The Academy

by Quinn Anderson

  “He’s an orphan? Or the adult version of an orphan?” Sebastian rubbed his chin. “I suppose that would just be an adult. Regardless, that must’ve been rough for him. Or so I imagine, considering my bank account takes better care of me than my parents.”

  “If I didn’t know any better,” Dante said, his eyebrows drifting up toward his hairline, “I’d say you were experiencing that ‘sympathy’ thing.”

  “So what if I am? It’s research for the bet. I’m sure you’re going to put in similar effort.”

  Dante shrugged. “I haven’t done shit yet. Haven’t even had a conversation with the guy yet, and Theo had one, singular. I think you’re more invested in Nick than you’re willing to admit. Maybe that’s the real reason you’re hooking up with that blond tonight. You didn’t get your first draft pick, and now you’re settling for a cheap imitation to scratch the itch.”

  Sebastian stood up abruptly. “I’m tired of talking about this.” He gathered his things. “Once I win the bet, everything will go back to how it was. I’ll forget Nick exists, and I’ll be the forever owner of one Barbzilla the Great. In the meantime, I’m going to bang the thinking out of Marshall Wallace tonight, and I’m going to start inviting people to our party this weekend. Come Saturday, you’ll see for yourself how not invested I am.”

  “Looking forward to it,” Theo said with a small smile.

  Not for the first time, Sebastian wished Theo would lose his cool. The knowing expression on his face made Sebastian’s temper flare.

  I’d think my own best friends would know me better than this. Like I’d develop feelings for a stranger after my parents rushed into a disaster of a marriage. No, I’d never fall without making sure someone was there to catch me.

  “I’ll prove it,” he said out loud, not knowing if he was talking to himself or his friends. “I think it’s time I upped the ante.”

  He threw the rest of his things into his bag, slung it onto his shoulder, and stomped off in the direction of Powell Hall.

  Nick woke to the sound of Deen swearing violently. He groaned into his pillow, lifted his head, and blinked until the room came into focus.

  Deen appeared to be halfway through the process of tearing his desk apart. Papers were scattered on the floor—though only on his side of the room; how thoughtful—and his desk was a mess of books, notes, pens, and more. He was muttering to himself and didn’t seem to have noticed that Nick was awake.

  The room was dark, thanks to the rain clouds outside the windows. Nick fumbled with his phone, which he’d placed on his desk within arm’s length of his bed, and clicked the home button: 10 a.m. Shit. He’d have to hurry to his morning class. What a way to cap off his first week.

  He sat up and stifled a yawn with his hand. “Morning. You okay, buddy?”

  Deen made a high-pitched noise like something out of Jurassic Park and whirled around. His shiny hair was in disarray, and his eyes were wide. “Oh, Nick. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “I kinda wish you had. I’m gonna have to wolf down my breakfast.” He stuck a finger in one of his ears and twisted it. “That was a hell of a high note you just hit. You should try out for choir.”

  “Sorry. You usually sleep so soundly. Want me to put a dollar in the Jerk Roommate jar?” He indicated an empty plastic jar of instant coffee they’d set up on the center window sill.

  “Nah.” Nick attempted to finger-comb his messy hair and winced when he caught on a tangle. “You get a pass this time, since it seems like you’re having some kind of meltdown. Need help?”

  “Not unless you happen to own a time machine.” Deen ran a hand through his own hair, only his silky locks slid through his fingers like ink and fell perfectly into place.

  I have never been so jealous of another man’s hair.

  “I’m fresh outta those, sorry. But I can help you look for something if you like.”

  “It’s the syllabus for my Mechanical Engineering class. I marked the dates of all the exams in my planner, but then this morning, I spilled coffee on it. So now I need the dates again, but of course, I don’t know where I put the syllabus.”

  “Ah, college.” Nick let his gaze drift wistfully up to the ceiling. “Where pieces of paper have the power to ruin our lives. Pretty soon we’ll start having nightmares about sleeping through exams.”

  “Dude, no joke. I have those during the summer. I can’t wait for grad school, where I’ll dream about getting up in front of the faculty to defend my dissertation, only to discover I’m not wearing pants.”

