Breaking Masks

By Josh Aterovis and Dabeagle

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Chapter 7 - Jake

"I can explain everything, just don't fire Kody," I said, holding out my hands in the universal sign for Please don't kill me.

Max burst into laughter, and I belatedly realized that her reddening face had only been a sign of impending mirth, not anger.

My face flushed, and I stood awkwardly while she laughed herself out. Before she could pull herself together, the door opened again and the blonde woman — Marla? — entered. She took stock of Max's tear-stained face and me standing behind the counter and just shook her head.

"What did I miss?" she asked. "Did we hire the cutie-patootie?"

"It's not what it looks like..." I felt like an idiot. "Please don't fire Kody," I insisted again. "It wasn't his fault..."

"Nobody is getting fired, least of all Kody," Max said, wiping her tears. "But maybe you can start by explaining why you were behind the counter — on the floor, no less — with him."

Marla's eyebrows jumped up.

"Well, um, I startled Kody, and he jumped, and his dish rag caught on a handle and sprayed hot water all over the place, and I didn't know if he'd burned himself so I came back to check, and then I was helping him clean up the mess—"

"Take a breath, kid," she said, cutting me off. "Aren't you just a good little Samaritan?" She approached and peered over the counter, confirming the existence of a puddle. "Well, that was mighty sweet of you, but we'll take care of it now. So unless you want to tie on an apron, I suggest you get out from behind my counter."

I quickly and gratefully made my escape as Marla and Max slipped past me.

"I'll take care of this. You go check on Kody," Marla said to Max.

Max left through the back door and Marla turned her thoughtful gaze on me. I had a feeling she wasn't going to let me off as easily as Max had, so I grabbed my coffee and nodded in her direction as I practically ran for the door.

That was real smooth, Jake, I thought as I walked back to campus.

I'd never botched a pick-up quite that badly before, and I'd had some real doozies. Like the time I was aggressively flirting with a guy only for him to finally tell me that we'd already hooked up.

Or the time I thought a sexy tattooed bartender was checking me out all night, so I dramatically slid my number across the counter on a napkin...only to have the other bartender grab the napkin, crumple it up, and throw it in the trash. It turned out she was his wife.

And arguably the worst one: I asked this guy who was always shopping at the art supply store for his Snap only for him to say, "No thanks. I knew your brother." Talk about a boner killer. No pun intended.

Those had been awkward, but this was different. I'd always shaken off my other failures, but this one deeply disappointed me. It wasn't just that it was embarrassing — I'd have to see Kody and Company again if I wanted to keep getting coffee there. And it wasn't just that he was adorable — although, that smile! I'd been shot down by hotter guys and walked away without a second thought.

So what was different?

He fascinated me.

No, it was more than that. I felt inexplicably drawn to him for reasons I didn't understand. He wasn't remotely anything like my usual type...and maybe that's what I liked about him. Maybe it was his innocence. There was a certain flustered naiveté about him that I found very charming.

What am I thinking? I don't even know if he's gay!

Things had been going well though, at least before Max and Marla had returned. I was pretty sure I was getting positive signals from him.

I sighed.

Or maybe he was just too nice to tell me I was being a weirdo creeper.

It was possible I'd never know after that debacle. I wouldn't blame him if he ran the next time he saw me coming. What had I been thinking going behind the counter like that? I could have gotten him fired.

Even if he is gay, he probably won't be interested in you if he finds out about your past, a nasty little voice whispered inside my head.

Maybe that was what made it different. My attraction to Kody was about something other than just his looks. I wanted more than a one-night stand, and that terrified me. I didn't know if I was ready to be honest with someone about the things I'd done. I could always keep it a secret, but if things developed, I'd have to tell him eventually, and then it would only be worse then because I would have hidden it from him.

I sighed again.

This line of thinking was going nowhere fast. All I had was speculation and suppositions. I pushed Kody from my mind and tried to redirect my thoughts.

As I passed the student union, I remembered that I still needed to buy those assigned books for English, so I decided to try again. Maybe they'd restocked or something. If nothing else, it would be a welcome distraction from my thoughts of Kody. If they didn't have them this time, I didn't know what I would do.

Luckily, the bookstore wasn't as busy as it had been earlier. I pulled the list up on my phone and started looking up call numbers. Sure enough, they had restocked at least some of the books, and it didn't take me long to find two out of the three titles.

I took the ones I'd managed to find up to the cash register and asked about the final book. The guy behind the counter said they didn't have any more copies, and probably wouldn't for another week.

