Page 2 of Heartbreak Kings
She moved ahead and pushed the lobby door open for us—only to stop short, confronted by some sign-waving men who had piled into the space and were blocking the elevators. “Oh,” she said and muttered something in Kreyol that I didn’t catch. I could hear the fear in her voice. I wasn’t having it.You don’t get to scare my mom.I moved ahead of her, studying the knot of men.
Most of them were young—incoming freshmen or close to it, with sloppy T-shirts, snapbacks, hoodies, early fall versions of skater clothes. Still high school boys, really, complete with obvious cool-guy loathing of any girl they couldn’t get their dicks in.
They smirked at me with bully delight, while a red-faced guy with at least ten years on them pushed to the front of the group.
“You thought you could go around us,” he sneered as I took him in coldly. I could hear Mom hesitating behind me, worried about the potential confrontation. Meanwhile, I was assessing him and them.
The main aggressor, Mr. Perpetual Student, was a big, messy slouch of a man with an unkempt russet beard and the pasty skin of someone who lived his whole life indoors. A stale smell of junk food and cigarettes rolled off his black overcoat.
“Well, think again!” He started up his pretentious speech again while I stared at him. Some guys around us shifted restlessly, as if starting to realize their banner-bearer was off his damn rocker over nothing. Two of them started snickering at him. He seemed oblivious, puffing himself up and folding his arms. “I won’t allow you to defile this campus with your—”
“With what, my cooties?” I challenged him. “Grow up.”
More nervous laughter from the crowd—mixed with a deep-voiced chuckle that briefly distracted me into investigating its source. Then I stared back at Mr. Perpetual Student, watching him huff while his face turned purple. “You have no right to be here!” he yelled.
“That’s not your call. Get the fuck out of the way,” I said tiredly.
He blinked in shock at my unladylike language as a few guys chuckled and moved back, but the rest folded their arms, still smirking. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure in a black leather jacket just leaning against the wall, watching the fun.
“Make me!” His voice quavered childishly.
I stared at him for a second, then shrugged, set down the suitcase, and pulled out my phone.
His eyes widened, and he took a half step backward. “What—who are you calling?” he demanded suspiciously.
I shrugged my free shoulder. “Campus security. They find out you’re blocking students from entering the dorm, you’ll probably spend a chunk of time in a cell.”
He swallowed, the red draining from his face. “You wouldn’t.”
“You bet your ass, I would,” I declared, glaring at him hard as I took a half step forward. “See, I don’t give a shit about your hurt ego or your problems with women or your need to throw all that weight around. That’s not my concern. You, your anger, all this bullshit, these teenage boys you’ve rallied to your little hateful cause…” I swept my arm around to take in the remaining guys. “None of that fucking shit matters to me.”
“This is men’s space—” he started, but I just shook my head.
“This is the school where I have a full-ride scholarship. The administration decided that this is no longer ‘men’s space,’ not me. They offered me the ride. I took it. There is nothing more to it than that.” I continued staring hard at him, my eyes aching and my heart pounding from the social discomfort but determined to make my point. “If you have a problem with that, take it up with the administration or go whine about it in your hate groups online. Because I don’t care.”
The guy went pale as another whooped. I heard the door open as some of his backup left. He turned to watch them go, then turned back and gave me a panicked stare.
“Make yourself scarce,” I advised, hovering my thumb over my phone’s touchscreen. “Or you can get kicked out for causing trouble and relive your youth at another goddamn campus.”
His lips trembled as he glanced from me to Mom to his dwindling support, until finally, he eyed me and stumbled for the far door. Two guys laughed at him as he passed.
I scooped my suitcase up again and glanced back at Mom, who was staring at me wide-eyed. “Oh my God, child,” she said and then laughed and shook her head. “What have I raised?”
“A fighter, Mama.” I walked up to the elevator doors and pressed the button to summon it.
“That was a little dangerous. I don’t think he had his head on properly.” Mom dragged my suitcase through the elevator door when it came, scowling with worry.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Mama, but I had to do something. He was going to keep talking and making a fuss until I did.” I carted the rest of my stuff in and then leaned against the wall beside her, facing outward. “Guys like that don’t stop until you push back.”
There were still a few guys in the lobby, including the one in the black leather jacket, one arm folded over his broad chest as he talked on the phone. He examined me. Our eyes met just as the door closed, giving me a glimpse of pale irises the color of silver coins. Then the doors slammed shut.
“Just be careful, child. Too many of these women-hating men are shooting up places these days.”My poor mom.I could still see the fear in her dark eyes at the thought of my being here alone.
“I will be,” I promised, but mostly, I was just pissed off. I didn’t really care if a bunch of assholes wanted to throw their little tantrums and make my life less convenient. They would soon learn that I was just another student and didn’t give a damn about the political uproar, or they would get security called on them and get tossed out of school.
There was nobody in the hallway when we got upstairs. We made our way to the small door at the end of the hall. I snatched the folded note taped to the door off it before Mom caught up, and I tried my key.
The room within was small and plain, with dark gray office carpet, a long, narrow bed, a desk, and a single large window. Unadorned white walls. Thin horizontal blinds. The bathroom beyond its open door was barely larger than the closet. I crossed to the window and peered out, watching the guys who had been bothering us walk away across the quad in front of the dormitory. One of them tossed his sign in the trash as he went.
