Granted, not the easiest thing to do when you’re the head of the most infamous party house on campus, but I don’t miss it that much. The terror that I felt seeing John unconscious and nearly gray cured me of any need for the buzz of alcohol.
Besides, right now Juno gives me more than enough of a buzz. When I touch her it feels better than any high that I’ve ever had, and I don’t see that fading anytime soon.
Suddenly, something clicks, and I remember why Juno looked so familiar to me when I first met her. I’ve seen her before. She was in the hospital that day when John was there. She brought him flowers. They must have been friends in high school, and I always thought it was sweet that one of his classmates brought him flowers. She seemed genuinely distraught over what had happened to him.
I’m surprised that I didn’t realize that that was her, because I regularly relive that day in my dreams, including looking up and seeing a pretty girl with flowers and tears streaming down her face.
Of course it was her. I mean, I had no idea that she was from here, or that she and John were in the same class. But I can already see that Juno has a great heart. The very reason for her major speaks to her emotional depth. It’s not surprising to me.
I like her so much, I want to see her. I could turn on the little toy that I made her wear, just to make her think of me, but I don’t want to do that right now. I just want to actually see her. But unfortunately John was right. I do have an afternoon class, and it’s about time I went to it. Right after I make sure that Jack is doing his job.
Grabbing my bag, I see that Evan is helping lug garbage bags of clothes down the stairs. “Going okay?”
Half his mouth turns up into a smile. “Just fine,” he says. “Jack said he had to run an errand, but I’ll have his stuff moved by the time that he gets back.” Evan is a quiet guy, but he’s perceptive. I think he’s amused by Jack’s anger, which will work out for me.
“Thank you. Text me if something goes wrong,” I say.
“Will do, boss.”
I thought I was brilliant scheduling my classes later in the day so I could sleep in, but right now I’m pissed because it’s more time until I get to see Juno, help her move in, and thoroughly break in her room. But the rules of Granite House hold, even for me. I need to go to class. Two more until I can see her.
I can make it.
12
Juno
To my surprise, Malcolm never uses the toy for the rest of the time that I’m at the library. Maybe he forgot in the course of getting my stuff—something that he absolutely didn’t have to do—or he just got busy. I kept half expecting it to turn on any second, but regardless, I got a lot of studying done. I reviewed the anatomy chart that we did in class that I was so distracted for, and got a lot of my homework done for the next week.
Now, as I head to Granite House, I realize I’m not heading there as a temporary girl sleeping with Malcolm, I’m heading there because I live there. Up until now I’ve been avoiding everyone. I didn’t know what they would say, and I didn’t know what they would think. But if my stuff is getting moved into one of the rooms, then it might be time to actually introduce myself to them.
I hope they don’t hate me.
That’s a weird thought, but a bunch of frat guys might think that I’m cramping their style. Honestly, I don’t plan to. I’ll have my own room, and I plan on being in there or with Malcolm. Maybe in the kitchen if I’m cooking or cleaning, but I’m not going to stop them from doing whatever the hell they want.
Bailey seemed relieved and happy that I was coming to get my things. She didn’t even seem mad that I was abandoning her anymore. We haven’t talked much this week, but we’ve both been crazy busy with classes. Bailey is pre-law, and is going to have just as heavy a workload as I will. And since I moved out, she won’t have a roommate for at least the rest of the semester.
It kind of works out for the both of us.
There are more guys in the living room than I’ve ever seen at one time, other than the party, and I stop in my tracks just inside the door, because they all look up at me. I don’t see Malcolm anywhere.
“You’re Juno, right?” one guy asks. I vaguely recognize him from the party, but I’m not exactly sure where I encountered him.
“That’s me,” I say with a smile that I don’t really feel. I wish Malcolm were here to introduce me, just because I think that it would be easier. And it’s then, with a start, that I realize that Malcolm makes me feel safe. Even with the things he makes me do, and the obedience he demands of me, he makes me feel okay doing those things. “Nice to meet you,” I say lamely.
That guy comes forward. “I’m Jack, these are the rest of the guys. We wanted to welcome you to the house.”
I smile more warmly this time. “That’s really nice of you. Thanks.”
“We’ve never had a girl living in Granite House,” another one says. “It’s going to be kind of weird.”
“I don’t think it will be,” I say. “I promise I’m not here to change the way you guys do things.”
Jack smirks. “Well, you’re going to change some things. Malcolm said that you’d be doing all the cooking and the cleaning.”
There are some voices of agreement.
“Some of it,” I
