Stay In Your Room

Flanked by two jocky guys with way too much swagger for this early in the day. A new girl—blonde this time, not the redhead from before—slides in beside Fox and rests her head on his shoulder like she’s claiming territory. It’s the kind of high school behavior I thought people grew out of.

I quickly avert my gaze and turn back to Nat and Landon. Landon looks tense, his shoulders stiff, eyes fixed on the table like it personally offended him.

“You okay?” I ask quietly.

“Nope,” he says, taking a long drink from his water bottle.

“Is it because of Fox?” I press.

Nat perks up. “Wait—you know Fox?”

I sigh. “Yeah. He’s my roommate.”

Both of their jaws drop.

“No shit?” they say in unison.

Landon leans forward. “He’s the roommate you were talking about?”

I nod. “That’s him. He’s a homophobic jerk. And…” I hesitate, my voice dipping. “Kind of ridiculously good-looking, which makes it all worse.”

Nat snorts. “Yeah, he’s a total dick,” she says, snatching a chip from Landon’s bag like she owns it.

But Landon still looks… off. Uncomfortable. Shaken. He pokes at the crumbs in front of him, avoiding eye contact.

“Landon,” I say carefully. “Did he do something to you? Like… bully you? Verbally? Physically?”

His silence is loud. I lean in. “Or did you guys—date?”

That makes him laugh. A sharp, humorless snort.

“Oh, please,” Nat says, rolling her eyes. “We both know Fox is straighter than a hockey stick.”

Landon sighs. “Nah. We never dated. Not unless you count him treating me like garbage in the halls.”

“Name-calling?” I ask.

“He calls me a fag, mostly,” Landon says with a shrug, like he’s tired of being angry about it. “You’d think someone that attractive—and rich—would have more class.”

“Wait, rich?” I raise a brow.

Nat looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Cameron, Fox is the Chancellor’s son.”

I blink. “Seriously?”

“You didn’t know that?” they both ask, eyebrows high.

I shake my head. “No. I just thought he was another arrogant jock.”

“Well, he is,” Nat says with a scoff. “But he’s also the arrogant jock. Gets away with everything. Daddy owns the school, basically.”

“And you ended up roommates how?” Landon asks, confused. “Fox lives off-campus, doesn’t he?”

“He does. My parents insisted I live off-campus too. Said it would be easier to keep tabs on me.”

Nat raises an eyebrow. “And the universe just threw you two together?”

“Apparently,” I mutter. “Lucky me.”

“They’re not homophobic, are they?” Landon asks, his expression turning serious.

“They are. They believe gay people are the reason behind hurricanes.” I take a bite of my bagel, not missing the incredulous looks on their faces.

“No shit.”

“Yup. If they find out Fox throws parties or smokes, they won’t hesitate to move me out of the apartment. They’re sort of religious.”

“Damn. Now I’m curious about their reaction when you finally come out to them,” Landon says. “My parents didn’t care much as long as I’m happy.”

“Well, mine are a different story,” Nat begins. “My mom is cool with it, but my dad… well, he’s just my dad.”

“Damn,” I mutter, exhaling slowly.

As I glance back at Fox and his friends, I notice one of them—someone whose name I don’t know—staring at me. His gaze isn’t as dark as Fox’s, and he’s pretty hot himself. I look away, biting my bottom lip as I feel my cheeks flush. Landon and Nat watch me with knowing eyes.

“So, you have a crush on Blaze or Fox?” Nat asks, a teasing smirk playing on her lips. I nearly choke on my spit as she laughs, and Landon joins in.

God, Nat is outrageous.

“I don’t have a crush on Fox. Who the hell is Blaze?”

Nat tilts her head toward Fox and his friends. “Carter, Blaze, and Fox. Hot assholes. And the blonde next to Fox, thinking she’s won the lottery, is just another one of his girls. She’s a bitch.” She rolls her eyes. “Fox and Blaze are on the Soccer team, while Carter plays baseball.”

“And a little advice, Cam: Fox isn’t the guy you should fall for. You’re smart enough to know that.”

“I don’t have a crush on Fox! Jesus.” I groan and sink deeper into my seat.

“You should’ve fooled me twice, Cam. You should see the way you were checking him out.” Nat lightly punches my arm.

“Ouch,” I laugh, rubbing my shoulder. “Seriously, I’m not interested in my roommate. He’s an asshole, and he’s straight.”

“If you say so. But don’t come running to me for relationship advice about Fox. I won’t be around,” Nat smirks.

I groan again, wishing the cafeteria would swallow me whole.

“Hey, Cam,” a familiar voice calls out as Leanne approaches our table.

“Hey, guys. Hi, Cam.” Leanne stops by our table, dressed in a pink sundress with a black denim jacket. Her red hair is in a ponytail, a few strands braided as it falls as tendrils on the side of her face.

“Hey, Leanne.” I smile at her.

“You’re still on for that party I told you about? It’s this weekend, and I promise it’ll be fun.”

“Um… I don’t know. I’ll think about it?” I shrug.

“You should have my number, so I can text you all the details. Just give me yours.” She hands me her phone, and I tap in my number before handing it back.

“Alrighty. You should really consider going to this party.” Leanne stands up, her smile bright as she waves at Landon and Nat.

Nat watches her leave, then turns to me. I raise my brows, giving her a questioning look.

“What?” Nat chuckles. “She’s hot as hell.”

“And she’s straight as a pole,” I reply, and Landon laughs.

“Fuck,” Nat groans.

After dinner with Landon and Nat, Landon and I head to our second class while Nat attends hers. We exchange numbers before I make my way back to my apartment. Fox isn’t around; he’s probably out with his friends.

I go to my room and take a bath, changing into something more comfortable. After a couple of days of school, I already have schoolwork piling up. Rubbing my temples, I try to focus on my paper. My phone rings—it’s my parents. I ignore it; I’m not in the mood for their lectures right now.

It’s 8pm, and I’ve finally finished my schoolwork. I settle onto my bed and start browsing through my favorite series on N*****x, enjoying the quiet since I have nothing pressing to do. Just then, I hear the living room door open, followed by footsteps. It must be Fox. The door closes, and I can hear him moving around and the sound of footsteps approaching my bedroom door.

A knock sounds at my door, and I know it’s him. I click pause on my show, drop my laptop on the bed, and get up. He knocks again, and I groan before swinging the door open. Fox stands there, his signature dark and brooding stare fixed on me.

Does he ever smile? I think I’ve seen him laugh twice when he was with his friends.

“Hey, man. Do you need something?” I ask, trying to keep my tone casual.

He glares at me and rolls his eyes. “I’m throwing a party tonight. Do me a favor and stay in your room.”

Unbelievable.

I lean against the doorframe, staring at him in disbelief. Who does he think he is?

“I’m not fucking joking. Don’t try to crash my party. Just stay in your room,” he snaps before turning and striding back to his own.

I watch him go, my mouth hanging open in shock as he shuts his door.