Chapter Three: Missing Persons

                                                                            NOEL

"So then what?"

Reign asks, quirking his brow.

"So ‘then what’ what? The ‘Reign Alister’ is listening to my complaints?”

I retort as I keep my eyes on our surroundings. We are in the quad, walking to the fashion department, and because my now-viral post has mixed reviews, I need to watch where I walk.

Why the hell does homophobia come in popular packages?

The first sign that I screwed up was the girl who threw smelly cheese on my coat as soon as I left the dorm area—I had to change to my cheap outfit. All my outfits are thrifted and cheap, so I guess the correct term is ‘cheaper’ outfit.

“Talk to me, Noel; what happened after?”

Huh, it's unlike Reign to listen to what I have to say if I have no intention of taking my clothes off in the next few seconds.

“We lived happily ever after. What do you think happened? I told him the queer community has my back, basically bluffed through it, but I mean, if I post enough thirst traps, I’m sure I can hook some loyal followers, or minions, depending on how they like my poses.”

“Stay on the story, Noel.”

“Right. Anyway, I hopped into bed aaaand woke up outside our room. That bastard literally carried me out of our shared room when I was sleeping, with my mattress, by the way, and left me in our living room."

"Whoa... you didn’t feel it?”

Reign asks.

“I drank too much, I guess.”

“Noel, it doesn’t matter who in the community you have to take your case; his family isn't one to trifle with. So, you might want to back out on this.”

"Back out? He called me a f-”

The word refuses to come out of my mouth fully.

“Just back out of this, Noel; it's not worth it. Look, I still have space in my condo-”

"I'll put glitter in his pillow."

"What?"

"Imagine that? That macho bastard sporting pink glitter in his hair. Hah! Fuck, I have to go to the supply store; save me a seat in class."

I say hastily as the idea forms fully in my mind.

“Noel, are you insane?"

"Maybe, I don't know, but you know me, Reign, I'm a petty bitch."

"There is a time and place for this!"

His hand grips mine tightly when I move further away from him.

"I'll be fine. The next lesson is in shit, thirty minutes! I have to go."

"Noel!"

Reign yells when I finally detach my hand from him and bolt in the opposite direction with the campus supply store in my mind.

**

"That's...expensive."

I frown as I hand the student cashier the pink glitter tube I picked out.

"Then head into town."

She answers with a deadpan look as she scans the item.

"I can't; I have class."

"I'm sure."

She answers with a smile as she stretches her hand for me to pay her.

"I follow you on Tweety, by the way."

"Then give me a discount. "

"Mmm, maybe if you work on campus like the rest of us scholarship students."

"Is that your way of asking me to cover your shift?"

I ask with a frown.

"You know it."

"Social media is a job. Don’t look down on it."

I defend, and she rolls her eyes.

"No, it has to be a debilitating job, something soul-crushing."

I slide the full amount in cash and grumble under my breath.

"I hate you."

"Mmmm...too bad. I wish you well with your ‘Beau’ drama; keep me updated, and hopefully, your missing poster doesn’t surface in about a month."

She says in a sing-song manner, then looks beyond me.

"Next!"

“Wait, what?”

Did she just say, ‘missing poster’?

“I said ‘next’.”

She says again, very rudely, might I add. When I don’t move, the person behind me pushes me aside.

One day, I will definitely go through my life’s drama privately just to punish my petty fans.

I have less than ten minutes to the class…

I can make a quick trip to the dorm and glitter bomb his pillow or head straight to class and wait for the next best chance.

It doesn't take me long to make a decision.

**

Beaumont’s side of the room is spotless, neat… annoyingly perfect, while mine looks like a disaster, not just because my mattress is upside down with the sheets everywhere due to some asshole tossing me out in the morning, but also because when cheese hit my outfit, I sort of panicked.

If I were a more responsible person, I would take this time to spread my bed again; instead, my eyes move to Beaumont’s bed.

“You crazy high-functioning psychopath."

I mutter before popping the lid of the glitter tube, opening his pillowcase and pouring the glitter. It falls beautifully like dark pink rain. I only stop when the tube is empty and fluff the pillow before returning it in its place.

The door creaks, causing me to freeze in my spot.

What the hell? No… oh shit! Oh fuck! No way; everyone is supposed to be in class now.

Maybe it's Reign; maybe he followed me.

Twisting my neck towards the door confirms my fears.

Beaumont’s face, dead calm, watching where my hands are—right above his pillow.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

He asks in a voice so low and slow that I feel my blood chill in my veins.

"D-dusting, obviously. You’re welcome."

Fuck, even my voice is trembling.

His gaze rakes the tube in my hand, then my side of the bed.

Dusting when my space is a mess sounds dumb even to me.

He strides forward slowly, like a prison warden who determined the perfect inmate for solitary confinement.

“My pillow?”

“It needed it.”

I answer, swallowing.

“You think this is funny?”

“I think carrying someone out of their own room while they're unconscious is barbaric. I also think Louis Vuitton is overrated, but that’s just me; I’m a deep thinker.”

A cold, heartless smile stretches against his face.

"I warned you, didn’t I?"

“Warned? No, what you did was threaten me. There is a difference."

Suddenly, Beaumont grabs my hand, squeezing my wrist so tightly that the empty tube of glitter falls from my grasp and falls to the floor.

The moment he lets go of his hold on me, I stumble backwards, almost losing my footing.

His boot-like shoes stomp on the tube, crushing it beneath him and causing the sound of plastic breaking to echo in the tense atmosphere.

"I am this close to losing it with you."

Beaumont says in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh no, and you are taking it out on glitter; how mature.”

His chest moves slightly when he fakes his laugh, but I don’t miss how his muscles tense as if he were holding himself back.

It's such a huge room; we could have shared this, couldn’t we?

He moves closer to me, close enough that his stupid cologne fills my lungs, causing me to almost roll my eyes.

My first sexual experience was with Reign. Reign’s body is okay; he can pick me up, and that’s cool, but the body—sorry, the homophobic body whose warmth is eating me up, can destroy me.

"You think this is a game?"

The low question whispered to me makes me shudder, and as if sensing my ill thoughts, his hand shoots out, slamming hard against the wall right next to my head.

My eyes fly open. The force of that could have given me a concussion.

“This is a threat.”

No response comes from my lips; I only blink stupidly as I watch him retreat.

“Don’t make me hurt you.”

He adds as he reaches the door.

“Even if I beg?”

At my answer, silence follows.

His green eyes darken for a fraction of a second as if he imagined something filthy, but it could be the lighting.

Having regained my wit, I take in a deep breath to still my fast-beating heart and walk back to his pillow.

The last time my heart beat like this, there was a maniac twice my size holding a weapon, screaming that he would beat the ‘gay’ out of me. I was too young- no, that’s just an excuse. Anyway, I’ll die before I cower before such a beast again.

My hand reaches for the pillow I doused in glitter and throw it to the bear-like man standing at the door, and like a volatile smoke bomb, glitter explodes at the moment of impact, covering his entire face and outfit in its shimmer.

For a moment, Beaumont is still, eyes locked in on the floating glitter.

‘Hopefully, your missing poster doesn’t surface in about a month.’

The words of the spiteful cashier float in my mind like a bad joke.

Huh… why the hell did I just think of that now?