ONE
Brooke
As I walked back to my apartment on the edge of campus, I considered how my first two years had gone. Buffalo State University. My dream school.
Things were good, I was good. Good grades, nice apartment. I was lucky. Just two more years and I could be whatever I wanted to be. Whoever I wanted to be.
With a half-mile or so to go until I got home, I heard a group of drunk frat boys behind me. Why did I take the shortcut through the darkest part of campus? I scolded myself.
I picked up the pace. I could probably outrun them if I had to. Jackasses, I hated that I even need to consider it.
“Hey, baby. Wanna party?”
I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm as I walked even faster.
“Where you going, babe? We won’t take very long.”
Laughter filled the air behind me. Why didn’t I call Jocelyn to come pick me up? I’d stayed late in the lab working on assignments before, but I had always made sure she came to get me.
“You better fucking stop, bitch.”
The tone of the taunting voice had changed. My heart beat faster as I clutched the straps of my backpack, wondering if I should stop or keep going. I glanced down the dark, deserted path ahead and saw nothing.
“You hear me, bitch?”
They sounded close. Too close. I gripped my phone. Dial 911, I told myself.
“Get her!” someone yelled.
A hand grabbed my shoulder and squeezed. I stopped and spun around, phone in my hands.
“I’m recording this,” I said, holding up the device.
“Fuck you and your phone,” the man said then slapped it out of my hand.
It skidded across the bricks of the walkway.
“What the hell?
I took a step toward the phone. When I bent over to pick it up, the group of five guys whistled and made crude comments about my ass.
“You’re lucky you didn’t break it,” I said as I stood up with it in my hand.
“Oh? Are we? Little girl’s got some balls, does she?”
They reminded me of wolves as they circled around me. One took a swig from a fifth of whiskey then handed it to someone else.
“Look, I’m calling the police. You don’t want to be here when they arrive.”
I held my phone up and turned on the screen.
Would they leave if I acted calm and not afraid? That was my only hope.
“Come on,” he said. “Let me get a taste of you at least.”
“No!” I shouted then attempted to walk past him.
He and the others stopped me, closing the circle.
“You’re not hot enough to fuck, but I’ll give you a little lick,” red-shirt said.
“Get her, Derek,” someone said.
“Don’t use my name, asshole!” he shouted angrily.
“Look, if you let me go on my way, we’ll call it a night, okay? No harm, no foul.”
“Like I said, let me get a little taste, and I’ll let you go on your way.”
He reached for me again. I pulled away. Someone behind me put his hands on my waist and said, “Settle down, honey, and it will all be over quick.”
I would never forget the darkness in his voice, or what happened next.
Out of nowhere, Austin King, star Running Back for the Buffalo State Giants, appeared in between two of the others, joining their circle.
“What’s up, fellas?” he said, putting his hands on the two shoulders next to him.
“What the fuck do you want, Austin?” Derek, in the red shirt, asked haughtily.
“Can’t you guys get laid back at the frat house? Do you need to be out here harassing young women like…” He looked over at me. “What’s your name?”
“Brooke,” I said in as steady of a voice as I could muster.
“You don’t need to be harassing a nice lady like Brooke. Not tonight.”
“What do you have to do with her?” Derek asked.
He and the others stepped back, surrounding Austin and myself.
“Do you really want to do this?” Austin asked in a cocky voice.
I stared at his body so fit, huge, and ready for anything.
“Let’s just go,” I pleaded.
“No,” he said, not taking his eyes off Derek. “These idiots need to learn a lesson.”
“Yeah?” Derek and the others laughed. “What are you going to do about it? There’s more of us than you, dumbass.”
“You need a counting lesson.”
Austin put his fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly. Four of his buddies yelled and hollered as they rushed up the path toward us. The frat guys stepped back, forming a line.
“About time you guys caught up,” Austin said when the newcomers lined up next to us.
I recognized two of them from the football team. One, Trey, I had helped with a knee injury during summer break.
“What’s going on?” Trey, a defensive lineman, asked as he stared at the fraternity brothers.
“These guys were just about to leave,” Austin said.
He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned like nothing mattered in the world.
“You’re fucking lucky,” Derek said, pointing a finger at me.
Austin took two steps forward, followed by Trey and the other beefy football players. The frat boys took off running down the path, hooting and hollering as if they’d won the confrontation.
Fucking idiots.
I turned my attention to Austin. He dropped his arms and stared directly into my eyes.
“Thank you,” I said as I put my hand on his arm.
Those muscles, though!
“No problem,” he said. “What are you doing out so late?”
“I’m on my way home from the lab. I can’t tell you how lucky I am you were here, those guys are...” My voice ran dry.
“Total creeps. Not all guys are like that, you know.”
“Some are the white knight types, like yourselves?”
“Yeah I guess we are.”
I maintained eye contact.
“You’re Brooke, right?” Trey asked.
“Yeah.” I turned to face him. “You remembered.”
“You really helped with my knee.”
“Good. Sports medicine is my dream.” I turned to Austin. “Thanks again, but I need to get home. My roommate is probably worried sick.”
“I’ll walk you the rest of the way,” he said.
“That’s not necessary.”
Shut-up! Let him do it!
“I insist.” He turned to Trey. “I’ll see you guys at practice tomorrow.”
“Don’t stay out too late,” Trey, said as he held out his fist.
“For sure,” Austin said, bumping the fist with his own.
As the others took off down the path toward the direction the frat boys had gone, Austin turned to me. He still had that cocky grin on his face as if everything always went his way.
“Do you live close?”
I nodded.
“Not too much farther. You really don’t need to walk with me.”
“Brooke, it’s fine. I want to walk with you.”
“Thanks,” I said, trying to keep the butterflies in my stomach. I needed to figure out a way to repay him. And my lips wanted everything to do with it.