Page 33 of And They Were Roommates

If I join them, that could be a problem.

Luis hums, twirling a black king piece from the chessboard. “I’m not an artist, but there’s something sparkly about Jasper’s writing. It’s basic but relatable.”

Not the answer I predicted. Everything that leaves Jasper’smouth is so flowery and long-winded. Hesmellslike flowers. His letters should be the same.

“At least that’s what my friends say,” Luis adds, setting down the king.

“You’ve never asked him for a letter?” I ask.

“I don’t have the same barriers as my friends. ’Cause, you know, they’re into girls.”

“Oh.”

“And I’m—”

“Yeah—”

“—into guys.”

“Yeah. Got that.”

Luis isn’t straight. At an all-boys academy. More surprisingly, he isn’t stress-yanking his curls while telling me that.

“You’re not worried?” I ask, swallowing my nerves over discussing anything related to this here. “When traditional is literally in our slogan?”

“I’m careful, for sure. You just gotta find your people, you know?”

I nod, even though I don’t know. Minus Mom and Delilah, I had no one to lean on when figuring myself out. Especially no one like me. Besides, how can I figure out whomy peopleare without first telling them who I am and risking they won’t be?

Luis pokes my chest. “You going to Dix now?”

I glance toward the zigzag paths of the Halo beyond the double doors, where Jasper should’ve shown up an hour ago. The longest I’ve spent in Dixon Dining Hall is a record five minutes. I’ve only awkwardly meandered the perimeter to snag bagels and breadsticks, never sitting down and instead shoving them in my bag to sneak by the check-in workers who have made it clearthat removing any food from the dining hall is expressly forbidden. This was my genius plan for dinner again. “In a sense.”

“Wanna join me?”

My heart leaps at the chance to sit without looking like a loner. But this could count as making a friend. People have too-big eyes and mouths. Does Luis? Could he count as finding my people?

A throat clearing interrupts us.

Jasper, smiling at our conversation, but his typical lopsided dimple doesn’t accompany it. Late, of course, because when has Jasper ever cared enough to be on time? He holds a coffee cup from Laney’s Bean Shack and wears tortoiseshell glasses that I’ve never seen in our room. Behind the lenses, his gaze is strangely glazed over. “Apologies, Charlie and I have plans. Unless you’d like to keep making me wait?”

My mouth parts in shock. “Jasper.”

Shockingly, Luis laughs. He even tosses a playful thumb toward Jasper. “This guy. Let’s do lunch some other time, Charlie.” Then he’s out the double doors.

I check if the librarian is at her desk. Nope. I slap Jasper on the arm, and he nearly drops his coffee. “You’re lucky people like you, or they’d beat you up.”

“Likeme?” Jasper grumbles, rubbing away the pain.

“Don’t they?”

He ignores the question. “Whatever did I do to you?”

“DidIdo something?”

“I’m surprised to see you accept Luis Perez’s lunch invitation.”

Ihavedeclined Jasper in the past, but why would he care? To him, we barely know each other. “The last person you should be upset with is me. Have you forgotten I was your face for hours?Helpingyourprogram? Which went well, by the way, thank you for asking.”

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