Theo and I exchange a smirk. Us? Cook?Yeah, right.
“Have y’all met the other two guys yet?” Nate asks, glancing toward rooms “A” and “B” at the far end of the apartment.
“We found each other on Instagram,” Theo answers, pulling out his phone from his pocket. “Max Alvarez and Vimlesh… Panikkar?” Theo wavers as he attempts the pronunciation, but I doubt anyone here knows if he’s right or wrong. “Vimlesh is supposed to move in today, but Max won’t be here until tomorrow.”
“Cool. Do they seem…” Nate trails off awkwardly.
“Nice?” Theo offers, clearly missing Nate’s implication.
“Chill with having a queer roommate, you mean?” I say. “They’d better be.”
Theo’s eyes flicker with fear for a moment, and I have to look away. Shit. I probably shouldn’t have said anything.
“Don’t worry about that,aroha,” Kora says, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “If anything seems off, go straight to your RA. Your paperwork should have their contact info and what dorm they’re staying in.”
“And if that doesn’t work,” Grace adds, nudging me. “Oliver and I will kick their asses. Right?”
I nod. “Bet.”
“Also,” Caleb chimes in. “I already stalked Max’s Insta. I’m like ninety-nine percent sure he’s gay.”
There’s a collective sigh of relief. A moment later, Theo moves to stand in front of room “D” to unlock it, so I figure it’s time for me to do the same.
I retrieve my own bright purple lanyard and key from my pocket, unlock the door, and swing it open. My heart practically leaps as it reveals my new home for the next school year.
The bedroom isn’t much, probably about half the size of my bedroom at home. It’s furnished with a dresser, a twin-sized bed and mattress, and a basic desk with a chair, all in matching red-brown wood finishes. There’s a closet door to my right and a single-pane window opposite the entrance. Like the living room,it’s technically carpeted, but it’s that commercial-grade, high-impact shit that probably only serves to dampen noise.
“This feels about right,” Dad says from behind me. “Still, I’d say it’s roomier than my dorm room back in the day.”
My eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yep. Plus, I had a roommate.”
“Oh. Just one?”
Dad chuckles. “Yeah, meaning two guys sharing a room slightly bigger than this. Instead of one bed, we had a bunk bed. Calling Theo and those other boys your ‘roommates’ feels generous, given you all have your own bedrooms.”
My jaw nearly drops. “Wow, that’s crazy.”
“Just saying. Never forget how good you have it, kiddo.”
I nod. I do try to remember how lucky I am. Not many students can afford housing on top of tuition. Of our friend group, only about half of us are staying on campus—Harrison at Georgia Tech, Wren at Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, and Theo and I at Eidola. Technically, Theo and I could commute to school, since we’re only about a forty-minute drive from Specter. But Dad and my stepmom, Ashley, insisted I have at least one year of the “true college experience.” I think Grace also encouraged Theo to live on campus because it would be good for him to get out of Specter for a while. So as soon as we both received our acceptance to Eidola, we were excited to apply for housing together, requesting each other as “suitemates.”
If I’m being honest, I would have been fine with being actual roommates to save money, but Theo wanted his own bedroom so Caleb could stay over sometimes. Gross.
“Ready for the next trip?” Dad asks, motioning towards the door.
“Yep,” I reply. “With the hand truck this time, right?”
“Bet.”
I nearly do a double-take. “Did you just say ‘bet’?”
Dad shrugs. “What? I pay attention. I used it correctly, didn’t I?”
“You did, which means ‘bet’ is dead now. Thanks, Dad.”
As he steps out the door, he smirks at me. “Hm. Bet.”
