Adam

I’d never shared a room in my life, so when they sent out the email this summer, I just about lost it.

My dad had said he would handle it, calling the school and mentioning his last name as a sort of threat.

“Don’t you know who we are? I am Gerald Terry. We are the reason why your library is standing. My son is a Terry, so he won’t be treated like some commoner who got there on scholarship!”

His voice had boomed throughout the house, making me block my ears in the kitchen.

“You don’t have an extra room? He needs his own space! He’s a growing boy.”

I’d watched my father pace on the linoleum tile while my mom clicked away on her computer, unbothered. Her long red nails had moved at the speed of light.

“Let me speak to your manager!... What do you mean you don’t have a manager? A union? Christ...”

After a painfully long argument that went nowhere, my dad had hung up the phone angrily and ran his fingers through his sand-colored hair. “I’m sorry, son. The best that they offered me was an emotional support animal for the inconvenience. You can bring that snake of yours, but you can’t have a room to yourself—no exceptions. Ridiculous!”

“Ridiculous,” my mom had said, not looking up from her emails.

I hadn’t said anything about the results of the argument with the school board secretary. When my dad got worked up like that, it was hard to say anything that would change his mood.

Besides, this was the third boarding school I’d transferred to since I turned fifteen. At that point, I’d just accepted the fact that I would eventually have a roommate and move on.

What I hadn’t expected was for my roommate to be a walking rainbow. From his purple hoodie to his secondhand shoes, I knew that we were completely different.

When I shook his hand, though, the polish caught my eye. Green was my favorite color.

Jack was kind of small and a little noisy, but I tried to ignore it after I settled back into our room a while later, pulling out my Nintendo Switch. Mindless games helped me relax before falling asleep—if I even could fall asleep.

After telling Jack to leave me alone earlier… I didn’t know why, but I felt sort of bad. Maybe I’d come off like a jerk, but I was just trying to help him out. It was best if he didn’t make friends with me, since I was trying to keep a low profile.

I was coming to realize that my new roommate was not very good at flying under the radar.

Since I’d been away from the dorm, he’d had time to find a plant, hang up handmade curtains, stick glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, and decorate his side of the room. He didn’t seem to have many things, but his presence was everywhere.

For the past fifteen minutes I’d been back from dinner in the dining hall, Jack had been pacing back and forth on the rug on his phone, his glasses reflecting the lights around the room. I watched them slide down his nose a couple of times, each time getting pushed back up with a finger.

I didn’t complain, because what was I supposed to do? At least he wasn’t prying into my business. He didn’t even ask any more questions about my snake, although the look in his eyes had told me that he really wanted to.

My god, his hair, too. It never stayed still—it moved with him, the curls bouncing with every step around the room.

My mom would never let me grow out my hair like that. She’d just tell me it looked too “girly.”

Something told me that Jack didn’t really care about that stuff. He looked like he was in his own world, for the most part.

It made me think of the parts of me that I kept hidden: the journal that I hid from my parents, and the sketchbook I’d stuffed into the back of my desk.

The way Jack was so carefree was appalling to me. I’d never considered that to be an option for myself.

“Hi, Mom!” Jack abruptly said into his phone, making me startle in my bed.

I shot him a grumpy look, but he didn’t notice. For someone with glasses, he was a bit oblivious.

He immediately moved to his desk, which was covered in knickknacks: a Rubik’s Cube, some figurines, a Lego dinosaur, and a bunch of glittery dice that I didn’t understand the purpose of.

Come to think of it, I’d never learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. I wondered if he knew how to, or if he just used it to have something in his hands.

With this new conversation happening, I wished I could put in my headphones. Unfortunately, they were still charging on my nightstand, and it’d be another half hour before I could use them again.

My snake, Cloudy, still hadn’t come out of hiding, and I didn’t blame him. If it were up to me, I’d hide for a week before going to class, but Jack had other intentions. He seemed incredibly excited for someone who was enrolled in a boarding school.

“Today’s been great. I’ve unpacked almost everything.”

His voice was high, and he was bouncing his knee like crazy now. He kept fidgeting with a tennis ball in his hand, tossing it against the wall every once in a while, the thump-thump-thump making my blood pressure rise.

What was wrong with him? Could he ever sit still?

