Judith's awoken by the sound of retching and notices that her vision is blurry. She thrusts herself upward and squints at the dainty figure standing over another one as they vomit into a plastic bin.
She takes her glasses off the nightstand and slides them onto her face.
"Good, you're awake," Kacey says to Judith. Mary is sitting on the opposite bed, but she glances over the brim of the basket. "Usually, I'll be on the bus by now with a full stomach, ready to go to church with my family, but because I decided to stop picking up trash and help you two, I missed the bus. I suppose I'll spend my Sunday listening to Billy Graham on the radio."
She stares at Mary, and her eyes widen when she processes what Kacey said. Judith hurries out of bed and steps into her clogs set in front of her nightstand.
"Whoa there, Jesse Owens. What's the rush?" Judith hurries towards the door.
"I have to go to the student lounge and call my parents," she tells her with the knob in hand.
"Do you need to borrow my pick before you go," Kacey asks. "Your afro is flat on the side."
When she doesn't respond, Kacey steps in front of her nightstand and slides the top drawer towards her. She carries her mahogany hair-pick to Judith, who's watching her with creased brows.
"Why're you being nice to me?" She shrugs in response, and Judy relaxes her face. "Did La'Shawna say something to you?"
"No, she didn't," she says, fighting the urge to raise her voice. Kacey shuts her eyes and inhales, exhaling as they reopen. "Believe it or not, I'm actually a very nice person outside of my professional realm. Take the pick and fix your hair or walk around campus like someone hit you over the head with a textbook. Either way, I don't care."
Judith glances past her, and when she sees Mary asleep while sitting upright, she takes the comb.
"I'm glad that I cut mine. I forgot how high-maintenance long hair is." Kacey places her hands on her hips and watches her lift her hair.
"Thank you." She hands her the pick then steps into the hall. Judith runs down the three staircases, then out of Zeta Kappa Delta. She continues across the damp grass, passing students sitting and talking.
Upon entry, she's met with the smell of bacon and the sound of familiar voices. When she scans the almost empty room, she sees Jerome and his friends sitting at the round table in the corner of the room.
Judith continues past the food table, and she stops in front of another with a rotary phone. When she lifts it to her ear, she doesn't hear the dial tone droning, so she returns the handpiece to the hookswitch.
"Judy!" She flinches against her jean romper, and Jerome stands behind her. "I'm sorry for scaring you again. You seem to get startled easily."
Turning around to face him, she says, "No, I don't get scared easily, but when it's quiet, and then out of nowhere, I hear a voice, naturally, I jump. I'm putting a bell on you whenever I get one."
He chuckles dryly with a smile on his face that fades when his wandering eyes meet the bruises on her left arm and wrist. She looks down at them as well, then at him again.
"I slept on this arm, and because I have sensitive skin, it sorta bruised overnight," she tells him, and he narrows his eyes at her. Jerome places his right hand on the bruise above her elbow, and she sucks in air through her teeth. Judith jerks her arm out of his hold then she brings her right hand up to cover the discoloration. She nervously clears her throat and says, "I think we should stop talking to each other."
"Okay," he drones questioningly. "Is this what you want, or is someone telling you to tell me that?"
"I – think it's for the best." He pulls his lips into a straight line and nods his head. "No offense, but David wants more time with me, and he feels like you're in the way. I mean, it's a big campus, yet we constantly run into each other, so I don't blame him for feeling that way."
"It's cool. I didn't realize that that was happening, but thank you for telling me." He glances behind him at his table, his friends watching him talk to her. He returns his attention to her. "Before I let you go about your day, would you like something to eat? I'm full, and I don't want to waste it."
"That would be nice. Thank you." She follows him to his table, her heart fluttering and her stomach twisting. Her mouth wants to smile, but she resists the urge to do so.
"Fellas, this is Judith," he introduces her when they reach the group. They're sitting on barstools and looking down at her. "I invited her over to eat with us. Be cool."
His friends don't respond. Instead, they continue writing in their notepads and mumbling to each other.
"Do you need help sitting in the chair," Jerome asks Judith, and his innocent question makes Manuel snicker. She nods with a forced smile to mask her embarrassment.
Jerome places his hands around Judith's waist, but before he can hoist her onto the barstool, she lets out a gasp that draws all of their attention to her. Looking at him, she's aware of who he is, yet his touch reminds her of David.
"I just remembered that I have homework that I need to finish," she rushes the excuse from her mouth, and he quickly rummages through the tattered book bag on the back of his barstool when she speed walks toward the exit.
He grasps a clear container with sandwiches cut in two triangles then runs behind her. Khalíd chuckles at his friend and tells them under his breath, "I've never seen him run that fast."
Judith steps into the grass and wraps her arms around her body, her eyes full of sorrow and tears. She shuts them, and the tears glide down her face.
"Judy, I have something to give you." She turns to Jerome when he stands behind her and furrows his brows. "Did I do something?"
"No, you were sweet." She wipes her face and sniffles, then shakes her head. Staring at her clogs, she says, "I don't know. I think I just need to lie down. That party last night was intense."
