The girl at the end of the table, who was writing the sociology paper, was completely fascinated by what was happening in front of her. This man, this good looking and quiet man, had gained the attention and the sympathy of a good portion of the campus students. He hadn't even tried to do it. He wasn't outspoken and he usually kept to himself. He didn't volunteer information unless you asked a direct question, then he would tell you everything.

She guessed that he would probably tell you his life story if you asked, and she was very tempted to ask. She couldn't, though. It would ruin her objectivity and her 'outsider' point of view that she was writing the paper from. If she tried to talk to him directly, it would influence her too much and change the focus from the effect he had inadvertently caused to what was it about him that caused the effect to happen.

That was another paper entirely. For now, she watched and listened. Not necessarily to what he was saying; but, to the way his audience reacted. The slight applause when he entered the cafeteria wasn't something that normal people received for being beat up, and yet, this man received it and hadn't reacted.

Did he get that reaction a lot? She asked herself. This was the second time she had witnessed a crowd response to his actions, or hearing about his actions, and it was utterly fascinating for a sociology major. Nearly every time she was near him, her paper gained pages and pages of observations, reactions, and her own speculations and conclusions.

She had half of her mind convinced that she needed to follow him around to see what other kinds of effects he had in other parts of the campus. The unfortunate part was that it was currently lunchtime, which meant she had missed everything that he had experienced since this morning when the rumors started. Of course, now that she was hearing about it directly, she knew that most of it wasn't just hearsay.

She regretted not getting those initial reactions and it made her decide to not follow him. She had to settle for third party accounts and their reactions to the reactions. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands as she watched everyone else at the table, and the nearby tables, as the half-beaten young man kept them mesmerized with his words.

Just who are you to have such power, Arnold Strickland? She asked herself.

Arnold finished eating and telling his story. Cissily opened her mouth to curse and Amy covered it.

“I think we all know what you're going to say.” Amy said. “You can save us the color commentary.”

That made a few people laugh and Cissily snapped her teeth on her palm.

“Hey! You just ate!” Amy laughed and pulled her hand away.

“Arnold.” Cissily said and put a hand on his. “I'm glad that you weren't seriously hurt.” She said. “Since you have the afternoon off, you should go back to your dorm and put the other cold compress on your face. You need to get rid of the rest of that swelling.”

Arnold nodded and stood up. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” Cissily said and watched him walk over to the counter to return the plates and tray.

“Wow.” Maxine said. “What a guy.”

“We all already know that.” Cissily said and shook her head. Her tight little afro didn't move at all. “I wish he would stop trying to prove it.”

Amy chuckled. “He didn't have a whole lot of choice this time.”

“I can't believe he got jumped in his own yard and was almost arrested for it!” The black woman with the dreadlocks said. “Why isn't something like that in the paper?”

“I don't think they would let the paper print anything that embarrassing about the police department.” Maxine said. “I'm actually surprised the paper has gotten away with as much as it has!”

“I want to meet his mother.” Cissily said, despite knowing what happened when Amy met her. “She sounds like a great lady.”

Amy gave her a pointed look, then changed what she was going to say. “You know, it sounds really weird when you're not cursing all the time.”

“Up yours sideways with a 'fuck you' stick.” Cissily said and smiled back.

“That's better.” Amy responded and Maxine nodded.

“Then let's go get ready for class, you loose bitches.” Cissily stood up and grabbed her tray. She went over to the counter and brought her plate and tray back with Amy and Maxine right behind her. They felt a little bad that they hadn't brought their trays and dirty plates back, too.

“Thank you.” The woman behind the counter said and Cissily and her two friends left the cafeteria.

The girl writing the sociology paper enjoyed seeing Arnold's secondary effects and sucked them in like a sponge. At the rate she was going with her material gathering, her normal term paper was going to become her full course dissertation.

*

Arnold went back to his dorm building and saw Doris. She had several young women around her and they were chatting up a storm, so he gave her a wave and stepped into the elevator. On the top floor, the girls who had returned to their rooms for their afternoon class things, greeted him warmly and did their best to not stare at his bruised face. Since lunchtime was almost over, most of them passed him in the hallway to head to the elevator.

Arnold went to his dorm room and shut the door, then slowly stripped off the suit and hung it up. He switched the warm compress with the cold one in the refrigerator and walked over to his bed in just his underwear and reclined on the pillows. The professor didn't give him another book or a periodical to read, so he just sat there in bed and didn't do anything.

