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The liquid burns my throat and I cough at the sensation. Dad laughs. “Good. That means you aren’t secretly drinking yet.”
“I drink,” I protest. “Had beer at a party.”
“Beer barely counts. Especially the watered-down kegs they get. I heard Dean Runkin pays CJ’s party store to sell it watered down.”
“That’s maniacal.”
He shrugs. “Got to keep these kids safe.”
There’s a small drop left in my glass, so I decide to sip it down too. Dad watches me, waiting patiently for me to explain.
I hop up on the stool at the counter, leaning my elbows on the hard stone, resting my chin in my hands. “This is going to sound so pathetic.”
“I once begged a girl who cheated on me to givemea second chance. I’m pretty sure you can’t top that.”
“That’s pretty pathetic.”
Dad laughs. “See? Now tell me what happened.”
Taking a deep breath, I debate for a minute, whether there is anything I should keep from my dad. But no. He’s always been so open with me. So understanding. He’ll have good advice. I could use some cheering up.
“I have a crush on my roommate,” I breathe the words, a weight already lifting off my chest.
“Doesn’t sound so bad. Where does the bad part come in? He doesn’t like you back?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, he’s a vault. He doesn’t let people in very often. He’s got all these things he’s decided about himself. That he’s worthless. That he’s broken. But that’s totally not who he is on the inside. He says he’s done bad things, but he’s trying to change. And the man I know is changed. He’s a good person deep down. And I pity him because people don’t see him. They see how they can benefit from him. He’s a genius, Dad. A bona fide genius when it comes to coding. I told you about that code he was writing for the school. And he’s so kind to me. He’s sort of my only friend. I’m infatuated with him. And we kissed a few weeks ago, just once. But then his best friend warned him to leave me alone. She doesn’t know the first thing about Xander Briggs, if she thinks he would hurt me, and—”
“Xander Briggs?” Dad interrupts.
My stomach sinks into my gut at his tone. “You, uh, you’ve heard of him?”
I don’t need an answer, because his face is turning to stone. “Yes. I’ve heard of him.”
“Good things, right? How his codes have made the college millions?”
“That. And other things. I’ve been informed he’s on academic probation. Dean Runkin keeps a close eye monitoring his behavior. He was mandated to attend a psychiatric clinic this summer in order to come back this fall. Jesus, Cameron. I don’t like this one bit. Xander Briggs is your roommate?” His head is shaking slowly. “Excuse me.”
Watching my dad’s sure steps as he stalks from the kitchen to his study leaves me dumbfounded. Who is this man? I don’t recognize him. Never seen him judge a student so harshly. He’s always been forgiving and open. That’s how he raised me to be.
Silently, I slink down the hall and position myself near the study door. Dad’s face is lighted in the blue from the computer screen. He doesn’t look up at me.
“What are you doing?” I inquire in a hushed tone.
He doesn’t break his concentration. “Xander Briggs,” he seethes. “Sick man.”
“He’s not sick.”
Dad looks up at me. “I don’t want you rooming with him anymore.”
“I don’t know who you are anymore.” I’ve never used such a hard tone with my father before.
Feeling lost, I wander back to the living room and curl myself up in a ball on the couch. I feel strangely unwelcome here. And yet, I can’t go back to my dorm room. I’ve got nowhere to go.
After a few more minutes, Dad’s footsteps make their way upstairs, without another word to me. This house feels cold. It is strange to me, being here. It’s not my home. We left my home back in Indiana, where I’d lived since middle school. That was home. This is my dad’s house now. That fact has never been more apparent than it is right now.
I close my eyes and breathe, let the tears fall. Not sure how long that lasts, but my eyes feel puffy. The skin swollen and salt-stained.
My veins are pumping with unrealized action. I feel like I need to do something. To figure out what my dad did on his computer. What horrible thing he set into motion. Was Xan right? Our time was up as soon as my dad found out he was my roommate. Then again, based on what Xan said tonight, our time was already up.
