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“Hey Austen! I was wondering if you have the notes for Professor Brown’s talk on Tuesday?”
I open my eyes to find some random girl I’ve never seen standing by my desk in the library. She’s the fourth to approach me today. A new record, it seems.
“I don’t have them. Goodbye.” I’m curt to ensure she understands I want to be left alone.
That’s all I want. For people to leave me alone.
Easier to think about than to actually vocalize though. Not to anyone other than my brother, Tennyson. He’s the master of getting on my nerves and always has been. In fact, my first word was ‘no’ because he kept trying to steal my cookie for a snack.
“Are you sure? I thought we had the same —”
Her rambling is cut off by my phone buzzing across the desk. I see my brother’s name and send a huge thanks to the universe for his intervention.
I give the girl an obvious shrug to let her know I can’t chat, then answer the phone like my ass is on fire. “Tell me something good.”
Tennyson is quick with an answer, though I don’t know if 'good' is what I’d consider it.
“Corrin is coming to stay with us.”
My head falls to the table with a thud. Thankfully, the unknown girl left before she could see me like this. She’d probably try to nurse me back to health or something. Not that I need it.
The issue with Corrin is… strange. I can’t pinpoint what it is about the man that makes me feel different. It’s so frustrating.
I’ve never faced a problem I couldn’t figure out. Never came to a challenge that didn’t have an answer to it.
Yet, Corrin Ray, my brother’s best friend, lead singer of the rock band Loveless, and all-around nice guy, makes my life a living hell just by existing.
Not that he knows.
I don’t exist where Corrin is concerned. He acknowledges me for Tennyson's sake, but otherwise, I’m no one to him.
Which is precisely how I’d like to stay.
Being anything more would be confusing. Could you imagine me and him as friends? It’s a laughable idea. Completely impossible. Never in a million years.
“Why?” I groan into the call.
“I don’t really know.” The sound of a bag of chips comes over the line. Ten-to-one bet they’re cool ranch Doritos. My brother has a real addiction to the things. I swear I’ll end up burying him in a pile of the multi-colored chip dust.
“How can you not know? He’s your best friend, and he’s just randomly coming here.”
“Because he needs us, brother. Something isn’t right.”
That notion perks me up. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with him?”
Curiosity rushes through my veins, making my hair stand on end. Something isn’t right, indeed.
Corrin Ray has never needed us. Not in the way Tennyson is making it sound. Like we’re somehow pivotal to his life.
And besides, I can’t imagine him wanting to come stay with us both. He’s not my biggest fan. If he’s in our space, he can’t ignore me like he enjoys doing. This can’t be the only solution for the rockstar.
“I can’t say what it is. Just a feeling I have. You know, he’s supposed to be working on new music. We didn’t talk about it at Christmas because — duh, holidays — but he hasn’t been able to get a single song finished.”
“It’s not uncommon for a creative individual to suffer from burnout after a time. He’s been pushing for years. Maybe he needs a break.” I rise from the slouched position on the desk and begin packing my bag.
There’s no reason to stay in the library now that I have this news. Between the women stopping by constantly and now Corrin’s imminent visit, my focus is shot. Not necessarily the best thing given I’m in my last semester of a double major. This is my busiest season.
And if I play my cards right, I’ll also have a job offer from one of the biggest businesses in the country: Stryker Global.
