Good. All moved in. Drama city. Out with friends. TTYL?

One

The first time I met Hunter Zaccadelli, I punched him in the face. Granted, he completely and totally deserved it. He also asked for it, in so many ways.

When our fourth roommate bailed on us three days before school, Darah, Renee and I assumed housing would take care of it and shove some poor unfortunate in with us. Probably some poor girl who had decided to switch colleges at the last minute to follow a boyfriend, or someone who had their apartment plans fall through. We weren't sure what to expect, but come move-in day, I did not expect who was waiting outside when I opened the door. I knew the upper-class housing was co-ed, but never in my wildest and craziest dreams did I think it would actually happen to us.

Instead of a desperate and frazzled girl, he showed up with a footlocker, backpack and a guitar. It was so beyond cliché that I didn't say anything for the full three seconds it took for me to assess him. Dark hair buzzed so short his head was almost shaved, purposeful five o’clock shadow, piercing blue eyes, and at least a foot on my five feet. And a cocky smile to top it all off. He might as well have had Trouble tattooed on his forehead. Speaking of ink, I could just make out some on his arm, but couldn't see what it said. His thin t-shirt hugged his chest in a way that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Maybe he borrowed it from his little brother.

“Are you Darah, Renee or Taylor? You look like a Taylor to me, ” he said, looking me up and down.

I wasn't at my best, considering I was dressed for moving heavy objects in a blue UMaine t-shirt and black soccer shorts, and I had my light brown hair in a haphazard bun against the back of my neck. His eyes raked up and down twice, and for some reason the way he assessed me made me blush and want to kick him in the balls at the same time.

“There must be a mistake, ” I said.

He adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “That's a creative name. What do you shorten it to? Missy? ”

“That's not what I meant.”

His grin somehow got wider. Either his dad was a dentist, or he was really into flossing because those teeth were pretty perfect. I noticed things like that, having gone through my own dental saga between three years of braces and night headgear. I still had to wear a retainer every night.

“Is that her? ” Darah called from her room where she was arranging her photo frames so they were exactly level. She was neurotic like that.

“I'm Hunter, by the way. Hunter Zaccadelli.”

Of course his name was Hunter. The only Hunter I'd ever known had been a complete douche. Looked like this guy was going to carry on the tradition.

He pointed to his footlocker. “So, should I bring my stuff in, or...? ”

My brain wouldn’t stop mis-firing.

“Who's that? ” Darah finally emerged. Our other roommate, Renee, was still unloading stuff from her car.

“New roommate, hey, ” he said.

“You're the new roommate? ” Her eyebrows migrated so they were nearly hidden under her dark bangs. She gave him the same up and down as I did, but he didn't do the same to her. He was still looking at me.

“Yeah, my housing plans fell through at the last minute. My cousin was going to let me live at his place, but that didn't work out, so here I am. Do you mind if I come in now? ”

“You can't live here, ” I said, crossing my arms.

“Why? This is a co-ed living facility, last time I checked.” He flashed his grin again and shouldered his way into the room, completely ignoring me as his chest brushed mine, and I got a whiff of cologne. It wasn't that cheap crap that punches you in the nose. It was spicier, almost like cinnamon. I stood my ground, but he had height and weight on me. But I had surprise on my side.

“Well, it's better than sleeping on my cousin's couch, ” he said, plunking his bag on the floor, and surveying the room. The suites were small, with a kitchen and tiny nook for a dining table on one side and a tiny living room for an apartment-sized couch and a recliner on the other. The bedrooms were the worst, with two lofted beds crammed perpendicular to each other along the wall and the desks crammed underneath, and room for only two small closets.

“Can I see some identification? ” Darah said, propping her hands on her hips. “How do we know you're not some random creep? ”

“Do I look like some random creep? ” He spread his arms out, and I finally saw what the tattoo on his left bicep was. A number seven in curling intricate script. My eyes moved up to his face.

“How are we supposed to know? ” Darah moved closer to him, using her stature. They were almost the same height.

“Look, all I know is that I submitted an application and they sent me an email with a room number and your names. Here, I printed it out. Do you treat all your guests like criminals? ” He drew out a many-times folded sheet of paper and handed it to Darah. She glanced at it, sighed and handed it to me.

“Why wouldn't they have notified us? ” I said, once I'd read it. There it was in black and white.

“Who knows? ” Darah said, still eyeing him warily.

“Oh my God, I swear I'm never moving again, ” Renee said from the top of the stairs, her arms full of boxes and two bags dangling from her arms. “Who left their crap in the hallway? ” She stepped over the footlocker and guitar case, giving them a look of disgust. “Has our new roommate showed up — oh, hello.” Her voice changed from irritated and dry to sweet and sugary the second she saw Hunter. “I'm guessing that's your guitar in the hallway.” She dropped her stuff and proceeded to pop her hip out and lean to one side. Oh, please.

