What's Her Name? I Can't Tell You!

"But we met her the other night, and she was asking about you," Brandy said. "It was absolutely bizarre."

"What did she ask?" James asked.

"It was right after you told us about your great day with Sarah. She asked if you'd seemed upset, and she seemed very relieved you weren't. But she didn't say why she wanted to know, or anything else really."

"Not even her name?" James asked.

"She did say her name, but I can't remember it," Brandy said.

"Rachel," Paul said before he could stop himself.

"Strange," James said. "I wonder..."

"You wonder?" Brandy prodded.

"About Sarah."

"Now you're being paranoid," Brandy said. "What could a flake like Rachel have to do with any of that, and why?"

"I don't know," James said. "But...Occam's razor and all that. Something's up."

Rachel couldn't explain away Saturday night for Eric, and so she suffered through yet another one of his booze-and-pot addled fuck-fests where he came and then passed out on top of her. But Sunday night found her in Todd's arms again, and delighted to be there. He was gaining confidence and learning his way around her body, and now he also had the decency not to hassle her about dumping Eric. As she admired his taut body beneath her on the narrow bed and enjoyed his gentle rhythms within her, she looked forward to telling him she had in fact made up her mind to do that. It was simply a matter of waiting until he graduated and wouldn't be around to report her for leaking James' information. Just how much damage could Eric do in six little weeks, especially if it was so easy to sneak away to Todd's room now and then?

Just as Rachel was about to ride Todd into her first orgasm, she learned exactly how much damage Eric could do. Opening her eyes to share the big moment with Todd, she was suddenly aware of Eric standing by the bed. She shrieked in horror, slid off Todd's body as he also recoiled in fear, and curled up between Todd and the wall. A flash of relief washed over her as she realized Eric wasn't going to attack her, and vanished just as quickly as he did attack Todd.

"Eric!" she shrieked. "Leave him alone!" She grabbed protectively at Todd's arm, but Eric had no difficulty in dragging him off the bed by his other arm and shoving him to the floor. He kicked him twice in the gut and once in the face, bloodying his nose, before Rachel had the presence of mind to rear back and kick Eric with both legs. She knocked him off balance and he went sprawling into the wall, giving Todd just enough time to get to get to his feet and pin him down. Before Eric could throw Todd off, Rachel pounced on his lower body and punched him in the balls. "You leave us alone!" she yelled. "I'm never going back to you! I don't give a damn what you do to me, just get out of here!"

Todd gave Eric's head a final smack against the tile floor. "You heard her. Get out of my room right now or I'll report you for breaking in!"

Eric grinned through his pain. "You want your mama to know..."

"I think you were going to write to her anyway!" Todd snapped. Reluctantly he got off Eric and threw his bathrobe on; Rachel had wrapped herself in his sheets.

"I sure will now," Eric said, standing up. "Damn sure will. Geez, Rachel, Todd's neighbor complains in the bathroom about him making too much noise with his girlfriend and of course I've got to come by and see if Mr. Queer here really has a girlfriend now, and what do I hear but your moans? But you never got that intense for me."

"Maybe you should ask yourself why not," Rachel said.

"Shut up, bitch." Eric stood up and dusted off his clothes to leave. "And as for your little secret..."

"If you tell anyone, I'll tell them you broke in here!" Rachel warned.

"I already did report you. Yesterday. Sleep well." Eric slammed the door behind him.

"Oh God!" Rachel had her face in her hands. "Oh no...so stupid to ever help him in the first place!" Turning to Todd, who was now climbing into bed to try to comfort her, she added, "What will happen with your parents?"

"Depends on whether they believe him," Todd said. "But if they do...I just don't know. I don't know."

"All for nothing!" Rachel said, pounding her fists ruefully into the mattress. "We messed with James for nothing!"

"Maybe not," Todd said. As he and Rachel were both unaware of the abortive date or Todd's role in it, he found an offered a bit of comfort: "Something seems to have gone right with them."

"There is that," Rachel said. "I think we should tell them, what do you think? Since it worked out for them, he won't be too mad with us. And whatever happens, at least we'll have it off our conscience.

"I don't know," Todd began. "Is it really going to help anything?"

"It might at least get the word out about what a crumb Eric is," Rachel offered.

