Текст книги "Games Frat Boys Play "

Автор книги: Todd Gregory

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter 13

Ihesitated, my hand poised to knock on Chris’s door. It was just before six, and the pledges weren’t due to arrive until eight o’clock. The Great Room was already set up for Big Brother Night, and the more I thought about it, the more nervous I was getting. I’d been so wrapped up in all the Chad drama I hadn’t given Big Brother Night a second thought. I’d stopped at a liquor store and picked up the family beer, but I still felt incredibly unprepared. Maybe taking a little brother is a mistake, I thought as I stood there. I knew who Galen Donovan was—I remembered him from Rush and I’d talked to him a little bit at some of the parties, but I didn’t know much else about him. For that matter, I didn’t know a whole lot about any of the pledges.

Chris was right—I was failing as a brother.

But whatever it was he wanted to talk to me about, I was almost positive it wasn’t about Big Brother Night.

Some of the brothers were out playing basketball when I’d pulled into the parking lot. When they saw my car, the game had stopped, and they’d gathered under the hoop, talking to each other. When I parked, I waved. Only one of them had waved back.

My heart sank a little. That wasn’t a good sign.

Of course they’ve all seen the video, I told myself as I walked toward the house. But why this cold-shoulder treatment? We’re SUPPOSED to all be brothers, bonded by the fraternity. So much for brotherhood and the ideals I was taught as a pledge.

I wasn’t as confident as I’d been when I’d talked to Jeff earlier. Underneath it all, I’d been a true believer in Beta Kappa. Sure, I’d been a shitty brother this semester—blowing off meetings, not coming to parties, and not coming around as much as I probably should have. I’d been so wrapped up in my own life—revenge on Chad, a nasty little voice whispered in my head—I’d not given the brotherhood as much attention as I should have, as they’d expected me to when they’d offered me a bid last semester.

But this rejection really stung.

There were other brothers in the backyard, sitting around the picnic tables. I waved—and again, a couple waved back but the others pointedly ignored me.

And as I walked into the house, my heart sank with each step I took toward Chris’s office. This is about Big Brother Night, that’s all it is, I kept repeating to myself. Taking a little brother was nerve-racking enough, given everything else that was going on.

But I’d be a good big brother to Galen. I would. I would help and guide him through his pledge semester, and would make sure he’d make a better brother than I’d been so far.

I took a deep breath, and knocked.

When Chris opened the door, he looked unhappy. “Come in.” He waved me into the office and shut the door behind me. He walked around the desk and plopped down hard into his chair. He really looked miserable.

I took a seat in the chair across from him. “What’s this about, Chris?” I asked, trying to control my rapidly beating heart. Stay calm, don’t get emotional—remember, logic is the key.

“God, this sucks.” He moaned. “You have no idea how much I regret running for president.”

“It’s got to be a rough job,” I commiserated. Stay calm, stay calm and focused. Chris is a good guy and he likes you. “This isn’t about Big Brother Night, is it?”

“In a way it is.” He looked like he was ready to cry. “Jordy, this is really hard for me—I hope you know that, but I don’t have a choice.” He cleared his throat. “You’re not getting a little brother tonight. I’m so sorry.” He couldn’t look me in the eyes. “Roger’s agreed to take Galen—he was his second choice.”

“And why?” I asked. I was sure I knew. I felt bad for Chris, who was obviously not enjoying this, but I was damned if I would make it easy on him. “What have I done?”

“I’m sure you’re aware of the video e-mailed to the brothers?” He looked up at me finally. His eyes looked bloodshot.

I nodded. “Oh, yes, I’m aware of it. It was sent to me, too.” I shrugged. “I’m sure people were shocked; I certainly was, and I’m sorry about that. But I wasn’t the one who shot it, and I wasn’t the one who circulated it.”

“Unfortunately, some brothers came to the Executive Council.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jordy, I tried to head this off. But there are brothers insisting you have to appear in front of the entire brotherhood on Monday.” He sighed. “So, tomorrow afternoon at one, I have to ask you to meet with the Executive Council to discuss this. After you tell us the circumstances, we’ll deliberate and decide whether or not a hearing is called for.” He sighed. “I’m so sorry, Jordy.”