“This, ” I said, pointing to Hunter, “is our new roommate, according to housing.”

“No way.” Renee's eyes got wide in her tiny face. Renee looked like a blond-haired, blue-eyed china doll you plucked off a shelf and put in a Victoria's Secret tank top. “Are you shitting me? ”

“What a reception, ” Hunter said.

“Shut up, ” I said. He just smiled again. God, I wanted to smack that smile right off his face.

“I should probably get my junk out of the hall, ” he said, going and picking up the footlocker as if it weighed nothing more than a shoebox. Show-off.

Hunter had to navigate boxes and random pillows and crap that littered the rooms, which he did with grace. He found a spot and set the footlocker down, looking at us.

“So, who am I sleeping with? ” he said, leaning against the door to my bedroom.

The agreement had been that since Darah and Renee had already been roommates last year, and I was joining their little group, that the new girl would live with me. But that was so not happening now that the new girl wasn't a girl.

“Did you seriously just say that? ” I said.

At the same time Darah said, “The only free bed is in Taylor's room.”

“There is no way he's staying with me, ” I snapped, readjusting my arms so they covered my boobs better. He'd been staring at my chest since he'd made the sleeping with comment. Not that I had much of one to speak of, but that didn't stop his eyes from traveling there.

“No, we're calling housing right now and straightening this out, ” I said, pulling out my cell phone.

“Tay, they're not open on Monday, ” Renee said.

“I don't care. There must be someone there. It's move-in day.”

I grabbed the campus phonebook that had been on the doormat when we'd gotten here this morning and thumbed through it until I found the number for housing.

“Aw, c'mon, Missy, you don't want to live with me? ” Who did this guy think he was? I'd known him all of ten minutes and he'd already given me a nickname and propositioned me.

“Call me that one more time...” I didn't finish as I furiously typed in the number. Darah and Renee whispered to Hunter, but not quiet enough so I couldn’t hear them.

“It's best to let her go when she gets like this, ” Renee hissed.

“I wouldn't mess with her, ” he said as I listened to another ring.

Finally, a message picked up, telling me what the hours were and giving me some extensions I could try. I punched in the first one. No answer, but a message machine picked up. I left a short message, explaining the situation in the most urgent of terms, and then called back the original number. I didn't stop until I'd left messages for all five of the contacts on the housing voicemail list. I slammed my phone down on the counter.

“Feel better? ” Hunter said.

“No.” I chucked the phonebook on the couch. Darah and Renee were looking at me like they were worried I was going to explode. I was on the verge. “If you were a gentleman, you'd offer to sleep on the couch, ” I snapped.

“Well, Missy, you'll come to find out that I'm not a gentleman. I plan to take full advantage of this situation.” My mouth dropped open in shock. No guy had ever talked to me that way.

“Is it hot in here? I think I'll open the window, ” Renee said, scurrying over to our one window, located at one end of the couch.

Darah looked at me and then Hunter and back. “Well, there's nothing we can do right now. Let's get his stuff in and then maybe we can go down and see if anyone is at housing, ” she said. Darah was always the peacemaker.

“Sounds good to me, ” Hunter said, walking right into my bedroom as if he owned the place.

“I can't believe this is happening, ” I said, closing my eyes. I heard Back in Black by AC/DC coming from my room. Hunter's ringtone.

“Hey, man. No, I just got here. Room 203. Yeah, that would be great...” He nudged the door shut, and I glanced at Renee and Darah.

“I didn't think we were going to have to do this so early, but I think we need a roommate meeting, ” I said. We'd agreed that we would have weekly roommate meetings to air our grievances. I was all for getting that shit out in the open so we didn't end up hating each other. I'd had a horrible roommate last year and I didn't want to deal with that again.

I listened, but it sounded like Hunter was still on the phone. I could hear him rummaging and prayed he wouldn't break anything. Then I would kill him.

“I don't see what the big deal is, ” Renee said. “I mean, it would be the same if one of us had a boyfriend staying over. Paul stayed over all the time when Darah and I lived here last year.”

“But that was because you were sleeping with him, ” I said.

“Maybe I'll sleep with Hunter, ” she shot back. Renee had broken up with Paul extremely recently and was on the prowl for a rebound. We all knew she and Paul were meant to be and that they would eventually realize that, but Renee was still in the anger stage.

“Are you uncomfortable with staying with him, Taylor? It's okay if you are, ” Darah said.

“I can't imagine why I would be uncomfortable about sharing an extremely small room with a guy I've known all of a half-hour who keeps making creepy comments. Can't imagine why I'd have a problem with that.”

“If you want, Renee and I can switch. I'll stay with him, and Renee can stay with you, ” Darah said.

“Why can't he stay with me? ” Renee whined.

“Because you'll rape him in his sleep, ” I said.

“You can't rape the willing, Tay, ” she said, winking.

“You're disgusting.”

