Kent is flat. "Before you," he says.
Cody shrugs. "Well excuse me. Somebody's grumpy," Cody mutters, and I bite the inside of my cheek.
Cody's basically waving a red flag at a bull here, but damn if it isn't funny watching him poke at Kent like this.
"Where's Taylor? Is she okay?" I move toward Kent.
He lets out this long, annoyed sigh through his nose. "Yeah, she's fine. Too fine, apparently. So fine she decided to crash inmybed." He sounds like it's the biggest violation known to man.
My brows shoot up. "Wait—your bed?"
Kentaro scowls. "Yeah. Walked right in, made herself comfortable. Said she couldn't wait in your room anymore because, apparently, 'your girl's back and she doesn't want to cause drama.' Whatever the hell that means. Now she's passed out inmyspace. Onmypillow."
He huffs again, muttering under his breath. "Unbelievable."
I blink at him, honestly thrown. Kent's never been the type to share his bed. Hell, the guy doesn't evenlethis roommate Simon bring girls into their room—total iron-clad rule, no exceptions.
It's like there's been a neon sign on his door for years screaming:No woman allowed.
And yet Taylor somehow waltzed in there, kicked him out of his own territory, and knocked out on his mattress. That's... wow. Didn't think I'd see the day.
Kentaro runs a hand down his face, still grumbling. "I don't know what's worse—the fact that she took over without asking, or the fact that now I've got nowhere to crash. Unbelievable."
I rub the back of my neck, guilt creeping in. "Sorry about that. I'll go wake her—she still needs to file a report at Campus Safety anyway."
That gets all four of them looking up at me, brows pulling tight. Liam's the first to speak. "Campus Safety? Why? What happened?"
I hesitate. It's not really my story to tell. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that they should know. If Kirk's not backing off, it's better they're all on alert too.
So I tell them. About Kirk Michaels—her psycho ex who graduated last year.
Cody cuts in, eyebrows climbing. "Kirk Michaels? As in the tennis player?"
I nod.
"Figures." Liam snorts. "That guy's a grade-A douche. Walked around like he was God's gift to the world."
"Yeah, never liked him," Luke mutters, eyes narrowing.
I run a hand down my face, jaw tight. "He couldn't handle the breakup, so he kept coming back here, harassing her. Then it turned into full-on stalking—showing up where he knew she'd be, blowing up her phone, the whole thing. And today..." I swallow, heat burning in my chest.
"Today he cornered her. Jumped on her. She fought back—there was a full-on scuffle." My jaw locks, the words coming out sharp, clipped. "He even choked her. It was bad. That's why she has to report it to Campus Safety."
The room goes still. No more trash talk, no more button mashing—just four guys with the same look on their faces. Tight jaws, clenched fists. The kind of anger that simmers low but sharp.
None of us can wrap our heads around it. That some asshole thinks he has the right to put his hands on a woman.
"Unbelievable," Liam mutters, his knuckles cracking as he grips the controller like it's Kirk's neck. "Guy deserves to get his teeth knocked in."
Luke shakes his head, face red with fury. "Nah—forget his teeth. Bastard needs his whole body rearranged. Who the hell does that?"
Cody exhales hard, leaning forward, his usual grin wiped clean. "I knew Kirk was an arrogant piece of shit, but this? This is next level. I swear, if I ever see him around here again—" He cuts himself off, snapping his phone shut like the thought alone makes him want to break something.
I nod slowly, jaw clenches, because yeah—same. Every word.
The only one not saying a thing? Kentaro. He's just standing there, arms crossed, face carved from stone. Nothing. Not a flicker. And that silence from him says more than all our words combined.
"She's probably too banged up right now. Let her sleep it off. You can take her first thing in the morning." Cody says.
