Fake Roommate

by Rebel Hart

There was a sniff like someone was crying. “Nina slept with my boyfriend, the love of my life.” The second voice belonged to Sydney.

  My gaze shifted to Henry. “Is that true?”

  Henry snatched his phone and pressed a button, stopping the audio. “Did you just ask me if that’s true?” He seemed legitimately offended. “You know I’m madly in love with Sydney, and I know you’re madly in love with Nina. Why would I sleep with her?”

  I let out a sigh. “Sorry.”

  “Just fucking listen before you piss me off anymore.” Henry slammed his phone back down on the bed, and I knew I’d owe him for the accusation.

  “Nina slept with my boyfriend, the love of my life,” Sydney repeated. Henry must have rewound some.

  “I told you she was bad news,” Taylor said. “She was always jealous of you.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Nina. She’s a good person.” The third voice was Kai. He sounded genuine in his words, which was confusing, if not a bit disconcerting.

  “Shut up, Kai. Can’t you see she’s hurting?” Taylor snapped.

  “It’s even worse because she’s dating Devon, too, and he has no idea,” Sydney said.

  “So she is dating him,” Kai said, sounding hurt and angry. “I’m glad I told my dad about him, even if you tricked me.”

  “What do you mean?” Sydney asked.

  “I had to get Nina out of your life,” Taylor said. “Kai and Devon were unfortunate victims.”

  “What did you do?” Sydney asked.

  “I knew Kai was into Nina, so I told him she was dating Devon,” Taylor explained. “Kai’s pretty predictable, and I knew if I broke up with him, he’d go for Nina. I was dating Devon, and he mentioned Nina still liked Kai. I thought they’d sleep together, and then I could just get back with Kai after Devon and screw her over, but Nina went all righteous on Kai. It worked out, though. When he came to me after NewSem and told me what happened, I mentioned that Devon had a criminal history and that you guys were pulling the room switch stuff. I guess Kai told his dad out of spite.”

  “You used me and made me hurt Nina,” Kai said angrily.

  “She was probably just going to play around with you, anyway, just like Sydney. You, Devon, Syd’s boyfriend. She’s a regular college whore.”

  “How did you find out?” Sydney asked. “About Devon’s history and the room switch?”

  “I saw the criminal stuff on his phone. He went to the bathroom and left his phone. His password was his birthday.” Taylor let out a giggle. “He’s too trusting. He straight up told me about the room switch and your crazy RA.”

  My heart shattered. Taylor had been manipulating everyone from the beginning. Kai. Me. We all fell for it, and in the end, we all ended up hurting Nina—exactly what Taylor wanted.

  “You know, you’re a fucking bitch, Taylor,” Sydney said.

  “What?” Taylor said. “She’s the one who slept with your boyfriend.”

  “Nina didn’t sleep with Henry. Kai’s right. She’d never do something like that. She’s an amazing person, and she loves me, and she legitimately loved Kai, and she loves Devon. You don’t own me. You don’t get to continue making her life hell just because you think, for some reason, that you do.” The phone scuffled a bit. I imagined it was Sydney picking the phone up. “I’ve got definitive proof now that you’re a goddamn psycho. Kai, wanna leave?”

  “Yeah,” Kai said.

  “Wait. What’s going on?”

  “I played you at your own game, you bitch!” There was some huffing and walking. I thought it was the end of the audio, but Henry let it keep playing. “Hey, I’m sorry for being a bitch to you in the past. I really thought you were just playing around with Nina.”

  “Taylor’s been telling me all this shit about her for years. I wanted to ask her out as soon as I met her, but…” Kai sighed. “Fuck. I really messed this up. Is she in love with me, seriously?”

  “She was,” Sydney replied. “You’re too late now, though.”

  “I’ve gotta at least try. Bye.”

  “Wait.” Sydney sighed. “Oh, shit, I forgot to stop this. Devon, it’s Sydney. I’ll forgive you for hurting her this time, but if you ever pull that shit again, I’ll rip your dick off and feed it to you, got it?”

  Finally, the audio stopped. I dropped my head. “Fuck.” I looked at Henry. “Is Kai going for her, too?”