“How about we draw straws? ” Darah said.

“Do we even have straws? ” Renee said. “How about we do numbers or something? Here, ” she said, grabbing a UMaine notepad that someone had left on the kitchen counter, along with a pen. “I'll write our names down and we'll put it in...” She grabbed my baseball cap I'd discarded earlier. “And Hunter will pick. There you go. Problem solved.”

My door opened and Hunter emerged, another grin on his face.

“You weren't talking about me, were you? ”

Like he didn't know. I rolled my eyes as Renee wrote each of our names on little bits of paper and tossed them in my hat. She put her hand over the top and shook it up.

“Pick one, ” she said, shoving the hat in his face.

“Okay, ” he said, sticking his hand in and pulling out a folded slip of paper. Renee slowly unfolded it. We all waited as she paused dramatically.

“Taylor, ” she said, turning it around so we could all read my name in black and white.

“Shit, ” I said.

Two

“What's with all the peacock stuff? ”

It was an hour later, and I was just as stuck with Hunter as I was when he’d walked in the door. I'd even gone down to housing, which was right down the hill from our dorm, but no one was there. Too busy making sure the freshmen didn't collapse under the weight of their massive electronics when they carried them down the hall, no doubt.

I was doing my best to ignore Hunter, but he wouldn't shut up. Clearly, he was one of those guys who liked to chat.

“Don't you know peacock feathers are bad luck? ” Out of the corner of my eye, his bicep with the seven tattoo flexed as he pulled a couple of shirts out of his footlocker.

Yes, I did know they were bad luck for most people. It was none of his business why I had them everywhere, including on my comforter, hung in frames on the wall and strung on a dream catcher my sister had given me. It was none of his goddamn business.

I wished Tawny was here. My sister would have known exactly what to say to Hunter to get him to leave. She couldn't get out of her work as a paralegal, and Mom couldn't get off work either. I guess they figured since I was a sophomore, moving wasn't such a big deal. Still, I missed Tawny.

“You pissed at me, Missy? ”

The nickname was the last straw. I whirled around and glared at him. “Look, I don't know you, you don't know me. As soon as humanly possible, I'm getting you out of here, got it? I'm not your baby. I'm not one of those girls you can smile at and crawl into bed with. Got it? Stay the fuck away from me.”

Those blue eyes seared into me. He was the kind of guy who could see things that other people couldn't — things that I spent my entire life covering up and hiding from the masses. I'd only met a few people who could see past my carefully cultivated facade. I'd dropped most of them like a bad habit, with the exception of one. I'd have to squash this ASAP before he decided he might want to see what the world had done to piss me off so much.

“It's kinda hard to stay away from you when we're living in the same place, ” he said.

“I. Know. That, ” I said through gritted teeth.

He held up his hands. “Don't be mad at me; fate picked your name.”

“I don't believe in fate.”

He laughed. “Me neither. I just believe in luck.” He pointed to the seven on his arm. “Never can be too careful.”

“I don't believe in luck either.”

“Clearly.”

We were interrupted by a booming voice. Hunter stepped over the chaos that still covered the floor and poked his head out the door.

“Mase, man, what took you so long? You get lost? ”

A male voice answered, “Naw, I just got held up. This your place? ” Sure, just come on in everyone.

“No, I just walked into a random room and started putting my shit in it. Yes, this is my place.”

He walked into the living room, and I followed. Darah and Renee emerged from their room. I'd heard lots of banging and yelling, so they'd probably been hanging Darah's picture frames to her exacting specifications.

Standing in our doorway was a guy who looked like he could have been Hunter's brother. His hair was a little lighter, his build a little stockier and his eyes a little darker, but there was no mistaking the resemblance.

“And who are these lovely ladies? ” the new guy said.

“This is Taylor, Darah and Renee, my roommates, ” Hunter answered, gesturing to us each in turn.

“Dude, are you serious? How the hell do you get so lucky all the time? ”

“Born under the right star, ” Hunter said. “This is my cousin, Mase.”

“Nice to meet you, Mase, ” Renee said, diving forward to shake his hand. Mase took it and shook her hand, looking a little dazed. “I'm Renee.”

“Nice to meet you, Renee. I'm guessing you must be Darah, ” he said, pointing to Darah, who waved, “and you must be Taylor. I've heard so much about you.” How could he? I glared at Hunter who made an innocent face. “That was so nice of you to take in my poor, unfortunate cousin in his time of need. I thought he was going to be able to crash on my couch, but one of my roommates gave it to another guy who was willing to pay to stay, and I was overruled. Sorry, man.”

“It's okay, ” Hunter said.

For the first time since I met him, I could see something other than a cocky douche. Someone real. But that person was gone behind a cocky face before I could study him closer.

“I can see that. Do you need any help? ”

“I think I'm good, ” Hunter said.

