There’s a twitch of amusement in Kennedy’s eyes as she processes and translates his words through her Yankee filter. “Yes, thank you,” she finally answers. “Gotta get going so we can study, though. See you later.” She offers a polite smile and begins walking in the direction of her dorm.
Dean Baker offers a nod and turns to me.
“Have a good weekend, Sir,” I say, taking a step in Kennedy’s coconut-scented path.
“Mr. Wells,” he calls casually.
Turning around, I find a grey expression on his usually tomato-red face.
“Yes, Dean Baker?”
He points an overstuffed finger in Kennedy’s direction. “You watch out for that one.”
I nod. “I’ll be sure to look after her. I know it’s got to be hard for her—”
“No,” he cuts me off. “I’m not askin’ you to look after her. I’m telling you to watch out for her. Her influence may be seen as questionable. Especially by yo’ father.”
I clear my throat, forcing the venom away. The bile that rises anytime someone suggests I give a damn about my father’s opinion. Or should. “I’m not sure what you mean, Dean Baker. Kennedy’s been through a lot. Especially recently. I’m just trying to treat her with the love of Jesus.”
I only talk like this when I need to give someone a bat to the knees. The look on the Dean’s face is not one of caution. It’s one of warning—and the difference sends a chill down my spine.
Dean Baker licks his lips and offers a weak smile. “Of course, Matthew, of course.” He’s trying to back himself out of this corner. “But even Jesus had to cast down … Just be careful. It’s in your best interest.”
He offers nothing more before pivoting away and heading to the faculty parking lot.
Jesus had to cast down what? Demons? Did he just … No.
Shaking my head a few times to get the dark look in Dean Baker’s eyes out of my head, I follow behind Kennedy.
“Hey!” I shout when she seems to pick up her pace the closer I get. “Kennedy, stop.”
She whips around, looking startled. “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you.” She smiles, just barely.
“Don’t play with me. What was that?” We reach the fork in the sidewalk that will send her to her dorm to the left, and me to mine on the right. We stand there awkwardly until she leans against the light post. Now only one of us is standing awkwardly.
“What was what?” she asks, looking down.
“I said don’t play with me.” My tone is short and firm. My father is who I sound like. I resent it, but I know it’ll get her to respond.
Her eyes narrow and she peers over my shoulder, perhaps looking for eavesdroppers, before she speaks. “Why should I trust you?” she asks passively.
My eyes nearly bug straight out of my head. “You’re kidding me.”
Her face doesn’t move. Not an inch.
“I …” I start and stop speaking several times before forming a sentence. “After everything that’s happened, you’re going to ask me why you should trust me? Why should I trust you now? You led me to believe we were friends.”
She huffs and runs her fingers raggedly through her hair, letting out a small growl. “How well do you know Dean Baker?”
I shrug. “He’s taken to looking after me here on campus. My dad asked him to.”
She tilts her head to the side, scrunching her eyebrows. “How well does your dad know him?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I’d never heard of him until I enrolled here. Didn’t you meet with him yesterday? Is that what all that weirdness was about? Your talk about Joy? You didn’t get into any trouble for that, did you?”
Kennedy’s shoulders drop as she sighs. “No, I didn’t get in trouble. Sorry for being weird. I think I’m just exhausted and super paranoid of everyone right now. Matt,” she looks up at me with watery eyes, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest I shouldn’t trust you. I just … I feel really alone right now. With a giant bull’s-eye on my back to boot.”
I hear the voices of our friends approaching behind us, but I pull her in for a hug anyway. “I’m here for you, two, three,” I whisper. She laughs at my play on the rules. “I promise.”
“Everything okay?” Jonah’s voice climbs over the hum of everyone else’s. His eyes move slowly from Kennedy to me, and they stay on me for a while.
It’s as if he’s asking me, what are you doing? But I have no answer. He knows I’m into pushing boundaries, and he always gives me a gut check to remind me not to take it too far, but maybe he sees something between me and Kennedy that I need to be more careful of. She hasn’t seemed offended by the two hugs I’ve given her, but I also didn’t ask her if it was okay. She hugged me back during the first one, so I figured another one when she seemed so clearly upset was okay.
Maybe I do need to back off a little. Regardless of where I stand with God right now doesn’t mean I need to take her down with me.
“Yeah,” I answer after a few seconds of awkward silence. “Everything’s fine. Just gonna get my books and head to the library.”
“I’ll walk with you. Ladies,” Jonah smiles and addresses Eden, Kennedy, and Bridgette, “we’ll see you shortly.” He gives Eden a squeeze on the hand that’s ever-glued to his before they force themselves apart and the girls take off to their dorm.
“So,” Jonah starts after a few more seconds of silence. “Kennedy …”