Page 65 of Exposed

“Yo, Tanner!” I called into the hall. “Tanner?” I popped my head into the kitchen. Where was he? I walked into the great room. “Tanner?” He wasn’t in the dining room either. “Nigel?”

No response.

There was a pretty high chance Nigel was at his new house. Or in mine, bothering Brooklyn. Was I all alone in here? I didn’t think that had ever happened. Ever since I’d moved in, I hadn’t really gotten to explore. And there was one room I was really curious about.

I walked past the door that led to the pool, and over to the only other door I’d opened. The one with the glowing light. It had been blinding. I hadn’t gotten a chance to see what was in the room other than too much light. I wrapped my hand around the doorknob.

“No!” Nigel yelled and threw himself in front of the door. “Snoopers get burned!”

Where had he come from? “Nigel, I just want to see what’s in the room…”

He slapped me hard across the face. “Shut your whore mouth!”

What the hell?Had he picked that slapping thing up from Brooklyn? And we’d been over this… “You can’t say that to people, Nigel. It’s really offensive. And why did you just hit me?”

“I’m sorry I struck you. But you’re not allowed in that room.” He looked to his left. “Or that one.” He glanced to his right. “Or that one.” He pointed to one across the hall. “And definitely not that one.” He shuddered. “You’re not allowed in any of the rooms unless invited in. Snoopers get burned.”

“You’ve said that. Burned how exactly?”

“It’s an old saying.”

“It really isn’t.”

Tanner ran out into the hall from a room I hadn’t been in yet. “I did it!” he yelled. “I did it, dear boy!” He lifted me up off the ground and spun me around.

“You did it?!” Nigel yelled. “You did it!”

“I did it!” Tanner yelled again and set me down on my feet. “You glorious, bastard.” He clapped both sides of my face. “I’m one step closer!”

“What is happening…”

Tanner high-fived Nigel.

But Nigel kind of grabbed his hand and awkwardly shook it instead.

“I’d tell you to work on that, but I don’t even care right now,” Tanner said. “Celebrate however you want to celebrate, Nigel! Studying be damned!”

“What are you so happy about?” I asked.

“Kennedy finally fucked Felix! And apparently they weren’t intimate in high school. So it’s true love in its finest and most magnificent form!”

“She’s in love, she’s in love, and everyone knows it!” Nigel said and jumped up and down. And then he did some weird jig number with his feet.

“Okay, maybe don’t do that,” Tanner said to Nigel. “It’s a lot.”

Nigel stopped mid dance.

“Thank you, Matt. For not marrying Kennedy and robbing me of this win. I really needed this.”

Okay…

“You’re okay right? With Kennedy and Felix being lovers?”

Actually…yes. I thought I might feel a little weird. But, I’d seen the way they looked at each other. It was the same way Brooklyn and I looked at each other. “I’m really happy for them.”

“Thatta boy.” Tanner slapped me on the back. “And I can tell you’ve had sex, but I checked and that’s not a win for me. Total shit if you ask me. But I am happy for you. And I’m more like 99 percent sure it’s true love for you two now.”

“Great.” This conversation didn’t make any sense. “Speaking of Brooklyn…I need your help. I want to propose to her. And I have this idea to get all our friends together and kind of recreate prom for Penny’s birthday on Friday. I know it’s last minute, but do you think you could help?”

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