College AU

[howbraveyouare]

It had been a week and Karen had been waffling on whether or not she should call Frank. She wanted to, she really did, but even gutsy girls like hers had insecure moments. All she needed was a push, a moment of inspiration. That moment came standing outside of the Pi Kappa Alpha frat house as a party raged on inside.

She was dressed for a party, catching plenty of glances from guys as they headed inside, but she didn’t feel like she belonged there. Karen was actually grateful for that feeling. It would keep her centered and focused on the fact that she was here for serious research.

Karen pulled out her phone and quickly thumbed through her contacts to find Frank, pressing call. She held the phone to her ear and waited.

Comments

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank wasn't entirely surprised when Karen didn't call him right away. He sort of expected to get brushed off. Sure, they seemed to get along, but she was shy and out of his league, so he figured she wouldn't call at all. When he received a call from a number he didn't know, he almost didn't answer, but he did and spoke into the phone.

"Hello?" It didn't sound as if he was out anywhere. Certainly not at a party. He was probably having a quiet night at home.

[howbraveyouare]

There was a light in her eyes when she heard him answer the phone. “Frank? Hey, it’s Karen.” She was all kinds of relieved that he’d picked up at all. Hitting it off that day on campus didn’t necessarily mean he intended to answer her calls. Karen was happy to hear that it wasn’t the case with Frank.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go to a party. Or, y’know, at least stop by one and then maybe go to a Waffle House or something to just sit and talk over coffee.” After all, Karen couldn’t imagine staying long at this place. It was loud and she didn’t have a good feeling about it at all.

[ex_one_shot695]

"Karen?" Frank sounded both surprised and happy to hear from her all at once. There was some shuffling as he got up from a reclined position on the couch.

She was at a party? He had a feeling he knew which one already. There was a big one going on tonight. The kind she probably shouldn't be at. "Uh, yeah. That sounds good." Normally he steered clear of those parties, but he'd make an exception. Frank was already heading into his room to put on a fresh shirt.

[howbraveyouare]

“Great!” Well, that was a relief. She glanced at the house. People were flowing in and out freely, music was blasting, it was all very much outside of her comfort zone. This was the kind of thing Karen definitely needed a Guy Friday for. She bit her lip, staring at the house for a moment.

“It’s at Pi Kappa Alpha. I guess I’ll hang out by the door until you show up? I’m in a denim skirt and a white top, so I don’t really stand out, but I’ll keep an eye out for you.” She sighed, taking slow steps towards the house. Nothing was going to happen in the fifteen minutes it’d take Frank to get to the party. Karen would be fine inside.

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank knew that was one of the fraternities he had talked to Karen about. "I'll be there soon." He quickly changes into a fresh t-shirt, puts his baseball cap on, and heads out the door. He would look a little under-dressed compared to the other guys there, but he wasn't out to impress anyone. He just wanted to make sure Karen didn't encounter any problems.

And what could happen in fifteen minutes, anyway?

It was enough time for one of the frat members to walk over to her and offer her a drink as soon as she came through the door. "Hey. Welcome to our little party. I'm Josh. You new around here?"

[howbraveyouare]

“See you there.” To be honest, Karen was more looking forward to the after party – Her chance to talk to Frank and get to know him. This was just necessary research for her hypothetical article. It had to be done, though, like some kind of necessary evil. Other girls might have leapt at the chance to do this kind of ‘research’. Karen hung up and slipped her phone into her purse.

Greeted right at the door, Karen smiled, looking a little bewildered as she was offered a drink. “Hey. Karen. Yeah, this is my first year here.” Like everyone else, she’d been told a million times not to take a drink from a stranger, but she did want to be polite. What harm could a sip do? She took the cup in her hands and brought it to her lips for just a small drink. “Are you a, um, brother here?”

[ex_one_shot695]

Josh smiled and nod, gesturing for her to follow him into the house. She can't block the door all night. "Yeah. You lookin' to join a sorority? I think you'd fit right in with our sister house." Karen was pretty, so what was there not to like?

The party was in full swing. People were drinking and dancing, and every now and then a couple went up and down the stairs. As observant as Karen is, though, she might notice that more of the girls being taken upstairs were wearing white tops.

[howbraveyouare]

It felt a little weird just lingering in the doorway, and with all of the people around on the inside of the house Karen felt perfectly comfortable stepping inside. She supposed she’d be okay just as long as she was near the door. The goal was to be spotted by Frank, after all.

