Page 74 of Hits Different

But then, I’d be no better than she thinks I am already.

****

I walk home completely and utterly dejected. I’m mad at myself for not preparing more thoroughly, but I’m also stuck seeing myself through the Garrison’s eyes, like I’m not good enough.

What really kills me is the realisation that this is how I made Brandon feel too. Like there was something wrong with him.

I consider heading to a bar to drown my sorrows, but it’s already dark and I just want to fall into bed and write off the day. I slip in through the gates and am about to head home when something catches my eye.

There’s a light on in the main office. Only for a second, then it’s gone.

It’s too late for anyone to still be working. The rest of the campus is bathed in darkness.

There it is again. It’s not a light, it’s a torch. Someone’s in there. I should call the police. I reach for my phone, but then stop. What if I’m wrong? Or there’s some innocent explanation. Last thing Simon needs is the cops showing up and causing a disturbance.

I tiptoe around back. There’s a window half open. Rustling noises come from inside.

Where the hell is security? I hesitate. Should I go in? Now’s the time to call the cops. Hopefully they’ll get here quickly. I slide my phone out of my pocket, when the sound of something crashing over makes my mind up for me.

I slip through the window.

The noise is coming from the back office. There’s nothing of value in there, as far as I know, just a bunch of office supplies and files. I tiptoe forward, barely daring to breathe.

The door is ajar. A figure in a black hoodie crouches over the filing cabinet, a torch in his mouth, rifling through files.

I cast my eyes around, not finding anything that I can use as a weapon. I edge closer and closer. The floor beneath me creaks, and he spins around. Fuck.

I spring forward, wrestling him to the ground. He’s strong, shoving me off but I pin him down by the throat and reach down to grab his hood.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Wait, I know that voice. I yank his hood off.

It’s Brandon.

Chapter 30

Proximity

Brandon

“Me?!” Parker says, “What the hell is wrong withyou? What are you doing?”

“Currently? Being throttled”, I remove Parker’s hand from my throat. “If this a new hands-on service that Summit is providing, I’ll pass”. He continues to gape. “Feel free to dismount anytime, by the way”.

“What? Oh, sorry”. Parker rolls off, in a more athletic way than feels necessary. He helps me to my feet. “But you still need to tell me what you’re doing”.

“I need to find my papers, okay?” I mutter, returning to the filing cabinet.

“What papers?”

“My registration papers”. Duh.

“Your registration papers. Oh, of course. Silly me”.

“It’s an emergency”. I pause, suddenly aware of how implausible this sounds. “An administrative emergency”.

“A midnight administrative emergency. Got it. Why didn’t you just say so?”

---