Chapter 5
Logan
“Listen, folks,” said Professor Lynch of my marketing class.
He seemed like he was an OK guy until the very end of class.
“You either know someone in here or you don’t.
And either scenario makes group work hard.
So I’m making the groups for you.” He pulled up what I had to assume was the roster on his computer and started rattling off two names at a time.
As he did, each person stood and paired off to share their information. Reluctantly.
“Eve Miller and Tommy West.”
“Lizzie Singer and Avi Singh.”
“Logan Somers and Ava Kennedy.”
Wait, what? It couldn’t be. What were the chances? We were in a lecture hall, so the class was kind of large. I looked around the room to see if the “Ava” who stood up was a short, green-eyed monster who was going to give me a murderous glare.
And lo and behold, it was my fucking roommate.
My first instinct was to march straight to our professor and demand a new partner. Because I knew full well this was going to be a nightmare. But as she made her way toward me, I wasn’t going to be the one who bailed on us.
“Hey, asshole,” she said as she fell into the seat next to mine. Ava dropped her backpack at her feet and refused to look at me. “Even our professor has it out for us, it would seem.”
I remained standing. We didn’t need to trade information, so I was heading out.
“Where ya going?” she yelled.
“Home.”
She fell into step behind me as I walked up the stairs and into the hall. As I threw my beanie on my head, she bundled up as well before we made our way outside.
Spring semester was no joke in Virginia. See, it runs from January through May, so even though it’s called spring semester, most of it takes place during the winter. And winters at Blue Ridge University, walking across the drillfield, were brutal. Especially on the windy days.
Which, of course, the first day of classes was one.
Wicked wind.
I swear the wind chill was close to zero degrees. The parking lots for students who lived off campus were nowhere near any of the class buildings. The trek to my car felt like it was a trek over the frozen tundra of Alaska.
Once we made it outside, I turned toward her. Her parka was zipped up to her neck, the hood pulled over a hat with one of those pom-pom things on top. She had a scarf wrapped in there somehow and big woolen mittens.
She looked adorable. And I hated that I even noticed that she looked cute. I hid my smile by looking away. She definitely couldn’t see that.
“Are you headed home, too? Where ya parked?” It would be rude to not continue walking with her if we were headed in the same direction.
“I don’t have a car, I’m heading to the bus stop.”
So of course, the question arose within my brain. Do I do what I want, and continue walking to my car, alone? Or do I do what should? Becca told me that Ava was going to try to make this work between us, so I guess I had to as well.
I stopped walking but kept my head facing forward, refusing to look at her.
“You wanna ride?”
I was sure the delay in her answer was due to her being stunned silent.
“Um, yeah, sure, I guess so. I had to wait for three buses this morning, they were all full on my way to campus. Who knows how long I’ll have to wait.”
I nodded, and she tried to keep up as I resumed walking, though she struggled.
“Dude, could you slow down? It’s like trying to keep up with a giant,” she whined.
My steps slowed a bit, but not by much. I glanced back at Ava as her feet worked double time.
“C’mon Tink, speed it up. It’s frickin’ cold out here, let’s get to my truck.
” I knew the name pissed her off, but I didn’t care.
Even though we were supposed to be trying with each other, getting under her skin had become my new favorite pastime.
Seeing her reaction, a different one each time, was fun.
This time it was her mumbling to herself under her breath, but nothing loud enough for me to hear.
We finally made it to the lot, and my truck. Unlocking it, I walked to the passenger side and opened her door.
“Give me your bag, I’ll put it in the back seat,” I said, reaching for the strap on her shoulder.
“I can do it.” She pushed me out of the way and threw it into the second row. But then, as she moved to the open passenger door, she just stared up at the seat. “Christ, this thing was made for behemoth sized humans. How the hell am I supposed to get in it?”
I got a sideways glance as she yanked her mittens off, seeming to look for something to grip. She pressed her lips tight as she pondered what to do.
I pointed to the running board along the bottom of my truck, made specifically for this reason.
“You’re not the only one, Tink. Step on that, you’ll be able to get in.”
She even struggled to step on the running board, so I offered my hand.
She stared at it for a moment, unsure if she wanted my help or to even touch me.
But she gave in and took it. As she leaned into the cab, my hand went to her back to make sure she didn’t fall.
Her coat lifted as she stepped up, exposing a small patch of skin on her lower back just as my hand landed on her to guide her.
She froze.
Her skin was warm under my frigid fingers, so I yanked them away quickly.
“Sorry.” My hand went to a higher part of her back, making sure to only touch her jacket.
“It’s OK, um, thanks.”
Her response took me off guard as she settled into her seat and pulled the seat belt across her lap. I was still standing outside the door as she did it, staring at her, dumbfounded.
Did we just have a moment?
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I said.
Her glance turned into an eye roll before she turned back to her seatbelt, so I chose not to make much of it.
It was a start. I had no idea what I’d done to receive the wrath she’d unleashed on me so far, and I’d like to make amends.
But I also wasn’t about to let her walk all over me while doing it.
As soon as I started driving, Ava blasted the heat as high as it would go, but the car was still too cold.
“We probably won’t even have heat by the time we make it to our house,” I told her. As I turned the blower down, I looked her way. She was back to ignoring me, which was fine on our short trip. To fill the silence, I turned on the radio. The country music that came through the speakers calmed me.
