Fake Roommate Read online

  Sydney looked at me, and her eyes and mouth went agape. I’d seen that look on Sydney’s face before. It always preceded trouble.

  “What?” I asked.

  She threw her hands to her mouth. “Oh my god. I forgot to tell you.” She walked over and knelt on the ground in front of me and took my hands into hers. “Okay, please don’t be mad.”

  “Mad about what?” I hissed.

  “You remember that really cute pre-law guy that I met at preview night? Henry?”

  “Yeah.”

  Sydney winced. “We’ve been dating over the summer and…” she sighed. “I’m gonna room with him this semester.”

  I yanked my hands out of her grip. “What!”

  2

  Nina

  “What do you mean you’re rooming with him?” I stood up from the desk and moved to stand in the middle of the room. Sydney followed, facing me with a pleading look on her face. I’d read all of my college materials closely and carefully, including all of the bylaws for living in the Presper dorms. No electric burners, no candles or incense, and no boys and girls in the same room. “Boys and girls can’t room together. That’s, like, the first rule in the dorm handbook.”

  “Sweetie, all colleges put that in the rules. It’s that whole pre-1950s, no sex before marriage nonsense. Most places don’t actually enforce it anymore. We’re adults and can do what we want.” She reached out and put her hands on my shoulders. “Look, you should meet Henry. He’s great, like really, really great. You’ll love him. Trust me. I’m head over heels for this guy. It’s only been a few months, but I can already tell, he’s the one.”

  There was a sincerity in Sydney’s eyes that made me want to just let it go, but I couldn’t forgive her that easily. “I was really looking forward to rooming with you. What about me? You’d rather be with him than with me?”

  “No.” Sydney poked out her bottom lip. “It’s not like I’m choosing, but you know. I love him. I’d like to be able to sleep in the same bed as him. You get that, right?” I crossed my arms and stared angrily at Sydney, letting her know she wasn’t earning any forgiveness. She pulled back her arms but stayed close. “Look. I’ll visit you all the time. We can still study together and do stuff together, and besides, you’re an introvert anyway. After a few weeks, you’ll be happy you have the room all to yourself.”

  “I’d rather share a room with you than have a room to myself,” I grumbled back.

  Sydney sighed. “Nina…”

  A knock on the doorframe interrupted the conversation. Our door was still propped open from earlier, and when I looked back toward the doorway, a woman with short black hair in a bob cut and thin glasses balanced on her nose was standing in the middle of it.

  “Hi,” she greeted. “My name is Monica, and I’m the fourth-floor resident advisor.” She stepped into the room, either not sensing the atmosphere in the room, or not caring. “It’s nice to meet you, Sydney.” She held out her hand to Sydney, and Sydney took and shook it with a forced smile. “Nina.” She turned her hand to me, which I shook lightly, as well. “Sorry. I’ve looked you guys up on social media so that I would know who’s who.”

  I furrowed my brow, and Sydney made a similar face. “That’s a little weird,” Sydney said, never one to be afraid to say it like it is.

  Monica let out a high-pitched, fairy-like laugh in response. “You know, you’re not the first person who has told me that. I just like to be prepared when I meet new residents.” Neither Sydney nor I responded, so she just kept going. “Anyway, all of the fourth-floor residents have officially arrived, so we’re going to be having a floor meeting. I won’t take up too much of your time. We’re just going to go over some rules and some of the campus events, and give everyone a chance to see each other’s faces. Please take a moment to pause what you’re doing currently and meet in the floor meeting room in the opposite hallway from this one.”

  Sydney scoffed. “We’re kind of in the middle of—”

  “See you both soon!” Monica turned and left.

  Sydney looked back at me. “That was irritating. Look, I want to finish—”

  “We have to go to the meeting.” I walked past Sydney, grabbed my phone and keys from the desk, and walked out of the room.

  I could hear Sydney grumble and complain behind me, but she followed nonetheless, and we filtered into a group of students all moving in one direction, no doubt headed toward the floor meeting room. We funneled into the room with everyone else and found seats among the rows of chairs that had been set up. A whiteboard against the wall had some cute pictures drawn on next to a few of the rules, one of which was the international symbol for males inside of a circle with a line through it.

  I side-glanced Sydney, but she had her phone out and was furiously tapping away at the screen, not paying any attention. More and more students filed into the room until there were about sixty people, and then Monica walked in shortly after. She went and stood at the front of the room where the whiteboard was located and smiled out at the group.

  “Good afternoon, ladies, and welcome to Presper University. It’s been a pleasure meeting you all today. Thank you for allowing me to interrupt your unpacking and getting settled. I promise not to take up much of your time. We’re just gonna go over a few things, and then you’ll be back to your rooms.”

  I looked over at Sydney to see if she was paying attention, but of course, she wasn’t. It wasn’t the first time I had to pay particularly close attention to the droning-on of some rules so that I could relay them to Sydney later, and it wouldn’t be the last. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Monica as she walked over to the side of the whiteboard so that she could point at each of the drawings as she spoke.

