I start stripping out of my clothes the second I get into my dorm and fall face-first into my bed, drowning in my regrets.
My weekend doesn't get much better. I wake the next morning to the sound of Alex banging on my door, demanding that I get up and go for a run with him.
He's a fucking puppy that just doesn't give up.
Knowing it's the only way to get rid of him, I rip the door open and allow him inside.
"Why the fuck do you look so good? You only got in a few hours ago," I ask, turning my back on him and pulling on a pair of sweats and a clean shirt.
"Good genes?" I don't need to turn around to know he's shrugging. He's forced me to spend enough time with him over the past few months that I know his tells.
"How was the rest of the night?" I ask as I follow him out of dorms and down the stairs.
"Meh, nothing too exciting. I wasn't lucky enough to find a mystery girl in the woods to play with.” He smirks. “You gonna tell me who it was yet?"
"Just some chick from college. Can't even remember her name," I lie. In reality, every time I woke up last night she was right there in front of my mind, her hungry, hazel eyes haunting me.
"You got your dick wet though, right?"
I glance over at him as we take off running through the fields out the back of campus.
"Nice, Alex. Real fucking nice."
"Jesus, Bex. When did you turn into such a prude? I know you haven’t exactly been swimming in pussy since you got here, but fuck."
I scoff. "I haven't been swimming in pussy? At least I've had some fucking offers."
"I've had offers." He spits.
"Sure you have."
"I was chatting to that Annabel who was in my AP English lit class last night."
"She was probably taking pity on you, asshole. If she didn't suck your dick then you don’t have a leg to stand on." I glance over as his lips part to respond but no words come out.
"Fuck off,” he finally grumbles.
"We need to get you laid, man,” I quip. “It might get you off my back then."
"Don't talk shit, you love me really."
"Sure." I roll my eyes to myself and pick up the speed, knowing that he'll be right alongside me.
I might give him shit, but the truth is, I'm jealous of him. He's the nice guy that everyone likes, he doesn't take shit too seriously, and although he might want a girl, he doesn't make a big deal about not having one. He just takes life as it comes. I wish I could be that easygoing. If I were, I might not have landed in this shithole with my tail between my legs and forced to live with a strange man I've never met before, let alone call family.
We run until our legs can't take us any farther, and then we stop for a takeout coffee and walk the distance back. We might only be on our second weekend living in dorms, but already it seems like it could become something of a tradition.
I’m not thrilled about the idea of Alex waking me up for exercise every weekend, but I need it. Now I'm not practicing every day of the week, I need to make the effort to at least keep some kind of routine in my life.
"You coming to tonight's party?" he asks as we push through the main door of our building.
"No."
"Are you going to be this boring for the next four years? If you are, just be honest with me now and I'll find a new best friend."
"When did I agree to be your best friend?"
He shrugs. "I appointed you the position a while ago, didn't you get the memo?"
"You're a fucking idiot," I mutter, letting myself into my room. "I'm done for the weekend. I've got a shit load of homework to do."
He shakes his head at me in disappointment. "I know you're scared, Bex."
My breath catches in my throat at his words. I've never said anything like that to him. "What are you—"
"I might not know the truth about how you ended up here, but I know you're scared, and I know you're trying to outrun it. But hiding in there,” he glances over my shoulder to my room, “and refusing yourself the chance of enjoying it here, isn't going to help."
"You have no idea what you're talking about." I turn my back on him, ready to slam the door in his face and put an end to this conversation.
"Like fuck you don't, Bex,” he snipes. “Whatever it is, you can talk about it, you know. I won't judge. I just want you to enjoy yourself. You won't get a do-over these next four years."
"Whatever, man,” I grumble. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend."
Exactly as I intended to do, I lock myself in my room and only emerge for our Sunday morning run—where Alex thankfully steers clear of our previous conversation—and to get food.
"So what debauchery did you get up to?" I ask him as we walk toward the Romulus Building for our first class of the day.
"Nah, nothing exciting. Troy got caught with his pants around his ankles last night, though. Some chick was giving him mixed signals, apparently."
"The only signals that asshole gets from girls is that they want to drop to their knees for him."
"Yeah, well. This one didn't. Fucking moron." He laughs as we pass other students on our way to class.
I've only been in this building once before, so I have to take note of the room numbers to make sure we stop at the right one—only before I get to the one we want, my eyes land on a girl. One I remember all too well.
"Mia." Her name falls from my
