Chapter 10

As Kendall and I were walking to our next class, I struggled with how to warn her about Wes.

I'd barely grunted in response to a couple of her attempts to start a conversation, and it was to her credit that she didn't hit me with her backpack to get me to respond.

"Kendall..."

She raised her eyebrows at me, inviting me to continue.

"About Wes..."

"Okay."

"He's ... he's not ... well, I know Wes pretty well since he's my roommate. And he's ... he's not as nice a person as you might think."

She chuckled briefly. "A 'nice person'?"

"I mean, he's nice to girls ... to women ... mainly to get them into bed," I blurted.

A slight smile curved her lips. "So he's not a 'nice boy' ... he's what might be called a 'bad boy'?"

I frowned. "To women anyway; though that's probably not the word I would choose."

She didn't respond immediately as we made our way through campus. She gave me a glance before looking down at the path before us again.

"Did you know that some girls in my dorm told me I shouldn't hang out with you?"

"What?"

"They said I shouldn't spend time with you, that I shouldn't be friends with you."

I blinked in surprise. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Because you live in a fraternity."

"But ... we're not all assholes."

She looked back at me calmly. "I know that. Look, I assume Wes has never been accused of rape, right?"

I struggled to come up with the right words to make her understand the danger that Wes represented.

"Well ... no," I replied. "He thinks women are mainly just something to ... well, to screw."

She nodded, appearing to take me seriously.

"Randy ... do you think women have sex drives? Sexual needs like guys have?"

I blinked at the unexpected question.

"Well ... of course."

She didn't respond immediately, probably thinking about approaches to take with her dull student.

"And when they want to have sex, do they only go to bed with their boyfriends ... guys that are potential husbands?"

"Uh ... no."

"Do you think Wes is smarter than most girls?"

"Hell no!"

"Then how do you think Wes 'tricks' women into having sex with him?"

I frowned in frustration. "I ... he ... I guess I don't know."

"Girls aren't really fooled by someone like Wes. Oh, some may think they can change him, but they still probably know what they're getting into. Most girls can tell that sex is what Wes is after."

She looked over to see if I was following her logic.

"And sometimes, that's all girls want, too. Girls can have desires for sex just for the sake of having sex."

"But with ... with Wes?" I asked.

She laughed out loud. "Yes, with boys like Wes. That's part of why bad boys get the girl sometimes. Because the girl wants the same thing the bad boy does.

"There are girls that think they can change a bad boy, and those are the ones that can really get hurt. It's usually like the old joke. There's no point trying to teach a pig to sing; you'll just waste your time and irritate the pig."

Seeing my still troubled expression, she smiled and took a small measure of pity on me.

"He's not really my type, Randy," she said as if sharing a secret. "But sometimes ... well, a woman has needs!"

At least she had the good grace to blush, even as she laughed at the incredulous look on my face. She looped her arm through mine and tugged to make me walk faster.

"Thus ends today's lesson. Now come on, or we're not going to get our favorite seats!"

I shook my head as if to clear it, and picked up the pace as she gave me an affectionate smile.