“Good choice in song,” he said as we fixed on one another. “Science is wrong, you know.”
“Science is never wrong.”
He turned on his side to face me and held his head in the palm of his hand. “There are notions more powerful that even science can’t grasp,” he said, and I had no idea what he meant. My brain wasn’t working correctly.
Ollie folded his arms under his head and stayed silent afterward. I couldn’t break away from the steadiness of his green eyes as the room swayed around us. Distant laughter and chatter stayed behind Foy Vance’s beautiful raspy voice. His lyrics poured from the speaker as if they were intended for my ears. Ollie’s allure kept me locked, or Foy’s—I couldn’t quite tell anymore. “The coincidence …” I sighed out loud.
“What’s the coincidence, love?” Ollie asked as the song changed.
“You, me, Foy, the vodka, Dolor, this country … all of it.” I didn’t even understand my own words as they were leaving my mouth. I wasn’t making any sense, and I attempted to lift my head, but gravity was unforgiving.
“Is there a science to back up your coincidence?” Ollie’s tone was honest, but the grin across his face said otherwise.
“Science and coincidences are unrelated.”
Chapter Five
“I’m bulletproof,
yet she’s slowly
penetrating every
part of me.”
—Oliver Masters
LEAVING OLLIE’S DORM was far more complicated than entering. I wondered why he didn’t have any furniture for us to climb onto to get out, but they configured a system: climbing on top of one another, then the first person pulling the next through the hole.
Right after six in the morning, I reached the bathroom and turned on the water in the last stall. Only a minute passed before the water got to its warmest level and I stepped in and closed the curtain. I’d timed it perfectly. Ollie always left before I arrived, and I’d managed to avoid the morning rush. As long as I reached the bathroom at 6:10 AM and left no later than 6:25 AM.
Before I had a chance to rinse out all the shampoo, my curtain flew open with an angry Bria on the other side.
“Shit. You scared me,” I said, wiping water from my eyes. Bria crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her brows together. “What do you want, Bria?”
“You need to leave Ollie alone.”
Rolling my eyes, I continued to rinse the rest of the shampoo out of my hair.
“I’m serious,America. Find your own play-thing. Ollie and Isaac are with me.”
“I thought what happens in the dorm, stays in the dorm.” Bria thought she could make me uncomfortable by confronting me in such a vulnerable state. Little did she know, I happened to be more comfortable naked than clothed, and Bria didn’t budge as she continued to stare me down. “You’re an idiot.” I grabbed my towel from the hook and wrapped it around my body before pushing past her.
“Excuse me?” She followed me to the mirror as I pulled the toothpaste from the basket.
“It’s the reactance theory. You discourage someone from doing something, their freedom threatened, and they will be even more motivated to regain control by doing the exact opposite,” I popped the toothbrush in my mouth and turned to face her. “Because the forbidden fruit tastessomuch sweeter.”
She shifted onto her other leg and straightened her posture. Her short black hair was flat and not sticking up in the back like it usually did. She was the dark version of Tinker Bell, but instead of sprinkling fairy dust, she discharged ammo.
“You were better off not saying anything at all,” I added.
“Just … stay away from him.”
I spit a mouthful of toothpaste before pointing my toothbrush at her. “You presented me with a challenge, Bria, and the best part is … I have nothing to lose.”
Bria and I stood eye to eye for what seemed like minutes before she finally turned on her heel and left. I loathed drama, but I enjoyed making girls squirm just as much. I had no interest in Ollie. Hell, I had no interest in anyone. But seeing her unravel the way she had at the thought of losing one of her “play-things” was an excellent way to start my morning.
The inability to feel for someone always prevented me from having anything more.