“A hearing?” I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

“The bylaws of the national chapter state that if a brother conducts himself in a way that embarrasses the brotherhood, the brotherhood can hold a hearing to determine whether or not to expel him.” Chris rubbed his eyes. “And unfortunately, since it is possible you might be expelled from the brotherhood on Monday night, we can’t let you take a little brother.” He moaned. “This is such shitty timing. I’m sorry, Jordy. But at least you can explain things to the Executive Council tomorrow and maybe we can head off actually holding a hearing.”

“Couldn’t we do this today? This seems a bit unfair to me,” I replied, starting to get a little angry. I took a deep breath. Stay calm, I reassured myself. Don’t lose your temper, don’t get angry. “I’m the victim in all of this, Chris. Someone taped me having sex without my consent and spread the video around in a deliberate attempt to publicly humiliate me. That’s who should be subjected to a hearing. That’s who conducted himself in a way embarrassing to the brotherhood.” I took another breath. “Chris, I’m not saying that what I did was right—it certainly wasn’t. That was the steam room at my gym, and it never should have happened. But the person behind all of this also sent it to the management at my gym. The guy in the video was my trainer. He’s been fired. This little attempt to embarrass me ruined someone else’s life—and this had nothing to do with him. Nothing. Is that the kind of person we want in Beta Kappa?” Granted, I’d already fixed that mess, but Chris didn’t need to know that.

“Jordy, if it were up to me, this wouldn’t be happening,” Chris replied sadly. “Unfortunately, the house is a democracy. I tried to convince the complaining brothers to drop it, but they wouldn’t.” He buried his face in his hands. “I like you, Jordy. I’ve always liked you, from the moment we met. I think you’re a definite asset to this house—even if you haven’t been as active as you should be this semester—and you definitely have more to offer Beta Kappa than a lot of the deadweight we have around here. I’m not going to vote against you.”

“I appreciate that, Chris.” I managed to keep my voice level, but inside I was boiling. “Can I at least know who the complaining brothers were? I have a right to face my accusers.” It didn’t come from Chad, of course. He’s too smart for that. But he’s pulling the strings off stage.

“I can’t tell you that.” He cleared his throat again. “I warned them this was the kind of thing that could tear the house apart—people being forced to take sides—and no matter what the outcome of your hearing, there’s going to be hard feelings. This happened once before—”

“To Jeff Morgan.” I nodded. “He told me about it this afternoon.”

“Jeff’s hearing cost us some brothers.” Chris shook his head. “There were brothers who didn’t want us to let gay guys in the house. There were some who hated the idea so much they left the brotherhood because of it. Others didn’t want gay guys in the house but were willing to put up with it rather than leave. As you know, we have a diversity policy—but there are guys who will vote to get rid of you just because you’re gay. It’s homophobia, of course, but they’ll say your conduct was embarrassing to the house and disguise it that way.”

“It’s the same thing all over again, isn’t it?” I gave him a rueful smile. The anger drained out of me, and logic was taking over again. “And after me, it’ll happen again to some other gay brother. All it takes is one person with a cell phone that shoots video, Chris.”

“I talked to Eric, and he’s agreed to be your rep at the hearing, if it comes to that.” Chris sighed. “I’m hoping we can resolve this at the Exec meeting tomorrow, and bury it. I’ll make all these points when we’re in session after you tell us your side of this. I’m on your side, Jordy, for what that’s worth.”

“I appreciate it, Chris.” I stood up and offered him my hand.

He gave me the fraternity handshake. “I’m really, really sorry.”

I put my hand on the doorknob. “Seriously, Chris, I understand, and I don’t hold you responsible for any of this.” I started to turn the knob. “Will you answer a question for me, though?”

He nodded.

“Was I given a bid because the brothers wanted me or because my parents are wealthy?”

“Honestly? It was a little of both.”

I nodded. “Thank you for being honest—that makes all of this a little easier.” I started to open the door, and stopped. “One other thing I want you to think about—and all the brothers should be thinking about this, too.”

“Uh-huh?” His eyebrows went up.

“Why would I want to be a part of a group that would treat me like this?”

He didn’t answer. When the silence got awkward, I walked out of his office.

When I shut the door, I stood there for a moment as emotion overwhelmed me. Even though I’d been expecting it, there had been a part of me that refused to accept possible expulsion. I tried to get my heart rate and breathing under control.

