Rock Climber

Matt smiled easily at his group as he started his introduction to six couples, 8 guys and a single girl: 21 people, a good class size. He held up a climbing harness and explained its parts before demonstrating how to put it on. After handing them out, he moved among his students, ensuring they had it on properly, making the occasional adjustment. Although only a freshman, he had been climbing for years. His credentials had so impressed the staff that they allowed him to lead the Activity Center's rock climbing classes for the spring semester, from the introduction to expert classes. He approached the striking redhead and swallowed. She was gorgeous. Her green eyes glittered as she smiled at him and asked if she had put her harness on correctly. Instantly, his nerves deserted him.

Matt swallowed, his voice deserted him and a pit formed in his stomach. Talking to a group was easy, but one on one with this stunning beauty he was suddenly timid. He noticed the straps on her thigh were twisted in the back. He also couldn't help noticing her biking shorts left little to the imagination. He stuttered as he tried to motion that her strap was twisted, but was completely unwilling to touch her. Fortunately, another girl stepped up and adjusted the strap and he could steal away.

For the rest of the class he felt thoroughly intimated by the redhead, Kelly. He tried to play it cool, to talk to the entire class, making eye contact with each of them, but every time he glanced at her his nerves left him. He was acutely aware he was stumbling over simple words, racing through explanations that should have been smoother. When it was her turn to climb the wall, he was so unsettled that he couldn't bring himself to help her. She seemed so at ease, smiling freely, but Matt could hardly look at her. She was a lot shorter than he, maybe only 5 feet to his 6, but amazingly pretty.

As the class the ended, he made his usual announcement that anyone who was interested could join him tomorrow morning at eight in the shack while he inspected the equipment. He knew no one would care to show at on a Saturday, but he always made the announcement anyway.

Matt had just entered the shack on Saturday morning when her sing-song voice rang out.

"Hi," Kelly smiled as she entered, "Can I help?"

Matt noted her outfit—tight blue capri leggings, coupled with a loose red tank top from freshman orientation—before he tore his eyes away. They were alone, no one was around to see them. He immediately regretted having made the invitation to the class to have anyone join him.

"Su-sure," he stuttered, tossing her a coiled up rope before taking one himself. "Checking ropes for wear," he said as he sat down on the bench.

An instant later he realized what he had done. The shack had only one place to sit, the bench, which meant she was going to sit next to him. He momentarily considered calling a friend to come down and help, but all his friends were hung over if not still passed out from last night. He was, in reality, terrified of her.

When Matt had been a freshman in high school, a girl had falsely accused a boy of sexually assaulting her, and the accusation had destroyed the boy's life. The terrible situation had deeply affected his community and had torn it apart. His mother had lectured him endlessly about protecting himself against falling into the same predicament, and perhaps as a result, he had never had a girlfriend, never even been alone with a girl.

He wanted a future and was petrified that he would be accused of something. He said a silent prayer that someone else would show up to ensure that no unfounded accusations could be made.

"Is this okay?" She asked, holding the rope out.

"Yeah," he replied, struggling to explain to her what they were looking for as far as damaged ropes went. Talking about work was always so easy for him. Talking to girls was next to impossible. She started to talk, asking casual questions that he answered in a few words or less.

"So how did you get into rock climbing?"

"Scouts."

"You an Eagle Scout?"

"Yeah," he answered instinctively, before wishing he hadn't admitted it. Could anything make him look even more dorky? Her response surprised and reassured him.

"Cool, my brother was an Eagle also. That's great."

They settled into a routine, going through the ropes as Kelly did a lot of talking and he offered a lot of monosyllabic replies. Slowly, he started to smile and then laugh at her jokes. The morning was still young when they finished with the equipment inspections. Matt absently fiddled with a rope as Kelly sat less than an arm's length away and inquired about the more advanced rock climbing classes. An awkward silence filled the air. Matt glanced over to her, seeing her looking at the rope in his hands.

"What are you doing?" asked Kelly.

"Just playing," he shrugged. He pulled the end and it unraveled.

"How did you do that?"

Matt smiled shyly, and in no time he found himself teaching her the simple chain knot. She mastered it quickly. He soon found himself teaching her some basic knots, surprised not only that she was interested, but also that he was interacting with a beautiful girl, their knees occasionally touching, his hands guiding hers while she laughed.