I made my way back to my room, but as I went to unlock the door, I dropped my keys.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, bending to pick them up — only to somehow slam my forehead directly into the door in the process.

Pain exploded behind my eyes.

I leaned against the door with a groan, waiting for the throbbing to subside, when, to my surprise, the door suddenly swung inward.

Off balance, I stumbled straight into the room, my books flying from my arms as I pinwheeled forward and crashed into what felt less like a person and more like a load-bearing wall.

Or, more specifically — because apparently the universe hated me personally — Slug.

Of course it was Slug.

He caught me in a bone-crushing hug and looked down at me as if I'd somehow lost my mind.

"Don't you have a room?" I snapped as I struggled to disentangle myself from the giant.

"Yeah, but my roommate doesn't like me," he said matter-of-factly.

"I can't imagine why not." My voice was soaked in sarcasm but the Neanderthal didn't seem to notice.

"I don't know either. I'm always polite."

I stifled a roar of frustration as I turned away to pick up my books. I dropped them on my desk, then decided to get it over with.

"Where is Foster?" I asked, even though I knew it was an exercise in futility.

He shrugged, sending ripples across his chest. "Dunno."

"Why am I not surprised?"

He sat on Foster's bed and stared dumbly at me. I fought the urge to scream at the big doofus, reminding myself that he couldn't help being the dimmest bulb on the Christmas tree. Besides, I knew what was really bothering me was the fact that I'd screwed things up with Kody. There was no point taking that out on Slug.

I flopped backwards onto my bed with a sigh.

"Are you okay?" Slug asked.

"It's a long story," I said, waving my hand dismissively.

"I have time."

"Thanks, but...I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Oh. Okay."

Was it my imagination or did he sound a little disappointed? I took pity on him and decided to attempt a conversation.

"So you're friends with Foster?"

"Yeah."

This might be more difficult than I'd first thought. "How do you know each other?"

"We went to the same high school."

"Where was that?"

"Canton."

"Is that in New York?"

"Yeah."

"I've never heard of it."

"It's upstate."

I squinted. "I'm not from here. What does that mean? Aren't we technically upstate here?"

"It's...more upstate."

"So north of here?"

"Yeah. Near Canada."

I was getting worn out from the effort of extracting information. I decided to take a breather and let the silence settle between us. I jumped a little when he suddenly started talking.

"We've been friends since, like, kindergarten. We're both really good at sports. Foster plays water polo. I play football. Foster used to play football too before he got into water polo. We used to be best friends, but when he started playing water polo, he didn't talk to me as much. When he found out I was going here too, he suddenly wanted to be my friend again."

He paused, and I thought his infodump was finished. It was obvious to me that Foster was using Slug, probably for the access to booze, assuming my theory was correct. I was trying to think of something to say while also trying very hard not to picture Foster in nothing but a Speedo and those weird little bathing cap things when Slug started up again.

"Everybody always thinks I'm really stupid, and maybe I'm not the smartest guy, but I'm not as dumb as people think either. Foster thinks I'm dumb, but he's not any smarter than me. I got better grades than he did. Sometimes I don't think he really even likes me all that much. I think he's just my friend because I'm the only person he knows here."

I stared at Slug with a new respect. As he'd admitted, he might not be the brightest guy but he was obviously smarter than he looked to have figured all that out on his own.

"What's your real name?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"Your name isn't really Slug, is it?"

He shook his head. "It's Brayden."

I blinked. He didn't look like a Brayden.

"I hate Slug," he added sadly.

"Then why does Foster call you that?"

"Everybody back home called me that. When I was seven, somebody dared me to eat a slug."

"And you did?"

He nodded.

"Ah."

I suddenly found myself actually liking the big lug...at least a little. I felt bad for him. There was a certain sadness about him that made me wonder what was going on inside that big empty head of his.

Or perhaps it wasn't as empty as I'd thought.

"Well, Brayden," I said, reaching for my book. "I think I'm going to read for a little while."

When I said his name, he got a big goofy grin on his face. "Sure, Jamie. Don't let me bother you."

"It's, uh, Jake," I reminded him, and he nodded cheerfully. He'd probably forgotten already.

I shrugged and started reading.

I looked up a while later, surprised to see Brayden still sitting there grinning happily. Maybe there wasn't too much going on inside his head after all.

I sat my book down a couple of hours later and looked over at Brayden. He was still sitting on Foster's bed. He'd turned on the TV after asking if it would bother me, and ever since, he'd been contentedly watching Cartoon Network.

"I'm going to lunch," I said.

He looked up. "Can I come?"

