Frat house.

Sally’s POV. 

I frowned. 

“Mine?” 

He stared at me blankly. 

“Yours?” 

“Yeah.” I smiled, suddenly feeling a little defensive. “Why?” 

He leaned back in his chair. 

“You are serious?” 

“Of course I am." I nudged my glasses back up on my face, studying him. 

I couldn’t understand why he looked so unsettled.

“I’ve been wanting to move into the dorms for a while. Mom finally agreed.”

“Your mom agreed?”

I nodded.

“Well… sort of.”

He shook his head slowly.

“This has Cole written all over it.”

My smile disappeared.

“Cole?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned forward.

“Have you been hanging around him again?”

I frowned.

“Again?”

“You know what I mean.”

"No, Justin, I don’t… I told you... school project.” 

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m just saying, Sally. Cole isn’t exactly the person I’d want influencing you.”

I stared at him.

“Influencing me?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“I wanted to move out. I made the decision.”

“I know. I’m not saying you can’t make your own decisions.”

“Then why are you acting like I did something wrong?”

He said nothing. 

Well, there goes my appetite. 

“Here I was, waiting to share such important information with you.” 

I pushed my chair backwards. 

“You know how much I hate leaving my comfort zone…”

"Wai..." 

I stood up. 

“Thank you for ruining my surprise.” 

“Sally.” 

I didn’t stop; I walked straight out of the cafeteria. I had never been so mad at him. 

I clutched the handle of my bag tightly. 

I mean, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? He’s probably just shocked. But I expected him to be happy for me, proud that I was finally doing something different. 

Why does my chest hurt so bad? My mind drifts to that day at the party. 

The way he kissed Matilda. 

‘It’s about a girl.' 

I closed my eyes shut and turned the corner. 

“What do we have here?" A voice said from behind me. 

I froze.

Of all the people I could have run into right now.

Cole.

I turned slowly.

He stood a few feet behind me, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, that stupid smirk already playing on his lips.

I flinched.

The last person I wanted to see.

“Cole.”

He tilted his head.

“So you finally moved.”

My brows pulled together.

“How do you know that?”

His smirk widened.

“I have my ways.”

I rolled my eyes.

Of course he did.

For some stupid reason, he looked particularly good today. 

His dark hair was slightly messy, his sleeves pushed up, revealing the tattoo on his arm. Even his stupidly confident expression looked annoyingly attractive.

I immediately looked away.

I was not doing this.

Not today.

He walked past me like he hadn’t noticed anything.

“Now that you’re on campus, I think evening tutorials at my place would be better.”

My eyes widened. 

“What?”

He kept walking.

“Cole.”

He glanced over his shoulder.

“Six o’clock. Don’t be late, love.”

“Wait, I…”

But he was already walking away.

I stared after him.

Ugghhhh, oh my fucking god. 

*******

This wasn’t the agreement! He doesn’t just get to decide where we hold our sessions. 

He’s so…ughh. He’s so annoying. 

I glanced at the map. 

Left… 

I stopped at the tall building by the corner. This has to be it. 

I looked at the address Cole had sent me earlier. 

It matched the description exactly. 

I slowly looked back at the building.

The front lawn was slightly overgrown, with a couple of battered chairs scattered around. There were two empty bottles sitting on the porch steps, a basketball lying in the grass and a fraternity flag hanging crookedly above the entrance.

I could hear music playing inside.

Loud music.

And voices. 

We could never get anything done here. 

I sighed and walked up the steps. 

I stood in front of the door.

I had never been inside a fraternity house before.

Actually, I had never even been this close to one.

I tightened my grip on my bag.

What exactly had I gotten myself into?

I lifted my hand. 

Knock.  Knock. 

I waited for a few seconds before the door swung open. 

A guy with ginger-colored hair leaned against the wall, giving me a once-over. 

I suddenly felt hyperaware of how I looked. 

He was holding a game pad on one hand. 

“Hey pretty.” 

“Hey… I am supposed to meet up with Cole today.” 

“Who is that?” A voice said from inside. 

“The nerd.” He whispered.

My eyes rolled instinctively. 

The second guy also holding a game pad stood at the door. 

“Come in…we don’t bite.” A rye smirk played in his face. 

I kept my head down and walked between them. 

The gingerhead guy returned to his place on the couch. 

While the second guy pointed towards the stairs. 

“The third room is by your left; no need to knock.” He said before resuming his place at the chair. 

It seemed like they were the only ones around. 

I walked up the stairs and counted three rooms. And stopped at the one room with a very peculiar sign above its door. 

‘Do not disturb’ 

I knocked. 

The music was louder now, coming from his room. 

I knocked again. 

Nothing. 

The guy downstairs did say no need to knock, though. 

I pushed the door open. 

I pushed the door open.

The first thing I noticed was how clean it was.

Too clean.

I slowly stepped inside and looked around.

Everything was in its place.

His bed was neatly made, the pillows arranged perfectly against the headboard. His clothes were folded and stacked inside an open wardrobe, and the few pairs of shoes lined up beneath it looked like someone had measured the distance between each one.

Even his desk was spotless.

I frowned.

This was not what I expected from Cole.

His room looked like no one was allowed to breath without permission. 

Music played loudly from a speaker on the shelf. 

took a few more steps inside.

Paintings covered parts of the walls.

There were landscapes, mostly. Mountains, beaches, and a field beneath a cloudy sky. 

I walked closer to one of them, studying the details.

Well… certainly not what I expected to be in Cole’s room.

My eyes wandered around the room until they landed on a framed photograph sitting on a small table.

I picked it up.

A girl.

She was smiling at the camera, her hair falling over one shoulder.

I stared at the picture for a while.

Was she his girlfriend?

I looked at the picture again.

How could someone who didn’t believe in love have a girlfriend?

Unless…

Maybe she was the unlucky girl.

I almost laughed at the thought.

Poor thing.

I placed the picture back exactly where I’d found it.

“Cole?”

No answer.

I looked around.

“Cole?”

Still nothing.

I sighed.

Where the hell was he?

I glanced around the room again. 

Maybe he wasn’t here.

I turned toward the door, ready to leave, when something on his desk caught my attention.

A file.

It was open.

I stopped.

I shouldn’t.

I knew I shouldn’t.

It wasn’t my business.

I took one step toward the desk anyway.

Just a glance.

That’s all.

I moved closer and looked down at the papers.

My eyes immediately landed on the bold heading.

ACADEMIC WARNING — FINAL NOTICE

My brows pulled together.

I read the next line.

Failure to meet the required academic standard during this session will result in academic dismissal and ineligibility for graduation.

I gasped. 

What?

I quickly scanned the page.

This wasn’t just about him failing a class.

This was his final warning.

If Cole performed poorly again this session, he wouldn’t graduate with us. 

I covered my mouth.

The door clicked open behind me. 

“What are you doing?”