15. Harper
15
HARPER
M y mind filters through the worst that could happen on my way to the library. Olivia’s in class over at her school, but she promised she’d return to meet me here later. The FSU library is generally a pretty safe place to be. It’s full of other students and staff, at least until dinnertime.
But I wasn’t expecting Camden to intercept me—or his proposition. Changing the name on the account wouldn’t solve everything, but it would help. It could stop Max from finding the page—and right now, Max is my biggest problem.
Which means giving in to his demand.
Great.
I pull out my phone and scroll through my recent messages. Olivia checking in, Royal…
Royal
Seriously, you can’t stay at Olivia’s forever
Blink twice if you’re alive
Well, Connor said he heard you and Olivia in the house the other day, so nice to know you’re still breathing
Your stuff got delivered
Me and Lucas built it this afternoon, so it’s all set for you to come back
…
Are you pissed at me or something?
Don’t make me resort to calling Mom…
Those were sent over the last three days. Guilt hits me.
I send him back a thumbs-up emoji, which isn’t a lot but it does prove I’m breathing, and switch to Olivia’s thread.
Me
I think I need to go back to the hockey house tonight
Her reply comes immediately.
Olivia
With a knife under your pillow just in case, right???
I snicker, but it dies off relatively fast. Suddenly, the idea of Camden sneaking in and repeating what he did before is the least of my worries. I already know my objective: go to him . Get the profile name changed.
Watch out for stalkers hiding in my closet.
“Hey! Harper!”
I tuck my phone in my pocket and turn.
Cynthia hurries across the lawn toward me. She’s dressed for winter, with a thick scarf wrapped around her neck, and a puffy coat zipped up to it. All that’s missing is the hat with a pom-pom and knit mittens.
“I’ve been searching for you everywhere.” She joins me on the path and loops her arm through mine. “Gosh. You were a good roommate, you know? But now that you’ve moved out, they replaced you with some nerd who gets up at the crack of dawn. And she chews so much gum—but I’m pretty sure she swallows it when she’s done. You’re supposed to spit out gum, Harper, it can stay in your stomach for seven years .”
Wow.
I try to untangle myself, but she only holds harder.
“So she leaves to go to the gym, and I get a knock on the door. Open it up, and it’s this hottie looking for you .”
I freeze. My mind immediately goes to Max Keegan. “Excuse me?”
“Some hockey guy. But if it’s not Camden Church, I don’t know his name.” She lifts a shoulder. “I’ve seen him around before, though.”
“So not some random weirdo?”
She shakes her head. “Nah. Definitely a teammate.”
I blow out a long breath.
“Probably Royal,” I guess. “My brother. I haven’t been in contact in the past few days, so… he probably didn’t know where else to go.”
“Right. Well, he assumed you were with me, which is really sweet but also kind of misguided. I had to inform him that since you moved out, the housing department assigned me a hippie nut.” Her voice drops. “I can’t even have sex with my boyfriend, Harper. She doesn’t care . We were getting frisky under the covers one night and all I could hear was her gum snapping.”
I wrinkle my nose. That sounds like the definition of a buzzkill, it’s true. But also, this just proves moving out of that room was the right call for me. This new roommate sounds like the perfect match for Cynthia and her inconsiderate antics.
“Don’t worry about my brother,” I say. “I’m going to his house tonight.”
She nods along. “Right, well, that doesn’t solve?—”
“I’m sorry, Cynthia, I’m late to my next class.” I succeed in freeing my arm and make a sharp right. I veer away from her. “Good to see you, though! Thanks for letting me know about Royal.”
She calls something else, but I ignore her and duck through the science building. I emerge on the other side alone and slow my pace for the walk back to the hockey house.
It’s funny—I know Royal had been texting me, but I didn’t think he was actually worried about not seeing me. Knowing he even checked my dorm brings a newfound warmth to my chest.
He cares.
I know he does, of course. It’s that I’m-the-only-one-allowed-to-bully-you vibe. He also can be nice sometimes. But… I don’t know. I guess while we’re close , we’re not share-every-secret close. Or know-where-the-other-is-at-every-second-of-every-day close.
Maybe the appearance of Max has him rattled, even if he doesn’t know the half of it.
I glance around on reflex, checking for signs of my stalker. No hair raises on the back of my neck, my ears aren’t burning. If he’s watching, he’s being so subtle my instincts can’t detect it.
Perhaps he lost interest.
Either way, I’m not about to stick around and find out.
I make it back to the hockey house unscathed. The front door is unlocked, which is good. I don’t think Royal ever gave me a house key. Do they ever lock it?
Guys probably aren’t worried about security like me. And if Royal knew the unlocked door only made it easier for Max to sneak in and cover my air mattress in roses… That really just confirms I should tell him. So he can do something about it.
Because Camden is right. Ugh, did you really just think that? No, no, he is right. I can’t stay in hiding forever. And he just offered the perfect carrot dangling out in front of me to bring me back.
The house feels the same as it did the other day. Which is to say: surprisingly normal.
Lucas and Connor, the two other housemates, are on the couch playing a video game. I wave to them on my way by and go straight upstairs.
Royal’s door is open.
I knock on the frame and peek in, then enter fully when I spot him at his desk.
His headphones are on, and he doesn’t react to my entrance. I really shouldn’t do what I’m about to do, but the closer I get, the more I can hear the tinny music blasting in his ears. And it just seems like a perfect opportunity.
I creep forward, then pounce and grab his shoulders. I yell, for good measure.
He shouts. His whole body jerks, nearly flinging me away, but his wide-eyed expression of fear catapults me into hysterics. He catches a glimpse of me and swears, knocking his headphones off.
“What the fuck, Harper?”
His expression—horror, then anger—is perfect.
Priceless.
I’m too busy dying of laughter to answer him.
He grips me around the waist and picks me up off my feet. I screech, still laughing, as he throws me over his shoulder and stalks out of the room.
“Put me down!” I kick.
“You’re gonna pay for that,” he warns.
Uh-oh.
“And for not responding to my texts for two days.”
Right.
He heads away from the stairs—I suppose it’s good he’s not planning on tossing me in a pile of leaves in the backyard or something—and opens a door. I lift my head enough to see the dresser he built against one wall. My suitcases all neatly arranged by the closet. New hangers.
He tips forward, and I yelp again when I fall backward. I hit a mattress, and my brows furrow. This isn’t the squishy, unbalanced air mattress.
There’s a headboard.
“It’s—”
“Yeah,” he mutters, glancing around. “Your room. A real bed. New sheets and comforter, curtesy of Mom. It’s been waiting for you, but you decided to have an extended sleepover with Olivia.”
A lump forms in my throat.
“Mom wants a call back,” he adds.
“Tell me you didn’t mention?—”
“Your stalker?” Royal plants his hands on his hips and stares me down. “No. But you should.”
I should tell you, too .
The good news? The room doesn’t smell like roses anymore.
It takes me a second to fully take in the room. It actually does feel like… well, like mine . This seems to be an invitation to stay. Even if Max never shows his face on the FSU campus again. Even if the flowers were a sick joke by Camden and not him .
“Thank you,” I whisper. “This was a lot.”
“Damn straight.” He offers his hand, and I let him help me to my feet. He wraps his arm around me. It’s easy to rest my cheek on his chest and forget about the rest of it.
Namely, Camden .
The menace down the hall.