Then I saw the red taillights up ahead, and we weren’t even off campus yet. What should be a ten-minute drive was going to be a bit longer, and the silence between us was already awkward.
“So, what kind of music do you like, Tink?”
Since we were stopped in traffic, I watched as her head made a slow swivel in my direction.
“Do you even know my real name?”
My laugh filled the truck. I was totally under her skin, and I loved it.
“Of course I do, but you’ve earned this one.”
That landed me a small smile. And as she looked my way, that smile made her green eyes sparkle.
It brought me back to when I saw her the other day on campus and first noticed those eyes.
I had no idea when I saw her then that she was my roommate.
Thank God I didn’t act on my emotions in that moment and my anxiety won.
Walking out of that office was the best thing I could’ve done.
“Well, I don’t hate this country stuff,” she said as she reached for the knob. “But it’s not my favorite.”
She tuned it to a different station, and suddenly, Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” blared through the speakers. The haunting melody was one I was familiar with, but not a song I’d listened to recently. “Now this, this I can listen to all day long.”
Leaning back against the headrest, she closed her eyes and her head swayed to the music.
“This is the kind of music I listen to at the gym.” I didn’t think she heard me due to how loud she had the volume up, and I wasn’t even sure why I told her.
Maybe I was trying to make small talk, or maybe I was trying to make sure my new roommate didn’t hate me.
But she reached over and turned it down.
“So you’re a gym rat?” My knuckles turned white as I gripped the steering wheel while I stared at the cars in front of us.
It wasn’t what she said, but how she said it.
The ridicule dripped from her voice. Thankfully, the cars ahead started moving and I made it through the traffic light we’d been stuck at.
Driving would have to be my distraction, because talking to her couldn’t be. Not anymore.
“Ohh, what’s wrong? The big brawny guy doesn’t like being called a gym rat?” Her wicked, snide attitude was downright mean.
She really was a total bitch.
We drove the rest of the way home in silence. As I pulled into a spot near our townhouse, I opened my door to get out, but she stopped me when she spoke.
“See, words can hurt, Logan.”
This time, I didn’t help her with the door or getting out of the truck. But the frog caught my attention as I passed him. He had what looked like bird shit on him. Using a napkin that had been in my pocket, I did my best to clean it off. He deserved better.
Once inside, I walked straight for the fridge to get some food and was about to head upstairs. That was when I saw both Macie and Becca were in the kitchen as well.
“Hey, Logan,” Becca said. “How was it being back on campus?”
My face was still in the fridge, looking for my protein bowl I’d made earlier this morning. Once I grabbed it, I turned toward Becca.
“Fine, until the end of my last class.”
I tossed my bowl on the counter and searched for a spoon in the drawer. As I was about to explain to Becca what I meant, my driving companion finally made her way inside. Loudly, as she slammed the front door.
“Thanks for nothing buddy, I almost couldn’t get out of that damn truck,” she barked.
“Wait, did you two come home together?” Macie asked as she got up from the kitchen table. She and Becca looked like they’d been working on something together. Yet now they both looked…intrigued.
“Yeah,” I said. “We have Marketing together.”
“And then he stranded me in that monster truck of his, all alone out there!”
Becca leaned against the island, eyeing Ava up and down.
“It was still nice of him to drive you home,” Becca said.
Ava threw her backpack toward the couch and then turned her attention back to her friends, me not included in that.
“I had to jump from the seat to the ground. Literally jump. He had time to stop and talk to the cement frog out front, but he couldn’t help me.”
It took everything in me to not scream “fuck you” at her. I’d never met someone so ungrateful before.
“But did you thank him?” Becca asked. “It was a very nice thing he did as your roommate.” Her emphasis on the word roommate didn’t go unnoticed.
Ava just stared blankly at Becca and then said, without looking at me, “Thank you.”
Whatever was going on between them, I wanted to steer clear of it. I picked up my bowl, spoon, and bag, and turned to head upstairs.
“Whatever,” I mumbled as I walked away from the girls.
“Did you tell them?” Ava asked, the question directed at me.
I stopped and turned.
“What?” I asked.
Ava let out a bark of a laugh.
“It’s ironic really,” she said as joined the girls at the table. She had their attention, eyes glued to her. “We have marketing together. And not only are we in the same class, but we’re partners for the entire semester. Our grade will depend on it.”
Both Macie and Becca’s heads turned toward me in unison, their smiles matching.
“Oh my god, are you serious?” Macie asked. “I think that’s perfect! You guys have built in study partners right here. I would die for that.”
And if it had been Macie or Becca, I think I would share her sentiment. Having someone in the house to do class projects with does make it easier…if it’s a person who doesn’t want to gouge your eyes out.
Becca looked thoughtful as she scrutinized both Ava and me. I remembered saying how similar she thought the two of them were. Thinking back to when I first met Becca, though, I don’t remember her ever being mean. Her snarky comments always came across in the way they were intended to, as a joke.
“Well,” Becca said. “I think it could be an opportunity for the two of you to get to know each other a bit better, right, Ava?” She locked eyes on her as they sat across from one another.
“Yeah,” Ava said. “Right.”
Tink didn’t sound very convinced.