I feel my ears heating as heat rushes up my neck, infusing my cheeks. My heart beating out of control with fear and anger. Crossing my arms over my chest I try to cover myself. Cursing Kohl for spilling coffee on me and for insisting that I wear this damn shirt.
“Fuck off, Masters,” Wren mumbles.
My head whips to him, my eyes bugging out of my head, I can’t believe what he said. Wren is a little bit of nothing, he couldn’t even fight his way out of a wet paper bag. What is he thinking? Chase will pulverize him for a comment like that.
“What did you say, Worm? I know you weren’t talking to me,” Chase says puffing his chest out, bumping Wren with it, knocking him into the table behind us.
“Come on, Chase,” a low booming voice vibrates when a large body steps in between Wren and Chase.
My eyes travel up and up to the hardened, grim face of Jackson Raines, standing next to Chase. Where Chase is pale, lean and charming, Jackson is tall, stalky, 250 pounds of thick hard corded muscle. Deep chocolate skin covered in ashy ink tattoos, dark charcoal eyes, a bald shining head, the power forward of the basketball team and intimidating as hell. Also, from what I know of him, he’s a man of few words.
Nodding to me, Jackson pulls Chase back to their lab station. Chase cursing and ranting the entire way across the room
Turning to Wren, “Do you have a death wish? What were you thinking?” I whisper yell at him, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“What was I thinking? What was I thinking?” he rages starting in a low growl but getting louder with each word. “After everything those guys have done to you, you stand here beside me sporting a shirt that touts Team Squad, a shirt that only privileged people can wear AND it has Black’s name on the back of it. You can clearly see your bra through it and it’s too tight. But you ask me what I was thinking?” he barks.
I’ve never seen Wren this angry and I have known him since we were in diapers. We went to the same elementary school. No, we skipped through the grades of the same elementary school. We graduated from high school together and decided to come to JSU together. I decided to live here on campus while his parents decided to move across the state so he could live at home. He’s my best friend; at times, he was my only friend. We have studied together, we have cried over being bullied together and he was my first. My first kiss, we lost our virginity together and we started college together.
I glossed over that whole virginity thing, huh?
We decided before we left for college it would be better for both of us if we got it out of the way. Wren suggested we experiment with each other. I was curious. Romance novels have polluted my brain with spectacular first times, making it sound magically delicious. There were no hearts, stars or leprechauns. It was awkward, painful, stale and not all that much fun; for me, at least. Wren thought it was the shiznit and couldn’t wait to do it again. “It will be better the next time, if we wait a little bit we can do it again,” he said full of hopefulness.
“I don’t want to do it again. Once was enough, we’re not virgins anymore, problem solved. Now we go back to being friends,” I said. He seemed dejected but he still never got angry with me which is why his rage now is confusing me.
“Yes, I ask what you were thinking. You told Chase to ‘fuck off’. Unless you turned into Superman overnight or figured out a way to ‘Hulk-Out’, that was stupid,” I say.
“You’re not exactly a good judge of stupid, now are you Tensanne?” he sneers.
My jaw drops, I gasp, my heart splits at my oldest friend spewing such venom at me, tears fill my eyes.
Dr. Morgan announces that class is dismissed for the day. Wren hurries to grab his belongings and bolts for the door.
He’s not getting away that easy, I think, grabbing my stuff, wiping away a tear that escaped, I chase him out the door. Stopping when I slam into his back. “Oomph, you’re just going to leave it like that?” I yell to his back. He doesn’t turn to me, so I move to stand in front of him when I see there is already someone in front of him. Kohl is standing in front of Wren. How did I miss him towering over Wren?
“Hey, Wren. How’s it going?” Kohl asks.
They’re facing off like it’s a blinking contest. Whoever blinks first loses. Testosterone floats heavy in the air.
Drawing his shoulders back, puffing out his chest like a peacock, “What are you doing, Black?” Wren spews, spittle flying out of his mouth. He needs to tell me where this courage has come from because I need to find it.
Wiping his face, Kohl responds, “I was coming to take Ten to lunch. Do you have a problem with that, Wren?”
“Yes, you’re my problem with that. Haven’t you already done enough, Black? You and your crony’s need to find someone other than Ten to pick on.” Wren yells.
Forcing a tight smile to Kohl, I grab Wren by the hand and drag him off to the side where I’m hoping Kohl can’t hear.
“What’s going on? Why are you so angry with me and why are you risking getting pummeled by the basketball team?” I ask feeling a
