small group.
“There seems to have been an incident at Devender Hall tonight, folks,” he told the
group, and just saying the name of Shay’s dorm piqued Matty’s interest.
“What kind of incident?” Alex asked her boss.
“It seems one of our students was the victim of a rape or attack of some sort, they’re
still investigating, in the dorm shower stalls.”
A collective sigh of anguish went out from the group.
“They’ve taken her over to the campus clinic, poor thing.”
“Who was the student?” Matty asked, his heartbeat in suspended animation.
“One of yours, Alex, actually,” Stockard said. “I believe you mentor the girl. A
Shanita Cooper, I believe is her name?”
As soon as Shay’s name was announced, Matty took off. He didn’t excuse himself, he
didn’t beg Alex’s pardon, he didn’t so much as acknowledge her presence. He took off. Alex,
astounded, as was the entire group, just stood there.
“What in the world is his problem?” Stockard wanted to know.
“What in the world is right,” Alex wanted to know as well. Then she sat her drink on
the tray of a passing waiter.
“Excuse me, Stock,” she said, and headed for the exit, too.
***
The automated doors of the campus clinic slid open and Matty hurried inside. Jessica saw
him coming and hurried up to him. Tears were in her eyes. She had expected Hector to scare
Shay a little, even try to get fresh with her, but she never expected him to try and rape the girl,
to nearly kill her!
“Oh, Matty,” she said, covering her mouth. She fell into his arms.
“Where is she?” Matty wanted to know, looking beyond her, moving away from her.
“She’s here, but they won’t let me see her! They say only family can see her!”
Matty hurried to the nurse’s station. No way was he going to be denied.
“Who’s in charge?” he asked the desk clerk. “I need to see the person in charge.”
His heart was pounding. Oh, God let her be all right , he kept saying. But as the
young clerk went to get the charge nurse, his agitation grew.
“Where did they take her?” he asked Jessica, who was coming toward him.
When she pointed toward the back corridor separated by flapping doors, he took off in
that direction. Looking from room to room, office to office, calling Shay’s name, he finally
heard her voice.
“Matty?” she said and he hurried into a small holding room. When he saw her, seated
on the edge of a gurney, in a hospital gown, her small legs dangling down, he ran to her.
“Matty!” she said, her arms opening wide. Although she had been in pain ever since
she was conscious again, she hadn’t thought to cry until she looked into Matty’s eyes. The
tears dropped freely then.
“Oh, sweetheart!” Matty exclaimed, and pulled her gingerly into his arms.
But he quickly released her. “Are you okay?” he asked her, looking over her entire
body.
“It’s a little painful, but I’ll be okay.”
He noticed the deep abrasion on her arm, the scratch mark on her face. He placed his
hand on her face. “What happened?” he asked her.
“I got back to the dorm after work and went to take a shower. Everything was fine,
but then this dude, Hector, slung open the curtain.”
“Hector? You know him?”
“Yeah, that’s why it was so shocking. I mean, I don’t know him like that, but he’s
always hanging around.”
Matty didn’t like the sound of that. “Was he a friend of yours?”
“Not mine, no. He and Jessica were tight.”
Matty’s jaw tightened. That fast-ass roommate of hers! “What did he do to you,
sweetie? Did he . . . I mean, was he able to . . .”
Shay swallowed hard at the thought of it. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “He didn’t
rape me. He tried, but thank God he didn’t do it.”
“Thank God!” Matty said, so relieved he nearly collapsed from the lightened weight on
his shoulders. “But why did he do it?”
“He was trippin’ because I wouldn’t introduce him to
“There seems to have been an incident at Devender Hall tonight, folks,” he told the
group, and just saying the name of Shay’s dorm piqued Matty’s interest.
“What kind of incident?” Alex asked her boss.
“It seems one of our students was the victim of a rape or attack of some sort, they’re
still investigating, in the dorm shower stalls.”
A collective sigh of anguish went out from the group.
“They’ve taken her over to the campus clinic, poor thing.”
“Who was the student?” Matty asked, his heartbeat in suspended animation.
“One of yours, Alex, actually,” Stockard said. “I believe you mentor the girl. A
Shanita Cooper, I believe is her name?”
As soon as Shay’s name was announced, Matty took off. He didn’t excuse himself, he
didn’t beg Alex’s pardon, he didn’t so much as acknowledge her presence. He took off. Alex,
astounded, as was the entire group, just stood there.
“What in the world is his problem?” Stockard wanted to know.
“What in the world is right,” Alex wanted to know as well. Then she sat her drink on
the tray of a passing waiter.
“Excuse me, Stock,” she said, and headed for the exit, too.
***
The automated doors of the campus clinic slid open and Matty hurried inside. Jessica saw
him coming and hurried up to him. Tears were in her eyes. She had expected Hector to scare
Shay a little, even try to get fresh with her, but she never expected him to try and rape the girl,
to nearly kill her!
“Oh, Matty,” she said, covering her mouth. She fell into his arms.
“Where is she?” Matty wanted to know, looking beyond her, moving away from her.
“She’s here, but they won’t let me see her! They say only family can see her!”
Matty hurried to the nurse’s station. No way was he going to be denied.
“Who’s in charge?” he asked the desk clerk. “I need to see the person in charge.”
His heart was pounding. Oh, God let her be all right , he kept saying. But as the
young clerk went to get the charge nurse, his agitation grew.
“Where did they take her?” he asked Jessica, who was coming toward him.
When she pointed toward the back corridor separated by flapping doors, he took off in
that direction. Looking from room to room, office to office, calling Shay’s name, he finally
heard her voice.
“Matty?” she said and he hurried into a small holding room. When he saw her, seated
on the edge of a gurney, in a hospital gown, her small legs dangling down, he ran to her.
“Matty!” she said, her arms opening wide. Although she had been in pain ever since
she was conscious again, she hadn’t thought to cry until she looked into Matty’s eyes. The
tears dropped freely then.
“Oh, sweetheart!” Matty exclaimed, and pulled her gingerly into his arms.
But he quickly released her. “Are you okay?” he asked her, looking over her entire
body.
“It’s a little painful, but I’ll be okay.”
He noticed the deep abrasion on her arm, the scratch mark on her face. He placed his
hand on her face. “What happened?” he asked her.
“I got back to the dorm after work and went to take a shower. Everything was fine,
but then this dude, Hector, slung open the curtain.”
“Hector? You know him?”
“Yeah, that’s why it was so shocking. I mean, I don’t know him like that, but he’s
always hanging around.”
Matty didn’t like the sound of that. “Was he a friend of yours?”
“Not mine, no. He and Jessica were tight.”
Matty’s jaw tightened. That fast-ass roommate of hers! “What did he do to you,
sweetie? Did he . . . I mean, was he able to . . .”
Shay swallowed hard at the thought of it. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “He didn’t
rape me. He tried, but thank God he didn’t do it.”
“Thank God!” Matty said, so relieved he nearly collapsed from the lightened weight on
his shoulders. “But why did he do it?”
“He was trippin’ because I wouldn’t introduce him to
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