  “Sounds like it. I talked to Sydney on the way over, and he hasn’t shown up yet, but you could be running out of time as we speak.”

  I stood up, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. My night with Nina at the hotel played over and over in my mind. I really hoped I didn’t cost myself the best thing that ever happened to me. “What do I do? I don’t know what to do.”

  “Relax,” Henry said. “You’ve been risking everything to pull room switches for me.” Henry stood up and put his hand on my shoulder. “Now it’s my turn to do the same for you.”

  23

  Nina

  Sydney and I both jumped at the series of loud knocks on the door. It was about five minutes before count, but the knocks didn’t sound like Monica’s. Sydney eyed me and then stood up. She walked over to the door and turned to look at me. “Okay. Promise me that what’s on the other side of this door won’t freak you out and won’t distract you from fixing things with Devon, okay? You love him.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I do. What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Sydney, it’s me. Open up.” The voice was barely audible, but it sounded like Henry. Sydney made a confused expression, then turned and opened the door.

  A flash of color blew in and shut the door. Suddenly, I was staring at Henry in a blond wig, one of Sydney’s dresses circled around his waist like a skirt.

  “Um,” I said to Sydney. “I do not promise that this won’t freak me out.”

  “What are you doing?” Sydney asked. “This is not my kink.”

  “No. I’m—”

  A new set of knocks, sounding much more like Monica’s, beat against the door. “Knock, knock. Room count.”

  “Fuck.” Henry quickly jumped behind the door as Sydney opened it, smashing him between the back of the door and the wall.

  Monica walked into the room and looked around. “Sydney and Nina are here. Is anyone else here?” she asked, and it was hard to tell if it was just her nosy disposition or if she’d actually seen Henry fly in.

  Sydney stepped to the side, using her body to block the gap between the door and the wall, pushing the door even closer to the wall. I winced, imagining the pain Henry must be in, smashed up in there.

  “See for yourself,” Sydney said.

  Monica glided around the room. She opened up both armoires and checked inside and looked under both beds and both desks. Then, she opened the door to the bathroom and walked inside. We heard the shower curtain slide aside, the bathroom cabinets open and closed, and finally, the door on the other side open.

  “Sorry, ladies, just checking.” She walked back through the bathroom and into our room. “Okay. Looks like you’re following all the rules. That’s good. I hope it stays that way.”

  “The next time we break a rule will be when you get laid,” Sydney seethed. “So, a long time from now.” Monica glared at Sydney before rolling her eyes and walking out. Sydney quickly closed the door, and Henry doubled over in pain. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t want her to check behind the door.”

  “No, it’s okay,” Henry said in a strained voice.

  “Why are you here? We decided we’re gonna lay low for a while, and you running around in a blond wig and one of my—now ruined—dresses is not laying low.”

  Henry pulled off the wig and struggled to work himself out of the dress. “I’m here for the room switch.”

  “What?” I said.

  “What we have been doing for the last month and a half,” Henry said. “Sydney and I down here…”

  I jumped up off my bed. “Wait…really?”

  He nodded. “Y
eah.”

  He pulled off his hoodie, and Sydney smiled at him in just his tank top. “Now, this is my kink.”

  Henry laughed as he tossed the hoodie over. “This is just me without a shirt on.”

  “I said what I said,” Sydney replied.

  I pulled the hoodie on, and Henry handed me his room key. “Meet in the parking garage tomorrow at nine.”

  I nodded as excitement flooded into my body. “Got it.” I reached for the door, and then something occurred to me. I stopped and turned toward Sydney. “Wait. If it wasn’t Henry that you were expecting to see, who was it?”

  Henry and Sydney exchanged nervous glances, but Sydney waved her hands. “Later. He’s waiting.”

  I was curious, but I was more excited to see Devon. I pulled the hood up over my head, peeked into the hallway, and when I saw that one of the doors further down was open and Monica was standing in the doorway, I quickly slipped past. I took the stairs up to Henry and Devon’s floor and was equally as sneaky as I made my way down to their dorm room. The guys’ RA, who wasn’t as crazy as Monica, had been made to at least patrol the floor more closely since the switch. I ducked past him and used Henry’s key to let myself into the room.

