Page 16 of Dear Roomie
“Nathan,” I tell him, and he nods like that’s the only explanation he needs. “Would you mind grabbing me drinks for the whole group?”
“Even her?”
I think it over for a second before nodding in reluctant agreement. He fills up a tray with beers from the tap, and I take them back to the group. With only one drink left to deliver, I work up the courage to face the she-devil head-on.
She has her back to the group as she stares out into the crowd. I place a gentle hand on the back of her elbow to avoid startling her. “Hey, I got you a drink.”
My attempt fails as she jumps and spins to face me. Her abrupt motion knocks the full beer out of my hand, and I’m unable to do anything but watch in horror as its contents spill out onto her.
“What the hell, Morgan?” she screeches.
“I’m so, so sorry, James.” I search around us and grab some napkins off a nearby high-top to help clean her off. Without thinking, I try to wipe the liquid off her chest, and she pushes my hands away with a sound of disgust.
“Seriously? You are trying to cop a feel right now?” The rage on her face is clear as day.
“What? No. I was just trying to help. I’m sorry.” My cheeks flush as I hold out the napkins to her without meeting her eyes.
“I’m sure you were,” she says, her words dripping in venom. She rolls her eyes but doesn’t make a move to grab them from me. “Fuck this. I’m going home.”
“James, wait.” I stop her as she tries to storm off. “At least let me walk with you.”
She barks out a dark, bitter laugh. “Fuck off, Morgan.”
“It’s dark, and you’ve been drinking. Please let me come with you.” I reach for her wrist, but she rips it from my grasp.
“What about this isn’t getting through your thick fucking skull? You aren’t my dad, and you sure as hell aren’t my boyfriend, so you can take that bullshit white-knight attitude and shove it up your ass where it belongs.” She turns away, and this time, I don’t stop her as she flees the bar.
Chapter 7
James
“Jamie, how the hell could you not tell us about Morgan?” Chelsea ambushes me as I join her and Evelyn at our normal table in the dining hall.
A groan threatens to escape my lips. I should have known they would want to talk about him. Heaven forbid I have a single moment where Morgan fucking Hall isn’t at the forefront of my mind. He’s like a fungus slowly infesting my home and my mind. How am I supposed to stop thinking about him when his shoes are by the door and his dishes lay unwashed in the sink?
He’s everywhere, and now he’s spread his spores to infect my friends too. It’s beyond infuriating.
“I was hoping he would be gone before I had to,” I tell them with a bitter tone.
“Gone? Why?” Evelyn asks. “He seemed nice.” Her full cheeks grow pink as she drops her eyes to the table.
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Chelsea teases and pokes her elbow into our friend’s ribs. “I saw the fuck-me eyes you were giving him all night.”
“I wasn’t giving him you-know-what eyes,” she mumbles, her face growing even brighter.
For a brief moment, a flash of something ugly rears up inside me. In the three years I’ve known Evelyn, never once has she shown an interest in anyone, but here she is, crushing on my…I struggle to find the right word for Morgan. My roommate? My nemesis? I’m not sure, but something in me has laid claim. I force it back into the dark, where I can’t see it. Morgan Hall isn’t mine in any capacity.
“You’re one to talk, Chels. When I left, it looked like you were seconds away from sticking your tongue down Nathan’s throat.”
Her face breaks into a goofy grin as I bring up Morgan’s friend.
How did he manage to make friends that quickly? I floundered through my whole freshman year without finding anyone I clicked with. I didn’t even meet Chelsea and Evelyn until my sophomore year, but somehow, Morgan found a whole group within a few days. I don’t get it. He isn’tthatgreat.
“Wheredidyou run off to?” Chelsea questions.
“Don’t change the subject. I want to hear all the details.” And I don’t want to talk about Morgan; it’s bad enough I can’t stop thinking about him.
“Well, I went home with him,” Chelsea hedges, and her whole face shines with love-drunk adoration.
