Page 29 of Frat House Fling

I’m not going to take the bait, Batty.

I wrinkled my nose at that.‘Batty’ makes me sound like I’m crazy.

Well, wouldn’t you have to be crazy to live in a house full of guys you describe as ugly losers?

You have a point there.

Anyway, if you don’t like Batty, how about Wombat?

I paused, turning the name over in my head.Are they nocturnal?

No clue. They’re small and cute, though. Like you.

Well, anyone would look cute next to the trolls who live here.

He sent me a winking emoji.You’re really doubling down on calling these guys ugly. Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?

That was another good point.Both? Neither? At any rate, I should get to bed.

Yeah, it’s probably time for you to go crawl into your den or hole or sewer or wherever it is that wombats live.

He’d made me grin again.I’m pretty sure they don’t live in sewers.They’re not ninja turtles.I vowed to do a little wombat research before next time.

Wait, next time? For some reason, the idea didn’t bother me.Goodnight, whoever you are.

Sleep well, my batty little wombat.

I smiled and shook my head as I set my phone on the desk. While I changed into my pajamas, I replayed the strange conversation in my mind. It had been weird. Very weird.

But not unpleasant.

10

HAILEY

Despite the late night,I got an early start the next day. I’d found that being an early riser was the best way to avoid a line at the restroom. It still startled the hell out of me when someone knocked or tried to open the door when I was in there. But there were five of us on this floor, so I couldn’t expect all the guys to use the one at the other end of the hall. They’d be late to class.

After a quick breakfast, I spent another hour in the kitchen. I’d been too tired to finish everything last night. If Bennett had seen that, he would’ve gotten angry, but he didn’t go in the kitchen much unless it was to bark orders at me.

When I deemed that everyone was awake, I started with the rooms on the second floor. Matt was out, presumably staying with his girlfriend for the weekend. Theo wasn’t in his room, either, so I took my time in there. It was such a peaceful, relaxing space. It made me feel better to be in there, much like when I was in Professor Whitmore’s condo when I stopped by to take care of her dog during the day.

At Nelson’s room, I stopped to listen by the door. There weren’t any video game noises, but there was still the persistent smell of weed. I knocked several times. Finally, a muffled voicetold me to go away. I smiled to myself as I did so. His room was always an easy one to check off the list. So far, I hadn’t even set foot in there.

At Ian’s room, I paused. Faint music met my ears, and I listened hard, wondering what kind of songs the future doctor liked. The music sounded… odd, and kind of dated. There was a quick tempo, but also the unmistakable sounds of a synthesizer.

The music shut off and he opened the door. His hair was sticking up ad odd angles, and his eyes were a little bloodshot. Had he studied late into the night? He looked tired and not particularly happy to see me.

Someone wasn’t a morning person.

“I’m here to clean your room.”

“It’s fine.”

“All right,” I said, and then curiosity got the better of me. “Were you listening to 80s music?” It was an amusing thought, and I had to fight off a smile.

He looked irritated. “It must’ve gotten on the wrong playlist. I was studying, so I didn’t notice.”

I could see past him, and it was obvious he’d been working hard. There was an open laptop on his desk, as well as some thick textbooks and a pile of papers. A desk lamp illuminated it all.

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