“A smart move?” He took out his laptop. “Who talks like that?”
I laughed. “My dad. I told you—he’s in a world of his own.”
“So he’s okay with you hanging out with us, then?”
I grimaced. “Eh, not so much. He thinks I need to broaden my circle at college.” Anderson frowned and tapped his fingers on the desk. I laid my hand on his knee. “Hey, you know that’s not how I feel, right? My dad is an opportunist, and right now he’s worried about how my reputation will affect his paycheck. He doesn’t think in genuine relationships but in how things benefit him.”
“I know,” he replied. He looked up and I saw my suitemate, Ruthie, watching us from across the room. I gave her a friendly smile and tried to discretely remove my hand from his leg. “I think I’m just overwhelmed with everything you know? I hate not being able to see you all the time.”
“Dude, we have class three times a week together. I’m coming to your swim meet this week.” I lowered my voice. “I have a feeling we can snag some private time before then, too.”
His pupils dilated at the suggestion and he coughed, covering his mout
h with his fist. “Actually, I thought maybe you’d want to do me a favor and help me study for the quiz on Friday.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You know favors are what got me into a heap of trouble last year, right?”
He laughed. “A heap of trouble that brought me a lot of personal pleasure.” He looks at the door just as the professor walks in. I get out my own laptop.
Anderson shifted his attention to the podium but he took out a small piece of paper and scribbled on it and passed it to me.
My meet is Thursday night and I have an approved practice that means I’ll miss this class that day. Can you come over before the meet and bring me the notes?
Sure.
He replied back with a smiley face and I rolled my eyes, tucking the paper in my laptop back with the others we’d written so far this semester. With so many things changing in my life, the little things, like notes from Anderson and study dates, made everything feel a little bit more normal.
Amber and I were sprawled across the couch in the living room of our suite, binge-watching TV, when Ruthie and Samantha walked in laughing. They cut it short when they saw us and Ruthie pulled a couple of packages with trendy shop names to her chest.
“Ooh,” Amber said. “Did you go on a shopping spree?”
The Ruthie and Samantha exchanged a look before she replied, “They were having a sale downtown. You know, clearing out for fall.”
“Let’s see,” I said, sitting up.
She flashed two sweaters, one made of the softest-looking material ever. “Those were on sale?” Amber asked.
“Yeah.” Her eyes slid to Samantha’s. “But I think I got the last one.”
She shoved it back in the bag and the two girls disappeared into their room, shutting the door behind them.
“Was that weird?” I asked, reaching for the bag of chips on the table. “It seemed weird.”
“Definitely weird,” Amber agreed. “Maybe she’s one of those girls that doesn’t want other people wearing what she’s wearing.”
“You mean, petty.”
She shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”
“God, I hate mean girls. So pathetic.”
“I know you do. Me too. And it gives me an idea.” A wicked grin spread across her lips. “We should go buy the same sweaters and wear them around all the time just to make her mad.”
I snort-laughed and covered my mouth with my hand. “Dude, you’re a feminist—being mean to other women isn’t cool.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re the queen of tit-for-tat, Heaven. Turn-about is fair play and all that. I just think that sometimes women who want to take down other women should be taken down a notch.”
“You’re ridiculous.” My phone rang and I glanced at the screen. “Ugh. It’s my dad.”