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She throws her head back as she stops. “What do you want, Holden? Don’t you have innocent freshmen to embarrass?”
I frown. “It’s not like that. They’re joining my fraternity. Hazing is just part of the tradition.”
“And you couldn’t have thought of anything better than humiliating them for everyone to see?”
“Babe, this is the lighter side of things.”
She rolls her eyes. “Okay, one, don’t call me babe. And two, you’re pathetic. You’re what, twenty? Twenty-one? Grow up, and get the poor guys out of the fountain before someone gets sick.”
I remember that day so vividly. I think it was the first time a girl has ever called me out on my shit. She’s the only one who doesn’t melt at the sight of me and become putty in my hand. It’s the most appealing and the most frustrating thing I’ve ever dealt with.
Pulling into the parking spot, I decide to go inside again. I’m picking up Bree so we can go out to dinner. Things with her and I have been good, despite my dilemma of being hung up on Kayleigh. I’m even growing to like her. She’s sweet and supportive, which is good for me. I just don’t know if she will ever mean as much to me as her roommate does.
Maybe it’s just the challenge – the age old ‘want what you can’t have’ tease that’s making me want her so badly. I’d be lying if I said that the fact that she doesn’t fall at my feet isn’t somewhat refreshing. If she wasn’t so resistant to my advances, would I still be like this? Christ, the whole thing is infuriating.
As I approach their door, I see it’s already open – something my girlfriend has been doing when she is expecting me.
“Bree, you ready to go?” I ask as I turn the corner into the room. She’s sitting at her desk, doing her make up. “Of course, you’re not.” I lean against the door and cross my arms, making eye contact with the only one who can turn me into a puddle of mush. “Hi Kayleigh.” In my nervousness, it comes out sounding like I’m making fun of her. Great, just another reason for her to hate me.
“Ugh.” She groans loudly and throws herself back onto her bed, the blanket going up and over her face.
Bree laughs softly. “I’ll be ready in a minute, Holden. I just have to change.”
She gets up and walks into the bathroom with an outfit in hand. Once the door closes, I decide to try again in my goal of getting this girl to like me. I pull the blanket away, only to be met by an angry look on her face.
“Can I help you?” Her rude tone catches me a little off guard but I recover nicely.
“Just saying hi to my girlfriend’s roommate.” I answer, turning and sitting on the side of her bed. Why do I crave this closeness so damn much?
“Hi.” She says blandly. “Now, do you mind?”
A wide smile stretches across my face. “Not at all.” I lean back against her legs. To my surprise, she doesn’t push me off. Instead, she just moves over.
Bree steps out of the bathroom wearing her usual outfit. The only difference is her new dangling pink belly button ring hanging on her flat stomach. “How do I look?”
Is she really asking this? She looks the same almost every time we go somewhere. “Great, as always, now can we go?” I’m hungry and it’s making me impatient.
She rolls her eyes and shoos me away. ‘I wasn’t asking you. I was asking Kayleigh.”
“Oh, thanks.” I scoff. “Doesn’t my opinion matter?”
“Not when you’d just tell me what you think I want to hear.”
“Whatever.”
A part of me likes that she’s coming out of her shell but right now, I wish she would go back to being the shy little blonde who was afraid to talk back. I place my hand unnecessarily close to Kayleigh’s and push myself off her bed, walking over to grab my keys off the desk.
“He’s right.” Kay tells her. “You look great.”
She grins, satisfied with her answer, and grabs her purse. “You sure you don’t want to come with us?”
“No.” The two of us say in unison. It’s not that I don’t want her there. I was more so just predicting her response. However, that’s not how Bree sees it. She turns around and looks at me like I just kicked her puppy.
“What?!” I chuckle. “You’ve asked her every time we go somewhere if she wants to come. The answer is always the same. Leave her to her nap or whatever it is she does in her spare time.”
“Well, duh.” Bree spits. “You’re constantly rude. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with you if I were her either.”
Okay, I am in no mood to deal with this. I need food, not two girls ganging up on me for joking around. “I’ll meet you in the car.” I say as I walk out the door. “Bye Kayleigh!”
