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CHAPTER TWO

GARY

When the professor’s gaze swept over the room, I ducked my head automatically, pretending to study my notes to look for the answer. I’d hoped after getting through the first few weeks of classes, I’d feel more settled. But I still felt awkward.

“Anybody? No?”

Nope. No one here. Please look elsewhere.

He sighed, obviously put out about the lack of enthusiasm in the room. What did he expect? It was beginning statistics.

The door to the back of the large auditorium opened with a loud bang, startling everyone.

I whipped my head over my shoulder, eyes wide as I took in the newcomer.

He had a grungy look to him, his clothes all baggy and dark colors.

His black hair was messy, long enough to fall into his eyes, half hidden under the hood of his sweatshirt.

There were tattoos on his hands peeking out under his massive hoodie, and he had a bunch of rings and necklaces on.

Dark green eyes scanned the room almost suspiciously before landing on me.

I froze, sucking in a sharp breath when he headed my way.

But he wasn’t actually headed for me. He plunked himself into the empty seat beside me, the closest open one, and slouched in his seat.

Oh. I berated myself internally for jumping to conclusions. That was unfair of me.

When the professor started talking again, I dragged my attention back to the front.

At least, I tried to. It only took a few minutes before the new guy sighed heavily.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

He looked annoyed. I hadn’t seen him before now.

Maybe he switched classes at the last minute?

Starting behind would stress me out, too.

I bit my lip, trying to force myself to pay attention to the professor.

Another thirty minutes passed before I gave in to my curiosity and peeked at the guy again.

He wasn’t conventionally handsome. More average in appearance.

He had a line on his nose that looked like a healed break and a small scar on his cheek.

He pulled off his hood at one point to run his fingers through his hair, and I saw several piercings in his ear.

That was kind of cool, actually. I could also see more tattoos peeking up on his neck.

I couldn’t even begin to guess what they were, though.

He must’ve felt me staring because he turned to look at me, and I heard him huff out a small laugh when I whipped my head forward again.

I was kind of an awkward person in general.

Years of being bullied by my older sister took its toll.

But even I knew staring was rude. I opened my mouth to apologize, but I hadn’t realized the professor had dismissed the class.

The guy was out of his seat and disappeared back out the door he came through before I could even form the words in my head.

It was then I realized that he came in without a backpack or even a notebook. He had no notes.

Then again, not everyone needed notes. My roommate said he studied better by putting his head down and listening, but I thought that was a joke. Now I was wondering if I got it wrong.

The question bugged me the rest of the day, and by the time I was heading back to my dorm room, I had a headache.

I couldn’t get the new guy out of my head.

Did he not need to take notes? Or did he think because he was already behind, he had no hope of catching up?

I felt bad for him, if that was the case.

I knew what it was like to struggle trying to study.

Despite my appearance, I wasn’t a nerd like most people thought.

I loved reading, but I wasn’t some kind of genius.

My roommate was already there when I got back.

He was a decent enough guy. He was on the football team, very outgoing and sociable, so our personalities didn’t match up, but he didn’t take offense when I didn’t engage like he did.

He was actually nice enough to invite me to lunch whenever our schedule matched up.

I accepted because I promised myself when I went to college I’d make friends.

I had enough of being considered a pariah all through high school.

“Hey, Gar. How was class?” Carter asked amiably.

“Fine,” I murmured. “You?”

He shrugged. “It was whatever. One of my profs is a real fox, so that’s always something to look forward to.”

I forced out a smile and nodded. Carter was the typical college jock, always talking about hot women and parties and hooking up.

Meanwhile, I was a twenty-four-year-old virgin who started school late and didn’t fit in with most of the freshman class.

I purposely evaded any and all questions Carter had about my sexuality.

I didn't want him finding out I was gay and freaking out about living with me. He was actually nice to me. I didn’t want to lose that.

Sitting at my desk, I pulled out my notebook for statistics and flipped through the first week of notes. This professor didn’t start things slow, and there was a lot of information there that the new guy missed.

“Homework already?”

