“Maybe.I guess now I’m allowed to say you’re pretty good-looking yourself.”
I feel my cheeks warm as I glance around the cafeteria before returning my gaze to Landon.
“Thank you, Landon.”
“So, Cameron, you a freshman?”Nat asks, leaning in with curiosity.
“Yeah,” I reply, taking a sip from my bottle of water.
“And a Pub Admin nerd too?”Nat smirks, causing both Landon and me to chuckle.
“Not really.Political science major, actually.”I correct her, and she nods with a smile.
“Oh, great.Here come these assholes,” Landon mutters under his breath.
Nat and I glance over to see what’s caught his attention.
Of course.
Fox Wilder has just walked in, flanked by two of his friends with way too much swagger for this early in the day.A new girl—blonde this time, not the redhead from before—slides in beside Fox and rests her head on his shoulder like she’s claiming territory.It’s the kind of high school behavior I thought people grew out of.
I quickly avert my gaze and turn back to Nat and Landon.Landon looks tense, his shoulders stiff, eyes fixed on the table like it personally offended him.
“You okay?”I ask quietly.
“Nope,” he says, taking a long drink from his water bottle.
“Is it because of Fox?”I press.
Nat perks up.“Wait—youknowFox?”
I sigh.“Yeah.He’s my roommate.”
Both of their jaws drop.
“No shit?”they say in unison.
Landon leans forward.“He’s the roommate you were talking about?”
I nod.“That’s him.He’s a homophobic jerk.And…” I hesitate, my voice dipping.“Kind of ridiculously good-looking, which makes it all worse.”
Nat snorts.“Yeah, he’s a total dick,” she says, snatching a chip from Landon’s plate like she owns it.
But Landon still looks… off.Uncomfortable.Shaken.He pokes at the crumbs in front of him, avoiding eye contact.
“Landon,” I say carefully.“Did he do something to you?Like… bully you?Verbally?Physically?”
His silence is loud.I lean in.“Or did you guys—date?”
That makes him laugh.A sharp, humorless snort.
“Oh, please,” Nat says, rolling her eyes.“We both know Fox is straighter than a hockey stick.”
Landon sighs.“Nah.We never dated.Not unless you count him treating me like garbage in the halls.”
“Name-calling?”I ask.
“He calls me names, mostly,” Landon says with a shrug, like he’s tired of being angry about it.“You’d think someone that attractive—and rich—would have more class.”