  A thought occurred to Nick. “Doesn’t your class have an online portal? If so, there’d be an e-version of the syllabus you can download.”

  Deen stared at him, face reddening, before he sat down heavily on his bed. “Wow. I’ve been freaking out for ten minutes over nothing.”

  “Better than freaking out for a genuine reason.” Nick threw his blanket aside and slid out of bed, his feet hitting the cool, wood floor with a soft sound. “Tell you what. Lemme put on some clothes, and we’ll get breakfast together. That’ll cheer you up.”

  “I would love to, but I have three assigned readings to do.” His tone suggested he was dying for Nick to give him an excuse not to do them.

  “Read while you eat. It’s called multitasking, and it’s all the rage. We’ll bring our books and get coffee and everything. We’re roommates. It’s important that we bond.”

  “What about your class?”

  Nick waved him off. “We live on campus. Everything’s five minutes away. It’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Deen looked around at his destroyed side of the room. “Gimme a minute to clear the disaster area of debris?”

  “Sure thing. I gotta shower and brush my teeth and all that.”

  Nick took care of his morning ablutions, and afterward he felt ready to deal with his final day of classes before the weekend.

  I should do something besides hang out in the room, he thought as he examined himself in the mirror above the tiny sink. I could . . . I dunno, explore the town. Strike up a conversation with someone in the dining hall. Or maybe I’ll hang around the science building and meet some fellow nerds.

  If he was ever going to feel like he belonged here, he’d have to put himself out there. Next year, he might get a place off campus—like Theo had advised—and then he’d be invisible. That would be great, except it’d be much harder to meet people. Hell, he might not have anyone to get an apartment with. He had no clue what Deen’s plans were, or if he’d even want to live with Nick again.

  He sighed as he finished styling his hair. It was curlier here than it was in the city, perhaps because the college was right by Lake Michigan.

  His blue eyes looked tired, and his tan was fading, as it always did when autumn rolled around. He needed to get out more, and not just for his appearance. He was already out of clean clothes, and honestly, his wardrobe could use some updating.

  “Hey, Deen,” he said as he exited the bathroom. “Do you need anything from town, perchance?”

  Deen looked up from where he was bent over his laptop, probably logging into his class’s online portal. “Not particularly. Why?”

  “I was thinking of doing some exploring tomorrow. I need new clothes, and now that my financial aid came in, I can actually buy them. I know clothes shopping with another dude isn’t most people’s idea of a swell Saturday, but you’re always dressed impeccably. I thought maybe you could give me some fashion advice.”

  Deen glanced down at his pressed black slacks and pullover sweater and then grinned up at Nick. “I would love to. I mean, I wasn’t going to say anything about your wardrobe, of course, but holes and patches are only acceptable if you’re doing a grunge thing. Plus, I can give you a tour of the city. That’ll take all of fifteen minutes, but you should see it, and we can grab some lunch too.”

  Laughing, Nick scooped up his bag and the books he needed for the other class he had that day. “Sounds like a plan. Ready for breakfast?”

 
; “Race you!” Deen grabbed his own bag and took off before Nick could do more than shout after him.

  Nick shouldered his belongings and raced after him, barely remembering to lock the door behind him. They bounded down the stairs, dodging other students and egging each other on as they went. Don the RA shouted at them to slow down, but they were gone in a flash. By the time they reached the first floor, Nick had outstripped Deen by a good six feet. He burst out the front door, and his momentum carried him across the porch, down the steps—

  —and almost face-first into Sebastian Prinsen.

  Nick skidded to a halt like a cartoon character mere inches from knocking into him. “Sebastian?”

  Sebastian looked as surprised as he was, gray eyes huge in his handsome face. It was overcast, and in the muted light, they were the same color as the sky. “Nick.”

  Deen came flying up to them a second later, only he didn’t stop in time. He plowed into Nick’s back, which created a chain reaction, shoving Nick into Sebastian’s warm, firm chest.

  Sebastian caught him by the arms and squeezed. There was no reason for the touch to send a thrill through Nick, but it did.