It was too good to be true, that hateful voice whispered in my head again. You don’t belong here any more than you did at St. Bernard. People are the same everywhere, Jordy. They didn’t like you here; they only wanted you because you’re rich. All those noble ideals they drilled into your head as a pledge are worthless. The motto—“the helping hand”—is a fucking joke. Everything this place supposedly stands for is a joke. You wanted to believe in it all so bad it blinded you to the truth. Beta Kappa is just like everything else—a bunch of bullshit, a bunch of mean-spirited assholes wrapped in a pretty package of nobility and working for a better world. And you fell for it all, hook, line, and sinker.

As much I hated that voice, I knew this time it was right.

I heard someone coming down the stairs and I started walking down the hall. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to get as far from the house as I could. Fuck the meeting tomorrow. I was never going to set foot in the house again.

“Jordy?”

I stopped walking. I knew that voice. I wiped the tears out of my eyes before I turned around. “Hello, Bobby.” I forced a smile on my face. “How are you?”

He had a smile on his face I wanted to wipe off. As he walked up to me, I hated him with every fiber of my being. I wanted to punch him, and keep punching until there was nothing left but a bloody pulp. I felt my hands curling into fists. “Good.” His smile broadened. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“I need to thank you,” I heard myself saying.

His smile faltered. “For what?”

“Sending that video to everyone in the house.” It was weird. It was like I’d left my body and had floated up to the ceiling, looking down and watching, with no power over what was said and done. “I always knew you were a bottom-feeding, backstabbing asshole, but now it’s pretty clear to everyone.”

He flinched and took a step back. “Fuck you, Jordy,” he said, but it was halfhearted.

And then I returned to my body, and everything was clear. “No, Bobby, you actually fucked yourself.” I crossed my arms, my smile never faltering, my voice remaining calm. Yes, that’s it, stay calm. Logic over emotion, Jordy, that’s the way you win. “I suppose you’re proud of yourself.”

His eyes narrowed. “Actually, I am,” he hissed at me. “I never liked you. I never thought you should have been allowed to join. So, yeah, when I saw that video, I was happy to send it around to everyone.”

“What did I ever do to you?” I asked. I was curious; I wanted to know why he’d never liked me. I’d never given it much of a thought before, had rarely interacted with him.

“You think you’re better than everyone else,” he snapped. “And it’s about time you were brought down a peg or two.”

“You’ve been listening to Chad.” I shook my head sadly. “But I do want to thank you for doing it. I’ve learned a valuable lesson, and I always appreciate learning.” I started to turn away, but I couldn’t resist one last shot. “By the way—I hope none of your term papers are due soon.”

He looked puzzled. “I have one due on Tuesday. Why?”

I started laughing. “Good luck finding them. I have this weird feeling you’re going to have to start over from scratch.”

All the blood drained out of his face. “What?”

“You really should shut your computer down when you aren’t working on it.” I winked at him. “Did you know that when you’re connected to a wireless network, anyone with the right software could hack into your hard drive? And delete things? Important things?” I shrugged. “I sure hope nothing like that happened to you.”

His mouth worked for a few moments, but nothing came out. His face reddened, and he spluttered, “You son of a bitch! I can’t wait to vote to expel you Monday!”

“There’s not going to be a hearing, Bobby, I hate to tell you.” I smiled. “All that effort, all that energy, to get me expelled from Beta Kappa, all for nothing.”

He turned and ran back to the stairs. “Have a nice life, Bobby!” I called after him. I heard his heavy footsteps as he ran up the stairs. I imagined the look on his porcine face as he tried to find his files and realized all his work was gone for good, would have to be re-created from scratch.

What a pity.

I started walking down the hall to the back door. This is the last time I’ll ever be inside this house, I thought as I walked. I was so happy here. For the first time in my life, I was happy. Even with all the Chad shit, I felt like I belonged here—I belonged somewhere. But it was all a charade. Beta Kappa wasn’t what I thought it was, so all that happiness, that feeling of belonging, was predicated on a falsehood, was based on something that never really existed outside of my own imagination. I’ll just walk out the door and be done with all of this. It’s just as well. I can just drop the whole thing and be free. I got Jay his job back, so that wrong was righted. As for Dante, oh, well. It could have been something, but I was going to leave for Harvard after next year, anyway. So it would have ended by then. So, I’ll just go there next semester. Let them expel me from the brotherhood. I don’t really care anymore. It’s not something I want to be a part of anymore, anyway. It’s spoiled, ruined for me. Even if I were to go to the hearing and survive it, things around here would never be the same for me.

I reached Roger’s door and stopped.