Renee piped right up. “I could use some muscle. My bed's a little askew, and I can't seem to get in the right spot. Want to give me a hand? ” She twisted from side to side, as if she was showing him what could be his if he complied. Jesus, she was so obvious.

“Sure, no problem.”

With that, we let another strange guy into our apartment. I turned my back and returned to my room, hoping no one else was going to pop in. Hunter followed me.

“Are you hungry? I was thinking of getting some Pat's. Their delivery guys are probably swamped, so I could go get it. My treat, ” he said as he grabbed some more shirts to put in his dresser.

Was he trying to be nice to me? Did he feel sorry for me? I stared at him, trying to figure him out.

“Do you like pepperoni? ” His voice had lost that cocky edge. It was softer, and... No. He was the same. He was still trying to play me. I knew how those guys were. They were only nice until they got what they wanted, and if they didn’t get what they wanted, they took it.

“I'm a vegetarian, ” I said and went to the bathroom, just so I could get away from him.

As I passed Darah and Renee's room, I heard Mase saying something that made them both laugh. Great. Just great. I shut the door of the tiny bathroom and braced myself on the sink. I was losing control. I looked at myself in the mirror. The horrible lighting didn't do much for my complexion, but it really didn't do much for anyone. I splashed some water on my face and then hopped up on the sink, setting my back against the mirror. In a matter of a few minutes, my sophomore year had turned completely upside down.

What was I going to do? This strange guy had just invaded my life. Not only my life, but my space. Our bedroom was smaller than a double-sized dorm room. We'd be stepping over each other all the time. He'd see me when I woke up in the morning. He’d be the last voice I heard when I went to bed. I was going to see that damn tattoo and that smile all the time.

Hunter Zaccadelli would be the last thing I saw when I went to bed and the first thing I'd see when I woke up. That was not going to fly.

A knock at the door made me jump, and I banged the back of my head against the mirror.

“You okay in there? ” It was Hunter.

“Jesus Christ, can't you leave me alone? ” I got down off the sink and yanked the door open.

“I'll make you a deal, Missy.”

“Why would I want to make a deal with you? ”

He smirked, as if he was waiting for me to say that.

“Just hear me out. If you can prove to me that you hate me, absolutely hate me, then I'll leave. Find a couch to crash on.”

I snorted. “That should be easy; you can go pack your stuff now.”

“You haven't heard the rest of the deal. If you can prove to me that you love me, absolutely love me, I'll leave.” For the first time his face was serious.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I would never, ever love a guy like you.” I would never, ever love anyone, but that was beside the point.

“Prove it. If you can prove either of those things by the end of the semester, I'll go.”

“You're going to be out on your ass before then.”

His smile was easy. He was playing with me.

“Maybe, maybe not. But you look like the kind of girl who likes a challenge.”

The small bathroom space contracted around me, the walls pushing us closer. He took a step toward me, and then another. I backed up until my legs hit the toilet.

“Prove it to me. Show me you hate me.” His voice was soft, and his eyes were demanding. My breathing became desperate, and my vision narrowed to those blue eyes. Something snapped and my fight instinct took over.

Before he could move closer, I pulled back and slammed my fist into his jaw and my knee into his groin. He doubled over, clutching his face and his balls.

“I fucking hate you. Never corner me again, you son of a bitch.” In his compromised position, I was able to shove around him and get the door open to find three stunned faces.

“What did you do to him? ” Renee said.

“Nothing, ” I said, pushing past them and running down the hall, down the stairs and out of the building. My lungs heaved as if I'd been running for miles in gym and had just been allowed to rest. I put my hands on my knees and gasped, feeling like my lungs would never be full again.

People gave me strange looks as they unloaded lampshades and pillows and under-bed boxes from their cars. I ignored them and started walking down the sidewalk toward the parking lot. I pulled out my phone and hit Tawny's number, hoping she was on her lunch break.

“Hey, Kid, how's the moving going? ” Tawny's voice brought instant calm, as did her use of my nickname. Everyone in my family had always called me Kid.

“You would not believe the day I've had.”

“Tell me, ” she said without hesitation.

I proceeded to give my version of the day's events, including punching Hunter. I had to hold the phone with my left hand because my right had started to swell from its encounter with Hunter’s jaw. I was going to need some ice soon.

I was surprised no one chased after me, but Darah and Renee knew about my freak outs. They knew to leave me alone and give me my space. It hadn't been the first time they'd seen me like this. I tried to keep most of it under control, but Hunter had pushed my buttons. No one ever cornered me in a tiny space and got away unscathed.

“Aw, Kid, why did you do that? ”

“He cornered me, what was I supposed to do? ” My hand was red and starting to turn a lovely purple shade.

“You could have told him to back off. That would have been the logical thing to do.”

“You know I'm not a logical person.”

“No shit.” She sighed, and I could hear her munching on something. “Don't you think you should talk to someone again? ” She'd asked me the same thing at least a thousand times.

