I walk out into the hallway and convince some frat newbie to move Steph’s body to an empty room down the hall. I watch a moment to make sure he doesn’t stay in there with her, and when he pops out of the room, I head back toward my own.
Passing the bathroom, I hear a frantic voice through the door. It’s that Tessa girl—I know her voice immediately.
“Yeah . . . no . . . I went to a stupid party with my roommate, and now I’m stuck at a frat house with nowhere to sleep and no way to get back to my room.”
She’s full-on crying now. I should just walk away from the door. I don’t have the energy or remote interest in dealing with a crying, overly sensitive girl.
“But she . . .”
I can’t make out her words between her sobs. I press my ear to the door.
“That isn’t the point, Noah,” I hear her say.
I try to open the door. I’m not even sure why I do, so it’s probably fortunate that it’s locked.
“Just a minute,” she says loudly, losing patience.
I knock again.
“I said just a minute!”
She yanks the door open, and her eyes grow wide when she sees me. I look away as she storms past me. I reach for her arm, gently stopping her.
“Don’t touch me!” she yells, and jerks away.
“Have you been crying?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
“Just leave me alone, Hardin,” she says, no conviction in her tone. She sounds so exhausted. Who was she talking to on the phone? Her boyfriend?
I open my mouth to tease her, but she holds a finger up. “Hardin, please. I’m begging you, if you have one decent bone in your body, you will leave me be. Just save whatever mean comment you’re going to say for tomorrow. Please.” Her blue-gray eyes are shining with tears, and the rude remark I had planned suddenly lost its spark.
“There’s a room down the hall you can sleep in. It’s where I put Steph,” I tell her. She stares at me like I’ve grown three heads.
“Okay,” she simply says after a moment.
“It’s the third door on the left.” I walk toward my room. I feel an overwhelming urge to get away from this girl, and fast.
“Good night, Theresa,” I say, and step into my room. I close the door and lean against the back of it.
I feel dizzy. I don’t feel right. Logan better not have tricked me and slipped some shit in my water.
I walk to the bookshelf and grab Wuthering Heights, opening to the middle of the novel. Catherine is the most infuriating female character I’ve ever read, and I cannot for the life of me understand why Heathcliff puts up with her shit.
He’s an asshole, too, but she’s the worst.
IT TAKES ME A WHILE to fall asleep, but when I do, I find myself dreaming about Catherine, or rather a young blond version of her, stumbling into college. But the sound of my mother’s screams wakes me, and I bolt upright, sweat soaking through my shirt, and turn on the light.
When will this shit end? It’s been years and it won’t go away.
After a few more fitful hours of staring at the ceiling and walls and trying to convince myself I must’ve slept in all that time, I take a shower and walk down to the kitchen. Grabbing a trash bag, I decide to help clean up, for once. Maybe if I do some nice shit for people, I’ll get a full night’s sleep sometime.
In the kitchen, I find Tessa, still here, laughing and leaning against the counter.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, sweeping a bunch of empty cups off the counter and into my bag.
“Nothing . . . does Nate live here, too?” she asks me.
I ignore her.
Her soft voice gains some volume: “Does he? The sooner you tell me if Nate lives here, the sooner I can leave.”
“Now you have my attention.” I take a step toward her to clean a pile of soaking paper towels off the counter. I smile at the annoyed girl. “But no, he doesn’t live here. Does he seem like a frat boy to you?”
“No, but neither do you,” she scoffs.
.retsasid gnikcuf a si esuoh siht ,ti nmaD .dnopser t’nod I
.seye ym llor I dna ,dlihc a ekil roolf eht tsniaga toof reh spat ehS ”?ereh ot esolc snur taht sub a ereht sI“
”.yawa kcolb a tuoba ,peY“
”?si ti erehw em llet uoy dluoC“
”.yawa kcolb a tuoba s’tI .eruS“
.elims em sekam ecnayonna kciuq reh tuoba gnihtemoS
.hpetS hcaorppa asseT hctaw I sa noitcerid ym egnahc tub mih drawot klaw I .nehctik eht ssorca morf em ta gnikrims si nagoL yaw eht erongi dna flesym ot hgual I .yrruh a ni yawa sklaw dna seohs talf reh no snrut ehS
”.gnidnuop si daeh yM ?won kcab su ekat ot ydaer uoy ,nidraH“ .ecnereffid eht eton dna ,yna gniraew ylerab si ohw ,asseT ta ecnalg I .seye reh dnuora deraems si puekam krad reH .anirtaK enacirruH ekil gnikool ,nehctik eht sretne ehS .yas hpetS raeh I ”,emit drah a uoy gnivig tsuj ylbaborp saw eH .moor ruo ot kcab su ekat lliw selohssa esoht fo enO .sub eht gnikat t’nera eW“
.niks s’lrig siht rednu teg ot ysae os s’tI .ffocs asseT raeh I nehw flesym ot hgual dna roolf eht otno hsart fo gab eht pord I ”.etunim a em evig tsuj ,erus ,haeY“
.ezeerb eht yojne dna nwod swodniw eht lla llor I .supmac ot kcab evird eht gnirud ”,sgiP raW“ ,sgnos latem etirovaf ym fo eno esoohc tub pleh t’nac I dna ,rac ym yb em teem hpetS dna asseT
.taeskcab eht morf sksa asseT ”?pu esoht llor uoy naC“
.oerets eht no pu emulov eht nrut dna reh raeh ot ton dneterp I .ecaf reh dnuora gnippihw si riah dnolb reh yaw eht ta gnihgual morf peek ot hteet ym neewteb gnir pil ym llup dna rorrim weivraer eht ni ecnalg I
.sgnikcots tenhsif gniraew reh fo tniop eht s’taht erus ytterp m’I tub ,tiftuo reh hguorht seitnap reh ees nac I ”.hpetS ,retal yb emoc ll’I“ ,yas I ,rac eht fo tuo gnibmilc er’yeht dna enod si ediryoj eht nehW
.yawa evird I sa gnihgual flesym dnif I .seye reh sllor ehs dna ,elims I ”.aserehT ,eyB“
evif
.htgnerts eht evah t’ndid eh dna . . . ssenevigrof rof ksa ot gniog saw eh tnemom tcaxe eht ta ekow ehs tub ,thgin taht legna sih ot snis sih ssefnoc ot detnaw eh ,reh ekaw ot detnaw eH .tros siht fo gnihtyna fo ecneirepxe on dah eh dna—emit emas eht ta cirtcele os dnim dna traeh sih tub dehsinimid os tlef niap sih ,erofeb siht ekil gnihtyna tlef reven dah eH .sih dnuora depparw sgel reh ,mih tsniaga deldarc reh dnif ot revo dellor eH .reh tem d’eh retfa shtnom ,thgin eno pu ekow eH
