“No worries.”
“You live here too?” I ask. Dumb. She already told me she lives here.
I see the back of her head nod. I’ve never spoken to her before, but I’ve seen Gracie Song around enough to know that she’s normally chatty. Social. But right now she seems like she’d rather be stuck on this staircase with a dead skunk instead of me.
My heart beats heavily. I have no idea why Gracie doesn’t like me now when a few moments ago she asked if I needed help.
“What floor are you on?” I ask.
“Same as you.” She still sounds pissed off.
Why does it bother her so much that we’ll be living on the same floor?
When we get to the third floor, she turns right and sets the box down. She points to the first door. “That’s you,” she says. “The bathroom’s down the hall.” She disappears in the same direction, walking past my room.
Okay. That was weird.
I look at the door in question, and yes, the number 225 is on it. I unlock the door and drag my things into what will be my room for the rest of my first year of university.
Modestis an understatement. The room issmall. There’s a shallow closet on one side of the door and a window on the left wall. The furniture is old and looks more run-down than what I had in West Hall. There are two twin beds, two desks with wood chairs, and two small dressers. Why are there two of everything? The housing guy told me it was a single room. With all the furniture, it’s incredibly cramped, especially compared to the apartment-style room Mia and I had in West Hall. I have no idea how anyone could share a room this small. If a person slept on each bed, they could hold hands.
But there’s no sign of a roommate. Both mattresses are bare, and there’s nothing on either desk. Alone, I could make this room work. Put up some posters and tapestries. Some octopuses. Make it my own.
I drop my box and bags on the floor and search for sheets to make up the beds. I’ll use the bed near the window for sitting on, and sleep on the other one. After making both beds, I toss Tentacle Ted on the bed by the window and start putting my clothes away. Eventually, I run out of space in one of the small dressers. I have a lot of bulky sweatshirts, so I’ll need to use both dressers.
But when I open the bottom drawer of the second dresser, it’s not empty. I try the other drawers, and they’re full too. A stack of black T-shirts (men’s size medium), jeans, and a drawer full of boxer briefs. This room is supposed to be empty. Maybe Idohave a roommate? But this looks like a male-identifying person’s stuff. The dorms at the school are coed, but individual rooms are not.
The top drawer has some mail in it. I hate to snoop—but I need to know who, or what, I’m dealing with here.
The top letter is from the school registrar and is addressed toJay Hoque.
My breath hitches. I know that name. Jay Hoque is themissingguy. The one who Mia thinks is most definitelydead. That’s why Gracie looked at me like I was moving into a ghost’s room. I am.
At that moment, my phone buzzes with a message. When I check it, I see that it’s from the roommate-chatting feature on ResConnect.It’s probably Mia begging me to come back. I open the app, intending to tell her I’m not her roommate anymore.
But it’s not Mia.
Jay:Hey I just got notice you’re my new roommate. Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be fighting this. They told me I’d be alone all year.
I stare at the phone, blinking. So ... Jay is back? How did I miss that the guy finally turned up? Maybe that’s what that newspaper article is about?
I don’t write back. What am I supposed to say?Yay, you’re not dead?
This means I’ve been assigned to a room with a person already living in it. A male person. And the school won’t allow a female student to live with a male one, especially in such a tiny room. The housing guy said there’s nothing else in the school. I’m going to be sent back to Mia’s room.
Ugh. There goes my chance for a fresh start.
THREE
Unfortunately, the university housing office is in West Hall, the building I just moved out of. With wind stinging my face, I trudge back there, cursing the storm. The whole campus looks deserted. It’s creepy with the blowing snow and wind whipping the tree branches around. It feels like the end of the world.
My heart is pounding when I get to West Hall. I go straight to the first-floor offices, still not really believing that this is happening. I mean, what are the chances? Not only is theonlyempty room in the entire university not really empty after all, but it’sJay’sroom. Jay Hoque.
I didn’t know Jay Hoque, but I’d seen him around campus a lot before he disappeared. In the student center, in dining halls, even at campus events. I’m pretty sure I even crashed into him in the library once. Actually, before he disappeared, it felt like I saw Jayeverywhere, and when I mentioned that to Mia, she claimed I was obsessed with him or something. She even said it was just like me to lust after an unattainable guy, which was ridiculous. I wasn’tlustingafter him; it was just hard not to notice Jay.
I’m sorry for what happened to him and all, but the dudeexudedbad-boy vibes. If this were a teen movie, he’d be either the stoner or the mysterious guy no one knows who somehow ends up with the head cheerleader. He’d be Bender if this wereThe Breakfast Club. Patrick in10 Things I Hate About You. Or Logan, if this were the best TV show ever,Veronica Mars.
And now I’ve seen the guy’s underwear. I have no idea how I’ll be able to face him on campus.