  “We’ll start with the fun stuff!” She pointed to a little calendar drawn near the upper-lefthand corner of the whiteboard. “There are ten different events that take place throughout the year for all students, plus hundreds of additional smaller events hosted for specific clubs, academic sections, and dorm towers. My room, room 401, has a calendar hanging on the door with all of the upcoming events listed. There’s also a sign-up sheet in case anyone needs a date. I’m always open to attend any of these events with you.”

  Sydney snickered, even though she wasn’t looking up from her phone. “She’s kind of weird,” she muttered quietly.

  I didn’t respond, but I couldn’t disagree. Monica had the kind of energy of a tagalong friend that no one really wants around but is forced to bring along because of obligation. A few of the other students were murmuring similar things to themselves. It appeared that Monica freaked out more people than just Sydney and me.

  “The next upcoming event, apart from the welcome week stuff happening this week, is our Fall Ball on September nineteenth.”

  One of the students raised her hand. “Uh, isn’t NewSem on that day?”

  I didn’t recognize the word she’d said. I looked over, and Sydney had actually glanced up from her phone and had her eyes on the student with increased curiosity.

  Monica frowned. “That is not a recognized Presper University event, and frankly, I would highly recommend none of you participate.” She cleared her throat and immediately moved on.

  “What’s that?” I whispered to Sydney.

  Sydney shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “Moving on,” Monica said, moving over a little toward the drawings that clearly represented the rules. “The less fun stuff, the rules. You’ll learn this about me, but I can be a touch of a stickler for the rules, but it’s only because I want to maximize all of your experiences here at Presper.”

  “She does realize she’s only, like, two years older than us, right?” Sydney asked.

  “Rule number one is, keep tidy spaces. You all are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of your living spaces, as well as the bathroom space that you share with your next-door neighbor. For the next year, this is your home, and I expect you to treat it as such. Random inspections on both dorms and
bathrooms are permitted per the university agreement, you all signed to receive your dorm assignments. Rest assured, I do conduct random inspections. Any obscene untidiness, specifically anything that could lead to the attraction of bugs or rodents, will be reported immediately.”

  Sydney finally stopped looking at her phone. “What the hell is wrong with this woman?” she huffed.

  “Rule number two is, quiet hours start at ten and continue until ten the next morning, even on the weekends. Many students use their rooms to study, and a good night’s sleep is always important, so these must be followed. If you receive one complaint about noise, you will be given a warning. The second will be reported, and the third is subject to removal from the dorm.”

  “I thought I was uptight,” I muttered.

  “Rule number three,” Monica slammed her hand on the male symbol in the circle with a line through it. “No overnights with boys, at all, for any reason. Not in their rooms, and not in yours. Our university prohibits inter-sex overnights, so to see to it that this rule is followed, I conduct a headcount of all rooms every single night to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. These headcounts are done at the beginning of quiet hours.”

  “What!” Sydney yelped out loud. Many of the students turned to face her, and Monica smiled at her with a snarky crook to her lips.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I fully expect all students to be in their dorm rooms by ten o’clock Monday through Thursday and by midnight Friday through Sunday. Exceptions can be made for students who travel or go home for any reason, but these must be pre-excused with me and cannot be longer than four days without intervention from the dean of students. Any student who is missing from their room for four or more days, excused or otherwise, will be reported to the dean for verification. Anyone found to be in violation of this rule is immediately subject to academic probation. Continued violation may result in removal from the dorm or expulsion.”

  “Both of those,” Sydney spat back, “would be welcome compared to this spartan rule that you’ve got going on. You’re just a college RA, not the president.”

  The corner of Monica’s mouth twitched a little, but her smile didn’t fade. “I am aware of the way that some of these rules will be received. You’re in college now and expect independence, which I plan to give to you, within reason.” She clapped her hands together. “Trust me, this is for your own good. Too many students have lost their way on the path to success by focusing on things that aren’t their studies. There will be plenty of time to have fun this year, but being a good student should be your first priority. With these rules, you will do just that.”

  “But—”

  I elbowed Sydney and grumbled, “Stop, or she’s going to pay extra close attention to us.”

  “What was that, Nina?” Monica asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing. Just telling Sydney that I agree.”

  She nodded. “Ah, very good! You’ve got a good roommate there, Sydney.”

  I could tell from the heat radiating off Sydney that she didn’t want to let the issue go, but she settled back into her chair with a pout. Monica finished with the final few rules. No fighting. How to report issues to the RA. Where to find resources for academic success. Then, with a smile and a nod, she dismissed the students from the meeting room, keeping a careful watch over Sydney and me as we shuffled out among the masses.

  I had to damn near push Sydney back to our room, and I barely got the door shut before Sydney exploded. “Can you fucking believe that?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, but rules are rules.”

  I had to turn my back to hide the small smile that I was developing. It wasn’t that I was glad that Sydney couldn’t be with the guy she was dating as much as she wanted to, but I was glad that a rule had stepped in to prevent her from abandoning me.

  “Anyway, what do you think we should do for dinner? Wanna try one of the dining halls?” Sydney didn’t respond. I turned back around, and she was sitting on her bed, furiously typing on her phone yet again. “Who are you talking to?” I asked.

