Page 3 of Vexing the Viper

Mateo shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe our roommate?"

"Ugh, our roommate is a baseball player? Yuck." I quickly scan the note, taking in what my dad wrote,

Welcome to Creelin U King Porter,

The Creelin Cockatoos are excited to have you join our team! We're looking forward to a great season! Make sure to unpack and get rest as we'll be jumping into practice right away on Monday! However, we will have a small meeting on Saturday after human orientation. See you then,

Coach Mahone

"I thought you said they've already been practicing?" Mateo asks after reading the note along with me.

"They have been. Well, the monsters have been. Some humans can't start until after they move in."

"So, our new roommate is a baseball player…" Mateo says, his eyes widening as he comes to the same conclusion as me.

"And a fucking human," I finish for him.

2

KING

As I runthrough the quad, I pass students and take a double look at the Zombie that lumbers past me. Shit, I'll have to get used to that. Where I come from, monsters exist, but not too many. Here at Creelin U, they’re everywhere–and I meaneverywhere. I make it a point to not stare, but I find them so fascinating. There’s a reason humans jokingly call this place “Creepin U”.

How amazing it must be to be a monster. I’ve seen so many species, and I’ve only been here a day. I’ve seen some flying high above the ground while there are others walking around with three heads. A Centaur helped me find my dorm hall, and I was stunned at how huge he was. And those that can shift? Damn, those are some cool-ass dudes. This morning, while dropping off my stuff in my new dorm, I ran into a Mummy. I must have startled him because he quickly shifted from human, to Mummy, then back again. It was wicked cool to see.

After running into him, I easily found my dorm, but neither of my roommates were there. I know they’d moved in already because their stuff was everywhere, but there was no one to befound. I waited as long as I could to see if they would show up, but I worried I would miss orientation, so I left.

Fuck. Orientation.

Which I'm currently late for.

I pick up speed and keep running, trying to find the building where they’re holding human orientation. Coming to Creelin U wasn't my original plan, but when I was offered an athletic scholarship to transfer here, I couldn't turn it down. Getting a scholarship meant I didn't have to take out more loans, which was a plus for me. The baseball team here is also really talented and they were looking to improve their roster.

I was on the team at my previous university, but I wasn't seeing much field time–I was only a sophomore and they tended to play the upperclassmen. I’d worked my ass off to become a great baseball player, but riding the bench hurt. I gave it my all during practice, only to never be noticed. I'm hoping it'll be different here. We'll have to wait and see.

Skidding to a stop, I apologize to the guy in front of me that I've almost crashed into before pivoting around him. Fuck, I really need to slow down. I glance at my watch, seeing I have three minutes to get where I'm going. Not wanting to get lost, I walk toward a group of girls in the middle of the quad and tap one on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Hi, would you happen to know where the human orientation is?" I ask her.

She whips around, her eyes scanning me from head to toe, taking in my basketball shorts and plain black tee. Looking down at my clothes, I grimace and immediately regret the decision to not dress a little better. I snatch my baseball cap off my head and swipe my brown hair back before putting my cap back on. I glance back at her and grin. She has shiny purple hair down to her waist and light violet eyes. She smiles sweetly at me, and that's when I notice the sharp fangs.

Again. So, fucking cool.

"Uh, yeah. You have to head down that way." I follow her finger. "Then it's on the left. Just go up the stairs.”

I offer her a swift “thank you” before taking off again. Luckily, I reach the auditorium in time, slipping into a seat in the back and huffing loudly from being out of breath.

"Damn, you barely made it," a voice next to me whispers.

Turning my head, I take in the guy next to me. He has dirty blond hair and blue eyes. He's about my size, bulky and muscular, but my eyes widen when I notice his Creelin U baseball sweatshirt. And hey, he's human. I haven't run into many of my own kind today.

"Barely. Are you on the team?" I ask enthusiastically, gesturing to his sweatshirt. Since baseball doesn't start until the spring, we haven't had an official practice yet, which means I haven't met any of the other players.

"Yeah, I start practice on Monday. Fucking excited to be here."

"Same. On the baseball team, I mean. And excited to be here." He bumps his fist into mine, laughing.

"Fucking awesome. I'm Sam," he says.

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