"What else can you tie?" she beamed at him.

"Well, um...," he thought for a moment, running through the dozens of knots he knew. "Handcuffs?"

"Really!"

Matt nodded with a bashful grin. Kelly jumped up held our her wrists to him. "Show me!"

Matt rose and took a rope with a carabiner on the end and fastened it to a eye bolt on the post. He turned to Kelly, and with a quick, practiced snap of his hands he formed two opposing slip knots roughly two feet apart. He reached through the loops and took her hands before sliding the loops from his wrists to hers. He quickly tugged the rope tight, securing the knots around her compliant wrists. He turned and tied the other end of the rope to an opposing post, leaving Kelly standing with her hands secured over her head, and for all practical purposes, helpless. He turned to look at her, shocked at his own actions.

Kelly was staring up at her hands in amazement, twisting her arms and pulling on the rope. Matt knew she couldn't get out, the rope was too soft and pliable, and while it wouldn't hurt her delicate skin, it also wouldn't let her slip out. Matt stared at her exquisite face as she struggled, mesmerized by her beauty. Kelly gave up and looked at him with a smile.

"Oh my gosh. You got me," she said with a grin.

Matt dazedly watched his hand, as if it were someone else's, reach out to touch her freckled forearm. He slowly dragged his fingertips down her arm, marveling at it's softness. He was vaguely aware that Kelly was watching his fingers also, and their eyes locked as he looked at her. He reached out and gently brushed his hand against her wavy red hair before lightly stroking her cheek. Suddenly Kelly snapped her head around and nipped his finger. Matt jerked his hand back in alarm.

"See? I can still defend myself," she said with a laugh, but Matt wasn't listening.

"Oh my God I am so sorry!" He frantically undid her wrists, repeating his apology over and over. She was talking to him, but he couldn't hear her, couldn't even look at her, shaking with fear and disgust over what he had done. "I...I...think you should leave," he said, stumbling over his words self-consciously.

"But I was just playing!" she protested. He repeated that she should leave, and she finally did.

Matt sat alone in the shack, doubled over, shaking with fear. Sexual assault. Rapist. Pervert. He wondered if she would call the police immediately or wait until she was a safe distance away. He considered calling them himself. Maybe that would help him by showing his regret to the Judge. He robotically finished putting away the equipment and then waited for the cops to come. He couldn't believe what he had done. He imagined his mother's heartbreak from hearing of his arrest. He continued berating himself while wondering what his Scoutmaster would think. Matt barely controlled his urge to vomit.

Time passed, and he eventually decided to go back to his dorm. His pulse spiked and stomach did a flip as he saw the campus police parked near the end of his street. He took a deep breath and walked by them, seemingly not even drawing a glance. He entered his quad and went right to his room, laid on his bed and waited for the police to arrive.

* * *

Kelly walked across campus, utterly bewildered at the bizarre turn of events. What the hell just happened? They had been having such a nice time. For him suddenly to kick her out like that was inexplicable. Why was he mad at her? She had only nipped his finger. She returned to her dorm room to find the door open, Jules and Alana hanging out with Sara, her roommate.

"Boys are so annoying," she announced and plopped down on her bed in a huff.

"What else is new?" Sara laughed.

"Gah!" was all Kelly could get out and she clenched her fists in frustration.

"What happened?" Jules asked.

"I was out with this guy," Kelly said.

"You were out with a guy just now?" asked Sara.

"Cool!" said Alana.

"Yeah. And then I thought I was being playful, but suddenly he just threw me out."

The girls exchanged curious glances. "What did you do?"

Kelly frowned. "We were playing, and he was going to kiss me, but I bit his finger—I was just playing—and he freaked out and kicked me out."

"A guy comes in for a kiss and you bite his finger? How does that work?" asked Sara.

"Well, he had tied me up..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop the presses. He tied you up?" Jules asked, incredulous.

Kelly nodded. "We were just playing. He was being sweet."

"He tied you up. A boy you just met." Jules said,

"Yeah, and I..."

"Did he feel you up?" Alana blurted with surprise.

"No! It wasn't like that. He was really sweet, he just touched my cheek and then..."

"He tied you up but didn't even cop a feel?" Alana asked, unconvinced.

