The first time I saw them talk to her, Bunny was standing on the greenery outside one of the dorm buildings, laughing upwards at the windows. Henry, unfazed by Bunny, stared daggers at the window. There was a large tree in the way, blocking any view of the person they were talking to. When I approached, whoever was at the window had disappeared.
"Oh, come on then! You can't stay up there all semester!" Bunny shouted at the window.
"Hello, Richard." Henry said, watching as I looked at the windows. With a sigh, he turned away from Bunny, causing Bunny to finally notice me.
"Oh, hello there." His smile dropped at the sight of Henry leaving, and he reached out to say something, stopping once the door to the building flung open.
The red face of their friend matched the leaves scattered on the ground, a firm slap hitting the side of Bunny's head. Bunny yelped, falling to the side a bit. Henry stared in shock at the girl, watching as she stepped back. Her face softened when she looked at me, and she smiled a bit, earning a look of scorn for Henry.
"What the hell was that for?" Bunny said.
She frowned, again, stamping her foot.
"If you ever yell at me like that again, I will do more than slap you. Edmund, watch your back. You're going to regret it someday, yelling at me like that. People are gonna think you're high!"
Bunny snickered at the idea, quickly dodging the same raised hand. He dove behind Henry, and she stopped. Henry sighed, his usual stoic face melting into something between admiration and curiosity. It wasn't the look he'd give Julien; it was something reserved for Aristotle or another translation of Virgil.
"Hi, Henry." She said. He only nodded. She turned to me.
"So, who're you? Another Greecian stooge?"
There hadn't been a moment at Hampden when I heard such criticism of Julien's class right in front of Henry, even if the class wasn't around. It was surprising, watching Henry's gaze only sour. He never spoke a word, only staring at the girl, much unlike the horrible temper I'd heard rumors about for weeks.
"I'm Richard. Richard Papen." It was all I could muster.
"And I'm the boogie man. Are you in Julien's class?" There was an unmistakable sarcasticness in everything she said, mocking Henry in some way.
"Yes." I said. She rolled her eyes, turning to Henry and Bunny.
"I thought Julien wasn't taking any more people." She eyed Bunny, watching as his arm never left Henry's back, ready to hide if she were to strike.
"Oh, no. Richard's great! Amazing, one could say." Bunny's hand slapped my shoulder. It stung, and the girl only rolled her eyes, her gaze falling back towards the dorms.
"Great. I have to get back to the Edmund Fitzgerald. I left the window open too. They'll get mad. You remember last time, Bugs." She said. It was another person I didn't know, Bunny nodding his head along to her words, the affectionate nickname referencing his habit of being an ass. Henry's eyes narrowed, and Bunny finally took his arm from Henry's back.
"Come with us. We'll go out someplace and-"
"No, Ed. I have to get back." She started to back away, never looking away from the dorms. I could only stand as she sprinted for the building, the easy stride of a runner getting faster as she neared the door. It slammed shut, and we were left alone again. Bunny laughed, stepping away.
"What are you gonna do about her?" Bunny asked. Henry shrugged, his hands slowly finding their way to a cigarette. I'd noticed it, after only spending so much time with them, that he'd only smoke on very serious occasions, especially if he was thinking. We crossed the campus, all piling into his car, Bunny chuckling to himself the whole way. I could only think about how scared he looked when she tried to slap him. It must've hurt.
"So, I heard you met her." Francis had stopped me about a week later, just before we left for the house. I could only nod, watching as a nostalgic smile overtook Francis.
"Always angry, I think. Always pissy that we're like this." He said, pointing over to the rest of the group. Another gust of wind ran through the air, and Camilla moved closer between Charles and Henry, smiling back at me. I waved, watching as Francis moved away from the doorway.
"What do you mean like this?" I asked. He sighed, throwing his hands up.
"In Julien's class. Together in a group. I think she has it out for Bunny." He said.
"But, Francis, what does she care about?" I didn't understand. After all, most of Hampden wrote us off as an afterthought, but she held a true hatred for our group it seemed.