“Because that worked so well before. No, thank you.”

Tawny sighed again. I finally found my car, Sassy, a red Dodge Charger, in the lot and hit the unlock button. I sat in the driver's seat with the door open, chatting with Tawny about moving in and stupid stuff. Anything but Hunter.

I could talk to her for hours every day and still find something to say. We were six years apart, and we were as close as two people could be without being twins. Not that our personalities were similar, because they weren't. Tawny was prettier, smarter, more well-liked. I was shorter, not as pretty and angry. I didn't try to be so angry, and I wasn't most of the time, but sometimes it just happened. Hunter had made it happen today.

“When are you coming up to see me? ” I asked.

“Probably this weekend. Lunch date at Margarita's? ” It was one of our favorite semi-chain Mexican restaurants.

“You're on. Hey, I completely forgot to bring that cute pair of pj pants and the top that goes with it. Can you stop by the house and get them for me? ”

“I guess so. You gonna buy my lunch? ”

“I guess so, ” I said.

“Hey, I have to go, but call me tonight. Call me before you punch someone again, okay? You're going to have to rein it in if you're going to live with this guy. Also, you should probably ice your hand.”

“I'm not living with him.”

“Yeah, babe, you kinda are. Unless you win that bet. How the hell are you going to get out of that one? ”

“I have no fucking clue. I didn't technically agree to it.”

“I think you punching and kicking him in the balls was sort of a handshake.”

“Whatever. I'll call you later. Text me if you want.”

“Bye, Kid.”

“Bye, Tawn.” I clicked my phone off and rested my head on my steering wheel. What the fuck was I going to do?

Three

I didn't go back inside until my hand hurt so much that I desperately needed ice. The living room was quiet when I snuck in. Most of the boxes were gone, and Darah was unpacking her pots and pans in the kitchen.

“Hey, are you okay? We were kinda worried about you. Hunter, Renee and Mase went to get pizza.”

“I'm fine. Just need some ice, ” I said, holding up my hand, which was purpling all over my knuckles.

“Oh my God, ” she said, running to the freezer. Luckily, someone had left an ice pack in the freezer that maintenance had forgotten to clean out. She wrapped it in a dish towel she took out of one of the boxes and handed it to me.

“How's his face? ” I kind of wished I’d messed it up, just a little.

“You got him pretty good. He's already getting a bruise.” Score.

“Did his nuts recover? ”

“I think he'll be able to have children someday, ” she said, studying me as if I was going to freak and do it again. She leaned on the counter, her organizing abandoned for now. “What happened? All he'd tell us is that he said something that pissed you off and that he deserved it.”

“He said that? ” I winced as the cold ice met my burning hand. I was surprised. I thought he'd blame everything on me and call me a psycho bitch. In the back of my mind I had a tiny ray of hope that my display of violence would freak him out so much his stuff would be gone when I got back. No such luck.

“Yeah, he did.”

“Huh.”

Voices drifted down the hall. Familiar voices. I turned around, and they stopped when they saw me. Hunter had two pizza boxes, and Renee carried two bags with chips and soda. Mase had what probably was some beer, cleverly concealed in two layers of shopping bags.

“Hey, ” I said to all of them.

They entered cautiously, in a way that was almost funny. I was both the shortest and youngest person in the room, but they were wary of me.

“How's your hand? ” Renee said, setting the bags down on the dining table.

“Fine, ” I said. She started examining it anyway, and I looked at Hunter. “How's your face? And your balls? ” I cracked a smile, hoping it wasn't too crazy looking.

Hunter grinned back at me.

“Both will recover, I think. You've got a hell of a hook, Missy, ” he said, touching his jaw. There was an impressive-looking bluish mark starting. Nice.

“I misjudged you, I think. Respect, ” Mase said, coming over and holding his hand up for a fist bump. I gave him one with my left hand, and he gave me a wink. Guess the cocky behavior was genetic.

“I got this one with all the veggies. Wasn't sure what you liked, ” Hunter said, holding out one of the pizza boxes toward me. Everyone held their breath as I took the box from Hunter. Hell, it was more delicious than an olive branch.

“Olives, ” I said. “I hate olives. Everything else is fair game.”

“Shall we? ” Renee said, now that the tension was broken.

“Sure, ” I said, cracking open the box.

The heavenly scent of Pat's pizza filled my nose. It had been the same recipe for however many years it had been open, serving hungry, hung over or stoned college students for decades. Somehow they had found the perfect ratio of cheese to sauce to thin crust to toppings. A perfect ratio, which was why they'd survived for so long in a town that had at least twelve pizza places per college student.

“Have you unpacked the plates yet? ” Renee said to Darah.

Rummaging for plates, napkins and cups ensued and somehow we all ended up on the living room floor with paper plates, paper towels and Solo cups with soda or beer. I wasn't a big beer fan, so I stuck with soda. Darah, Renee and Mase were all 21 and joked about me and Hunter being underage. Hunter was only a few months older than me at 20, while I was the baby at 19.

