Page 68 of My Roommate from Hell
As the interview continues, I sing Zarmenus’s praises. I tell Tyrell about how funny he is, how he’s a perfect roommate. I go into detail about how he’s considerate and fun to be around. It’s surprisingly easy to do, as I only tell stories of how he’s been lately, conveniently leaving out anything that makes him sound bad. I sell him as the best roommate ever.
Once the interview’s over, Tyrell taps on his phone and closes his notebook.
“Okay, we’re done,” he says. “Anything you say now will be off the record.”
“How’d I do?”
“You were great,” he says. “It does bother me that we can’t tell the truth, but what Leeke wants, Leeke is going to get.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s good, though. I’m not sure if you’ve seen, but the Golden Suns have been pretty active online.”
“I try to avoid that, honestly.”
As much as I’ve tried to avoid that stuff, some of it has still crept into my algorithm. It seems like the movement gets bigger with every passing day, with more and more people convinced Zarmenus and his family are evil and need to be dealt with. I’ve seen people training with weapons, proudly proclaiming themselves as demon killers. Anytime I’ve shown Zarmenus he’s laughed at them, daring them to try him.
“Changing the topic, you seem different,” Tyrell says. “Are things with Zarmenus actually better?”
“Much.”
“What changed?”
We entered a fake-dating pact.
“I don’t know,” I say. “After we had our fight he’s genuinely been really fun to share a room with. Can I tell you a secret?”
“Always.”
“I’m kinda getting a crush on him.”
Tyrell’s eyes go wide. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I don’t know. He’s always shirtless in our room and, I don’t know, I can’t help it.”
“Damn,” he says, clearly buying it. “Well, be careful. Zarmenus is a player. I know one when I see one. And I’d hate to see your heart get broken.”
I can’t believe he’s believing me.
Maybe I’m not so bad a liar after all.
When I get back to our room, Zarmenus is clearly very pleased with something.
“Good news,” he says, his glee practically beaming out of him. “Leeke would be okay with us dating.”
I feel a scowl come on. “And how would you know that?”
“Let’s just say a friend of mine overheard her talking with her assistant about the two of us, and she said she heard about us getting dinner together. Leeke said it would be a dream come true for her if we started dating, so we’re all good there. Also, unrelated, but the ghoul in the bathroom asked if it can stay there, apparently it likesit. It won’t hurt you, I promise.” He comes over and grabs me by the shoulders. “You know what this means, right?”
“Our bathroom is going to be haunted for the rest of the semester?”
“No. Well, yes, but Leeke approved! That means there’s nothing holding us back.”
He gives me a quick kiss on the top of my head, then returns to his game. I glance warily at the bathroom.
What in the world have I gotten myself into?
Nobody on campus truly thinks Zarmenus and I are dating yet.
