"Hi," He smiled at her. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Sending a dark look at her sister, she stepped outside.

"Damian, her curfew is midnight!" Nicky called after them.

"Your sister is in a good mood." Damian said, walking her out to the car.

"I guess. She can be a little mean sometimes."

Damian noted she didn't carry a purse, kept her hands in the pockets of her jeans. The thought that he had made a mistake crossed his mind. Unlocking the car door, she was surprised when he held it open and closed it after she got in the Jeep.

"Well," he got into the driver's seat, "since I've only been here for about a week, I really don't know where to go."

"Em foresaw that. She said Cafe Matisse."

"Do you know where it is?" he laughed.

When she smiled back, he realized he had never seen her smile. Her eyes lit up when she did. Beautiful smile, pretty, even teeth.

"No. She gave me the cross streets, though. I know where they are."

"Okay. Just tell me where to go." he said cheerfully, starting the engine.

***

Auren was relieved to see it was a regular little coffee shop, not a romantic restaurant. She didn't quite trust her cousin. After choosing a table, a waiter dropped by and handed them menus. Damian ordered herbal tea, Auren water.

"I can't drink coffee." she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

Deadpan, she looked him in the eye and said, "It stunts my growth."

Puzzled, Damian thought quickly, then smiled at the six foot blonde. Smiling at him, the gray eyes glittered almost to blue. He smiled back.

"You have a beautiful smile." he said suddenly. The smile vanished as fear came to her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's all right. I have to tell you something." she said. His expression was inquiring.

"I haven't been on a date in four years. Ray-my ex boyfriend-always told me what we'd do. Nicky and Em made me wear this and they did my hair. I am absolutely clueless as to how to act. And I don't know how to accept a compliment." Damian nodded slowly, not sure how to react. Finally, he smiled.

"Well, I don't have the social life that my brother does, that's for sure." The gray eyes turned serious.

"Will Kenny hurt Nicky?" she asked. Damian sighed.

"Not intentionally, but my brother isn't known for commitments to women. There's no real telling with him."

"I got that feeling. Nick really isn't either, but I know she really likes him."

"Let's not talk about my brother. Are you hungry?"

Auren started to say no when she realized her stomach was rumbling. When had she last eaten?

"I guess."

They finally decided on a large order of nachos. Damian ordered a hamburger as well. He hadn't eaten since noon and he was starving.

"It's your turn." she said suddenly.

"For what?"

"To talk. I told you about me last night. It's your turn."

"Not a whole lot to tell. I grew up in LA. My pop died when I was seventeen. Don't see Mom too often. She remarried about three years ago; they live in Santa Fe. We have a younger set of twin brothers. Kenny and I hung around LA for a while, at USC. Then we came out here to finish

school."

Her eyes stayed focused on him. When their food came she didn't eat much, mainly picked at it.

"Are they not good?" he asked.

"No, they're fine. I have trouble eating in front of people." the eyes looked down at the table.

Reaching over, he touched her hand. 

"Don't ever be ashamed to tell me something." he said, looking into her eyes. She smiled sadly.

"Force of habit."

* * *

After they had eaten, Damian suggested they walk through the park. Slightly more relaxed than she had been, Auren agreed. At some point he took her hand. Unsure of what to do, she let him hold it. The sky was dark, the moon was just starting to wane down from full, but it was still plenty bright.

Damian entertained her with stories about his childhood, and the games in high school he and Kenny played. They were standing at the edge of the pond.

"We played a few. Nick's hair was always darker than mine, but she loved pranking people." Auren laughed.

"I think your hair color is beautiful the way it is." he said, facing her. When his hand touched her jaw she flinched, and sheer terror appeared in her eyes.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. I swear it."

"I can't help it." she murmured. Gently, he kept his hand under her chin.

"Can I kiss you or will you belt me?" he asked, his lips inches from hers.

"Try it and see." she said nervously.

Slowly, so as not to scare, he kissed her gently. Carefully he pulled her against him, holding her close.

"Still scared?" he asked a moment later. She paused, then laughed nervously.

"Not as much."

"Good." He smiled at her, brushing back a loose lock of hair from her face.

* * *

"Hmm. . .almost eleven. Things can't be going too badly." Kenny chuckled.

Curled up next to him on the couch, Nicky agreed. Across from them, Em and her girlfriend were playing Trivial Pursuit. Em glanced up, smiling wickedly.

"Well, if they weren't, she would have walked back after leaving your brother in a bloody heap." she said cheerfully. Kenny winced at the image.

