Out of Character (True Colors 2)

He opened the car door, letting in a gust of cold air. No kiss good night, and I couldn’t help but wonder if letting him see my sketches would have made a difference there. We seemed to be in a weird space where we had definite plans to see each other again, weren’t actively enemies, and yet weren’t friends either.

“Night.” I stopped biting my lip as Jasper got out of the car. Maybe…

Nope. He left the car without a second glance. But right when I was about to put the car back in gear, he stuck his head back in.

“Just so we’re clear…”

“Yeah?” Heck. Maybe undefined limbo land was better than some warning I wasn’t ready for.

“I’m not going to tell. Not anyone. That’s your business. And I’m not out for payback.”

“I appreciate that.” My throat went tight like a water balloon, trying to contain emotions I had no idea what to do with. I didn’t deserve his kindness, but I also wasn’t stupid enough to turn it down.

“See you Wednesday.” Slamming the car door, he then jogged up the path to the dorm, deck bag flapping behind him. I watched him the whole way to the door because I was worried he might go flying on the slick sidewalk. But when he swiped a key card to enter the dorm and slipped inside the heavy wooden doors, it wasn’t relief that rushed through me.

It was weird, missing someone moments after we’d spent over twelve hours together, and yet there I was, driving away, feeling like I was leaving something precious behind. I parked carefully in the covered spot that was the one positive to this arrangement with Luther and James. My leg was so stiff from the hours of driving that I had to suppress a groan as I unfolded myself from the front seat. After some deliberation over whether to lock the card in the glove box, I ended up hiding the bulky case in my jacket along with my sketchbook. Considering that I’d left pieces of my soul all along the interstate, I so was not up for another tense encounter with my roommates.

And damn it. Luther and James weren’t alone. The two sorority sisters who lived in the apartment beneath us were perched on the couch, holding beers. A recent comedy was on the TV.

“It’s fu—freaking cold out,” Luther said by way of greeting as he paused the movie. “The ladies had to cancel their plans to go out because of the weather, so we thought we’d kick back and see how much snow we actually get. Beer in the fridge if you want one.”

I had zero desire to be a fifth wheel, and James’s glare as he scooted closer to the brunette said that he didn’t want me horning in on his conquest. As if. “Nah. I’m tired. Gonna go crash.”

“Aww,” the blond whose name might have been Brittany said. “Luther, turn the volume down.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got headphones.”

“Where were you all day, anyway?” Luther fiddled with the remote.

“There you go, playing Mom again,” James snarked, saving me from a reply as I retreated to the kitchen. My stash of soup cans was getting low, and someone had eaten my bread again, but I quickly made a packet of instant noodles while the movie started back up in the living room.

Not wanting more interrogation, I snuck the food back to my freezing room. I didn’t want to lie to the guys, but there were certain conversations I wasn’t ready to have. Jasper was right. I needed better friends. Stat.

Jasper. Setting the noodles aside, I pulled out my sketchbook and settled on my bed. A few quick lines and I had Jasper’s expression when he’d won against that girl in his second-to-last match. I added a flashy vest in the Frog Wizard style. The more I sketched, the more my muscles loosened back up. I wasn’t anywhere close to the person I wanted—needed—to be. However, looking at my drawing next to the rare card, I felt like maybe I’d at least found the path. And for better or worse, Jasper was key.

Chapter Fifteen

Jasper

“Your prince is here again.” Kellan laughed as the elevator dinged. He lounged on a sofa in the waiting area near the bank of elevators as we waited for the others on Wednesday.

“He’s not…” My voice trailed off because Milo was indeed striding toward us in his Prince Neptune costume, which I’d handed him in the downstairs lobby. His bus had been late, so he’d arrived after I’d changed, but he’d made fast work of getting ready. He looked fantastic, all the gold accessories glinting in the bright light, dark hair tamed under the crown, and muscles flexing under the toga as he moved. His limp was more noticeable than it had been on Saturday, and I had a feeling he’d raced too fast from the bus stop.