Nick sat in the dorm's lobby, watching students come and go on Saturday night. He wasn't required to stay by the door, but it made him visible. A group of freshman girls giggled past him.
"Hi Nick." One waved.
Although he wasn't vain, he knew what their giggles meant. Matt walked over and slumped into a chair next to him.
"Hey. Wanna catch a spring training game?"
"Um, when were you thinking?" Matt was from Massachusetts. Nick and Matt were both Boston sports fans. The baseball team held preseason games in Florida.
"We could catch the team playing here in Tampa or St. Pete."
"If we can get tickets on a weekend. I can't miss my labs. Are you heading north for break?"
Matt shook his head. "We're going south."
Nick smiled. "I'm going home."
"Nick!"
He turned his head. Somehow he missed Trinity walking in. "Hey Trin. I thought you would be out partying."
She shook her head and pointed upwards. "Can we talk?"
"Yeah. Matt, text me."
"Sure. Later."
Nick stood and followed her to the elevator. She seemed pissed, but he didn't know why. Once in his room, he closed the door. "What's up?"
"You can't go home. We're going to Fort Lauderdale. My father rented a condo for us."
He shook his head. "You said you were going to spring break. My father bought me a plane ticket home."
She sat on his bed with a frustrated groan. "We were going together."
He shook his head. "You never asked me. I thought the condo was for you and your friends. Seriously, I don't have money for spring break."
"Trade your ticket. It'll be cheaper. Use the rest to party with."
"It doesn't work that way in my family. Plus, I miss home and I can work to get spending money to hold me over until May."
"Work?" She wrinkled her nose.
He smiled. "It's not a dirty word. I've been working since I was fifteen." It gave him confidence when he did his job well.
Sometimes in the summer the line was out the door and snaked into the parking lot. Nick loved the challenge of working with other competent people like a well-oiled machine. His dad talked about when he worked at The Landing. Back then it was his parents and Jen, but they had been replaced many times through the years until it became him, Sophie and Ivy. They were a machine together.
"But I wanted us to have fun. You love the beach. Right? A week on the beach, how can you turn it down?"
He smirked. A week at the beach was perfect: a cold, windy beach. "I love my family. I haven't seen Soph since January."
"Have her fly down. She's cool right?"
"Sophie is the best." She'd hate you. He could imagine her and Ivy making fun of them. Even Ben would because he had dated girls like Trinity, until he surprised them all by falling for Keira. They were the new Sam and Rory. Everyone expected them to get married in a few years when Keira graduated. "I miss all my friends. Ben complains he never hears from me. I promised we would hang out." Plus, he needed to find out what was happening with Rick. What if he needed to find a new summer job?
"I expected you to be more fun." She pouted.
"I can be fun." He pulled her to her feet and kissed her. As her body melted into him and their tongues danced, his phone rang. He pulled away. "I have to. This is Nick. I have to let someone in their room."
"Ugh. No fun!"
"Go party with the girls. We can grab lunch together tomorrow."
"Fine." She pouted. "Get your work done tonight. I'm not wasting my Sunday while you do school work."
Nick stopped himself from laughing. The entire purpose of being in school was to get an education. Trinity kept getting that confused with socializing. Grabbing a textbook, he followed Trinity to the elevator bank, but when she stepped into a car going down, he waited for the doors to close and took the steps up one flight. A group of girls stood in the hall with more giggles as he approached.
"Which door is it?" The doors open with a code but the keypads were flaky. After resetting it with his master pin. He stepped her through setting up a new five-digit code.
"Thanks Nick." He walked away shaking his head. The whole thing could have been a ruse, but it was his job and he was cool as long as it didn't happen after he was asleep.
Back in the lobby, he opened his book. At first it was hard to read with people walking by, but eventually the scientific study he was reading about held his interest. When two girls sat down across from him, he looked up. They were busy on their phones and not giggling.
"Is everything okay?" It was absurd to think the lack of flirting flagged a problem.
