XV: In Which Sam Has Lunch With Kent

Sam absently chewed a carrot stick as he read his paperback.  Antrela was staring down the Grinning Man, inches from the edge of the precipice.  The Sword of The Five gleamed in her hand as … the book was snatched out of Sam’s hand.  His lunch tray slid away from him to the other side of the table.

“Hey, Kent.”  He said, looking up as three large guys sat at his table, surrounding him.  “So, what’s it going to be?  Am I gay today?  A girl?  Or is this about how I personally killed Jesus?”

“Well, somebody’s balls dropped.”  Kent said, sticking his finger in Sam’s ranch and putting it in his mouth.  “We’re gonna have to do something about that.”

“You want to fondle my balls.  Got it.”  Why the hell was he saying these things?  They were going to kick his a*s!

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, f****t?”  Kent stuck his finger back into the cup of ranch.

“I dunno, your hands look pretty rough, but you’ve probably practiced enough to have a good technique.  What do you say, Tim?  Did you get him to be gentle with you?”  Oh God, he was going to die.

Then Craig laughed.

“What the f**k are you laughing at?”  Kent growled at him.

“Dude’s totally treating you.”  Craig smirked.  “Keep going, Sambo.  I’ll go get Kent some ice for the burns.”

Looking back and forth between Craig and Tim, who was now also smiling, Kent slowly cracked a smile of his own.  “Alright, let’s let the guy eat.”  He got up and the other two followed.  The smile never touched his eyes.

“I can’t believe that worked.”  Sam said softly.

“You’re welcome.”  Steve said in his ear.

“You know that could just as easily have gone the other way.”  sam said into his phone.

“Yeah, but it didn’t.  Right, Kelly?”  Steve replied.

“This time, Cyrano.  Sam, I’m going to text you my number.  Keep me on speed dial, just in case.”  A woman’s voice came through his ear bud.

“Ms. Radcliffe?”  Sam asked, confused.  She laughed.

“Steve had me on the line the whole time in case things went south.”  Sam’s English Lit teacher said in his ear.  “When one of my favorite old students calls me up and begs for a favor, well I have to listen, don’t I?”  Her laugh was music to Sam’s ears.  “Gotta go.  Don’t forget, paper’s due on Monday.”

“Thanks, Steve.”  Sam gushed.

“See you Saturday, man.”