Chapter 6
***JACKSON***
Jackson woke to the sun shining through his window and panicked for a second, sure that he was late to class.
Then, he remembered that it was Saturday.
With a happy sigh, he pillowed his arms beneath his head and savored the feeling of lounging in bed, but the pleasure didn’t last long.
The hurt look on Abby’s face the afternoon before popped into his mind, and guilt stampeded all over his good mood, leaving him scowling at the ceiling.
The smell of cinnamon and coffee wafted up to him from the kitchen down below, and he let out a long sigh.
He’d done what had been necessary, he couldn’t get tangled up with Abby.
Watching her as they walked out of the lab, he’d known instinctively that’s what would happen if he didn’t push her away, and a little panicked, he’d spit out the first thing that came to his mind.
The truth was her enthusiasm, her intelligence, and not just her blue eyes captivated him, and the closer he got to her, the worse it would be.
It didn’t feel great hurting her feelings the way he had, but it would guarantee him some space to get through the semester.
His stomach growling loudly overruled the last traces of guilt and he threw back the covers, got out of bed, threw on his pajamas telling himself the entire time that it was for the best. He was surprised to see everyone gathered at the table in the kitchen, filling the room with excited conversation, and he groaned, wishing he could just have a quiet breakfast.
After filling his cup, he sat down at the table, surprised when Hattie slammed a plate down in front of him with an unhappy grunt and then stomped off.
He looked around the table, searching his brain for what he could have done to make her mad, but then the conversation around him began to filter into his brain.
“I heard they broke every window on the first floor,” Cooper said. “There’s glass everywhere, but they can’t clean it up until the police are done.”
“There’s thousands of dollars’ worth of damage, according to my calculations,” Aaron said. “And that doesn’t include the paint they sprayed all over the building. It’s going to have to be sandblasted off, and might even damage the old stone if they’re not careful.”
“Whoever was trying to get out a message sure did a good job of it,” Gabe said. “That building was one of the original structures on the property. It’s over two hundred years old and a perfect example of the architecture of that time period. It will be a tragedy if it can’t be saved.”
“I’m just glad they didn’t get the football field,” Walker said, then saw him gaping at them all. “I don’t think Jackson has heard what happened.”
His friends all looked around at each other, but no one said anything for a second, then Taylor cleared his throat. “Someone vandalized the science building last night. They broke windows, spray painted some vile things on the building, and tore up all the grass with their tires.”
He sat back in his chair, shocked. “That’s horrible,” he said. “Who would have done something like this?”
“No one is saying much of anything. I don’t think they know for sure,” Malcom said, then looked around the table. “But some of us think it’s really an attack on Dean Proctor, a way to get rid of him or something.”
“That’s a bit farfetched,” he said, shaking his head. “He doesn’t have anything to do with the science program. He teaches literature. The connection doesn’t fit.”
“We may not know why, but I think I know the who,” Ryan said. “I bet the Kappas had something to do with this. They’ve been angry ever since they appointed Dean Proctor, probably because he shut down their parties.”
“Now that I can believe,” he said. “But I still don’t see why they targeted the science building. It doesn’t make sense, but I think I’ll go see Dean Proctor after breakfast.”
“Now, Jackson, don’t go messing around where you’re not welcome,” Hattie said. “Stick to your business and let the Dean handle this. It has nothing to do with you.”
“It has everything to do with me,” he said. “That’s my home. That building has been a part of my life on this campus since the first day I arrived, and I’m not going to let anyone desecrate it without doing something.”
Hattie let out an exasperated sigh. “I know that tone of voice. There’s nothing that will change your mind,” she said. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful. Those Kappas are dangerous, they don’t play by the rules. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
He got to his feet, walked over to Hattie, and kissed her on the cheek.
“I’m stronger than I look, so you don’t have to worry about me,” he said, knowing he couldn’t tell her the truth about why he wasn’t concerned.
“Besides, all I’m going to do is talk to Dean Proctor, I’m not going to invade their frat house. I wouldn’t do that alone.”
Hattie snorted, “I better not hear about you boys fighting. I hate the sight of blood, and you’ll mess up my clean kitchen,” she said, giving him a shove. “Go do your snooping, but let the Dean and the police handle this.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, bowing to her. But when he turned for the door, he added, “At least for now.”
“I heard that.” Hattie called just as the screen door slammed shut behind him. “And stop slamming the door.”
Normally, that would have made him smile, but he was too angry.
