“Shh,” I whisper, grabbing his sleeve and yanking him inside.
Zane stumbles in with a laugh, then goes dead quiet when he sees the kitten curled on my bed. “Holy shit. Wait—was that…?”
While I let him process, I dig through my drawer until I find the emergency tuna can I keep for late-night study sessions. Not the most nutritious meal for a kitten, but it’s something. I grab one of my chipped ceramic bowls and dump the tuna in.
He clocks the little shadow curled up like a comma in the middle of my bed, and his eyes go wide. “Mara Black, did you rescue a pom-pom?”
“I found him near the campus gardens. He just… crawled out and looked at me like I was supposed to do something.”
Zane stares. “So, naturally, you became his mother. Have you got a name for him yet?”
I set the bowl in front of the kitten and he dives in, nose-first, practically inhaling the food. I sit on the edge of the bed, watching him.
“No… no name.”
He tosses his stuff on my desk and walks over, crouching beside the bed to get a better look. The kitten pauses mid-chew, regards him, then keeps eating.
“I always assumed you’d break the rules one day, but I thought it’d be like… swiping a library book or jaywalking.”
“He was alone. I just… couldn’t leave him.”
Zane glances up at me. “No, I get it—trust me. You’re not fooling anyone with your ice queen act.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, and my eyes flick back to the kitten. “I know I can’t keep him, I just wanted him to be okay for one night.”
He doesn’t say anything for a beat. Then, gently says, “You want me to help figure out what to do?”
Before I can answer, there’s another knock.
Zane straightens immediately. “Oh no.”
I freeze. “RA.”
We both go silent, staring at the door like it might disappear if we concentrate hard enough.
Another knock.
Zane whispers, “If I climb out your window, promise me you’ll remember me fondly.”
“If you climb out of the window, I’ll burn your entire manga collection. Don’t fuck with me.”
The door creaks open, and my RA, Serena, looks between me and Zane in confusion. Zane straightens up immediately, putting on a grin.
“Uh, hey, Serena,” Zane says. He’s always on the verge of causing trouble, but he’s practiced at looking innocent. “Sorry to bug you, but there’s a thunderstorm warning flashing on my phone, and I don’t really want to walk back to my place in the rain. Can I crash here tonight?”
Serena rubs her temples. “Zane, it’s four thirty. The sky is clear. You’ll be fine.” She squints at the wide-eyed kitten peeking out from the blanket on my bed. “What is that?”
I swallow hard. “It kind of… showed up,” I blurt out. “He was outside when I was returning from class.”
Serena’s eyebrows shoot up. “A kitten? In the dorm? Mara, you know the rules.”
“Yes, I know,” I say quietly.
Zane looks between Serena and me. “She’s right, Mara, you can’t keep him here. The policy is pretty strict.” I shoot him a daggered glare that sayswhy the fuck are you not taking my side.
Serena sighs. “Look, if you take him to the campus shelter, they’ll take care of him. He needs a home, and unfortunately, it can’t be here.”
Tears burn my eyes but won’t fall. “I know,” I whisper as I look down at the kitten. He presses a paw against my knee, coaxing me to look at him. How can I just give him away when he needs me? I place him on the bed and pat his head.