I had a sudden sinking feeling that he'd latched onto me. Would he start following me around like a big dopey puppy? The thought was rather chilling, but I couldn't very well tell him he couldn't eat lunch.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

He plodded along after me as we walked to the cafeteria. I got a cold-cut sub while he filled several plates with enough food to feed a small third world country. I suddenly understood how he maintained his size. We ate in companionable silence, and then he followed me back to my room.

The rest of the weekend was basically just more of the same. I read and messed around online or played games while Brayden watched TV, chuckling occasionally over the antics of whatever animated character he happened to be watching at the time.

Foster barely made an appearance, which was fine with me, but Brayden was in our room more than my actual roommate. I finally asked Brayden about it, and he informed me that Foster's absence was due to "team stuff." He didn't elaborate, and I didn't ask him to.

He did finally reappear Sunday night, which was probably a good thing considering classes started the next day.

The first week of classes went about as well as I could’ve expected. A few of them were obviously going to be easy enough to sleepwalk through, while others looked significantly more brutal than I’d anticipated when I signed up for them.

Most of my professors seemed pretty cool, though. Passionate without being insufferable, which felt like the ideal balance.

While the jury was still on my Philosophy professor, I really only took an instant dislike to one, who I could already tell was going to be one of those types who were really full of themselves and never tired of hearing their own voice. By the end of the first lecture, I was already exhausted by his nonstop barrage of humblebrags.

Friday afternoon, I was working on a paper that had already been assigned while Brayden watched videos on his phone when Foster burst into the room wearing a shit-eating grin.

"Dude, I've had the best fuckin' day!" he bellowed.

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or Brayden and decided not to comment on the off-chance he wasn't talking to me.

Apparently, he didn't need the encouragement anyway, since he continued without hesitation. "I met some dope guys,” he said. “They all play soccer, but we had some...business, and they invited me to this super chill party tonight to celebrate the first week of school. You guys have to come. They said it's going to be, like, the party of the century.”

"Of the entire century?" I asked.

If he heard me, he gave no indication. "Everybody is going to be there." He paused dramatically before delivering his coup de grâce. "And it's off campus at this guy's apartment."

"He must have a big apartment if everybody is going to be there."

"Anyway, he told me to bring some friends and you guys are like the only people I know."

"Wow, what an invitation. I've never felt so special."

"So you guys are coming, right?"

I stared at him and wondered if anything ever sank into that thick skull of his.

"Are you going?" Brayden asked me.

"No, I think I'll pass on this one."

I could think of at least several dozen other things I'd prefer to do besides attend a college jock party, up to and including a root canal. Besides, there would no doubt be lots of drinking and, more likely than not, drugs. I really didn't need to put myself in that position.

"Oh, come on. You have to go!" Foster suddenly looked like an overgrown, petulant two-year-old. "I can't show up alone."

"Why do I have to go? You guys can go without me."

"I don't wanna go either," Brayden said.

Foster stared at him in utter disbelief. "Dude, you love parties!"

He shrugged. "I don't wanna go."

Faced with the idea of spending another entire day and night alone in my room with Brayden gave me a new perspective on the party. I would just avoid the alcohol and drugs.

"Okay, I'll go," I said quickly, hoping I wouldn't regret it later.

"Me too," Brayden said immediately.

Foster gave him a funny look, but seemed satisfied that we were both going to the party with him.

"Great! It starts around nine. Meet me here by, like, ten. I don't want to be the first ones there."

With that, he spun around and was gone as quickly as he'd appeared, slamming the door behind him.

Soon after that, I went to dinner, Brayden once again trailing after me like a silent golem. Erin and Carlos were there when we arrived and they waved me over to their table. The three of us kept up a constant stream of chatter as we ate, while Brayden silently inhaled his food.

After he finished eating, Brayden surprised me by announcing that he was going back to his room to change and lumbered off.

I welcomed the respite.

"So what's up with your gigantic friend?" Erin asked after he'd left.

"Brayden? He's my roommate's friend from high school, but apparently he's basically a stray cat and, unfortunately, I fed him."

Erin giggled. "Well, you'll never have to worry about getting mugged with him following you around."

Carlos laughed. "At least he's quiet. You know who he reminds me of? The guy Andre the Giant played in The Princess Bride."

"Fezzik!" Erin squealed.

Carlos howled. "Anybody want a peanut?"

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means," Erin yelled back.

My head was swiveling back and forth between them like I was following a particularly heated match at Wimbledon.

"Have fun storming the castle!" Carlos screeched.

