= Damp Rottweiler
  by Jeff Shelby

I sat in the car, rain spanking the roof, knowing that this was going to change things.

Duke sat next to me in the passenger seat, the metal spikes on his collar glistening in the wet moonlight, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. The entire car smelled like damp Rottweiler.

We watched the house, lights on in every window, silhouettes bobbing up and down. The music emanated from the house in a low bass roll, thumping the doors of my old Honda. A few people stood on the porch, smiling and laughing. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Except for me.

I grabbed the leather leash from the back seat and connected it to Duke's collar. He looked at me, impatient and excited.

"We're going, buddy," I said, getting out of the car.

I walked to the passenger side and opened the door. Duke leapt out of the car and immediately ducked his head as the raindrops pelted us. He shook his head viciously for a moment, his ears flapping like old rugs. Then he raised his head and stood at attention, focusing on the house.

We turned and walked up the concrete drive, the cold water running down my hair and into my shirt. Duke pulled a little against the leash.

The people on the porch began noticing us, their conversations coming to a halt as they moved to either side of the front door.

I didn't recognize them, but I figured they recognized me. After what she'd done, I think everyone knew who I was. Normally, I'm not somebody who gets noticed. More like ignored.

Or tricked.

We walked up the steps to the mahogany door. The bass from the stereo thumped through walls and into my chest. I paused for a moment, looking at Duke.

He sat and stared at the door.

I stuck my finger on the button beside the door and held it there for a moment.

The door opened, the music filtering out like escaping insects.

Janet looked surprised. "Hal. What are you doing here?"

I wiped the rain from my eyes. "Is Alicia here?"

She looked at Duke and then back at me. "Um, I don't know. I haven't seen her in a while." She stared at Duke again, lines of concern forming on her forehead. "She might've left."

Liars. I hate them.

I stepped forward and into the doorway, past Janet. "Well, I'm gonna check around."

I felt her hand on the back of my shoulder, but I moved forward, ignoring her. The house was filled with people. Dancing, talking, laughing. Kissing, touching, holding.

I let Duke lead the way. We wandered into the kitchen. A keg rested on a table, surrounded by four guys in football jerseys. One looked at us.

"Dude. Hal," he said, nudging the one next to him with his elbow. "Where've you been?"

I couldn't remember his name. "Nowhere."

"Haven't seen you lately," he said, looking down at Duke.

One of the others said under his breath, "Nice dog."

Sarcastic.

Duke tensed, pulled at the leash. He growled in their direction.

The guys stood up straighter and pushed together, raising their cups higher so they wouldn't spill.

"Have you seen Alicia?" I asked them.

They looked at one another, their faces a mixture of confusion, amusement and alcohol. Maybe a little fear.

"Saw her earlier," number twenty-two said. "Didn't think you guys were still ... dating."

The other three turned away, trying to hide their laughter. I was used to it.

Duke wasn't and he pulled harder on the leash.

"We're not," I said. "We never were."

"That's right," number twenty-two said. "She's going out with Mike."

I shuffled my feet. "Yeah. I know."

Number thirty-two stepped forward. "So why are you looking for her now?"

A roar erupted from another room, followed by laughter. The music got louder.

"Because I need to see her," I said, reaching down and scratching Duke's head.

Number thirty-two puffed out his chest. "I don't know that she wants to see you." His red face melted into a drunken grin. "Maybe you should go."

Duke rose up on his back paws and lurched forward at him, a thunderous bark bursting out of his jaws.

Number thirty-two stepped back quickly, tripped over number twenty-two's feet and fell straight back onto the floor, his beer emptying onto his face.

We stood there for a moment, all of us looking around at one another. Then number thirteen pointed at number thirty-two and started laughing. The other two started laughing and then, finally, number thirty-two started to giggle.

Duke and I turned and left the kitchen, navigating the crowd in the hallway. I recognized a few faces, put names with those faces. Two weeks ago, most had pretended to be my friends. Just like Alicia. Hal and Alicia.

