Page 30 of My Roommate from Hell
That makes it twice in one night.
Maybe it’s because it’s early and I didn’t sleep well, but frustration, an emotion I’m not that used to, surges within me. Would it be so hard for him to close the door quietly? That way I could catch up on the sleep he cost me by hooking up on the bed about ten inches from mine.
I sit up, and my mouth drops open.
Our room is a mess.
Zarmenus has left a bunch of clothes on the floor. There is evena pair of bright red underwear slung over his desk chair. How did he not think he should put them away?
There’s a coffee sitting on my desk. It has my name on it, next to a heart.
Zarmenus’s apology for last night?
Probably.
I get out of bed, grab the coffee, and angrily take a sip. It’s another matcha latte. Which is nice, it really is, but I don’t know if it undoes what he did last night.
I’m annoyed, but this matcha latte is delicious. I take another sip and try to figure out if him bringing me such a delicious drink cancels out him waking me up.
My phone buzzes. It’s a message from Tyrell.
Hey Owen! It was so nice meeting you last night, hope you aren’t too bruised from our fight, haha. Anyway, I was thinking of going to Green Oaks Mall this morning, and I was wondering if you’d like to come with? I can buy you a smoothie for the favor you did me last night? Totally okay if not.
I forget all about being annoyed at Zarmenus. He reached out! This is amazing!
I’d love to! And you don’t have to get me a smoothie. But yeah, sounds good?
About an hour later, I stroll up to the bus stop in front of my dorm room to discover Tyrell is already waiting for me. His outfit is a palette-swapped version of last night: now his shirt is pink, but it’s still tucked into a pair of chinos leading to a pair of well-worn dress boots. He looks bright and refreshed, and I can feel the heavy bags under my eyes.
“Did you go out last night?” he asks.
Oof. Seems I look as tired as I feel.
“No, I just didn’t sleep very well.”
“Ah, fair. It takes a while to adjust.”
I notice just how cute Tyrell is. Not that I even think that’s where this is going. My dating experience in high school was pretty much defined by me having crushes on guys that were unavailable, and I don’t want to continue that here, even though Tyrell Finch is objectively adorable. Even more attractive is how sweet and thoughtful he seems. I know I can’t control my feelings and who I like, though I wish I could. But that’s not what I want from Tyrell.
I want a friend. Someone I can talk to about how increasingly annoying Zarmenus is becoming.
The urge to vent comes on, hard and fast. So far, I’ve barely told anyone what it’s really like sharing a room with Zarmenus. Tyrell knows I’m sharing a room with him, but last night I decided to keep the more painful parts a secret. I haven’t even told Ashley, because that would truly cement that I’m having roommate issues, something I’m not sure I’m ready to accept.
“Actually, something happened last night,” I say.
“Ooh, spill.”
The bus arrives. We climb on, taking a seat near the back. Now I’m second-guessing my decision to tell Tyrell. Not because I don’t trust him, but because there is a bunch of other people on this bus within earshot.
“Does this have something to do with Zarmenus?” he asks.
I nod. “I’ll tell you when we get there,” I say, glancing around the crowded bus.
We talk about TV shows (he is currently rewatchingAbbott Elementary) and comics (his favorite character is a tie between Nightwing and Spider-Man) until we reach the mall and go inside.
“How about this,” he says, as I peer into a Hot Topic that has a Hell display in the front, offering a bunch of red-and-orange T-shirts and hoodies. “I buy you a smoothie, and you tell me everything.”
“Deal.”
