AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“About what your roommate said about us?” He blew out a puff of air. “Yeah. She’s twisted.”
Thankfully, we were alone the whole ride up, so we didn’t have to endure the side glances and whispers of kids who had heard Vivian’s little interpretation of our innocent game night. We got off on my floor and headed for Tara’s room.
“It doesn’t bother you?” I asked him, lowering my voice as we drew closer. “The fact that Vivian said those things?”
“Of course, it does,” he said, but his voice seemed distant. “But I’mmore angryabout it because of how it affects Tara. It’s not fair to her. I can be a total weirdo, but Tara? She’s sweet, and nice, and—”
I looked at him with a smile.
“—and doesn’t deserve to be treated like that,” he said, blushing. He dipped his head toward the floor as we came to Tara’s door, and that smirk didn’t fade from his face, though his voice lowered to a whisper. “I really hope she didn’t hear that.”
“Why?” I giggled. “I think she should.”
God, they were so cute together. If only I was capable of having normal crushes that turn to normal relationships.
I knocked on Tara’s door a couple times and stepped back to wait as I heard footsteps shuffle over. She unlocked the door and opened it to reveal herself with a fresh face of makeup and a revitalized grin. Seeing her okay again gave me hope—if this girl could get through four years plus of Vivian Russo, so could I.
“Hey,” she said. “Come in. How’ditgo?”
She emphasized the worditas she glanced at Kenny. We scurried into her room and she shut the door with an eager push before jumping back onto her mattress.
“Well,” I said, looking at Kenny, “I think she’s gone. For good.”
Suddenly, Tara narrowed her eyes at Kenny, and pushed herself off the bed, barreling up to him.
“Dude, what thefuck?” she whispered harshly, snatching a plastic grocery bag from his hand. I hadn’t even noticed that it was there, and now, I barely needed to guess at its contents. “This doesn’t look empty!”
“Because!” he said, as if that was more than enough justification. “She didn’t need it! She alreadyhadshit in her room.”
Tara’s face crumbled from utter terror to pure, blissful relief as she tore the bag from Kenny’s hand and peered inside to find it chock full of… well, I’d never know.
“Jesus, Kenny,” she cackled, putting a hand over her chest as she stumbled back over to her bed. “Were you just carrying it around campus like this?”
Kenny’s expression scrunched up as if he were actually mulling over the question. “Uh, well, yes?”
Tara shook her head, clicking her tongue in mock disapproval. “And somehow, he didn’t get caught. What a beast.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled, looking between the two of them as if I were the one falling in love until Tara let out a long breath. “So, she’s one of us?”
“Apparently so,” Kenny answered. “Isn’t that wild?”
“Completely.” Tara stared into space, shaking her head slowly as if seeing something we couldn’t, like she was recalling an odd dream. “In all the years I’ve known her, Ineverwould’ve expected this. So, she still got caught?”
I nodded. “I assume so. We saw her down at the front desk with the dean. Looked like she was signing herself out of the dorm.”
Tara’s eyes widened. “What? Really?”
“Yep.” I nodded and made a slow round around her room, looking at her stacks of books, photographs and generic university-dispensed furniture for a sign of disturbance. But there looked to have been none. “What about you? Did they go through your stuff?”
She shook her head.
“Nah. I think I’m scheduled for tomorrow. Speaking of which,” she said, a sly smile spreading on her lips, “I was wondering if I could store some of my stuff in your room for a few hours? You know, just because your place has already been cleaned out…”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Bystuff, you mean…”
She copied my expression. “Oh, you know exactly what I mean.”