Who would've believed it?

Duke led me down the hallway into what looked like a dining room, only the table and chairs had been pushed into a corner to make room for the people. They were dancing, moving rhythmically to the pulse of the music, bodies close to one another.

I noticed Billy and Shannon in the corner. I'd seen them on campus before, always holding hands, waiting for each other at their dorms. Always smiling.

Alicia had introduced me to them.

Duke pulled me through the room towards the bottom of the spiral staircase. People were lined up all the way to the top, talking and leaning into one another.

Lila stopped me halfway up.

"Hal," she asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for Alicia," I said, wrapping Duke's leash tighter around my hand.

She looked at me, like I'd said something in a foreign language. "Why?"

"Because."

She placed a hand on her hip and pointed her beer bottle in my face. "Hal. It's over. Jesus, it never started. She doesn't like you. Get it?"

I got it. That's why I was at the party.

I pushed past Lila, Duke picking up the slack in front of me. We turned down the hallway to the right. Pictures of an unfamiliar family hung on the wall. They didn't look happy.

I peered into the first room, a den of some sort.

Kevin waved at me and Laura smiled.

"Hal," Kevin said, motioning for me to come in. "What's going on?"

Kevin and Laura were friends. Real friends. At least, as far as I knew. I wished that they weren't there.

"Not much," I said, stepping into the room. "How are you guys?"

Duke trotted over to Laura and before she could pull back, licked her on the cheek.

She laughed and wiped her face. "We're okay. How are you?"

"I'm fine," I lied.

She looked at me and her expression changed to concern. Maybe pity. "Are you really?"

I knew that I wasn't, but what was the point? I shrugged.

"I'm sorry," Laura said. "I wish that I would've known what was going on."

I nodded.

"She's a loser, Hal," Kevin said, leaning back against the wall. "What she did was ... I don't know. Just wrong."

I knew that. But I felt like the loser.

"If I'd known, Hal," Laura said, rubbing Duke's chest. "I would've told you."

"I know," I said, quietly.

"Sororities," she said, looking at Kevin. "They are ridiculous."

"Do they all do things like that?" I asked, watching Duke lie down next to Laura.

"I don't think so," Laura said, smiling sadly at me. "Just a few. But I think it's more about the person than the group."

Kevin nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

I tugged gently on Duke's leash and he stood and came to me.

"I think you're right," I said. "I gotta go."

I heard them ask me something as we walked out, but I kept on going. I needed to find Alicia.

* * *

Three weeks earlier, Alicia had found me.

I was sitting in the library, studying for my British Literature class when she sat down next to me on the couch I had spread out on.

"Hi," she said, her white teeth gleaming.

I sat up and nervously ran a hand through my hair. "Hi."

"I'm Alicia," she said, crossing her legs.

I knew that. Everyone knew that. At a small college, everyone knows the beautiful people and she was definitely in that category. Long flowing blonde hair, a tan oval face, bright green eyes. Her legs seemed to float over the ground when she walked.

And now she was sitting next to me.

"You're Hal, right?" she said, pointing an elegant finger at me.

I tried to sit up even straighter, to suck in the extra pounds. "Yeah. I'm Hal."

She nodded, confident. "I thought so. We have British Lit together."

I nodded, too. "Yeah. In Cadner Hall. Tuesdays and Thursdays."

She grinned and rolled her eyes. "I don't always make Thursdays. I get lazy at the end of the week."

My stomach churned. "Oh."

Alicia looked at my book. "I'm having trouble getting through that one."

I looked at the copy of "Alice in Wonderland" on my lap. "I'm going through it a second time. Getting ready for the exam."

Something flashed in her eyes. "A second time? Wow."

I shrugged. "I like to be prepared."

"I guess," she said. She bit her bottom lip and squinted a little. "I have to ask you something and I'm a little embarrassed."

I shifted a little on the couch and set my book to the side. "Okay."

She took a deep breath. "I'm in a sorority. Delta Gamma. And we're having a dance next Friday."

