Violating the Honor Code

"Who wants to tell me what is this about?" the officer asked.

"I found her like that," said Troll. "She's his girlfriend, and I know for a fact that she doesn't like to wear many clothes."

"She came here to give you back your precious stuff, and this is what you do to her," I shouted at him.

"What stuff? She didn't give me anything!"

I found a blanket in the closet and covered her. "What about those ripped clothes, Troll?"

The officer could see we were getting nowhere. "Can she talk? I'm gonna need a statement. I think we're all going to have to take a little ride to the station."

"She's deaf. She uses sign language. But she can read and write."

"Deaf?" Troll hadn't realized that while he was abusing her.

Imogene huddled beneath the blanket, and stretched out her arm, point to her clothes.

"They are pretty torn up. I'll buy you new." I kissed her forehead.

The officer began to gather the remnants of her garments. Under one pile he found a calculator. Under another pile was a second calculator. As he looked around, in Troll's open desk drawer he saw some science textbooks. "Whose desk is this?"

"Mine," said Troll. "I've never seen those before."

The officer began a more diligent search, and found three more textbooks in Troll's closet, and then his safe. "Yours, too?"

"That's my closet, but..."

"Open the safe, please. Or do I need to get a warrant?"

Troll knelt to open it, and I was pretty sure what we'd find.

Inside were his precious troll and magical goop. And a bevy of calculators, including a very distinctive purple one.

Troll couldn't think quickly enough to speak. The officer radioed in. "I found some interesting things here. We may have solved those thefts."

"What? I never saw those before in my life."

"That your doll? Your greasy shit in a can?"

"Yeah, but..."

"That's your closet, your safe?"

"No. I mean, yes they are, but..."

"You in the habit of giving your combination out to friends?"

"Of course not!"

"Let's go." He took custody of Troll, and led him toward the hallway. The paramedics were there, but he directed them to examine Imogene first. Before leaving he said, "I want to see you both as soon as she's able. We'll be discreet, but we're going to need a statement from her. She knows this wasn't the university's fault, right? One bad student can make it rough for everyone."

"We'll be there."

The paramedics confirmed Imogene suffered some rope burns on her wrist, but was otherwise fine.

She leaned against me, just wearing my jacket. I found her shoes, the slip-on kind. She tucked her toes in.

"You poor kid. What happened?"

She just shook her head.

"Does Troll have the video camera, too?"

For the first time, I saw the hint of a smile. She went to my bookcase near the corner of the room, where I noticed a small red light and gaping aperture. She turned it off and slipped it into the pocket of my jacket.

She put a finger to her lips. It was our secret.

# # #

Things happened pretty quickly after that.

Imogene wrote out her statement saying Troll had surprised her and used his strength to overpower her. She didn't understand why, but knew he was extremely envious of me, his old roommate, because of her. He had been rude when he first met her, and threatened harm to both of us. She had stopped by the frat house because she had lost her textbook, and thought she might have left it there. She found it and others, and that's when Troll walked in.

After that she was just too upset to continue.

The university's legal team made sure Imogene got counseling, medical attention, replaced clothing, new textbooks and school supplies. The university apologized for the few pictures that did end up on the internet, and hoped she understood that they were outside of its control. Imogene cried when they showed her the pictures that survived on the web. She wrote, "Weren't all those pictures taken by university students?" The lawyers hemmed and hawed, but in the end, the university agreed to cover her full ride in whatever subject she wished to major, including graduate school. All it cost her was her promise in writing not to sue the university for every last penny. She signed the release, and the lawyers breathed a sigh of relief.

Imogene and I had our pick of either her room or the frat house now, but she found it awkward to face any of my frat brothers. We stayed in her dorm.

I gave her her space though. Nobody could fathom how humiliated she must have felt strung up and on display. It would take time, I knew. I slept on a chair while she used our bed.

Gradually, she became a little more open, and then one Spring day, she even allowed me to hold her closely in my arms. The excitement had died down around campus. Troll was expelled, despite loudly proclaiming his innocence. He blamed me. He blamed Imogene. He didn't know how, but he had been framed. The university ethics board and the criminal jury thought otherwise.

One rainy April evening after I finished studying, she made us both a cup of tea, and knelt near me as we sipped. It was beginning to feel like old times. She smiled with her cute little mouth, she laid her head on my knee and rubbed my calves and feet. We kissed a little. After the tea, she washed the cups while I studied.

