The Autumn Prince

8. A Line Too Thin

I used Katherine's key card to let us through the side door of her dorm and led her past half-empty vending machines to the RA's apartment. Katherine shared a room on the second floor with Penny Cooper, a third-year journalism major, but I had no intention of leaving her there in her current state.

Rachel opened her door while we were several steps away and rushed to help. She wasn't exactly tall but had a good four inches on Katherine and easily took my girlfriend's weight from me, shaking her long, raven-black pony-tail over one shoulder. I took a step back, hands on my knees, panting. Even if I'd been cured, my muscles weren't any stronger than they'd been two days ago.

"Shit, Tom, what's going on?" Rachel glared, hurrying Katherine through her door.

"I told you on the phone," I managed between breaths, "I have no idea."

Rachel's dorm was half again larger than others I'd seen, with a double bed against one wall. She maneuvered Katherine on top of the blanket, tucked a pillow behind her head, then turned on me.

"She's wasted." Her eyes threatened, but they were also confused and her manner reflected disappointment and worry more than the blind rage I'd expected.

"I don't know why. She was drinking a beer, but—"

"Where did she get a beer?"

"From my refrigerator."

"Fuck, Tom, why are you buying beer, are you trying to kill yourself?"

"No, I—"

"Did she get any of your drugs in her beer?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"None of that date rape shit?"

"Scopolamine? Rach, do you even hear what you're saying?"

Her eyes burned hot for another second, then flickered and dimmed, accompanied by a long sigh, "I'm sorry, I know you wouldn't hurt her on purpose, but I've never seen her like this. You can't tell me it doesn't look suspicious."

"It's freaking me out too."

Rachel tensed as if she were about to start yelling again, but she pressed her lips together and kept it to herself, then turned back toward Katherine, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her cutoffs while she took stock of her friend.

"I'm sorry about this," I offered once more, "I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to leave her in her room."

Rachel looked back and barked a short laugh, "I'm glad you didn't. Penny would MacGyver the shit out of her."

"She'd what?"

Rachel held up a finger for each point, "Unconscious body, permanent marker, cell phone camera, Twitter . . ."

"That's kind of what I was afraid of," I nodded. Penny wasn't a terrible person, but her idea of fun often outweighed everyone else's sense of decency.

Rachel sighed, crossed her arms, and gave me a hard look. "Well, you aren't staying," she marched forward suddenly, forcing me backward toward the door, "I'll call you if anything changes."

"Wait, why? I want to—"

"You're not bunking down in my room, Tom, I need to sleep at some point. You asked me to make sure she's okay and I will. I've got it from here." I was back in the hall and Rachel's body blocked her doorway, muscles clearly defined beneath the overhead lights.

"But can't I . . ."

"No naked bingo for you tonight, bro. Sorry." she said, and backed out of sight, closing the door on me.