Chapter 18
Logan
It was past one in the afternoon when we got to campus, since we'd woken up so late.
Zac and Charlie's cousin were already waiting for us in the parking lot, where a whole operation seemed to have been set up.
White tents had been put up and I recognize a few professors and university staff under the structure offering information and some supplies to the students.
Charlie goes straight into her cousin's arms while Ethan and I greet Zac. The girls exchange a few words, checking how each of them got through the night, and I only start really paying attention when Charlie asks what she knows about the building.
I watch the expression on Madison's face wilt completely.
"The firefighters still haven't confirmed what might have started it, but they're sure it began in Celeste's bathroom and from there it found fuel in her bookshelf," she says, and I try to remember whether Celeste was the name of the girl I hooked up with at the start of the semester, but I'm not too sure.
If it was, her room was the last one in the hallway.
"Lucky that neither she nor Michelle was there.
Actually, most of our floor wasn't, and that's why it took so long for anyone to notice. "
"Oh my God," Charlie exclaims and runs her hands through her hair nervously.
"Yeah. The one who smelled the smoke first was Dani, and she went around waking everyone up.
She's still in the hospital under observation for inhaling too much smoke.
The others have already been released. The one who got hurt the most was a freshman named Penelope, who fell coming down the stairs in a hurry and broke her arm. "
"Oh, I know who she is. Poor thing!"
"And then..." The blonde stops to wipe away a tear.
"The firefighters were helping in the neighboring town and took almost half an hour to arrive.
Because of that the second floor burned almost completely," she finishes, letting more tears fall.
An equally pained gasp comes out of Charlie, and I catch myself in anguish seeing the girl so devastated.
I shove my hands in my pants pockets to stop myself from wanting to do the same as in the early morning and pull her into my arms.
"So we really did lose everything, then," she manages to say after a few moments. Maddie shakes her head.
"Some stuff might have survived, but they're not going to let us in today.
They said the structure was too compromised.
Not even the people who slept on the other floors were allowed in.
They're going to install some iron support pillars and maybe tomorrow it'll be possible, but they didn't give any guarantees. "
"What a nightmare!" Charlie exclaims, letting out a little of the frustration she must be feeling, and her cousin hugs her.
I trade a look with Ethan, and I think even he's feeling helpless in the face of the situation.
"Look, I don't think there's anything for us to keep doing here, right? Why don't we go to the mall and buy some basics for you two, and then you rest a bit at our place? We'll all find out about any important news," Ethan suggests, and I nod energetically in agreement.
"Yeah! We can go to the Manchester, it's close and it'll have more options," I agree with my friend, but Charlie pulls away from her cousin to look at me with a scowl.
"With this face all puffy from crying, I'm definitely not going to any mall," she declares, making a pout of frustration that I find really cute, and I have to control a smile.
"You're still beautiful, Pinkie," I assure, and she blinks repeatedly, not knowing how to react to me, as always. "But it can be the little center right here, then. Put on some sunglasses and you'll be all set."
"Logan, she doesn't have sunglasses at the moment," Ethan points out, and Charlie agrees with a face that says, "yeah, exactly."
I give a sheepish smile, but I'm not fazed.
"The first stop, then, will be the optician," I decide, and I pull a little laugh out of Madison.
"I think they're right, Char. We need at least a few changes of clothes, panties, and a toothbrush. Oh, and hair stuff, because all Zac has in his bathroom is a 3-in-1 shampoo," the blonde says, shooting a judgmental look at my friend, who just shrugs.
"Works great for me, baby," he answers, earning back a scowl and a groan of disapproval from Madison.
"Shall we go, then?" It's Ethan who asks, and Charlie sighs, but agrees with a nod, copied by her cousin. "Great. Let's just go over there to find out what they're handing out at the tents, because I'm curious," he says, pointing to the spot right to our right.
Everyone goes along with the suggestion and we head over there.
In the end, the university had managed to put together a small emergency aid kit for all the displaced girls, with a toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb, a T-shirt with the Lexington Crown logo, and a pair of flip-flops. It wasn't much, but it already helped.
Once at the center, Zac, Ethan, and I served as bag carriers as they went through the stores and remembered "vital things."
At the lingerie store I chose to wait outside, reviewing statistics on our next opponent on my phone to avoid imagining Charlotte trying on bras.
In the final tally, besides the underwear and hair products, the girls bought pajamas, boots, coats, thermal clothes, and some everyday pieces.