  Devon was sitting on his bed and jumped up when I walked in. He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. “Hey.”

  I pulled off Henry’s sweater. “Devon. I would never—”

  Devon closed in on me and pulled me into a hug. “I know. I’m sorry. It didn’t make sense, and I reacted terribly. I’m sorry. We could be so great, Nina. Please be with me.”

  “Who else would I be with?” I asked.

  Devon furrowed his brow in confusion and then shook his head and smiled. “No one.” He kissed me. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I responded.

  “Hey,” Devon said with a smile. “Wanna get Sydney and Henry back for causing all this mess by having sex in their bed?”

  I nodded with a smile. “Absolutely.”

  Devon tackled me onto the bed, and I lost myself in him once again. It didn’t matter if we were in a five-star hotel room or a shitty college bed. If it was Devon, I was happy.

  We let out mutual groans of dissatisfaction when my phone alarm went off the next day. Henry said he’d meet us at nine in the garage, and it was probably a good idea to get Devon off campus until we could figure something out with his academic status. Fortunately, that early in the morning on a Monday, everyone was either gone already or still asleep. I wasn’t one to skip classes, but figuring out how to get Devon reinstated took priority, so we snuck back out of the dorm room and met Henry and Sydney down in the parking garage.

  We climbed in his car, and Henry drove us to our favorite off-campus diner. When we walked in, I was shocked to see another Henry inside, looking back at us.

  “Hey, dad,” Henry greeted. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Dad?” I asked.

  Sydney looked at me. “Oh, I know. Don’t they look like they could be twin brothers?”

  The man laughed and held out a hand. “You must be Nina. I’m Henry Sr.”

  I shook Henry Sr.’s hand with a smile. “I didn’t know you were a Jr.,” I said to Henry.

  “Well, what else could he call me?” he replied.

  “That’s true.”

  Devon walked up to Henry Sr. and received a huge hug. “Thanks for coming to my rescue again.”

  “Well, if what Junior says is true, you’re not in the wrong here. I’ve already called the Dean of Students, but unfortunately, without your parents’ interference, there wasn’t much I could do. Although, I did stress to him that your record has been sealed, and therefore, you did not lie on your application. He tried to balk at me, but I told him that I had friends high up at both of our local news stations, and his actions would be bad publicity. So, we’ll see. He said he’d call me back. In the meantime, sit. Let me buy you breakfast.”

  Everyone sat down at a table, and we all enjoyed talking and laughing while we ate. Devon seemed stressed, so every chance I got, I rubbed his back or kissed him. I did anything I could do to make him feel better. He smiled every time, but I knew he’d feel better once he knew his fate.

  “I must say, you boys did mighty well for yourselves with these two. A pair of aces,” Henry Sr. said, smiling at Sydney and me. “Strong women with good heads on their shoulders. That’s what every man needs.”

  Henry wrapped an arm around Sydney and kissed her cheek. “We’re gonna get an apartment next year,” he said.

  “Oh, yeah?” Henry Sr. asked. “Good for you two. You’ll have to give your mother and me a list of some dream furniture. Let us spoil you a bit.”

  Henry shook his head. “Dad, that’s not necce—”

  Sydney put a hand over his mouth. “Shh, don’t listen to him. I’ll have it to you by Friday.”

  Henry Sr. laughed. “See what I mean?”

  Devon and I watched Sydney and Henry snuggle together and show Henry Sr. the apartment they were thinking about. I never thought I’d see the day, but Henry truly had Sydney roped down.

  “I’ve never seen her like this before,” I said quietly to Devon. “I’m happy for her.”

  Devon nodded. “Henry too. He was actually kind of a player back in the day. It shocked the hell out of me when he turned up with Sydney, all in love.” He turned and kissed my forehead. “Happens to the best of us.” He grabbed my hand and held it. “So. Do you forgive me?”

  I chuckled. “Uh, yeah. I think you earned your forgiveness last night.”

  Devon laughed. “Oh, is it that easy? I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Does this mean that we’re official?” I asked. “This is it. Just us?”

