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and made it cold. From the distant looks of the people afraid still to say anything against it, to the
devastated vacant looks in the skaters, to the fear that reflected back at Aidan in the furtive glances the
young gay men on campus gave him. Looks of respect and fear and anger. Respect for being out. Fear
because he was a target. Anger because his stand endangered them. Aidan respected all those feelings,
though the anger directed at him stung.
The looks were most difficult in his classics class. Stacked with young women who were still
swooning after him and young men who wanted to be him, he struggled to keep his attention on the
professor. His pocket vibrated constantly, and while he was used to the attention, he finally threw his
phone into his bag to keep the constant buzz in his pants from distracting him.
He shrugged off the offers for study dates. He ignored the desperate want in the gaze of the dapper
young men that you could tell just by looking were majoring in English or Library Science. He
ignored the snide look from the one male student who was there just for his girlfriend. Instead, he
focused on the work and took that with him to his tiny study carrel in the library to get away from the
distractions. And the work was a welcome escape. For a few hours, he let himself drift into the mind
of a man and his windmills until he had no choice but hurry to a dining hall or miss lunch.
He sighed. Every text message. He'd checked every one, and not a single one from Sammy. Not a
single prod. Not a single hesitant request for lunch. Nothing. He breathed out a cloud of mist into the
cold air and rushed to the dining hall to find a table, quietly, alone. He set his head in his hand. Steven
would have...
Steven would have made him feel wanted. Made sure he felt wanted. He would have left him a rose
or a poem. A poem, probably, because of the class. He would have made sure Aidan wasn't eating
alone. He would have been sweet and romantic. He would have not been Sammy. Sammy, who
struggled with the romance. Sammy, who made his heart sing without any of that.
Aidan hung his head. Salad and a sandwich. It was a far cry from the previous day's extravagance,
and Aidan was sure his abs would thank him for that. He ate the food silently, his company the
mixture of clinking of silverware against plates, of distant conversations, too loud and echoing
through the barrack-like atmosphere of the dining hall. He stayed quiet and ate his food.
He looked up and groaned inwardly. A row of young women stared back at him, lined up in the
seats across from him at the long table. Pretty, too pretty, all of them. Slim, every one, and each with a
figure too like a model for their own health. Their hair cascaded down their shoulders, their outfits
were stylish, and each one subtly different so that no one would steal the thunder of another. He
allowed himself a single glance to the far side of the room to see the vicious smile of a similarly
garbed Caroline at the far door. Of course. Her sorority sisters were backing her up. Lovely.
He looked back to the row of women and arched an eyebrow.
"Sammy belonged to Caroline," began the girl across from him, a blonde with eyes a blue that
rivaled Steven's.
"So this is what?" asked Aidan.
"Your notice. You will return Sammy to our sister, or--"
"Don't threaten me," said Aidan, his voice soft, but leaving an edge to the words.
"You don't frighten us."
"Sammy made a choice," said Aidan. "I didn't steal him. He left her to come to me. He went gay.
Why does Caroline want him back, anyway?"
The blonde looked at Aidan, her eyes intently focused, serious. "Why is not your concern. You stole
him away. She wants him back. We will get him back from you, surely you realize that."
"No, I really don't."
"It's easy to find people who want to hurt Sammy," said a brunette, casually pulling her hair back
over her shoulders. "If you love him, perhaps you should consider his safety."
Aidan slammed his hands on the table and stood. "This is a break up," said Aidan. "It's not a game.
Hearts were broken, and not just Caroline's. But I will not tolerate a casual threat against someone I
love."
Aidan looked at the brunette. "You'd better pray nothing happens to him. Because this conversation
will be reported to the police, and that will make all of you suspects if anything happens to him."
Aidan narrowed his eyes and glared at them. "Understand, you'll be praying the police get to you
before I do."
He turned and picked up his bag. As he walked away, he felt it slam into him, one heavy, wet
splotch stinging against his back after another. He closed his eyes and endured it. Felt the disgusting
drip down his back. Dining hall slop from the kitchens. Daily kitchen waste all piled together in pickle
buckets, disgusting and wet. He wondered how they'd obscured the smell until they'd been ready to
bombard him with it. He waited for just a moment. Another splat against his back. They'd been hoping
he'd turn to get him in the face.
His voice was quiet. "I hope you realize I'm reporting you all, every one, for assault."
"You can't honestly think we're afraid of you," said one of the girls, laughing at him.
"Perhaps not," said Aidan. "Perhaps you're just trying to protect a friend. I hope you're just bluffing
with your threats and with your pranks." He swallowed and closed his eyes. Another splat against his
neck. It was hard and wet and painful as it compressed and squished and stank.
"This. It's embarrassing to be sure, for me," said Aidan, struggling to remain calm. "And clearly the
mob mentality on this campus is supporting you." Aidan turned and regarded them. "But I will still be
reporting this to the dean." He glanced up at the security camera. "It took a lot of guts to do this in
front of everyone. I respect that, believe it or not," he said. His neck twisted as bits of the vileness
grew softer and wetter and slid beneath his collar. "I hope your petty little revenge was worth it, is still
worth it, when mine comes calling."
"Like you can do anything to us," sneered one of the other girls.
Aidan's face twitched. "I guess we'll find out."
Chapter 28
Aidan stood outside the door of the dining hall, shaking. Filth dripped off him, sliding even farther
down his back. He closed his eyes, ignoring the stares and laughs of the other students passing by.
Slowly and deliberately, he walked across campus until he found a public safety officer, and, as
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