Page 54 of Zero Chance

But I shook my head.“No.It’s not.I never should’ve followed him.I don’t know what I was thinking.Iwasn’tthinking.I was just—I was curious.”

And jealous.

“Right,” she said, only to furrow her brow.“So how did that end up with you and him doing…things together?”

“It was dark,” I admitted.“He heard me following him.And he thought I was her.”When Xander’s mouth dropped open in absolute shock, I cringed and whispered, “I know.I’m awful.I just kept letting him think I was her.”

“Oh.My.God,” she uttered.

Covering my face with both hands, I cringed.“Iknow.”

“Wait.So…” Xander shook her head.Then she made a few more attempts to talk.“You—he—you had sexy times with someone who thought you were someoneelse?”

Biting my lip, I nodded.“Yeah.Basically exactly that, yes.”

“Oh, Frankie,” she whispered in horror.

I whimpered and gripped my stomach.“I told you I was messed up.”

She gaped at me mutely before bursting out, “But what if he has a girlfriend?What if he thought you were his girlfriend?”

I snorted.“Trust me, he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

“Oh.Well, good.Whew.”Her shoulders sagged only to lift again.“So wait, you actually knew who he was?”

I pulled back, giving her an odd look.“Really?”

“Right.”She cleared her throat.“Of course, you knew.ButIstill don’t, so who the hellwashe?”When I cringed, unable to tell her, she snagged Bessie and smacked me in the arm with her softness.“Stop stalling already and tell me.DoI even know him?”

With a sickened wince, I whimpered, “Yes.And you’re totally going to judge me.”

Her mouth fell open and her lips moved but no words came until she sputtered, “You just confessed you hooked up with someone in the dark who didn’t even know it was you, and you’re worried I’m going to get judgynow?Who the fuckisthis guy?Just how much did you do with him?Do we need to get you tested?”

I heaved out a long sigh.“No, I don’t need to get tested.Because we didn’t do anything that would need testing.Besides, he’s like the poster child for safe sex.”

I’d lost count of the number of times I’d seen him handing out condoms to people out on the quad.

But Xander clearly did not know about his safe-sex motto.She furrowed her brow in confusion.“Huh?”

I sighed and just laid it all out there.“It was Keene.”

“K…” Xander blinked at me repeatedly.“Keene?”she said in confusion before her eyes flared.“You mean, myroommate, Keene?Annoying, immature, obnoxious, loudmouthKeene?”

Sinking lower with every word she used to accurately describe him, I nodded.“I just wanted to know if Icould, you know.I wanted to feel normal, and do normal college-people stuff at a normal college party.And suddenly, he was right there, mistaking me for someone else.And it was Keene.He has sex witheveryone.I didn’t think it would matter if—” Groaning out my misery, I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling.“Okay, I knew it mattered.I knew it was wrong.I just—it was Keene.”

“Keene,” Xander repeated in a daze as she bobbed her head slowly.“You and Keene.”

“I kind of actually liked the fact that he didn’t know it was me because?—”

“Oh, you don’t have to explainthatpart,” Xander cut in with a snort.“Trust me.I wouldn’t want him to know either.I wouldn’t wantanyoneto know if I’d been with Keene.But still…” With a grimace and shudder of revulsion, she uttered, “Keene?”

She seemed so appalled by the idea I felt almost defensive when I said, “He makes me feel…seen.”

Xander’s gaze zipped up to me in surprise, and her lips parted as if she seemed to realize I actually liked him.“Oh.”She shook herself and quickly added, “Oh my God, yeah.I mean, Keene’s superhot.And personable.I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered it myself.Briefly,” she had to tack on quickly.“When I was feeling my lowest and just wanted to stop hurting over Liam.But it just would’ve been a quick rebound hookup, and I totally would’ve hated myself in the morning for it.Besides…”

Letting the rest of her explanation die off when she looked at my face, she winced.“Sorry.So… Do you like,likehim, like him?”

I cringed.“I don’t know,” I said because there was no way I could tell her the true depth of my feelings when it came to Keene Dugger.But Ididfeel safe in honestly admitting, “He’s kind of a jerk and way too big of a player for my taste.Plus he’s totally annoying and aggravating and—and yet he somehow makes his repugnance so damn likable.”

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