CHAPTER 1

ZANDER'S POV

If someone had told me this morning that my life was about to become a complete disaster, I would've laughed right in their face. It’s senior year and it’s supposed to be the best year. One last chance to act like idiots before facing the harsh reality. Instead, all of that got ripped away the moment my supposed “best friend,” Tristian, announced he was switching rooms. Which means I’ll be spending the entire year with only God knows who. Everything about the situations made my skin crawl.

I headed towards my dorm, thanking every god existing for keeping Jayden occupied with whatever shit I could care less about for the entire week. At least being roommates with him was crossed out of the equation. Just as I reached for the handle, someone shouted my name from across the hallway.

“ZANDER BOO!”

I turned to see Tristian jogging toward me with his signature sneaky grin across his face. The smirk on my face disappeared instantly, replaced by a scowl sharp enough to pierce holes into his skull.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he laughed, holding up his hands. “Who pissed off Mr. Senior this fine afternoon?” I rolled my eyes so hard they almost disappeared into the back of my head. As much as Tristian was my only friend, leaving me to be paired with someone I don’t know for an entire year was an actual criminal offense.

“You absolute piece of shit!” I snapped. “How could you do this to me? After all the times I’ve saved your dumb ass from getting into trouble?” So close to smacking that smug grin from his face. He just shrugged and flung his arm around my shoulder and said

“Relax dude. It’s not like you’re going to get married or have sex with your NEW roomie.” You can hear the teasing under his voice. I ignored him and opened the room because I was done talking about this and anything else relating to this stranger I didn’t know about and honestly? A stranger was better than being with Jayden.

As punishment for getting me stuck with an anonymous person, I locked Tristian in the room and forced him to unpack all my clothes and arrange the entire room even the other person’s side, though.

Tristian had barely finished folding one of my shirts before I picked it up and unfolded it right in front of him.

"No."

He blinked and stared at me like a second head had popped on my shoulder.

"Zander...what?"

"Do it again."

He shouted so dramatically that I was surprised the whole room didn't come down.

"You fold like you're angry."

He looked me dead in the eyes.

"I am angry you piece of candy sweet." He immediately changed his words and I chuckled. We continued bickering back and forth

Two hours flew by, and Tristian ended up sprawled across the floor, panting like he’d just ran an actual marathon. I crouched beside him, smirked, patted his hair, and hauled him back to his feet.

“Come on,” I said. “You’ve still got a whole lot of the stuff to do.”

It was night time by the time we were done and it was time for me to finally get some shut eye. My phone suddenly rang and I saw it was my sister calling, I picked it up and flopped down on my bed.

“Why do you look like you just managed to crawl out of hell?” My sister said, chuckling. “You can’t even believe what happened.” I began to tell her about how Tristian did me dirty and how I’m going to be dormmates with an actual stranger. She couldn’t stop laughing about the whole situation, calling me a dramatic. “Why do you even seem so pissed? You don’t know if he’s gonna be a new blessing to you” I choked on air because there’s literally no saint in this school, even demons would take lessons from the students. The topic finally left him and she started telling me about mom and home. I listened, my eyes growing heavier with every passing word leaving her mouth and I didn’t even know I was gone till I heard my sister softly bid me a goodnight and end the call.

I heard a LOUD knock that startled the hell out of me and I was swearing under my breath till I yanked the door open,

“who hell is…”

 Standing there is the bane of my existence--- Jayden Sinclair, looking like he was created and chiseled specially by the Greek gods. His hair dark like midnight, his two shaded eyes which I always found alluring or was it his veiny arms I strangely imagined what it would feel like around my……

“Hell no,” Jayden said, snapping me back into the tragic reality we were facing, like I was some sort of allergic reaction he immediately needed to get away from. “What the fuck are you doing in MY room Zander?”

I looked at him with wide eyes, “Your room? You weren’t meant to be here till next week and I was meant to have anyone BUT you as my roommate.”

I heard laughter and I saw it was coming from him. Jayden was actually laughing like a maniac in my front. I genuinely was drained and couldn’t even be assed with this by 3AM. I left him standing at the door and went back to my bed, draping my sheets over me because I couldn’t start arguing with a thick skulled person like him, it would actually drain every light in me. So I did what I knew how to do best. I closed my eyes, forgetting about his choking presence and slept like I hadn’t just signed up for the worst school year experience.