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"Auren needs him. I think she knows it." Nick said thoughtfully. "I hope she does. I'm sick of her moping around here because no one will ask her out." Em sighed. Kenny looked puzzled.

"Guys don't ask her out? Why not, she's gorgeous." He squeezed Nicky's shoulder.

"Freshman year Auren got herself a nasty reputation. She met this guy at a dance and he was ripped. Didn't like the word no. Practically a full body cast. Word got out. Men are terrified of her now." Em said. "Except your brother."

"My brother always falls for the woman who will hurt him. He's always rescuing women and then they break his heart." Kenny said quietly. "He's a nice guy."

Nicky and Em exchanged glances. Auren wasn't known for kindness.

* * *

"I'll see you in class tomorrow." Damian said quietly. They were standing at the front door to her house. She nodded.

"Okay. Good night."

Damian kissed her again gently and walked back to the Jeep. His brother was here, but Damian didn't want to interrupt.

Letting herself into the house, she closed the door, shaking. Her lips hurt, a combination of the bruise and kissing Damian, though he had been gentle.

Em was sitting in front of the tv watching Married With Children.

"Ooo. . .someone's home late." Em teased her. Auren sat down on the couch, dazed.

"He's incredible."

"You had sex with him?? You??"

"No, you twit. I meant as a person. He's so. . .nice."

"Tell me more tell me more!" Em sang, quoting their favorite movie, <I>Grease. </I>

"I don't know. He's just. . .a wonderful person."

"Good kisser?" Em asked. Auren blushed, thankful for the dark room.

"Very."

"So when are you going to see him again?" her cousin demanded. Auren shrugged.

"Tomorrow in class, I guess."

"You didn't make another date?" Em asked.

"Was I supposed to?" Auren asked, alarmed. Em backtracked quickly.

"Nah. He wants to take things slowly. What a gentleman." Em smiled at her cousin. Auren stared at the painting above the television.

"I don't know, Em. It's scary."

"Yeah, it is. But you know, if I liked men, he'd be at the top of the list."

* * *

Damian didn't see her until class the next day at three. Standing with Em, she was going over a sheet of paper. Em smiled at the twins, but Auren's gray eyes went right through them. Pausing, Kenny almost ran into him.

"I thought you said things went well last night." Kenny hissed.

"I thought they did." Damian whispered back.

Had she changed her mind?

"All right everyone, take your seats. Let's get going." Auren called. The staffers scrambled to their seats.

"Jane, how are you guys making out on the lawsuit?"

Damian watched and listened as she interacted with her co‑workers. Business, professional, no feeling shown. Had last night meant nothing to her?

"All right, listen up folks. Absolute latest deadline for everything to be turned in is next Tuesday at noon. Layout is Wednesday night, paper is ready Friday morning. Got it?" Everyone nodded.

"We're moving a little earlier this year to keep things more timely. We're also going to go bi‑monthly, instead of every three weeks. So things are going to pick up soon. Anyone have stories ideas?"

Nicky sat near Kenny, on a table. She was copy editing and only briefly glanced up at her sister occasionally. The discussion of stories went past her. Winking at the twins as they came in, she smiled slyly at Kenny.

"If your stories are going to be late Tuesday, you better damn well call me no later than Monday afternoon. We're coming down hard on slackers this year. I really want this paper to tighten up. All right, that's it for today. Keep your eyes and ears open, everyone. Oh yeah, as you leave, Em is handing out keys to the room. Read the paper and sign."

Damian glanced at the clock, amazed the hour had gone by so quickly. Auren headed to her office. Damian waited and slipped in after her. Surprised, she turned.

"Please don't sneak up on me." she snapped. He flinched.

"I didn't get to see you before class. Well, I did, but you just. . .looked right past me."

Auren glanced at the windows. Seeing the blinds were drawn, the tension left her shoulders and her voice softened.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to be bitchy. I can't have people knowing that I'm seeing one of my staff members. It doesn't look good."

"So you have to be mean to me in front of people?" he asked, annoyed. She shook her head.

"No, just business."

He nodded, not really understanding.

"A lot of people on this campus watch me. They could cause problems if they thought there was something going on."

"What about Nick and Kenny?" he asked.

"Nicky is my assistant. I'm the Editor in Chief. I have the final word on what gets printed and what doesn't. That puts a lot of pressure on me." she said quietly, looking up at him.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned against her desk. Damian stepped closer to her and kissed her.