Someone had trashed the science building and desecrated one of his favorite places on campus, and the dragon inside him was having a hard time not seeking revenge.
The walk across campus calmed him, but when he saw the damage done to the science building, the rage was instantly back, and he stood staring at the mess, taking deep breaths for a long time, swearing to himself that he’d make whoever did it pay.
***Abby***
Abby stood staring at the old building where she’d spent more time than anywhere else the last four years, her heart breaking as she watched the police take photographs of the damage.
She was more than angry at whoever had done it and hoped that they would pay for what they’d done when they were caught.
Parkhurst was such a small place that it blew her mind that someone could be angry enough to go to such lengths to make it known.
“This is terrible,” Yvonne said, leaning into her a little for support. “I thought all the ugliness was over last spring.”
“I don’t understand why they went after the science building, it’s one of the oldest structures on campus. This damage could be permanent,” she said, feeling a little sick. “Why would someone do this?”
“I heard it was to get back at Dean Proctor for shutting down the frat parties,” Yvonne said. “Those Kappas are pretty mean. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
“What are they doing on campus anyway? Weren’t they part of everything that went on last year?” she asked, relieved to see the police packing up. “Shouldn’t they have been kicked out or something?”
“They were never arrested or anything. They managed to cover up their involvement, but we all know they were part of it,” Yvonne said, shrugging her shoulder. “Everyone is afraid of them, well, except Dean Proctor, and look where that got him.”
“You mean us,” she said. “That’s our building, Yvonne.
We’re supposed to have class there on Monday, but we can’t do that with all the windows broken.
This isn’t just about Dean Proctor, this is about all of us.
This college is supposed to be a place of learning, we’re supposed to be safe here. We can’t let this happen again.”
“I don’t know what you think we can do about this,” Yvonne said, a confused look on her face. “The police will handle it. We shouldn’t get involved, it could be dangerous.”
“Not if we all band together,” she said. “There are more of us than there are of them. If we all work as a team, we might be able to stop them. I’m not talking about confronting them, just keeping a closer eye on the campus. If they know people are watching, that might deter them.”
Yvonne was silent for a second. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” she said. “But it would take a lot of organization. We’d need help.”
“I’m sure there are leaders all over the campus who would get involved, we just need to spread the word,” she said enthusiastically, the idea growing on her by the second. “You might be better suited to that job. You know a lot more people than I do.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Yvonne said. “We should start right away by talking to everyone who came out this morning to help clean up.”
Carrying a broom and dustpan, her hands covered in thick leather gloves, Abby stood in the doorway of the next classroom, then, with a sigh, walked over to the mess on the floor and began to sweep up the broken glass.
Even with all the volunteers, it was going to take hours to clean up the glass, and sweeping was just the first step.
Everything would have to be wiped down, the desktops, the ledges, even the storage units lined up against the wall; it was a daunting task, but the only way they could get back to class.
After pausing to turn up the music pumping through her earbuds, she lost herself in the process, sweeping, then scooping up the glass and depositing it into the bin by the door.
She was getting ready to make her third trip to the trash when a hand closed around her arm.
After letting out a scream, she grabbed the broom like a weapon and prepared to defend herself.
“Hey, I come in peace,” Jackson said, letting go of her, an amused smile on his face. “I’ve been calling your name for five minutes.”
She popped the earbuds out and gave him a dirty look. “Well, I clearly didn’t hear you,” she said. You shouldn’t sneak up on people; you nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“It wasn’t that bad. Besides, you’re young and healthy, not exactly a candidate for a heart attack,” he said, a little smile on his face. “I just wanted to come by and see if you’re okay with all of this.”
“Of course I’m not okay. Look at this place, it’s a mess,” she said, then gave him a dirty look. “What do you care anyway? You made it pretty clear yesterday that you think I’m weird.”
“Yeah, well…I probably shouldn’t have said that,” Jackson said, a look of regret on his face, then paused. “I guess I should go. I’m headed over to the administration building to talk to Dean Proctor, I think we all deserve some answers.”
“You could come back and help,” she challenged. “Unless manual labor is beneath you.”
“I don’t want to fight with you today,” he said, shaking his head. “But I will be back to help clean up the mess.”
She watched him walk away, a little disappointed and very confused.
The man seemed to have two personalities; she never knew which one she was going to get, and it was driving her crazy.
Reminding herself that Jackson didn’t matter, that he was just a distraction she couldn’t afford, she went back to work and did her best to put him out of her mind, even more determined to ignore the feelings brewing deep inside her.