I didn't belong to a fraternity, so I didn't go to the social events that were always being advertised all over the campus. I didn't go to many social events at all, really.

Alicia paused for a moment, chewed on the fingernail of the finger she'd pointed at me, then folded her hands in her lap. "And I was wondering if you'd go with me."

I looked at her blankly. Alicia was beautiful. She wore a black tank top, exposing perfectly round shoulders. White shorts covered the top of her long legs.

And she was asking me on a date.

"Me?" I said, leaning forward a little. "Why? You, you don't even know me."

She smiled again. "I know. But I've seen you in class. You seem nice." She paused. "And I think you're kind of cute."

That should've been a clue. Those words had never been used to describe me before and, somewhere, deep down, I knew that she didn't mean it. Overweight, bad hair, pale skin do not make for kind of cute.

But she was sitting there smiling at me, asking me out.

"Okay," I said, my throat tightening.

She stood up. "Great. The dance is at the sorority house. Do you know where that is?"

I didn't but I said "Yeah."

"Why don't you meet me there around eight?" Her green eyes sparkled. "It's formal, so you'll need a tux."

"Okay."

"I'll see you in class then," Alicia said.

I watched her walk away, down the aisle of books towards the elevator. I replayed the conversation in my mind, making sure I'd understood her correctly. Something, somewhere, told me that this was too good to be true. But I wanted to believe that something like this could happen to me.

I rented a tux, got my hair cut and showed up at the dance that Friday at eight sharp. The house was about a mile from campus and I found it, decorated and lit up like a Christmas tree.

Alicia answered the door. "Hi, Hal."

She glittered in a white silk dress. Her hair was a mass of waves and curls, cascading down her exposed back.. The dress stopped just short of her knees, her tan calves sleek and toned. Her white pumps matched the dress.

I swallowed hard and handed her the roses I'd brought. "These are for you."

She eyed them, bringing a hand to her mouth. "That's so ... sweet." She took them and stepped back. "Come on in."

I didn't know anyone there, but Alicia introduced me to everyone. They all smiled and said it was nice to meet me. I recognized several football players and a few people that sat behind me in my classes. Everyone seemed happy to meet me.

The rest of the night was a blur. Alicia and I talked a lot. Mostly about her and the sorority. We danced twice. Slow. I had two beers and laughed a lot.

At the end of the night, Alicia walked outside with me.

"I had a great time, Hal," she told me. "Did you?"

I nodded, the cool evening air tickling my neck. "I did. Thanks for asking me."

"Would you want to go out again?" she asked, placing her hand lightly on my elbow. "We have another get together in two weeks. Less formal."

I smiled like a fool. "Yeah. Definitely."

Her red lips smiled at me. "Great. I'll see you on campus then."

"Okay."

She leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips, sending shockwaves through every muscle in my body.

She turned and walked back to the house. "Bye."

I had replayed that moment maybe a thousand times until I'd run into her on campus a week later. I was walking Duke and she was sitting with two of her friends. I froze for a moment when I saw her, but then headed in her direction.

"Hi, Alicia," I said, wrapping Duke's leash tighter around my hand.

She turned around and shaded her eyes against the afternoon sun. "Oh. Hi, Hal."

I gave her a short wave. "This is my dog. Duke."

She scooted away from us, towards her friends. "God. He's huge." One of her friends tapped her on her shoulder. "Oh. Hal, you remember Janet and Lila from the other night."

I didn't but I said, "Sure. Hi."

They smiled quickly at me.

"Is he mean?" Alicia asked, moving again closer to her friends.

I put my hand on Duke's head. "Not really. I've had him since he was a puppy. He's pretty protective. But he's friendly."

Alicia's mouth formed a tight circle. "I've always been terrified of dogs."

"You brought your dog with you to school?" Lila asked.

I nodded. "I live at home. So I walk him around campus."

Lila raised her eyebrows, then looked away.