"Hi." he said. She smiled at him, shaking her head in amusement.

"Get out of here before someone walks in." She was still smiling.

"I'll call you tonight."

***

Damian watched Auren kneeling on the table as she ran the thin knife blade against a ruler. Handing it to Em, Em proceeded to cover the back side with a light coat of spray glue, and carefully set it into its place.

"These are flats." Nick explained to the twins. "This is what we call paste up, when we literally paste everything on the flats. Then we take this to the newspaper downtown, and they print it for us."

"All right, everything is done except pages one and sixteen." Auren called to them.

Crawling around on the table carefully, she laid the finished flat on the pile. Turning to the last one, she waited for Em to hand her the cutouts. Damian watched as she fitted the staff box onto the bottom third of the page. Her welcoming column as editor went above it with her picture.

Auren lifted and repasted the articles six times, her pretty features twisted as she squinted and frowned, assuring the correctness of the layout.

"All right. I think that's straight." she held the ruler against the edge of the paper. Damian peered over her shoulder.

"Yep."

“It's an eighth of an inch off." Nicky said from the other side of the table. Auren flipped her sister the middle finger.

"God, I thought we'd never get done."  Auren slid off the table, brushing her hair back. Bloodshot eyes and black circles under them heightened her obvious fatigue. Damian squeezed her around the waist. "I just wish the President hadn't stonewalled Jane and Tom on the lawsuit." Auren peered at the flats once more.

"I'll have it at the printer by nine." Nicky told her.

"Good. Next issue will be a little easier, we have a few extra days. After this issue, we'll be out on Mondays. I just want this first issue out early."

"No prob, sis. Consider it done."

"Great. Thanks for your help, everyone. I think I'm going to go take a nap." she said wearily. On the way out of the room she squeezed Damian's hand.

* * *

The following day Damian wasn't surprised to see Nicky running the class. Auren had started printing out articles at nine am on Wednesday morning, and finished the layout at midnight. Nicky

told him after class that Auren had never gotten up from her "nap".

"She's always like this. She pushes herself just way too far. I doubt she would have eaten if you guys didn't bring her food."

"This paper is really important to her, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yep. She's only a student part time, she has plenty of credits  to graduate at any time. She just keeps finding courses she likes and, honestly, I don't think she could leave the paper."

"Dedicated girl." Kenny remarked. Nicky nodded.

"Another reason she has no social life."  

"How are things going?" Kenny asked. Damian sipped his iced tea, and set the glass down.

"Slowly. But I think she's starting to really open up to me."

"Good. I can't even get her to talk to me sometimes about what goes on inside her head." Nicky bit into her sandwich. Damian nodded.

"She's getting comfortable, I think. She holds my hand more, smiles more."

"Definitely a good sign." Em said, coming into the living room with a bowl of popcorn. "I'm going to call you the Miracle Man. You have accomplished what no man has."

"Thanks." Damian laughed.

* * *

 Auren jumped as her office door flew open. Em was gasping for breath.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Auren demanded, annoyed at the interruption.

Em waved a manilla envelope at her, dropping it on her desk. Damian stepped inside, carrying a small sack.

“I brought you some lunch." he said. Auren smiled at him.

"Thanks."

Hitting the save key on the computer, she turned to her cousin. Opening the envelope, Auren's smile vanished.

"Damian, close the door."  Damian did so, curious by the tone change.

"What's up?"

"The contents of this envelope don't leave this

room. Em, get Nick in here."

Once Nicky was in the office, Em closed the blinds.

"What's the big deal?" Nick asked, sipping her Dr. Pepper.

"Look at these."

Auren started handing them 8"x10" black and white photos. Damian frowned. They were pictures of a man and woman in bed together.

"What ‑" he said.

"My god." Nicky whispered.

"You know them?" Damian asked them. "Why are we looking at these?"

"That's President Fres. The president of the college. And Dr. Graves. The one with the lawsuit against her."

"Oh."

"They're having an affair." Auren murmured. "President Fres is married. And the lawsuit is a sexual harassment suit from a male student."

"Are you going to run these?" Damian asked. She shook her head.

"No. But I do want to talk to President Fres. Hey, there's a note in here. Listen to this: <I>Ms. Joyn, I think you will find these of interest. The President, Academic Dean and Humanities department chair have all received the same packet. I leave them to your discretion." </I>

"Are you going to run those?" Nicky asked. Auren shook her head.

"No way. I'm not about to get labeled as a hack journalist. I wonder if the President knows I have these."

