A/N: Warning, this chapter contains some pretty dark themes regarding things such as physical/mental abuse and/or sexual harassment. It isn't terribly graphic, but it's there. If you are sensitive to these things, please proceed with caution or skip over everything in between the centered, bold "***". Thank you!
***
Buzz. Buzz. Bing! Buzz. Bing!
What the hell?
Darien opened his eyes to hear his phone buzzing and chiming and vibrating on the table. He looked over to see Seth snuggled up, still holding him close. On the other side of the room was Caroline, curled up under a mountain of blankets.
How aren't they hearing this? Darien thought. He slowly wiggled out of Seth's grasp, lightly letting his feet touch the floor before standing up all the way, moving over to the table on his tip toes. He yawned and stretched as he grabbed his phone, and rubbed his eyes as he unlocked it.
Notifications
34 Missed Calls: Andy
Inbox: 211 Messages
12 Voicemails
Darien held his head in his hand, briefly scrolling through the contents of his phone. Sure enough, they were all from Andy, the messages containing things anywhere from confessions of love to some pretty fucked up stuff. He didn't even bother listening to the voicemails, he just cleared out all of the notifications until they were gone. He stood there for a moment, contemplating what to do next. He read the most recent text in the message box.
To: Darien
From: Andy
8:23 am: I need to see you, I'm a fucking wreck, please, please allow me just a talk, Darien. Please.
Darien sighed and bit his lip, unsure of what to do. Finally, he hit 'reply'.
To: Andy
From: Darien
8:30 am: I wasn't ignoring you. I was asleep, I'm sorry.
Andy answered, almost immediately.
To: Darien
From: Andy
8:31 am: God, Darien, please come over. Please come talk to me. I need to see you. I didn't sleep a wink, please.
Darien looked over at his sleeping friends. He knew it probably wasn't the best idea, but he decided against his judgement.
To: Andy
From: Darien
8:32 am: Give me a bit. I'll be over soon.
To his surprise, Andy didn't reply. He stepped over to Seth and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake very gently.
"Seth?" He whispered. "Wake up for just a second."
"Mm, hmm..?" Seth groaned and opened one eye, looking at the sweet boy standing above him. "What is it, are you okay?"
"I.. um," Darien said. He was going to lie, and tell Seth he was going to a class, but he decided against it. No more lying. "I'm going to see Andy."
"Why would you want to do that?" Seth whispered. He then realized how rude his question might have seemed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Just please be careful, okay? I'll be here if you need anything."
"T-Thank you, Seth," Darien said, quite surprised with his reaction. He was worried he'd be questioned and convinced not to go.
"May I ask you one thing, though?" Seth whispered.
"Of course," Darien whispered back.
"Are you going to see him to get back together?" Seth asked, his face showing no emotion.
"Well, I don't know what he wants to see me for," Darien said. "However, I know I don't want to get into that relationship again. Don't worry. I've got my eyes on someone different."
Darien leaned in and pressed a kiss to Seth's forehead, smiling down at him as he pulled away.
"Be safe," Seth repeated, smiling.
"I will, go back to sleep," Darien said, quickly changing his dirty shirt for one of Seth's. He grabbed his cellphone and made his way out the door.
The walk across campus seemed longer and longer every single time he had to do it. Not only that, but the anticipation to walk into such a tense environment was gut-wrenching. As far as he knew, Andy hadn't slept at all that night, and he had no idea what kind of mindset he was in or what he wanted to talk about. Maybe he shouldn't have gone alone, maybe he shouldn't have gone at all, but he was and he was almost there. He climbed the steps to the apartment building and knocked on the door to Andy's.
"It's open," said Andy's groggy voice from the inside. Darien entered the apartment, slowly pushing the door open and shutting it behind him when he was fully indoors. Andy sat just ahead of him on the couch, staring blankly at the TV, which was playing but muted.
"Andy?" Darien asked quietly. Andy turned his head to face the boy, his eyes bloodshot and his face red and puffy.
"Hello, Darien," Andy said. Darien approached him, sitting down in the chair placed next to the couch. He wasn't really sure what to say, staring down at his feet.
"What.. what happened last night?" Darien asked him.
"I.. I don't know, Darien. I got out of the shower, realized you and your things were gone and what I said and what I had done and I just, I felt.. I felt so terrible," Andy said. "I needed you to come here. I need you to come home. To me."
"Well, I'm here for right now, Andy. I can't stay here permanently," Darien said.
