“They’re not here bothering us,” I said simply, stepping forward.
“You look stupid in your armor.”
He turned to his frat brothers looking for them to back him up. They didn’t say anything.
“You’re just jealous because you’re not fit enough to wear armor and do battle.”
“Yeah,” Teddy added while pointing at Derek.
“I’d whip your ass in a fake sword fight.”
“Let’s do it then.”
“No, James,” Haley said quietly. “You don’t want to get hurt over something stupid.”
“You better listen to your bitch,” Derek said bravely.
Fuck that noise!
“Get some armor on, and we’ll see who’s a bitch.” I turned to Teddy. “Do you have an extra suit for this frat-fuck?”
“Yeah, I think.”
“Good. Go get it.”
I turned to face Derek.
“Last chance to go away.”
“You wish,” he said.
“I’ll take it easy on you.”
“You do that.”
By that time, word had spread among the other frat brothers waiting to get their game of Ultimate Frisbee started as well as all the other SCA members. A crowd of a couple dozen people or more formed in middle of the grass field.
“Are you sure this is a smart idea?” Haley asked as I stretched my muscles behind one of the tents.
“I know it’s not a good one, but it will be fun.”
“What if you get hurt?”
“The armor will protect me.”
“Yeah, but there’s still a chance. Is it worth risking your football career for this?”
“It’s too late to back down now,” I said. “Can I get a kiss before I go out on the field of battle, princess?”
She rolled her eyes but stood on her toes and kissed me on the lips. I put on my helmet, loving that it was heavier than my normal football helmet.
A cheer went up from all the other SCA members and a few of the goth kids who had wandered over as I appeared from behind the tent.
Haley walked by my side. I gripped my wooden sword tighter, not worried at all. Even with only a few months of practicing, the frat boy would go down.
I stepped through the ring of people and lifted my weapon in the air. Another round of cheers rose up along with catcalls from the frat brothers.
Derek walked into our impromptu arena, walking awkwardly in the extra set of spare armor Teddy had pieced together from spare parts.
He’ll have an excuse for losing
, I thought as I lowered my arm and prepared for battle. Unlike the football field, fake sword fighting wasn’t easy for me.
That was part of the reason I liked it so much. Derek yelled – a blood curdling scream – and charged toward me with his wooden sword raise. I easily countered with my own sword then came back with an attack, hitting him on the arm.
He glanced down at his arm then went ballistic, swinging at me repeatedly but missing every single time. Tired of playing around, I went at him with everything I’d learned about sword fighting over the last few months.
While it wasn’t a lot, it was more than enough for me to attack him strongly enough he dropped his sword to the ground and raised his hands.
“I give up. Get this fucking armor off me!”
A cheer went up from the other SCA members as I lifted my sword high into the air. The energy in the air flowed through me. I looked over at Haley and saw her smiling as I circled around my opponent as he attempted to remove his armor.
After my triumphant walk around the circle of people, they dispersed. The SCA members went back to the tents while the goth kids and frat-fucks wandered out of the park.
“You’re my hero,” Haley said, her arm clinging to mine.
“I’ve got to get out of this armor.”
“I wish I could stay, but I have to get going.”
“So soon?”
“Yeah, I got work. Remember? You stay and have fun with your nerd friends. I won’t tell anyone. Promise.”
I leaned forward and kissed her, one of my steel covered hands on her ass.
“Hey!” she cried in mock protest. “And don’t hit on any of those wenches tonight.”
“I like that you’re getting into my weird hobby.”
“As long as you don’t wear the armor to bed, I’m fine with it.”
“I’ll see you later, princess.”
“You know it.”
I kissed her on the lips one more time, not caring who saw me. Among the mostly geeks and nerds in the SCA organization, I was considered a hero. As she walked away, I watched that ass a few moments, unable to resist her charms. She had cast some sort of spell on me for sure.
TWENTY-ONE
Haley
The next morning, I woke up with the lingering fragments of a dream where James, dressed in armor, had rescued me from a castle or a mean witch or something.
As I went through my morning routine, the images faded, but they left me feeling positive about moving forward with James. He was full of surprises.
In the kitchen, as I sat with a bowl of Rice Krispies, Tabby rushed in, out of breath.
Oh boy
, I thought.
Here we go. I wonder what it is this time
.
“I’m glad I caught you.”
“I live here. Couldn’t have been too hard.”
“Last night…”
She stopped talking, her breathing fast and furious.
“Yeah?” I asked, genuinely unconcerned.
“It’s James…”
I glanced up.
“What about him?”
“After you left, I stuck around, and…”
“I didn’t see you there,” I interrupted.
“That’s because you’re all about James and no one else these days. I was there with some of my friends.”
“There were quite a few freaks in the park.”
“I’m not a freak,” she snapped.
The jury is still out on that one!
“Fine. What about James?
“After you left, I saw him go into a tent with this blonde-haired woman with big breasts.”
I rolled my eyes, not believing her for a second.
