They reach the campus with the Palmetto Breeze, but before he can utter a word, she hurries out of his Chevy. He groans in annoyance as he parks the car against the curb.
David runs behind her after locking the doors, tucking the key into his back pocket. She shuffles across the lawn on her way to NDCS, but when she reaches the top of the hill, he yanks her left arm, and her body turns to his.
"Do you do this to get a rise out of me? Does it make you hot when I'm angry," he interrogates, squeezing her upper arm. She scans the people strolling by and the few sitting and chatting in the grass.
"David, let go of me before someone reports you to the Dean," she tells him in a low voice, and he snickers incredulously.
"You really believe that someone would have the cojones to rat me out," he asks her. Judith looks at him. "What am I doing, Judy? Is me touching you against school policy?"
"What's going on?" They turn their heads to Judith's left, and Mary furrows her eyebrows. She's wearing a white prairie dress with her purse draping off her left shoulder.
"I'm fine," Judith lies, her voice quivering. David takes a step back and crosses his arms. "Let's just go to La'Shawna's group."
Mary eyes him as she follows her toward the door. He walks toward the student lounge, and they step into the club building.
"Is he hitting you, Judy," she asks, and she's answered with the shaking of her head. "If he is, you'll tell me - right?"
They stand before the Non-denominational Christian society door, and the pity in her eyes averts Judith's gaze to the handle.
Without answering, she brings her left hand to the doorknob, flashes of his face quickening her heartbeat. She jerks the door back and enters behind Mary.
Side by side, they stare at the prayer rugs placed in the middle of the floor, forming a circle. Everyone is seated, but the remaining mats are on either side of Kacey.
"Good, you're here," La'Shawna speaks softly, and all eyes land on Mary and Judith. "Join us in prayer. Afterward, we'll begin the trust exercise."
"If I'd have known that we'd be doing Bikram yoga, I would've worn my soccer shorts," Mary quips as she lowers onto the rug to Kacey's right, leaving Judith to the left between her and Anthony. Judith drops her bag next to her.
"Join hands," their president instructs them, and they do as told. One after the other, they close their eyes. "Now, say a prayer in your heads to whomever you believe in."
Judith wishes to pray for understanding and peace in her relationship, but a part of her longs for something else: separation. She takes a shaky breath, feeling herself tear up.
After a minute of silence, La'Shawna opens her eyes, then Kacey and William. They watch the remaining three open their eyes before releasing their hands.
"Okay, now, we'll each tell each other our names, ages, why we're here in this group and college, and maybe a fun fact about ourselves," she informs them. "I'll start. My name is La'Shawna Prince. I'm twenty-five, and my major is political science because I plan to be a mayor. I initially made this group because I noticed the sparsity of religious people of color here on campus, and I wanted a safe space for us. Over time, it became more of a community aid. Fun fact about myself: because I'm six feet, I played basketball in high school, but it didn't last long since I was the only girl."
"My name is William, and I'm twenty-three. I'm taking journalism, and being a part of this group helped me understand the human psyche," he explains, then glances at Mary. "As for a fun fact, I'm the distant cousin of our university founder: Allen Armitage."
Judith's tears drip down her chin, and she sniffles. They all look at her, and La'Shawna furrows her brows.
"I'm sorry." She buries her face in her palms, and Mary rises from her seat. "I know that - that this is interrupting your plan for us, but I can't."
"You can't what," La'Shawna asks and her response given is a sniffle and head shake. Mary squeezes between Kacey and Judith, then lifts her left hand onto her back to comfort her.
"I wanna tell you all something. I've never spoken a word of it to anyone - not specifically. I tried to tell my mom three years ago about it before it got bad, but she wasn't supportive." She crosses her arms and stares at the floor by her shoes. "My boyfriend's been hurting me."
"Hurting you how?" She turns her head to Kacey.
"Sometimes, when he's angry, he grabs me," she explains with a crack in her voice, her lower lip quivering. "And sometimes, when he's really angry, he--"
"Oh, Judy." Mary wraps her arms around her, then pulls her in for a hug. Judith weeps onto her left shoulder.
"We have to tell someone." Kacey stands to her feet. La'Shawna, William, and Anthony avert their attention to her. "If she's being abused, and no one but us knows, then we should do something."
"No." Judith sniffles and leans out of Mary's embrace. Her face is flushed and dampened with sadness which only fuels the anger in Kacey.
"What do you mean no," she questions with her face scrunched. Judith rises to her level.
"You don't understand," she says. "If he gets in trouble for this, it'll only make him angrier. I have to live near him, Kacey. As far as I know, you all stay on campus, so you don't have to worry about stuff like this."
"Room with me," Mary suggests before Kacey can respond. She pushes herself to her feet as well. "I mean it. My roommate, Ashley, is hardly there, and she's almost at her third strike. She probably doesn't care so long as she can see Brandt whenever she feels like it, so I'll talk with my house mother about getting you in her place."
"If that doesn't work, you can move in with me." They turn to Kacey. "My roommate's graduating soon, so eventually, I'll have the space to myself."
"And whenever you are ready, we can go to the Dean or the campus police and report him," Mary says. Judith nods her head and lowers her eyes onto the floor.
"Thank you both for this," she tells them with a forced smile that fails to hide her frown. "I should go freshen up. I'll be back."
