Chapter 3

First thing in the morning, Xander got up and did his exercises. It gave him time to think. The previous day had a lot packed into it. The Brian situation could become a problem, and Xander needed to get out in front of it. At the very least, he should tell his mom what happened. No way would he share that with his dad because his dad would fly off the handle and probably blame Xander for the mess.

Yes, he had initiated the confrontation because if Xander hadn’t, the creeper might have done untold damage not only to his sister but also to other kids. Xander didn’t regret any of that. Sending Karen after Brian might not have been the best option, but it brought the issue out in the open.

He did feel a bit bad that Karen had gotten hit, but she needed to learn that running her mouth had consequences—something too many people ignored. With the Internet, they could drop their ‘truth bombs’ with little or no repercussions because they didn’t have to say them to someone’s face.

In many places, even if you were facing someone who broke into your home, you might end up in jail if they got hurt. That, and the fear of getting canceled, meant people were afraid to stand up for themselves, which only emboldened the bullies.

Xander had a strong suspicion he’d get called onto the carpet for kicking Brian in the nuts. So it was better for him to tell his mom ASAP instead of letting her be blindsided by a call from the school.

He next thought about Pam and her friends. Xander had used his past life’s experience to ease himself into that group. But he worried he might be trying to run before he could walk, so to speak. After all, he was only thirteen, and even he had to admit he was too young to be in a physical relationship. Not that thirteen-year-olds weren’t capable, but they weren’t emotionally equipped to deal with everything that entailed.

While he wanted to get to know the girls better, it was probably best for them to just be friends. That would all change when they went to high school.

With that in mind, Xander decided to limit eating lunch with their group. He wanted to make other friends—maybe even guy friends, even though he considered the majority of them immature dumbasses; most twelve- and thirteen-year-old boys were.

He’d begun to remember some of the people he’d been friends with. There were some he wanted to avoid—primarily Donnie Wilson, who’d be transferring in soon. They’d first bonded because they were the ‘new’ kids.

At first, Xander really liked Donnie because he was outgoing and helped Xander make new friends. Later, in high school, Donnie became his source of condoms. Donnie’s parents owned a mom-and-pop pharmacy, and the two of them would go in and shoplift whatever they needed. That was a bonus for a high schooler who didn’t have a lot of cash on hand.

They’d later decided to be roommates when they went to the University of Arkansas, and their time at U of A opened Xander’s eyes to what Donnie really was. Quite simply, Donnie only cared about Donnie and what he could use you for.

One night in college, Donnie brought a girl back to their room, shocking Xander because he’d told Donnie he planned to ask her out. She and Xander seemed to have a genuine connection, and Xander thought she might be the girlfriend he was looking for. Donnie had even given him advice on how to win her over, so Donnie was well aware of what the girl meant to his roommate.

In Xander’s opinion, this completely violated the bro code. When Donnie saw Xander’s eyes cloud over, he pulled his supposed ‘best friend’ out into the hall.

“I know you like her, and I told her you were going to ask her out. After we talked briefly, I decided I had to have a piece, too. She says she’s up to doing both of us, so I’ll get her warmed up, and then you can have a turn. It’s a win-win, man,” Donnie said.

Xander took a moment to take that in. Donnie made it sound like no big deal, but Xander crumbled inside.

“I don’t know,” Xander said as he tried to get his mind around what he’d just heard.

Xander was stunned that Donnie would do this to him.

“Your loss, then. She’s a hot piece of ass, and you’ll regret not tapping it,” Donnie said.

When he saw Xander was going to bail, Donnie said, “Just come in and watch. If you don’t want to when I’m done, I’ll do her again.”

Xander regretted letting Donnie talk him into going back into the room. College was all about hookups, and Donnie could sweet-talk almost any girl into coming home with him. Donnie fancied himself a cocksman, so of course, after he bedded them, he was off to the next conquest; rarely did Donnie bring back a girl more than once.

Xander watched as Donnie undressed the girl and made her blow him.

As he got ready to fuck her, Donnie said, “Get your dick out, and she can suck it while I do her from behind.”

Donnie tried to give Xander a fist bump, but the girl looked at Xander and didn’t look happy, so he bailed, leaving Donnie hanging.

When he returned a couple of hours later, Donnie grinned as if proud of what he’d done.

“She couldn’t get enough. You should have stayed because she did me three times and got pissed off when I couldn’t get it back up. She would’ve done you for sure.”

“Are you two going out now?” Xander asked.

“Hell, no. I might hook up with her, but she’s too much of a skank for me to date. If you want a quick fuck, you should call her.”

Xander did see the girl the next day. She tried to talk to him, but he walked past her as though he didn’t see her. Thankfully, she got the message that he wasn’t up for sloppy seconds.

Donnie was perplexed when Xander backed out of getting an apartment with him the following year. But that incident had been the last straw. Xander was the one with money, and he would’ve had to put down the deposit. Without his help, Donnie was stuck in the dorms the next year while Xander got a place off campus.

After that, Xander and Donnie drifted apart until thirty years later. Donnie called him out of the blue because he needed money. Xander had a momentary weakness and lent it to him. At the time, Xander was doing a big consulting gig and raking it in, so it wasn’t a big deal. He figured he’d probably never see the cash again.

As it happened, Xander found himself in a jam a couple of years later and needed a few grand. He had the funds, but it would mean withdrawing them from an investment, which would incur penalties. To see what Donnie would do, Xander called him to see if he would pay back a small portion of what Xander had lent. Donnie said he’d see what he could do and then blocked Xander’s number.