That was good enough for Todd, and after they had both calmed down a bit, he called James to ask if they could meet for a chat tomorrow night. James, in turn, told Brandy, noting that if this Rachel was mixed up in what had happened, perhaps they would learn about it shortly. And so it was that Rachel and Todd found James flanked by Brandy and Paul on the couch in the dorm lounge the following evening. Their polite suggestions that James might not want his friends to hear their news was firmly rejected, but at least Brandy and Paul just sat quietly and looked aghast at them as the story came out.

Not so James. "How could you?!" he demanded of Todd. "How on earth could you do that?!"

"He was going to out me to my parents!" Todd said. "I hated doing that to you, but the worst that could have happened was you got embarrassed a little bit!"

"That's not the worst that happened!" Brandy said. "They had a big fight on Saturday because of your second call, and now she isn't even speaking to him! They might have even fallen in love, and you ruined that!"

"James, look, if you want, I can confess to Sarah too, and maybe help you iron things out," Todd offered, looking at the floor rather than at James.

"If it makes you feel better, I got to work after class today and they told me I was suspended for the investigation," Rachel offered. "And I loved that job."

"It does make me feel a little better," grumbled James.

"Please, just give us a chance to make this right, James," Todd said. "Obviously you two are a good fit. Maybe we can fix things."

James gazed emptily into his ex-friend's face. "You really think that will make everything okay?"

"Well, no," Todd said. "I wouldn't blame you if you never trusted me again. But surely it's worth another try with Sarah?"

James looked at Brandy. "I think you should give them a chance," she said. "It's not as though they can make things any worse." She said the final few words with a glare at Todd and Rachel in turn, as if she weren't quite sure she was right. To James, she added, "Look, you care so much about Sarah, that's worth trying to fix!"

James nodded. "Right, then, Todd. Fix it."

"I will!" Todd said, standing up. "I promise, James, I will!" He held out his hand, and James shook it reluctantly.

"You can't promise you'll succeed," James noted.

"I can promise I'll do my best," Todd said.

"Me too," Rachel told him. "If I don't get expelled."

"You won't," Todd said. "Like you said last night, no one --"

"Whatever you said last night, you shouldn't repeat it here!" Paul interrupted. "I work at Campus Ethics, so I might have to repeat whatever you said."

"Thank you for the warning, then," Rachel said. "My lips are sealed." What she had said last night was that there was no proof she had done anything wrong, only the word of a known troublemaker whose best friends had included some of the disgraced Pi Delts. That was only so comforting just now, but it was something to cling to at least.

Todd and Rachel were the first to leave, with a vow to get to work right away on undoing the damage. James followed shortly, commenting on the bitter sweetness of a night studying at the library now. Brandy and Paul also had to go their separate ways to study, and in parting Brandy said, "Good move shutting her up. In spite of everything, I wouldn't want to have to testify against her."

"I doubt it'll come to that," Paul said. "Better safe than sorry, though."

"And that trip into town on Saturday..." Brandy said with a knowing grin.

"Is still something I can't talk about and you know it," Paul reminded her. To ease the blow, he kissed her. "See you tomorrow, then?"

"Of course, dear," Brandy said. And they were off as well. Brandy, thinking she was the last one out of the lounge, turned the lights off.

There, in the dark, Randy mulled over all he had heard from behind the couch. So Eric had ruined two couples and come between a pair of close friends and might even get Rachel kicked out of school, all to avenge a couple of jerks who probably deserved just what they'd gotten anyway. And he'd had a hand in it. Like Todd, suddenly he desperately wanted to do something. And, like Todd, he knew just what he could do.

The next morning, Randy shaved for the first time in two weeks and put on his one and only dress shirt, and went to Campus Ethics for the first time ever. "Is...uh, Paul here?" he asked the tired-looking girl at the front desk.

The weather forecast held that the following Saturday would be the first pleasantly warm day of the year. Brandy, optimistic that the forecast would be true, invited Todd to join her and Paul at the lake. "Bring Rachel, too," she said. "If you're still together," she added quickly.

"We are," Todd said. With Rachel still under investigation but in no trouble yet and Todd having heard nothing from his family, their relationship had resumed somewhat uneasily. "But are you sure you want to see us again after what we did?"

"That's why I want to see you again," Brandy said. "We can brainstorm for ways to help James and Sarah get back on track.

"I could certainly use help with that," Todd admitted. "I've tried calling her a couple of times, but she won't even return my messages. No surprise really when she doesn't know me, but still."

"We want to help," Brandy said. "James deserves it, you know that."

