30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Darren

I was so tired after practice, and as much as I wanted to curl up for a nap, I needed to see Christian. God, I'd been so neglectful of him lately. When I signed up for football, I hadn't realized how much time it would take me away from him. I also took way too many classes. When I'd finally get back to my dorm, I generally just crashed, but I tried to shoot him a periodic text whenever I could.

Screw being exhausted. I needed to be with my guy. We could take a nap together if he wanted.

I checked the time, and saw he should be back in his dorm.

Me: Hey, baby! Sorry I've been so busy. Can I swing by

and see you?

Me: I miss you!

After several minutes, there was no response. Bummed, I headed back to my room to shower. Hopefully, he'd respond soon. I guess I could just go over there. Maybe his roommate knew where he was.

After my shower, I pulled on a pair of joggers and a UVA hoodie in navy blue with orange-and-white lettering. After running a comb through my hair, I texted him again since he still hadn't responded.

Me: Baby!!! Answer. Tell me where you are, and I'll meet you.

After fifteen minutes, there was still no response. I stifled a yawn, tossed on my running shoes and jacket over my hoodie, and locked my dorm room door since my roommate wasn't there.

I jogged over to Christian's building and ran up the four flights of stairs until I came to his door and knocked. There was no answer, so I texted him one more time.

Me: I'm at your place. Where are you?

"Fuck, where are you, baby?"

The guilt started to tear at me because of my lack of attention to the one person I loved the most. It wasn't intentional, but damn, I should've done a better job. I hoped he wasn't upset and ignoring me, which wasn't like him. Christian had never given me the cold shoulder before when he was upset.

Me: Have you seen Christian?

Dillon: Dude! I'm almost always with you. No.

Me: He won't respond. Do you think he's mad?

Dillon: How should I know? I've barely seen Cade myself.

Me: Right, but Cade's just as busy.

Dillon: I don't know man. Just keep trying .

Instead of texting Christian again, I called him. That was when I froze, hearing his phone on the other side of the door. He'd given me a distinctive ringtone, so I knew it was his.

Fuck, he was ignoring me. To hell with that. He would know soon enough how sorry I was and that I'd do better.

I pounded on his door once more, but there was still no answer.

"Dammit, Christian! Let me in. Let's talk, baby. Please don't ignore me."

I put my ear to his door, but it felt… empty. There was no movement or rustling around.

I grabbed the handle and tested it. Sure enough, it was unlocked, so I turned it all the way and pushed the door open, yanking me into a world of hell.

Christian's curtain around his bed had been torn down, and there was a broken beer bottle on the ground with the smell of stale beer. When I saw the blood on the floor drying, my stomach clenched in fear.

His folded clothes were on the floor, and his comforter was damp in places with beer. Because it was still wet, it couldn't have happened that long ago, right? My gut told me Christian had been hurt if that blood was any sign.

"What the fuck?"

Something was seriously wrong.

I opened my phone and called Dillon.

"Yo," he said.

"Something's happened to Christian."

"What do you mean?"

"His room is trashed, and there's… blood on the ground." My voice choked back the growing panic.

If anything happened to him, there was going to be fucking hell to pay.

"Shit, Dare. What can I do? "

"Just… look for him. Go to places we normally hang out, like the coffee shop or that little taco place on the corner."

"Dare, if he's hurt, he's not going to be out in the open like that."

"Then fucking call the hospital and police! I'm going to look for him at a couple of places where I know he likes to hang out in peace and study."

"Okay, I'll call you back with any news."

I ended the call as my gut twisted nauseously. But it wasn't fear that consumed me. That old familiar rage started to bubble to the surface. Someone hurt my Christian, and they would fucking pay back in blood.

My instinct told me to head toward the library, knowing he spent a lot of time there. I jogged to the other side of campus, my heart hammering from more than exertion, no longer exhausted.

When I got there, I opened the doors and rushed inside. There were only a handful of students sitting at tables, reading, taking notes, or on their laptops, but I didn't see any sign of Christian.

"Where are you, baby?" I whispered.

If he were hurt, he'd be hiding, right? Unless he went to the hospital.

My phone suddenly buzzed. I opened it to find a text from Dillon.

Dillon: He hasn't checked in at any hospital and there've

been no reports at the police station. I've also called the

campus police to see if he went there. Nothing. No reports.

Dammit!

Me: Thanks. I'll keep looking.

Dillon: Call me when you find him. I'm over in Cade's room.

I would check every nook and cranny in the library building. If Christian wasn't there, I would check the student lounge where he hung out sometimes. I would turn over every single leaf to find him .

If he were hiding, he wouldn't be where most people looked for books. It would be a place unused. But where?

I searched row after row, rushing by each one, my panic growing.

I skidded to a stop, seeing a lump on the far end of the aisle tucked against a wall in a dark corner. It was hard to tell what it was, looking like a heap of clothes on the floor. But my gut told me it was Christian.

Instead of rushing, I walked over to him slowly, not wanting to spook him.

The lump with the black coat that was clearly Christian's was unmoving.

With a panting breath, I gently touched him. "Chris? Baby?"

When he still didn't move, fear gripped my throat with digging talons, making it hard to breathe.

I pulled back his coat, and red rage filled my eyes and mind seeing his swollen and bruised face.

Someone was going to fucking die.

I tried to lift him into my arms, but he bolted awake and tried to fight me off, hitting and crying, yelling ‘No!'

"It's me, baby. It's Dare. You're safe now."

He squatted like a cornered animal, ready to run, tears spilling down his face. His swollen and split lips trembled as recognition crossed his bruised eyes.

