My Ex’s Roommates: Chapter 57

Every time I opened my bedroom door to go to the bathroom there was something else in front of it. My clean bedding, food, chocolates, flowers, even a new laptop and phone. It was getting to me. They were persistent assholes, I’d give them that. When they weren’t leaving gifts for me I could hear them pacing back and forth on the other side of my door like a bunch of lost puppies. If they started whining and scratching at the door, I probably wouldn’t have been surprised.

It was the same for days and days until it wasn’t. I’d told myself that I hated it, hated that they wouldn’t leave me alone, but the first morning they weren’t outside my door I felt lost. I even peeked outside of my door to see if they’d left me something but they hadn’t. I stewed in my thoughts until lunch, when I was sure I’d hear them outside my door again. When I still didn’t hear them or find anything I realized I was going to have to venture downstairs to get my own food. It was fair since I’d made it clear to them that we were over and they didn’t owe me anything, but my limbs felt heavier than normal as I quietly went downstairs.

I stepped into the kitchen and nearly screamed. Not only was there someone sitting at the island, but the kitchen was a wreck.

My gasp drew the person’s attention and when they turned around, I saw it was Vance. He grinned when he saw me and hurried over to wrap me in a tight hug. “I feel like I’m seeing something magical here. No one’s going to believe me when I say I saw you.”

I couldn’t stop looking at the kitchen. “What… What happened here?”

He looked around and shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been like this for a few days, I guess. If you think this is bad you should see my house.”

Dylan’s kitchen was in shambles compared to how he kept it. Something had to be seriously wrong. “Where are they?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know.” Vance looked away and sat back at the island. “You want some food? They told me which cabinet your stuff was in but there was nothing but hot fries and moon pies in it. I was about to call Dylan because that didn’t seem like a real meal.”

Hot fries and moon pies. It was a perfectly real meal and one that Jake had spent both years of our relationship making fun of, saying things like it was the white trash special. Dylan had kept the kitchen stocked with them since he realized that’s what I preferred to eat most days.

“What are you doing here?” I was so confused. “What’s going on?”

Vance shrugged. “One of us stays here when your guys have to go to class or do other things.”

“One of us stays here?” I looked around again. “Who?”

“The football team. After what happened on campus they didn’t want to leave you alone here. So we just come and hang out for a while.” He held up his phone. “I’m playing games on my phone.”

“You don’t know where they are today?”

“Nope.”

I glared at him. “Are you lying?”

He grinned back. “Yep.”

I sat down heavily on the stool next to him. “What’s happening?”

“I think you might need some fresh air and sunlight. You’ve been holed up in your room for too long.” He patted me on the back and stood up. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”

I adamantly shook my head. “I don’t want to go out there.”

“Just the front yard? No one’s going to bother you, Harper. Your guys made sure of that.”

“Why do you keep calling them my guys?” I’d fallen into a different dimension, clearly, one where nothing was the way it was supposed to be.

“Because they’re your guys? Boyfriends? I don’t know what to call them. They just march around beating their chests and saying mine a lot when it comes to you so I never got titles.” He pulled me to my feet and out the front door. “We miss you on the team.”

I eyed him from the side, wondering if there was a joke in there. It wasn’t like I didn’t expect it but I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.

“I think you somehow make Coach a little less of an ass. He’s nicer when you’re around. Not even beating USC has made him any nicer to us this week. I’ve heard him shouting at your guys no less than five times about getting you back to the field for the game tomorrow.”

I’d never noticed Vance was so talkative. “Is everyone laughing at me?”

He turned to face me. “You want the truth?”

I winced and hugged myself tight. “Yeah.”

“There are still a few assholes around campus talking shit but when we find them, we crush them like the bugs they are. It’s been kind of fun. No one on the team ever laughed at you or judged you, Harper. We’ve all seen the way Dylan, Silas, and Carter look at you. We know whatever y’all have isn’t what Jake tried to make it out to be.” He lifted one large shoulder. “Not that it’s anyone’s fucking business. Excuse my language.”

“I’ve heard fucking worse.”

Vance laughed and tossed his arm over my shoulders in a move that felt almost brotherly, especially when he reached up and patted my head. “When are you going to forgive them and get on with being happy again?”

I scoffed and slipped out from under his arm. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is.” His face turned serious. “I’ve known those three guys since freshman year. I’ve seen them during losses, wins, bullshit like Jake, everything. The night that email went out I saw their faces, Harper. I’ve never seen them look so scared.”

“Scared?”

“Scared. They couldn’t get to you fast enough.” He patted my head again. “You have them wrapped around your finger. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can get back to being your wonderful snarky self on the sidelines.”

“You really aren’t going to tell me where they are?”

“With the way your guys have been on a rage spree lately? Nope.” He walked towards the end of the driveway. “Now, come on. You’re going to get a hump on your back if you don’t get out of your tower soon.”

My mind was going too fast for me to tell him no so I just let him lead me around the yard like he was taking his puppy for a walk. Vance had just thrown a lot of information out at me and I wasn’t sure what it all meant.