Selena Kitt - Baumgartner Generations - Henry

“Because Dean’s gambling.” That much Henry knew. “He keeps borrowing money from me.”

Libby made a face. “How much?”

“Five hundred.” That didn’t include the five-hundred Dean wanted him to borrow from Toni-that he’d been willing to blackmail his own roommate to get his hands on.

Libby sighed. “He’s in for a lot more than that.”

“He’s sick.” Henry felt helpess. What could they do? They had to do something. And he hadn’t even told Libby about Dean’s plans to throw the game!

“You have no idea.” Libby looked down at her hands again. “Henry, Dean raped Elaine. That night in the hot tub, after I left…?” Her voice dipped low, became choked. “I never should have left…”

“Oh my god.” It took Henry a few seconds to make his frozen limbs move, but then he was over on her side of the booth, putting his arms around her. “I’m so sorry, Libby.”

“She told me last night.” Libby buried her face in Henry’s neck. “I tried to get her to report it, but she won’t.”

Henry’s jaw clenched. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“No,” she said vehemently, gripping his arm. “Don’t do it. He’s not worth it. I want you to stay away from him if you can. Ask housing if you can switch rooms. Just…don’t have anything more to do with him. That’s the best we can do.”

“But he’s going to throw the game,” Henry confessed. He’d been sitting with the knowledge, unsure what to do, who to tell, but it seemed natural to share it with her now. “This weekend against Eastern Michigan. He’s got it all set up. It’s as good as done.”

“Oh no!” Libby pulled back, staring at him, this new information making her eyes widen. “We can’t let that happen.”

Henry dug into his pocket, finding his ringing cell, and saw the number. Val. Not now. He let it go to message.

“Henry!” Libby grabbed his forearm. His phone made a sound, letting him know he had a message. “If he succeeds, it isn’t just his life he’s ruining. We’re talking about coaches and players and other people’s lives.”

“Yeah.” He was well aware of the consequences, but how could he tell someone when he didn’t have proof? And the backlash, if Dean found out he’d betrayed him…Henry didn’t want to think about it. “I know.”

His phone rang. Again. It was Val. Again. He flipped it open. “Hello?”

Val was talking so fast and so soft he could barely understand her. “Slow down,” he urged. “Say it again.”

“Your roommate is in big trouble,” Val hissed. “Marcus isn’t waiting for his money. They’re coming for him tonight.”

Henry sat up straight. “Tonight?”

Libby watched, eyes wide, as Val continued to whisper her warning.

“You need to get him out of there. Now.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but she was already whispering, “I’ve got to go.”

“Are you safe?” Henry asked.

Val hissed, “Bye,” and hung up.

Henry flipped his phone closed, telling Libby, “The bookies are sending their henchmen after Dean. Tonight.”

“Who was that?” she asked.

“Marcus’s girlfriend.”

“He’s the ringleader,” Libby exclaimed and he glanced at her. Just how much did she know? She was looking at him speculatively. “How do you know Val?”

He flushed. “It’s a long story.”

Libby let it go. “Where is Dean now?”

“Study group.” Henry snorted. “That’s what he calls it anyway. He’ll be back at our room by… seven?”

Libby’s eyes were bright with something. Fear? Excitement? “I think I have a plan.”

“This will be perfect.” Libby popped a mini-tape into Henry’s recorder, snapping it closed and clicking record.

He stood at his desk, arms crossed. “I’m not letting you do this.”

“Don’t be a sexist pig.” Libby stuck her tongue out, hitting rewind and then play. Their voices came out of the little machine, sounding tinny but clear enough.

“I should be the one,” Henry insisted. “He already told me. It would be easy for me to get him to talk about it.”

“We’ve been over this!” Libby rewound the tape to the beginning again, leaving the recorder on the bed. “If it’s you on that tape, and the NCAA comes in to investigate, it could jeopardize your hockey scholarship.”

“But-”

Libby hopped off the bed, shaking her finger at him. “Listen to me. I’ve already lost everything. I gave up my job at the paper. I have nothing left to lose.” She stopped as she got close to him and saw the fierce expression on his face. “Well, almost nothing…”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.” Henry’s jaw was working just thinking about it. This was insane. It was beyond insane. It was downright dangerous. “No way. Not after what happened to Elaine.”

Libby glared at him. “You don’t have any choice.”

“I’ll hide under the bed.” He couldn’t leave her alone in this room with Dean. He wouldn’t.

She laughed. “You’re crazy.”

“It will work,” he insisted, going over and picking up the recorder. “And you don’t have to worry about working this. I’ll do it.”

“You’re awful big,” Libby said speculatively, but she actually seemed relieved at the thought of him being in the room. She dropped to her knees, lifting his Hudson Bay blanket. “Is there room under your bed?”

Henry flushed when she pulled a box out. “Hey, what’s this?” Before he had a chance to shove it back under, she’d flipped it open and her jaw dropped. “Well… that’s a lot of porn.” She winked at him. “And you said you’d never read the Kama Sutra?”

Henry sighed. “You know that long story I didn’t tell you earlier?”

Libby just studied him with raised eyebrows, so he took a deep breath and told her-about pledging at the fraternity, about the Fleshlight and Val.

“So that’s what they did this year,” Libby mused, taking the cap off the Fleshlight and staring at it. “They had a competition last year too…”

What sort of competition had they had last year-involving prostitutes? He wanted to ask, but he was almost afraid to.

“And you won?” Libby murmured, using her index finger to prod the Fleshlight, as if she could bring it to life. Seeing Val holding it had been hot, but seeing Libby with it just felt…weird.

“Do you like using it?” She was half-smiling, amused.

He shrugged. “What’s not to like?”

“And that girl who called you…” Libby put the cap back on the Fleshlight and dropped it into the box. “That was the girl?”

“We’re just friends.” He made sure to make that point.

“Friends huh?” Libby arched her eyebrow. “Friends with benefits?”

“No.” He watched her shut the box and shove it back under the bed. “She’s a sweet girl and all, but…”

“But…what?” Curious, she crawled up onto the bed to sit next to him and he remembered bringing her back here after the football game, months ago now, how they’d spent hours listening to music and talking. He’d never felt anything like it before, that feeling of being with her, just being. It was intoxicating. Addictive.

“But she’s not you,” he finished.

“Oh, Henry.” Libby leaned her red head against his arm. “I wish I didn’t like you so damned much.”

His mouth felt dry. “Do you really?”

“What?” She lifted her head and gazed up at him.

“Do you really like me?”

Her eyes softened and she reached a hand out, linking her fingers with his. “Did you ever doubt it?”

He shrugged, swallowed, couldn’t speak. He’d thought nothing could be more important to him than doing what he loved, being on the ice-pursuing that dream and whatever made it possible was all that would ever matter to him-but he was wrong.