She paused mid-drink to let out a laugh and shake her head. “No, I don’t think so. I’m not really sorority material.” If ever there was a true statement, there it was. The idea of sisterhood was appealing, but everything else associated with sororities turned Karen off to the idea.

As she took just one more sip of her drink her eyes wandered to the staircase. That was weird. There was a disproportionate amount of girls being taken upstairs with white tops. It clicked in Karen’s mind as she remembered what Frank had told her about one of the games frats sometimes played. The smile faded from her face and she turned to look at the door. She was feeling a little bit woozy and Frank couldn’t show up fast enough.

[ex_one_shot695]

There was no sign of Frank yet, and all of the noise and the commotion sure wasn't going to help her feel better. She had only had one sip of her drink. That could be it, could it?

"Hey, you alright? You look a little pale." Josh was totally concerned! "You wanna sit down or somethin'?" He tried to put an arm around her and lead her through the crowd some more. "Maybe a glass of water or somethin'? Don't want anyone gettin' sick at the party."

There was still no sign of Frank.

[howbraveyouare]

“I…” Karen frowned, putting a hand to her forehead. She was trying her best to figure out if his concern was genuine or not, but her head was spinning. Maybe it was just nerves, the pressure of writing the story finally hitting her at full force. She nodded her head. “Yeah, a glass of water would be good.”

She turned her head to look back at the door. Where was he? Karen scolded herself for not waiting outside. Looking back to Josh, she sighed. If he really was looking out for her, maybe she didn’t need Frank to show up right away. Maybe she’d be okay on her own for a little while.

“Where can I sit? I feel like the floor is a little unsteady.”

[ex_one_shot695]

"Course. Hey, can I get some water?" Josh called to a friend who gave him a cup of water, which was passed over to Karen for her to drink. Things just get a little more unsteady after that. It became harder to focus.

Josh was leading Karen, and next thing she knew she was upstairs in a darkened bedroom. Josh told her to sit on the bed to rest awhile, away from the noise and the people. That would definitely make her feel better. Only rest wasn't what he had in mind. As foggy moments passed, his hands were on her. Trying to get into her clothes and touch her where he could. His lips were kissing her, and he was telling her to relax.

And then in the next moment, there was a loud bang. A pair of hands seemed to reach out of the darkness, grab Josh, and toss him onto the floor. And there was Frank, above Josh, beating the shit out of him.

[howbraveyouare]

Struggling to sit up, Karen got a fuzzy view of what was going on on the bedroom floor. She squinted her eyes trying to see better. “Frank?” Whatever she’d had to drink was making her feel a combination of foggy-brained, sleepy, and a little sick to her stomach. Honestly, it was tempting to just lay back down on that bed, but instead she got to her feet looking like she was about to topple over.

“Frank, we should go.” Her words slurred together like she’d had ten beers instead of a sip of one. She reached out her arms to hold onto his shoulder to steady herself, but her legs still wobbled like a newborn cartoon horse’s.

Karen knew what had happened at that point and she felt like a prize fool. If she could think properly she probably would have been closer to tears than she was in that moment. For right then all she wanted was to get out of there.

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank felt her touch against his shoulder and let Josh go. Frank wasn't walking away entirely unscathed. His nose was bloody and he took a hit to the chin that would bruise up later. For now, though, getting Karen to safety was the most important thing, despite how much he'd like to hit Josh until he stops breathing.

Frank got up and removed his black coat to put it on Karen so she was covered up. Wobbly as she was, he didn't think she'd make it down the stairs on her own, so he put an arm around her and picked her up to carry her out. A lot of people knew something had happened, but Frank didn't care about the stairs. He marched right out the door and put Karen into the passenger seat of his truck, then drove away.

"You okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

[howbraveyouare]

“No,” She wiped at her eyes, looking away. Karen was just waiting for him to give her an I-told-you-so speech, telling her that she never should have gone to the party in the first place. It was miserable being such a smart girl and feeling that stupid. “No hospital.”

“God, I’m a moron.” Karen sniffed, wiping her nose. Her head rested against the glass of the passenger side window. “I thought he was being nice to me…” Of course he wouldn’t have been that nice to her. She told herself that she should have known better. No guy like that would have been interested in her for any purpose other than a game.

Pulling Frank’s coat around her more tightly, Karen looked over at him. “I’m sorry you got hurt, but…” She trailed off, pausing a beat. “Thank you.”