"I sure do," Todd said glumly.

He did, in any event, persuade Rachel to join him at the lake. "I'm a bit curious about those two at the lake anyway," she told him on the walk over. "I wonder do they even know some of us skinnydip there?"

"I wouldn't count on them joining you for that," Todd quipped. "But if you want to..."

"I do, but not with an audience!"

"Rats."

Meanwhile, Randy was hard at work convincing Eric that maybe Rachel was indeed going to bare all for her swim. "I heard Todd telling some friends last night she was trying to talk him into joining her there today," he lied.

"You think I want to see that bitch naked with another guy?" Eric grumbled. "Especially that little fruit? His mother's gonna hear all about this, you'd better believe that."

"You're still going to tell his mother he's gay when you know now he isn't?" Randy couldn't help asking.

"What the fuck's it to you?"

"Just wondering. Anyway. The lake? Your chance to teach Rachel a lesson, and maybe Todd too."

"It's two against one. The fuckers already beat me at that once."

"I'll be there, won't I?" Randy demanded. "I'll have your back."

"You're too chickenshit to mess with a girl, even when she deserves it," Eric said.

"So I'll leave her to you! I'll just make sure Todd can't fight you off -- he'll be too busy with me!"

Eric gave his friend a frustrated, probing look. "It would be fun to twist the knife with that bitch one last time. Yeah. All right."

Brandy was almost sick with the knowledge that Rachel alone didn't know she was bait, but Paul had insisted it was better if she didn't know, and probably essential that Todd didn't know -- no doubt he'd have no part in the whole thing if he did. At least, Brandy reflected, their pleasure was genuine when they arrived at the lake shortly after Paul and herself. "Rachel, Todd!" She stood up and waved to them, although no one else was in sight. "We're glad you came! How's it going with Sarah?"

"Not well, I'm afraid," Rachel said. "We've both tried reaching out to her, and she hasn't responded yet. I'm really crushed about the whole thing."

"Well, we've got some ideas," Paul said. "But maybe you want to swim first?"

"You're certainly dressed for it," Rachel said, admiring them both in their characteristically modest swimming garb. "I love your suit, Brandy," she added. It was a modest one-piece of the sort Rachel hadn't worn since grade school, but it did have a splashy color pattern that she liked.

"Thanks!" Brandy said. "I take it you've got yours on underneath?" Rachel was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

"Well, no," Rachel said. "But we're all friends here, aren't we?" Without further ado, she pulled her shirt up over her head.

"You don't mind, do you?" Todd asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice on Rachel's behalf even if she felt none.

"Of course not," Brandy said. In fact, having another woman in her underwear in Paul's presence was the last thing she wanted; but at least it made her feel a bit less daring in her swimsuit when she knew they were being watched. Besides, even she had to admit Rachel looked cute in her peach-colored bra and panties.

As Todd somewhat reluctantly followed her lead and undressed, Rachel balled up her clothes and set them next to Paul and Brandy's backpacks on the grass. As she did so, she made eye-contact with Paul and laughed. Paul looked away shyly. "It's okay, I don't mind," she said. "It's only my body, after all."

"Thanks," Paul said. "Just not something I'm used to."

"And you'd better not expect to get used to it for another few years," Brandy reminded him. "Not until we're married, remember?"

"You know I do remember," Paul said. "Shall we?"

They all ambled down to the water. It was chilly but bearable, and they waded in together. There was no talking as they got used to the cool water. Finally, when they were waist-deep, Rachel broke the silence. "See, this isn't so bad," she said, and she pinched her nose and dropped all the way in. Resurfacing a moment later, she looked chilly but made no complaints. "It's fine!" she reassured the others, who looked uncertainly at one another.

"Count of three?" Paul suggested.

"Perfect!" Rachel said. "Three, two, one..." And she joined them as they all dunked themselves.

Paul had hoped Eric, assuming he was hiding somewhere nearby, would take the moment as bait. He was not disappointed, as they all heard a muffled splash while they were underwater. As they surfaced, they were aware of two new arrivals joining them, but with the water in their eyes no one recognized Randy or Eric immediately. Randy was in the lead, and Todd recognized him only when he shoved him back into the water. "Out of our way, pal!" he growled as he did so, drawing a scream from Brandy and a slap on the back from Rachel.

"Randy! You leave him alone!" Rachel snapped, grabbing him by his shoulders. Before she could get a grip, she felt an arm around her chest and a hand yanking her hair back. "What the fuck?!" she exclaimed.