"Please, oh please, Darien! Please come back, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I need you so bad, I need my baby," Andy pleaded.
"Andy, I'm sorry, I just.. I just don't think I'm in love with you anymore. It really does hurt me to tell you that," Darien said, frowning.
"Why? Why won't you love me, Darien?" At this point, he was in hysterics. "Tell me the truth, Darien!! Why??"
"Because," Darien said, his body starting to get hot. He was anxious. "Because I think I'm in love with someone else."
"Who?!" Andy wailed.
"I.. I think I have feelings for Seth, Andy. I'm sorry."
"Seth? Why Seth? You hated Seth! You hated him! You loved me, Darien! ME!"
"I know, I know I did. I'm just confused, and my feelings are all mushed around and," Darien said. He thought for a second. No more lies. "..I cheated on you, Andy. I'm sorry."
Andy sat there, his wailing had been silenced, staring blankly before finally speaking again.
"You did? With Seth?" He asked quietly.
"Yes," Darien confirmed just as softly.
"What happened? Did you have sex with him?" Andy asked, demanding answers. Darien could respect that.
"No, nothing like that. I kissed him. We didn't even take any clothes off or anything. Just kissing," Darien admitted. Andy continued to stare, thinking, pondering about what to do or say next. A tear slipped down his face.
"I deserve it," he finally said. "I deserve it for treating you like shit and for flirting with Caroline behind your back."
"You didn't deserve it, Andy. It was truly wrong of me and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone about things the way I did. I was just scared to tell you the truth," Darien said.
"Truth? What truth?"
"I was scared to tell you that I wasn't as happy as I used to be. I was afraid to try to break up with you. I'm not trying to excuse my behavior, but it's the reason I did what I have done," Darien said.
"You mean, you wanted to leave even before you and Seth.. you know?"
"I've spent most of my time being confused and angry and jealous. It was so hard to be in a relationship with someone when I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't want to hurt anyone more than they'd have to be in either scenario. It's difficult, Andy. I'm sorry I picked the wrong way to go about things," Darien said.
As quickly as someone turning on the light switch, Andy's mood flipped.
"You accused me of being a fucking liar when you've been lying probably as much as I have," Andy growled.
"I know I lied. It was wrong of me, and I'm sorry. I know that probably doesn't change anything for you, but I mean it," Darien said softly.
"I can't believe this," Andy said, standing up. "This is all your fault!"
"I wouldn't say that, Andy. Everyone played a part in this production," Darien said. Andy grabbed his wrist and yanked him out of his chair, pulling him in tight. He forced a kiss on the smaller boy's lips.
"If you won't love me," Andy growled. "I'll just have to force you to."
***
"Andy, you're scaring me," Darien whined.
"You're going to pay me back," Andy said, practically dragging Darien into his bedroom. "For everything you did! For lying! For going behind MY back with another man!"
"Andy, please, wait a minute!" Darien shouted.
"No, YOU wait! You wait on ME, just as I had for you all fucking night!"
"Andy, please, I was sleeping! I didn't mean for any of that!"
"Sleeping, huh? I bet you were sleeping right by his side too. Where else would you have gone?" Andy sneered. Darien didn't say anything. He just looked down and stared at the floor, breathing heavily.
Andy struck him across the face with the back of his hand, shouting, "answer me!" Darien ended up falling and landing on the floor.
"Yes!" Darien shouted back, wincing and shocked that he was even hit in the first place. His cheek grew numb and then stung until it tingled. He covered it up with his hand, doing everything on Earth that he could to keep from crying.
"You're a slut, Darien," Andy said, backing away from him a few feet. "Don't you know that?"
"I'm not, Andy. Most certainly not. I can't be a slut for sleeping next to someone," Darien said. He reached into his back pocket, trying desperately to call Seth at least in order to have him hear what was going on. He pressed a button here and there, doing what he could.
"Pathetic," Andy said, looking down at the ground. "What's wrong? Are you scared of me?"
"No," Darien said, finally able to press the 'call' button. He let it ring in his pocket.
"You're not?" Andy said, stepped over to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt. He pulled on it, forcing Darien to stand.
"No," Darien repeated again.
-Hello? Darien?
"How tragic," Andy said, forcing another kiss on Darien's lips.
"Andy, please stop," Darien pleaded. He didn't listen, he moved to Darien's neck and collar, pressing aggressive kisses and bites into his skin.
-Darien? What's going on? Darien?
"I said, stop!" Darien shouted again. Andy picked him up and threw him on the bed, hard enough to have him bounce up and down once or twice.