Both of them were almost crying from laughing so hard.

"Hey, so um, what's happening here?" I asked, mildly concerned.

Carlos and Erin abruptly stopped laughing and stared at me with twin expressions of shock.

"You've never seen The Princess Bride," Erin asked.

"Nope," I admitted.

"Inconceivable!" Carlos crowed.

"You're kidding, right," Erin said, sounding as if I'd just announced that I'd never bathed before.

"Uh, no. Is it a movie?"

"It's not just a movie. It's one of the best comedies ever made. You have to come back to my room and watch it right now."

I laughed and shrugged. "Why not? I have a few hours to kill before I have to get ready for this stupid party my idiot roommate talked me into attending."

"Where is it being held?" Erin asked as we stood up to throw our trash away.

"I don't even know. Off campus somewhere."

She made a face. "Be careful. Some of those off-campus parties get pretty wild."

Just what I needed. Maybe there was still time to bail. I'd worry about that later.

We walked back to Erin's room while Carlos and Erin threw lines from the movie back and forth. I wouldn't need to see it after they finished quoting the entire script.

Once we were in her room, Erin found it on streaming and started the movie. They settled onto the futon while I took the chair. The movie turned out to be surprisingly good, and I could definitely see the resemblance between Brayden and the lovable but intellectually challenged Fezzik.

After the movie ended, we sat around and just talked for a while. Erin and Carlos were quickly becoming my closest friends here. I'd even found it was possible to sit in Carlos' presence without drooling.

Around nine-thirty, I excused myself to change for the party. I wasn't exactly thrilled about going, but if I had to attend, I'd at least look my best.

I somehow wasn't surprised to find Brayden in my room when I opened the door. He'd changed into a pair of nice jeans and a button-down shirt. I had to admit it was an improvement over his usual uniform of athletic shorts and sleeveless T-shirts.

I took a few minutes to pick out an outfit of my own, finally settling on nice jeans and a sexy, form-fitting, short-sleeved knit polo shirt that matched my blue eyes almost perfectly.

I debated going into the bathroom to change, but decided that was just silly. Still, I felt weird getting undressed in front of Brayden, so I changed as quickly as possible, feeling as if he was watching me. He probably didn't even notice. SpongeBob was on, and that seemed to have captured his full attention.

Once dressed, I ran my fingers through my hair and sprayed on some of my favorite cologne.

"You look nice," Brayden said suddenly, startling me.

"Uh, thanks," I said, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

If Brayden turned out to be gay and developed a crush on me, I was moving home. Screw college.

We didn't have to wait long before Foster showed up again. "You guys ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," I answered with a heavy sigh.

I had a sinking feeling about this party.

He frowned. "You could sound a little more excited."

"Let's just go. You do know where we're going, right?"

"I have directions."

Somehow, I wasn't reassured.

As we were leaving, I thought I caught a whiff of alcohol on his breath but wasn't positive.

Surely, he hadn't been pre-gaming, had he?

Then again, knowing him, that's exactly what he'd been doing, probably with his teammates. It seemed as if now that he'd fallen in with them, Brayden was, at best, an afterthought for him.

Which meant I was Brayden's babysitter by default.

Oh joy.

We followed Foster downstairs, and he set off in the direction of The Morning Rush. As we passed the coffee house, I glanced in, but Kody wasn't in sight. Max was working with a sulky-looking guy I hadn't seen before.

We walked for several more minutes, taking a few turns that almost felt random. I was beginning to suspect Foster was lost when we arrived at a slightly rundown apartment building with a sign in the window that read "College Rentals."

"I think this is it," Foster said, pushing open the front door.

We followed him in as he started up a flight of steps taking two at a time. When the door closed behind us, we were suddenly thrown into pitch-black darkness. I came to a sudden halt and Brayden slammed into me full force from behind, knocking me down with a clatter and a yelp.

"What the fuck?" Foster exclaimed.

"I think Brayden just broke my leg," I groaned.

"Why is it so dark?" Brayden asked.

"Who the fuck is Brayden?" Foster asked in confusion.

"I'm Brayden," Brayden responded. "Did I really break your leg?"

"No, it's not broken. You just knocked me down." I pulled myself to my feet using the wall for support.

"His name is Slug!" Foster bleated in the darkness.

"I don't like Slug. My name is Brayden."

"Since when?"

"My mom named me that when I was born."

"Could someone just open the damn door?" I yelled just as a light appeared at the top of the stairs and music flooded into the stairwell.

"I thought I heard voices," a guy said from the second floor.

