The receptionist walked them to the private booth and left them with the menu. Eugene and Claude reviewed the menu while the other boys waited impatiently. They had a set time for the meeting, and the dorm had a curfew. If they failed to return on time…
A chatter of sweet voices came soon. The boys straightened their postures and channeled the coolest auras they could muster. They already forgot that they were upset. Eugene joined them, but Claude only leaned against his seat. When the girls came, they smiled at the five boys waiting for them.
Gazes couldn't keep themselves on faces. The boys' eyes couldn't help but stray beneath the neck, especially when those women wore scoop and halter strap necklines. As for the girls, they kept their eyes on the food… or Claude. However, the strained smiles on their faces showed Claude their intentions or the lack thereof.
[Why do we have to go out with these ugly people?]
[This Claude Lavallee is hot, not gonna lie.]
[What time is it? Can we go home now?]
Their prominent thoughts were clear to Claude. He didn't normally have a read on people, but they came easily if he wanted to look. That was why he barely spoke to the girls during the group date. Everyone tried to salvage the situation, but the boys only believed what the girls wanted them to think. Claude didn't say anything, either.
…
"Great! I guess I'll see you around some more." Eugene laughed as he stretched his arms. One of them casually wrapped around Gracie's shoulders.
"Yes, let's go out again next time." Gracie chuckled and leaned against Eugene as they walked. She had been all over Eugene the whole time. Even if Claude didn't hear anything good from this girl's thoughts, she didn't say anything bad about Eugene.
They were on their way back to the university. The group date ended past nine, and everyone walked back together. The ten students paired up as they walked, with Claude stuck to this one girl who kept staring at his face. All he got from this one was how she loved the way he looked. The worst was… how she couldn't blame Len for being smitten.
The curfew started around ten in the evening. When Claude reached their room, Eugene quickly jumped to another place. All he did was gather his basket of toiletries and leave for the communal showers. He didn't know why the usually talkative guy didn't scream around as soon as the doors closed.
"Aren't you moving around too fast? Excited to sleep?" Claude asked when Eugene entered the room again. His hair was even damp. "Eugene?"
"Dude, can you cover for me during the roll call?" Eugene glanced at Claude as he rummaged through his cabinet. "Gracie wants to meet me in a hotel tonight. She didn't want to let her friends know, so she pretended to return with them. Please, I just want to get as lucky as you."
Claude frowned and nodded. "I'll cover for you, but you have to return before breakfast. If they caught you outside, I can't save you."
Eugene flashed a big smile. "Yes, yes! I won't get caught! God, I'm so excited. It's a good thing I was delusional and bought the essentials…"
…
Like the other nights, Claude played the violin for an hour after Eugene left. However, his mind couldn't remain clear enough. He soon stopped halfway through a song and looked at his phone. He reached for it and sent a message to Eugene.
[Hey, at least text me that you're still alive.]
Claude didn't want to ruin the night, but his guts gnawed at him. It was as if he could tell Eugene was in trouble. However, without the slightest sign to worry, he couldn't just run to his friend. After all, Eugene was hoping to get lucky with a girl. If he arrived without a reason, Eugene might get upset. That guy only needed a few things to be happy, and Claude wanted to protect that shallow peace.
It was just that… Claude couldn't even sleep. He got up from his bed and opened the window. He peered down and saw the wide parking space in front of him. A tree stood far off, but one of its branches reached toward him. Claude carefully climbed the window… and jumped to the branch a few meters away. He grasped the thick wooden arm and dropped down to the soft grass.
"Okay… let's do this…" Claude would just look for his friend. If Eugene were in a hotel, he would get as close as the door. He didn't have to speak to Eugene. Seeing the friend would probably relieve him from his sudden anxiety.
…
The city was still filled with bright lights and mixing scents of perfume and sweat. Claude had to endure the headache as his nose picked up Eugene's slightest scent trail. Like a bloodhound, Claude followed it through the busy night streets. With his hood up and black shades on, even the street cameras couldn't put him on the scene.
What Claude feared slowly materialized when his nose led him to a darker spot in the city. No light shone on this alley, and the horrendous stench of garbage grew thicker. Claude covered his nose with his hand and stepped into the alley.
His steps were light and slow, wary of making the most minute noise. However, his entire body froze when the scent of blood wafted into the air. Steps closer, sounds of violence came.
"Please stop…! I didn't mean it…!"
Claude could hear Eugene crying with a muffled voice. He peered into the wider spot behind an abandoned shop and saw four men beating up his best friend. Gracie stood there, cuddling with a bigger man. What made things worse was that… Claude could recognize all of those men. They were members of Psi Saint Alpha's wolf faction. One of them toasted with him at the party.
"You didn't mean it?" The big man spat at the side and caressed his girlfriend's face. He then turned to Eugene. "Your bag is full of lube and condom, and you didn't mean it? Piece of shit, you think you can just fuck someone else's girlfriend?"
"Tell him, baby. He's too delusional." Gracie huffed and hugged the man tighter. "It was just a group date. I didn't even want to go. My friends forced me."
She glared at Eugene's bruised body on the ground. "You even forced me into a hotel. How dare you think a girl wants to sleep with ugly boys like you!"
Eugene only watched her with his complaints filling up his throat. She called him and led him on. He didn't know why she would suddenly act differently when her boyfriend came. He didn't even know Gracie had a boyfriend. However, it was already too late. He could only blame himself for being stupid and falling into a trap.
As if not brutal enough, Gracie took out her smartphone and aimed it at Eugene. "Baby, don't let him forget about this! Show the whole school how much of a piece of shit he is!"