Page 40 of My Roommate from Hell
“Rough how?”
I tell her everything, including the séance, the mess, the ghost in the bathroom, his loud video games, Bell nearly burning down the room, and his nightly hookups.
“That’s a lot,” she says.
“I know,” I say. “Trust me, I know. But I talked to him, and I think we smoothed things over about the hookups, at least. We came to an agreement. If he wants to use the room, then he can just ask me and I’ll let him use it.”
“Ah, okay.”
“What? Was that a bad idea?”
“No, not at all. It’s just, well, it’s your room, too.”
“I know.”
“You have a right to be annoyed. You know that, right?”
I look at the painting in front of me. It’s of a human figure screaming in agony surrounded by swirling orange and yellow flames. It’s certainly striking, and I can’t fault the art, but I also can’t think of anyone who would want to hang something like this in their house.
“I know. But enough about me, how are you?”
“Well, pregnancy isn’t exactly buckets of fun,” she says. “Shocking, I know. But I’m good. Jackson has been so nice. Like yesterday I was craving chicken nuggets, and he went to McDonald’s and got them for me even though it was three in the morning.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
“Yeah. To be honest I think all of this is changing him more than me. Like, I feel the same. But him, I don’t know. I’m not even sure you’d recognize him.”
“It hasn’t been that long,” I say.
“I know. It feels like it, though. It’s all real now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re there and I’m here.”
I don’t know what to say to that. It’s one of the things that feels like a fine line to walk, and one where a misstep could severely damage our relationship. I know she isn’t the biggest fan of still living where she grew up while a lot of people from our grade, including me, are out in the world now. But I also know that she is trying to be positive. I don’t think her new life is bad or anything—in fact, she seems to be having a great time. I just feel weird sometimes that I’m here and she’s not, and I don’t know how to address that.
“But anyway,” she says. “I think I’m going to have a nap. Talk later?”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you, too.”
She hangs up. I give myself a second to miss her. In that time, I envision what it would be like if she were at Point. Maybe she’d come to the library with me, and I would complain about Zarmenus and she would tell me about her roommate, who I’m sure would be amazing and super fun to live with because things always seem to work out for her.
I really wish she was here.
The moment passes, and I force it all down, then go farther into the library to find somewhere to wait until I can go back to my room.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As I get into bed, I find myself begging to an unforeseen force for one full night of interrupted sleep.
Sharing a room with Zarmenus has been interesting. I don’t want to discredit that. Things have happened to me that have happened to very few people throughout the history of mankind. I get that what’s happening to me is rare and I’m not taking that for granted.
But I’m tired.
So. Incredibly. Tired.
