The Autumn Prince

14. Goat Rodeo

"Glory, you okay?" Kennedy's puzzled concern mirrored my own.

"I don't know, I—Ohhh!" she doubled over suddenly, tense and quaking, hissing something that could have been a sigh or a groan, then leaned hard against Kennedy who had to support her again.

"Glor?" Kennedy gave me a pleading look as if hoping I could fill her in.

"I need to get inside, I'm—" she panted heavily, "Sorry Tom, I don't—" she stopped again and sucked air through her teeth, eyes clenched shut and gripping Kennedy's hand hard enough to make her wince. After a couple of seconds, she regained her composure and with a last look at me, limped toward the doors, leaning on her friend for support.

It had almost certainly been my doing, I couldn't talk myself out of that, but what, exactly, had I done? I considered everything Miss Gold had told me, skimming the little knowledge I had for answers. When memory and logic failed to serve, I fantasized briefly about having the power to turn back time or make everyone forget I existed.

I had to settle for knowing she'd recover. I couldn't even make a guess without Miss Gold, but she had left for a week and delays weren't on my agenda. As bad as I felt for Gloria, everything I'd learned so far told me she'd be fine. By the time I let myself in the north side-door I felt slightly better. It had only been skin contact, which wasn't good, but it had been the briefest touch. If Katherine was able to hold my hand for more than thirty minutes, how bad could a peck on the cheek possibly be?

I made it to the stairs without running into anyone, but Rachel's door cracked open just as I reached the stairwell so I sprinted up both flights as fast as my legs would take me.

I reached the top, limbs shaking, then stepped into an empty hallway and stood still, listening for movement. Maybe I was being overcautious, but the incident in the front lot had me on edge and I wanted to avoid any other random encounters. Satisfied that nobody was coming up the stairs, I unlocked Katherine's door with her card and slipped quickly inside.

Penny turned her head, eying me like a predator as the door clicked shut behind me. "Come on in, tiger. Wanna help?"

She wore a dark blue thong and nothing else, casually evaluating a pair of white and blue striped shorts held high in both hands. My only saving grace was that she'd been facing the window with her back to the door, which gave me enough time to spin around and find something less naked to stare at.

Her laughter was low and sultry, belying her thin frame, "That's cute, Tom, but you can watch, I don't mind." She paused dramatically, pouring her words out like syrup, giving them time to soak in. "Our girl isn't here," she added, then finished after a deliberate pause, "but you knew that."

"This really isn't a good time," I said impatiently, keeping as still as I could. There was no way I could risk moving around in a small dorm when my arms—and most of Penny—were bare.

"Then you shouldn't have barged into a lady's room." She wasn't reprimanding. Her tone made it into a game and implied that she was more than willing to play.

"The dorm is practically empty, Penn, I assumed you were gone. I just stopped to pick up some things for Katherine."

She laughed again. "Is that why she didn't come back last night? Was she with you?" I felt the tip of her fingernail trace a line down my spine and thanked all things holy for the thin layer of cotton between us.

Penny huffed when I didn't answer, "You're no fun, Tommy. That's okay, you can keep your secrets if you tell me whether these shorts are too revealing for the classroom."

I just closed my eyes and hoped she was in as much of a hurry as I was.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she taunted, voice dripping with provocation. It had been far easier to ignore her from behind the heavy fog of my medication.