Left Naked at the Library
Part One
by G. Lawrence
Frat brothers coerce a college nerd to do their homework
Author's Note: Having been a short, introverted chess player when I began college (quite some time ago), I was an unlikely candidate to pledge a powerful blue-collar jock fraternity. I was on Dean's List my freshman semester, though that never happened again. I had never drunk alcohol or taken drugs. That changed, too. On Hell Night, I was separated from my clothes. So, this is a fantasy based on a number of true incidents. Some happened to me, others I just heard about, and a few are invented. Don't bother analyzing it. There is nudity in this chapter and mild sex in the next chapter. All characters are over 18 years old.
* * * * * *
The three frat guys appeared in the late afternoon. Danny was at his usual spot in the library, buried in the corner on the third floor. A quiet section inhabited by math majors. Of which Midvale Valley College had very few.
"Still studying?" Jack Winston said. Like his two friends, he was a tall jock whose intramural sports included basketball, soccer, and flag football. With blond hair and blue eyes, he looked very Nordic.
"You were already here this morning," Collyer Rimstone mocked, red-haired and green-eyed. Very Irish. "Do you even take a lunch break?"
"We keep trying to get your attention," Simon Brewster complained, a trim black-haired racquetball player with Popeye arms. "Don't you like us?"
"I'm sorry," Danny answered, looking up from the desktop computer. "I don't want to be rude. This is my midterm report."
"What is it this time? Stopping the moon from falling on the Earth?" Jack asked.
"I'm a theoretical physicist, not an astronomer," Danny replied. "It questions if metaphysical phenomena can be balanced by mathematical theorems."
"Whatever the hell that means," Jack dismissed. "Look, we've got book reports to turn in and no time to do them. We want your help."
"Tutoring?" Danny said.
"No," Collyer corrected. "We want you to write them for us."
"And they need to be good," Simon added.
Danny tried not to laugh. At 5'4 and barely a hundred pounds, with badly cut brown hair and shy brown eyes, he wasn't close to the three guys in stature or good looks. But he was smarter.
"You think that's funny?" Collyer asked with a frown.
"First of all, it's cheating," Danny said. "And if I write your reports for you, the professors will know. You'll get caught."
"We don't see it that way," Jack disagreed. "You see, we know you've also been doing creative writing on the side. Do you know the stories we mean?"
Danny looked down, blushing. "Those stories are just fantasies," he defended.
"Fantasies posted on an erotic website under a fake name," Collyer elaborated with a grin.
"Please don't tell anyone," Danny begged, his eyes getting misty.
"Don't worry about that, kid. We're not blackmailing you," Jack said. "How you get off is none of our damn business. Though they are kind of kinky. We're just saying that we know you're a good writer. You can tweak the reports to look like whatever you want."
Danny knew that was true. But cheating? Though he didn't like the idea, he doubted his new friends would take no for an answer.
"Haven't we been good to you?" Jack hinted. "We let you sit at our table during lunch last week. And the week before."
"Didn't we find you a great seat at the football game? Eight rows up on the 50-yard line," Simon chimed in. "You had fun, didn't you? We heard Cindy Connors caught you smiling."
"Yes, it was exciting," Danny confessed.
"And we introduced you to those pretty Theta sorority girls, though you fumbled that ball like an amateur," Collyer mentioned with a smirk.
"It's hard when all of the girls are taller than me," Danny responded.
"A real guy doesn't care how tall they are, as long as he gets them in bed," Simon replied with a laugh.
"Dan, we would appreciate this," Jack said more sincerely. And just as firmly
"I'll try," Danny reluctantly agreed. They sat down, spreading out their notes.
"This is a list of the books," Collyer said. "Have you read any of them?"
Danny scanned down the page, grimacing.
"I don't understand why literature professors have no imagination when it comes to literature," Danny complained. "Canterbury Tales. Moby Dick. Wuthering Heights. Boring and outdated, and yes, I've read them. Did you guys read any of these books?"
"Yes, we read The Great Gatsby. It's about a rich guy who gets shot," Jack said. "And Slaughterhouse 5, which is really weird. That doesn't mean we can explain them. We're giving you our notes."
Danny scooped up the dozen or so handwritten pages, taking a brief glance. To his surprise, there was plenty to work with. The guys weren't quite so stupid as they looked.
"When you're done with the reports, you'll need to email the files to my computer," Jack instructed. "We should have printed copies, too. Use the copy room in the basement."
"You should review them in case changes are needed," Danny warned.
"We're having a big party at the Alpha Mega house tonight. The Theta girls are going to be there. We won't get a chance to review anything until late, but we need to have them."
"They will be on time," Danny promised.
"We need to be sure you'll stay here and finish our reports," Collyer insisted.
"I will. I told you I would," Danny replied.
"We need to be sure," Collyer pressed.
"One of you can stay and watch me," Danny suggested.
"And miss the party? That's not going to happen," Simon answered.
"I'll do them as fast as I can," Danny swore.
"No, we don't want you to hurry. They need to be good," Jack said. "We have another plan. It will reassure us and help you focus."
"What's that?" Danny asked.
"Take off your clothes," Jack replied.
"My clothes?" Danny sputtered.
"You won't leave the library without your clothes," Jack said, having it thought out.
"Someone will see me. No one has ever seen me without my clothes," Danny protested.
"No one? Not even when you're shagging a girl?" Collyer asked.
"I haven't ... that is ..." Danny mumbled. The guys laughed, nudging each other with their elbows.
"Virgin," he heard Collyer derisively mumble.
"This wing is deserted," Simon insisted. "Only geeks come up here. No one important is going to see you."
"I can't," Danny answered. "I--"
"We can strip you, but that's not what we want. We'd rather this was your own idea," Jack hinted.
"Don't be such a prude. Do you think your body is something special?" Simon questioned.
Having always been the runt, Danny knew his body was nothing special. "Please don't make me," he whimpered.
"Consider it an act of good faith," Collyer pressed.
Danny saw no choice. He had no friends except the three frat boys, and they weren't even friends. But they had been going out of their way to include him in their events lately. He started to strip. The sportscoat went first, then the long-sleeved white shirt and plain blue tie. The shoes, socks, and pants. Soon all he had left was his jockey shorts. Jack was stuffing everything into a duffel bag.
"Come on, the rest of it," Jack urged.
Sighing with humiliation, Danny took off his underwear. Jack snatched them away and zipped the duffel bag shut. He made sure to take Danny's wallet, keys, and backpack. Collyer raised his phone.
"No! No photos!" Danny cried in panic, covering himself.
"You're sitting at the table. No one can see below your waist," Simon said.
"It would be too embarrassing," Danny pleaded, looking like he was going to cry.
"Okay, Dan, don't freak out," Collyer relented, putting the phone away.
"We figure about four hours," Jack guessed, looking at his watch. "It's almost five o'clock now. We'll be back for you at nine."
"The library closes at nine," Danny warned.
"It may close, but it takes an hour to chase everyone out," Simon said. "I worked here for a year. You have until ten, at least."
As the frat brothers turned to leave, Jack leaned back, seeing the little fella's stricken expression.
"Danny, you're a smart guy," Jack whispered. "So think about this. We're not your enemies."
And then Jack was gone, too.