The Girlfriend Shield

by S. A. Hunter

“They want him home for Christmas,” Angela said.

  “I’m not going!”

  “But it’s Christmas,” I said.

  “I’m not spending the holiday with them. They can ship me their gifts.”

  “You should be with them,” I said.

  He looked at me in disbelief like I’d betrayed him.

  “Where do they want to spend Christmas?” Noah asked.

  “The West Estate,” Angela answered.

  “So you’d still be close to Sarah. You could still see her Christmas day,” Noah said.

  “But I’d see them,” he said.

  I couldn’t believe the fuss he was raising. “Grow up, Damien.”

  He sputtered in surprise. “How can you—“

  “They’re letting you take your friends to a tropical island for New Year’s. All they’re asking is to spend Christmas with you. They’re your parents. They love you, and you’re being a spoiled brat.”

  He stood up violently. His chair tipped over behind him. “And here I thought I’d rather spend Christmas with you. I guess I was wrong.” He stalked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

  I let out a loud sigh.

  “He’ll be fine,” Angela said.

  “It’s safe to say he’ll leave you in peace for the rest of exams,” Noah offered.

  Angela glared at him.

  I turned back to my handouts. “I guess the Hawaii trip is off.”

  “No, Sarah, I’m sure that—“ Angela began to say.

  I held up my hand to stop her. “It’s okay. It seemed too wonderful to be true anyway.”

  Damien didn’t need to take Prof. Edward’s exam, but he didn’t show up for Prof. Lowell’s exam either. His absence alarmed me because while he had an ‘A’ in English, getting a zero on the exam would tank his grade. I texted Angela as soon as I was done.

  *Do you know where Damien is?*

  I didn’t get a reply. She was probably still taking her exam. I went to the West Dorm and punched in the code for Damien’s floor. When the elevator doors opened, it revealed a dark suite. I turned on the lights. “Damien, are you here?” But I could already tell he wasn’t there. I checked his bedroom anyway. I opened his closet and saw his suitcases were missing. He’d left?

  I pulled out my phone and dialed Dean Crowe’s office.

  Mrs. Wolt, the dean’s secretary answered the phone. “Hello, Sarah.”

  “Is Dean Crowe available?”

  “One moment.”

  I waited impatiently for Dean Crowe to pick-up. Damien still had his Algebra exam. If he didn’t take that, Prof. Bolkis would flunk him.

  “Sarah, how are your exams going?”

  “Fine, Dean, but Damien has left school.”

  “Yes, I believe he’s gone to Hawaii.”

  Hearing that he had gone without any of us made my stomach twist. While the idea of going had seemed unbelievable, I had let myself believe it would happen. I’d been an idiot. I couldn’t talk to Dean Crowe about that though.

  “What about his remaining exams?”

  “Taken early. He’s passed all of his classes for the semester with a four-point-oh average. Well done.”

  I couldn’t take any credit for his academic success. The truth was I needed his help to pass. Hearing he hadn’t skipped out without taking his last exams was a relief. “Thanks, Dean.”

  “So I take it he didn’t tell you about his plans?”

  “Gotta go, Dean. See you.”

  “Sarah—“ I turned off my phone so Dean Crowe couldn’t call me back.

  Damien had left. I felt numb. I knew this was probably just one of his tantrums, and he’d come back when he got lonely or bored, but the fact that he’d do it now during exams and so close to the holidays was disheartening. I went home feeling drained. The two exams had taken a lot out of me and I just wanted to veg. I still had one exam to go, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of studying. I just wanted to turn my brain off.

  AFTER MY FINAL EXAM which was algebra, I didn’t feel the lightness and relief that I’d expected. It was due to Damien’s continued absence. I’d sent him texts and left voicemails but hadn’t received a single response. I’d asked Angela if she’d heard from him, but she hadn’t either. I’d had to break the news to my parents that the trip was off. Dad had been disappointed, but Mom had looked vindicated. She said it was probably for the best and that being somewhere tropical during winter would have probably made us sick.