He was backlit so I couldn't make out his face clearly, but he looked to be about average height and was well-built from what I could see.

"I'm assuming you're here for the party," he continued. "Sorry about the light being out. My bro said the landlord hasn't replaced it yet. Come on up. Be careful."

We made it to the second-floor landing without further incident, and I got my first real look at our host for the evening. He was quite good looking, around my height, with light brown hair, green eyes, and a square jaw.

"Nick Pederson," he said with a megawatt grin as he held out his hand, and we all shook it in turn, introducing ourselves as we went.

His handshake was as firm as his jaw. I thought I saw something in his eyes as his hand lingered in mine just a little too long, then caught myself.

Chill, you horny fucker, I chided myself.

I was beginning to think everybody I met was gay. First Toshi, then Kody, and now this random guy. I'd even wondered briefly about Brayden. Was I that desperate for some queer companionship or was this college just full of fairies?

"Is this your place?" Foster asked as we entered.

"Nah, I live on campus. This joint is my teammate's. He's around here somewhere, I was just closer to the door. Come on, I'll give you the grand tour."

He escorted us into the apartment which was surprisingly large and already pretty much filled to capacity. Most of the guys looked like meatheads, and the girls were, let's just say, of a type. That type being large breasted and empty eyed.

As I'd suspected, there was plenty of alcohol flowing, although at that point, everyone was still more or less sober. Music was playing, but it was at background volume and didn't really interfere with the conversations that were going on all around the room.

"Drinks are in the kitchen, bathroom's at the end of the hall, bedrooms are off limits...unless you're personally invited." He winked. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Just point me towards the hard stuff," Foster said, his eyes already scanning the room like a predator seeking prey.

"I'll just have a beer, thanks," Brayden said politely.

Nick pointed Foster in the direction of the kitchen, then grabbed a bottled beer out of a nearby cooler and handed it to Brayden. Then he turned to me. "What can I get you?"

"Do you have Coke?"

"As in cocaine?"

"No, like the soda."

"Oh sure. Rum and Coke?"

"Hold the rum."

"Just a Coke?"

"Please?"

"No problem." He ducked into the kitchen area and returned quickly with a glass of Coke. I took a cautious sip just to be safe.

"I didn't spike it," he said with a smile.

I smiled back. "Sorry. I didn't mean to imply you did. It's just that I don't drink."

"At all?" he asked with surprise.

"Not anymore."

"Oh, okay. Got it. That's cool."

We chatted for a few minutes before the sound of shattering glass came from the kitchen. Nick flinched and gave me an apologetic grimace.

"I guess you'd better go check on that," I said.

He grimaced. "Yeah. First party foul of the night. I'll catch you later." He headed off in the direction of the crash.

Considering it wasn't even his place, he sure seemed to be running the show. Did anyone even live there?

I decided to make a circuit of the room. As I went, I looked for familiar faces but didn't see any. To be fair, the only people I'd met were other freshmen in my building, and what were the chances any of them would end up here partying with all these jocks?

As I went, Brayden followed a few feet behind me. When I stopped, he stopped. When I moved, he moved. It would have been comical if I wasn't so annoyed. I couldn't be mean to him, though. It would feel too much like kicking a particularly dim puppy.

I finished my lap around the living room and started down the hall. The party had spilled into the front bedroom, where a group of people were watching something on the TV. I assumed they'd all been personally invited. They definitely looked stoned as fuck, staring glassy-eyed at the screen with blank expressions.

I hadn't been invited, but I stayed and watched for a while before eventually losing interest in the dumb comedy and wandering on again, Brayden always nearby.

I had a mildly interesting conversation with a guy who liked to surf as much as I did, but when his girlfriend arrived, he quickly lost interest in me and started pawing at her chest.

Eventually, I ended up back in the living room, leaning against the wall. Parties just weren't as much fun if you couldn't drink — especially when you didn't know anyone.

I gave the room another once over hoping someone I knew had arrived while I'd been in the back, but all I came up with was Foster, who was busy hitting on a brunette chick who looked extremely disinterested. He already looked hammered.

No wonder, I thought as I watched him drain the glass of amber liquid in his hand. He was knocking back the hard stuff straight-up.

Brayden was standing a few feet away from me with his arms crossed over his chest while scanning the crowd. Every few seconds, he'd glance over to make sure I was still nearby. I was beginning to feel like I had my own personal bodyguard. If anyone there was actually interested in me, they'd probably be too intimidated to approach.

Just then, I was proven wrong as someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to find a painfully thin girl with stringy blonde hair.

"You look really familiar," she said.

