Page 113 of Degradation
‘No can do, peach. My roommate is a beast. Death metal from now until like eight.’ He shrugs. ‘But what can you do? Can we go to your place?’
Can we?
‘I suppose that would be all right. The kitchen has a big table...’
‘Great!’ he says enthusiastically. ‘Lead the way!’
I take him across the Quad and down to the Novelle Center, leading him toward the KIP house.
‘So, how’s it been for you since you started?’ he asks casually.
‘Fine,’ I murmur, glancing at him. ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’
‘Well, you said you did English Lit before, so I wondered if it was a big shock, with the workload for Chem.’
‘At the beginning,’ I admit. ‘I had to play catch up and with both Chem and Physics, it took a few weeks, but I’m all caught up now.’
I grin at him.
He seems to splutter a little. ‘Chemand Physics?’
‘Yeah, I’m doing a double major.’
‘Right.’ He’s quiet for a few more steps. ‘How do you like Applegate?’
‘He’s great!’ I say with a genuine smile. ‘Really helpful and definitely knows his stuff.’
‘Sure he does.’
Isn’t that what I just said?
Confused, I give Bennet a questioning look, but he doesn’t say anything else until the KIP house comes into view.
‘Isn’t this a frat house?’
‘Yeah. Um. My stepfather makes me stay here.’
‘Your stepfather?’
I clear my throat. ‘John Novelle.’
‘Novelle?’ he asks, suddenly staring at me. ‘LiketheNovelles?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Oh!’ Something dawns in his eyes. ‘So, you...’ He puts his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with laughter. ‘I get it now.’
That makes one of us.
I unlock the door but find as we get inside that the table in the kitchen is currently home to a card game with over half the house in attendance. All eyes narrow in on us as we enter and there’s a chorus of, ‘hey, Daisy!’ and ‘how you doing, Daisy?’
‘Hey,’ I say back, giving the guys an awkward wave.
Things sure have changed since the hazing ended at Halloween.
I turn to Bennet, who’s staring at the guys and then at me with another look I don’t understand.
So, I smile at him. ‘I guess we’ll have to go up to my room. There is a desk.’