On cue, the phone rang. Auren grabbed the phone.

"Inquisition, Auren Joyn speaking . . . hello President Fres . . . yes, I did . . . no . . . of course . . . what time? . . .I'll be there . . . certainly . . . I understand . . . thank you for calling . . . good bye." Hanging up, she slid the headphones down to her neck.

"He wants me in a meeting tomorrow morning at seven. Naturally he's not anxious for this to get out. Apparently he received a note saying that the lawsuit against Prof. Graves had better be dropped, and come tenure evaluations in November, she is to receive it."

"Do you think it's Dr. Graves?"

"No. I've had her classes. She's too smart. And she's not the blackmailing type. Last semester she had a student expelled for plagiarism."

"Will she be at the meeting tomorrow?" Em asked. Auren nodded.

"More than likely. Shit, if this goes before the Board of Trustees, there will be hell everywhere."

"You're not even going to cover the story?" Em asked. "If it goes before the Board, you know the Student Government will say something about it. If parents find out teachers are blackmailing and sleeping with each other, it's going to be messy. This is definitely news."

"Yeah, I know." Auren rubbed her temples, silent for a moment. "I'm going to wait until after the meeting before I make any kind of decision. By next issue it could be resolved and old news."

"Auren, next issue is next week." Nicky pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm still going to wait on the meeting."

***

Walking into the meeting, Auren was surprised to find most of the Board of Trustees present, minus the Student Government president. Auren greeted the Board members politely, knowing that they were wondering why she was here. Slipping into the seat next to the Dean of Students, Sandy, an old friend, they smiled at each other. Dean Lawrence, the academic dean, stood.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming on short notice. Our student representative is out of town and could not be here. However, we do have Auren Joyn, the Editor in Chief of The Inquisition

here, and she was a recipient of the same . . . information." he said awkwardly. "Let's go ahead and get started."

The door opened and Professor Graves, ashen faced, walked in. Taking the empty seat next to Auren, the well‑liked English professor looked ill. Auren felt her heart start to pound.

Auren rubbed her temples, waiting for an opportunity to reach for her Tylenol in her backpack. Dr. Graves had been silent throughout the entire meeting, pale, lips pressed together so hard they were white. Clasped together, her hands rested on the table. Auren felt sorry for her. The President tried to protest while the Board lectured him.  

"A man of your stature rolling around in bed with a professor. Not only is it unprofessional, but it is immoral." Dean Lawrence said.

"Dean, Dr. Graves is just as much at fault. This isn't a teacher and student.  We are talking about a highly respected literature professor and the leader of this college." someone else pointed out. "Dr. Graves needs to carry the blame as well."

Auren wondered why Dr. Graves was being so quiet.

"It was an innocent mistake ‑" the President started. The Dean of Students waved her hand.

"I am ashamed of you both. I've been at this institution for thirty years, which is longer than either of you, and never have we had a problem like this. Both of you will need to accept

the consequences of your actions." Sandy said.

"It was one time . . . not planned . . . it was months ago!"

"James, I think you should sit down and be quiet." Dean Lawrence said.  The President did so.

"Dr. Graves would you like to say anything? Perhaps tell us how this event came about?"

Dr. Graves rose. Auren wondered if the professor was going to pass out.

"President Fres and I ran into each other one night at a restaurant. We had dinner together. It was very close to my house, so I invited him back for drinks . . ."

"He started telling me about his marriage ‑ that it was falling apart ‑ I've been through a divorce and thought I could be of assistance. We just . . . ended up in bed."

"And these were taken that night?" Dean Lawrence pointed to the photographs. The President was scrutinizing her.

Opening her mouth to say yes, quietly, suddenly she said, "No."

"That's a lie!" President Fres exclaimed. "It was once, I tell you!"

"No, James, you're the one lying. That night was over a year ago. We continued our . . . relationship for almost eight months, then he ended it. I found out later he was seeing someone younger."

A glance to the President revealed his face completely red with anger.

"I didn't fight it, I thought the affair was wrong. I knew his wife and she's a lovely person."

Sitting down, she looked at Auren. Auren tried to smile comfortingly at her. Instinct told her there was still more to the story.

"That's a lie. There wasn't an affair."

"You're the liar! And because of you I just aborted my child!" Dr. Graves yelled, standing up.

Silence descended on the room. Slumping back to her chair, she buried her face in her hands. President Fres swallowed. Finally, she looked up.