I shook my head. I can at least make peace with him, apologize and say good-bye. I only hesitated a second, and then knocked.

He opened the door and smiled. “Jordy—this is a pleasant surprise.”

I gave him a hesitant smile. “Really?” I noticed that his complexion had cleared up. “May I come in? I need—I need to talk to you.”

“Sure.” He stood aside and let me walk in. His room was clean, everything in order, and there was even a laundry basket filled with dirty clothes.

I whistled. “Your room looks nice.”

He shrugged. “I got tired of being a slob. Have a seat. I was just about to roll a joint.” He sat down on the edge of his bed and picked up a plate with a pile of weed on it. “You want some?”

“Sure.” I sat down on his desk chair. The desk was neat, everything organized. “I can’t get over the way your room looks.”

He started rolling the joint and grinned at me. “Well, I kind of owe it all to you.” He filled a paper with some weed and started putting it together. “After the semester started and I saw what you had done with yourself, it kind of inspired me.” He licked and lit it. He took a deep inhale and passed it to me. He blew the smoke out. “I started thinking about it, really. I was like, you know, all you do is sit around and feel sorry for yourself. Instead of that, why don’t you make some changes?”

“Cool.” I inhaled. I coughed out a cloud of smoke and took a swig from my water bottle.

He took the joint back. “So, I decided to sign up for a weight-lifting class.” He flexed his right arm. “And look—some muscles! I started eating better, and my skin cleared up. I decided it was past time I started taking some responsibility for myself and, you know, take better care of myself, and it didn’t really hurt me to keep my room in order, stay organized and all.” He waved the joint around. “So, thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” I replied, feeling like an even bigger louse than I had before. “You did all this yourself. I had nothing to do with it.”

“I also want to apologize to you.” He offered me the joint, and when I waved my hand he stubbed it out in an ashtray.

“For what?” I laughed. “Actually, the reason I came by was to apologize to you.” And say good-bye.

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Jordy.” He took a deep breath. “I was a shitty big brother to you, Jordy—”

“No.” I interrupted him. “I won’t let you say that, Roger. No.” I shook my head. “It was me, all me. I blew you off all the time to go hang out with Chad and his friends. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I have a lot to apologize for,” Roger said. “You see, I didn’t feed you during Hell Week on purpose. I was trying to punish you, get even because you liked Chad and his friends better than you did me. I’m so sorry—but in my own defense, I thought for sure they would feed you.”

I felt like I was getting smaller by the moment. Every word out of his mouth was making my soul shrink even further. “Jeff told me about you and Chad when you were pledges,” I said haltingly. “Roger, I’m so sorry. If I’d known—”

“I didn’t want to tell you about it because I was ashamed.” He hung his head. “I was so in love with him, Jordy, I really was.” He wiped at his eyes. “All through high school, you know, I was picked on. Well, it really started in junior high school. The first time someone called me a fairy I didn’t know what he meant. I thought they were calling me a ferry, you know, like a boat that carries cars?” He laughed. It sounded horrible. “I didn’t know what they were talking about. And it just kept on and on, and the whole time, year after year, once I knew I was really gay, and somehow they all knew it . . . well, I just hated myself. I really did. I wanted to kill myself.”

“That’s how I was at St. Bernard,” I said in a very low voice.

“It wasn’t until I got out of high school, out of that horrible little Podunk town, and came here—” He shook his head. “I decided to join a fraternity—well, actually it was my dad’s idea, because he thought it would make a man out of me.” He shrugged. “And then I came to Beta Kappa, and the minute I walked in, I knew I belonged here. They had openly gay brothers, and no one cared. For the first time I could be myself.”

I nodded, biting my lower lip.

“And then Chad . . . oh, God, Chad. I was so in love with him. And then I got Jeff as my big brother, and they were both so great, you know? They taught me, they showed me it was okay to be gay, to be myself.” He sighed. “Jeff was such a great big brother to me. . . .”

“Jeff thinks he failed you,” I replied.

“Seriously?” He stared at me. He shook his head again. “But—I guess I’ll have to talk to him.” He stood up and started pacing. “I let what Chad did to me make me bitter, Jordy. I don’t know why he hates me so much. It’s not like I ever did anything to him, you know—but I kind of figured the reason he co-opted you was because you were my little brother.” He barked out a laugh. “Talk about self-absorbed, right? Of course, it’s all about me. And I didn’t even try, you know, to make an effort with you after that, because I didn’t think I could compete with Chad. And then when I finally had the chance to be a big brother to you, on Hell Night . . . what did I do?” He wiped at his eyes. “I took advantage of you. You were upset, you were drunk, and . . .”

