Page 130 of Study Buddies

“They’re probably canceling more classes as we speak.” His voice was tight with concentration. “Can you text Lucas and Kyle? Let them know they should stay where they are.”

“Good idea.” I unlocked my phone and typed quickly, thumbs flying over the screen. I sent a message to each of them—separately, of course. With the way those two didn’t get along, a group chat was basically a fantasy, even though that would’ve been the normal thing to do for four people sharing a house.

When I turned off my phone, it was like being plunged into total darkness. The headlights only lit up a narrow tunnel ahead of us, everything else swallowed by the storm. It really did feel like the middle of the night.

I gripped the armrest tightly, like that could somehow protect me.

Jayden sat forward, steady at the wheel. He looked calm, but his hands were wrapped tight around it—too tight. His knuckles were pale, and every so often his jaw clenched.

By the time we passed the little coffee shop about a mile from the house, we were one edge. The drive from the university had already taken over twice as long as usual.

Jayden jerked his head toward the window.

“Look,” he muttered.

I followed his gaze and blinked through the rain-streaked glass. The coffee shop was dark. So was the gas station across the street.

“No lights,” I murmured.

“Power’s gone out,” he said grimly.

“I’d say we’re heading back to a very dark house.”

“Yeah,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the road. “But let’s just get there safely, and then we’ll worry about that.”

The last mile was the worst. The narrow road twisted and climbed up the hill toward the house, and the wind had knocked down more than a few branches. None of them were big enough to block the road completely, but Jayden had to swerve around more than one. My heart climbed higher into my throat with every turn.

I barely breathed the entire time.

It was so damn dark that I didn’t even realize we’d made it home until the headlights flashed across the porch. I let out a huge sigh of relief as Jayden pulled into the driveway, cut the engine, and turned off the lights.

We sat there for a minute in the sudden stillness, the storm still howling around us. Thunder cracked in the distance, and lightning lit up the mountains to the right.

“We’re going to get soaked getting in there.” Jayden glanced toward the front steps, eyes narrowing at the downpour.

“Yeah, I know.”

“To tell you the truth, I’m not in any hurry.”

I let out a laugh and leaned back against the seat. “Me either.”

He shifted, resting his hand on the steering wheel. “So now that I’m not driving… let’s talk.”

“About?”

“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging. “How are you doing? It’s been a busy week.”

“Yeah,” I admitted, “it has.”

He turned toward me more fully, giving me his attention. “What’s going on with your classes?”

I groaned softly. “Nothing much. Just a lot of papers to write. And baseball players to tutor. The usual.”

Jayden chuckled. “I’m sure that’s extra work for you, but it seems like it’s going well. When you and Lucas were gone last weekend, and I helped him, he was really trying. I was kind of surprised.”

“In a good way?”

“In a good way,” he confirmed.

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