Page 25 of Accidental Roommates

“We’re gonna check out the laser tag. I’ve never been to the one here. Have you?”

“When I was a freshman. I haven’t been there since.”

“Why? Does it suck?”

“No, it just seemed more for little kids. But I heard they changed it and made Friday and Saturday nights for adults only. I think they might even serve beer.”

I look at Kenzie. “I’m liking this idea even more.”

She smiles. “Yeah, it sounds fun.” She leans over me toward Levi. “I’m Kenzie.”

“Sorry,” I say. “I should’ve introduced you. Kenzie, this is Levi, one of the guys from the basketball team. Levi, this is Kenzie, my new roommate.”

“Hey.” He gives her a wave, then says to me, “Sorry to hear about Nikki.”

I shrug. “Wasn’t meant to be.”

“Carter found a room in Halcott.”

“He’s back in the dorms?” I laugh. “Nobody wanted him?”

“Not after what he did to you. The guys don’t trust him now. If he lied to you, one of his closest friends, he’ll lie to any of us. I still can’t believe he did that. And then he does it in your house. Like he couldn’t go somewhere else?”

“Are the guys still talking to him?”

“Well, yeah. We just don’t want to live with him.” His phone dings and he checks it. “That’s Dax. He’s waiting at my house. You sure you guys don’t want to go with us tonight?”

“We don’t want to risk running into our exes,” I say. “And I shouldn’t be around Carter right now.”

He nods. “Yeah, Carter will definitely be there. I’m guessing Nikki will be there too.” He steps back from the truck. “Let me know how the laser tag goes. If there’s beer, I might go back there sometime.”

“Okay, see ya.” I pull back on the street and drive off.

“He knows?” Kenzie says. “About Liam?”

“No. Why?”

“You told him we were trying to avoid our exes.”

“Oh, shit, sorry. I wasn’t even thinking. You didn’t want people to know and then I just blurted it out. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine. I never told you not to tell anyone.”

“I won’t tell anyone else. I promise.”

“It’s not a secret. It’s just that telling people makes it more real. I’m trying to pretend it never happened.”

“But it did, so it might be better to just accept that and try to move on.”

She sighs. “If anyone but you said that, I’d want to throw something at them.”

I glance at her. “Why not me?”

“Because you know what I’m going through. You’re the only one I know who can understand how this feels. And it happened to us at the same time so in a way we’re going through it together.”

“Which means you won’t hit me if I say stuff like that?”

“You get a free pass. But it goes both ways. I get to say stuff to you too.”

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