American Monster

7 - Addy

I slipped outside, exhaling as I looked to my right and scowled at Justus. "Are you just going to keep following me?"

He glanced around before his eyes met mine. "It's not safe for you to be alone, buddy."

"There are literally hundreds of people out here," I snapped before hurrying down the stairs and onto the cobblestone path leading back to my dorm. He matched my pace, undeterred by my attitude.

"And one of them left a girl dead in a pond. Which one do you think it was?"

My eyes snapped to his. "How do you know that?"

"Cato." He shook his head. "The dean."

"So, the dean sends his son to stalk the new student on campus. Is that included in tuition?"

"I'm not his son. He's an old family friend. It's a perk of being my roommate actually," He quipped, causing me to roll my eyes.

"You think I don't know you're cosplaying as middle class? You live in a mansion," I shot back.

"It's a manor, actually. That's a common misconception. Would you like to come check it out? Lockdown would be much better there, and you won't have to worry about being on the next missing person poster."

"And they say romance is dead," I deadpanned as I slowed to a stop, looking over the dilapidated building I called home before turning to face him, taking in his smirk.

"Come on. I know you're curious. And I'm sure that friend of yours would love to hear about what it's like." His eyebrow cocked. "I don't let many people inside."

I thought that over, his words kicking up the conversation I'd had with Harper in my mind. This guy kept himself at arm's length from everyone around here. And he was going to let me in, give me a glimpse into who he was. I was tempted to take him up on it. "You're not going to leave me alone either way, are you?"

He smirked, shaking his head as his fingers ran through his disheveled hair. It was longer on top, a strand falling over his forehead as he gazed down at me.

"Let me drop my stuff off," I conceded, earning me a beaming smile that threatened to buckle my knees as we slipped inside the dorm and made our way to our room.

"You've decorated," he rasped, his eyes dancing around the space before walking over to the window and running his fingers along the curtain.

"I guess I should have consulted you... or your father, according to that paperwork you left in the desk."

He glanced over his shoulder at me, his lip twisted up in a smirk. "It's nice. You've always had a thing for yellow."

"What? How could you know that?"

Justus tugged the freshly hung curtains closed before he turned to face me, shoving his hands into his pockets as he glanced up at the stars above us. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I already don't believe half of what comes out of your mouth." I let out a nervous chuckle. "Try me."

"You painted this room."

"What?" I asked. "It's literally peeling off the walls. This must have been painted –"

"In the nineteen-seventies. Don't worry, they banned the use of lead-based paint in public housing in seventy-one."

"I'm not going to lie, I was kind of wondering if you'd eaten a few chips," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

He slowly walked closer to me, and I stiffened, my heart battering against my chest as he slid past me and toward the door. When he flicked off the light switch, I gasped as we were cloaked in darkness before my head tilted up to take in the glowing stars.