All of that took a lot longer than I imagined, and Zac and Maddie decided to head back to the fraternity.
Ethan and I reinforced the invitation for her to stay at our place and share the room with Charlie, but the girl said she'd be fine at the Gamma.
Which is why now it was just the three of us walking through the apartment door.
I hang my coat on the hook next to the door and go straight to Charlie's new room with her bags, Ethan on my heels.
"You can just leave that on the floor. I'll take a shower and then organize everything," she asks, and we obey.
I take a long shower too, and heading to the kitchen, I find Ethan already there, stirring something on the stove.
"Hey," I announce myself, and my friend turns to look at me. He's shirtless, with wet hair, and wearing the same Royals sweatpants as me. I avoid looking at his abs, because for a brief second my mind wondered if that's how he looked while he was eating Charlie out in that bathroom.
Hell. I thought this disturbance had passed. I shake my head and ignore the line of thought again.
"Hey," my friend greets back, "I'm going to make a carbonara, okay?"
I raise an eyebrow in his direction and cross my arms over my chest.
"So you mean when it's just me at home it's bread and water, the occasional pizza, but with Charlie it's carbonara pasta?" I tease in a fake bitter voice, and he cracks up.
"Quit being a crybaby. I've made this for you before," he shoots back, going back to focusing on the stove where the bacon is already frying and the delicious smell fills the kitchen. I sit on the island stool.
"I think that was just once and it's been over a year," I keep complaining, and Ethan laughs a little more. He holds a wooden spoon as he turns his body to me again and shrugs.
"She had a horrible day. She deserves home cooking," he justifies, and I shake my head.
"I've had horrible days too, like that time I dislocated my shoulder in a game," I shoot back, and my friend looks at me like he's saying, "God give me patience."
"I'm pretty sure I bought you soup that day and even kept reminding you about your medicine," he says, and it's true, but I ignore it. "And besides, Charlie is a lot prettier than you," he exclaims last, and I open my mouth, indignant.
"That's not fair! Of course she's prettier than ninety percent of people, but I thought you found me good-looking too," I say, getting to my feet and coming closer to him.
Ethan looks me up and down and shakes his head.
"You're just... not my type," he explains, and my eyes go wide.
"Excuse me?? You're bi, isn't everyone your type?"
"That's not how bisexuality works, friend."
"Okay, whatever." I make a dismissive gesture with my hand, but then I have a flash. "Hey! Does that mean you wouldn't hook up with me even if I were bi too?"
"Hmm... no?" he says and turns his attention back to the stove. I watch him drain the pasta and then grab cheese and egg from the fridge. When he returns to the counter and starts mixing the ingredients into the pasta, I go back to my frustrated interrogation.
"How come no?"
"No, just because. I don't go around kissing every living soul. And you're my friend," he explains while setting the pot of finished pasta on the counter. I open the cabinets and grab the plates and silverware, but I stay on the subject.
"But friends kiss too, one thing doesn't have to have anything to do with the other," I complain even more. "And I'm extremely kissable!"
Ethan, who was getting ready to sit around the island, looks at me with a raised eyebrow, then glances over to the hallway where a Charlie with an expression of pure amusement is watching us.
"Uh... am I interrupting something?" she asks, and Ethan lets out a groan as he finally sits.
"No, just a Logan meltdown, because he's offended that I said he's not my type," he mocks, and I deny it energetically.
"Of course I'm offended, I thought I was everyone's type!" I explain, gesturing with my arms. Charlie presses her lips together to hold in the laugh while she sits next to Ethan.
"Well, I'm sorry about your ego, but a dose of reality is good sometimes, friend," retorts the guy who calls himself my best friend. Charlie loses control and starts cracking up. I narrow my eyes at the two of them in anger, but I sit next to the girl and fill my plate with pasta.
"I still don't believe it," I mutter before stuffing my mouth with food. Which, by the way, is marvelous and only makes me angrier at Ethan.
Charlie rests a hand on my shoulder and strokes it lightly.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But you'll get over it," she says as a form of fake consolation, and with no shame at all, I stick my tongue out at her.
"I don't need to get over it, one day he'll stop lying to himself," I finish, for the good of my own ego, but I only earn more laughter from both of them.
Idiots. I let the air out of my nose, irritated.
I'm hot. I'm absolutely sure of it!
Everyone would hook up with me.
Right?