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank was really tempted to give her that speech. He told her to stay away from this and not to go to those parties. She wasn't equipped for that kind of stuff. It was hard to yell at a crying woman, though, so Frank kept the lecture to himself.

When she apologized, Frank glanced over at her. "You're welcome." Yeah, he got a bit hurt, but Frank knew this could end up a lot worse than a bloody nose. He got into a fight. That could mean certain things for his time at the college. It could mean things about his future as a Marine. Despite whatever consequences come, if they come, Frank knows he would've done it again. There was no way he could let Josh do what he was doing without being punished for it.

"You want me to take you home?" Frank was driving but there was no destination in mind.

[howbraveyouare]

Karen wasn’t really aware of the magnitude of the consequences of what she’d done. Whatever she’d drank still had her confused and sleepy, but she felt awful about involving Frank. The whole thing seemed stupid right then. Her dreams of becoming a hero for the little guy? Stupid. All of it. She just wanted to sleep it off and forget any of it had ever happened, but she knew when she woke up Frank would still have bruises.

He asked if she wanted to be taken home and she took a moment to consider it, then stopped, shaking her head and rolling down her window. “Pull over, please.” She looked a little green around the gills. “I’m gonna be…” Karen clamped a hand over her mouth.

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank went a little wide-eyed at her response. "Shit." He pulled over to the side where there was an area to park with a view of the woods below. It'd be a nice spot to park if his passenger weren't so sick.

As soon as Karen got out of the car, Frank exited his side to go and check on her. He took a water bottle with him, since she'd probably want to rinse the taste from her mouth. Whatever Josh gave her was pretty bad stuff to make her this sick.

Once she settles down he offers the water to her. "Hey, you're not a moron, alright?"

[howbraveyouare]

Leaning over and out of the truck, Karen heaved and got sick. She tried her best to stay out of Frank’s view. There was nothing more embarrassing than being seen at your lowest and this was definitely a record low for Karen Page. Coughing and spitting, she held her stomach and remained bent over until she was absolutely positive she was done.

She took the water from Frank with a tired, sad smile on her face, unscrewing the lid to take a sip into her mouth and rinse the nasty taste out of her mouth.

“Yeah, but I’m not winning any awards for brilliance, right?” She smirked a little bit, speech still a little slurred. “Maybe I’m not a moron, but I am a colossal screw-up. And I pulled you into my mistake with me. That makes me mad at myself.”

[ex_one_shot695]

Maybe Karen made a poor choice, but Frank doesn't need to point that out to her. When she says she pulled him into this, he shakes his head.

"I said I'd be there if you called. That was my choice, not yours." Frank put himself into this situation willingly. It just turned out worse than he hoped. It still could've been much worse, though, if he didn't show up when he did.

Frank reaches to gently brush some of her hair back from her face and tucks it behind her ear. Maybe she wouldn't want the touch, given what just happened, but he couldn't resist the impulse.

[howbraveyouare]

She jumps just a little bit as she feels his fingertips brush her ear. It’s not a reaction she wills, but one that just seems to happen. Her eyes close and she shakes her head. “It tasted like water. I almost drank the whole cup.”

Karen looks up at Frank with big, blue, watery eyes and sighs. “I’m sorry, Frank.” Her voice cracks a little bit. She lifts her hand and holds it near his face, pausing for a moment with it in midair, but then barely grazes her fingertips over his chin. “How bad does it hurt?”

Looking at his face, it’s easier to focus on his injuries than what just happened to her. She never wants to set foot in that frat house or see Josh ever again. It’s a fleeting thought that she can pretend that it never happened – fleeting because she knows this is something she’ll never be able to forget.

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank doesn't want her to worry about him at a time like this. She feels bad enough already. "It's nothing. I've been hit harder playing football." Sure, it'll bruise, but Frank's had much worse than a couple of punches from Josh.

"Don't you think I should take you home or something? You're probably exhausted." She should rest and sleep off whatever it as Josh put in her drink. If Frank had a few more minutes with that guy, he'd probably be in the hospital. The party probably shut down right after they left.

[howbraveyouare]

“Yeah,” Karen says with a heavy exhale of breath. Sleep sounds like it would probably be the best way to handle her emotions right now. Maybe she’ll even wake up feeling a little better. That’s something she can hope for, at least.

She looks up at Frank, her face equal parts exhausted and sad, and poses a quiet question. “This is going to sound dumb, I know, but… Could you stay with me until I fall asleep? I don’t really want to be alone right now.