I pressed my lips together, frowning at the notebook. “Not really. I mean, yes, there’s some reading and stuff to do, but I wasn’t thinking about that.”

He grunted in acknowledgement, giving his attention back to his show. Turning around, I considered my roommate. He was way more outgoing than me. Maybe he could help.

“Hey, Carter?”

He looked up from where he was vegging out on the futon watching tv.

Our beds were bunked with me on the top to make enough room for his futon and the TV.

I didn’t really mind since he made some space for my desk and so far hadn’t let any of his friends mess with it.

I spent most of my time in the library when I needed to study anyway.

“What’s up?”

“Um…If you started a class this late, would that bother you?”

He tipped his head thoughtfully. “Depends on the class. But probably. It’s hard to catch up when you start late. Most people don’t bother this far out. Isn’t the cut off in like two days?”

That, I didn't know, but it sounded right. It was impossible to switch classes after a certain point. Partly I think to have a better idea of the number of students, but I also thought it had something to do with the workload. It would be impossible to catch up after a certain point.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I stared off into space. I remembered switching schools halfway through the year in high school and being completely lost starting somewhere new. I hated it, and it took forever for me to catch up. I didn’t want this guy suffering just because he started late.

“Why?” he asked, his eyes back on the tv screen.

“There was this new guy who showed up halfway through class today. He hadn’t been there before. He looked kind of stressed…”

“You could help him out,” Carter suggested. “I saw your notes the other day. They’re crazy organized. Kinda wish you were in some of my classes so you could take notes for me.”

I twisted my mouth to hide my smile, shaking my head at him.

But it wasn’t a terrible idea. I was more careful about studying now that I was in college.

I’d lose what little scholarships I had if I didn’t get good grades.

I could make the new guy a copy and maybe it’d help a little.

Besides, going over my notes was a good way to review what we’d gone through already.

Carter rolled off the couch, bouncing to his feet. “Well, I’ve got practice. Don’t wait up, alright?”

He tousled my hair, laughing when I pushed his hand away, and grabbed his bag on his way out.

I think most people would be annoyed with the way he treated me, but I didn’t mind it.

It was better than the way I used to be treated, and he wasn’t being cruel about it.

And I kind of liked it. It took some getting used to, but he was nice to me.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I pulled out another notebook. I didn’t want to think about before. Now that I was out on my own, I wanted to focus on the bright side. I had a nice roommate, a decent class load, and a part-time job in the cafe on campus. Things could definitely be way worse.

I saw the grungy guy again on Wednesday.

We actually had a few classes together, though he missed half on Monday.

Maybe another accounting major? That would be nice.

I hadn’t made any friends in my major yet.

Some people thought it was silly to choose a major as a freshman, but I wasn’t a clueless nineteen-year-old.

I had a job in mind, and the whole reason I went to school was for this specific degree.

Why waste time pretending I’d be doing anything else?

The grungy guy sat next to me like he had the week before. He was only a few minutes late this time, and the professor hadn’t really started yet. It gave me the opportunity to catch his attention. I cleared my throat, biting my lip while I waited for him to acknowledge me.

Dark green eyes shifted my way and narrowed. “What?”

“I, um… I noticed you started late. I, uh, made you a copy of the notes from the days you missed. Not everything we talked about was in the book.”

When I offered him the copy, he frowned at it like he didn’t understand.

Nerves and embarrassment made my hand shake, and I felt a flush creeping its way up my neck and into my cheeks the longer he stared at it.

When he finally took the stapled stack of notes I made for him, I let out a heavy breath, turning to face the front again.

The professor was talking, and I needed to focus.

This class was one of my major requirements.

The class passed quickly, thanks to my focus being split between the professor and the guy next to me.

I watched out of the corner of my eye when he flipped through the packet, and then, once he finished looking it through, he spent the rest of the class looking at me.

I felt his stare on the side of my face.

Pretty sure by the time class was over, I was as red as a tomato.

I hurried to pack up my stuff, and thankfully, he didn’t stop me when I scurried out.

Maybe it was a bad move to give him notes he didn’t ask for.

Why the heck did I have to be so awkward?