“Oh, will we be listening to Nirvana and wearing oversized flannel shirts?” I asked, a spark of excitement hitting me at being able to go all out. I loved that shit at Moo U and hadn’t found a way to get involved here yet. Schoolwork took most of my time, and I’d die for a distraction to keep me from feeling lost. This felt like the old me. The fun Michael.
“Absolutely. Here, give me your number. I’ll text you the address.”
“Smooth. If you wanted my number, all you had to do was ask,” I teased, finding comfort in our familiar, lust-free zone we did so well in.
She rolled her eyes. “Such a player.”
“Used to be,” I said, too quickly. I wanted her to know that, and her gaze lingered on my mouth for a few seconds. “Anyway, can I bring my roommate? I’ll get a permission slip signed if needed.”
She snorted. “For sure. I’ll see you later then?”
“Sure will. Don’t trip on your walk back. I’m still keeping score.”
She smiled, and for the first time in a while, I was excited to put myself out there. I was doing this college thing away from home, without hockey to fall back on, and it was equally terrifying and exhilarating. Now, my only problem was my growing attraction to Naomi.
It was becoming a real fucking issue.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Naomi
Mona, Kellie, Lilly, and I each chose extra baggy ripped jeans and tight tank tops, and we wore plaid shirts tied around our waist. I even put on extra eyeliner after studying 90s grunge online. Fashion was more of Cami’s thing, but I swore some of these trends had come back. Just thinking about my sister had me feeling uneasy. I hadn’t reached out or texted, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to yet—even with Michael’s words flashing through my mind.
Michael. My stomach swooped. He was coming over to party with us. It felt big. I chewed on the side of my lip as I poured myself a drink. Vodka and fruit punch. A drink before he got here would help settle my nerves. Probably.
“I found this dope ass 90s grunge playlist. They were so angsty. I love it. I would’ve killed it if I grew up in the 90s,” Mona said, lying on the couch as she tossed a tennis ball up into the air. Our apartment had a cut-out from the kitchen to the living room, so it was easy to talk while I prepared the drinks. “The movies, the music. Ugh, it was made for me.”
“In typical Mona fashion, she’s being dramatic,” Kellie said, putting a choker necklace on and then applying dark lipstick in the hallway mirror. “They started the music upstairs. Should we head up or wait for Clark Kent and Hockey Hottie to arrive?”
“I’m impressed with you for inviting them,” Mona said, a playful smile on her face. Her dark eyes and smirk were filled with questions, but I pretended to ignore them.
“I’m an impressive person,” I said, bringing the cup to my mouth and sipping. It was perfectly sweet.
“Uh huh, sure, yeah.” She rolled her eyes and joined me in the kitchen. She prepared her own drink and leaned one hip against the counter. “You like him.”
“Um, like?” I said, sounding like a preteen. My muscles tightened, and I might’ve started sweating too. I liked dessert and crime podcasts. Michael? It was definitely more than that. “Sure. We’re friends.”
“Aren’t you friends with Weston from class? Why not invite him?”
“I see the point you’re trying to make, but Michael’s different. He...he’s new, and I don’t know, I thought we’d have fun.” My face was as red as the Solo cup, and I took another sip.
“I’m all for having fun, but you’re an intelligent woman. One of the smartest I know. I just want you to be careful because I haven’t seen you this nervous since you liked that guy in your computer science class freshmen year.”
“I’m not nervous,” I said, my hand hitting the cup and knocking it over. Red liquid spilled onto the counter, and I quickly yanked some paper towels off the roll and wiped the mess up. “Much.”
Mona snorted and poured me another drink but didn’t say anything else on the matter. It was weird to have her warn me twice about Michael. Nothing even happened. We were friends, people. Friends! Friends who almost kissed once!
Music blasted from upstairs, and without a text from Michael, I could feel my roommates’ annoyance. Kellie sighed a lot, Lilly kept looking at the ceiling, and Mona arched one pretty brow at me.
“Okay, let’s head there,” I said.
They jumped up and were all smiles. Disappointment hit me like a pound of flour. Michael was either really late or not coming. Was this what Mona meant about being careful? My feelings were already too involved if I got this upset over him not coming.
I took a large sip of the drink and put on my happy face as we headed to the apartment hop. The first unit showed10 Things I Hate About You,and people were already doing shots.
Mona and Lilly walked right up to the counter to join a drinking game, and Kellie yanked me toward beer pong in the walkway. The setup was right there in the open, outside, and someone had hung twinkle lights on the ceiling. It was kinda cute.
“We’re next in line, please!” Lilly shouted as someone from the unit across from ours wrote down our names. The cool thing about these parties was the fact we knew our neighbors. It was so much better than the dorms with the awkward shared bathrooms. It was a mini-community here, and I pushed out all the negative thoughts about Michael not showing up. I was being bolder. More like my sister.