I looked at Alicia. "I just wanted to say hi."

She looked up at me, tense. "Okay. Cool."

"I'll see you on Friday still?"

Janet had something in her eye and looked down at the ground.

Alicia straightened up and nodded. "Yeah. Friday."

Duke leaned against the leash, towards Alicia. He was breathing heavy, a barely audible growl rumbling in his throat.

I figured he sensed Alicia's fear, so we left.

I left Duke at home that Friday and showed up at the sorority house at eight.

Alicia answered the door. "Hi, Hal."

"Hi, Alicia."

This time she was wearing a black cotton dress, her hair piled in a bun on top of her head. Black sandals covered her feet.

I recognized a lot of the same people from before. They said hi to me, remembering me, too. The music rumbled through the house like a freight train, shaking the walls.

I'd been there about an hour when Alicia asked me to follow her out back. There was a small courtyard behind the house, brick and stone.

A big guy from the football team was standing out there.

Mike.

Alicia walked up to him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

She turned around. "Hal, do you know what a pledge is?"

A knot formed in my stomach as I stood there and looked at her.

"It's a new person in a sorority," she said, her voice different than before. "Someone who wants to be in that sorority."

The knot grew bigger and a cold sweat formed on the back of my neck.

"I'm pledging Delta Gamma," Alicia told me.

The guy put his arm around her shoulders and stared at me.

She pushed closer to him. "My last initiation rite was to ask out somebody I'd never ask out and bring him to the house."

The sweat on my shoulders ran down my back. My mouth was dry and my legs felt like cement.

"And then tell him that," she continued. "In front of everyone."

The house erupted behind me and I turned, startled. People were pushed up against the doors and windows, yelling and hollering, hoisting their drinks in the air.

I turned back, trying to tune out the noise behind me.

Alicia laughed and shrugged her tan shoulders. "I picked you. Sorry."

The house erupted behind me again. I turned and sprinted through the house, bumping into people as the roar continued in my ears. I felt beer hit my back as I pushed my way towards the front door. I saw eyes and mouths, but no faces.

I found the front door and sprinted down the steps and into the street, pumping my arms, needing to go faster, to get away from there.

* * *

So I needed to find Alicia.

I moved down the hallway, two more rooms filled with people and alcohol and laughter. I peered into the bathroom at the end of the hall.

Mike was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, his chin in his hand.

He turned to me. "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Alicia," I said.

His brow furrowed, a disgusted look on his face. "Why?"

It wouldn't make sense to him. He had never been in my shoes.

"Because," I said, lamely.

He stood up and stumbled to the right, grabbing onto the towel bar on the wall. He reached out with his other hand and grabbed the beer bottle off the sink counter.

"Whatever, dude," he said, looking at the bottle. "I haven't seen her."

I turned around.

"Hey," Mike said.

I looked back at him.

He was still hanging onto the towel bar. "Aren't you tired of being made fun of?"

I looked at him, wondering if he knew what it was like. To feel less than everybody else. To feel embarrassed. To worry always about how you look or what you say. I doubted it.

"Yeah. I am," I told him.

He took a sip from the beer, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Then you should get outta here."

Duke leaned hard against the leash, the black fur on his back standing at attention.

Mike stepped back, raising his arms in front of him.

I tugged on the leash, and Duke turned around and led me back down the hallway.

I looked in each of the other rooms upstairs, but didn't find Alicia. I wondered if maybe she'd left, if maybe Lila or Janet had told her I was looking for her. Maybe she knew why I was there. Maybe she had guessed.

But I seriously doubted that she would guess.

We went downstairs. The music was starting to hurt my ears and I felt tired, frustrated. Maybe I didn't need to find Alicia.

Duke's head lifted, his ears raising up. He pulled me past the kitchen, towards a door in the laundry room. He stood up, his front paws on the door.

I reached past him and opened it.

A single bulb dimly lit the garage. Alicia was wrapped around some guy, pushed up against a station wagon. Her shirt was on the ground, her bra pulled down to her waist.

