My
thumb ran over the edge of the receipt, as if I could erase the
numbers with just the tip of my finger. Of course, I knew that was
impossible.
Shit, I
thought sullenly, did
I really manage to blow my entire credit card limit that easily? You'd
think a single night out, impressing friends and women with your
ability to dole on them, wouldn't break the bank.
My
parents are going to be pissed. Inhaling
sharply, I folded the paper together, then again, until it was a tiny
square. My whole palm covered it, yet it felt heavier than my brand
new laptop.
Come
on, who could blame me for buying that, too?
When
my father had handed me the card, he'd made it clear it was for
emergencies only. I
doubt I can convince him any of the stuff I bought was an emergency.
Dammit. What the hell am I going to do? Scanning
my dorm, I prayed an idea would come to me.
Not
shockingly, nothing appeared.
I'd
only been attending college classes for three months. I wondered if
it was possible for my parents to be furious enough to yank me out. Guess
I'd deserve it. I fucked up for real this time. Scratching at the short, messy strands of hair on my scalp, I fell
onto the couch in the common room.
The
dorms were quiet, the one I stayed in only had a few students making
home there. Combined with it being a Saturday morning, I didn't
expect to see anyone else up and moving for another hour at minimum.
Abrupt
footsteps drew my eyes away from where I was staring blankly at the
ceiling. Standing in the hallway was my roommate, Kris. Long torso,
broad shoulders, he had the look of some exotic model from a
magazine. Those hard, sapphire colored eyes of his and bronze skin
only helped the imagery.
I
knew very little about him... except for one fact.
Kris
has money. It
was a realization that slammed me hard, made me sit up straight
despite my desire to appear chill. My roommate could solve my
problems, why hadn't I thought of something so obvious?
He
was wearing nothing but some loose boxers and socks, his bare upper
body hunched like he was sleep walking. I watched him move towards
the nearby table, homing in on the pile of mail there. “Morning,”
I said cheerfully, adjusting on the couch.
Kris
tossed a quick sideways glance, then went back to shuffling the
envelopes. “Jack, you're up early. Figured after I saw you at
Wicked Pete's with all those girls, you'd still be sleeping.”
I
didn't think of myself as bashful, but his observation made my cheeks
warm. “Hah, so you saw that.”
“ Mmhm,”
he murmured. Flipping paper into the trash, he slowed down when he
reached a tiny green envelope. “Yeah, I think a lot of guys
did. You were playing it large, didn't know you were so loaded.”
I
tried to erase my grimace with a smile. “Right, uh,
actually...” Well,
here it goes. “I'm
not. Not really.” I expected Kris to look up, to be surprised,
but he was busy squinting at the envelope he held. “You
alright?”
Straightening,
he tapped the mail onto his thigh nervously. “It's nothing,
just an invitation to something I'm not sure I can go to. Anyway,
what do you mean you're not actually loaded?”
Twisting,
I hung over the back of the couch, meeting his curious gaze. “Here's
the thing. My parents gave me a credit card, you know, for
emergencies?” Kris was starting to smile knowingly, so I pushed
on. “Yeah. I blew it all between last night on the town, and on
some new toys the other day. Limit reached, boom.”
“ Oh,
shit,” he said, his amusement making my stomach sour. “You're
pretty fucked, aren't you?”
“ Maybe,”
I admitted, watching him intently. “But I had an idea.”
Kris
leaned against the wall, still tapping his envelope on his leg. I was
starting to wonder what it was an invitation to. “An idea, go
on.”
And
this is it! “I
was thinking you could, well, loan me the cash to pay it off.”
I assumed Kris would laugh at me, maybe look offended at the
suggestion. I'd readied myself for a number of
thumb ran over the edge of the receipt, as if I could erase the
numbers with just the tip of my finger. Of course, I knew that was
impossible.
Shit, I
thought sullenly, did
I really manage to blow my entire credit card limit that easily? You'd
think a single night out, impressing friends and women with your
ability to dole on them, wouldn't break the bank.
My
parents are going to be pissed. Inhaling
sharply, I folded the paper together, then again, until it was a tiny
square. My whole palm covered it, yet it felt heavier than my brand
new laptop.
Come
on, who could blame me for buying that, too?
When
my father had handed me the card, he'd made it clear it was for
emergencies only. I
doubt I can convince him any of the stuff I bought was an emergency.
Dammit. What the hell am I going to do? Scanning
my dorm, I prayed an idea would come to me.
Not
shockingly, nothing appeared.
I'd
only been attending college classes for three months. I wondered if
it was possible for my parents to be furious enough to yank me out. Guess
I'd deserve it. I fucked up for real this time. Scratching at the short, messy strands of hair on my scalp, I fell
onto the couch in the common room.
The
dorms were quiet, the one I stayed in only had a few students making
home there. Combined with it being a Saturday morning, I didn't
expect to see anyone else up and moving for another hour at minimum.
Abrupt
footsteps drew my eyes away from where I was staring blankly at the
ceiling. Standing in the hallway was my roommate, Kris. Long torso,
broad shoulders, he had the look of some exotic model from a
magazine. Those hard, sapphire colored eyes of his and bronze skin
only helped the imagery.
I
knew very little about him... except for one fact.
Kris
has money. It
was a realization that slammed me hard, made me sit up straight
despite my desire to appear chill. My roommate could solve my
problems, why hadn't I thought of something so obvious?
He
was wearing nothing but some loose boxers and socks, his bare upper
body hunched like he was sleep walking. I watched him move towards
the nearby table, homing in on the pile of mail there. “Morning,”
I said cheerfully, adjusting on the couch.
Kris
tossed a quick sideways glance, then went back to shuffling the
envelopes. “Jack, you're up early. Figured after I saw you at
Wicked Pete's with all those girls, you'd still be sleeping.”
I
didn't think of myself as bashful, but his observation made my cheeks
warm. “Hah, so you saw that.”
“ Mmhm,”
he murmured. Flipping paper into the trash, he slowed down when he
reached a tiny green envelope. “Yeah, I think a lot of guys
did. You were playing it large, didn't know you were so loaded.”
I
tried to erase my grimace with a smile. “Right, uh,
actually...” Well,
here it goes. “I'm
not. Not really.” I expected Kris to look up, to be surprised,
but he was busy squinting at the envelope he held. “You
alright?”
Straightening,
he tapped the mail onto his thigh nervously. “It's nothing,
just an invitation to something I'm not sure I can go to. Anyway,
what do you mean you're not actually loaded?”
Twisting,
I hung over the back of the couch, meeting his curious gaze. “Here's
the thing. My parents gave me a credit card, you know, for
emergencies?” Kris was starting to smile knowingly, so I pushed
on. “Yeah. I blew it all between last night on the town, and on
some new toys the other day. Limit reached, boom.”
“ Oh,
shit,” he said, his amusement making my stomach sour. “You're
pretty fucked, aren't you?”
“ Maybe,”
I admitted, watching him intently. “But I had an idea.”
Kris
leaned against the wall, still tapping his envelope on his leg. I was
starting to wonder what it was an invitation to. “An idea, go
on.”
And
this is it! “I
was thinking you could, well, loan me the cash to pay it off.”
I assumed Kris would laugh at me, maybe look offended at the
suggestion. I'd readied myself for a number of
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