It only took a moment for Rachel to guess, correctly, that her attacker was Eric. "You're comin' with me, babe!" he growled. "Now."

"Help! Get off me, you asshole!" Rachel kicked and flailed, but succeeded only in kicking Randy in the back and knocking him into Todd, who once again fell over backwards into the water. Paul lunged at Eric for show, but Eric had no trouble rebuffing him. Brandy stood rooted to the bottom of the lake, too spooked to do anything. "Eric, you put me down!" Rachel screeched. "I mean it!"

"Sure you do," Eric teased. "I'll put you down as soon as I'm done with you, you bitch." As he dragged Rachel toward the shore, she was aware of Todd and Paul --and now Brandy as well -- trying to come to her rescue, but Randy was only just able to keep them all off balance and sprawling in the water. Once he had her in the shallow water, Eric picked Rachel up and threw her, still kicking and scratching at him, over his shoulder. With one arm tight around her waist, he squeezed her breast painfully with his other hand, muttering all the way about how this was only an appetizer.

Expecting him to toss her carelessly to the ground as soon as they were out of the water, Rachel began making plans for where to kick him and which way to run once she was free of him. Sure enough, he did throw her face down in the lakeside dirt. She flipped over to see him unbuttoning his jeans, and kicked at his balls. He saw it coming and was just able to block the kick, but the dodge made him lose his balance and he fell down. Landing just beside her, he shot both arms out and clamped his hands around her throat.

"Freeze! Let her go! Now!"

Rachel had closed her eyes to at least avoid having to watch Eric rape her. Now they flew open as she felt his hands pulled roughly away so she could breathe again, and she looked up to see four men in Campus Security uniforms pinning Eric down in the sand. One of them grabbed up Brandy and Paul's blanket and handed it to her. "Here, ma'am, cover up," he said.

"Thanks." Rachel gratefully stood up and wrapped herself in the blanket, and turned to see the others emerging from the water. To her shock, Randy was shaking Paul's hand. "Hey!" she said, pointing at Randy. "He was in on this too, he was helping Eric!"

"No, he wasn't," Paul said. "He was helping us."

"That's right," explained one of the officers. "He reported your friend here to Campus Ethics for abusing you, and Paul was kind enough to explain that we couldn't touch him unless we saw it happen. So he made sure we would see it happen."

"This is entrapment!" Eric whined.

"Shut up," snapped the officer. "You're not helping yourself a bit here, kiddo!"

Rachel glared at Brandy, Paul and Todd. "You mean you set me up to get attacked?"

"We knew they were here," Paul said. "You were never in any danger at all."

"And Todd didn't know," Brandy added.

"She's right, I had no idea," Todd said. "I wouldn't have gone along with it if I had known."

"That's why we didn't tell you, Todd," Brandy said. "Rachel, I'm sorry. But maybe now you know how James feels."

"I suppose I do," Rachel confessed. As she watched the officers carry Eric away kicking and cursing, she added, "This almost feels worth it." Then she felt another surge of panic. "Wait a minute, now he's going to tell them everything about my case, with James' file!"

"He already has," Paul said. "You think he's going to have any credibility now?"

"You mean I'm off the hook?" Rachel was delighted.

"I can't promise that," Paul said. "But you might be."

Eric spent the rest of the weekend under house arrest in the campus guest house. On Monday, Rachel, Brandy and Randy were called in to give their account of events to Campus Ethics. On Tuesday, Eric was expelled and Rachel was fired from Student Affairs, but the case against her was dropped. On Wednesday, an account of the affair appeared in the school newspaper, which Sarah read aloud to Becca and Michelle at the Cross Gender Alliance meeting. "Thank God he's gone!" Becca said once Sarah had finished the story.

"I just wish we'd had a hand in getting rid of him," Michelle added.

"You did, a little bit," came a voice from the next table. They all looked up to see a woman they didn't know.

"Excuse me?" Sarah said.

"I'm Brandy. You probably saw my name in that article."

"You're James Franklin's friend, aren't you?" Sarah looked and sounded brusque as she said it.

"Yes, and I'd really appreciate it if --"

"Look, if he sent you to talk to me, forget it!" Sarah snapped.

"He didn't!" Brandy said, forcing a conciliatory smile. "He doesn't even know I'm here. But if you'd just let me explain..."