  With exams over, Noble emptied out. All of the students went home for the break and the staff cleaned up. Housekeeping was out in full-force. They’d been held back from their full cleaning schedule to not disturb students. Now they vacuumed, mopped, and wiped down everything. Dad and Red had a list of things to do that had piled up over the semester. The biggest project was a number of classrooms needed new coats of paint. I’d always helped Dad during winter break and this one was no different. I carried a bag of rollers and a stack of disposable paint tray covers as I followed him to the first classroom. Red was already in the classroom, applying painter’s tape to the trim and windows.

  “Hi, Red,” I said, setting my stuff down.

  “How’d your exams go?” he asked.

  “I think I passed everything.”

  “You think?”

  “Haven’t gotten all my grades yet.”

  “I’m sure you did fine. You worked really hard,” Dad said. He held up a drop cloth for me to help him unfold and lay down.

  We worked through the morning, getting fresh coats of paint on the walls. It was tiring work, but not mentally taxing.

  It was actually unseasonably warm that day. Mom had suggested having lunch outside. We met her in the courtyard. She’d made sandwiches and had the table set when we got there.

  “How’s it going?” Mom asked.

  Red took a bite of his sandwich before answering. “Almost done. We’ll be able to remove the tape when we get back and go to the next room. Sarah’s been a big help.”

  As I ate my sandwich, I scanned the courtyard. It felt weird being out there without the students present. While my parents talked to Red, I saw a flash in a window in the West Dorm. It was Damien’s window. He’d come back without telling me. I couldn’t believe the nerve of him. I stuffed the last bite of my sandwich in my mouth and got up. The adults looked at me curiously. “I gotta check something. I won’t be long.”

  “You’re on break. You don’t have to help us,” Dad said.

  “No, I like helping. See you in a little bit.”

  I could tell Mom wanted to ask me what was up, but I didn’t say anything and headed to West Dorm. My direction would be all the information she needed.

  West Dorm was on reduced heating like all of the other school buildings. If he intended to stay in his suite for the break, Dad or Red would have to adjust the heat. I sort of didn’t want to clue him in on that. It was petty, but so was he. When I reached the suite, all the lights were off, but I’d seen him. It was stupid for him to pretend not to be home.

  “Damien, come out!” I yelled, turning on lights as I searched for him.

  He didn’t pop out to confront me. I went to his bedroom. The bed was made, but his computer was on. I wiggled the mouse to get the monitor to come on, but no programs were open.

  “Stop hiding you idiot.” I checked the bathroom and pushed the shower curtain aside to check the tub. Had I been mistaken? Maybe I hadn’t seen someone at his window. Getting frustrated I went back to the main room. I checked the kitchenette. I opened the fridge and let out a cry of triumph at the half-eaten salad inside. It had been put in there recently. It was too fresh to have been there more than a day.

  “I know you’re here!” I called out, putting the salad back in the fridge, but then the salad finally registered. Damien hated salads.

  Someone was there, but not Damien. Suddenly feeling very vulnerable, I started walking backwards toward the elevator. I had to get out of there. I hadn’t bothered to bring my phone with
me. I couldn’t call security.

  I pressed the elevator call button frantically. It should’ve opened immediately. It should’ve stayed at Damien’s floor because I should’ve been the only person in the dorm. As I heard it approach, I got scared. What if whoever else was there was coming back? What was I supposed to do? I needed a weapon. I grabbed a tall stool from the kitchenette area, turned out the lights, and took position just out of sight of the elevator. When I heard the elevator ding, I raised the stool above my head.

  The doors opened and a man’s shadow entered the room. I could tell it wasn’t Red or Dad.

  The person stepped out and I swung down.

  Noah was able to lift his arm in time to block the brunt of the blow, but still, he went down to one knee.

  “Sarah, what the hell?!”

  The stool dropped from my nerveless hands, and I covered my mouth in horror.

