Chapter 1 the worst roommate ever
“Hand it over. Everything you’ve got.”
Five of them had boxed Nora in on the narrow path behind the old gym, far enough from campus that nobody would hear anything over the wind.
She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag. Her laptop, her scholarship papers, and every dollar she owned were inside. Losing any of them would be a disaster.
“No.”she said.
The tallest one laughed, and the others joined in, the way people laughed when they thought you hadn't understood the situation yet.
“Cute,” he said. “Say that again when there's a knife out.”
Two of them pulled blades from their jackets. The metal flashed in the gray afternoon light.
Nora's stomach tightened.
She'd faced worse things than a group of idiots looking for easy money. She'd learned early that showing fear could make people bolder. But knowing how to handle dangerous people and standing in front of five of them with nowhere to run were two very different things.
“I've lived on the streets my whole life,” she said, forcing her voice to remain steady. “You think that scares me?”
The nearest one lunged.
She twisted aside, but he was faster than she'd expected. His fist caught her cheek, snapping her head sideways. Pain burst across her jaw, and she stumbled into the wall.
Before she could recover, he grabbed for her bag.
Nora caught his wrist and twisted with everything she had. He swore, and she drove her elbow into his ribs. His grip loosened just enough for her to wrench the strap free.
Then someone slammed into her from the side.
Her shoulder struck the pavement first, followed by her knee. Pain shot up her leg. She barely had time to roll before a boot came down where her head had been.
“Got her!”
Nora scrambled backward, her palms scraping against the rough ground. She tried to stand, but her injured knee buckled beneath her.
The boy with the boot grinned and stepped closer.
She kicked at his shin.
He cursed and staggered, giving her enough time to grab the edge of a nearby wall and haul herself upright. Her knee screamed in protest, but she forced herself to stay standing.
The boy she'd elbowed came at her again.
This time, she wasn't fast enough to avoid him completely. His fist caught her shoulder, spinning her around. She hit him with the heel of her palm, catching his nose, then shoved past him.
For one hopeful second, she saw a gap between two of the boys.
She ran for it.
A hand caught the back of her jacket and yanked her backward. The fabric tightened around her throat, choking off her breath. She clawed at the collar, twisting desperately until the seam tore and she stumbled free.
A flash of silver appeared beside her face.
She jerked away.
The knife sliced through the air, close enough that she felt the movement against her skin.
Her heart lurched.
There was no more room for bravado. These boys weren't going to stop because she refused to be intimidated. They were angry now, and one of them had already tried to cut her.
She needed to get out.
The boy holding the knife swung again. Nora ducked, but her injured knee gave way, and she dropped awkwardly to one side. The blade caught the fabric of her jacket instead of her arm.
She grabbed his wrist with both hands, fighting to keep the knife away from her body.
He was stronger than she was.
The blade crept closer.
“Get off me!” she gasped.
She drove her forehead into his face.
He recoiled with a shout, and the knife slipped from his hand, clattering onto the pavement.
Nora scrambled away from it, but another attacker caught her around the waist before she could reach the opening.
His arms locked around her.
She couldn't get enough air to shout. She threw an elbow backward, but it struck his shoulder. He tightened his grip, dragging her off balance.
Desperation took over.
Nora stamped down on his foot and slammed the back of her head into his face.
He loosened his hold with a howl.
She tore herself free, but the sudden movement sent a sharp bolt of pain through her knee. She nearly went down again.
The tallest boy stepped in front of her, blocking the path.
“Had enough?”
Nora's chest heaved. Her cheek throbbed, her palms stung, and her knee felt ready to give out. She could taste blood where she'd bitten the inside of her mouth.
She looked past him.
The second boy with a knife was moving toward her.
She couldn't fight all five of them indefinitely. She knew that now.
But she didn't need to beat them all. She needed one chance to get away.
When the tallest boy reached for her bag again, she swung it hard into his face.
He staggered backward, swearing.
Nora shoved past him.