"Ask Henry." Francis walked away. I sighed, trailing after him.
It was another month before I even thought of the girl again, only recalling that face once I passed her on the stairs. Another morning of Julien's classes came, and I was tad late, hurriedly climbing up the stairs. She rushed past me, practically tripping her own two feet to the group of people at the bottom of the stairs. Disappearing into the crowd, I sighed, remembering Francis' cryptic words about her relationship to the group. Before I could consider it any further, both Henry and Bunny came running down the stairs.
"Did you see her?" Henry's nails dug into the sides of my jacket.
"Henry, you're hurting me." My voice was strained, and I was more focused on getting out of his vice grip. Bunny came behind me, sliding down the banister. He rushed out the door, and Henry went after him, a troubled, angry look on his face. I rubbed at where Henry had grabbed me, slowly walking to Julien's office. When I entered, the room was silent, Julien staring out the window. There was a set of tea on his desk, untouched. I had just missed something.
"Ah, Richard. Did you see Edmund and Henry?" Julien asked. He turned away from the window, glancing at Francis. He stood by one of the chairs, a carefully balanced act between looking at both me and the twins.
"Yes, on the stairs." I said, sitting in another chair across from Julien's desk. "They were-"
"Here they are." Julien interrupted me, seeing something from outside the window. Camilla practically ran to the door, missing Henry slamming it open with Bunny in tow. Bunny slid into his usual seat, Henry sulking at the back of the office.
"Let's get started, if that's all cleared up." Julien said, beginning to pour the tea. No one said a word.
"Henry, who is she?" I asked. We were both seated on the porch of Francis' Aunts House, Plato open in Henry's lap. The headache I had was beginning to wear off, the alcohol from the night prior taking its final toll. Henry looked scared, slowly closing his book. He'd been quietly flipping through it, every so often making the most of our small conversation.
"Who told you to ask?" He said. A panicked look ran through his eyes, and I could only stare. It wasn't often that he got like this, but when he did, it usually involved Bunny.
"Bunny." I lied. I wasn't going to give up Francis, not now.
Henry cursed to himself, suddenly standing. He paced across the porch once, abruptly sitting back down after a moment of thought. He looked at me, almost expecting an answer.
"Henry?" I asked. Henry shook his head, throwing his book to the floor.
"She was a mistake, a miscalculation in my judgement. It was freshman year, and Bunny thought she was cute. We both thought we could make it into Julien's class back then, but she didn't find what she wanted. She moved to Psychology, giving up Classics." He spoke in a hushed voice, almost afraid to disturb anyone else.
"Bunny thought she was cute?" I must've looked surprised. He already had Marion, supposedly together for years.
"Cute for me. He wanted someone to keep Marion company." Henry looked exasperated, the copy of Plato now abandoned on the floor. "It was stupid, and I regret ever going along with it."
"Oh." I could only muster so much. I didn't expect Henry to have an ex, not one like that. I had expected someone more like Camilla, but then again, I didn't really know her. Henry removed himself from the porch, clearly sour on the issue. I never pressed it any further.
"Richard!"
Bunny's body had just been found, and Henry was far from fine. Everyone was slightly panicked, sure that the body would never be discovered. We were too confident in ourselves, and all of Bunny's influence over us was becoming another part of our daily lives, including his ghost. She looked pale, even though it was winter, and shivered as she ran across the snow that littered campus. I wasn't in any better shape, despite Henry helping me, but the winter seemed harsher to her.
"Is it true? Did they find Bunny?" She took my arm, the same vice grip I recognized in Henry to be hers. I didn't try to shake her off, only looking away after a hesitant nod. She backed away, her sneakers damp from the snow. They were bright red, clashing against the rest of her black attire. Finally letting go, she pushed down my shoulders, taking me to her level. I felt her cold lips on my cheek, and I blushed.
"Thank you for telling me." She said before running off in the snow. I knew where she was going. It was towards Henry's apartment.