I felt like I was about the right size to fit into a thimble. “Forget about it, Roger, please.” I shook my head. “Seriously, just stop, okay?”

“But—”

“No more.” I took a deep breath. “Let’s just forget the past and start over again, okay?” This isn’t right, I told myself. You shouldn’t let him think he’s to blame. You’re being a coward and this isn’t the way to start over.

But even as the words flashed through my mind, I said nothing. I remained a coward.

And another voice sneered inside my head, Well, he DID take advantage of you. You never in a million years would have had sex with him if you hadn’t been drunk and so upset and felt so ugly and worthless—

I used him to make myself feel better.

What kind of person am I?

I forced a smile on my face, pushing the voices out of my head. “There’s nothing to forgive, Roger,” I tried again. “I—I actually came by to say good-bye.”

He stared at me. “Good-bye?”

“You saw the video, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I got Bobby’s shitty e-mail.” He laughed. “You should read my response. He’s such a shit-head.”

“Some of the brothers went to the Executive Council.” I shrugged. “They want to have a hearing at Monday night’s meeting. I’m supposed to tell the Exec Council my side of the story tomorrow, and they’ll decide if there’s going to be a hearing. But from the way people have been acting around me since I got here, I think it’s a foregone conclusion I’m going to be expelled from the brotherhood on Monday.” I took a deep breath. “And you need to forget about Hell Night, Roger. You didn’t take advantage of me. If anything, I used you to make myself feel better. I should apologize to you.”

“But—”

“If you think you failed me as a big brother, you can make it up to me by being the best big brother ever to Galen, okay?” I reached out and patted his hand. “I hope we can still be friends, Roger. I’d like that very much.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not going to fight this,” I replied. “I’m not allowed in the house until I talk to the Exec Council tomorrow. I’m banned from Big Brother Night—and I’m not going to fight it.” I took a deep breath. “When I get home I’m going to e-mail Chris my resignation from the brotherhood.”

“What?” He blinked at me. “Are you fucking kidding me?” His voice rose. “You’re just going to quit?”

“I didn’t sign up for this.” I grabbed his hands. “Roger, when Chris was talking to me just now, I realized that I don’t belong here. Everything I loved about Beta Kappa wasn’t real.” My voice sounded hollow. “I don’t want to be a part of a house that would put me through this without even listening to my side of things first. I don’t want to be a part of a house where everyone automatically assumes the worst about me and doesn’t even give me the benefit of the doubt.”

“You’re going to quit.” He lit the joint again. “You’re not who I thought you were.”

“I guess not.”

“When I met you at Rush,” he exhaled, “the reason I was drawn to you—the reason I liked you so much—was that I could see what a good person you were. I could see, even though you couldn’t see it yourself yet, that you were strong and had a lot to offer, and I knew you would never, ever quit. I was wrong.” He laughed. “You are a quitter. You’re going to let Chad York railroad you right out of this house without putting up a fight. Chad York, who made you feel like dirt. Chad York, who belittled you and mocked you and made fun of you behind your back while pretending to be your friend. You’re going to let him get away with it.” He shook his head again. “I’m so disappointed in you, Jordy. I don’t think we can be friends after all. I don’t want to be friends with someone like you.”

I sat there for a moment, stunned.

He was right.

I was giving up and letting Chad win.

Once again, I was letting emotion control my actions and make my decisions for me.

Remember, you have an ace in the hole and you haven’t played it yet.

“You’re right.” I stood up and gave him a hug. I kissed his cheek. “Don’t ever believe you aren’t a good big brother, Roger. You’re the best.”

He smiled at me. “You’re going to fight?”

“Oh, yes.” I opened his door. “And I’m going to win.”

I stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind me.

I felt like I could conquer the world and slay giants.

And there was one giant in particular who really needed to be slain.

I took the stairs two at a time. Chad’s door was open. He was lying on his bed wearing only a pair of shorts, reading an economics textbook. “Hey, Chad, do you have a minute?”

His eyes narrowed, but he smiled. “Always for you, Jordy.”

I shut the door behind me. “I’m just curious, Chad. I want to know why.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He gave a little shrug.