"Enough with your whining," Andy snapped. He climbed over top of Darien and stared down at the trembling boy.
"Shit, what the fuck is going on?!" Seth shouted, hanging up the phone. Never in his whole life did he change his clothes as fast as he had just then, and he bolted out the door.
"What's the matter?" Andy growled. "You seem afraid. Tense. You should relax a little."
"I-I.. I can't, Andy! I am afraid," Darien admitted.
"I thought you weren't scared of me. You find me evil, yes?" Andy asked him, running his fingers down Darien's neck.
"I don't find you evil," Darien whimpered, a tear running down his cheek. Once again, like a light switch, Andy was a whole different person.
"You don't? Even.. even after what I've done to you? What I'm doing to you right in this moment?" Andy asked, tears forming in his eyes again.
"No, Andy. You're not evil. You just need help," Darien said, attempting to wipe his tears away. Andy began to panic.
"You can't tell anyone about this. No one can find out! No one!" he shouted, and grabbed a bit of rope from his closet. He tied Darien's hands together and then tied them to the bed.
"Andy, please, don't do this! Don't leave me here!" Darien begged.
Seth's heart was pounding as he ran across campus. He was more than halfway there, nothing on his mind but Darien.
"I have to, don't you get that?!" Andy said, pulling a thick strip of duct tape off the roll. He pressed it against Darien's beautiful lips and smoothed it out over his mouth. Darien kicked and murmured as best as he could through the tape, but he couldn't make much sound.
Andy darted out the door, leaving Darien there. His mind raced with a hundred different things. He needed help. He needed help now. He ran out to his car and spent no extra time sitting around. Before anyone knew it, he was zooming out of the parking lot.
Darien panicked more and more the longer he was alone. He thrashed and whined and sobbed while also mentally telling himself to calm down. He definitely could have been through worse, he knew that. He thought about Andy hitting him, how his eyes went wild. Darien suddenly couldn't hear himself think over his own breath. One loud, blunt banging noise caused him to jump out of his skin.
***
"Darien!" Seth shouted, slamming into the door again, jiggling the handle. It wouldn't budge. He threw himself into the door once more. Again. And again. He stopped for a moment, exhaled, and then took a deep breath before getting a running start and slamming into the door, bursting it open.
Darien desperately tried to make some noise for Seth, who was running through all the rooms frantically. Seth finally entered the bedroom to see Darien laying there, bound to the bed and taped up. He thanked God that he was still fully clothed.
"Darien! Shit!" He yelled, climbing onto the bed and lifting up the corner of the tape.
"This is really going to hurt, Darien. I'm sorry. Just hold your breath, okay? One, two-" Seth counted before pulling the tape off of his face. Darien growled and winced at the pain.
"Thank you," Darien sobbed.
"Darien, what the fuck happened?" He asked, frantically untying Darien's hands.
"It's like he snapped, Seth. I came in to talk to him after he messaged me this morning, and he begged for me back and I told him I cheated on him and that I didn't love him anymore," Darien explained, sniffling.
"He's a fucking crazy person, Darien! Come on, let me get you out of here," Seth said, untying the last rope from Darien's wrist. He picked Darien up and held him in his arms like a baby, as if he weighed as much as a feather, basically running out of the apartment.
"I know, I know," Darien sobbed. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe any of this was happening. He couldn't do anything but cling onto Seth for dear life.
"I'm taking you to the Dean, and then I'm calling the police," Seth said. Darien didn't respond, he was just in hysterics. He had some of Seth's shirt balled up in his hand, clinging on for dear life.
It didn't take Seth long to reach the Dean's office. He carefully placed Darien in a chair right outside the door, allowing him to calm down. He kissed the top of his head and knelt down onto the floor to be eye level with him.
"Just calm down. I'm going to talk to him first. We need to make sure Andy can't get ahold of you easily, okay?" Seth asked. Darien nodded in response, sniffling and whimpering.
"I'll take care of it," Seth said, and turned to knock on the Dean's door. A cheery "come in" came from the other side. Seth entered, leaving Darien in the hallway.
"Dean Williams," Seth said. "A moment please, sir, it's important."
"Ah yes, Seth, is it? What seems to be the issue?"
"My friend was just assaulted by another student, he's sitting out in the hallway. He's really shaken up, sir," Seth said. Dean Williams pulled out a piece of paper and began taking information.
"Your friend, what is their name?"
"Darien Malloy."
"Really? Darien is such a fine, kind pupil! Who could have done such a thing?"