  “Noah, what are you doing here?!”

  “I saw you come into the dorm, I was coming to say hi.”

  “Damien’s not here,” I said. I pulled him to his feet and tried to push him into the elevator, but he balked.

  “What the hell is going on?” he asked.

  “Someone other than him is here,” I whispered. I kept trying to push him to the elevator, but he batted me off him in irritation.

  “Hello? Who’s here? I’m calling security if you don’t show yourself!” he shouted.

  I waited in fear for a response.

  A muffled voice yelled. “Don’t call security. It’s just me.”

  The voice had come from the bedroom. I’d been in there with the trespasser! They could’ve gotten me. Noah strode to the room. I followed him with the stool, ready to swing, but we didn’t find a big burly psychopath. We found Angela struggling to climb out from under the bed.

  “Ang, what the hell?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Sorry. I didn’t want you to know I was here.”

  “Why are you hiding in Damien’s suite?” Noah asked.

  “Because no one’s supposed to know I’m here.”

  “But why?” I asked. My heart still pounded from fright. I couldn’t believe my best friend was the cause of it.

  She didn’t answer. I could tell she was upset. I turned to him. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with your mom or your dad?”

  “And that’s what they think too. Mom thinks I’m with Dad and Dad thinks I’m with Mom. If they called each other, they’d figure it out. I don’t expect them to figure it out.”

  There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

  “My parents think I’m with Damien. I thought I’d be with him too, tagging along to wherever he went for Christmas.”

  I groaned under my breath. Of course, he would jet off somewhere in a tizzy and not think about anyone who might be put in a bind because of it.

  I pulled Angela up off the bed. “It’ll be crowded at my house, but you can stay with us,” I said.

  “What about me?” Noah asked.

  “You have a suite.”

  Angela pulled her hands from my grasp. “No, I couldn’t inconvenience your family. I can stay here.”

  “Who the hell is in my rooms?” Damien yelled from the main room.

  “Perfect timing,” Noah muttered.

  We all entered the main room, and Damien stared at us incredulously. “What are all of you doing here?” He looked tan. He was wearing flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt. He’d gone and had a tropical vacation on his own. I couldn’t believe him.

  I clasped Angela’s hand. “You’re coming home with me,” I said.

  “I guess I have to,” she said softly.

  I squeezed her hand. She’d sounded sad. “It’ll be fun. Cora’s arriving today.”

  She nodded, but still looked dejected.

  “Hello?! Will someone answer me?”

  “Welcome back, asshole,” I said and pulled Angela toward the elevator.

  “Sarah, wait.” He reached out to stop me, but I dodged him.

  Noah slipped onto the elevator with us.

  “Are you staying here for Christmas?” Angela asked Damien.

  “Yeah, I was planning to,” he said.

  “And Hawaii?” she asked.

  “What about it? We’re going. Right after Christmas.”

  He opened his mouth to say something to me, but the doors closed because I was mashing the close doors button.

  The elevator descended.

  “The trip is still on. That’s good news, right?” Angela said, but she didn’t sound sure.

  “I’m not going,” I declared.

  Chapter 5

  Angela stared at me in disbelief. “But Sarah—”

  I held up my hand to stop her. “No, if Damien is going to be like the selfish kid with the only soccer ball, cancelling the trip whenever things don’t go his way, we don’t need to go.”

  “If you’d still like to go somewhere, my family’s chalet is available,” Noah offered.

  “No, I’m doing what I do every winter break and I’m staying here. It’s where I belong.”

  When the elevator opened on the ground floor, Angela and I got off. Noah stayed on. I assumed he was heading back to his suite. I wondered if the heat had been adjusted in his rooms, but I couldn’t get the question out before the elevator left. He’d been wearing a thick hoodie and a jacket. He hadn’t come from outside. I’d tell Red so he could up the heat.

  “You should first ask your parents if I can stay,” Angela said.

  “It’ll be fine. They like you.”

