Forty-Two: The Emperor Penguin

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THE BREAKFAST I ORDERED sat on the floor outside of Collins' hotel room, and I stared down at it while trying to get my shit together

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THE BREAKFAST I ORDERED sat on the floor outside of Collins' hotel room, and I stared down at it while trying to get my shit together.

I hated this breakfast. I hated that barely an hour ago when I'd ordered it, I was still thinking that I was going to eat this breakfast. That Collins would eat this breakfast. That we'd spend the morning in bed, and then maybe I'd convince her to spend the whole day with me.

Maybe more than a day. Maybe more than a weekend.

I knew I was the type of guy to get ahead of himself pretty quick, but come on. She hadn't been faking her interest in me. I didn't get my hopes up for no damn reason.

Picking up the breakfast, I walked down the hall before stopping in front of room 834. Bren and Madie's room, according to Collins.

I put it back down on the floor, scribbled a note on the back of a receipt I found in my pocket, knocked on the door, and walked away.

Someone should have a good morning, even if it wouldn't be me.



"Dude, you should probably rethink this."

Kicking my feet up onto the dash, I glared at Bren. "If you think it's such a terrible idea, then why did you agree to come with me?"

He snorted like the question was an obvious one. "Would you still be doing this even if I didn't come?"

I didn't even need to consider it. "Yeah."

"That's why I'm here," Bren said, tightening his grip on the steering wheel of his refurbished Mustang convertible. I'll never know how he'd convinced me to get in this car with him. Did I trust his mechanic skills? Absolutely not. He fixed this piece of metal up while moping around Caroline's house, and I could be damn sure where his head was at then. Not focused on car parts, I'll tell ya that much.

I grunted noncommittally, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And then it did.

"But I'll also be here for you if Collins dumps your ass when she finds out what you did," Bren added.

"She's not going to dump me," I muttered, though my stomach dropped at the thought. I wouldn't fucking survive losing that girl.

"Yeah, you're right," Bren said with a sigh. "She likes you way too much. For whatever reason." He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes. "But still, she's going to hate that you're going behind her back like this."

I bristled at the implication that Bren knew my girlfriend better than I did. "I am more than aware that she's gonna hate it. But her stubbornness about this situation is gonna get her into trouble, man."

"You're not wrong about that." Bren sighed, staring out the window at the road. We'd left the Bay Area right after my last class, around five, but we'd already been in the car for nearly an hour. Dusk brushed the skies. "I tried talking to her, you know."

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