Page 30 of The Perfect Accomplice

“Hi,” she said when he got to her.

“Sorry for not being up here to greet you but I was looking for a snack to offer you,” he explained. “Unfortunately, this is all I could scrounge up. You like chocolate chip?”

“Sure,” she said, taking one from the bag.

“I don’t want to be a cliché, but can I offer you a drink too, beer maybe? Or water?”

“I’m good, thanks,” she assured him. There was no way she was accepting any beverage provided to her here. “Do we want to do this?”

Finn smiled at her.

“I can tell you’re really uncomfortable being here and I appreciate that you came anyway, so I’ll skip the pleasantries. Shall we go up to Reggie’s room?”

Suddenly, Hannah was overcome with second thoughts. Had she really agreed to come to this fraternity house and, more than that, up to the bedroom of some guy she didn't know with another guy she barely knew? She was now kicking herself for not telling her roommate, Lizzie, where she was going.

“I guess,” she said hesitantly, “but you should know that if I feel sketched out at any point, I reserve the right to kick both your asses. And since you know about my history, you know I can do it.”

“I have no doubt,” he said, his grin getting even bigger, “but I can assure you, no violence will be necessary.”

As they walked up the stairs, Hannah could hear enthusiastic hollering from somewhere up above, as if several guys were engaged in some kind of competition and others were cheering them on. Their voices echoed off the stairwell walls, creating a teeth-rattling echo. When they reached the second floor, Finn indicated that they should head down the long hallway. The fluorescent lights that ran along the ceiling flickered slightly.

“We should probably get those replaced,” Finn said, noting her glance up.

“That might be good,” she agreed as she walked along the sticky linoleum floor. “It could give the place less of an ‘abandoned mental hospital’ vibe. You guys might also consider mopping the floors occasionally, maybe using something with a fresh, sanitized scent to cover the smell of beer and whatever got burned recently.”

“I think it might have been grilled cheese,” Finn admitted sheepishly. “I wasn’t here but apparently it set off the fire detectors this afternoon.”

They were halfway down the hallway and what had been flickering overhead lights now turned to semi-darkness as the majority of them the rest of the way were burned out.

“How much farther is the room?” she asked, turning to Finn. “I feel like I’m in a Saw movie or something.”

“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly. “I guess we don’t really notice this kind of stuff until a guest points it out. Reggie’s room is the last one on the left.”

When they finally arrived, Hannah noticed that the light seeping out from under the door was red, which didn’t inspire confidence.

“Why don’t you do the honors?” she requested of her host, trying to keep the discomfort out of her voice.

Finn nodded and banged on the door. “Hey Reggie, it’s Finn. I’m here with the guest I told you about. Can we come in?”

“It’s unlocked,” Reggie called out from behind the door.

Finn opened it and dramatically gestured for Hannah to enter. She did, surveying the room. It was immediately clear where the red came from. The overhead lights were off, but Reggie had a large lava lamp on a desk, which illuminated the room just enough for her to get a sense of it.

To her surprise, it was much tidier than the rest of the house. There were no clothes on the floor, all the shelves were neatly arranged with his books, and the bed that Reggie was lying on was made. He sat up as she entered.

Reggie had dark skin, a tightly shorn scalp, and anxious brown eyes. He was wearing jeans and a gray Omega Sigma hoodie. He offered a shy smile as he stood up to shake her hand.

“Thanks for coming,” he said quietly. “I’m Reggie.”

Hannah was startled and mildly embarrassed that she hadn't picked up on one of Reggie's primary features until he was standing. The guy was enormous. Hannah was five foot nine, and she estimated that he was probably close to a foot taller than her.

"Hi, Reggie," she said, trying not to let her jaw drop. "I hear you're having some kind of issue that Finn thought I could help with."

"Yeah," he said, pulling out his desk chair for her before returning to his bed. Finn leaned against the dresser along the wall. Hannah took the seat and waited for Reggie to go on. When he stayed silent, she realized she was going to have to prod him.

Before she could, the music downstairs changed from Steve Miller to Ariana Grande and got about twenty percent louder.

“What’s that all about?” she asked Finn.

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