My extra-large, too focused new friend blushed, and it was about the cutest thing I’d ever witnessed. He looked at the ground, swallowing so loud I heard a click. “Well, uh, I have to go to the gym.”
“Ah, enjoy that.”
He ducked his head and went into his room for a few minutes before heading out the door. I couldn’t stop laughing at my very interesting roommate. The intense guy who was going to a party to seemnotobsessed with hockey and needed a buddy.
Well, that was something I could easily do. Now I had to tell my brother about him before he accidentally found out. And convince him Jonah and I rooming together wasn’t a big deal.
I got out my phone and sent him a text.
Ryann: Can you meet?
Mikey: Absolutely, where?
Ryann: Quad, fifteen minutes. Near the clock tower.
That was one thing I admired Michael for—I was always a priority. Even if he was dating or midseason, he never made me feel like an inconvenience in his life, like he actually enjoyed seeing me and was glad we were close. I threw on jeans and a Moo U shirt and set out to meet him, my heart rate picking up the closer I got. It was easy to tell Jonah it would be no big deal, but it was only half true. Michael was going to be pissed he didn’t know about the dorm situation. Super pissed.
And the rooming-with-his-teammate thing might not go over well.
“Ry, hey,” Michael said a few minutes later, walking up from the sidewalk that twisted into the library. “What’s up? Why are you coming from that way? Isn’t your dorm on the south?”
“Ah, well, nice catch.”Shit. Say it. Tell him.“I’m not living in the dorm anymore,” I said, all in one breath.
“Why the fuck not?” His eyes got all big, and a vein popped out on his forehead. “Where are you living, and why didn’t you tell me? When did this happen?”
Not a great sign. He spoke fast when his emotions got the best of him, and his eyes bugged out of his head.
“I found a roommate on a third floor of an old house. I love it actually, plus, it’s close to the coffee shop attached to the library where I work now.”
He blinked. “You moved outandgot a job? Ryann… what is going on?”
“Sit down, come on.” I moved us to the bench, and he plopped down next to me, anger rolling off his shoulders. “I was on probation last year after my roommates had weed and alcohol in our dorm. I didn’t use it, but it didn’t matter since it wasourroom. It was a warning, and after the first week back… she pulled the same thing. Parties, beer, handles of vodka. If we got caught, my scholarship could’ve been in trouble.”
He took a deep breath and pinched his nose. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me? This happened last year? What the fuck?”
“Because you would’ve tried to fix it. It was during the season, and I didn’t want to mess anything up. I needed to sort this out on my own, okay? I love you, but…you’re my brother,notDad.”
He recoiled like I hit him in the right in the teeth. “Ry,” he said, his voice breaking. Hearing the emotion in his voice and the look of despair on his face made my stomach twist in knots. I hated seeing him upset.
“Look, I’m sorry, you know I didn’t mean it that way. I just…” I paused and adjusted my ponytail before looking at his sad eyes. “You need to focus on yourself, not me. I wanted to figure my shit out so you didn’t have to worry. Maybe I need to prove to myself I’m okay alone. You’re going to be gone next year, and you should graduate and move on. Maybe I needed to show both of us I’ll be fine.”
“But you’renotalone. I’ll always be there for you.”
“I know.” I leaned my head onto his shoulder for a second. “But we can’t live in this bubble forever.”
He sighed and let out a long growl before he stretched. “So where do you work?”
“The cafe by the library.”
He nodded and tapped his fingers on the edge of the bench. “Okay, I like that. You’re always there anyway, so you might as well get free food.”
“Duh,” I said, forcing a smile before I dropped the biggest bombshell. “There’s one more thing.”
“What is it?” he asked, his tone sharper than normal.
“I’m rooming with your teammate, J.D.”
His entire body turned to stone, and he looked me up and stared me down like I was an opponent on the ice. “What? With J.D.?”
