Nine
Bobby and Annie strolled across the South Oval together. Bobby had run into her on his way back from physics class when she was returning from a Panhellenic meeting. It was a planned accidental encounter, to tell the truth—Bobby made a point of being on the path he knew she would take. He wanted a chance to talk with her without Mark around. There were some questions he wanted answered.
Annie was carrying a stack of Anderson for President brochures. She handed them out to people they passed, and posted them on the campus bulletin boards outside Gittinger Hall. It was already dark; the only real light came from the few electric lampposts on campus. Still, even in the dim light the South Oval was one of the most beautiful places on campus. Some gardener seemed to take extra care to keep the lawn trimmed, the hedges shaped, and the flowers blooming. Under different circumstances, Bobby thought, this could be a very romantic locale.
“You think Anderson has a chance of being elected?” Bobby asked.
“I think he’s the best candidate,” Annie said firmly. “That’s all that matters to me.”
Bobby nodded in agreement. “Things seem to be going great for you and Mark, huh?” He knew it was a pretty feeble shot at spontaneous conversation, but hey, at least he was talking without a stutter.
“I guess so,” she said simply.
“You two are becoming an item.” It was a word he knew she would hate, which was basically why he used it.
Annie just smiled. “How about you, Bobby? I never seem to hear much about your love life.”
Bobby cleared his throat. “Oh, y-you know. Same old same old.”
“Have you seen any more of…of…that girl you were with. I can’t remember her name. Cookie or Connie or something.”
“Nah. Not that there’s anything intrinsically wrong with her,” he added. “We just weren’t compatico, personality-wise. You know what I mean?’
Bobby heard an odd thudding sound coming from a darkened area off the main sidewalk. “What was that?”
It seemed to be coming from the service vehicle driveway between Copeland Hall and the Dale Hall towers. The driveway was not lighted; it was difficult to see anything. There appeared to be three or four people huddled against the wall. Bobby almost walked on, but then heard a voice he thought he recognized.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” he murmured. He walked slowly toward the disturbance, hanging close to the Dale Hall wall and trying not to be seen. This was probably stupid, he realized, but he continued walking. It wouldn’t do to play the prudent coward with Annie present.
It was Haji. He was pressed up against the brick sidewall by a tall, heavyset man, while three equally beefy accomplices stood behind them, talking in harsh, belligerent tones.
“What’s going on here?” Bobby asked, as forcefully as possible. With any luck, he thought, they’ll scatter once they know they’ve been seen.
No such luck. All four of them glared at him, obviously annoyed at having their fun interrupted.
“Who’s this punk?” one of them growled. “Some goddamn Arab lover?”
The man pressing Haji against the wall shouted, “Whatsa matter, you asshole? Haven’t you got any patriotism? Don’t you know what these sand niggers are doing to us?”
Two of them stepped closer to Bobby. He recognized them in an instant.
“Hey, we know this asshole,” the one on the left said. “He’s one of the fucking assholes who crashed and trashed the Delta party.”
The two guys approaching Bobby were Greg and Bobo, the good ol’ boys from Mekong Delta. Bobby hadn’t forgotten them any more than they had forgotten him.
Bobo looked at Greg. “Izzhe the one that’s fuckin’ around with Annie? Izzhe the one?” His fists were clenched.
“I spent damn near a week building that tower you wrecked,” Greg said. “Some people got no respect for other people’s personal property.”
“That’s pretty rich,” Bobby said. “A love-thy-neighbor sermon from someone who’s harassing and intimidating another human being.”
“Harassing? Intimidating?” Greg mocked his voice. They all laughed heartily.
“I’m not going to intimidate him,” the man pressing Haji against the wall said. “I’m going to beat his fucking brains out!” He laughed again, then raised his ham-sized fist and pounded the side of Haji’s face. Haji’s head thudded violently against the brick.
A trickle of blood was visible on the side of Haji’s mouth. “Go away, Boo-bee,” Haji said weakly. “While you can.”
Bobby felt sick. If he had stayed out of this, they might’ve hassled Haji for a few minutes then let him go. Now that he was involved, they were becoming violent, and Greg and Bobo might well take out their hostility toward him on Haji.
“Sounds like good advice to me,” Bobo said, grinning. “Get the hell away.”
“I’m not leaving,” Bobby said.
“Really?” Bobo said. “Well, let’s take a vote on that. I’ll vote first.” Before Bobby even realized what was happening, Bobo ran up to him, swung his fist around and planted one squarely into Bobby’s neck, just above the collarbone. Bobby fell backward onto the ground, choking and gasping for air.
He saw Greg grab Bobo’s arm, restraining him. “Hey, cool down,” Greg said. “I thought we were just gonna hassle the Arab creep a little. We weren’t going to hurt anybody.”
“Plans have changed,” Bobo snarled.
“It’s too dangerous, man. Let’s get out of here.”
“Not till I finish with this asswipe.” He moved toward Bobby.
“That’s enough!” said a new voice. Annie stepped out of the darkness behind Bobby.
Bobo halted. “Annie?”
“Right the first time,” she said.
Bobo walked toward her and spoke in hushed tones. “Annie…I been callin’ you. You’re never home. At least that’s what they tell me at the Theta house.”
“I’m not interested in talking to you, Bobo. It’s over. We’re kaput.”
“Aw, come on. Give me another chance.”
“Never.”
His eyes widened. “Please come back to me. I’ll do anything. I’ll try to be better, I really—“
“Forget it, Bobo. Find someone else.”
His entire face flushed red. “Fine, goddamn you.” He resumed his previous belligerent tone of voice. “Look what we got here, men,” he shouted. “The local dormie whore. How many dorm rats you fucked in the last half hour, Annie?” He laughed loud and bitterly.
“Bobo,” she said evenly, “I knew I was breaking up with you before I even met these guys.”
Bobo ignored her. “What a crew. We’ve got us a commie Arab, an Arab lover, and a dormie whore.” He leered back at Annie. “I’m glad you put in an appearance, darling. I think we’re going to have some fun with you tonight.”
“I don’t appreciate being threatened, Bobo,” Annie said.
“No, but the dorms appreciate you, that’s what I’ve heard. Like all three floors of Hume House!” Bobo laughed again, the same abrasive guffaw.
“That’s more than I ever would have gotten from you, Bobo,” Annie said. “You’re so perpetually blitzed you couldn’t get it up with a crane.”
Bobo’s head whirled back toward his buddies. “That ain’t true!” He gritted his teeth and started for Annie.
“Let me make myself clear to all four of you,” Annie said. She raised her arm, stopping his approach. “You’re a Greek, and I’m a Panhellenic officer. If you’re planning to do anything to any of us, you’d better be ready to kill me—because otherwise I’m going to provide a complete report to the Panhellenic Committee, and then to the police. You’ll all be arrested and suspended, and your fraternity will be closed up tighter than a drum. Think how popular you’ll be with your frat boyfriends then. Even if you get out of jail, your loving Greek brothers will probably tear you apart.”
Bobo stepped back toward his cluster of friends. In a huddle, they whispered for a few moments, then slowly moved away. The guy on the left released Haji, who fell to his knees.
“Don’t think you’ve accomplished anything, dormie whore,” Bobo shouted as they walked away. “There’ll be another time. We’ll be back for your little dorm faggot friend. And his buddy.” He pointed his finger at Bobby, still lying breathless on the ground. “Count on it, asshole.”
They threw their arms around each other and walked down the alleyway. About a hundred yards away they burst into raucous, disturbing laughter.