"Yeah. Just trying to decide what to do."
It was already ten. Most parties were in full swing. "I'm not a good one to ask." He held up his book.
"We were studying earlier."
"Why is everything a party? I'd rather hang out and play a game."
He smiled. "You sound like my sister. What year are you?"
"Freshman."
He nodded. "You need to find the right friends." Smiling, he added, "Plenty of kids are playing games alone in their rooms."
"Yeah, video games. Shooting up the bad guy."
Nick smiled. "It can be fun." One of Ben's complaints was that Nick never had time to play. When they did, it felt like being across the street not ten states away. Sometimes even Kevin joined them, but he was busier than Nick with applying to dental schools. Ben was finishing up his senior year and had a job lined up at a financial company in Portland. The rumor was his mother had already started planning his party.
Kristi could plan anything. She was the queen of The Point, but she would also drop what she was doing to help anyone. The calendar of half naked guys which she spearheaded had raised lots of money for families in need. It was pretty embarrassing having his father as one of the months.
"I play to hang with my friends from home."
"Home. I can't wait for break."
Nick smiled. "Not staying to party?"
"No way."
He nodded, "Me either. Where's home?"
He listened while they talked. When one suggested they just stream something, he joined in on a discussion about shows. By the time they wandered off, he felt melancholy. It was almost like spending time with Sophie and Ivy. Hanging with girls was natural to Nick thanks to his twin. Unlike most guys who befriended girls for only one reason, he had always had girls as friends. Smiling, he remembered it wasn't always a walk in the park. Of the six friends, it was common for the boys and girls to pit against each other. He felt stuck in the middle, especially during Sophie and Kevin's on-again off-again relationship. If the friendships survived that, they would survive anything.
Feeling restless, he was glad when his phone rang. After resetting another door code, he knocked on a door with blaring music filling the hallway. Waiting for the door to open, he imagined the occupants hiding the booze. Even Nick wasn't old enough to drink legally. It was another reason he wanted to go home. He and Sophie had always celebrated their birthday together. Turning twenty-one was a big deal.
His night got worse when a girl stumbled past him crying. It wasn't the sobs which made him uneasy but her appearance. She was half dressed and unsteady on her feet. "Hey! Stop a minute." She did but her body shook. "Come sit down."
She looked young like a freshman, but he didn't recognize her. She hugged herself. He felt his gut churning. Gently he asked, "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Which dorm?"
She shook her head. "Home."
His eyes widened. "You can't drive. Are you hurt?"
She looked down at her shaking knees. Her short skirt was twisted and her thighs had streaks on them. She wasn't talking, but he asked another question. "Were you with your boyfriend?"
Her eyes shot up and pleaded with him. To stop or to ask the right question? He gulped air before asking quietly but quickly. "Did someone hurt you?"
Tears leaked out, but she didn't respond. When he attended his training, there was an emphasis on spotting assaults. The scared girl in front of him exhibited all the warning signs. Anger coursed through him as he thought of his sister. Then he remembered Keira, she had been forced, but thankfully not raped.
The girl was too busy shaking to see him texting. His boss, the resident director, was the adult in charge of the entire dorm. Luckily, Renee was a nurturer. Hopefully, she could help the girl, because as a male, Nick couldn't. She appeared quickly, but approached slowly. When she sat down, Nick backed away. He would keep others from sitting in the space. Never had he wished he wasn't male. His gender affected his ability to help the frightened thing.
Eventually, the girl walked away with Renee to her apartment. Nick stayed in the lobby long enough to see a female campus police officer arrive. When he reached his room, he flopped on his bed. It baffled him. There were girls all over campus willing to consent. Why did guys have to force the drunk ones? It was sick.
Holding his phone, he texted Sophie. You awake?
His phone rang bridging the distance between Tampa and Boston. "What's up?"
"I think a girl was assaulted."
"Men are beasts."
"Thanks." He hardly protested.
"Not you. You're my brother."
Nick smiled. As she talked he thought, I love you, Soph.
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