Her voice was steady but her eyes were slightly unfocused. It was a look I'd seen many times before. She'd been into something besides alcohol tonight.

"Are you from around here?" she asked.

"Uh, no. I'm from out of state."

As I said that, I realized that she did actually look vaguely familiar. My brain raced, trying to figure out where I might know her from. It would be just my luck if she was someone from my past.

"Really? Me too. I swear I've seen you before. Have you ever been to California?"

I took a closer look at her.

Shit.

I'd lived in California for a year with Judy. I'd been quite the party boy while there. I didn't know where I'd met this girl before, but I was sure I didn't want her to remember. Not here. I'd done a lot of things I wasn't proud of then.

"Nope. You must have me confused with someone else."

I quickly moved away, Brayden trailing a few steps behind. Movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to see some drunk rando dancing by himself on the other side of the room.

No, not just a rando, I realized. It was Kody.

He turned in my direction, his eyes squeezed shut as he danced. His cheeks were rosy, his lips turned up in a smile, his body moving without any inhibitions. He was clearly inebriated, but his movements were graceful, even sensual.

I took advantage of the moment, taking him in without worrying about him catching me staring.

He was even beautiful drunk.

He was dressed very differently than he did for work. A pair of tight jeans hugged his perky little butt, which was revealed every time he raised his arms over his head, lifting the patterned button-up shirt he wore over a plain, white V-neck tee that was maybe a size too small — not that I was complaining. His denim-clad butt wasn't all that was revealed with that particular dance move. It also showed off a tantalizing glimpse of his smooth stomach.

I couldn't tear my eyes off him, but other people were starting to notice him too. The blonde chick from California had even started dancing with him. Or at least in his general vicinity.

"Hey! Look at the little fag dance!" someone yelled.

Unfortunately, I was fairly sure I knew that voice. I searched out the heckler and, sure enough, it was Foster. It figured he'd be a homophobe. He was definitely shitfaced.

Kody stopped dancing and stood swaying slightly while he sought out the voice. He stared defiantly at Foster.

"Go on, fag. Dance till you puke," Foster taunted, and several dudebros laughed with him.

I didn't like the look in Kody's eyes. I pushed away from the wall where I'd been leaning and started across the room in his direction.

Before I'd taken more than a couple steps, Nick caught Foster's arm and said something to him quietly. Foster shook him off angrily and gave him a slight push.

Suddenly, Kody launched himself into Foster's chest. Kody was much smaller, but he caught Foster by surprise, and Foster was beyond trashed. They went down with a crash, Kody pummeling Foster's face before they hit the floor.

I had to give it to him, he was a tough little moron. He couldn't keep that up forever though, and Foster would cream him the first chance he got.

I tried to move faster through the crowd, but Nick was closer. He grabbed Kody and started pulling him off of Foster.

Foster took the opportunity to throw a sucker punch.

One shot and little Kody was out like a light.

I felt a growl in my throat, but suddenly, the crowd parted before me as Brayden cut through them like a bulldozer. He reached Foster and lifted him off the floor as if he was nothing more than a rag doll.

"That was mean," he snarled.

"Are you sticking up for fags now, Slug?" Foster spat the name like an insult.

I saw Brayden's hand clench into a fist, and quickly stepped in close to lay a hand on his arm.

"He's drunk, Brayden," I said quietly. "Why don't you take him back to our room before he causes more trouble?"

I felt the tension drain out of him. I seriously believe those might have been Foster's last words if I hadn't been there.

"What about the kid?" he asked.

I looked over at Kody, his head cradled in Nick's lap, and felt a sharp stab of jealousy...and something else.

Protectiveness?

I wasn't sure, but I definitely felt an overwhelming desire to take care of this virtual stranger.

But was Nick his boyfriend?

"I'll check on him," I said quietly.

"Okay, Jake," Brayden agreed.

I took a moment to appreciate that he'd finally gotten my name right as he physically dragged a loudly protesting Foster out the door before turning my attention to Kody and Nick.

I knelt down next to them.

"Hey, Kody," I said softly. "You okay?"

He tried to focus on me, but his eyes refused to cooperate. "Jake?"

"Yeah."

"There're two of you."

"It's okay. Just relax."

"I take it you two know each other?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, we've met."

"I'm his roommate. I had no idea he was such a wild man."

I felt a rush of relief. They were just roommates. Then I frowned. That didn't mean they weren't also dating.

I realized Nick was watching me, waiting for a response. "I, uh, don't get the impression that he usually is. Wild, I mean."