[ex_one_shot695]

The question gets a slight smile out of him. "Yeah, sure. And it's not dumb." Frank can understand why she'd want a little extra protection around for the evening. He just hopes she's strong enough to get past what happened tonight.

Frank waits for her to get settled and shuts the door for her, then goes back into the driver's side to head to her place, once he gets some directions. Once there, he parks the truck and gets out, ready to help her inside if she needs it.

"Hey, are you gonna give up on that story?"

[howbraveyouare]

Karen finds her footing easily enough, but walks almost like she’s drunk. It takes her about three steps before she realizes she needs to hold onto Frank’s arm for stability. She looks up at him and lets out a humorless laugh. “Well, obviously it needs to be written and obviously I am not the person meant to be writing it, so we’re at a serious impasse there.”

She lets go to fumble with the door, unlocking and opening it, and stumbles on in ahead of Frank. Turning back to face him, she sighs. “So, if you meet any brilliant writers, drop my idea. Maybe it’ll catch on.”

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank is quick to lend his arm when she needs it to get her through the door of her apartment. When she says she's not the one to write the story, Frank can't help but frown.

"I know this probably isn't the time to say it, but I think you are the person to write it. No one else is brave enough to do it." And Karen is definitely brave. She was brave to go to that party, even when Frank told her it could be dangerous.

"And I don't think anyone else gives a shit. Or maybe you don't give a shit anymore." After what happened, perhaps she just wants to walk away from it all.

[howbraveyouare]

“I give a shit.” She says softly. Honestly, she’s never cared more, but she wasn’t scared before. When she walked into that frat house she was pretty much fearless. Now she has a more realistic view of the risks and she doesn’t like what she sees.

Karen walks the rest of the way to her room without saying much more, but once she’s seated on her bed she looks up at Frank. “You might be right. It might be up to me to do the writing.” She nudges her shoes off using the edge of the bed and pulls her feet up onto the bed with her.

“I just want to see them called out, the guys like Josh, so nobody ever makes the mistake of thinking they’re nice or charming ever again.” By the end of her statement she’s half-mumbling into her pillow. She takes Frank’s hand and holds onto it as she starts to drift off.

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank takes his coat when she's done using it and drapes it over a chair. He thought he might sit in the living room or something, but Karen seems to want him to follow her into the bedroom. Just so long as she's comfortable with it. For some reason, she seems really at ease with him, though she really doesn't know anything about him.

"You thought that prick was charming?" Frank is only joking a little, trying to put her at ease. He sits on the side of the bed when she reaches for his hand, which is rough from all of the drills.

[howbraveyouare]

Her eyes blink more slowly as if it’s getting more difficult to keep them open. “Only sort of. He was phony. Told me I should rush for some sorority or another. I should’ve seen through him after that, but… I guess I didn’t.”

She brushes her thumb over the back of his hand. Her hand feels soft in his. Karen hasn’t worked physically like he has.

“You’re not phony. I can tell I’m not wrong about you.” Her lips curl into the faintest of smiles. “You’re a good guy, Frank.”

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank tilts his head and shrugs. "You could pass for a sorority girl, but I'm glad you're not one." Those types of girls never interested Frank.

At her words, he can't help but smile at the compliment. "Thanks." Even if he'd never met Karen, he would've put a stop to what Josh was doing. Frank wouldn't let a woman be taken advantage of if he knew about it. He'd do whatever it takes to stop something like that.

[howbraveyouare]

“I’m glad I have you around.” But it comes out as a garbled mumble. Her eyes close and she’s silent for a few moments. “Goodnight, Frank.”

The grip she has on his hand loosens, but her hand stays loosely tied with his. Even as she drifts off to sleep it seems like she still wants to be close to him. Still, whatever it is she drank guarantees that she slips into dreamland pretty quickly and soon her breathing is slow, deep, and even. It’s clear that she’s snoozing.

[ex_one_shot695]

"Goodnight." Frank sits there and watches over her as she closes her eyes and begins to drift off. He doesn't hurry to leave. He stays there for a long time until he's sure she's asleep, or at least appears to be.

Once he thinks Karen is out, he moves his hand slowly away until it's free of her grip and quietly gets up from the bed. The blanket is adjusted over her so she looks comfortable before he exits the bedroom. Frank closes the door some, but leaves it open enough that he can hear her if she needs anything.

