MY GREEK-GOD ROOMMATE AND HIS SUPER HOT FRIENDS

PHOENIX’S POV

I was slowly but surely losing my mind!

Francis had already gone and my brother was lying half-dead in a hospital bed, so it was safe to say that I was on my own. In an all-boys’ academy. About to share a room with another boy whom I didn’t know. Great!

Before he left me alone, I had begged Justice to let me stay in Jackson’s old room but he vehemently refused, stating that it was against the rules to let non-athletes stay in The Arena and “the dorm wouldn’t open for you because your voice is already registered as a non-athlete in the system.”

I asked if I could try out for the basketball team and he said, “Sure. That’d be great. Jackson always talked about how great you…er…Phee was. I’m sure you’ll be just as good. Tryouts are next week.”

Next week!

I had to spend an entire week in a dorm room with a bathroom that I might be sharing with three other guys because I was certain I was not going to win ‘best artist in the wing’ in order to get that single room. My brother, in his devious and messed up attempt to be funny, had indicated that I was a gifted and talented artist when he knew fully well that the greatest piece of art I had ever created in my life was when I did a sixth-grade mosaic art project with mac and spaghetti strands that ended up looking like a rat that had been violently abused during drug trials. It was supposed to be a picture of our dear mother. Now, because of him, I was placed in a room for a talent I did not possess and I was not getting out of it anytime soon.

“You are very beautiful.” I jumped at the sound of the guy who had just walked in. His smile was bright and his eyes matched his face – breathtaking and celestial. His accent made his whole being even more magnificent and for a second, I forgot I was supposed to be a boy. I ogled him, and maybe even drooled.

“Has anyone ever told you that you look a little bit like Felix from Stray Kids? Well, except that you aren’t Asian.”

This British god-like creature started to unpack his bags and that’s when it hit me.

“Are you my roommate?” His smile took me to heaven and made me question whether I wanted to come back down. The only good thing about Elmbourne Prep was the amazing hot British socialites that attended that school. I have been around Brits for a long time, but I could never get sick and tired of listing to them talk.

“Milo Montgomery,” he said, stretching out his hand for a handshake. “Some annoying twats call me M&M. Don’t be an annoying twat.” I legit swooned at his smile. His hand was smooth and firm and I didn’t want to let go of it but I had to because I didn’t want him to think of me as a creep.

“Hey Milo. It’s nice to meet you.” I was blushing like the girl that I was and I chastised myself against it. Just because he was fine as hell didn’t mean I was going to stay. No way!

“Miles is fine.” He moved back to his side of the room and took his shirt off.

Sweet mother of God!

“You okay, Pretty Face? You look a little flushed?”

That’s because I was staring at a body that was not supposed to belong to a high schooler but a very built, very masculine athlete that was not in anyways eighteen years old! There was only one prayer left to pray at this point.

Please be straight. Please be straight. Please be straight…

“The air conditioner isn’t on. The weather’s a bit hot.” I stood up in a flurry and started searching for the AC remote. He grinned like he knew what was making me act all funny and I blushed even deeper.

“Do you know Jackson Jameson on the basketball team?” I found the remote and turned it on.

“Yeah. Uh, actually, he’s my brother. We’re twins. Well, triplets, rather,” I added after remembering the lie I told Justice. It was best to have the record straight at all times.

“I didn’t know he had a brother.”

“I just transferred here this semester.”

“Oh my! Well then, welcome to HPA. I think you’ll find this school much more interesting than wherever it is you’re transferring from.”

His award-winning grin was on his face again. My new roommate brought out his clothes from his suitcase, folded them and placed them in his drawers, hung his uniform, arranged his shoes, put up his pictures, took a shower, dressed up in the room (I saw greatness right in front of me!) and throughout the time I was just watching him! Even while he was in the bathroom, I kept staring at the door waiting for him to come back. If Jackson could see me now, he’d be regretting telling me to come here. If there was one thing that was going to blow my cover it was my crazy obsession with hot guys. I never could keep my cool around them, which was going to pose a real issue in an-boys’ school.

“Hey, Pretty Face,” I snapped out of my daze when he flung his shirt at me. “Are you gonna shower or what? It’s almost time for dinner. I’ll be meeting a couple of my friends down the hall. Do you wanna come with or will you be with your brother instead?”

“Uh…”

Shit! I was so caught up in my new handsome roommate and the whole bathroom situation that I almost forgot about THE BATHROOM SITUATION!

I could not take a shower without Jackson here. There was no way I was going to use the bathroom here at this school. What the hell was I going to do? Jackson was supposed to be here. He was supposed to handle this for me.

“Uh…I’ll just stay here for a while. I still have a lot of unpacking to do.”

He nodded, grabbed his jacket and strutted out of the room like a runway model.

