Page 11 of The Roommate Lie

“Beat poetry?” Jason repeats, and Alice beams, delighted. If she could give me a gold star for my answer, she would. I guess beat poetry exists after all.

“Meter and rhyme don’t interest Charlie,” she tells her ex. “He makes his own rules.”

Is that what beat poetry is? I nod emphatically, and Alice tries not to laugh—that’s how relieved she is about my answer. Her gaze finds mine for a split second, and I feel like I won a prize.

“You write poems?”

I’d almost forgotten Tiffany was here, but the sound of her voice brings everyone back to reality. Alice’s smile fades, and all her sadness rushes back in. I have to get her out of here before she breaks. Before she falls apart in front of two people who don’t deserve another second of her time.

Jason wants her out of here too. For very different reasons. “Do you need to call a cab to take you back to the bus station? We should at least move your luggage out of the way. It’s blocking the entire path.”

He’s more concerned with sidewalk traffic than anything. Reaching around her backpack and duffle bag, he grabs the handle of her giant red suitcase. But he underestimates his opponent.

That thing is heavier than it looks. He yanks it off the ground, but it slips free with a jolt. Her suitcase flies out of his hand and crashes to the ground, vibrating with a loud metallic clank.What is in that thing?

Jason knows.

His eyes narrow, and whatever she packed, it’s basically his enemy. Before he can say anything, I edge past him to grab her suitcase myself. He tries to block me. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting her bags—that’s why I’m here. She’s staying with me. Right, Allie?”

I’m not sure where this new lie comes from—how my autopilot is that broken.If she’s staying at my place, why didn’t I just meet her at the bus station?But Jason doesn’t fight me on it, and neither does Alice. That girl is too busy trying not to cry. When she nods weakly, I keep going.

“Alice texted after she saw your message. I told her since you were so busy, she could just stay with me while she’s in town. She wasn’t sure if you’d set anything up, and I’ve got plenty of space. Alice is going to be my roommate for the week.”

Only some of that is a lie. I just met Alice, but she mentioned back at the bus station she wasn’t sure where she was staying. Jason promised he had it covered—but that was before he canceled on her via text. I wait for him to correct me, to tell me he set something up for her like they planned, and she should stay there instead. For him to go full protective boyfriend even though he’s technically her ex.

He doesn’t.

Before I can figure out why, Tiffany solves that riddle for me. Accidentally. “Why would he set up a place for her to stay? Jason didn’t even know she was coming—they barely talk anymore. She just showed up out of nowhere.”

That isn’t true. There’s too much panic in Jason’s eyes, too much pain and confusion in Alice’s.That’s why we’re getting away with this.Jason hasn’t called us out on a single terrible lie because he’s been telling lies of his own. Even if Tiffany hasn’t realized it yet.

I want to blow up his game so bad, prove he was playing both sides, but now isn’t the time. Alice glances away, and she can’t handle much more of this. I need to get her out of here like I planned—fast.

Bracing myself, I lift her giant suitcase, beg my shoulder not to dislocate, and usher her toward the resort exit. “Come on, babe.”

I hate how wrong that nickname feels, but I love how it makes Jason flinch. So I finish what I started. Letting those next words sound as indecent as they want.

“Let’s get you back to my place. Where you belong.”

Chapter Six

ALICE

Charlie doesn’t say much in the car, and I spend the whole drive trying to pretend the last hour never happened. By the time we reach the bus station, I still haven’t shed a single tear—until we walk inside, and I realize I’m stuck.

Stranded in the actual mountains. In a town the size of a postage stamp.

“What do you mean there are no more buses leaving today? How am I supposed to get to Denver?”

If I don’t make it back to the bus concourse, I can’t reschedule my return trip and go home. It isn’t even six o’clock yet. The summer sun hasn’t set. What do they mean all the buses are gone?

“And if I can’t get to Denver”—I pause mid-sob to catch my breath—“how will I get back to Texas?”

Honestly, it’s a wonder Charlie and his brother can understand anything I’m saying, but they both nod sympathetically. As if they’re fluent in the language of Sobbing Girl.

“Do you need your car tonight?” Charlie asks his brother. “I don’t mind driving her back to the airport. As long as they have space on another flight, everything else should be easy.”

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