Page 6 of The Rule Breaker
I flop back against my pillow. “I think I’d rather be in bed with snacks and a movie than stepping in questionable bodily fluids at a frat house.”
She gasps, clutching her chest. “That is slander. This one only smells like stale beer and bad decisions.”
I arch a brow. “Oh, well, in that case. Totally convinced,” I reply, with a dry look.
“You’re coming.” She jabs a finger at me. “I refuse to let my hot new roommate rot away in bed on the first weekend of college.”
I groan but can’t fight the smile tugging at my lips. “Fine. But if some guy in a wife-beater breathes too close to me, I’m out.”
Aurora’s eyes light up. “Hell yes!” She jumps off my bed, already rifling through my clothes. “Okay, let’s find something slutty but approachable.”
I snort. “What does that even mean?”
She waggles her brows and flings a tiny black lace top at me. “It means this.”
3
RYAN
“Absolutely fucking not.”
Austin’s bloodshot eyes lock onto mine as I lean against the wall, holding what would’ve been his tenth drink of the night.
“Come on, man,” he slurs, swiping for the cup. “Just one more.”
I yank the cup back, watching as he nearly topples over.Jesus. “I told you to get your shit together. We have a game tomorrow. You really think showing up half-dead is the move?”
He scoffs, stumbling backward and nearly taking out two girls passing behind him. “I’m not drunk.”
To prove his point, he attempts to walk in a straight line, only to bulldoze straight into a side table, sending a vase crashing to the floor.
“Fuck,” he mutters, staring at the shattered pieces. “Where the hell did that come from?”
I drag a hand down my face. I love the guy, but fuck, he’s a walking liability.
Nathan lets out a long sigh, then steps in and hooks an arm under Austin’s. He groans as Nathan tries to haul him upright. “Jesus, you weigh a ton,” Nathan grits out.
Austin gasps dramatically. “Rude. I’m bulking.”
Nathan rolls his eyes and, with one final grunt, heaves Austin onto the couch. Austin flops back against the cushions like a rag doll, until he spots the girl sitting beside him.
His head jerks up, a lazy grin spreading across his face. In one fluid motion, he throws an arm around her shoulder. “Hey,” he drawls. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”
The girl barely glances at him before scooting as far away as the couch allows.
Nathan snorts. “Yeah, real smooth.”
Logan, standing nearby with his arms crossed, watches Austin sway in place. “Hate to break it to you, but you can barely stand on your own.”
Austin grins, slumping further into the couch. “That’s why I’m sitting, genius.”
Nathan grabs a water bottle off the table and chucks it at Austin’s face. It bounces off his forehead into his lap. “Sober up. We need you tomorrow.”
Austin blinks up at him with a lazy, wrecked grin. “You do?” he sighs dramatically, throwing his head back like this is the most touching declaration of his life.
Nathan scowls, shaking his head. “He acts like he’s my fucking kid.”
Logan elbows him, smirking. “Aw. How cute. Guess we know who the daddy of the group is.” But his amusement fades the second he glances at Austin, who’s now deadweight against the couch, head tilted back, mouth wide open, snoring.
