This Is Falling(25)

Whatever, though—me being here on a non-workout day made me look like a team leader, and I did want to fill that role for the other guys. Even if the only reason I was here was to keep myself busy and away from Rowe.

Ty was with Cass every night. She came over to watch Sports Center with us after dinner, and she’d drop these totally obvious stories about Rowe, taking extra care to say her name nice and clear for me to hear.

It’s not like I was angry with her. Damn, I’d have to understand her for that to be a part of the equation. I guess I was angrier with myself for being so intimidated by her, and those pictures. She couldn’t even look at them, and the way she ran out of her room when I asked her about them made me start to think that she might just have some emotional baggage I’m not equipped for.

“Hey, you about ready to head back?” Ty says, popping his head in while I finish up my last set. Ty does personal training at the campus—he was hired on to work with some of the disabled students initially, but he’s so disciplined that others started requesting him, too. My brother took his rehab seriously when he got out of the hospital, and the dude is probably in better shape than I am.

“One more set. I’ll meet you out front,” I say.

He just nods and leaves me to finish my workout, alone with my thoughts. I could lift a thousand pounds and it still wouldn’t be enough to distract me from thinking about Rowe.

She takes her showers late at night. I heard her in there yesterday while I was taking mine, and I thought about running into her again. But she’d see right through that. Instead, I sat on the locker bench quietly, listening to her sing lightly under her breath. She was putting on an act when she was singing with Cass in her room the other day because I can tell she has the voice of an angel. I bet if she really let herself go, she would surprise the hell out of a lot of people with her voice—she’d probably surprise herself a little, too.

It’s late by the time Ty and I get back to the dorm, and I can hear both of our stomachs rumbling. “Dinner?” I say, turning my key in our lock.

“Yeah. Let me just text Cass. She wanted to come. You mind?”

“Nah,” I say. Honestly, I don’t mind. I like Cass’s company, and I like having the small connection to Rowe. I still want to invite her out with my parents next weekend, but I just feel strange talking to her after the whole picture incident. I think I just need to know what the guy in that picture is to her first.

“What. The. Fuck!” Ty sees it first. It takes me a few minutes to make sure my eyes aren’t tricking me. Our entire bedroom, every square inch of the walls, is pink. The back of the door—pink. The ceiling—pink. And it’s not a subtle pastel. No, our dorm room is Barbie-princess pink!

I have to hand it to her. Rowe is good. I mean, like, really good. This took effort and time, and I know she had help—Ty’s fault for flipping Cass’s dresser. Ty is fuming, but I just start laughing, tossing my gym bag on my bed.

“Dude, this isn’t funny! I f*cking hate pink!” My brother is more worked up over his room color than he was about losing a grand in a Super-Bowl bet last year.

“Rowe.” I say, sitting down on my bed and taking everything in. This must have taken three gallons to get it covered so well, and they must have worked on this all day. The paint smell was still fresh. I have to admit, I am pretty damned impressed.

“Dude, I know you like that girl or whatever, but this shit is unacceptable,” Ty says, flinging open our door and heading down the hall to their room. I catch up with him, my smile growing bigger with every step.

The door is shut, and Ty has his hand up ready to pound, but I grab it to stop him. I hold up a finger and tell him to stay quiet, then I go to the room two doors down and ask the quiet girl who lives there to do us a favor. I bring her back to the door, and she knocks while Ty and I hide to one side, out of the view of the peephole.

“It’s Molly. I’m out of printer ink, and I need to get this paper done. Can I borrow yours? It will only take a few seconds,” Molly says, selling it so well that I think I may have underestimated her too.

“Thank you soooo much,” I whisper back to her. It’s scary how willing she was to help Ty and me out, but the Preeter brothers have always been good at getting girls to do things. Every girl but one, it seems.

“Hang on.” It’s Cass I hear, so I ready myself low to sneak past her into the room so I can get to Rowe. I can tell she’s looking through the hole, and Molly just stands there, smiling. The door is barely open, and I push it the rest of the way. Cass starts laughing hysterically and screaming just a little.

“Rowe, run!” she says, and I see Rowe’s long legs fly up from her bed and leap over Cass’s in an effort to lock herself in the closet. Paige is standing on her bed, too, laughing and pointing at Rowe.

“This was all her idea!” Paige screams.

“Oh, I know exactly whose idea this is,” I say, my fingers reaching just enough of her shirt to tug her to a stop and grip at her waist. She’s strong, and she’s wiggling and laughing, and still trying to get away from me. But she’s no match. I finally get my arms completely around her body, and I lift her over my shoulder, locking her squirming arms and legs in before I take off in a run.

“No! Nate, don’t you dare. What are you doing? Where are you taking me!” She’s kicking like hell, but she’s still laughing, so I keep going, all the way to the stairs.