I hurried home and changed. I tried not to think about what would happen and not happen. I caught a cab and reached Laura's home. It seemed as though years had passed since I got that phone call from Laura.

I rang the bell and a tall man opened the door. He was wearing a uniform.

"Yes?" he said.

"I'd like to see Laura Merton please"

"Mr. Jesse Parker?"

"Yeah..."

"Please come in..."

When I reached the second floor, I decided to take a random hallway leading to rooms on both sides. I heard a sound coming from a nearby room so I followed it.

I walked into yet another narrow hallway that lead to a lone room. The dark wooden door was closed and I could hear the sound clearly now. I immediately recognized the sound...it was the sound of someone moaning. My sharp ears could identify this sound anywhere. I was in somebody's house and was in front of a room which emanated a sound of sexual pleasure or pain. Everything inside me shouted - Get out of there!

I found myself moving forward. It was a scene out of a spooky horror movie where you didn't know what was behind the door that never failed to creak. I put my hand on the doorknob. I couldn't bring myself to turn it. I shrugged. I didn't know what to do. I placed my head against the door and it made a sudden sound. I looked strangely at the door as if I meant to ask it - What the fuck is wrong with you? For a moment, I felt like running away but then I heard a voice. I trembled.

"Yeah...Come in..." it said.

"Hey...what are you doing here?" Rene said. He was trying to remove a nail from a wooden block. There were strange wooden bits and pieces all around him. So much for my fucking sense of sound.

What am I doing here?

"Uhhh...I dunno," I said, "I mean I am looking for Laura..."

"I don't know where she is..."

"Okay..." I said standing near the door. Rene tried again to remove the nail with a hammer in his hand. He was wearing a sleeveless brown shirt and dirty khakis. His biceps flexed as he tried and finally it came out. Only his moans sounded non-sexual this time.

"What are you doing there?" I asked. He was picking a nail from wood...you moron...what did you think?

"Making a box..."

"A box?"

"A jewellery case...if everything goes well"

I wondered for whom it was. I didn't want to ask him. It was none of my business. Besides I didn't want to sound like a curious ten year old who just can't keep his damn mouth shut.

"It is for my mom..." he said.

"Ohh..."

"You know you can come in...it isn't dangerous in here!" he said with a grin.

I hadn't realized that I was still standing at the door. I walked inside and sat on a chair.

"You are sitting on my chair," he said.

"Oh I am sorry," I said and got up quickly.

"No you dipshit...I mean I made that chair"

Dipshit. The way he said it, I took it as a compliment. I wanted to grab the hammer from his hand and hit my head. I smiled dumbly at my dumbness.

I bent down and looked at the chair as if I've never seen one before. Undoubtedly impressed by his artisanship I said, "You're a genius."

He looked at me and smiled. "I know...I've been carpentering even since I was fourteen years old."

"So why did you remove my clothes that night?" I asked. I hadn't planned on being so blunt. It just came out. 

Rene blinked at me, as if he was trying to remember. "You mean during the party?"

"Yeah"

"You asked me to."

"I...Ba...did what?"

"You asked me to remove your clothes," he said going back to his work.

I wanted to push a button on the chair and electrocute myself.

"...even though I told you to strip yourself...you wanted me to do it!"

Where is that button? Damn it.

"So finally I removed your clothes and you were happy," he said proudly.

There was a long moment of silence as Rene worked on his wood. I was content to sit on his chair and watch him move. I suddenly felt I was disturbing him. I stood up.

"Hey where are you going?" he asked.

"Gonna check if Laura is back..."

"Nah...she isn't back. Sit down..."

Just when I was about to sit down I heard a shrill voice behind me.

"Jess...you're already here?" It was Laura. DAMN her.

I knew I was early, but I couldn't have waited any longer. "Yeah...I thought we could finish the stuff quickly..."

"Okay...let's go then..."

"Bye...Rene." I said.

Of course half an hour later I was getting awfully bored.

"Why didn't Harry come?" I asked.

She stared at me. My question had caught her off guard.

"Harry has some work to do..."

"I don't know."

The world's most simple answer. It was a classic technique of escapism. If you are uncomfortable answering a real good question just say - I don't know or I don't want to talk about it. Everyone from celebrities, politicians to college sluts had learnt to do it.

For a moment, I looked at her, hoping she would unzip her mouth. If Rene wasn't mysterious enough, his sister was worse. I remembered how she kissed Harry. I still didn't understand why she hooked up with Harry.

Laura was now looking at me weirdly.

It was too late. Just when I recognized the look every guy is supposed to give before he kisses a girl...or for that matter even a guy, she was kissing me. Laura was kissing my damn lips.

I was confused for a moment. I told myself if I stopped her, she would probably think I am gay. It was ridiculous to come to such a conclusion, but at that moment it sounded very logical.  

Just when I was going to withdraw, thinking of a million things I could tell her why I wasn't interested, I heard a sound. The door opened and Rene was staring at us.

"Sorry," he said and quickly closed the door.

Laura released my lips and I felt like an escaped convict. She smiled at me.

"Don't mind him," she said.

Fuck you! You ruined everything you bitch!

Pat was walking toward me with a smirk on his face.

"Hey bro..." he said.

"Hey..."

"Heard you got lucky with that slut?"

"Wha...Who?"

"Got laid with that Laura bitch eh?"

I used all my force to pull Pat behind a pillar.

"Who told you that?" I whispered.

"Haven't you heard of something called gossip?"

"I didn't screw her okay..." Suddenly I was at loss for words. How could I explain to this fool why I didn't screw her when she practically initiated the process?

"Don't have to lie to me dude..."

"The damn bitch was trying to use me like her other pets..."

