The Four

I stumbled out of the back door of Barnard Library. As it was the Westernmost building on campus, it spit me out off campus, which was exactly where I wanted to be.

Half my chest and hair were noticeably covered in pad Thai - the exposed skin on my neck had to be discolored with sauce and smothered in sticky rice and noodles. I walked a few steps from the door before choosing to stop and throw my back against the white building. My legs were wobbly, vision impaired with hot tears. I covered my face with my hands and took a few shaky breaths.

What... what just happened? I'd never seen someone so angry, so fast before. How could he do this? What did I do to make him... hate me so much?

"What happened here?"

I looked up. Two destitute, middle-aged men were standing before me, smirking. One of them snickered at my reaction, prompting the other to continue.

"Did you lose your way, miss?" He cocked his head unpleasantly and took a step toward me.

I turned and crossed my arms over my chest instinctually, head down. I didn't make it more than a few hasty steps before their stalking figures gained on me. One of them jumped out in front of me, making me halt and lean back.

"We were talking to you, miss," he slurred. He was close enough that I could smell his putrid, alcohol-ridden breath on my face.

"Leave me alone," I said shakily.

"You look distressed, little lady. Let's help clean you up."

He made an attempt for my shoulder, but I twisted out of his range. "I said go away!" I knew the panic in my voice was rising. It couldn't have helped that my eyes were still blurred with tears. A weakness.

The one on my side made an unexpected grab at me, holding my arm down roughly against his leathery rags for clothes. The other took the opportunity to close in on me, seizing my opposite shoulder and taking my collar between two grimy fingers.

"Let go of me!" I cried, but my vain attempts at shaking out of their grips only made them cackle. I was no match for their combined strength, and the adrenaline rushing through my body was impaired by my weariness from before. They had started to pull me away when a voice resonated over the scene.

"What are you doing?"

The two men came to a sudden stop, their vice grips continuing to hold me in place. I looked up through tousled, grimy hair at a tall figure standing just a few feet away. I immediately recognized his light hair, but his expression was as tense as I'd ever seen it.

Alex.

"Get lost." He ordered, voice raised threateningly.

The two men mumbled angrily and cursed, but nevertheless released me. I heard them make a run for it in the opposite direction, leaving me exposed and motionless.

I looked up at him pathetically as Alex took a cautious step toward me. I watched his eyes flick up to the library, then back to me. His eyebrows were knit in... concern? Confusion? Annoyance? I was too overwhelmed with fear to even ponder it, and my heart pounded in my chest so heavily that I could hardly focus on anything else.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked harshly.

I swallowed and looked down at my feet. I could feel my eyes welling up.

Don't let him see you cry.

I felt him abruptly grab my wrist and pull me into an alley between the library and another school building. We were technically back on campus: "safe," but shielded from view. He stopped near the middle of the alley and let me go, burying the hand that had guided me in his pocket and looking away. There was no one in sight.

I reached out for the wall and slid down it, pulling my knees to my forehead. I bit my lip hard, but couldn't stop my body shaking uncontrollably. Trying to cover my face only served to remind me of the confrontation with Travis - my hair was sticky and neck wet with pad Thai. I felt sick to my stomach, and knew I didn't stand a chance of keeping it together.

I'd be damned if I didn't try. Hands trembling, I pulled pieces of rice from my hair as a hot tear ran down my face, spilling onto my flannel. Ignoring it, I searched for another strand to clean, then another. It was getting harder, as hot tears welled up and blocked my sight. I had barely made any progress when I was betrayed by a sob.

"Why?" I whimpered, drops falling between every attempt to wipe them away. "Why are you friends with him?"

Alex didn't respond for a long moment. I didn't dare look up at him. The humiliation of my appearance - crying in a ball on the ground, drenched in soggy, foul Thai food - was enough to shame me forever.

Finally, he took a step forward and held down a cloth handkerchief before me. I stared at it.

"Wipe it off," he said quietly. Feebly, I took it and held it in my shaking hands.

For another agonizing minute, he stood over me, but had turned slightly so he wasn't facing me directly. I wondered what was going through his mind: How foolish and pitiful I was? Did he know Travis had done this to me? Was he in on it this whole time?

If any of these were true, why would he help me?

"You shouldn't have left campus from here," he said, finally meeting my eyes. "This may be Columbia, but it's also Harlem."

"I... I didn't know," I stammered faintly.

"I know," he responded coolly. Then, he spun on his heel and walked out of the alley.

---

That night, I dreamt of my hands hitting the hot pavement, phone shattering beneath a designer shoe, high-pitched screams and giggles of obnoxiously pretty girls, whispers of my classmates and, most clearly, a tall-backed leather chair swiveling around to face me. I felt the spray of warm, wet food, angry tears pouring down my face and the vice grips of the strangers that had attacked me.

When my alarm went off and I rose from bed, I was overcome with the sort of rage that I imagine inspires armies to siege upon their enemies.

I wasn't going to let him get away with this.

Hands gripping the straps of my backpack, hair swinging in a long braid over my shoulder, I stormed right through the quad immediately upon setting foot on campus. My sneakers slapped against the pavement heavily: even for a New Yorker, I was moving like a bat out of hell.

"Hey, Analeigh!" I glanced to my left to find Evan had run up beside me. I didn't slow down for him.

"Hi, Evan," I responded shortly, eyes fixed on the group standing a few hundred feet on the pavement before me.

"Woah, why are you walking so fast?" He panted, chuckling. "Is there a fire or are you just late for class?"

I ignored him. I had reached a formidable spot, and came to a halt.

"TRAVIS!" I shouted.

Instantly, three pairs of eyes turned to look at me: Alex, Noah and Sebastian. The group of girls they'd evidently been chatting up gasped at the sight of me, and all took a step back from the center of the group, unveiling my target.

How nice of them.

I began my approach to The Four, absolutely fixed on his stupid, muscular back. I left Evan behind me, and knew he wouldn't follow. I could practically feel everyone on the quad stop in their tracks to watch this scene unfold. I glanced at Alex, whose blue eyes followed my advances quizzically. He, along with the other two, didn't move a muscle.

I balled my fists in rage and anticipation as the distance between me and his body closed. I had foreseen Travis's flare for the dramatic - he wouldn't turn to face me until I was practically at his toes. I charged him with a smile pulling at the corner of my mouth.

Just as anticipated.

When I was within just feet of his tall frame, he finally began to turn around. He might as well have been in slow motion. At the moment he had fully faced me, I'd already lifted my knee and, with the full force of my body in motion, slammed it directly into his defenseless crotch. He yelped and keeled over, hitting the pavement at my feet in the fetal position. He moaned, clutching his privates miserably.

The other three looked up from their fallen leader to gape at me. I whipped out the black poker chip from my back pocket.

"Find someone else to play your stupid game. I'm done being bullied by you." I flung it at him, and it bounced off his shoulder onto the ground next to his head.

Head held high, I swiveled on my heel and stalked away in victory.