  “Henry,” she barked back. She set the phone down on the bed and crossed her arms. “I told him to come down so that we can figure this out.”

  “What?” I yelped. “Figure what out? You have to stay here. Those are the rules.”

  Our door opened without a knock on it, and I was prepared to see overbearing Monica walking in, but instead, two tall, albeit gorgeous, men entered the room. One of them had darker brown skin, warm and welcoming brown eyes, and brown hair cut short. He towered over both Sydney and me, having to be at least six-foot-four.

  “Hi, baby!” he whined upon entering the room.

  Sydney jumped up and ran over, falling into his open arms. A closer look at him reminded me that this was Henry, one of the pre-law upperclassmen who’d attended the Presper University preview night for the purpose of representing the law program. This was the man that Sydney had been dating all summer without telling me, the one she wanted to ditch me to go room with.

  He released Sydney and turned on me with a smile. “You must be Nina. I’ve heard lots about you. I know that you’ve got to approve of me for Sydney to stick with me, so if there’s anything I can do for brownie points, let me know.”

  I wanted to spit something about not taking her out of our room, but I had the terrible affliction of being rendered speechless by good looking guys. “Hi,” I replied simply.

  He held out an arm toward the other guy who’d walked in with him. “This is my best friend and roommate, Devon.”

  Devon had light brown skin, with slightly longer brown hair that puffed across the top of his head. His eyes were a stunning hazel-green that felt like if I stared into them for too long, I’d fall in. He, too, was tall and had broad shoulders and full, thick arms, which were on display due to a striped tank-top he was wearing. Even with a stoic expression on his face, there were permanent dimples in his cheeks, but when he caught me staring at him, he flashed a wide-smile that turned the small indents into huge crevices.

  “Nice to meet you…” His eyes trailed up and down my form before landing on my eyes again, partnered with his grin getting a touch larger. “Nina.”

  “Hi,” I said, trying hard to ignore the way heat fled into my body and the feeling of his eyes on me.

  Devon moved to lean against the bathroom door that was situated between my computer desk and my bed while Henry turned his attention back to Sydney.

  “What’s going on?” Henry asked.

  “Our psycho RA is apparently super strict about no boys and girls, so she does a room count every night,” Sydney whined. “Anyone gone from their room for four or more nights is reported to the dean and can be put on academic probation.”

  “That sucks!” Henry said. “I was really looking forward to rooming with you.”

  “Is there nothing we can do?” Sydney asked.

  Henry shook his head. “I don’t think so. It is technically against the rules, even if most of the RA’s are normal people who don’t worry about enforcing it.”

  The looks of lament on both Sydney and Henry’s faces did make me feel bad, but this wasn’t the time or the place to bend the rules. They would just have to be a separate couple and then look into living together next year or something.

  “Is it just a body count?” Devon asked. “See two bodies in the room?”

  Sydney shrugged. “It would almost have to be. It’s not like she can force people to stay awake until she’s ready to do count.”

  “It’s easy then,” Devon said. “I’ll sleep in this room. I’ll just bury under the covers, and, if needed, I can use a voice recording to trick her.”

  My jaw dropped. Devon was in the exact same situation I was. I imagined he wouldn’t want the arrangement any more than I would. “What?”

  Henry eyed Devon, wide-eyed. “You’d do that for me?”

  Devon nodded. “Of course, man.”

  Sydney smiled brightly. “Thank you!”

  “W
ait!” I barked. “This is never going to work. Even if we can actually fool her that a six-foot-four man is actually you, she’s bound to see him coming and going. She’ll get suspicious.”

  Sydney waved her hand. “She can’t question it unless it’s violating the rules. We’ll just tell her to mind her own business.” She looked at Henry. “We can live together!”

  Henry wrapped his arms around Sydney and looked at her through sparkling, happy eyes. “I’m so glad.”

  He dipped in to kiss her, and what started as a light peck quickly turned amorous. I averted my gaze, and even Devon was looking anywhere but at the two.

  Finally, Devon clapped his hands. “Hey, get a room.”

  “We have one,” Henry said. He took Sydney by the hand and opened the door to the dorm room, and they were both gone a second later.

  I glared over at Devon. “I’m not going for this. For one, I don’t even know you, and for two, I’m not risking my college career to violate a rule, even if it’s a dumb one. Sydney and Henry will be upset, but I’m sorry, I need to go tell the RA before it’s too late.”

  I started for the door, but quick as lightning, Devon hopped out of the nook he was nestled in, sticking his arm out across the entire width of the door to stop me from leaving. He was so close that I could smell his cologne, something wooded and dizzying, swirling around me. He was imposing in both height and the seriousness in his gaze, and his bicep bulged as he gripped the wood of the frame. I couldn’t quite decipher if I was irritated or turned on. Maybe both.

  “Move,” I growled.

  “No.” The statement was plain and devoid of any fear.

  “I don’t have to mix you up in all this, but I will.”

  “Not only will you not mix me up in it, but you’re going to let Henry and Sydney do as they please.”

  I stood as tall as I could, staring down Devon and attempting to match his energy. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  An evil smile curled across Devon’s face. “Because if you do, I’ll tell Kai that you’re obsessed with him.”