“That’s wonderful, honey!” his mom’s voice carried through the phone, and envy flared in my chest.

My mom could never be bothered to sound that happy for me. She was usually too wrapped up in our twisted family business, screwing over small businesses left and right.

That was part of the reason why I didn’t need people to know my real last name or origins. I wanted to learn how to make our family business authentic, to branch out, to do things in a more ethical way.

My dad said that being ethical was a waste of time and money.

Everything was always about money to him.

“Your dad and I are so proud of you! Aren’t we, Jarom?”

“Yeah, bud. You got that scholarship all on your own. You’ve got your mother’s brains, that’s for sure.”

Damn, even his dad was supportive.

I buried myself further in my sheets and threw my hood over my head, wanting to hide but too curious to turn away.

Watching Jack throw the ball was distracting me. His wrist flicked so fast, it was like he’d been doing this for years. The quick pop back when he caught it made me think he had spider senses.

This kid was getting more and more strange.

I lost track of my game for a minute, watching him switch from the ball to the cube to the slinky in his drawer. The humming of the spring seemed to relax him just a bit. Maybe he’s got anxiety?

I couldn’t help but think about how we were complete opposites. My side of the room was pretty dark; I had a desk lamp but not much else. I liked my underground rock posters, though, and those had seemed to grab his attention when he first moved in.

He’d expressed how he didn’t like the overhead light, so he’d already brought in a night light shaped like a mushroom to plug into the wall. It was actually kind of cute, but… I would never admit that out loud.

As if he could read my mind, he looked over his shoulder, and we made eye contact.

I quickly flicked my eyes back to my Switch and pretended that didn’t happen.

Don’t be a creep, Adam. Just play your game.

I could feel him look at me for a moment longer before turning back to his parents. I hoped he didn’t think I was spying on him. I mean, I wasn’t really trying to, but I’d never met someone so energetic.

When I was sure he wasn’t looking, I couldn’t help but watch him over my screen again.

I really wasn’t used to someone else in my personal space. But I guess this was our space, not just mine.

“It wasn’t that hard, Dad. I read a lot, you know? That essay just came out of me,” Jack said back. I had a feeling he was being humble. That dragon book he’d handed me earlier weighed more than my math textbook, and that reading was supposed to be for fun.

None of the other kids in this school were carrying around huge books unless they had to, and if they were, it was usually something about finance or business. The thought of it made my stomach churn. Why weren’t there any recreational classes here? Didn’t they want us to be more well-rounded?

Jack started messing with his hair, getting bored of the slinky.

“Don’t sell yourself short, kiddo. You’re a hard worker, and your mother is right. We’re proud of you,” his dad said over the phone, and I swore I caught Jack’s cheeks turning a dark pink at the praise.

He’s blushing? What kind of boy blushed?

I could feel something stir in my chest. I forced my eyes back to my screen.

I lost the level I was playing because I was too invested in my roommate, who I barely knew.

“Thanks,” Jack said quietly. I could tell that those words meant a lot to him, because he hadn’t been that quiet this whole time. “I should probably get to bed. I’ll talk to you guys soon.”

“Okay, sweetie! Sweet dreams! Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

Jack rolled his eyes, but reassured his mom. “I’m not going to forget, Mom. I’m about to be eighteen. Please.”

They said their goodbyes. I pretended not to watch Jack put down his phone to stand on his chair, adjusting the twinkle lights on the ceiling.

He moved the chair about the room, standing on his tiptoes to reach the spots above both of our desks. I could offer to help, but I told him to leave me alone, so that would be hypocritical.

Instead, I watched him struggle a bit, teeter-tottering on a rolling chair.

Before I could warn him, it was like everything had gone into slow motion in front of me.

Jack slipped as the chair rolled into my desk, the last bulb hanging sadly from the ceiling, and he tumbled over the edge of my bed… on top of me.

“Ah!”

I jumped as he landed on me, holding his shoulders. My Switch was jammed between our chests, jutting into my sternum, and his face was inches from mine.

His eyes were wide in horror, a deep shade of blue behind those glasses.

This close, I could see the little freckles on his nose, the touch of pink on his lips. His brown curls touched my cheek, and I breathed in the faint scent of flowers.

What kind of boy smelled like flowers?

Why… did I like it?