Moose and Goose

Chapter Twenty-two

"Let me go," Mary yells at her assailant, who's gripping her wrists in his meaty hands as they stand between the student lounge and the sorority.

The sky is dusky with clouds slowly coming together, and when Judith sniffs the wind sweeping past her and Kacey, she smells the earthiness of the forthcoming rain; petrichor.

"I'm sick of this shit, Hendricks! Tell the people that you lied to that I didn't do anything to you," he commands her. Mary's body is quivering, and the touch of Derek's breath on her forehead sends goosebumps flying up the length of her limbs.

Derek doesn't need to be a foot taller than Mary to make her feel small; his voice is enough, but he doesn't scare Judith. Looking at him reminds her of a lesser version of David, and not knowing him personally, like she knows David, removes any ounce of fear she would have.

She steps toward him, and when her right hand jerks the left sleeve of his t-shirt at the same time as the earth-shattering boom, he veers his head toward her.

"Get your hands off her, or I'll gladly rip them off of your arms," Judith threatens him, and a smile creeps onto his chiseled face.

He doesn't believe her and she doesn't believe herself. Judith looks at Mary, who's staring at her with tears in her eyes, then she looks over at Kacey, who's unsure of what to do.

Derek lets go of Mary, and when his hands return to his sides, she takes shaky breaths that pull tears from her lashes.

He turns to Judy and presses his hands against her chest, knocking her to the ground. Mary and Kacey gasp.

Another thunderclap serves as ambiance to break the tension between them, but it's in vain. Judith pushes herself upright, ignoring the sound, reminding her of furniture crashing to the floor.

"You think you're the shit, don't you?" He raises his chin and smiles once more, displaying his top row of teeth and dimples. Mary's trembling with fear as she looks to her left. "Well, you're not! You're just a steroid-chugging airhead who probably wouldn't have gotten accepted to this school if you weren't athletic."

Jerome is approaching, carrying a tattered satchel from his right shoulder to his left hip. Derek's grin disappears as he watches her yell at him.

"Say something!" Jerome comes to a halt as she presses her palms against his hard abdomen. He looks at Mary first, then at Kacey, Judy, and finally at Derek.

He leans into her right ear and says, "Stay away from me."

His beer and mint-scented breath permeate into her nose, and she blinks to soothe the burn in her eyes. They watch him stand tall, glaring down at her over his nose bridge's hump.

He takes a step back to take in all of the attention on him, then walks down the path with his back to them. Mary and Judy look at each other.

"I heard about that girl. What was her name? Petra?" He stops to the left of the student lounge's doors. Mary, Kacey, and Jerome avert their eyes to her. "How many other girls did you do that to? So far, I've counted two."

Derek returns to her with swift steps, his fists balled up, and his face scrunched angrily. He stands over her, and she looks up at him, her stomach contorting.

"You've been researching me, Nancy Drew?" He watches her eyes briefly squint, and he glances at her bandage, then at her again.

"It's not hard to get dirt on someone like you," she tells him as he maliciously looks her up and down. "All I need is the key to your closet and those skeletons that you tucked away? Oh, everyone will know; I'll fucking ruin you."