Turned out Hunter was also a business major; what a surprise. The only other major I would have picked for him would have been broadcasting so he could be a sports reporter and watch as many games while getting paid to do it. Mase was the biggest surprise. His major was international relations. Apparently he wanted to go work overseas as a diplomat or something. His real name was Johnathan Mason III, which explained the nickname.

“What's your major? ” Mase asked, winding some cheese around his finger.

“How about we guess? ” Hunter said.

Didn't I just punch him in the face? Was he asking for it again? I gave him a look, but he just picked up another piece of pepperoni and chewed thoughtfully.

“Education? No, that can't be it. Not advertising. Boxing? Nursing? How about Electrical Engineering? ”

I just rolled my eyes.

“Tell me what it is then.” The cocky smile returned, as if it had never left his face.

“Women's studies, ” I said, picking off another offensive olive and setting it on my plate.

“Huh, ” Hunter said.

“No smart comments? Not gonna ask me if I'm a lesbian? ”

Mase snorted. Renee rolled her eyes. I should really tone it down.

“Are you? ” Hunter raised one eyebrow. There were always jokes about the women's studies department being a bunch of men-hating lesbians. I'd chosen the major for a different reason, but he was never going to know about that.

“What if I was? ” I said it slow.

Mase snorted his beer through his nose and choked. Darah banged him on the back. Yes, I still wanted Hunter gone, but I wanted to torture him a little as payback first.

“That would be one of the sexiest things you've said to me. Even if it isn't true.” He leaned forward, a predatory look on his face. The room started to get hot, and I took a sip of my soda so I could stop looking at him.

“What is it with men and lesbians? I've never understood the attraction.”

“Are you kidding? Two women together is super hot, unless they're butch. Then not so much, ” Mase said.

“But lesbians generally don't want men, so why would you be attracted to them? ” Darah said.

“Doesn't matter to me, I'd be happy to watch, ” Mase said, bumping shoulders with Darah. She rolled her eyes.

“It's because the female body is beautiful. It's a work of art. All curves and softness. You double it and you just have double the beauty.” Hunter looked right at me as he said it.

“Double your pleasure, double your fun, ” Mase said and we all laughed.

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the night? Hooking up the XBox? ” Mase said to Hunter.

“You have an XBox? ” Renee said. She was a closet gamer and had been searching for a used one on the campus message board forever.

“Yeah, I have a Kinect, too.”

“Please tell me you have Skyrim. Please, please, ” Renee said, clasping her hands. I blamed Paul for her gaming addiction.

Hunter proceeded to produce the device, and they spent the next hour hooking it up and playing Skyrim.

Mase said he had stuff to do, so he left, saying he'd be back again. Lovely.

I went to unpack the rest of my room and text Tawny.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting everything into drawers and making my bed and figuring out where to fit everything, including the massive amount of books I'd brought. I wished I could have moved off campus, but I had a scholarship that was specifically for on-campus housing, so I was stuck. With Hunter, apparently. He stayed out with Renee and Darah, which was great. I kept shoving his stuff out of my way, irritated, but at the same time curious as to what else was in the footlocker. Maybe it was a body.

Darah knocked on the door and asked if I wanted to go to the grocery store with her to get some provisions. I was itching to get out of the tiny space, so I grabbed my keys and got some cash from everyone and made a list.

“You need any help? ” Hunter said.

“Do I look like I do? ”

“Not really, but I figured I'd be an ass if I didn't ask.”

“You're an ass anyway.”

He nodded and went back the game. He was probably ready for another punch soon.

*****

I came back loaded down and found the apartment in chaos.

“Hey, we're going out to Blue Lagoon, you want to come? ” Darah was sliding long silver earrings into her ears and had changed into skinny jeans and a glittery silver top.

“I can't. Not 21, ” I said, pointing to myself.

Blue Lagoon was the current name of the club right off campus. It kept getting shut down due to underage kids getting in, or too many bloody fights. Sometimes both. It had a new owner, but I didn't hold out that this one would last any longer than the previous.

“Crap, I forgot. Sorry.”

A blow-dryer sounded in the bathroom. Oh, this must be serious if Renee was straightening her hair.

“Where's Hunter? ” I hated saying his name out loud.

“Hunter? Don't know. His cousin came back, and they went off somewhere. He said he'd be back before we left.” She winced as she shoved one of her earrings in.

“He's not 21 either.”

“You know he probably has a fake ID.” Yeah, he probably did. “Maybe we can sneak you in.”

“No, it's fine. I'll just hang out here. Maybe I'll call Megan and see if she wants to come over.”

Megan was a friend from my women's studies classes I'd gotten close with last year and the only other person I’d actually call a friend. She lived with her boyfriend in an off-campus apartment, but his friends were always crashing there so she was always desperate for girl time.

