Page 76 of Bend Him, Break Him
William sneered.
“Third, it was never about the video. It was the outing.” Isaac glared, seeing only red. Every part of William looked breakable, and he wondered how much hate he could release by hitting him. “Finally, and this is the most important part, I warned you that if you ever showed your face again, I’d rearrange it.”
William back stepped. “That was for Pride.”
“That was for life, motherfucker. Do I look like the kind of person to tolerate casual mockery?”
William tripped over his own feet, and Isaac cracked his knuckles. Before he had a chance to swing, William scrambled to his feet and ran away.
A pity. Isaac really wanted to break someone into pieces until his frustration subsided.
Isaac grabbed his things and continued walking to the apartments. He waited for someone to leave and then slipped inside since the doors required a key swipe to enter. When he knocked at the door, he could hear scrambling on the other side.
The door swung open, and a breathless Mina answered. “You’re early.”
Isaac scrunched his face and eyed Mina from head to toe. She was visibly flushed, her braids were tangled, and her shirt was on inside out.
“I take it you heard what happened.” Isaac walked right on in without waiting for an invitation.
“It’s been all over campus.” Mina had an apologetic expression. “How’s Colton?”
“Needs space,” Isaac sighed. “In the meantime, I got kicked out of my dorm and pretty much got fucked by this whole situation.”
“Well, you’re welcome to my couch as long as you need it.” Mina gestured absentmindedly to the apartment.
“Thanks.” Isaac dropped his garbage bags for the time being. “You can tell Jazz to come on out.”
Mina’s expression turned to phony confusion. “Huh?”
“Didn’t realize I was interrupting you two.”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Mina, do I really need to embarrass you?” Isaac side-eyed her as he opened the bedroom door. “Is she under the bed or—”
The closet door creaked, and Jazz sheepishly stepped out.
“Hiding in the closet?” Isaac tsked. “Shame.”
“Not hiding,” Jazz insisted.
“Yeah,” Mina jumped in. “We’re not hiding anything. We’re just taking it slow, like you and Colton did.”
“Well, you two clearly need to work harder.”
“Oh, please.” Mina waved a dismissive hand. “You just got lucky.”
“We’re in Jazz’s apartment.” Isaac blinked a few times at them, waiting for the realization to hit.
They’d been so dazed and delirious in whatever the fuck they were doing that they’d literally forgotten whose bedroom they were messing around in. It was such an oddity; Isaac couldn’t help but smirk a bit.
“I don’t know what kind of pussy power you two are laying down on each other, but y’all might wanna consult a doctor about the memory loss.” Isaac’s grin grew wider the deeper Mina frowned. “I’m happy for you both.”
“Thank you.” Jazz beamed. “But also, don’t say anything.”
“My lips are sealed.”
They stood in silence for a few minutes before Jazz asked for more clarification on what had happened. She wanted everything, all the details. This wasn’t her being nosy; this was her sleuthing, searching for clues, checking for campus missteps. Already, before Isaac got to the part about his meeting with Mrs. Hyman, Jazz was calling into question the ethics behind Isaac’s punishment. If Jazz had it her way, she’d march the entire GSA and other club committees down there right this minute, but she stayed calm and listened to Isaac.