After an hour, there was a knock on his door. Arnold went to it and answered to see Doris standing there. She didn't say anything as she came in and shut the door behind her, then she led him back over to his bed. He sat down and reclined on the pillows and Doris looked at the damage he had suffered. She had heard the story from three different girls and each time was just as heart wrenching as the last.

Doris lightly traced the bruise on his side and slid her hand up to caress his chest.

“I can't move around very much for a couple of days.” Arnold said. “I can't help you masturbate like before.”

“Oh, sweetie. Don't worry about that.” Doris said and slowly stripped off. “I came here to spend time with you.” She said as she climbed onto the bed and reclined on his other side. “We don't have to do anything except cuddle a little.” She tucked herself under his arm and she pulled his hand down over her shoulder to cup one of her large breasts. She let out a sigh and rested her head against his chest. “Sometimes holding someone you care about is enough.”

Arnold thought back to all the times he had been cuddled and cuddled in return, on various beds and on couches. He looked down at Doris and her eyes were closed. Her large breast was a warm weight in his hand and he wiggled his fingers.

“Mmm.” Doris moaned. “You're too hurt for me to do what I want. I can't kiss you or hug you. I can't even play with your penis because it could pull and strain your bruise.” She said and looked up at his face. “I want to make you feel good after what you went through and all I can do is sit here and stop myself from trying.”

“Thank you.” Arnold said and puckered his lips a little. Doris took the cue and moved up to place a kiss partially on his lips and his cheek, then she settled down again and closed her eyes.

“I have to leave before classes end, even though I never want to leave.” Doris said and took a deep breath. “I think I've developed an unhealthy attachment to you.”

“Unhealthy?” Arnold asked.

“Oh, yes.” Doris said. “An old woman like me trying to keep up with a strapping young man is not healthy for me.” She let out a chuckle. “The things I want to do to you are not things my body can handle for very long.”

“Would you be hurt if we had sex?” Arnold asked, pointedly.

“The act itself? Not in the least.” Doris said. “In fact, I would absolutely love it.” She let out a sigh. “My endurance however? Like I told you before, I would need to keep taking breaks if I was in control.”

“What if I was the one in control?” Arnold asked.

Doris lifted her head and looked at his face again. “You mean if I just laid there and let you do all the work?” She asked and he nodded. “It would be great if I was selfish.”

“What do you mean?” Arnold asked.

“Only getting sex and never giving sex back?” Doris shook her head. “I would feel like I was using you and that's not what I want. When two people have sex, they should be partners and they should both take turns. If either of them just lays there all the time and makes the other one do all the work, that's not right.”

Arnold thought about the times he had sex and they were all like that. He always did all the work. “When you showed me another way to masturbate, you finished and then I took over and finished myself.”

“Yes, I was... a little enthusiastic... when I rubbed myself on you. I exhausted myself and left you needing.” Doris sighed and put her head back down on his chest. “I started out wanting to make you feel good and I ended up being greedy and made myself feel good instead, then I couldn't keep going without a rest.” She said. “When you had to take over, I felt bad about it... then you made me feel so good that I didn't think I deserved it.”

Arnold squeezed her breast and started to massage it. “Did you have fun?”

“Good heavens, it was wonderful.” Doris turned her head slightly and kissed his chest. “The only way it could have been better is if you had accidentally slipped inside and made love to me.” She looked back down and saw the bulge in his underwear. “It seems you would have liked that, too.” She said and her hand moved on its own and pulled the underwear down to reveal his harness. “Arnold, I can't resist this temptation. Please forgive me if this hurts your bruise.”

“Okay.” Arnold said and let her breast go, then Doris went down on him. She was as careful as she could be in her enthusiasm and it didn't take long for him to finish. She moaned as he did and she cleaned him off afterwards.

“Are you all right?” Doris asked and he nodded.

“I can't do it back to you.” Arnold said and moved the cold compress off his face to show his lips.

“It's all right.” Doris said and lightly touched his lips with her fingers. “I can wait until you're better.”

“One to three weeks.” Arnold said what the doctor said about the bruise on both his face and his side.

“I can wait as long as I need to.” Doris said and gave him a very light kiss, then she saw the time. “I need to get back to work.”

