Amanda pulled shut the door of the crammed, tiny office used by the campus Gender Equality and Activism club, and locked it. She turned — then jumped, nearly dropping her keys.
Mark was standing there, just a little too close, right inside her personal space. "Oh, sorry," he said, smiling apologetically, although not backing up.
Amanda sidled around her ex-boyfriend. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, listen," he said. "I know you're still mad at me..."
She started striding toward the decades-old elevator, forcing him to jog along to keep up. "I'm not mad," she said.
He looked pained. "OK. Well, I know you don't consider me a friend."
Amanda stopped, swiveled, and met his gaze. "I don't consider you a trustworthy person. And I'm not friends with people who aren't trustworthy."
He sighed and stared at his toes sheepishly. "OK, well, fine. I wasn't trustworthy." He looked back up and directly into her eyes. "I was awful, and I can't change what I did. But I've actually been working on something that I think will change your feelings about me."
The pretty twenty-one-year-old half-rolled her eyes and turned to head toward the exit. "Mark, I'm supposed to be somewhere, but I'm excited to hear that you're working on something you think I would like, and I hope it comes together for you. I'd love to hear about it if you want to send me an email."
He put out a hand. "Wait, no. I just...I'd love it if you came to see it."
She recoiled, visibly. "At your frat house?"
Mark nodded. "Some of the guys are involved with it, too." When her horrified look didn't fade, he added, "I think you'll really like it."
"Mark," she said. "I
never
want to go back there again. The last time I was there, three of your friends just about
raped
me, while you watched and took video with your phone."
He sighed again, this time looking consternated. "Baby, that's a pretty big exaggeration..."
Amanda's eyes got big and her mouth fell open. "
Don't
call me baby."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mark said. "I just mean — the guys felt you up a little bit, and you rubbed Ollie's dick through his jeans. We didn't try to stop you from leaving after you got upset."
"
He
took my hand and rubbed it on his dick, you mean," Amanda shot back. A passing couple glanced back at her outburst. "And I shouldn't have been in there in the first place."
"You weren't that drunk," Mark said. "And I thought you knew what was up. You said you had a lot of fantasies about groups of men..." He lowered his voice. "...using you."
"I have
fantasies
, Mark!" she said. "And if we ever explored those fantasies, I'd want to talk it over first. A lot. Not just have a bunch of your buddies start groping me in your bedroom at a party with tons of people outside."
"That was dumb," he conceded. "I guess I just thought that since, like, you had those fantasies about lots of people watching you, or being a porn star, or having sex in a really public place — I thought you'd like it."
She couldn't believe he really thought that. How dumb were men? "No," she said. "I would have to feel very, very comfortable and OK before I actually acted on any of those fantasies."
His face brightened. "Well, listen — I don't expect you to act on any of those fantasies with me, but I think you would feel really good if you came over and saw this thing I've been working on."
Amanda couldn't believe he wouldn't drop it. "I don't really want to go to your room where I was sexually assaulted and see a mysterious thing that will make me feel good."
Mark nodded. "I know. But it's not really a thing I can show you anywhere else, and I don't want to tell you any details because I want it to be a total surprise. Plus, you literally wouldn't believe it. And I'm serious when I say that you are going to like it so much."
Amanda couldn't believe she was really considering it. Mark was full of shit sometimes, but she didn't think he'd just lie about something. She didn't believe he would actually hurt her somehow. He hadn't, after all, forced her to do anything or even stay at the party after the incident with his friends. She hadn't even broken up with him after that; she'd just stopped going over there. Which, of course, was what had made it so easy for him to cheat on her with a long string of women, claiming the whole time that he just didn't want to come over to her place because he was studying with his fraternity brothers. When she'd finally found out, she'd dumped him immediately. She was already taking plenty of flak from her friends at gender club about dating such an obvious sexist. Mark wasn't worth it.
It sucked, though. He was
almost
worth it. He was a super good fuck.
"And," he said — he knew he had her attention now — "I think it can have a real impact on your gender club friends, too."
OK, now Amanda had to see it. "Really?" she said, skeptically.
"They will really like it too." Mark looked so earnest.
"Feminists will like it?" She couldn't believe she was going to do this.
He nodded again. "Pretty much everyone will like it," he said.
Amanda pursed her lips and nodded herself. "Well, then, Mark: I have to go talk to a girl who was sexually assaulted, possibly by a guy you know, and see if I can help her. And I should be done with that around eight, and then I will come over to your house, with the understanding that I'm just going to check out this mysterious 'thing' and then go home."
"For sure," Mark agreed. "I will not make you stay any longer than you want to — I think I've demonstrated that."
Amanda shrugged, gave him a wave, and exited the building.
***
"Thank you so much for coming," Mark said as he led her upstairs that evening. "I'm really excited for this."
"I can't wait to see what this is," she replied.
He turned and smiled at her. "It's...it's not something you exactly
see
."
Amanda could feel her confusion register on her face, and was annoyed at how he looked pleased with himself. "Just show me," she said, waving him onward.
His room was empty of anyone else. Mark let her in and then shut and locked the deadbolt. Amanda was on the verge of protesting — but she stopped herself. No reason to make him think she was worried. She'd just have to listen to more pointless apologies and rationalizations.
"OK, so sit down," he said, directing her to his desk chair. She sat. He grabbed a stool from the other side of the room and set it next to the chair, stepping on to it with the apparent goal of getting something from atop his bookshelf.
His ass was immediately in front of Amanda's face. She had to admit it was cute, especially in those tight jeans, but she backed away as it bumped against her nose. "Hey!" she said. "Get what you're getting and get your ass out of my face!"
Mark laughed, instead pushing his butt deliberately toward her nose again.
What the actual fuck?
Amanda thought. She tried to slide the chair back.
Not fucking funny, Mark.