Page 16 of Game Misconduct

He nodded. “That makes more sense. It didn’t seem like you.”

I paused. He thought he had an idea of what my room would look like? Intrigued, I stopped in the doorway. “What did you expect?”

He took a step back and licked his lip. “I don’t know. More colorful?” I waited and he continued. “More personal.”

“Jess has only lived here for about six weeks.” Not that she mentioned adding anything else or redecorating. She seemed to be a minimalist, minus her nearly overflowing closet.

“Were you friends before she moved in?” he asked.

“No, my previous roommate moved out and I thought I’d like the extra space, but after a little while I decided I wanted to have someone around. I posted an ad, and she responded. She wasn’t the first to call. I made sure to meet and interview the women that seemed normal then decided Jess was the best fit.”

“Cool.” His brows rose. “How long have you lived here?”

“Almost two years.” I glanced at my door trying to remember if my room had anything embarrassing in sight. “Let’s see if you were right.”

I opened the door, and he followed me in. After a moment of looking around, the corner of his lip tipped up. “Yeah, this is right.”

The walls were already painted a cheery yellow when I moved in, and I liked the color enough to keep it. Plus, it matched well enough with my dark coral, teal, and white bedding and decorations. It was a comfortable space. Not too sparse to notice when things were out of place, like Jess’s. But not so cluttered it was overwhelming. Just, lived in.

“I like it.” He smiled down at me, and a sparkle appeared in his eyes I hadn’t noticed before. It changed his whole appearance from quiet and brooding to warm and friendly.

“Thanks.” I turned and headed back to the party.

Six

Parker

I was surprised she let me see her room. I hadn’t expected that when I initially asked about it. The room where we left the coats just didn’t fit her. Well, who I thought she was. But she proved to be just as warm and welcoming as my first impression led me to believe.

Mikey directed us to get in line for food, so we joined the back behind Dani and Jake.

“Hey, Viv. I love that sweater. That shade of pink looks great on you,” Dani finished, then turned to me. “Hello again.”

“Hi,” I replied. I never particularly considered myself shy or introverted before the trade, but it felt like everyone here had such large, imposing personalities. It was too easy to fade to the shadows.

“Thanks.” Viv offered a gracious smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Why not? The light pink really did look nice.

I had to physically stop myself from reaching out and touching the fabric. It looked incredibly soft.

We shuffled forward, and I picked up two plates, handing the extra to Viv. The corner of her lip curved for a flash before she stared at the ground.

Something had changed between the time we left her room and now, but I had no idea what. It felt like her light, or spark, just went out.

Dani and Jake were discussing the food options, so I ducked my head to whisper, “Are you okay?”

Her eyes met mine, revealing her surprise. “Yeah?”

She wasn’t even convincing herself.

I waited a moment before straightening. She had no reason to confide in me, but it bothered me far more than it should. She seemed so confident and positive. Seeing her upset felt wrong.

She cleared her throat and stepped forward. Spread before us was what looked like taco or burrito fixings. At the beginning were flour and corn tortillas next to a large bowl of lettuce, then meats, rice, beans, and various toppings.

Viv scooped lettuce onto her plate then continued on, making a delicious looking salad.

I put a flour tortilla down first then began building my burrito. By the time I was done, and had rolled it up with a side of salsa and guacamole on the plate, almost everyone was seated. There were only a few empty seats left, ones next to Derek, Jason, and Mitch.

I’d tried to call him Dory, but it didn’t feel right. It was like an inside joke I wasn’t a part of, and he didn’t seem to necessarily love the nickname.