“Sir, if you don’t move along, I’m going to call security.”
Theo started looking for a brick. He was pretty sure he could break the glass with a brick, and then he could explain in person. The guy would definitely understand if he just heard Theo out.
Laughter and footsteps made Theo pause; he recognized that laugh. He’d been hearing that laugh, on and off, for the last four months. He’d heard it in class. He’d heard it on long walks. He’d heard it in his house, when two-thirds of his couch were being taken up by a lanky eighteen-year-old. Then the laughter stopped. Theo waited, but it didn’t move any closer. No more footsteps either.
Moving toward where he had last heard those sounds, Theo walked around the side of Moriah Court. He saw two shapes in the darkness. They were pressed up against the wall. Two frantic sets of breaths. Hands moving. Bodies thrusting against each other.
“Auggie?” Theo said.
Both figures startled.
“Holy shit,” Auggie said, stumbling free. He was the smaller one, the one who had been pinned against the wall. He jerked at his coat and his pants. “Holy shit.”
“What the fuck?” the other one said. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Auggie,” Theo said. “Auggie, Auggie, Auggie.”
“Jesus Christ. Theo?”
“You know this asshole?” said the other guy.
“What are you doing?” Auggie demanded.
“I came to talk to you.” Theo took a step, but the darkness made everything uncertain, and he stumbled and hit the wall of Moriah Court. “I just need to say one thing to you. I just came to say one thing. I just need to say one thing, one thing. Just one thing.”
“Oh. My. God.” Auggie put his face in his hands. “Are you drunk?”
“He’s wasted,” the other guy said. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”
“Hold on,” Auggie said.
“This asshole is acting super weird. Let’s go inside, Augs.”
“That’s cute,” Theo said. “He calls you Augs. That’s really cute.”
“Just give me a minute, please?” Auggie said to the other guy.
“You’re kidding.”
“Just a minute.” Auggie moved closer, his features resolving in the shadows. “Can this wait until another day, please?”
Theo held up a finger. He wasn’t sure if his finger was moving or if he was, but everything looked like it was trembling and out of focus. “One—” He had to take a breath and hold it for a moment. “One thing.”
“Jesus,” Auggie said. “You cut your head open on the wall. You’re bleeding all over.”
“I just need to say one thing,” Theo said.
“For fuck’s sake, just say it,” the other guy said.
Theo pointed at him. “No. No. No.”
“What?” Auggie said. “Tell me what you need to tell me, and then you need to get home and clean up that cut.”
“No.” Theo managed to point again at the other guy, although it was hard to tell because everything was moving around. “He’s listening.”
“You are honestly unbelievable,” Auggie said.
“I just need to say—”
“Oh my God, stop. Ok. Orlando, just, hang out by the door, please?”
“For fuck’s sake, just leave him,” Orlando said. “He’s so trashed he doesn’t even know what he’s saying.”
“Go wait by the door, Orlando. Fuck, I’m trying to handle this.”
Orlando muttered something under his breath and left.
“I just need to say one thing,” Theo said.
“I am going to kill you if you don’t spit it out. I will be the first student at Wroxall to murder his professor. Do you understand me?”
“I’m leaving.”
“What?”
“I’m going to London.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m going to London right now, and I’m not coming back. Ever.”
“Ok, Theo, you need to go home and sleep this off. Can you get home? Fuck, it’s so cold.”
“Not going home. Going to London.”
“Let’s get you home,” Auggie said, taking his arm.
“No.” Theo twisted away, staggered, and hit the wall again. This time, he felt his head rebound. “Not going home. Going to . . . going to burn that motherfucking house to the ground. And then I’m going to London.”
“What is it with you and burning down that house?”
“Gonna burn it down. And then I’m—”
“Ok, yes. I heard you.” Auggie let out a frustrated breath. When he took Theo’s arm again, Theo let Auggie lead him around the building.
“Jesus Christ,” Orlando said. He had a strong brow and a strong jaw, and right then, he was frowning.
“I’ve just got to get him home.”
“Fuck that. Let him take a cab.”
“He’s out of his mind,” Auggie said. “And it’s freezing. I’m not going to leave him alone like this.”
“Who the fuck is he? And how old is he? Forty? Fuck, Auggie, what the fuck is going on?”
“I’ll take him home, and I’ll be right back. I swear it won’t take very long.”
“Not going home,” Theo said, trying to yank his arm free.
Auggie held on. “It’ll be an hour, tops. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“Not going home,” Theo shouted. “Gonna burn that place to the ground.”
“Will you shut the fuck up about that already?” Auggie said, shaking his arm.
“This is so fucking weird,” Orlando said.
“I’m sorry,” Auggie said. “I’ll be as fast as I can.”
“Fuck this,” Orlando said. “I’m staying at my buddy’s tonight.”
“Orlando, come on. I didn’t want this to happen. But I can’t just leave him.”
Shaking his head, Orlando moved off across the quad. Pools of light dimpled the darkness; the next time Theo could see him, he was halfway gone and jogging.
“Gonna burn that motherfucker—” Theo mumbled.
“Stop it,” Auggie said, shaking him again. “Jesus Christ, Theo. Why the fuck do you have to ruin everything?”
Theo stumbled back, breaking free, and tried to regain his balance. “I’m going to London. I’m going. I’m going. I’m never coming back. Not going to . . . not going to be alone on fucking Christmas.”
Auggie ran a hand through his short brown hair. His breath whooshed out; it sounded like he’d been punched.
“Come here.”
“Just came to say goodbye.”
“Fine, ok. I understand. Come here.”
“Going to