"What party," he asks, and she lifts her head to look at him.
"The party at Alpha Psi Delta," she explains. He nods his head.
"I was just checking if we were talking about the same one. My brother is a part of that fraternity." She tilts her head and squints her eyes.
"I didn't know that you have a brother. How old is he, and why're you not in the same frat house," she interrogates him. David approaches her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist.
He's donning black chinos and a mustard yellow button-up drenched in old spice cologne.
"Baby, why aren't you dressed for church?" Jerome extends his left hand, and she accepts the container. He turns around and returns to the building.
"Let go of me," she orders him while pushing his hands away. Judith faces David, and he sets his hands on his waist. "I'm not properly dressed because I woke up late and I missed the bus; twice. My clothes are at home."
"Well, why didn't you come find me? I'll drive you home," he offers, and she begins to object until she's disturbed by flashes of the night before.
"Okay, I'll – I need to get my bag from Mary's room and give her this outfit back," she explains.
"I'll walk you." He takes her hand and nudges his head forward as an indication for her to guide him. Hesitantly, she does, and Judith doesn't speak for the long walk to her sorority.
"You seem nervous." Her palms slowly accumulate sweat that the autumn breeze is unable to hide.
They stroll through the entryway of the sorority, and she glances at him. She shakes her head, but his eyes remain on her until they reach Mary's room on the second floor.
"Wait here while I change." She steps into the room and shuts the door behind her, and the feeling of weight lifting off her shoulders draws a breath of relief into her lungs.
***
With the wind against her face from both open windows, she's unable to hide the blissful smile on her face. David glances at her, and he grins as well.
"You look beautiful, Judy," he tells her, and she turns her head to him. "Like a rose in the middle of a field of dandelions, the sun beams down on you to illuminate the beauty and the uniquely designed person that is you."
"You're writing poetry again," she acknowledges with disapproval in her tone.
"Yeah, I know that I've been taking a lot of time away from it, and since this is my passion and I plan on building a career out of it, I figured why not let my muse help put words on my pages." He takes his right hand off the wheel and places it against her left knee.
"What about the play," she asks with her eyes glued to his fingers.
"What about it?" David peeks in the rearview, then stares straight ahead.
"Jodie and Lester are counting on you this year. You've bailed on them every month, and," she stops speaking when he squeezes her knee, and she clinches the air in her lungs.
"Let's – not talk about that, okay?" She quickly nods her head, and his grip loosens. He licks his lips and clears his throat. "I'm sorry for the way I acted at the party, Judy. I know that I scared you, and that's never my intention. From now on, if I say or do anything that hurts you in any way, you tell me."
"Okay," she says breathlessly, her eyes closed as she concentrates on controlling her breathing. David looks at her and smirks with his top row of teeth.
David removes his hand from her jeans, and with both hands on the wheel, he veers his sandy yellow Chevy Impala onto the side of the road. When he turns the key in the ignition, shutting the engine off, she looks at the dashboard, then at him.
"You're making me feel hard-up." She furrows her brows at his statement and watches his hands retract his seatbelt. "How about we make the most of this seven-minute stop and finish this talk in the backseat?"
She peers behind her, then at him. "I'm not having sex with you in your car, David. Take me home and stop fooling around."
He taps the lock mechanism on his door, sealing them both in his car, and he scans her from her lips to her hips. Judith's right hand is against her handle, and her heart is thumping with anxiety.
"Every time I'm ready, you put up a fuss." He takes her left hand and guides it to his lap, but before her fingers make contact, she snatches her arm away. He narrows his eyes at her, and with shaky breaths, she practically yanks her seat belt off.
He watches her struggle to open the door before he rises onto his knees in his seat. David takes her shoulders in his hands, and she releases a blood-curdling scream that makes him jolt in place. He shoves his left hand onto her neck and his right hand over her mouth.
"Stop," he sternly orders her. Her body is trembling, and her right hand is desperately tugging at her handle. A tear falls with one final whimper, his gaze cold and filled with rage. "When I take my hand down, we're going in the backseat and--"
"Is there a problem here?" David and Judith stare fearfully at the police officer at his door.
He takes his hands off of her and quickly returns to his seat, clearing his throat. Judith stares at the hood of the car.
"No, Officer, there isn't," he assures him with his gaze forward as well. The man narrows his eyes at her, examining the faint handprint on her neck.
"Young lady, do you need help?" She looks at him, then at David when he glances at her from his peripheral. Her brain is screaming yes, but her mouth refuses to cave. She shakes her head no and turns to her window.
"We're heading to church right now," he informs him with a forced smile to mask the uneasiness that the stone-faced man is making him feel. "She just wanted to stop for a bit of fun before we get there, and who am I to say no?"
"License and registration." David reaches his right arm across her lap, and he takes a deep breath when he feels her clench in response. He tugs the glove box open and shuffles through crumbled journal entries. He retrieves a card and sheet of paper which he hands to the officer.
After a moment of close examination, he glances at Judy again, then David.
"Is everything okay," David asks, then swallows back his nervousness.