Just then the door opened and Hunter and Mase came in, with two other guys trailing behind.

“Hey, ” he said, nodding to me. “This is Dev and Sean. Guys, this is Taylor, and that's Darah.”

“Hi, ” I said, waving.

Darah said hello.

Dev had lovely dark skin the color of earthenware, and dark hair and eyes. He was also crazy tall and thin as a rail. Sean was blocky and built like a wrestler, with short blond hair and brown eyes. They both gave me and Darah the once over. I'd never been checked out so much in my life.

“So, you coming out with us, Missy? ” He was staring at my boobs again.

I crossed my arms. “Some of us aren't into breaking the law.”

“You are now, ” he said, holding something out to me. It was a fake ID, complete with a picture of a girl who could almost be me, and a birth date that wasn't mine, but was at least 21.

“Where the hell did you get this? ”

He shared a look with the guys. “I have my sources. Go, get ready. You're not wearing that.”

“What's wrong with this? ” I would never go out clubbing in my current attire, but I wanted to push his buttons.

“I'd want to screw you no matter what you're wearing, but you might want to spruce up a little so everyone will want you, ” he said.

“Fuck you, ” I said, chucking the ID in his face and going to my room. I heard the guys ribbing Hunter as I shut the door.

I rifled through my dresser, coming up with a pair of black leggings, a red tunic and a pair of black boots. I yanked my hair out of the bun and brushed it furiously before drawing on a quick stroke of eyeliner around my bluish-greenish eyes and slicking on some lip gloss. I walked into a cloud of my favorite grapefruit body spray and I was ready.

“Better? ” I said, leaning against the wall.

“Fuckable. Let's go.”

Darah and Renee were already chatting with the other guys like they'd known each other forever.

I wasn't going to admit that I was scared of getting caught. I was nervous, sure, but it was more than that. Being in the club would mean I was pressed up against a ton of sweaty strangers. That was the part I didn't like. But there was no way I was going to let Hunter call me a pussy. So I shoved the fake ID in my pants pocket, grabbed some cash and followed everyone outside.

The night was balmy, the summer not having loosened its grip on Maine yet. We all walked in a large blob, no one really in front. Luckily, the club was within stumbling distance of campus.

“You won't have to buy any drinks tonight, ” Hunter said, turning around and walking backward while simultaneously leering at me.

“And why is that? ”

He shook his head. “Do you seriously not see it? Mase, man. Would you screw Taylor? ”

“Hell, yeah, ” Mase said, giving me a thumbs up. “I mean, if you wanted to.”

“Dev? ”

“Yeah, sure.” Sean also agreed that he'd do me.

“Is that all you think about? Sex? ”

“What else is there to think about? Everyone thinks about it. We're programmed to think about it. Even you, Missy.” He stopped walking, and I nearly bumped into him. He grabbed my arms to steady me.

“Let me go.”

“It's on you, Missy. I'll be gone in five seconds. Just prove to me that you love me or hate me.”

“Love and hate are completely different.”

“Not really. They're the two sides of the same coin. One flip and you can be on the other side before you know it. I'll take either one from you.”

“I hate you right now. What do I have to do to prove that to you? ”

He touched the bruise on his face that I couldn't see in the dark. “I'm sure you'll figure something out.” He turned around and jumped on Mase's back, nearly taking him down.

The boys were acting like they were already drunk, pushing and laughing and being too loud. I stuck close to Darah and Renee, because they had previous club experience. I didn't.

The closer we go to the club, the more nervous I got. I could practically feel the music pounding through the pavement out front. The building was small and had no windows. Several people smoked around the edges, and a few girls wearing clothes that hardly qualified as clothes stumbled outside, laughing and clutching on to each other.

I rubbed my arms, even though I wasn't cold. We made a line, and Hunter put himself in front of me. The bouncer looked like he was probably on the football team and greeted Mase like they were long lost friends, doing that weird one-armed hug, back pat thing dudes do when they don't want to hug. He waved the other guys in and gave the girls IDs a cursory check.

“Jay, man, how are you? Long time no see. This is my new friend, Taylor.”

“Another friend, Z? You have more friends than I have socks. Nice to meet you. Be careful, ” he said, laughing and waving us in before I could say, “Nice to meet you, too.”

The club was dark, loud and hot, just like I thought it would be. The ceiling was low; there were too many tables and too many people. Lights flashed, nearly blinding me.

“Let me get you a drink, ” Hunter said in my ear.

He had to yell because the music was so loud. I couldn't see a DJ anywhere. My eyes searched and finally found Darah, Renee and the guys at a corner table. They all had drinks.

“Come on. Let me buy you a drink.”

“Whatever, ” I said and went to stand next to Darah.

“You made it through, ” she said, cupping her hand over her mouth so I could hear her.

“Yeah, he didn't even look at it, ” I said, shrugging. No wonder this place was always getting busted.