Judith hoists her backpack onto her shoulders, the sympathy in their eyes following her out the room.
***
"I'm like proud of you for telling your story like that, Judy," Mary applauds her though Space Jungle has her attention. She's rapidly taping the red button with her right hand and navigating with the joystick in her left. "It took a set of balls that I sure don't have and if moving out is what you need to be free from all of that bullshit, then I'll gladly help."
"Thanks, Mare," Judith mumbles with a genuine smile. She's holding a glass bottle of pop in her right hand, her eyes watching her left hand's fingers trace the brim of the bottleneck. She takes a deep breath, then pulls her shoulders back. "I do feel lighter than before. Almost like the--"
"Dang it!" Judith flinches when she yells out, which she notices through the reflection on the screen. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but this game is just - bogus."
Mary thrusts her right foot against the bottom of the arcade machine, earning a glare from the cashier.
"Sorry," she merely says with her teeth clenched and her lips drawn back to express awkwardness. The man shakes his head before he continues flipping through a sports magazine.
The bell above the door chimes, and the two ladies turn to the sound. It's Jerome and his friends. The sight of them puts a smile on Mary's face.
"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," she teases and sits her hands on her hips. They watch them approach. "Your friends must be the flies to your flypaper, the way they stick to you like glue."
"Is that so?" Khalíd narrows his eyes at her and gives her a mocking head shake.
"Whoa, I've never heard Goldfinger here speak. It's quite impressive." He takes a step forward, and Jerome lifts his right hand to keep him behind him. "Don't lose your cool, K. I was only joshing you."
"He's in a mood because of what happened earlier. Some freshman spilled yogurt on his sweatshirt," Jerome explains, then rolls his eyes.
"Aww, that's too bad. I was looking forward to seeing you in it again." She faces the machine. "But anywho, I noticed that you finally reached the top of the leaderboard, and I've been trying my best to knock you down to your rightful place: third."
"Good luck with that," he says. Mary submits her initials onto the scoreboard and steps to her left to clear a path for him.
"Well, your Majesty, grace us with your prowess and wisdom." She bows with her hand extended to usher him closer to the screen. He chuckles lightly on his way to her place.
"Goose," Manuel says through a feigned cough, then he snickers with Khalíd. The girls glance at him, but Judith's eyes lock on for a few seconds longer.
"Beaner," Judith blurts out, and all of their eyes light up, especially hers. She opens her mouth to apologize, but he stops her.
"Bed wench!" As if her body was acting on its own, she thrusts her narrow-necked bottle of soda forward yet barely splashes his university sweatshirt.
"Oh, shit," Eric says through nervous laughter that none of them share with him. He and Khalíd step toward Jerome, who's watching with a confused expression.
"What the fuck," Manuel yells with his arms extended to his sides, and his gaze on the small stain. She drops it onto the floor, leaving behind shattered pieces as she pushes past him on her way to the exit.
"Judy!" Mary runs after her, passing the clerk who's peering over the shelves. Once they're outside, her expression shifts from confused to solemn when she notices Judith sobbing. "Judy, what's wrong?"
"I don't feel better, Mare," she tells her. The breeze sweeps pasts them, ruffling their hair. As she speaks, she hiccups. "I feel - sad, I feel - hurt. I even - feel disgusting, and I can't - I can't keep pretending like I'm okay."
"Then let's go to Dean O'Connell," she suggests in a gentle tone. "He can help you; it's his job."
"Don't you get it?" She raises her voice, then turns to face her with tears cascading down her cheeks. "David's rich. He boasts all the time about it, and even if he wasn't, I still wouldn't tell on him. You know why?"
Mary licks her lips, then asks her, "Why?"
"Because one, my people fear authority, and two, I'm head over heels in love with him," she confesses. "He was my first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first - everything. I'll never find someone close to being as perfect as him who has himself together, who has the money to care for us both."
"That's not true," Mary assures her. Jerome slowly pushes the left door open, but the bell alerts them, and they look at him.
"Come in or get out! The electric bill is high enough to give me a heart attack, and if you care about that machine, you'll stop giving away my air," the shopkeeper nags from behind the counter, and Jerome steps toward them.
"Is everything okay," he asks as the door swings shut. Judith lowers her eyes onto her shoes. Mary swaps her gaze between the two of them.
"Everything's copacetic." She folds her arms, and he does the same. "Right, Judy?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry for causing a scene," Judith mumbles, and he gives Mary a confused look.
"What'd she say?" Judith rolls her eyes onto the idle gas pumps.
"She said sorry for tossing a drink at your friend," she loudly repeats. Jerome shakes his head and snickers.
"Don't sweat it," he says. "He can be a lot at times, but I never expected him to be outright disrespectful. Don't apologize for sticking up for yourself."
"I'm guessing you're gonna stay friends with him," Judith asks without looking at him, and he shrugs.
"I mean, if he apologizes to you and you accept it, I will." She scoffs incredulously, then folds her arms. "Can you look at me? I'd rather see your eyes and not the inside of your ear."
"Don't talk to my friend like that," Mary asserts. She looks at Judith when she shakes her head. "What's wrong?"
"It's cool, Mare. Actually, could you give us a moment alone?" She nods, gives him a short glare, then returns inside the seven-eleven.