  “You should ask them and tell them that I can go home. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I spent the holidays with my parents.”

  “But you don’t want to do that.”

  “No, but I can,” she insisted.

  I knew that Angela was scared to spend time with her parents in case they figured out her secret. “Stay with us, please.”

  Angela pulled away from me. “Go ask them first. I’ll be in the library.”

  She couldn’t go back to her dorm room. The building was practically shut down. Along with the reduced heat, the water was shut off. If she didn’t stay with my family, she would have to go home.

  I knew whose approval I needed, Dad was a sure yes, but Mom might balk. I went to the apartment to ask her.

  She was washing dishes when I got there. “Mom, I have a huge favor to ask.”

  She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “What is it?”

  “Can Angela spend Christmas with us?”

  “She didn’t go home?”

  “She usually stays with Damien, but he’s not going home this Christmas.”

  She frowned. “But what about their parents?”

  I didn’t know if the Wests were still planning to spend Christmas at the West Estate, but Angela couldn’t show up alone. “Damien’s being a butthead, and Angela is scared of her parents.”

  Mom thought silently. “Can she be happy here?”

  I blinked in surprise at her question. “She loves you guys. She’s just worried that she’ll be a burden. She insisted that I ask you first. She said she could go home, but she can’t be happy there.”

  “But her parents don’t know she’ll be spending Christmas with us and not Damien?”

  “No, they don’t,” I said in defeat. If she insisted that Angela get permission, she would just go home. She couldn’t explain to her parents why she’d be spending Christmas with us and not the Wests.

  Mom’s mouth thinned. “Have you asked your father already?”

  “No.”

  My answer surprised her.

  “Go ask him. If he says yes, then she can stay.”

  Her answer surprised me. I ran over to hug her. She held out her soapy hands helplessly. “Thank you! I love you!”

  “Okay, okay. We need to get her something for Christmas. It won’t be much, but do you know anything she might like?”

  I didn’t have a clue. “I’ll ask her.”

  “Tell he
r that she’s always welcome here.”

  I kissed her on the cheek and headed to ask Dad, but I knew it was just a formality. Angela was spending Christmas with us.

  Dad and Red had moved on to the next classroom. They both had rollers and were close to being done.

  “Dad, Mom told me to ask you if Angela can spend Christmas with us.”

  Dad blinked a moment. “What did she say?”

  I rolled my eyes. I hated when they did this. They’d stall before answering as they tried to figure out what the other said to agree with them. Dad was the soft touch, that’s why Mom had assumed I’d asked him first. “She said it was okay if you said it was okay.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah, she did.”

  Dad blinked again. “Of course, she’s welcome. Did her plans fall through?”

  “Damien flaked.”

  “Like with Hawaii?”

  I dropped my eyes knowing the news still disappointed him. “Yeah, sorry.”

  “Don’t feel bad. Can’t really miss something you never had.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I felt like his words could be applied to more than just Hawaii. “Is it all right if I help Angela get her stuff and bring it to the apartment?”

  “Go have fun. You should be enjoying your break not doing unpaid manual labor.”

  I went to get Angela. When I reached the library, I found it locked with a sign saying it would be closed until the week classes resumed. Millie and Joe must have gone on a trip. I sent Angela a text asking where she was.

  “Sarah, congratulations on passing all of your exams.”

  I suspected that Dean Crowe had not just happened to cross paths with me. “Thanks, Dean, didn’t know I had.”

  He indicated the locked library. “Millie and Joe have gone on a tour of Europe.”

  “Good for them.”

  “Did you need something from inside?”

  “No, I was just passing by. Happy holidays, Dean.”

  I turned to get away.

  “Sarah, a word, please?”

  I stopped with a grimace, thankfully my back was to the dean. I forced my face to relax and turned back to him. “Yes, sir?”

  “We have quite a few students staying here for the holidays this year.”

  “Angela is spending Christmas with us, and I know Noah and Damien are still on campus. Is there anyone else?”