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“—so I guess I shouldn’t be expecting you back Saturday night?”
“That’s the plan, smart guy.”
Marcus punched his shoulder. “You wanted to talk to me about something. What’s up?”
Jack licked his lips and shuffled forward on his chair. “Right, yeah. It’s just—”
Nessa strolled over and set Jack’s coffee down with a smile. She placed Marcus’s in front of him.
“Prepared for the test Monday?” she asked with a nervous twinge to her voice. Was she trying to be nice?
Frustrated and relieved at the interruption, Jack sipped the coffee, paying close peripheral attention.
“Prepared, pffft.” Marcus tapped his head. “I got everything up here.”
“You don’t sound sure.”
“I could, if you didn’t distract me all the time.”
“That, and he didn’t lose his notes,” Jack added with an inward smirk.
Marcus threw him a look that threatened to saw him in two. Whoa.
Nessa bit her bottom lip, as if struggling to keep from laughing.
“I haven’t lost them, exactly,” Marcus tried. “They’re just… misplaced. Still could turn up.”
“Uh-huh.” Nessa glanced to the strap of Marcus’s bag, carefully slung over the chair. Her eyes suddenly sparkled. “You know all you have to do is ask and I’ll give you mine.”
Jack gulped more coffee. Poor Marcus was too stubborn for that. No way he’d be asking her now.
Nessa left Marcus with a shaking head. “Nope. I’m so not asking her. Rather flunk.”
“Really? You’d let her beat you?”
“Shit.”
Marcus snuck glances at Nessa three times over the course of two coffees. Whenever she caught him looking, he narrowed his eyes into a scowl.
Twice Jack had started to explain the bet situation, and twice he copped out.
He paid for their drinks, sliding a twenty across the counter. Nessa smiled at him, gaze dancing over his shoulder to where Marcus breathed at the back of his neck. When she gave him the change, he took two ones and left the rest.
Nessa glanced at Marcus again, opened her mouth, shut it again and mumbled, “Thanks.”
As they rounded the counter to leave, Nessa called from behind them. “Wait a sec.”
She reached out and grabbed Marcus’s arm. His brother looked down at the fingers around his wrist and turned around. Jack tried to leave them some space, but an influx of women carrying field hockey sticks charged into the café.
“Just take them.” Nessa flipped his bag open and shoved a folder into it.
“Seriously, I’ll find those notes.”
“And I’ll be the next Descartes.”
A grin twitched in Marcus’s cheek.
“Look, I have multiple copies—I rewrite all my notes as I study. I don’t need these. And if yours show up, you can give them back to me.” She shrugged. “Or if you don’t want to do that, chuck ’em.”
Finally the door was free and Jack darted outside.
Marcus was ten seconds behind him. “Can you believe that girl?”
“Yes, actually.”
“I mean, that she actually had the audacity….”
“You took the notes, didn’t you?”
Marcus flushed slightly. “I could hardly shove them back at her. Besides, she really had to get back to work. Those women were so impatient. You’d think they could wait a minute, give the girl a break.”
Jack smiled and bumped his fist on Marcus’s arm. “You know what? I think it’s nice Nessa gave you those notes. She seems all right, you know?”
Marcus shook his head, but his “You’re crazy” didn’t sound convincing at all.
* * *
Jack slid his phone back in his pocket with a dorky smile stained to his face. The details were set. This time tomorrow, he’d be curled up with Ed.
He started down the hall, en route to his room, when Seth and Billy came out of the common lounge. “Jackson,” Billy called, flashing his teeth in a wide smile. “Guess what?”
Seth elbowed Billy’s side and glared. “What?” Billy said. “Come on, it’s funny.”
“Funny, yeah, ha-ha until they penny our room shut and I get stuck in there.”
“Dude, you’re going to get way worse than a penny lock. I’d watch your car; there’ll be a toilet seat instead of your driver’s seat by morning.”
Seth went green and groaned. “I gotta go move my car.” He shot down the hall.
“What did he do?” Jack continued down the hall. His little bro shoved his hands in his pockets and followed.
“It was an accident.” Billy giggled.
“Dude, if you can’t tell me, I gotta go.”
“Hold your shorts, Jackson.” Billy danced away to avoid Jack’s swipe. “There was this bunch of really brown bananas in the kitchen, you know the really rotten kind that attract fruit flies? Seth was really grossed out by them, so he grabbed the bunch and flung it toward the trash can.
“Perfect shot, great arc and all. Just as he’s about to score, Greg opens the back door and gets right in the path. Seth scored all right, hit that douche right in the chest.”
Billy waved his hands. “The bananas exploded. I mean, these bitches were so mushy. There’s mush everywhere, and most of it was on Greg.”