“Uh-huh. Go on.”
“Well, I went up to the tent, and I heard him fucking her!”
“You saw this with your own eyes?”
“No. I’m not a pervert! They were the only two who went into the tent, though.”
“And you were watching this tent all night why?”
She sighed.
“I’m trying to protect you, Haley. He is not this perfect guy you think he is.”
“I never said he was perfect.”
“No, but you’re falling head-over-heels in love with him.”
I recalled saying the L-word to him – and getting nothing in return.
“I stayed all night, and he was partying with her after they came out of the tent.”
“Whatever, Tabby.”
“I’m serious!”
The look on her face said I should believe her, but she was a good liar, one of the best I’d ever met.
Should I believe her now? Not without any proof!
“Okay, I’ll keep this in mind. Thanks.”
I turned my attention back to the snap-crackle-pop of my cereal before it got soggy.
“Haley, we’ve been friends for years now. You just met this guy, and you’re going to believe him over me.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Look, I’ll talk to him about it later.”
“You should just break up with him. This explains why he didn’t answer your calls or texts the other day.”
I frowned and shook my head, not knowing what to believe anymore.
“Do you think I would lie to you about something like this? Really?”
“No, Tabby, but you have to admit things have not been good between us for a while.”
“Exactly! Since you and James started hanging out. He’s going to ruin your life then move on to his next conquest.”
I nodded then went back to eating.
“You want to hang out later?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I have a lot going on.”
“Going out with him again?”
“What if I am?” I snapped.
“I just told you he’s cheating on you!”
“I’m not sure I can trust you.”
“Fine. I tried to help.”
She spun around and left the kitchen. As I finished my breakfast, I did consider what she had said to me. He had said he wanted to stay all night at the SCA event. Was it because he’s fucking another woman?
The thought angered me, but I wasn’t sure if I should trust Tabby or not.
Ugh! Why does love have to be so complicated?
After rinsing out my favorite blue bowl with enough room for a decent sized serving, I grabbed my backpack and left the apartment.
Walking to campus, James called. I saw his name and photo on the screen and sent him straight to voicemail.
Let’s see how he likes a taste of his own medicine
. With so much going on in my life, I didn’t have time for cheating men, even if they were hot as hell.
* * *
On the way home, I checked my phone again to make sure I hadn’t missed a message from James. Why hadn’t he tried to get ahold of me again? Had I made him mad? Was he done with me for real this time?
Doubts and self-doubt had cursed me since I was a little girl back in Indiana where I grew up. My fears were one of the reasons I had decided to go to college in New York, even if it was Buffalo not NYC.
Should I call him? Nah. His loss. A break will be good for us.
When I reached the front door of my apartment, I heard loud dance music coming from inside. Whenever she played that techno-shit, it meant one thing, she was likely drinking.
I considered walking to the library to hang out for a while, but I didn’t like the idea of running from my own home, especially not because of someone like Tabby.
As soon as I opened the door and walked in, she jumped up from the couch and stumbled toward me. Here we go. I set my backpack down on the floor.
“Haley, baby!” she said, slurring the words.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
She threw her arms around me and hugged.
“I live here, silly.”
“Don’t you have work tonight?”
“Not tonight,” she said, letting go of me. “Why won’t you hug me like you hug him?”
“Don’t start,” I warned, walking toward the kitchen.
She followed.
“Have a drink with me,” she said. “We never drink anymore.”
“Because I work and go to school now. You know I don’t have time.”
“You make time for James. Why can’t you make time for me?”
I stopped near the kitchen table and turned to face her.
“Okay. I’ll have a drink or two, but I’m not getting drunk.”
She smiled and clapped her hands together rapidly.
“I’ll get the wine.”
With a sigh, I sat down and waited for her to return. She did, a minute later, carrying a box of wine, our favorite brand not because of its taste or quality but because of its low price.
She dumped the box on the table.
“I’ll get you a glass.”
I checked my phone one more time as she got a ceramic mug. She poured it half-full from the spigot on the side of the wine box.
“Whoa,” I said, reaching for it. “Not so much.”
“We need a good drunk.”
I lifted the mug in the air while she grabbed her more traditional wine glass, the only one we had in the house. We clinked them together then both took a drink.
“Ugh. Awful,” I said, scrunching up my face.
“Right?” she said, giggling. “To old times.”
She raised her glass again. Reluctantly, I did the same. Two drinks soon turned into four somehow. Before I knew it, midnight had come and gone.
“Shit,” I said, standing up. “I need to sleep.”
“I’ll come with you.”
She put her arm around my waist and attempted to kiss me. I deflected her easily.
“No, no, no…”
Both of us giggled as I made my escape, running to my bedroom and closing the door behind me.
She better not come in here without knocking
, I thought as I laid down on my bed.
The room spun. Or maybe it was me that was spinning. I couldn’t tell anymore. As I watched the door, ready to yell at her, my droopy eyes closed and I fell asleep.
TWENTY-TWO
Haley