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A wave of sudden nerves caused my vision to blur because I wasn’t completely sure if I was really doing the right thing. Somewhere in my head, I knew this was a hasty, desperate knee-jerk reaction to the events of the night, but I couldn’t seem to calm down, relax and just think it through logically. Everything else in me was screaming too loudly, forcing me to continue with this path.
Mom rolled forward to stop in front of me. “Are you sure about this, HayHay? You don’t have to decide anything or find a new place to live tonight. And your classwork won’t suffer if you miss a couple of days of school. You can come home with us and reevaluate your life before jumping into anything. It won’t make you a weak person.”
“I…” Pausing, I considered Mom’s words. She made an excellent point. But…
I glanced around the front room. For a college guy living alone, Wick kept the place pretty dang clean. I wouldn’t have a slob for a roommate. I’d get my own bathroom. The rent was affordable for being so close to campus, and…wait.
“How close to campus are we?” I asked, suddenly realizing I had no idea where I actually was.
“The football stadium’s three blocks that way,” Izzy answered, pointing.
My eyes bulged. Holy shit. There was no way I’d find a place this close to campus at this affordable of a price in the middle of the freaking semester. I’d be crazy to let the opportunity slip by.
“I’m staying here,” I repeated, turning to my parents.
Mom smiled encouragingly. Dad sighed as if defeated. I knew he wanted to protest, but we both knew Mom would probably run over his toe again if he put up a fuss. He had promised to respect my decisions when I’d left for college, and though he often voiced his opinion, he’d made sure not to intercede and take over whenever he disagreed with me.
“But you’ll let us know if you change your mind,” Dad instructed, pointing sternly.
I rolled my eyes. “Of course.” One thing was certain; I knew I could always go back home.
Dad nodded and glanced at Wick, his eyes displaying how much he wanted to threaten and warn my new roommate to behave himself. But he didn’t say a word.
Izzy was the one who broke the silence. “So, what do we do now?”
What an excellent question.
We all exchanged a silent glance, no one speaking up until Dad heaved out a breath. “Well, I might as well go pack your things from your apartment and move it in here tonight, while I’m still in town to help.”
I nodded at him gratefully. “Okay. Thanks, Dad. I’ll go with you.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Really? Thought you said you were never stepping foot inside that apartment again?”
“Dad,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Geesh. You never let me get away with making flashy, dramatic announcements, do you? You know you can’t go there without me. You’ll never know which stuff is mine or…hers.”
“Ah. Good point. I guess you’ll have to suck it up for one more trip, then.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, wondering how I was going to look at that couch…or my roommate ever again. “I guess so.”
With a begrudged grumble, Wick stepped forward. “I can help.”
But I shook my head. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” When he shot me a confused frown, I explained, “If Topher’s still hanging around Dandridge Hall and sees you there with me, he might think—” I shook my head. “Well, he might figure out where I’m staying, and I don’t want him to know that. And even if he’s not there, I’m sure one of his people will be, and they’d definitely report back to him about you.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue with me, but he couldn’t seem to come up with a decent rebuttal, so he dropped his shoulders and gave up with a mumbled, “Whatever.”
Dad, on the other hand, sniffed. “Oh, I hope that fucker is still hanging around Dandridge when we get there.”
Mom bumped into his leg with her wheelchair. “Careful, darling. Don’t make me bail you out of jail before the night’s over.”
He grinned mischievously and winked at her. “What? Maybe I can sneak a pair of handcuffs out for us if I do end up behind bars.”
“Oh my God! Dad!” I yelped, covering my ears with both hands. “We talked about this. None of that talk in front of me, remember?”
“Right,” he said nodding, only to roll his eyes toward Mom and petulantly mumble, “How’d we end up with such a chaste, puritanical daughter again?”
“Probably because you told her she couldn’t have sex until she was thirty-five.”
He huffed out a degrading snort. “Like she actually listened to me.” Then his gaze shot hopefully my way. “Wait. Did you listen to me?”