Arnold nodded and watched her get dressed, then she gave him another kiss and left his dorm room. He pulled up his underwear and went to the dorm room door and opened it, then he made a quick meal for himself and switched the compress he had for the cold one. He sat down and ate as the girls came back to the dorm after classes and they all saw he was there in his underwear.

It made them feel good that he was still doing that for them, even though he was hurt. Janet and Pam walked up the hallway and Janet stopped to open their dorm room while Pam kept walking and went right over to Arnold's room.

“Arnold, can I talk to you?” Pam asked and he nodded. She turned around and started to shut the door, which caught the attention of everyone in the hallway. A few of them started to walk over to put their ears by the door to listen and Janet stepped in front of them. Pam smiled and closed the door, then walked over to Arnold. “I'm sorry for the way I acted the other day.” She said and sat down on the other chair at the table. “I know Janet already apologized for me; but, I wanted to say it myself.”

Arnold kept eating and didn't say anything.

“I was angry at you for something that I had no right to be angry about.” Pam said. “Like Janet said, it's your money and you can do what you want with it.”

Arnold nodded and kept eating.

“I'm sorry that I didn't help you... masturbate.” Pam said and remembered what he did with Janet. “If I'd known...” She sighed. “No, I can't make that excuse after the fact. I should have kept my word and I didn't.”

“Do I have to keep mine?” Arnold asked and looked at her.

Pam knew exactly what he meant. “Arnold, I... I would like for you to... but...” She sighed again. “No, you don't have to have sex with me first if you and Kelly break up.”

“Okay.” Arnold said and finished eating, then took his plate to the sink and washed it.

“Can I help you masturbate?” Pam asked, hopeful that she could still participate in some capacity.

“No.” Arnold said.

Pam stopped her sigh this time. “I guess that's fair.” She said and stood up. “I hope you're feeling better.”

Arnold turned to face her and touched the bruise on his side. “I can't move around a lot.” He said and then moved the compress. “I can't kiss anyone properly.”

Pam nodded understanding, because he wasn't going to be feeling better for a while. “I'll see you later.” She said and walked over to the door and opened it, then left it open as she walked down the hallway. “Thanks for running interference for me.” She said to Janet and pat her on the back.

“How did it go?” Janet asked as they went into their room to get changed and shut the door.

“About how I thought it would.” Pam said, disappointment in her voice.

“Hey, don't be like that.” Janet said. “I'm sure he'll come around and...”

“He already said he wouldn't sleep with me first if he and his girlfriend broke up.” Pam said.

Janet opened her mouth for a second, then sighed. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Pam said and changed for work. “So much for having some nice casual sex with the handsome guy down the hall.”

Janet had changed into jogging pants and a t-shirt and gave her a quick hug. “If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure he's not going to sleep with anyone else, either.”

Pam almost laughed. “You're not going to swoop in and make him promise to do you first?”

Janet gave her a look that could kill. “Pam.”

“Hey, if you don't, there's fifteen other girls on this floor alone that would kill for the chance to be first.” Pam said. “Or would you rather be tenth or twentieth?”

Janet sighed. “Pam, you're assuming he's going to break up with his girlfriend.”

“You're assuming he's not.” Pam countered.

Janet couldn't argue that point.

“I'm just saying that I messed up my chance to be first. Do you want to mess yours up, too?”

“I... Pam, I don't...”

“You better not give me that lame excuse about not having casual sex.” Pam said and walked over to the dorm room door. “Not after what you did with him in the back seat of my car.”

Janet blushed and Pam nodded.

“Take your shot with him when you can, Janet.” Pam opened the door, gave her a smile, and left the door open and disappeared down the hall.

Janet walked over to the door and stepped out into the hallway, then leaned against the wall.

“What was that all about?” Cynthia, the girl who owned the large television, asked.

“We went out with Arnold to lunch a while ago and she was angry that he over-tipped.”

Cynthia gave her a surprised look for a moment, then she nodded. “Yes, that was guaranteed to piss her off.” She said. “It's too bad you didn't warn him about it.”

Janet sighed. “I didn't think of it, even at the time. It wasn't until we left the restaurant that I noticed how angry she was.”

“So, she was apologizing to him for that?” Cynthia asked and Janet nodded. “Now I'm wondering if he forgave her.”

I don't know if he did. Janet thought and turned to look down the hall at Arnold.

“Let's go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat.” Cynthia said. Janet nodded and followed her with half a dozen other girls to the elevator.