or the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Then, still gaping and unable to take his eyes off her, he quickly changed his mind. She was even hotter than the girls who graced the pages of those publications. She was impossibly beautiful; it was like she’d been airbrushed into the room.
Felix felt a warm, awkward flush creep up from his neck to his cheeks and he prayed that no one noticed he was blushing. He was literally light-headed. There wasn’t enough air in the room. His mouth was dry, too dry to speak. Luckily for him, Lucas was chatting with the girls about something; he didn’t seem nervous at all. The girls laughed. Felix was trying to listen to the conversation, but it was like everyone was speaking in Mandarin.
He knew if he didn’t stop staring, Harper was going to think he was a freak. He dragged his eyes away, finally, and glanced around the room, trying to get a handle on himself. They were all standing in a loose circle in the center of the room between beds pushed up against opposite walls. The ceiling was low and the walls were beige-white. Other than one good-sized window overlooking a clump of tall trees that partially concealed a brick building in the distance, the room was done in matching pairs: beds, desks, closets, and little wall mirrors. The arrangement was very practical and utilitarian.
Even after taking inventory of the room, Felix still couldn’t focus on what was going on… then Allison saved him. She got his attention with a question about football practice. He sputtered out something about a kid named Jimmy nearly decapitating him.
Everyone laughed.
Felix had apparently, and inadvertently, said something quite funny (he wasn’t sure what it was exactly). And when he saw Harper smiling at him it set off another round of shameless staring.
“You wanna hear something funny?” Caitlin said to no one in particular. “You”—she fixed her gaze on Lucas—“look just like that guy on Summer Slumming .”
Lucas held up one finger and drained his beer. Then he wiped his lips and said, “That’s because I am that guy on Summer Slumming .” He bowed deeply as if he was introducing himself to the Queen of England.
“No way!” Allison shouted. “I knew it—but I didn’t wanna say anything. They were talking about you downstairs. But everyone thought you were in Satler. I can’t believe you’re Felix’s roommate! This is so cool!”
“I’ve never known an actual celebrity,” Harper said. She sounded excited but not as excited as Allison.
“And you still don’t,” Lucas remarked with a laugh. “I’m just another reality show idiot.”
“Didn’t you have sex with that girl?” Caitlin crinkled up her nose in disgust like someone had just thrown a rotting fish into the room. “What was her name? Cheap-bling, or Venus de Sexy, or something ridiculous like that?”
“I did.” Lucas dug his free hand into a pocket of his shorts. “And for your information, her name’s Z-Bling . What’d you think of my performance?”
Everyone laughed.
Everyone except Caitlin. “I’d have given you an F,” she said disdainfully.
“Is that so?” Lucas feigned surprise. “Well, maybe you can show me what I need to improve on.”
Caitlin’s eyes bulged from their sockets. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as she looked back and forth from Lucas to Harper as if she was hoping Harper would provide the snappy comeback she was searching her brain for. Finally, she stammered out: “You can’t… you can’t be serious!”
Lucas smiled at her and laughed. “I’m just jerking your chain, Little C. Come on, drink your beer and relax a little. How are we gonna be friends if you take everything I say so seriously?”
“Don’t call me Little C,” Caitlin said testily. “I don’t like beer. And don’t tell me what to do.” Harper was laughing in a way that made Felix think she’d seen this from Caitlin many times before.
Lucas grinned at Caitlin’s
Felix felt a warm, awkward flush creep up from his neck to his cheeks and he prayed that no one noticed he was blushing. He was literally light-headed. There wasn’t enough air in the room. His mouth was dry, too dry to speak. Luckily for him, Lucas was chatting with the girls about something; he didn’t seem nervous at all. The girls laughed. Felix was trying to listen to the conversation, but it was like everyone was speaking in Mandarin.
He knew if he didn’t stop staring, Harper was going to think he was a freak. He dragged his eyes away, finally, and glanced around the room, trying to get a handle on himself. They were all standing in a loose circle in the center of the room between beds pushed up against opposite walls. The ceiling was low and the walls were beige-white. Other than one good-sized window overlooking a clump of tall trees that partially concealed a brick building in the distance, the room was done in matching pairs: beds, desks, closets, and little wall mirrors. The arrangement was very practical and utilitarian.
Even after taking inventory of the room, Felix still couldn’t focus on what was going on… then Allison saved him. She got his attention with a question about football practice. He sputtered out something about a kid named Jimmy nearly decapitating him.
Everyone laughed.
Felix had apparently, and inadvertently, said something quite funny (he wasn’t sure what it was exactly). And when he saw Harper smiling at him it set off another round of shameless staring.
“You wanna hear something funny?” Caitlin said to no one in particular. “You”—she fixed her gaze on Lucas—“look just like that guy on Summer Slumming .”
Lucas held up one finger and drained his beer. Then he wiped his lips and said, “That’s because I am that guy on Summer Slumming .” He bowed deeply as if he was introducing himself to the Queen of England.
“No way!” Allison shouted. “I knew it—but I didn’t wanna say anything. They were talking about you downstairs. But everyone thought you were in Satler. I can’t believe you’re Felix’s roommate! This is so cool!”
“I’ve never known an actual celebrity,” Harper said. She sounded excited but not as excited as Allison.
“And you still don’t,” Lucas remarked with a laugh. “I’m just another reality show idiot.”
“Didn’t you have sex with that girl?” Caitlin crinkled up her nose in disgust like someone had just thrown a rotting fish into the room. “What was her name? Cheap-bling, or Venus de Sexy, or something ridiculous like that?”
“I did.” Lucas dug his free hand into a pocket of his shorts. “And for your information, her name’s Z-Bling . What’d you think of my performance?”
Everyone laughed.
Everyone except Caitlin. “I’d have given you an F,” she said disdainfully.
“Is that so?” Lucas feigned surprise. “Well, maybe you can show me what I need to improve on.”
Caitlin’s eyes bulged from their sockets. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as she looked back and forth from Lucas to Harper as if she was hoping Harper would provide the snappy comeback she was searching her brain for. Finally, she stammered out: “You can’t… you can’t be serious!”
Lucas smiled at her and laughed. “I’m just jerking your chain, Little C. Come on, drink your beer and relax a little. How are we gonna be friends if you take everything I say so seriously?”
“Don’t call me Little C,” Caitlin said testily. “I don’t like beer. And don’t tell me what to do.” Harper was laughing in a way that made Felix think she’d seen this from Caitlin many times before.
Lucas grinned at Caitlin’s
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