She asked him to stay, so he'll stay. He looks around a bit, then decides to make himself at home on the couch. His boots come off, and he spends some time trying to get comfortable. Eventually, he settles for removing his shirt and using a throw blanket for the night.

[howbraveyouare]

When Karen wakes up, she instinctively looks to the edge of her bed. Of course Frank isn’t there, but she smiles knowing he was. She’s feeling a lot better about last night than she had been. It was rough, but now she was on a mission and she was going to be smarter about it. She’d made up her mind, or at least she was going to think about it over some cereal. Her stomach is finally settled and now she’s going to eat breakfast like nothing happened.

Walking to the kitchen, though, she spots a lump under a blanket on the couch. Upon closer inspection she sees Frank’s upper body uncovered by that blanket – He’s not wearing a shirt. She takes a moment, just looking at him with a smile. Karen clears her throat quietly.

“Good morning,” She looks at him from a few steps away. “Want some breakfast?”

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank thought he'd be the first one to rise, but it turns out Karen was up earlier than expected. When he hears her voice, he wakes up slowly then looks over at her, only to be momentarily surprised.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. Thank you."

Frank sits up and looks around for his shirt, then finds it folded on the coffee table. "You feelin' okay?" He knows last night was rough on her, but she looks a lot better this morning. As for Frank, he's got some bruises coming in, but it's nothing he's worried about.

[howbraveyouare]

“Yeah,” She smiles, turning to walk over to the open kitchen area. “My stomach is mostly settled. I think if I eat something I’ll be okay.”

It occurs to her that he might not only mean how she’s feeling physically, but that’s the only answer she gives. Karen is still a little shaken up. She still wants to punch Josh for how he took advantage of her. All of this, though, is being managed by Karen telling herself that she’ll get justice by writing her article.

“I don’t have much. I think I have cereal and eggs. Are you a Cheerios guy or a Frosted Flakes guy?” Karen pulls out the box of Cheerios for herself and then two bowls from another cupboard.

[ex_one_shot695]

Not quite what Frank meant, but he's not going to press her for more right now. He sets his feet on the floor and pulls his shirt on, then folds the blanket he used and puts it back where he found it.

"I'm usually a black coffee kinda guy, but I'll take Cheerios." While she's getting the bowls, Frank departs for the bathroom to wash up a bit and check his face in the mirror. He has a feeling a lot of people are going to be talking about what happened last night.

[howbraveyouare]

While he’s in the bathroom, she pours two bowls of Cheerios for the both of them, setting them both on the kitchen island with spoons next to the bowls. She pops a coffee pod into the single serving coffee maker and sets a mug – her mug – beneath it that has a picture of Shakespeare wearing sunglasses on it and reads I put the ‘lit’ in ‘literature’. The coffee brews quickly and drips into the mug. Karen sets it next to Frank’s bowl of Cheerios while starting a cup of her own in more drab mug.

She lifts a spoonful of cereal to her mouth and munches, swallowing before calling out to Frank. “How are you doing this morning? How are the bruises?”

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank returns and takes a seat at the table. The smell of coffee perked him up a bit and he reached for the mug. It's given a look before he takes a drink. Doesn't matter what the mug looks like. Coffee is coffee. Though he might look a bit funny holding the cup.

"Like I said, I've had worse." He touches his chin with two fingers gently, feeling the tenderness. It's a bit swollen, but it was a small price to pay.

[howbraveyouare]

Once her coffee is ready, she takes it and blows on it a little. Karen eyes Frank as he touches his chin for a second, then sets her coffee down and turns back to the fridge, pulling out the freezer. She fishes around to get out a tray of ice and pulls out a few cubes, setting them down in the middle of a kitchen towel. Everything is put away and she bunches up the towel, walking over to Frank.

“Try holding this up to it.” She hands it off to him. “The ice should help with the swelling.”

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank drinks his coffee as he watches her go back to the kitchen, only to return with an ice pack. He smiles a little and accepts it, holding it up to his chin for a few moments. "Thank you."

He spoons some of the cereal and starts to eat. "So, what..." There's a pause as his phone starts to ring. Frank puts his spoon down and reaches into his pocket, looks at the number, then answers the call. "Hello?"

"Yes, sir. Last night?" .... "Yes, sir." ... "Yes, sir." ... "I understand. When?" .... "I realize that, sir. Thank you, sir." When the call is done, he puts his phone away and takes another drink of his coffee without so much as mentioning it.