"Whatever you say dude! I totally believe you!" he said with sarcasm written all over his face. He smacked me on my shoulders and walked away.

I was infuriated. My anger got even worse when I saw my locker. Someone had written in big block letters – MAN WHORE

I looked to my right and saw Laura laughing with her friends and marching to our class. She looked at me and her face turned grim. She signaled her friends to leave her. I wanted to tell her that wasn't necessary, as everyone knew about it now!

"Jess...before you say anything...let me tell you I wasn't the one who spread this..."

"Oh yeah? Then who the fuck did Laura?"

She looked at the floor and paused.

"Who was it?"

"Look...if you don't like me say so...why do you have to make a big deal about it?"

"Who was it?"

"It was Rene," she quipped.

My heart which was beating so fast came to an abrupt stop. I was overcome my incredible sadness. I didn't want to believe what she was saying. My rage had lost all its fury. I was falling in a deep well.

"Rene?"

"Yeah...he told everyone," she said.

I wondered if he had written on my locker...THUD...I had hit the bottom of the well.

"I don't believe you," I said.

"He saw us Jess. No one else knew about this," she said.

I very well knew she was telling the truth. Fuck the truth. How could Rene do something like this?

"I am sorry Jess...it was my fault...I shouldn't have come on to you like that..."

"It's okay." I said. It's okay? Nothing was okay.

There was a moment of silence between us that wasn't new.

The phone rang and I heard Willow talking. She shouted for me.

"It's Laura" she said.

"Tell her I am..I am not in the mood to talk to anyone..." I said, without taking my eyes off my book.

Willow opened the door. She looked at me for a while and said, "She sounds pathetic Jess...talk to her..."

"Hello..."

"Jess..."

"Yeah."

"I know you are upset about what has happened..."

"You bet," I said comically.

"But we have to submit the project tomorrow...and we still have patch up work."

"So?"

"Can you come home?"

I couldn't believe this girl.

"Do you think I am nuts or something?"

"Jess please...I promise nothing will happen. You know how important this project is for our grades."

She was right about that.

"I don't know Laura...I don't feel like going out anywhere." I said.

Just when she was going to say something, I disconnected the line. All I could now hear is the monotonic dial tone. I stood there for a moment with the phone in my hand and events flashed in my mind. The wonderful meeting with Rene and his wooden friends. The sudden unwanted smooch with Laura. And the aftermath of the kiss. Man-whore.

Willow was standing in front of my room. I knew what she wanted me to do.

"Go," she said. She sounded worse than my mom did.

"Willow don't make me do this..."

"Your grades are important Jess...just because the whole university thinks you are a Laura's bitch...doesn't mean you can ignore your studies!"

"Hi Jesse...I knew you would come..." she said.

I didn't speak. This time I wanted to go right into the project. On the way to her room, I looked through the corridor that led to Rene's room. That Bastard!

We sat on the couch and started working on the papers. I tried to concentrate by my mind kept coming back to Rene. I felt Laura inch near me. I relaxed and disregarded my imagination. I couldn't see Laura's face as she was hiding behind a fat book. I could just see her reading glasses. Suddenly Laura was staring at me through her reading glasses.  I felt her hand on my thighs. She was caressing my thighs. She lowered the book and gave me "the look".

Unfortunately, for her this time I wasn't unprepared for her vicious move. I threw her hand off my precious thighs and got up with a jerk. I tried my best to give her a horrifying look.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yelled.

I turned and left the room.

"Jess where are you going?"

"I need to piss..." I blabbed.

I slammed the door and hoped she wouldn't follow me. My mind was in turmoil and I really needed to pee.

I stopped near the corridor leading to Rene's room. I looked at it for a second before I spotted another room. It had a white door and something told me it had to be the bathroom.

I opened the door.

Rene was inside. He was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, fully naked. He was looking at a magazine on the floor and his right hand moved up and down rhythmically. He heard me coming in and turned to look at me. His mouth was half-open and sweat had dotted his forehead. He was going to say something but stopped himself. 

"Oh...Sorry..." I said and closed the door.

I opened the door again.

"No...I am not sorry actually," I yelled, "I am anything but sorry. What do you think of yourself? Why...did you tell everyone?" I was choking.

Rene just stared at me. He was trying desperately to cover his vitals with his jeans. I wasn't looking anyway. I was bemused.

"GET OUT now" I shouted.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he said. He wasn't angry, just naked.

"Get out...I have to pee" I said and looked down.

He quickly tiptoed with his clothes to the door. He failed incredibly in covering himself as I could see his butt.

I closed the door behind him and unzipped my pants. I relieved myself. I washed my hands and looked in the mirror. I wanted to sit right there and cry looking at myself. I didn't realize how depressed I was. And didn't exactly know what was causing it. I wished Andy was here to tell me everything was going to be okay.

I opened the door and Rene was standing near it, glaring at me. He had put on his jeans on but ignored his shirt. Even in my moments of rage and confusion, I couldn't help but admire his athletic body. He was standing with his hands crossed at his chest.

My rage was back.

"There you are." I said, "What is your next plan? Tell everyone that I am a cross dresser?"

Rene grabbed me by my shirt and rammed me into the wall. I could no longer feel the floor under my legs. His body pressed against mine and his eyes burned with anger. He was strong as I felt buoyant. I had made Rene mad and now I was petrified.

"You better stop accusing me of fucking crap and tell me what happened..." he said. His voice no longer sweet.

"Okay...Okay..." I cried.

He ceased his grip suddenly that I landed on my knees with a thump. I involuntarily held on to his hips to prevent myself from falling down. He helped me up with a jerk. He was still angry.