Page 24 of Study Buddies

A loud bangstartled me out of deep slumber, and I sat straight up in bed, my heart pounding. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then, in the morning light, the worn furniture and posters on the walls came into view.

Another loud knock on the door made me clutch the blanket to my chest. What on earth was going on? “W-who is it?” My heart hammered in my chest.

The door flew open, and I shrieked as a large figure filled the doorframe. A tall man stormed into the room, tossing a large bag on the foot of the bed. I drew my knees up, still trying to figure out what was going on.

“Morning, Victoria,” said a familiar voice. With my sleepy mind still struggling to catch up, I focused on the face of the man towering over me. “I thought it was going to take more work to get you into my bed.”

Kyle.

12

LUCAS

Rage robbedme of speech as I stormed out of the bathroom. I’d heard the loud knock, Tori’s scream, and the arrogant words that followed. Kyle was standing in front of Tori’s bed, and I grabbed his arm and yanked him out into the hallway, fury providing fuel. I couldn’t even look at Tori—she’d come here seeking a safe space and I’d let this asshole barge in on her.

I dragged Kyle toward the kitchen. He took a few hasty steps to keep his balance.

Jayden appeared behind him, wearing only boxers and rubbing his eyes. “Jesus, where’d he come from?”

“He just burst into Tori’s room,” I growled.

“Myroom,” Kyle corrected with a smirk.

Jayden swore under his breath and squeezed past us in the hallway to Tori’s room. After taking a quick peek inside, he pulled the door shut. God knew what she was thinking in there. To go from a dead sleep to this asshole standing there—she’d never feel safe in this house again.

Or with me.

Kyle shook my hand off and strode into the kitchen. He made a beeline for the coffeemaker, as if he still lived here. The angercoursing through my blood was making it hard to speak, but then Jayden joined us. “Dude, seriously—what the hellwere you thinking?”

“What? It’s my room.” Kyle kept repeating that as if it was adequate justification for scaring Tori to death.

“You haven’t stayed in it since the beginning of summer, fuckface.” Jayden looked as worked up as he ever got. “She tutored you. She helped you. And you return the favor by scaring the shit out of her?”

Kyle scoffed. He was wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He leaned against the counter, placing the sole of one shoe flat against the cabinet door. “Hey, I knocked first, didn’t I?”

Fuck this guy. Tori’s shriek of shock echoed through my mind. “Is she okay?” I asked Jayden, and he nodded.

“What’s she even doing here?” Kyle demanded. “How did either of you get a girl like that to move in with you?”

Jayden’s eyes narrowed, and I knew it wasn’t the insult he was angry at. “She’s here because her last roommate was a creep who planted a fucking camera in her bedroom. We got her away from that asshole—only to let a different asshole barge in on her while she was in bed.”

“What?” The smug look faded from Kyle’s face. “Shit, that’s fucked up. I hope you beat the crap out of him.” He addressed his words to Jayden, as if he was the only one of us capable of defending Tori.

Kyle’s low-watt brain might not remember that I could throw a punch, but his jaw probably did.

“What’s going on?”

We all turned at the sound of the soft voice. Tori had on an oversized sweatshirt and leggings. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she hugged her arms to her chest. She looked from face to face with wide eyes.

“Hey, sorry I scared you,” Kyle said. He sounded like he meant it, but it was only because of what Jayden had revealed about Tori’s former roommate. Otherwise, he’d still be strutting around, proud of himself for riling everybody up.

Her dark brown eyes focused on him. “Why are you here?”

“You told me to come,” Kyle said, and I gaped at Tori in complete shock.

She looked just as surprised. “What? No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. You said I needed to get my laptop, and this is where I saw it last.”

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