Someone grabbed her sleeve, and she twisted violently to escape. The fabric ripped. A hand caught her shoulder, but she struck backward with her elbow and felt it connect with something solid.
She didn't wait to see who she'd hit.
She ran.
Her injured knee protested with every step, forcing her into an uneven, painful stride. She heard the boys shouting behind her, but none of them managed to catch her.
She made it to the end of the path before stopping beside the wall of the old gym.
For several seconds, she could do nothing but breathe.
Her hands shook. One palm was scraped raw, and her right knuckles were already swelling. She pressed a hand against her cheek, then hissed when the movement sent pain through her jaw.
She was still holding her bag.
Her laptop was safe. Her papers were safe. Her money was still there.
That was what mattered.
Nora straightened slowly, fighting the urge to sit down before her knee gave out completely.
“Anyone else?” she called, trying to sound steadier than she felt.
Nobody answered.
The five boys were still behind her, cursing and groaning, none of them eager to follow.
At the far end of the path, a black sedan sat at the curb with its engine running.
Tinted windows. No driver in sight.
Nora frowned.
It had been there the whole time, close enough to see everything.
Close enough to watch her struggle on the ground while a knife came dangerously close to her face.
Yet it hadn't moved. Nobody had gotten out to help.
A chill crept down her spine that had nothing to do with the wind.
Her phone rang.
She flinched, almost dropping it before she managed to pull it from her pocket.
The sedan pulled away.
She watched it disappear around the corner, then looked at her screen and winced.
The landlord.
“Where are you?” His voice was sharp. “I said noon for the key handoff. It is now eleven fifty-eight.”
Nora glanced at her trembling hands and the blood smeared across her knuckles.getting attacked wasn't a good enough reason for the day to go wrong.
“I'm almost there.”she replied.
“Fifty-eight seconds.”the landlord yelled.
“I'm running!”
She ended the call and shoved the phone into her pocket.
Then she took a step forward.
Pain shot through her knee, and she had to grab the wall to keep herself upright.
For one brief moment, she closed her eyes.
She couldn't afford a hospital bill. She couldn't afford to lose her belongings. And she certainly couldn't afford to lose the apartment she'd spent weeks trying to secure.
So she swallowed the pain, adjusted her bag, and started moving again.
She wasn't going to let five idiots ruin the only chance she had at making it through the semester.
The landlord waited outside the building, checking his watch. He was a thin man with a nervous expression who kept glancing at a black sedan parked across the street beneath a dead streetlight.
Nora recognized it immediately. It was the same car that had watched her fight five boys behind the old gym.
“You’re late,” he said.
“I’m not. You said noon.”
He sighed and handed her the key without meeting her eyes. “Second door on the left. The lease is signed, and the room is yours. No surprises.”
“Thank you.” She glanced at the sedan. “Is that car yours?”
His expression tightened. “I don't know anything about cars. Go inside. Quickly.”
Nora frowned at his strange response, but her aching knee demanded more attention than his suspicious behavior. She dragged her suitcase into the building, determined to put the afternoon behind her. She had six months to survive, and she couldn't afford to let anything distract her from that goal.
The first thing Nora learned about her new roommate was that he had no concept of personal space. The second was that he was completely shirtless.
The third was that living with him might be more difficult than she'd anticipated.
She stopped in the doorway, gripping her suitcase handle. The man in the kitchen turned toward her, revealing messy dark hair, broad shoulders, and gray sweatpants sitting low on his hips. He was wrapping his left wrist with white athletic tape, holding the roll between his teeth as he worked. Black tattoos covered his muscular arms.
For a moment, Nora forgot what she had come to say.
His gaze traveled over her before settling on her face. A smirk formed at the corner of his mouth as he pulled the tape free.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m your new roommate.”
His smile disappeared.
“Shit.”
Nora frowned. “What?”
He secured the tape around his wrist and reached for a glass of water. “I was hoping you’d be ugly.”
Her mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”
“Would’ve made things a lot easier.” He took a sip of water, watching her without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
