grabbed one of Ezra’s arms. “Come on, let’s go.”
“You back off, asshole,” Jake snarled at him.
“Jake?” Ezra looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong?”
Jake narrowed his eyes at Sean, then looked at Ezra. “Listen. I know this is going to upset you, but I have to tell you. I saw Sean at the golf course with another guy.”
“Fuck off, Fallon!” Sean tugged on Ezra’s arm. “Let’s go.”
But Ezra didn’t go. He looked from Jake to Sean and back to Jake. “What?”
Jake glanced at Sean. His eyes sent a silent threat to Jake, but Jake wasn’t scared of him. “He’s just using you to write his papers. While he’s messing around behind your back.”
Ezra blinked a couple times and turned to look at Sean.
Sean was glaring at Jake. “He’s lying.” He tugged on Ezra’s arm again, leading him out of the choir room. “Come on.”