"I called him last month to tell him that I was pregnant, and he knew he was the father. I even had a paternity test done. I don't make enough to support a child, and he told me to get an

abortion or he would find a way to fire me."

The President turned pale. Auren felt nauseous, listening to her. This woman wasn't a liar. Fres had been the president for almost ten years now. Auren couldn't help but wonder if this had happened before. How the hell was she supposed to write about this?

* * *

"Well, I'm sure as hell not going to be the one to tell Auren." Nicky sipped her soda. Kenny was leaning back in his chair. Damian sat across from the pair. The Student Union was crowded on that Thursday.

"Why is it such a big deal?" Kenny asked.

"That her star reporter suddenly wants a paid position? The school cut our budget this year as it is. Everyone on staff knows it. Auren had to stretch it as hard as she could, taking into account money for the editor's salaries, supplies and printing costs. The new computers were donated from a local store. When the newer versions came out, they donated them to the paper."

"What will she do?" Damian asked.

"Probably tell him to take a flying leap." Nicky ate a french fry.

"Here she comes." Damian said.

Auren reached the table and slid in next  to him. Damian rested his arm behind her.

"How'd the meeting go?" Nicky asked.

Auren reached over and took several fries from her sister's plate.

"You mean trial." she sighed.  Auren briefed them without revealing the details. "He resigns tomorrow."

"And Dr. Graves?"

"I'm not sure. I think they'll can her, too."

"And the pictures?"

"The local paper has them. And I'm sure they'll run them."

"Are we?" Nick asked. Auren shook her head.

"No. It's dirty journalism. The man has enough problems going on. His wife is about to file for divorce, she was sent a copy of the pictures, too. They have two kids, nine and twelve. It's going to be a sticky situation. I don't envy him. There are other things happening on campus that deserve attention. I'd rather focus on the student art show. Nick, I want you to run class today. I'll be in my office, trying to work this mess out."

"Work it out?" Damian asked.

"It's news. We have to report it. The question is how, without causing any more damage?"

***

Damian pulled the covers over Auren. Her breathing didn't change, she was sound asleep. They had been sitting on her bed talking and he'd started singing to her. Smiling at him, she had fallen asleep. Setting the guitar in its case, he snapped the locks closed. Kissing her forehead lightly, he went downstairs, where Nicky was sitting on the couch, surrounded by papers and books.

"I hate science." she grumbled. He sat across from her.

"It's not my favorite thing." he admitted. "Where's Kenny?"

"On a date, I'd guess."

"What?" Damian asked.

"He said he'd be here two hours ago and he hasn't shown up. No call, nothing."

Damian frowned. His brother wasn't prone to forgetting dates . . . unless there were two of them.

"Is he seeing someone else?" Nicky asked suddenly, looking up at him. Damian shook his head.

"Not that I know of."

Wearing her gold‑rimmed glasses, Nicky's eyes were partially hidden, but Damian could hear the harshness in her voice, so similar to Auren's.

"He's been really distant lately, Damian. We've been together almost five weeks and all of a sudden he's late to meet me. He doesn't call as much. I think it's about over."

Damian winced inwardly. Kenny grew restless easily. Right around the one month mark he got jittery and scared, and backed off quickly. Especially if he really liked the girl. Five weeks . . . Damian knew his twin brother. Kenny had to care for Nicky to go that long.

"I should have realized he wouldn't stay long." she said quietly.

"Now what does that mean?" Damian asked awkwardly.

"Come on, Damian. Kenny was never the type for seriousness . . . he told me as much when we first met. I thought I could change him."

"Kenny is . . . strange when it comes to women."

"Why?" she asked.

"Our mom was never around much, when we were younger. She had some problems and I think Kenny is afraid that if he loves someone female, she'll abandon him."

"He never told me anything like that. In fact, he doesn't talk much about his childhood to begin with."

“That doesn't surprise me, Nick. He rarely talks about the past. He doesn't like to dwell on it. Kenny focuses on the present and future."

"Great. Auren in male form." Damian smiled.

"Don't tell him that. Don't give up on Kenny yet. Things could change."

***

The following night, Damian followed Auren into the kitchen. Impressed by her skill, he watched as she quickly set about making drinks for Nick, Kenny, Em and Jane, Em's girlfriend.

"I have an idea."

He slipped his arms around her waist from behind. Inhaling slowly, he was mesmerized by the scent of her shampoo and perfume.

Capping her shaker, she shook it briefly, spinning it around on her palm.