The girls poured over the details of Kelly's morning dozens of times, looking at it from every angle. Everyone agreed Matt was just a stupid jerk, and she shouldn't worry about him anymore, but more importantly, she shouldn't let strange guys tie her up. Kelly stewed on her bed as a knock on the door frame interrupted their commiserating.

"Hi ladies, what's going on?" Rosa asked, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

The girl exchanged guilty glances. Rosa was not like any of them. She was Hispanic, for starters. She had done two tours in Afghanistan before being seriously wounded, losing a leg and part of her hand. She was a decade older than them, had come from an unprivileged background, and was heavily tattooed. She wanted to be just another freshman, but all the girls were intimidated by her. Even the RA deferred to her.

"Kelly's having boy troubles," Alana finally said.

"Yeah? Anything good?" asked Rosa

"Well, he's a total jerk and a loser, " Jules chimed in

"Really! Kelly, do you think that?" Kelly shrugged. "So what happened?" Rosa asked as she limped a half step into the room on her prosthetic leg.

The story came pouring forth, each girl contributing their own decisions about Matt and what had happened. Kelly remained silent throughout.

Rosa chuckled when they were finished. "Really? So between the three of you, with what, one boyfriend among you all, you have this boy figured out already?" She clucked her tongue and gave them a grin.

"Yeah?" a defensive Alana challenged, "How many boyfriends have you had?"

A slow, wistful smile formed on Rosa's face while she was shaking her head. "So young, and so naive," she sighed and limped back into the hall.

***

Kelly knocked quietly on the frame of Rosa's open door. She had rehashed Rosa's comments in her mind for the past two days and wanted to hear her perspective. Kelly really didn't think Matt was a jerk, but everyone else seemed to think so.

"Hi, Kelly," Rosa smiled, motioning for her to come in.

Kelly couldn't help but notice Rosa's prosthetic leg was off and standing by itself. She let herself in and sat on Rosa's bed.

"I, um, wanted to talk to you about that boy."

"Yeah?"

"Well, you made it sound like maybe he's not a bad guy, that we didn't know what we were talking about."

"Yeah," Rosa nodded with a smile.

"Well, so what do you think?"

"Why don't you tell me everything that happened so that I can tell you what I think."

After Kelly finished her story. Rosa nodded, deep in thought.

"Well," she started, "I obviously don't know this guy. But you are a pretty smart cookie, and you seem to like him. Therefore, I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. It really doesn't sound like he was being mean. You told me he was kind of shy. Maybe he isn't mad at you, he's scared of you. Maybe he thinks he really screwed up."

"Why would he think that?"

"Cause he's a clueless guy."

Kelly nodded in thought.

"Or, maybe he's a jerk," Rosa added with a chuckle.

Kelly flashed a grin. "So what should I do?" Kelly asked.

"Can you see him sometime on campus? Watch his reaction. See if he's scared of you."

"And if he is?"

"Talk to him. Probably best to completely ignore what happened, like it's not a big deal. Who knows what's going on in his head."

Kelly nodded with a smile and stood up. "Thanks, Rosa."

"Listen, Kelly, all men are animals. But that doesn't mean that they are all bad, they just need help sometimes to show them how to behave."

***

A few days later Kelly spotted Matt across the street. She called out to him and waved. When his eyes met hers, the color left his face. Maybe Rosa was right, he's scared of me. She gave a big smile and an exaggerated wave and dodged traffic to join him. Matt was looking at her with frightened eyes, backing up as she approached. The wall behind him finally stopped his retreat as she reached him.

"Hey guy, how are you doing?" she asked playfully.

"G...good," he stuttered.

Kelly could tell that he was extremely uncomfortable. She gave him a friendly smile, trying to put him at ease.

"Teaching any more rock climbing classes?" she asked

"Yeah, uh, listen, I'm, uh...well I mean...um, I'm really sorry about what I did Saturday...," he stammered.

"What'd you do?"

"It was wrong of me to...I'm sorry about all that, you know?"

"Ppfft, whatever. I don't even know what you're talking about. Hey, you want to get some lunch? My next class isn't until one."

"I...um...sure."

Kelly tried her best, she really did, to make him feel comfortable. Just like in the shack, he seemed inclined to give short answers and avoid looking at her. Kelly found herself doing most of the talking, and Matt did most of the listening. As they left the dining hall, she finally had to ask.