Hours later, I saw the same red shoes downstairs, a loud argument coming from upstairs. Her black coat was swung across the banister, Camilla's jealous stare migrating to it from the couch. Charles and Francis both looked tired, and I imagined I didn't look any better. After another few moments, all went silent upstairs. Camilla stood up, moving the red shoes towards the coat. She sighed, rushing to Charles. It was like an ancient routine, the slamming of the door and Henry's shouts ringing through the hallway.
She came flying downstairs, giving me a look of surprise as she snatched her coat, the ruby slippers in her hand still soaked. I nodded at her, only to see a furious Henry stumbling downstairs. His usual composure was gone, replaced by the fury I'd only heard about from Judy. Part of me thought I'd seen it with Bunny, but this was entirely different. It was like Julien had told Henry that a version of Aristotle had been lost to time. He was enraged.
"What will you do?" Henry grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving. She tried to shake him off, ultimately failing. They had a few moments of struggle, no one making a move to stop them. Then, she slapped him, just like with Bunny, only she had the shoes in her hand. Henry groaned, falling to the floor.
"Henry!" Camilla tried to rush over, stopped by Charles' grip on her shoulder.
She looked over at the twins, sneering at them both. Francis got a sympathetic look, and I got a nod before she swung out the door, her socks now wet from the icy steps and sidewalk to the apartment. Henry stood up, staggering over to the door. He slammed it shut, moving towards the stairs. Charles let go of Camilla, who ran to Henry to help him. Francis followed her, both of them helping him upstairs. Charles only went to the door, picking up the black coat that'd been abandoned on the ground. The door creaked when he opened it, and Henry whipped around, still halfway up the stairs. A woman's arm reached around the door, snatching the coat back before leaving again, the same runner's stride audible from the slippery snow outside. Henry seethed, pushing Camilla off of him.
It was like watching a crooked play, as if it'd all happened before. Only, as I could imagine, Bunny had likely been slapped, Henry rushing after her to apologize. That's what Charles' gaze seemed to say. I looked to him, expecting some sort of explanation. He only moved deeper into the apartment, leaving me near the door. I never heard a word about the incident.
At graduation, years later, I saw her again. She was three rows in front of me, standing next to a girl that vaguely looked like Judy. Her bright red shoes, now heels, were unmistakable, and as I walked over, I received the same nod as before.
"So you're the only one of the stooges to get a degree. A shame, really." She said. I smiled, not sure what to say.
"Did you hear about-"
"Henry? Of course. Francis told me before he left." She'd cut me off, a wry smirk working it's way onto her face. "It's so strange. Everyday I feel as though I could go back to that apartment, or even dream of it, and there he'll be-Henry I mean-waiting to speak to me. He never got to apologize, cause I never gave him the chance. I wanted him to die from that shame. Bunny too, though I guess he had it coming to him."
She wandered away from me, and I was about to yell at her. Then, I remembered something. I had never been given a name. Only the sarcastic, brash attitude and skewed understanding of her history, still a secret to me, remained. Her words made up her personality, and I would never forget them.
I'd never understand what she meant until years graduation, years later, I saw her again. She was three rows in front of me, standing next to a girl that vaguely looked like Judy. Her bright red shoes, now heels, were unmistakable, and as I walked over, I received the same nod as before.
"So you're the only one of the stooges to get a degree. A shame, really." She said. I smiled, not sure what to say.
"Did you hear about-"
"Henry? Of course. Francis told me before he left." She'd cut me off, a wry smirk working it's way onto her face. "It's so strange. Everyday I feel as though I could go back to that apartment, or even dream of it, and there he'll be-Henry I mean-waiting to speak to me. He never got to apologize, cause I never gave him the chance. I wanted him to die from that shame. Bunny too, though I guess he had it coming to him."
She wandered away from me, and I was about to yell at her. Then, I remembered something. I had never been given a name. Only the sarcastic, brash attitude and skewed understanding of her history, still a secret to me, remained. Her words made up her personality, and I would never forget them.
I'd never understand what she meant until years later.