"Hey, I'm in the room, you guys," Kody slurred. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

"Sorry, Kody. Hey, Nick, Foster is my roommate so I feel a little responsible to clean up his mess. Why don't I take care of getting Kody here back to his room so you can get back to the party?"

"Are you sure? Kody's my roommate. I also feel a little responsible for him."

"Yeah, but parties aren't much fun when you're sober. I was thinking about leaving anyway. No need for all of us to go."

He shrugged. "Sounds like a plan. Is that okay with you, Kody?"

"Hm? Yeah, whatever Jakie says."

"Jakie?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.

I stared back, wide-eyed. I was as confused as he was.

Thankfully, Nick dropped it, but a little smirk played around the corners of his mouth.

Between the two of us, we managed to get Kody more or less to his feet. He was leaning heavily against me, but I can't say I minded it all that much.

Do not take advantage of this situation, I told myself sternly.

We moved slowly towards the door, the other partiers considerately moving out of the way as we progressed. Someone kindly got the door for us, and I maneuvered him into the hallway.

"Sorry about all this," I said, as Nick joined us in the hall.

"It's not your fault," he said. "You're probably the only sober one involved. If you hadn't stepped in, I think we would have had a dead body on our hands. That big guy looked like he could do some damage. It was nice meeting you, though. Hey, maybe we can get together some other time under better circumstances."

He gave me a dazzling smile, and I definitely knew he was flirting this time. I hesitated, and he noticed. His eyes flicked to Kody, who had his arms wrapped around my neck and his head on my shoulder.

"Unless..." he started, then stopped.

I gave him a questioning look.

"Unless there's something going on with you and Kody."

At the sound of his name, Kody nuzzled his face further into my neck.

"Uh...n-nothing is going on," I stammered unconvincingly.

He broke into a grin. "Uh huh. You sure you can handle him?"

I took a deep, calming breath. "Yeah. Taken care of."

"Okay then. Be safe. I'm sure I'll see you around."

His words felt strangely loaded, but all I said was, "Thanks."

He shut the door, leaving Kody and me alone in the dark hall. I'd forgotten about the situation with the lighting...or lack thereof.

"Okay, Kody," I said to the dead weight at my side. "Let's get you to bed."

He giggled. "Are you hitting on me?"

I couldn't help but laugh too. "You wish."

"Mmm," was his ambiguous reply.

It suddenly occurred to me that we were a ways from campus and I didn't even know what dorm he lived in. Not to mention, I had to somehow get both of us down the flight of stairs in near total darkness. Maybe I should have let Nick help after all.

The spark of jealousy flared up again, but I tamped it back down. At least I knew that Kody and Nick weren't an item since he'd basically asked me out. If I wasn't so smitten with the boy in my arms, I wouldn't have hesitated. Old me would have had him naked before he'd finished the sentence.

But that was the old me.

New me was still standing in the dark at the top of the stairs with a very cute but barely conscious boy in my arms.

"Hey, Kody," I said. "Think you can help me get down these stairs?"

He didn't respond.

"Kody with a K," I tried again.

Still nothing.

"Kode-ster."

Nada.

With a sigh, I shifted as much of his weight onto me as possible and started a very slow descent, half-dragging Kody while making my way down the pitch-black stairs — mostly by feel — while grim visions of the two of us tumbling to our deaths danced through my head. Some unfortunate party-goer would find our twisted bodies in a heap at the foot of the stairs, our necks broken, arms still wrapped tightly around each other for eternity.

Needless to say, I was extremely happy when my feet finally found solid ground instead of another step.

I stood there for a minute catching my breath, then hauled him outside. We may have survived the stairway to hell, but Kody was still dead weight. I decided I was too exhausted to drag his limp ass all the way back to campus, so I called a Lyft.

I shook him awake when we arrived.

"Kody, what dorm are you in?"

He mumbled a response, but I couldn't make it out.

"Kody," I practically shouted in his face. "What's your dorm?"

"Hudson," he said clearly.

I frowned. I didn't know where that was. I thought all the dorms were named after local tribes. Hudson was a river, wasn't it? Maybe I'd misunderstood him.

"Where's Hudson?" I asked.

He raised his head, looked around with that weird momentary lucidity drunk people can sometimes muster, then pointed in the opposite direction from my own dorm.

"That way," he said, then promptly plopped his head back on my shoulder, eyes closed once more.

I started us in the general direction he'd pointed, hoping I'd run into someone I could ask on the way.

I didn't. The campus had a weirdly deserted feel to it. I guess everyone was off at some party.

