Continue to insist they let him go

Nate steeled himself.

“Enough of these puerile games, Caleb. Let me go before someone gets in serious trouble.”

“You cocky bastard. You think somebody’s gonna come and rescue you, maybe one of the profs who fawn over you. Well guess again, genius. Nobody’s around to help.”

It dawned on Nate that at this time of day, nearly everyone on campus was eating lunch. The hallways were deserted.

His cowardly instincts took over again. He darted forward, hoping to slip past Caleb and through the door before anyone could react.

Caleb was too quick for him. He grabbed Nate’s wrist and yanked him back.

“Ow,” Nate yelped at the sudden wrenching of his arm.

“C’mere, pansy.”

As if acting on an unspoken cue, two of the other big guys in Caleb’s posse stepped forward, each grabbing one of Nate’s arms.

Caleb angrily leaned in so that his face was inches from Nate’s. Nate winced at Caleb’s sudden proximity. Caleb’s nostrils flared and his mouth twisted into a cruel sneer.

Then, abruptly, Nate’s muscular antagonist stepped back and suddenly broke into a mischievous grin. Nate wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was this all a joke, or did Caleb have more torment in mind?

“I’ve waited a long time for this, Nate. You think I’m just some dumb asshole from the back row. Maybe I tried hard in school but things just never clicked for me. But I’ve had to listen to the profs gush over you – see your name in the student paper for some fuckin’ award or another – for almost four full years of my life.”

“I’m sorry. Sorry for anything I’ve done. Sorry I’m smarter than you... no, I mean, sorry that you’re not as smart....”

Nate’s nervous ramble was making things worse.

“What will you do to him?” Molly asked, as indifferently as one might ask about the weather.

“Let’s see. I really want to make him feel as pathetic as he makes the rest of us feel about school. I think...”

Nate’s eyes widened in fear.

“I’m think I’m going to strip him down. I really do want to see if this nerd’s got a package to match his fuckin’ ego. Then I’ll let his scrawny ass run home naked.”

Molly raised an eyebrow.

“You can’t... you can’t....” Nate whimpered.

Caleb lightly placed a finger on Nate’s belt buckle.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” Caleb whispered in Nate’s ear.

Nate’s mind was racing. He was finding it hard to think straight. But one thought rang loud and clear through his brain: he could not let them strip him naked. He could never live down the shame of being exposed like that.

There must be someone in these halls, he thought. Maybe if he cried out? Then again, maybe if he appealed to Molly? She wasn’t as mean as Caleb, and she seemed to have a soft spot for him.