  Nick stared at Sebastian, wide-eyed and stunned, for three loaded seconds before he scrambled back. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” Sebastian replied.

  “Ouch,” Deen said, rubbing his shoulder where he’d impacted with Nick. “Why’d you stop?” He peeled himself away from the weird, horizontal dogpile they’d created. Only then did he notice Sebastian. “Holy shit. Sebastian Prinsen.”

  Sebastian wrenched his eyes from Nick and offered Deen a smile. “I don’t believe I know your name. I thought I knew everyone at this school.”

  “Oh, I’m nobody. I mean, I’m not nobody. Obviously I’m a person, and not Odysseus or anything.”

  Nick elbowed Deen helpfully in the side.

  Deen cleared his throat and slapped on a too-tight grin. “The name’s Deenabandhu. Everyone calls me Deen.”

  Sebastian extended a hand to shake. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  Deen wiped his palms on his pants before shaking Sebastian’s hand. After, he seemed pleased with himself, as if he hadn’t expected that exchange to go well. Which was a reasonable expectation, considering.

  The smile on Sebastian’s face softened as he switched his gaze back over to Nick. “Deen, would you mind giving me a minute alone with Nick?”

  “Not at all!” Deen said at the same time that Nick said, “Actually, we’re busy.”

  They glanced at each other. Nick tried to communicate with Deen using only his eyes, but it seemed they hadn’t been friends long enough for that.

  “One second.” Deen flashed a toothy smile at Sebastian before grabbing Nick by the shirt and hauling him a good ten feet away. “What are you doing? When Sebastian Prinsen asks to talk, you say yes!”

  Nick cocked his head to the side. “Was that a mangled Ghostbusters reference?”

  “What do you take me for?” Deen sniffed. “Of course it was.”

  “But what about breakfast?” Nick snuck a peek over Deen’s shoulder at Sebastian. He was watching them, and when he caught Nick’s eye, he winked. Nick looked quickly away. “And we both have class.”

  In truth, I don’t want to hang out with him. It’s too confusing. One second he’s putting on an act, and the next he’s showing up outside my dorm and being nice to my friends. Er, friend.

  “Dude, you gotta go with him,” Deen said. “If Sebastian says you’re cool, you’re in. You’ll get invited to all the parties, and everyone will want to know who you are. You said you wanted to make friends, right? This is your chance to be a proverbial big man on campus.”

  “What if I don’t want to be a big man?” Nick frowned. “There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.”

  “Then do it for me. You saw what happened just now. Senpai noticed me! If I got invited to one of his parties, I’d die. Happy. With a big smile on my face. And my obituary would read ‘Deen, a guy who got invited to parties’ instead of ‘That dude you might’ve had a class with once, but who can remember?’ Please do this for me. Please?”

  Nick laughed despite himself. “All right, if it means that much to you.”

  “You’re the best roommate ever. Come find me in the dining hall after and tell me everything. Actually, do you think Sebastian would come if we invited him to breakfast? I’d love to—”

  “Everything all right over there?” Sebastian was peering at them with an expression of mild concern.

  “Yeah, we’re good.” Deen gave Nick a significant look before stepping away. “It was nice meeting you, Sebastian.” He scurried off before Nick could change his mind.

  As soon as Deen was gone, the mood shifted. Familiar tension sprang up between Nick and Sebastian, like a magnetic pull. Sebastian regarded him without speaking, and Nick’s whole body grew hot beneath the scrutiny.

  Nick shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from fidgeting. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “You, actually.” Sebastian’s eyes were darting over Nick’s face like he was memorizing him. “You said you drink coffee, right?”

  “Far, far too much.”

  “Want to get a cup? It’s on me.”

  Nick hesitated. This was so casual, so different from his previous interactions with Sebastian, he almost didn’t know how to react. “Would it be like a . . . date?”

  “If that’s what you want to call it.” Sebastian grinned. “I was more thinking it’s morning, and you might be in need of a cup. I know I am.”

  That’s considerate of him. I don’t trust it.