“Give me a break, Chad. I’m not Brandon or Rees. I have a brain,” I replied, folding my arms. “You put your little buddy Robby up to making that tape. You got Bobby to circulate it to the brothers. You got Jay fired from his job.” I clicked my tongue. “You really have no conscience, do you?”

“I didn’t have sex in my gym.” His eyes glittered. “You both knew the risk you were taking. Why should I feel bad about it?”

It was like I was seeing him for the first time. I no longer wanted him or felt any attraction to him. All I could see was his interior ugliness, disguised for so long underneath some pretty packaging. The ugliness radiated out through his eyes. I made excuses for his meanness, his pettiness, because sometimes he was kind, sometimes he was vulnerable, and I’d cared for him so damned much I let that outweigh everything I knew was true about him but had denied.

I’d been so fucking stupid.

I’d allowed my heart to trump my brain. Emotion, not logic. Fantasy, not truth.

“All I really want to know, Chad, is what did I ever do to you?” I shrugged. “I was never anything but nice to you—even though you were so hateful to me.”

“Please.” He waved his hand. “You didn’t want to be my friend. You wanted to fuck me.”

“So?” A few months earlier—hell, a few days earlier—I would have been horrified to realize he’d known how I felt. I no longer cared.

“It was so pathetic.” He kept smiling. “Really, you have no idea how pathetic you were. You know, I felt sorry for you. That’s why I took an interest in you. I thought I could help you.” He gestured at me. “And I did help you. Look at you now. You’d still be that pathetic, chubby schlub if not for me.”

“I’ll give you that,” I replied evenly. “Maybe that was how it all started, but now I do it for myself.”

“And how do you thank me? By going after my ex?” he hissed. “You don’t do that kind of shit, Jordy. And you just turned yourself into a shameless whore. It’s really disgusting. And I thought Dante had a right to know what he was getting himself into.” He laughed. “I’m not somebody you want to fuck with, Jordy—as I think you’re finding out.”

I crossed my arms. “I knew you were behind it all, Chad. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

“So, you and Dante are over. He’ll never want to see you again, you know.” Chad mocked me. “And your gym—you’re done there. And Monday you’re going to get drummed out of the brotherhood. Are you happy? Was sleeping with Dante worth it?”

“This has nothing to do with Dante,” I replied. “I didn’t sleep with him until Thursday night. You had your little buddy at the gym tape Jay and me on Wednesday. How long had he been waiting for a chance to tape me doing something?”

He shrugged.

“You were out to get me from the minute I walked into this house,” I went on. “You were so hateful to me that first night of Rush, and then of course once you found out I was rich—well, that was really what it was all about, wasn’t it. You made me fall in love with you, didn’t you? You were playing a game with me. You showered me with attention, acted like we were friends—all so you could pull the rug out from under me.”

“Money isn’t everything—and you needed to learn that lesson.”

“The great irony of it all, Chad, is I would have spent every cent in my trust fund to make you happy.” I leaned back against the door. “But you had to be superior, right? Put me in my place?” I shrugged. “Money isn’t everything? I know that, Chad. But coming from your sad, working-class background, you have no idea what it’s like to have money.”

His jaw tightened. “Spare me the poor little rich kid story, okay?”

I laughed. “Oh, Chad, if anyone is pathetic, it’s you. You so missed the boat on everything, you know that?” I walked over to his bed. “When you have money, Chad, you learn very early on that there are some people who will suck up to you because of it. You learn there are people who will hate you for it. And you learn how to protect yourself.” I patted his leg. “Poor, poor Chad. Even now you have no idea, do you.”

His eyes were slits. “What are you talking about?”

“Poor people should never fuck with the rich.” I gave him an extremely pleasant smile. “It was bad enough that you played games with me, and deliberately hurt me. But you know, I could overlook that. I could even understand it, on some level. But when you start hurting other people to get at me, that I can’t overlook, Chad. I can’t let that slide. I need to teach you a lesson.”

“Fuck you,” he seethed. “There’s nothing I can learn from you.”

I walked back to the door and opened it. “When I am finished with you, Chad, all that’s going to be left is a smoking crater. And then”—I stepped out into the hallway—“I am going to sow the ground with salt so nothing ever grows there again.”

“Bring it, bitch.” He sneered at me.

I laughed. “Oh, Chad, poor, silly, stupid Chad. Even now you don’t get it.” I winked at him. “It’s already brought.”

I slammed the door behind me.