She came back wearing my jacket, which reached just past her butt. I smiled encouragingly, and she smiled back. Then she took the camera from my jacket pocket. I hadn't seen the thing for a while, and I really could have used a few of our old clips to get me through some cold winter nights.

She kissed me deeply, sensuously, for the first time since the incident. I unzipped the jacket. She wore nothing more underneath. I got my hopes up.

She wanted me to watch the camera first, though.

The clip she played was new to me. It was that night. My frat room. Her in the frat room. She was alone. The digital time: 2:45 am.

She removed her clothing very efficiently, and still very sexy. When naked, she opened the blinds and cracked open the window. She ripped her clothes and threw them into the corners, covering things I couldn't make out from the video, but I realized what they must be. A couple of calculators, a text book or two.

She shivered from the cold. Gooseflesh showed on her arms and legs. Her nipples were tight. She took the ropes Troll used for pulleys and tied them together. She fastened them to the wall, and then fashioned little nooses in the other end. She tossed each through a ring in the ceiling. She climbed onto a desk chair, slipped her wrists through the nooses and stepped off the chair, leaving herself dangling helplessly. She kicked the chair away, and waited.

Imogene fast forwarded the tape, since now it only showed her hanging from her self-made snare. She was beautiful dangling there, but occasionally needed to reach with her toes to make sure she didn't pass out.

At 3:10 am she slowed the tape. The door opened. Troll walked in with his gym bag. I sat up sharply and stopped breathing.

Troll saw her, and took a long, long look at her. "What the hell? Where is that dickwad? What are you, a peace offering? Get it? A piece offering?"

Troll glanced around the room, but through the mess saw nothing that unusual. "Where's my stuff? You got my stuff?"

Imogene nodded.

"You have my stuff?"

She nodded again.

"Where's my stuff?"

This time she shook her head, and stuck out her tongue at him.

"You bitch!" Troll paced back and forth across the room. Imogene stuck her tongue out every time he looked at her.

"Nobody touches my things!" He came right up to her, and started to poke her chest as he emphasized each word. "Nobody. Touches. My. Stuff."

Imogene kicked him in the balls.

He fell sideways, grabbing himself.

"Nice shot," I said to Imogene. She breathed on her nails,

and polished them on the jacket lapel. She was justifiably proud.

But Troll now looked for someway to inflict a little pain on her. He grabbed the fraternity paddle, and showed it to her. She looked worried.

"Where did you put my stuff?"

Nothing from Imogene.

So he smacked her one. Her eyes flew open.

I know from personal experience how sharp the pain can be from that paddle.

"It's okay to yell. That's gotta hurt like hell. Now do you want to tell me?"

There were tears in Imogene's eyes, but she shook her head.

Troll walked around her, letting her anticipate the blow. I could see he was getting a hard-on as he fondled the paddle in his hands. Without further warning, he struck her. Harder this time.

Imogene pulled her buttocks in, arching her back. She bit her lip, and tears flowed freely. She was breathing heavily.

"You're going to be putting on quite the show if you don't start talking. That door? It doesn't lock. Most of the time it doesn't even close. Every brother in this fraternity is soon going to know you up close and personal. Look down there. It's snowing now, but I know the kind of crowd that will be lining up on the lawn to see you like this."

She swallowed, and struggled in the snare.

"Make it easy. You tell me, and I'll let you down."

She was shaking on the video. I was shaking just watching her.

"I can almost promise for sure to let you down. Once I have my stuff and the camera. This would look good on camera, too, don't you think?"

He circled her, keeping clear of her legs. He said in an angry, husky whisper, "Now, where is my stuff?" He smacked her on the rear one more time. A red imprint glowed on her ass. "Tell me now, and you can go. Otherwise..." He cracked her across the ass again.

And that's when I burst in.

We watched the rest of the battle between Troll and me. The increasing crowd at the door, the arrival of the police officer, letting her down and draping her in my jacket, the discovery of the textbooks and calculators, and Troll's confusion. We watched all the way to the point where Imogene took the camera from the bookshelf and switched it off.

The clip ended.

She sat at my knees looking up at me, seeking some approval. I looked down at her, unsure what I could say. Imogene slipped off the jacket, and knelt naked at my feet. She licked her lips and raised her eyebrows. Then she took two of my fingers and touched her lips. "Where?" She was back to her old self.

Green light.

We have an honor code at this university. It's why I chose the place. Of course, if anyone finds this video, we are both royally screwed.

Some women are just worth the risk.