I got up from my bed and started pacing up and down it.

“This is bad, this is really bad,” I said out loud to no one. I raised my arm and inhaled. There was a hint of flowery scent mixed with the unmistaken odor of sweat. My crying spree earlier coupled with that little stunt that Miles pulled with taking off his shirt contributed to my body releasing its liquid. I needed to shower in order to not stink, but how the hell was I supposed to shower when Jackson didn’t vet the bathroom for me?

Gingerly, I opened the door that led directly to the shared bathroom with the other room. I saw the other door right across the room which probably led to the other room that was to use the space as well.

It was quite huge, with a jacuzzi on one side and a bathtub on the other. A shower cubicle was situated a little close to the door for the other room. I walked over to it, peering into the cubicle and looking at the shower head.

Miles just used it. I’m sure it’s fine.

But no matter how many times I told myself that it was fine, my brain just didn’t register that it was fine. In fact, the more I said it was fine, the louder it screamed that it wasn’t.

That’s what you thought last semester but look what happened.

I shook the thought away and ran out of the bathroom. It was decided then. I wasn’t going to shower.

Using the wipes I came with, I dabbed at my armpit, arranged my hair and changed out of my uniform. Miles wore casual clothes so I was guessing that was dinner wear.

I had to use the map that ARCHIE sent alongside my dorm room and class schedule to locate the dinning hall, and even then, I got lost a couple of times. Finally, after getting in the elevator twice to completely different floors, leaving the Student Residential Area without even knowing and then realizing that the dining hall was indeed outside the SRA, I finally made it to the hall. I never could stop being amazed by how grand HPA truly was!

The dining hall was nothing short of architectural brilliance. From the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that offered an unobstructed view of the lush gardens and allowed the warm California sunlight to stream in during the day, to the long custom oak tables arranged in perfect symmetry across the room, everything screamed luxury. I still couldn’t get over the fact that Jackson was sent here after almost destroying lives and properties.

“Hey Pretty Face, over here!” My heart skipped a beat at the sound of Miles’ voice. It didn’t take long for me to find out where he was seated and I scrambled over to him like a little puppy going to its owner.

“Guys, this is my roommate…” he paused here because it just occurred to him that he didn’t know my name.

“Phoenix!” I offered up, beaming like I had won a prize when his eyes lit up at my name.

“Phoenix. Wonderful! You know, that’s actually my favorite bird, not minding at all that it is fictional.”

“Hey Phoenix,” the boy with blond hair and the prettiest blue eyes that ever was said. “I’m Zeke. This is Marlow.” He pointed at the guy next to him with stupidly curly brown hair and sleepy eyes that made him look so freaking adorable. I was on the verge of losing my mind being surrounded by this many handsome guys.

“Here you go,” Miles said, handing me a tablet after he had pulled out my seat for me. “Place your order and ARCHIE’s gonna send it over.”

“Cool! I’ve always wanted a robot to serve my food.”

“Isn’t he adorable?” Miles asked as he ruffled my hair. I heard Zeke snicker while Marlow grunted in response.  I placed my order and set the tablet down.

“So, we were just talking about the upcoming private room competition. You signing up for it?” Miles asked.

“Uh, nope. Not really.”

“You’re not interested in getting a room all to yourself?” Zeke asked surprised. “You will not be able to stay with this guy here, I promise you. Give it three days and you’ll get sick of him. Apply for the contest. You will not win, but it’ll be nice to see something of yours.”

“Hey!” I whined feeling a bit offended that he just assumed that I wouldn’t win an art contest. “You don’t know if I’m any good. I could so win.”

“No offence Pretty Face, but Marlow hasn’t lost a competition since he got here. He always wins the room.”

I looked over at the guy who looked bored out of his mind. I could basically hear his thoughts, how badly he wanted his bed. I smiled as I thought he reminded me of a cat.

“If he wasn’t so damn sleepy all of the time, he would have been the perfect tortured artist. That’s how real artists get inspired by the way.” I wanted to tell Zeke I wouldn’t know that since I wasn’t one but I kept my mouth shut.

Our food arrived shortly afterwards and the aroma reminded me that I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything since last night because I was too worried about Jackson not answering me.

“We are going to have so much fun, Pretty Face. I am the best roommate to have, ever. You can ask Kyle, room 302, if you need confirmation. I saw him crying by the stairs earlier cause he got that wanker, Stanley as his roommate this time around. He’d miss me a lot.”

He was so proud of himself, so excited to have me as a roommate and was going off about the portraits of each other we could do, that saying what I did next made me regret it as soon as the words left my mouth, especially since the reaction I got afterwards was disturbing and uncomfortable.

“Well, actually, I’m going to try out for the basketball team, so we might just be roommates for a week.”