"Andy Blackwater, sir," Seth said.
"Andy.. that young man was always so.. so, what's the word? Refined, classy," Dean Williams said.
"I suppose sir, but he's assaulted my friend and now he's no where to be found."
"Bring Darien in. I want to speak with him as well," Dean Williams said. Seth nodded and poked his head of the door.
"Darien? He wants to talk to you too," Seth said quietly. Darien nodded and sniffed, standing up from his seat. He stepped into the office with them and let Seth shut the door. He sat down in front of the Dean's desk.
"Now, Darien, I need you to do your best to explain everything that happened to you. I need to make record of it so we can be sure you will always be safe on campus, okay?" Dean Williams said.
"I.. I don't want a restraining order or anything like that. I don't think I need it. Andy just needs help, someone needs to get him some help," Darien said.
"And we can do that, we wouldn't get an order against him for you anyway. We just need to know what happened."
Darien nodded and sighed, looking over at Seth, who gave him a single nod of approval. He turned back to look at the Dean.
"Andy and I were in a relationship, if you didn't already know. We were together for a good while but things were getting a little rocky," Darien said.
"Elaborate 'rocky' for me, please," the Dean requested.
"I cheated on him, sir," Darien admitted. "He was also quite manipulative. I found out he lied to me on a few accounts before I even thought about cheating. I just feel the love was going away."
"Go on."
"I broke things off with Andy, he didn't know I cheated by the end of it. When I broke up with him, he screamed at me a few times, and kicked me out of the apartment we had just rented. I spent the night with Seth and our friend Caroline to wake up to many, many notifications on my cellphone. Around 300," Darien said.
"All from Andy? And do you still have them?"
"Yes, and yes, sir."
"Keep them, in case we need anything for any investigation. Please, continue your story."
"He begged for me to come see him, so I did. I let Seth know where I was going at the time, so he knew where I'd be. Andy was exhausted, as far as I know he hasn't slept. We talked, he begged for my forgiveness, for our relationship. I declined, I explained I couldn't love him the way he needed me to, not after everything. I admitted to my infidelity as well," Darien said.
"And he snapped?"
"No sir, actually he was decently calm about it. He actually tried to take blame for it as well, but I explained it wasn't his fault and I apologized for doing it in the first place. It wasn't until I admitted I had fallen out of love with him longer than he had thought that he became hostile."
"The assault?"
"Yes sir, he yelled at me, belittled me, called me a slut, and forced me to kiss him. He tossed me on his bed and pinned me down, taunting me. At some point in all of this, I was able to call Seth so he could at least hear what was going on. I told Andy no several times, whether or not I was giving consent was not blurry or confusing."
"Did he get any further with you, Darien? I need to know everything," the Dean said, still writing.
"No, sir. He panicked before he could do anything else. I don't think he realized I had Seth on the line because he bound me to the bed and taped my mouth shut so I couldn't tell anyone. He ran off and drove away. I don't know where he went or when he'll be coming back. Seth damaged the front door to the apartment to come help me, and he brought me here."
"Thank you, Darien. We will look into this. In the meantime, try to avoid Andy. We will get him a therapist and quite possibly some medication. If anything else happens, feel free to come back or to give me a call."
"Thank you, sir," Darien said, standing up from his chair. Seth escorted Darien out of the room and all the way outside.
"Now," Seth said. "I know you're your own person and you can take care of yourself, but I intend on keeping a closer eye on you for a while. Okay?"
"Okay," Darien said quietly.
"Nothing bad will ever happen to you, ever again," Seth promised.
***
"Hello, Ms. Caroline," Andy said, approaching the girl in the café a few blocks from campus.
"Oh, uh, Andy? Hi," Caroline said, visibly confused, not a clue to what had occurred that morning.
"May I sit? I'd like to talk to you," Andy said with a smile. He seemed.. sweet. Like buttercups and rosy cheeks.
"Oh, well, sure, I suppose," she said, gesturing to the seat in front of her. Andy gladly took it, sitting down and smiling.
"I wanted to ask you about my next class meeting, assuming you'll come!" He was beaming with light, his toothy smile practically glowing.
"What would you like to ask?" Caroline questioned, taking a bite out of a strawberry pastry.
"I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me teach! You excel in what you do, ma'am. I think you'd be really beneficial. You'd make money, too!" he said.
"Really? Well, I've always wanted to teach, not necessarily art specifically," she admitted. "I'll think about it, maybe."
"Sounds wonderful. I hope to hear from you soon!"