Page 131 of The Other Side of Green

“Listen, Evan. I overheard you talking to Jack last night, and now the whole trendy pop chick look is starting to make a lot more sense.” He glanced down at his checked boxers and gray t-shirt. “But I just don’t know.”

“What don’t you know, Little Lyra?”

“Anything.”

He came up, scratching the stubble on his jaw. “There’s no rush, Lyra. No one is making you do anything you don’t want to do.”

“Apart from the shit Collins family.”

“Lyra, Jack can take it.”

I glanced a little as the truth went off in my brain like a lightbulb. Jack could take it, but I couldn’t. The thought of that big titted Brittany bringing him down burned like a bitch.

“I have to go.” I turned and bolted for the door.

“Shall I tell Simon to call you?”

“Yeah.” I waved over my shoulder. “I guess.”

I managed to grab a passing cab and got back to campus in record time, slipping past the security booth like a ninja.

I paced up the killer flights of stairs to my dorm and quickly unlocked the door, bursting through it like a hurricane. Finding a naked Alex Collins swinging his dick like a pendulum standing in the middle of the room.

“Oh my god.” I clasped my hands over my eyes. “Make me unsee, make me unsee.”

“Fucking hell, Lyra.” A sound of thudding took over as Alex must have dived for a bed and a comforter to wrap around him. “Okay, I’m decent.”

I opened my eyes only to groan loudly. “That’s my bedding, Alex.”

His face shone with bright red cheeks. “I promise I will wash it. Or get you a new set.”

“Seriously. What’s going on?” Alex and Eva looked at one another and started to giggle. “I mean, I can clearly see what’s going on, but why? I thought you were ‘friends’. I air-quoted the word.

“We are.” Eva pulled her own bedding up tight around her chest. Honestly, this level of nakedness took me way over my comfort zone.

“Oh no, please don’t tell me you’re heading down the benefits route?”

They looked at one another again. “Well, no,” Alex said first and then directed himself to Eva. “I mean, we can if that’s what you want, but you know…” He trailed off.

I groaned loudly and stomped into the middle of the room. “Eva. Do you like Alex?”

“Yeah.”

“Alex, do you like Eva?”

“Yes.” He glanced down at his naked chest as if that was answer enough—quite cute really.

“Okay. I now pronounce you boyfriend and girlfriend. You may thank me later.” I bent down and untied the laces on my boots. “Can you both get dressed, I’m having a crisis.”

“Oh god, what this time?” Eva asked and I couldn’t help but look automatically at Alex.

“What?”

I pulled my lips into a grimace and sucked my teeth total Grams style. That woman was still living on strong inside of me.

“Just the usual bribery and corruption.”

“How?”