His mouth twitched. He swiped at it with his hand, glancing at Helen and Elena as they wandered around his room, picking up things from his dresser and desk.
“You know I like you. Christ, you’ve seen the poems. I’ve never written a poem my whole life, but I think you’re really pretty. And sure, you’ve got some extra pounds, but it doesn’t even bother me. Not on you.”
I shook my head, frowning at him. “What’s the criteria, Deacon?”
He exhaled, shoving his fingers through his floppy brown hair. “I guess it sounds bad, but it’s not really. The girls don’t ever find out. The prizes are awarded after. And honestly, you should see some of the dogs in the engineering department. They probably feel lucky to have been asked out for once in their lives.”
Helen bent down, getting in his face. “Do you actually hear yourself?”
He scooted back, giving himself some space, craning his neck to see me around Helen. “I know you think I’m an asshole, but I promise, I was never going to invite you to that.”
Elena bent down on his other side, even more in his face than Helen had been. “You said that, Deke. Is all the misogyny addling your brain? Or is it as naturally puny as your dick?”
Helen cleared her throat. “Actually, the last time I paid Deacon a visit, I got a front-row view of his erection. You know life isn’t fair when this douche has a decent-sized hard-on.”
Elena shrugged. “I heard he finishes in two pumps so it’s a waste.”
Deacon leapt to his feet, angry now. “You need to get the fuck out of my room. I’ll call campus security if you don’t.” He swung around to Helen. “And don’t think I won’t have you banned from the house. It won’t be so easy to visit your boyfriend then, will it?”
Helen crossed her arms. “Yeah, I don’t think that’ll be happening.”
I strode forward so I was closer to Deacon than I would have liked, but it was time to shut this down. “You need to cancel the party.”
He glared at me, then he sputtered a laugh. “Now, why would I do that? What makes you think I even have the power to do that?”
“Are you saying you have no power?” I gave him a pouty look and batted my eyes a little. It wasn’t something I’d done before, so there was a chance I looked stupid, but from Deacon’s softening eyes and the curl of his lips, I didn’t think so. “Who should I talk to then? Who planned the party?”
“The leadership committee planned it, but you don’t need to talk to anyone else, Zadie. It’s just a laugh, no one gets hurt. If it bothers you, I won’t even attend.”
If it bothered me? Oh, this guy was clueless. But I wanted him to keep talking, so I continued my pouty lip thing, adding in a little nibble to the bottom one. Deacon visibly shuddered.
“The leadership committee? Are you a part of that?” I asked.
“No, that’s Ryan, Sean, and Owen. Next year I will be, though.” He puffed out his chest. “I’ll be the one making decisions.”
Not if I could help it.
Elena tapped her bat against a frame on Deacon’s wall. It held a Harvard scarf that looked vintage. “This is cute. Looks like someone’s grandpa was an Ivy Leaguer. I bet you really let the fam down when you came to Savage U.”
Deacon instantly tensed and flew into action, rounding the bed. Helen popped in front of him to block his access to Elena.
“Don’t touch that. It’s irreplaceable,” he seethed.
Elena tapped her bat a little harder. “So, you’d be super sad if I broke the glass and wrapped this old thing around my neck?”
He tried to dodge around Helen, but she held her bat up, getting in his face. “What do you want? I told you, I can’t cancel the party. There’s nothing more I can do.”
Elena arched a brow. “Oh, I think you can do a lot.” She reared back and whacked the glass, instantly shattering it. Then she pulled the scarf off its matting and swung it around in her hand. “Jeez, this thing is scratchy.”
“Put it down,” he screeched. “That belonged to my grandfather. It’s more than fifty years old. It’s fragile.”
“Cancel the party,” I said. “Cancel it or I’ll go to President Whitlock.”
He glanced at me over his shoulder, red faced and wild eyed. “I can’t do that, Zadie. I’ve been patient with you because I like you, but it’s wearing thin. Gather your army of cunts and exit my room. Well, you can stay if you want to be nice, but these bitches need to make a swift fucking exit before I lose my shit.”
He started to push Helen out of the way. She was a tough girl, but she wasn’t big, and… well, Deacon was pissed. But I had enough. We could go. I pressed the button on my phone, stopping the recording, and ensured it was sent directly to the cloud.
“We should go.” I held up my phone. “I have enough.”