"Matt, do you like me?"

"Yeah, yeah I like you."

"Because I kind of feel like you're giving me the cold shoulder."

"No, um, I'm sorry. I just don't...talk much."

"Okay, well great," Kelly nodded, holding his eyes for a moment. Her heart soared as she saw him smile at her. "Well, I'll see you around," she offered.

"Yeah," he nodded.

Kelly wondered if she should give him a hug but decided not to. She took a step back and gave a little wave and left.

***

Kelly thought about Matt all day and into the night. He was a nice guy and she liked his looks, but he seemed extremely shy. She really wanted a boyfriend, someone to kiss her and hold her. She hadn't been with anyone since breaking up with her boyfriend before coming to college, and she had experienced first hand how difficult the dating scene was at school. The competition for boys was fierce, and most of the boys used that to their advantage. In Matt she somehow knew she had found someone special, and she felt she needed to act quickly to get him interested before some slut stole his attentions. Late at night, fantasizing about kissing Matt, she settled on a daring idea, one that would make her intensions clear and would accelerate their relationship. She would offer herself to him.

Kelly's seductive idea blossomed in her mind all week. She wondered if she would be bold enough to pull it off. She couldn't believe she was contemplating something so risqué. She met him again for lunch, and this time they almost had a conversation. He still was not very talkative, but he seemed to be warming up to her.

That evening, she and her friends went out for a Chinese dinner. Her mind kept drifting back to Matt, wondering what he was doing. She wondered if some other girl was also angling for him, and she contemplated her plan. No way she could try something like that, she thought to herself. It was just too daring. After dinner, they split the check and opened their fortune cookies. She almost spewed her drink out when she read it: "You must try, or you will hate yourself for not trying." Her eyes widened as she looked around the table, hearing Sara read hers but not listening. It was as if the fortune was aimed just for her. She had never put much stock in fortunes, but this one seemed too real to deny. She quickly grabbed a second cookie, ignoring the admonishments of her friends. The second fortune was just as reassuring: "The one you desire feels the same way about you." Kelly's heart thundered in her chest. So it was settled. She was going to do it.

She tracked Matt down after a rock climbing class and watched him, unobserved, as he finished. Her nerve almost deserted her. She watched him lead a large class of people, thinking him so handsome and compelling. She considered giving up but looked down and reread the fortunes from dinner. With a deep breath she calmed herself and committed to going through with it. No regrets. The class broke up and she approached him, her spirits raised by his smile. She casually inquired about his housing arrangements. When she verified that his roommate left for prayers at six in the morning and stayed out until the afternoon, she knew she had a chance.

"Well, make sure your door is unlocked tomorrow morning," she told him with her best impression of a sultry smile as she traced a finger down his arm.

"I...um...why?" he asked, sounding very confused.

Kelly gave an innocent shrug. "Someone might need a place to crash."

"Uh...okay," he mumbled, still confused.

Kelly savored the puzzled look on his face as she turned and left, purposefully putting extra effort into the sway of her slim hips. This was going to be great.

Kelly could hardly sleep that night and ended up taking a 3 AM shower, spending the next few hours carefully primping herself. She chose loose clothes for easy removal, but baggy enough to allow her to cross campus with causing a stir. She regarded herself in the mirror one last time before leaving, admiring the stunning girl that looked back at her. Her braces were long gone and the baby fat had melted away. All traces of the awkward adolescent that the other girls had teased had been supplanted by a truly beautiful woman. With a smile, she confidently slipped out of the dorm filled with sleeping people and headed to Matt's room. This was going to be great.

Campus at dawn was amazingly peaceful, with only birds chirping merrily to keep her company. Sunlight filled the air with promise, lifting her spirits even higher. A few joggers were the only other people she saw before arriving at Matt's dorm. Despite her best efforts to stay calm, her heart was racing as she approached his door, her body flush with excitement. This was it. In a few moments she would be with him. She would have a boyfriend. This was going to be great.

Kelly's heart pounded, but then she breathed a silent sigh of relief as she turned the doorknob and opened his door. His bed was to the right, and she quickly navigated the silent, darkened room. She couldn't suppress a grin as she saw him lift his covers, inviting her in. A quick glance verified that the other bed was vacant. She slipped into his bed and laid down as he put the sheet back over her.