Page 44 of All My Firsts

“I’m gonna look on campus. I want to see if he’s stalking anywhere in particular for you. Maybe he’s looking for you at the library or something. I don’t know. It’ll make me feel better if I can get a sighting of him and know where he is instead of being takenoff guard.”

I wasn’t sure about this, but I could tell it was something he really needed to do. He was agitated again. He came to me and hugged me close, knowing I was still struggling from last night. I pulled away, trying to let him know I was OK. I just wanted to changethe subject.

“Well, I need a shower today. How am I going to get that accomplished?” I didn’t want to be out of the room with Xander not here.

“Ashley and Lena both said they’d help with that, and they said you can hang out in their room with them until I get back. Is that OK?” I gave him an unsure look. “One of them will stand guard in the bathroom area and the other will be in the dressing room part of the shower with you, so it’ll look like she is the one taking the shower if, God forbid, he forces his way into the ladies’ bathroom. We’ve got it all figured out, Lanie. Don’t worry.” It actually sounded like a solid plan. Ashley and Lena lived together on the other end of the hall. I’d had lunch with them a few times since Xander’s party, so at least I was a bit comfortable with them.

“That sounds like itcould work.”

He smiled, and I got my stuff together. He opened the door and looked out in the hall. He had texted the girls already, and they were waiting by theirdoor for me.

“The coast is clear. Let’s get you into the bathroom,” he said. I took off running, trying to get there as fastas I could.

As I passed the girls by their room, they took off running with me, laughing as we ran down the hall. I was glad they could find some levity in the situation, and I was glad we made it unseen. But my heart was pounding.

“Oh my God. Thanks, guys, for helping me with this. It’s crazy that I even have to do this.” I was a bit embarrassed to have to talk to them about all this shit with Max.

“Oh gosh, Lanie, don’t think twice about it. I had a boyfriend from home who was an asshole too – I will say, not to the level of yours, but we all have skeletons, right? Go take your shower. I’ll be out here, and Lena will sit on the bench in there with you.”

Lena followed me into the showers and gave me a sincere smile. “I hope you can make it all work out. Especially with Xander. He really likes you, Lanie. I’ve never seen him like this with another girl. I’ve known him since the first day of freshman year, and every girl I know, including myself, has had a crush on him.” She gave me a shrug. “But he’s different with you. He’s never been so happy, so serious before. So, I hope you guys can make it work.”

“Thanks.”

That was all I could say. It was weird to hear about how many girls had their eye on Xander, but I understood why. I quickly jumped in the shower and finished my business. Then the three of us got to their room without incident.

I was brushing the knots out of my hair as the girls and I were talking about mindless things: our classes, homework. We were in the middle of sharing some of our professors’ names whenI heard him.

The loud booming.

The yellingof my name.

The knocking on the doors.

I quickly ran, turned off their TV, and motioned for them to be quiet, to act like they weren’t in their room. I noticed their door was already locked. There was nothing more to do other than endure listening tohis tirade.

“Lanie! Where the fuck are you? I know you have to be in one of these rooms.” His footsteps could be heard getting closer to our room. I cowered in the corner, hands over my ears. Ashley came to my side and put her arms around me. She was trembling as much as I was.

“I’ve checked this entire campus, and you’re nowhere else. Are you in one of these rooms hooking up with some douchebag?” Max screamed through the hall.

Ashley’s sharp intake of breath startled me. Her compassionate eyes held my gaze when I turnedtoward her.

“He’ll be gone soon,” she whispered in my ear.

But Max wasn’t done. He had resorted to knocking on every door he passed. Thankfully, no one was opening up for him. “You fucking someone? I bet that’s what you’ve been doing since you got here, you fucking whore!”

But then we heard another voice coming down the hall.

“Dude, what the fuck is your problem? You’ve done nothing but harass everyone on this floor all weekend. Haven’t you taken the hint Lanie doesn’t wantto see you?”

It was Xander. I hoped he knew what he was doing. It sounded like he was antagonizing Max.

“Do you fucking know her? Where is she?” Max demanded.

“Yeah, I fucking know her. Everyone on the floor knows her. We all live together. Doesn’t mean we’re fucking her. Last I heard, she went home with her roommate for the weekend, so you’re wasting your time. Why don’t you give us all a break and get the fuck out of here? And if you don’t, I think my next call will be the cops.”

“Are you fucking threatening me? I don’t think you want to do that, asshole. Not a move you want to make with me.” His venomous voice was something I recognized all too well.

“Well, I just did, and I have a few friends to back me up. Want to have me ask them to escort you out, or will you leave on your own?” Xanderthreatened.

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