We rounded a corner, and suddenly an enormous, brand-new building loomed in front of us, Hudson Hall spelled out in huge, stainless-steel letters across its side. I stopped in my tracks. It looked like a luxury hotel compared to the dump I was in.

"This is your dorm?" I asked incredulously.

Kody raised his head again and struggled to focus. "Yesh."

I sighed. "Okay, let's get you home, Drunkie McDrunkerson. Where's your key?"

"Pocket."

He made no move to get it, so with another sigh, I fumbled my hand into his pocket.

He giggled again and squirmed against me, which caused a blood flow directly to my crotch.

"You're making this hard," I mumbled, and added under my breath, "Pun intended."

I couldn't find a key, but I did find what felt like a thick credit card. I slid my hand out of his pants and looked down at a keycard.

"Of course you'd have a fancy keycard for this fancy palace," I muttered, and we started forward again, Kody stumbling along beside me.

I suddenly stopped again as I realized I couldn't just waltz into Kody's dorm with him obviously drunk off his ass. He was a freshman. He might get expelled. Or...whatever they did with drunk freshman at college. I wasn't really sure, but I vaguely remembered Baldy droning on about some sort of dire punishment if we were caught drinking.

Did it still count if the drinking was off campus?

I guess that didn't make Kody any older. Underage was still underage no matter where you consumed the alcohol.

So what was I going to do?

Just then, I spotted someone I recognized.

"Toshi," I hissed.

They looked around, startled.

"Over here."

They spotted me and approached us apprehensively.

"Is your friend okay?" they asked when they got a better look at Kody.

"Eh. He had a little too much to drink. Do you think you could maybe help me get him back to his room without his RA seeing him?"

A terrified look crossed Toshi's face. "How would we do that?"

"I, uh...I don't know. Could you maybe create some sort of distraction until I get him onto the elevator?"

They blinked owlishly at me. "Distraction? Like what?"

"I don't know, Toshi. Just think of something." They looked like they were going to refuse, so I sweetened the deal. "Please. I'll owe you big time."

They thought that over, then nodded somberly.

The three of us made our way to the entrance, where I used Kody's card to unlock the door. Toshi, now fully committed, slipped inside and strode across the lobby with purpose.

The RA at the front desk, a heavy-set girl who looked like she'd used Marge Simpson's makeup shotgun from that one episode of The Simpsons, glanced up as Toshi approached. She looked like was about to say something when Toshi froze in their tracks and began to violently convulse.

"Oh no!" they said loudly in a high-pitched voice. "I'm having a seizure." They then proceeded to collapse onto the floor where they continued to writhe in a comically exaggerated manner.

Their performance wasn't going to win an Oscar, but it was enough to convince the RA. She leaped up from her chair, sending it careening into the wall, and rushed around to kneel next to Toshi, her hands fluttering nervously above their body.

I was so caught up in the drama that I almost forgot to make our move, but I snapped to attention just in time. I hustled Kody across the lobby and stabbed at the elevator call button. Luckily, there was one already on the ground floor, because the doors opened almost immediately, for which I was very grateful.

I half-shoved, half-dragged Kody onto the elevator and watched the doors closed before releasing a breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. It was only then that I realized I didn't know what floor Kody was on.

I shook him awake(ish) again and got his floor number. Once there, I propped him against the door and unlocked it using the key card while holding him up with one arm.

He stumbled backwards as the door swung open.

I caught him and pulled his body against mine as I struggled to keep my own balance. His arms went around my neck, his face only inches away. His eyes were wide open all of a sudden, and he stared at me with alarming clarity.

I felt my face flush as I sincerely hoped he was too drunk to remember any of this in the morning.

"Bedroom?" I croaked.

He pointed vaguely toward a closed door across what appeared to be a shared space with a small table with a couple of chairs, a small IKEA couch in front of a TV, and a counter that ran along one wall. Even that was bigger than my entire room...that I now knew I shared with a homophobic cretin.

I kicked the door closed and waltzed us toward what I hoped was Kody's room.

"Come on, we're almost there," I grunted.

We reached the door, which I managed to open, then reached inside and found the light switch.

Sure enough, there was an unmade bed — a full, I noted bitterly, thinking about my narrow twin bed. The impression of Kody's body could still be seen in its sheets.

I shuffled him towards the mattress until we reached its side.

"Okay, into bed," I said.

"Okay," he agreed with a giggle and fell back, pulling me with him onto his bed.

"Kody, I should go," I said, my voice uneven and my breath ragged.

"No. Stay," he whispered.

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