[howbraveyouare]

In the meantime, Karen has frozen, watching him carefully. The phone call is obviously very important, probably coming from someone very high up, and the mention of ‘last night’ probably means it’s about the fight Frank got into on Karen’s behalf. She’s been holding her spoon in mid-air, but when he puts his phone away she finally just sets it down in her bowl.

“What was that about? Is everything okay?” It takes everything in her not to jump to conclusions and automatically start offering to speak on his behalf and tell whoever it was on the other end of the phone that Frank was doing something honorable by fighting with Josh.

She bites her lip nervously. Frank could be facing serious punishment. Karen doesn’t even know what level of repercussions he might be greeted with once they get back to the campus. Not that long ago they’d joked about her possible expulsion, but now it’s very possible that he might be experiencing something similar.

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank knew she wouldn't be able to resist asking. He considers brushing the question off and telling her not to worry about it, but she already looks plenty worried, so that's not about to work. He puts his coffee down and licks his lips.

"I'm being called in front of the review board on account of my actions. Didn't take Josh long to file a complaint, yeah?"

He's pretty sure the guy's already cooked up a hell of a story to go with all those injuries Frank gave him.

[howbraveyouare]

For a moment, it’s as if Karen can’t catch her breath. Her mouth hangs agape and her eyes widen slightly. She shakes her head and it becomes apparent that what she’s feeling is actually rage.

“That prick!” She slams a hand down on the surface of the kitchen island. “He doesn’t get to play victim after what he did. I don’t care. There has to be a way we can…” Karen swallows hard, trailing off. She pales slightly.

“If I speak to them, tell them what he tried to do, it’s not going to do any real good, is it?” It’s not like her to give up before even trying, but she remembers what Frank said about the frats funding the school. Karen isn’t naïve. She knows the school won’t bite the hand that feeds it.

[ex_one_shot695]

Frank is surprised by the outburst. He holds onto his coffee, even though she's not pounding the table. When she suggests talking to the board and then changes her tune, he can figure what she's thinking.

"The ROTC program gets its funding from outside the school, so it's not under the thumb of fraternities or big donors." A benefit of it being a government funded program. "But it's still our word against his." Frank doesn't say so, but he doesn't seem to think that'll be enough.

"The board doesn't meet for a couple of weeks, at least." That gives him some time to try and think of something. "If they find me guilty for breaking the code of conduct, well... I wasn't really cut out for college, anyway. I can still enlist, but... I'll never be an officer."

[howbraveyouare]

Her expression softens. It almost hurts to hear Frank talking the way he is. “Don’t say that. You’re here for a reason.” Karen reaches across the island to touch his hand. She thinks of this as her mess and still feels guilty for dragging Frank into it.

“Two weeks is a crunch, but maybe we can find other girls who’ve been victimized at Pi Kappa Alpha parties. If we’re lucky, we can go from there and figure out if Josh was involved in any of those cases.” She sighs. This is clearly something she intends to work very hard on.

Her fingers tap lightly against the back of his hand and she pauses for a second or two. “What do you think?” Karen is going to investigate this whether Frank intends to help her or not. She is dead set on clearing his name. If there is any part of him that someday wants to become an officer, no matter how small, she wants that to be a possibility.

[ex_one_shot695]

Everyone who finishes the program will have a shot at being commissioned as an officer. Lieutenant Frank Castle does have a certain ring to it; not to mention the rank comes with additional benefits.

When Karen touches his hand, he looks to her and smiles a bit. "Maybe. I don't know. Just tell me what you need. At this point, I'm all in." Maybe Karen can even write that article with all of the information she finds out. Having that sort of thing in the paper would give Frank's actions more legitimacy.

"But if it doesn't work, I don't regret doin' it. I'd do it again." Frank wouldn't let Josh take advantage of her no matter what the cost.

[howbraveyouare]

Karen pauses for a moment as if in thought. She’s trying to plan out a way of getting information. There’s no way in the world she could even begin to remember the faces of people at the party the other night. She can only just remember Josh and his phony remarks about joining a sorority. Something occurs to her.

“There have got to be groups on campus for girls who have been through stuff like this, right? Maybe I could talk to the mediator, ask them to act on my behalf, see if anyone wants to come forward even anonymously with information.” Part of Karen wants to drop by a group like that on account of her own experience, but she’s afraid of it looking like a front for writing her article. Maybe after everything is said and done.

“Chances are probably pretty slim that I could get one of Josh’s brothers to talk about it, huh?” She chews on her thumbnail after rattling her ideas off to Frank.