"I'm all ears." she said absentmindedly, straining the drink out. Carefully, he took the glass from her hand and set it down, then turned her to face him. "Yes?"

"My family owns a cabin about three hours south of here, in the mountains. I was thinking maybe next weekend we could go stay there for a few days." He searched her eyes. "Maybe the others would like to come."

"Next weekend is layout, you know I can't leave town." she turned back to her drink, reaching for a rocks glass.

"You've been training Nick for months. Let her do it for once. She'd probably enjoy it."

"But if she has any problems ‑"

"Em will be here to help, as well as Kenny. You've put out two issues already; let Nick have a chance to try it." He stepped to her side so he could see her lovely profile.

"I don't know."

"Auren, I've seen you on layout weekend. You don't sleep, you hardly eat. You wear yourself out and sleep all day Monday. Let me take you away for a few days. The cabin is quiet, big and romantic."

"I see." she replied calmly, not looking at him.

Fear was holding her back, Damian realized. Removing a beer from the fridge for Kenny, she popped the top off. Once she'd set the drinks on a tray, he finally pulled her away from the counter gently.

"Auren, there are four beds, three rooms. If you're worried about sharing one with me, don't. We can sleep in separate rooms. I'm not pressuring you for anything." He ran his finger along her jaw, enjoying its softness. She looked away. "I just want to spend some time alone with you and relax."

"It's a lot of responsibility to put on Nick." she muttered.

"Maybe she wants it. I'm sure she'd love a chance to be in control for once."

"I'll have to talk to her and Em."

Auren picked up the tray and left the kitchen. Damian sighed. What was the expression . . . two steps forwards, three steps back?

Kenny and he had already discussed it with Nick and Em. The girls would convince Auren to go with Damian. Nicky was worried because Auren wasn't sleeping well. Too tired, up all night typing and correcting stories, and occasional nightmares kept her sister from rest. The nightmares had gone away recently, Nicky wasn't jolted awake in the middle of the night by her sister's screams. Auren needed a vacation and would never willingly take one. Em and Nicky were fully ready to take on layout for the next issue.

***

Auren paused in her walking, spotting Kenny and a girl. Stepping back, she flattened herself against the wall of the post office.

Across the lobby, Kenny leaned against a wall with his side, smiling and talking to a petite, pretty blonde wearing a microscopically short skirt and a tight, spandex tube top. Unaware he was being watched, he reached over and touched the girl's face before he kissed her.

Rage swept through Auren. Regardless of his relationship with her sister, he was screwing around. Ten yards away was the cause of Nick's tears and sleepless nights.

"Hey, there you are."  Auren whirled to face her sister.

"I was looking for you. Let's go grab a bite to eat." Auren caught her sister's arm.

"I need to check my mail box."

"We can check it later." Auren said quickly. Nicky's narrowed her gray‑blue eyes at her twin.

"What's going on?"

Faster than Auren could stop her, Nicky stepped past her sister and around the corner. Auren turned to watch her.

Kenny passionately kissed the blonde girl, and watched her walk away, smiling to himself. Turning back, he saw the twin sisters; Nicky crushed, Auren furious; and froze in his steps.

How much had they seen? Pulling himself together, he started to walk towards them. Nicky backed up and ran.

"Nicky!" he called.

Auren swiftly stepped forward and slugged Kenny in the jaw, sending him to the ground. Bystanders started to turn around.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded, getting to his feet.

"Stay away from my sister, you son of a bitch!"

"Auren ‑" Kenny reached towards Auren, but her hand shot out and he was quickly pinned with his face against the wall and his arm twisted painfully behind his back.

"I said stay away from her. And me. You're not worth the flesh you're made of." she snarled, releasing him. Doubled over in pain, clutching his shoulder, Kenny didn't see Auren run after her sister.

***

"It's your own fault, Kenny! She knew you were cheating on her, but you didn't have to throw it in her face!" Damian snapped. Kenny glared at his mirror image brother, holding ice against his jaw. His shoulder throbbed from Auren's grip.

"I didn't know she was standing there!"

"Kenny, use the brain upstairs for once! The post office? The most central place on campus?"

"It's a huge campus! How did I know she would pick that exact moment to be there!"

"Did she have to be someone from campus?"

"Well, can't you like, explain something to Nick?"

"Oh, no," Damian warned him. "I am not running interference on this one."

"Hey, man, it was your girlfriend who hit me!"

"You're lucky that's all she did. She could have killed you."

"Don't I get any sympathy out of you?" Kenny demanded. Damian paused.

"No."