“A frat party? Not in the mood to hang out with that crowd. Besides, I have plans.”
“Oh yeah? A hot date, or are you back to eating old porridge?”
“Man, you have to stop with the bad food analogies,” Danny retorts.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I grumble. “And no, I don’t have a date.”
“It’s old porridge. I knew it. You have to stop sleeping with your ex, man. It’s not healthy.”
“For the thousandth time, I’m not sleeping with Brooke,” I grit out. “We just chatted after that one game when she came to visit—that’s all. Besides, she lives in New York, remember?”
“Okay then. If you say so,” Andreas replies sarcastically.
“Whatever. Believe what you want. I promised Grandma I’d have dinner with her. That’s my hot date.”
“Ah, cool. Is Jane going too?” Andreas looks out the window casually, but his left leg begins to bounce nervously.
What’s up with him?
“Yeah. I have to pick her up in thirty.”
“Where are you heading for dinner? I could eat.”
I peel my gaze from the road for a second to glower at him. “Did you just ask to tag along to a family dinner? Are you for real?”
He shrugs. “What? We’re friends, and your grandma loves me.”
“Sorry, buddy, but I have to get back home,” Danny interjects. “I have a major test tomorrow that I have to study for.”
“No worries. I’m dropping both of you off first.”
“Wow, really? You’re terrified that your grandma loves me more than you, huh?”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, that’s it.”
I wouldn’t mind Andreas tagging along if it was only me. But Jane is in the mix, and I really don’t want him near her. My sister is shy and completely different than the girls Andreas goes for, but she’s a knockout, and bro code or not, I won’t risk getting her on his radar.
CHARLIE
Things couldn’t get any worse. On my way back to the house I share with three other girls, I receive a text from Vivian, one of my roommates, telling me there’s been a fire at our place. When I get there, the firemen have already put it out—it was concentrated in the kitchen, thankfully—but we can’t stay there. They discovered what we’d already known all along—the house is a freaking hazard and in violation of several housing codes. Long story short, I’m homeless.
“Shit. Where are we going to live?” I ask Vivian while we wait outside for the firemen to allow us in to collect our things.
“My boyfriend said I can move in with him, so this has turned out great for me.” She smiles from ear to ear.
“Wasn’t he totally against commitment?”
“Yeah. This fire was divine intervention.”
“More like cheapskate-landlord neglect.” I pull up my phone to text my parents. They’ll tell me to stay with them until I find a new place, but they live an hour from campus. The commute will kill me.
“What are you wearing anyway? I thought your LARP deal was this weekend,” Vivian asks.
“Oh, this was a gift from Fred.”
She gives me an elevator glance, arching her eyebrows. “Interesting gift. It’d be great for Halloween, although it’s not very sexy.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I guess if I forgo the pants, I can be a slutty Imperator Furiosa.”
“Who?”
“Mad Max: Fury Road?” I reply. Vivian gives me a blank stare, earning a shake of the head from me. “Never mind.”
I also text Blake and Fred.
Almost immediately, Blake calls me back. “Please tell me you were joking about your place.”
“I wish I were. At least it’s stopped raining.”
“What happened?”
“Who knows? No one was home, so we’re assuming a fuse blew. That house was a disaster waiting to happen.”
“When can you go back?”
“It’s going to be months.”
“Do you need a place to stay?”
I knew he was going to offer, but Blake lives with two other guys, and their place isn’t that big. I’d have to sleep on the couch for sure.
“Thanks, but I’ll just head to my parents’ tonight and then start looking for another room to rent ASAP.”
“It’s going to be brutal finding something now that school has already started.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I know, but I can’t worry about that now. I just need to get out of these damn wet clothes.”
My fury with Troy returns, and I don’t think it will go away that easily. Even knowing my article will be published isn’t helping me feel better. Why am I allowing that smug bastard to control my emotions? I’m better than this.
“Are you still up for LARPing this weekend?” Blake asks.
“Yeah, Ben will be disappointed if I don’t go. Besides, I’m in dire need of some fun.”
One of the firemen approaches us, so I end the call quickly.
“You can go in to pack up your personal belongings now,” he says.
“Thank you, sir,” I reply.
“Nice outfit, by the way. Very authentic.”
Heat creeps up my cheeks. “Uh, thanks.”
I quicken my steps, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Vivian catches up with me, and once we’re inside, she asks, “Why did you run away? He was cute.”
“I didn’t run away.” I make a beeline to my room. What’s up with all the girls I know trying to set me up with random guys? Do I look desperate to them?
I pack a duffel bag with clothes that will last me a week, and also my costume and props for the weekend. Then comes the difficult decision to select only a few beloved books to bring with me. I’m not against e-books, but there’s something to be said about holding a real book in your hands. Plus, you don’t own e-books; you just buy the license to view the content. It can be erased from your digital library without warning. No, thank you.
In the end, I choose my Tolkien collection. I have to come back here Sunday to pack the rest of my stuff. I’ll do that after my volunteering job. As busy as I am, I can’t miss it. It’s Gladys’s ninetieth birthday party, and I have to be there.
I’m heading out the door when text messages and notifications start to blow up my phone.
What the hell? This can’t be about the fire.
I click on a random message, which turns out to be hate mail.
Shit on toast. The article about Troy is out.
4
CHARLIE
I skipped class on Friday—though not because I was afraid to deal with my article’s repercussion. I don’t give a flying fuck about Troy’s fan club outrage. No, thanks to that idiot, I caught a cold—one more item for my list of grievances against him. I was still all sniffles and coughs during LARP, which made for a rough event. Thankfully, I’m feeling better today, so it didn’t completely ruin my weekend, only half of it.
It’s 9:00 a.m., and the parking lot at Golden Oaks is still relatively empty. Sunday is prime visitation day for the assisted living part of the complex, and I’m glad I got here before the crowd. Gladys’s party is not until noon, but I promised the administrator I’d help set it up.