Page 2 of Lodged

“It was fine, you know how it is. Most students are ready to dive into their experiments, some are clueless, and a few are just taking the lab because they need the credits to graduate,” I reply with a shrug, tilting my head to the side.

My mind is still stuck on a certain redhead with the brightest smile and the most unique name I’ve ever heard. I can’t stop thinking about what it must have been like growing up with that name—the teasing, the endless bullying. And yet, how amazing she must be to be smiling the way she does, despite it all.

When I was growing up, people were bullied for the silliest things—their names, what they brought for lunch, where they lived, or what they wore. I hope it wasn’t like that for her, but kids can be cruel when they want to be.

“You have a pretty good assessment of your students, and it looks like you’re becoming more comfortable in your teaching role. Do you see yourself pursuing a career in academia, Gio?” Professor Smith asks as he rearranges his glasses on the bridge of his nose and rests his hip against a bench across from where I’m standing.

I inhale a deep breath before answering. Even though I’ve loved doing this teaching assistant gig, I’m not sure it’s the only thing I want to do with my degree. The environmentis constantly changing, and it’s of utter importance to me to understand how I can help keep the balance between human development and nature.

“To be completely honest, I’m not sure.” I wince at my own words, knowing that’s not the answer he’s expecting. I’m about to graduate; I should have my career path clear by now.

To my surprise, Professor Smith chuckles as he comes closer to me. “It’s normal to not know which way to go, Gio. Don’t sweat it. Maybe you’d be interested in a postdoctoral position in my lab while you decide? Food for thought.” He pats my back as he makes his way out of the lab, and I’m left speechless. I thought he would be disappointed in me. I guess there’s no tougher critic than yourself.

As I’m making my way back to my desk to collect my bag, I catch sight of a folded paper on the bench where Ruin and her lab partner were working. The paper is intricately folded into the shape of a bird. I pick it up, and upon closer inspection, I realize it’s a crane.

Hmm, interesting. I wonder if Ruin made this.

I’m about to toss it in the trashcan near the door when I notice writing inside. Carefully, I unfold it, and it says,“Kelly Riddle is a badass.”I chuckle and internally berate myself for thinking it was something related to Ruin. It serves me well for thinking about students when I shouldn’t. Once I’ve tossed it, I head to Main Street for food. I’m starving, and there’s a shawarma with my name on it.

Chapter 2

Ruin MacAllister

“Dumb, Ruin, you’re so dumb.” I berate myself as I step into my apartment. I live in one of the campus housing villages with three other roommates.

“Hey, Ruin, what’s up?” Evelyn, one of my roommates, greets me from the couch in the living room as I walk in.

“Ooph, I didn’t see you. Hi, Eve,” I say as I grab my chest with my hand, startled by her unexpected presence.

“So, why are you dumb?” she asks, a huge grin on her face. Evelyn is my closest friend here at school—she’s majoring in business administration, while I’m majoring in Forest Management.

“Nothing, I just left my favorite pen at the dining hall. By the time I went back, it was gone.” I pout for good measure, and Eve cracks up.

“Oh, yourluckypen? It’s okay, I’ll get you a new one, and since it’ll be a gift, it would still be the lucky one,” she states as if she has solved a huge mystery and is content with the result. She then turns her back to me and unpauses the movie she was watching when I came in.

God, I’m going to hell. Now I will have to toss my pen so she doesn’t realize I was lying. There’s no way I’m telling her that my new lab instructor makes my insides melt. Gio Bianchi is an angel on earth. He’s tall, with just enough muscle to show he takes care of his body, but not in that gym-rat way. His blond hair flows effortless, in soft waves on top, shorter on the sides. Blue eyes as clear as the Caribbean and a sharp jaw I’d love to lick and nip at in equal measure.

My stomach decides to make an unholy sound, yanking me back from my daydream. I try to cover it with a cough. Great—besides being dumb, I’m also the worst liar.Sigh. I quickly go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the fridge before disappearing into my room. I don’t want Eve to continue questioning me, so I run and hide in my private solace.

The apartment is nice and comfortable; the common area is the kitchen and the living room. It might feel crowded at times, but I love living here. The kitchen is the first thing you see as you enter, with a breakfast bar dividing it from the living area. We have a huge TV—a present from Michaela’s dad. Her family owns a tobacco farm in the eastern part of the state; needless to say, they are loaded. Each of us has our own room, and thereare two bathrooms—Evelyn and I share one, while Michaela shares with Charlotte, our other roommate. Even though I’m twenty-four, I get along with the girls pretty well. They’ve never questioned why I started school later than everyone else.

Once I’m in my room, I toss my backpack on the floor and flop onto my bed. Like the creeper I am, I pull out my phone and look up Gio Bianchi on the university website. According to the info here, he’s in the last year of his PhD. He came from Argentina and has won numerous teaching awards while excelling in his research. Wow, he’s the whole package: smart, dedicated, and hot. After swooning a little bit more over his official picture on the school website, I get a text notification from my twin sister, Rain.

Rain: What’s up, loser? You still coming home this weekend?

I chuckle at her endearment. It never fails to make me smile.

Ruin: Hi, love. I don’t think so *frown emoji* I already got a ton of homework for next week.

Rain: What? This is your first week of school. I knew you should have stayed at the community college here. *smh emoji*

Ahh, there it is. My family loves me—I know that—but they never waste a chance to tell me what they think about my decision to come to Raleigh to finish my college degree.

Instead of getting into a never-ending argument, I switch topics.

Ruin: How’s Mama doing?

Rain: She’s good. She’ll be bummed you’re not coming, though.

---