  “There’s coffee in the dining hall,” Nick said. “I’m meeting Deen there. I don’t want to keep him waiting, so if you’ll tell me what it is you want—”

  “Don’t drink the crap in the dining hall. The coffee cart is way better.” Sebastian turned and started walking away. “Come on. We don’t want to keep your friend waiting.”

  Nick stared after him, unsure of what to do.

  After a few steps, Sebastian stopped and looked back. “Hurry up.”

  On instinct, Nick said, “Make me.”

  Sebastian’s smile was sinful. “Tempting.”

  Damn. That shouldn’t be hot, but it is.

  A combination of politeness and the tight black jeans Sebastian was wearing convinced Nick to trot after him. He caught up within a few strides and forced himself not to glance at Sebastian every five seconds.

  “I heard about what happened with Donahue,” Sebastian said after a few steps.

  “Who?”

  “The guy from the swim team whose boyfriend you ogled.”

  “I didn’t ogle anyone,” Nick grumbled. “It was a misunderstanding.” I was only staring at him because he reminded me of you, not that I’ll ever admit that out loud.

  “Well, whatever you did, it’s a good thing it didn’t escalate. And I’m relieved to hear you weren’t eyeing another guy.”

  Nick gave in and looked at him. “Why?”

  Sebastian met his gaze and smiled softly. He offered no further reply.

  The sidewalk curved to the left, and from around a thick oak tree, the coffee cart came into view. There was a guy standing next to it, handing out cups of coffee and swiping IDs as fast as he could. Rush hour happened later on campus than it did everywhere else in the world. The midmorning crowd reminded Nick of a zombie movie: dead-eyed and shambling.

  “Stay right here, please.” Sebastian started toward the cart. “I have a surprise for you.”

  This time, Nick did as he was told without rebellion. Sebastian approached the cart. Nick half expected him to bypass the line—since he was Mr. Popular and all—but Sebastian waited his turn like everyone else.

  When he reached the front, the coffee guy handed him a cup like he’d been expecting him. Sebastian had a short conversation with him, and then thirty seconds later, he was handed a second cup. He returned to Nick with a grin on his face.

  “
This is my standing order.” He pressed one of the cups into Nick’s hand. “Try it. It’s my own invention.”

  Nick took a cautious sip. It wasn’t burning hot, to his surprise. The rich flavor rolled over his tongue, and when he swallowed, he actually perked up.

  “This is fantastic,” he said. “What is it?”

  “I can’t tell you, but if you want one, ask for the Prinsen special. Oh, but for your own good, don’t drink more than three a day.”

  “Why not?”

  “There’s a chance you could experience a cardiac event. Actually, scratch what I said before. Drink four a day if it’s finals week and you’re praying for death regardless.”

  Nick snorted halfway through taking another sip and almost inhaled coffee. He caught himself in time and clapped a hand over his mouth.

  Sebastian nudged him. “I’ll walk you to the dining hall. Don’t want you to miss out on breakfast. Dunno why they don’t serve it all day.”

  “Probably because no one would ever eat anything else.”

  They took off at a leisurely pace. Campus was as beautiful as ever, even beneath a metallic sky. Nick wondered what it would be like in the winter, blanketed in snow and trimmed with ice. Probably like a postcard. If only he had someone to send one to.

  Maybe you will by then, assuming Sebastian doesn’t win you over.

  Hesitant as Nick was to admit it, he was enjoying himself. Sebastian wasn’t bad company when he wasn’t being all mysterious or playing games.

  That didn’t mean Nick wasn’t on his guard, though.

  He snuck another peek at the same time Sebastian glanced at him. Their eyes locked, and a tingle zinged up Nick’s spine. He might not trust Sebastian, but every time he looked at him, Nick found him more and more attractive.

  “So.” He took another sip of coffee. “Was introducing me to this drink all you wanted? Hoping I’ll overdose on caffeine?”

  “No.” Sebastian’s mouth turned down, and he seemed to struggle with words. “I wanted to talk about the almost-fight you got into. When I heard about it, I was . . . annoyed.”

  “What? Why?”