Page 13 of Dear Roomie
“My roommate’s name is James. I thought James would be a guy, but she is most definitely not. When she saw my name was Morgan, she assumed I was a girl. Which, again, I very clearly am not. She doesn’t seem to be handling the fact that I have a penis well.” A penis that she has now been briefly acquainted with. My cheeks flush at the thought.
“No shit,” he says with a chuckle. “How bad is it?”
“Well, so far, she has sicced her hellhound on me, threatened to have her dad kick me out, and this morning, she accused me of setting her up to see my dick.”
“What a bitch.” He shakes his head in disbelief.
“No she’s not.” I jump to her defense. “That’s what makes it worse. Between all the madness, I’ve seen glimpses of a different side of her, and I actually liked that version. It just didn’t stick around very long.”
“Man, that is rough,” he agrees. “You should come out with me and my friends tonight. We like to hang out at a bar downtown, Cutter’s Pub. My buddy Gage works there and hooks us up with free drinks all night. We typically meet up around nine. Let me show you the type of people Athens truly has to offer. I can’t let James poison the city to you. We aren’t all crazy.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I tell him, and for the first time since James walked into the apartment, I have a good feeling about this year.
***
I thought I had escaped the humidity when I left Peru, but I was mistaken. The Athens air is thick with moisture that clings to my skin, coating me in a layer of sweat that sticks to my clothes. My need to wash away the day’s grime overrulesmy desire to stay away, and I find myself back at the apartment as the last of the sunlight fades.
James’s hellhound is asleep on the couch when I return. I creep through the dark apartment in a poor attempt at stealth, hoping the dog doesn’t notice me without James here to leash it. I could call for her if I need to be rescued, but knowing her, she’d let him eat me and laugh while I scream. My shin bangs against something hard, and the noise resounds through the room with a deafening echo.
The hellhound raises its head and lets out a low growl, paralyzing me with fear. My heart pounds in my chest as we stay locked in a silent standoff. Thankfully, after several tense seconds, he drops his head back to his paws, and I let out a breath of relief.
I don’t wait around to see what else he does.
After slipping into the sanctuary of my bedroom, I head toward the bathroom, pausing to make a point to knock on the door. A moment passes with no response, so I enter and lock both doors.
I won’t be making that mistake again.
My shower is quick, but it gets the job done. The mirror hasn’t even had time to steam over by the time I shut the water off. An orange piece of paper sticks to the reflective surface, catching my attention as I step out and reach for a towel. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I grab the bright Post-it.
Of course she left a note.
I crumble it in my fist and toss it into the bin in my room. The she-devil isn’t worth my time or energy. It’s clear she’s playing a game with me, but I’m two steps behind and missing the rule book. Drinks and good company are exactly what I need.
This early in the night, the city is only just beginning to stir. The streets are illuminated by the neon signs that clutter bar windows—bars that will only grow more packed as time progresses. The University of Georgia isn’t all that different from any other party school; over the next hour or so, the stench of stale beer will overpower any floral notes drifting in from the campus gardens, and the sidewalks will be flooded with drunken studentswho, for the most part, are probably underage. I’ve lived it before—heck, I’ve been that kid. The familiarity of it all settles the unease toiling in my chest.
Walking over to Cutter’s Pub only takes me a few short minutes. A bored bouncer checks my ID at the door and doesn’t give me a second glance as I enter the vaguely Irish-themed pub. My attention is immediately drawn to the large square bar in the center of the room. It’s stocked with an impressive selection of beers and liquors and has an array of TVs overhead displaying various sportingevents. Dark walls and exposed brick make the space feel smaller, creating a more intimate atmosphere, and the sounds of pool balls and dad rock fill the air. It’s got the vibe of a dive bar but with a different clientele. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing yet.
I spot Nathan leaning against the far edge of the bar, drinking alone. It’s not exactly what I’m expecting, but I head in his direction regardless. He notices me and tips his glass in my direction with a relaxed smile.
“Hey, man, glad you could make it.” He pulls me into an unexpected bro-hug. The causal touch catches me off guard; I can’t tell if it’s his personality or if he’s already drunk.
“Thanks for inviting me. Are we the first ones here, or did your friends bail?”
“Well, that ugly bastard is Gage.” He points to the giant of a man serving drinks to a group of giggling women on the other side of the bar. “He’ll join us when he can. And Karis is running late, as usual.”
“You said meet around nine, not at nine. Very different things, and therefore, I’m not late,” a snarky voice cuts in.
A woman joins our group. She’s dressed head to toe in black, from her dyed asymmetrical bob to the tattoos that cover her arms and chest. It’s almost enough to distract from her size. Karis has to be one of the shortest women I’ve ever met. There’s no way she even approaches five feet; despite that, she has a presence about her that makes her seem bigger than she is.
“Speak of the devil,” he says with a playful smirk.
“Oh, please, the devil’s got nothing on me.” She winks at my new friend and turns her attention to me. “So you’re the newest stray?” The playfulness she had with him disappears as she cocks her head and appraises me with predatory eyes.
There must be something in the water that makes Athens women this aggressive.
Nathan winces and gives me an apologetic look. “Come on, Kare Bear, play nice.”
“Fuck off, Butler, I am playing nice,” she snaps in his direction. “We’ve all been there.” She turns back to me with the same assessing attitude. “He found me half overdosed on caffeine in the library last fall, and I’ve been stuck with him since. Gage and I train at the same MMA gym, and Nathan adopted him after, like, the second class I drug him to. The point is, we were all strays at one point.”
