Page 6 of Seeds of Friendship
“That's pretty cold, man.”
“It's practical. Relationships make you selfish. And I can't afford to be selfish.”
Troy's quiet for a moment. “You ever just been friends with a girl? No expectations?”
I laugh, but it's hollow. “Doesn't work like that. I've tried. Every single time, it ends the same way. Either she catches feelings and I have to be the asshole who doesn't feel the same, or there's some drunk night where lines get crossed, or I start wanting more and fuck it all up. Better to keep boundaries clear from the start.”
“So what, you just hook up and bounce?”
“Basically. Set expectations early. No sleepovers, no dates, no feelings. Just fun.” I shrug. “It's cleaner. And I make sure it’s what the girl wants too. But that girl? She for sure wants more than that.”
Troy suddenly straightens, his whole demeanor shifting.
“Hello,” he murmurs, and I follow his gaze to two different girls examining coffee makers. They're clearly freshmen—thatmix of trying too hard and not knowing how to try yet. Both hot though, both blonde, matching yoga pants.
“Don't,” I warn, but Troy's already moving.
“Hey,” he says, sliding up with that smile he can turn on like a switch. “First time shopping for dorm stuff?”
The blonde one smiles back. “Is it that obvious?”
“Nah, we’re doing the same. See.” He grins, holding up his basket. “I'm Troy. This is my roommate, Freddie.”
“Jessica,” the blonde says. “This is Sophia.”
“We’re roommates too,” Sophia adds, eyeing me with interest.
“Aw, that's cute,” Troy says. “Freshman year roommates. You guys nervous about starting?”
Jessica laughs. “A little. We don't really know anyone here yet.”
“Well, now you know us.” Troy leans against the shelf like he owns the aisle.
“Hey, you guys know of any good parties tonight? We haven’t heard of any yet,” Sophia admits.
“Oh, well, perfect timing then,” Troy says without missing a beat. “We're actually throwing one. House party, nothing too crazy. You should come.”
I stare at him. “We are?”
“Of course, we are.” He doesn't even look at me. “First night in our new place. Oak Street, the white house on the corner.”
“That sounds fun,” Jessica says, already pulling out her phone. “What time?”
“Like, ten?” Troy suggests. “Bring whoever. We're trying to meet people.”
They exchange numbers while I stand there trying to process that we're apparently throwing a party barely two seconds after we moved in, with a possibly dying roommate on our couch.
“See you tonight,” Brittany says, giving me a smile that suggests she's already picked which roommate she's interested in.
After they leave, I turn to Troy. “A party? Really?”
“Come on, they were hot. You weren't going to say anything?”
He's not wrong. “Ethan might actually die.”
“He'll rally. Besides, we need to establish ourselves. Can't be the weird house nobody knows about.” He grabs Alfie's fancy coffee. “Trust me, this is how you make friends. Throw a party, provide alcohol, become legends.”
“Or get shut down by campus security. Besides, how are we going to get alcohol?”