  Devon raised an eyebrow. “That’s what you earned last night.”

  I laughed, but on the inside, I was screaming with happiness. “Good.”

  Finally, Henry Sr.’s phone rang. Everyone went silent and watched as he lifted the phone to his ear. “Dean Keli’i, good to hear from you so soon… Okay… Yes, sir. I understand. I’ll let Devon know… Well, I appreciate the consideration… Thank you. Goodbye.” He hung up his phone and looked at Devon. “All right. You have a probationary hearing with the Dean and the board of directors tomorrow morning at ten. I can’t tell you what to do, but if I were you, I’d show up forty-five minutes early, wear a suit, and bring some of your work from your first couple of years.”

  Devon nodded. “I had to submit all that stuff for the Dean’s Club. Recommendation letters, too. I’ve got it.”

  Henry Sr. nodded. “Good. I’ve gotta go, but I’ll pay the bill on my way out. Nina, it was nice to meet you, and Junior, don’t be a stranger. You’ve gotta introduce Sydney to your mother some time.”

  Henry nodded. “I know.”

  “Don’t worry, she’ll love her. Trust me.”

  “Of course she will,” Henry said, nuzzling Sydney’s head. “What’s not to love?”

  Henry Sr. left, leaving us at the table alone.

  “So, you guys okay?” Henry asked Devon and me.

  We exchanged a glance. “Yeah,” I replied. “We’re okay.”

  “Unless I don’t get reinstated. I’m sure Nina is not gonna wanna date a college dropout.”

  “If that happened, we’d figure it out,” I responded. “Together.”

  24

  Nina

  Henry, Sydney, and I all sat around one of the tables in the foyer of the admin building. Dean Keli’i’s assistant had called Devon up about twenty minutes prior to his probationary hearing, and all that was left was to wait and hear the verdict. I was so nervous that I thought I was going to puke, and even though Sydney was doing her best to keep a steady conversation going to keep us distracted, my leg was bouncing nervously, and so was Henry’s.

  “Isn’t it cute, Nina?” Sydney asked, showing me pictures of the apartment she and Henry had picked out. I looked at the current picture—a nice, spacious living room with a door leading out to a deck. “I’m gonna
put a cute table and chairs on the deck so that we can sit out there and have coffee in the mornings. Oh, and it faces Carroway Park, so we’ll have a perfect view of their fireworks on the Fourth of July. You and Devon can come over, and we can drink and play games and watch the fireworks. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

  “It does,” I said.

  She looked over at Henry. “Oh, sweetie, tell her what you were saying to me about your idea for a house-warming party. The fill our fridge thing?”

  Henry was nearly as distracted as I was. “Huh? Oh. Yeah. My aunt did it when she got her new house. Instead of house-warming gifts that you’ll never use, like towels and rugs and stuff, you do a fill-my-fridge theme, and everyone brings stuff to fill your fridge. Like grocery shopping, but it’s cheaper for the guests, and it is stuff you’ll actually use.”

  “Isn’t that an amazing idea?” Sydney asked me.

  I nodded. “It’s a great idea, Syd. Can’t wait.”

  Sydney put her hands in the air in frustration. “Okay, I tried. You two are stressing me out, and you both know how hard it is to stress me out.”

  “Sorry,” Henry and I both said in unison.

  “No, you guys don’t owe me an apology. Just try not to dwell on it. There’s nothing we can do about it except wait and see what happens.” She clapped her hands. “How about this? You both have questions you’ve always wanted answers to. Right now, no holds barred, I’ll answer any question you ask.”

  “Did you give your number to that guy at the bar back when we first started dating?” Henry asked instantly.

  Sydney dropped her jaw. “I knew you didn’t let that go.”

  “You said you’d answer the question.”

  Sydney and Henry stared at each other for a minute until Sydney turned to me. “And what is your wish, little girl?”

  “I fucking knew it,” Henry grumbled.

  “Who did you expect to come to our room last night?” I asked.

  Sydney took a deep breath, and her cheeks puffed out as she let it out in a long, slow hiss. “Wow. I didn’t think you guys were gonna ask such difficult questions.”