"Dare?"

"It's me."

Christian lunged at me, and I held him tightly, the rage only being slightly tempered by my fear and pain for him. My fingers threaded through his short hair, and I lamented that I hadn't even known he'd cut it.

He sobbed against me, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm taking you over to Cade's. He and Dillon are waiting for us."

Me: Grab ice, a first aid kit, and a wet washcloth. I foun d

him, but he's hurt.

Dillon: Does he need a doctor?

Me: I don't know yet. I just need to get him out of here.

Dillon: We're waiting.

I hung up and lifted Christian into my arms.

"You came for me."

"Of course."

"You came for me. You came…"

My eyes watered at his unbearable suffering. That was it. I was quitting football. Christian was more important, and I'd neglected him too much. This was all my fault.

"I'll always come for you."

He sobbed again, and I ignored the students looking at us strangely.

Christian's fingers clawed at my jacket as I carried him all the way to Cade's building. He was still crying, bringing out tears of my own. I couldn't remember the last time I'd shed tears… years now.

Dillon opened the door when I kicked it, and I set Christian down on some blankets they'd already spread out since Cade had a bunk bed over his desk. But Christian wouldn't let me go.

"You're safe now, baby. Let's get you cleaned up."

"Don't leave me."

I made no promises because as soon as I found out who hurt him, they would pay. There was no way in the hell I'd ignore this.

He finally let go of my jacket as Cade gently wiped the blood off his face. His best friend Raven, a tattooed girl with black hair, was there, helping, while Cade's roommate, Darius, squatted, watching on.

"Do you need a doctor?" Raven asked.

Christian shook his head. "He didn't break anything."

I held Christian's hand as I sat next to him. "Who did this to you, baby?"

He looked away, but I gently brought his face back to me. "Who? "

"My roommate."

My stomach flipped as the red anger grew brighter. "Your fucking roommate? Have you been having problems with him? I knew you didn't like him, but this… Has he been giving you trouble?"

Tears spilled, and he nodded, while Cade cleaned them away before putting ice on his cheek. Christian told us everything that he remembered as my body burned with a fire I hadn't felt before. Not even for my dad.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You know why."

Because I'd hurt him and ruin my chances of succeeding at football. I'd be kicked off the team. The guilt that ran through me… Once again, my drive to succeed pushed Christian away, and look at where that got us. He'd been hurt and was too afraid to tell me because he saw my drive as more important than he was. That right there was all my fault.

"We need to call the police," Darius said.

"No police," I growled. "I'll take care of this."

"No!" Christian cried out. "Don't do it… you'll get kicked off the team."

"So be it."

"Dare! No!"

"I'll go with you," Dillon said.

"Stay here. Don't get kicked off. This is my fight," I said to my friend, whom I appreciated more than ever.

"Fuck you, Dare," he snapped. "Christian is our friend, too. And you know damn well I have no intention of playing pro. If I get kicked off the team, then I do. I'm not a violent person, but damn, if someone did that shit to Cade, I'd want them to pay, too. I lost that chance when his father hit him twice right in front of me."

"Dil…" Cade said softly. "It's okay."

"Beating up those smaller than us is never okay," Dillon said, looking at me because I'd done just that all those years ago, and I also paid for it with Dillon's fist. And I deserved it. It was the end of the old me and the start of the new me.

"Don't leave me," Christian whimpered.

"I won't ever leave you again after this."

Dillon and I jogged down the steps and out of the lobby into the cold evening air.

"Christian's roommate wasn't there when I arrived, but maybe he's back, so let's try there first," I said.

"No point in running around. The asshole will show up, eventually. We just have to wait."

"Thanks for this, Dil."

"I know you'd do the same for me."

"In a heartbeat."

We arrived at Christian's room in no time, and I knocked on the door. There was a noise inside, so I knew his fucking roommate was there.

I'd met him a couple of times and never cared for him, but I never expected him to lash out at my guy.

He opened the door and peeked through before I shoved my way inside hard enough to knock him on his ass. Dillon bent down and lifted him to stand, then bent one of his arms behind him. Mark cried out and tried to fight him off, but Dillon was just bigger and stronger.

I reached for his face and touched his swollen and bruised nose too hard. He cried out, and I smiled. "My guy do that to you? He never thought he was strong, but look at that."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he said, struggling again, but Dillon pulled his arms tighter.

"You're fucking going to pay for what you did to Christian. He's mine, and you dared to hurt him."

"I didn't do fucking shit to him."

"That's not what he said."

"Prove it," he spat.

"Don't need to. "

His eyes went wide before my fist slammed into his nose. Since it was already injured, I was sure it hurt something extra. His eyes rolled up into his head, but Dillon didn't let him fall.

I bent over and grabbed a sock on the floor, no doubt the same one that was shoved into Christian's mouth, so I pushed it into Mark's mouth.

"He's not going to be able to breathe," Dillon warned.

"I won't let him die. Let him suffer for a bit."

His nose wheezed and bubbled from the blood as he gasped for air. When I felt like he couldn't take any more, I yanked it out of his mouth. He gasped and sucked in air.

"Fuck you," he rasped.

"You wish."

I hammered my fist into his gut, and you could hear all that air he sucked in come out of him as he doubled over.

"Let him go," I said to Dillon.

My friend dropped him, but I lifted him back up again. "I know people like you, always attacking and hurting those smaller than you or what you perceive as weaker. But they aren't the weak ones. You are. I'll make sure you never hurt anyone else again."

After a few more good hits and a kick to his gut from Dillon, we left.

Now, to wait for the consequences. I was ready.