“Lucky you, ” she yelled back, sipping on her drink.

Hunter came back moments later, shouldering his way through the crowd. He had this amazing way of walking, like he had all the time in the world.

“You look like a rum and Coke kind of girl, ” he said, handing me a glass. There was a lime wedge on top that I squeezed into the glass and then stirred it around before I took a sip. Hunter had a Coors Lite. Typical.

I sipped my drink warily. I definitely didn't trust him.

“I didn't drug it, I swear. I wouldn't need drugs to get you into bed, ” he yelled in my ear. His hand brushed down my bare arm, and it took everything in me not to throw the drink in his face.

“Go ahead, throw it at me. You know you want to, ” he said.

Bodies swarmed on the dance floor, gyrating and bumping together. Some had better moves than others. Some were practically having sex.

Instead, I took a sip. The Coke fizzed on my tongue and the rum chased it, the taste dark, heady and warm. It was freaking delicious. How did Hunter know I would like it?

“Is it good? I had him use the spiced rum. I figured you'd like a little spice.” Oh, bite me.

Darah and Renee sucked down their drinks and chatted with the guys, who were eyeing the dance floor. Mase caught Hunter's eye.

“Dude, these guys are amateurs. Want to show them how it's done? ”

“I'm in. Dev? ”

“It's on like Donkey Kong, ” Dev said, and they all headed toward the crowded floor.

“What are they up to? ” Renee said.

“I have no idea, ” I said.

“You’ll see, ” Sean said, leaning back in his chair.

Mase went toward the back, where I finally noticed the DJ. They had a word and the song flipped to Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. Dear Christ, what were we in for?

Hunter and Dev somehow cleared a space and as soon as the song got going, they started dancing. Not just dancing, they were breaking. Mase joined in and they rocked it.

The space around them got bigger and people started clapping. Mase and Hunter had this routine worked out that was perfectly synchronized, complete with the worm, and all these spins and moves that I'd only seen in music videos. Dev was doing the moonwalk in front of them and doing these smooth spins on his heels and toes.

For a white guy, Hunter could move. Like, really move. If I didn't loathe him with every fiber of my being, I'd say it was damn sexy. There was nothing like a guy who could dance, in my opinion.

He did a turn and stopped, looking right at me. I couldn't tell in the swirling lights, but I swore he winked at me. Douchebag.

The club was going nuts. Everyone was clapping and egging them on. Then Hunter grabbed Mase's foot and flipped him backward. The club exploded with cheering and hollering. They finished out the song and everyone applauded. They all high-fived and made their way back to our table, getting clapped on the back the whole way.

“That. Was. Amazing! ” Renee said as the guys grabbed their drinks and gulped. They were all a little winded and had a little sheen of sweat on their skin.

“What did you think? ” Hunter asked me.

“Meh, ” I said, shrugging one shoulder. “I've seen better.” I sipped my drink, savoring the rich taste.

He just grinned at me and lifted his beer to his lips. “Sure you have, baby.”

Now he was calling me baby? I ignored it and finished my drink.

“You want to dance? ” Renee asked me. The alcohol had started making its way through my system, making my cheeks heat and my head floaty.

“Sure, why not? ” I said, even though I was apprehensive about throwing myself into the chaos of stranger's bodies.

Renee grabbed my hand in one of hers and Darah's in the other, and we headed to the crowded space. I had to tell myself a few times that I was okay, no one was out to get me and I was going to have a good time. The alcohol also helped. I wouldn’t normally have waded into a mosh pit full of strangers, but when in Rome.

I didn't have many talents, but dancing was one of them. I let the music take me over and didn't care who was watching me.

There was one set of eyes I knew were on me. Hunter's. At one point, I turned, swiveling my hips and dipping down to the floor and slowly coming back up. It might have been my imagination that he swallowed and his eyes widened a little. I'd classify the brief look that crossed his face as stunned. Take that, asshole. I smiled and grabbed Darah's arm, twirling her around and then giving her a hip bump. We danced for three more songs before we got too sweaty and had to get some air. I was relieved to get out of the crush of bodies. I’d had a few moments where the panic threatened to attack me, but I’d managed to slam the door in its face and keep dancing.

The guys followed us outside, probably to protect us from drunken gropers. I'd read last year there were at least several episodes of unwanted sexual touching reported in the campus newspaper. Hunter put his hand on my back, but I let him because it was his hand or a strange guy, and I'd take the hand I knew over the hand I didn't. Not that I knew Hunter. Christ, I'd only met him this morning.

Outside we stood in a cloud of smoke, but the air felt nice on my heated skin.

“I've seen better, ” Hunter said in my ear. His warm breath tickled my neck, and I moved my hair to hide my shiver.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Mom. She always texted me at the oddest hours.

How are you, kid? Haven't talked today: (

Good. All moved in. Drama city. Out with friends. TTYL?