The guy turned around. "Go away."

She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Oh, Jesus."

I didn't recognize the guy. His shirt was unbuttoned and his belt was undone.

"Mike's on his way down," I said.

The guy froze for a moment, then moved away from her. He fumbled with his belt. "Dammit."

"Don't worry about him," she said, pulling her bra back into place.

"He'll kill me," he said. He started buttoning his shirt. "I'm outta here."

"No," Alicia whined.

The guy hurriedly tucked in his shirt and rushed past Duke and me, disappearing back into the house.

She bent over to pick up her blouse. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," I said.

She stood up and looked at me, then laughed. "So stupid."

She pulled the blouse on and shook her hair out. "What do you want, Hal?"

"I needed to find you," I said, stepping down into the garage.

She held out her arms. "Well, here I am. What?"

Duke growled, the muscles on his back rigid.

Alicia pressed back against the wagon. "Damn dog."

"Why did you do it?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed, irritated. "Do what?"

It didn't surprise me that she didn't know what I was talking about. "Ask me out."

She shifted her weight from her right leg to her left. "Oh, Hal."

"Tell me," I said.

She looked at me for a moment and, for that moment, I thought she might apologize. Something looked like it had clicked with her, like she understood that I had been hurt. A flash of sympathy in her eyes. Maybe if that's what it had been, things would've been different.

But I was wrong.

"I told you," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "I had to."

"You had to," I said, hearing the anger in my voice. "You had to."

She frowned, like she was talking to a small child who didn't understand. "For the sorority."

"Why me, though?" I asked. "If you had to do it, why me?"

Duke growled again and Alicia began looking uncomfortable.

"I had to pick someone," she said, looking down. "I just thought of you."

I took a step towards her, my blood pumping. "Why did you think of me? Am I just that ridiculous?"

Again, I thought an apology might be coming. But I think she was just afraid.

"I knew you would say yes," she said, now angry. "I knew you would."

Everyone knew I would.

She smiled, evil and pity on her lips. "You weren't going to say no to me. How could you?"

I stared at her, hating her more by the second. My hand tightened around Duke's leash, the leather digging into my palm.

Alicia examined her pretty fingernails. "Honestly, Hal. Did you really think I liked you?" She laughed to herself and shook her head. "Because if you did, you were the only one."

Her words dug into me like spikes. It wasn't that I didn't know what she was saying was true. But hearing it said aloud was something different.

"Shut up," I said.

She looked at me, an ugly smirk on her pretty face. "Shut up? That's a good one, Hal. Yeah, I'll just shut up."

Duke growled, his full attention on Alicia.

She pressed back against the car, the haughtiness fading. "Get that damn dog away from me."

I reached down and unclicked the leash from his collar.

Duke snarled and took a step towards Alicia, his rear legs quivering with tension.

The fear on her face was unmistakable. Her eyes were wide, her mouth taut, her teeth clenched together. Her hands were plastered against the car.

Duke moved closer to her, his incisors bared like weapons.

I watched, remembering her friends cheering behind me.

Alicia swallowed hard. "Hal. Mike's on his way down and...."

"No, he's not," I interrupted. "He's not."

Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, small pools, then long streams as they rolled down her cheeks.

"Please, Hal," she said, her voice cracking. "Get him away."

I studied her, the fear in her voice and face now almost tangible. She couldn't take her eyes off Duke, now standing rigid a foot from her.

I wished that I felt sympathy for her. I had thought that when it came down to it, I would.

But I didn't.

"Don't worry," I said, reaching into the waistband of my jeans.

Alicia finally looked away from Duke and at me.

I pulled the gun out and aimed it at her pretty face. "He doesn't bite."

JEFF SHELBY writes mystery fiction when he's not working as a high school athletics administrator and basketball coach. You can read an excerpt from his first novel, Dead Week, at www.jeffshelby.com. He and his wife live in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Copyright (c) 2002 Jeff Shelby

--//--