My First Glance: An On My Own Prequel by Carrie Ryan (ereader iphone .txt) 📕

“Really?” Pacey asked.

“Really,” Miles answered. “And that was the one semester I lived in the dorms. Before my parents pulled me out. But now I’m here, and very ready not to live with that person anymore.”

“I promise I won’t steal your books,” Sanders said as he pulled out his phone to text quickly. He looked up and shrugged. “Girlfriend. She was going to stop by and help but got stuck with signups with her club.”

“A sorority?” Violet asked.

Sanders shook his head. “There are no sororities and fraternities here. No Greek row. However, we are located on college row, which sort of takes that place.”

I looked at my siblings, who just raised their brows at me.

“Let me get this straight. You’re in the party house?” Aiden asked, laughing.

“I could see the parties happening here,” Brendon said, looking around. “Although, if you fuck up this craftsmanship, the owner will probably murder you.”

“Probably,” I said, and Pacey laughed along with Sanders and Miles. Tanner simply shrugged, leaning against the doorjamb.

“Oh, these are my parents,” Miles said as two older people walked into the room. It was a little awkward since they were far older than my siblings, and my brothers were acting like my parental units in this case. They made introductions and went off with my family to look around after speaking with Miles.

“Well, I guess it’s the five of us,” Sanders said, glancing around. “I was a little wary when it came to looking at a flyer for roommates, but I figured…why not? I needed a place, and I wasn’t really ready to move in with my girlfriend.”

“Is she going to be here a lot?” Tanner asked, scowling.

Sanders shrugged. “Maybe. Is that going to be a problem?”

Tanner shook his head. “No, just don’t have sex on the couch,” he said.

Miles laughed. “Yeah, we did get it at a garage sale. It’s probably already been broken in.”

“Okay. So, first thing we’re going to do is sanitize the thing,” I said quickly, and the others laughed. Even Tanner cracked a small smile.

“I feel like we’re overstaying our welcome,” Violet said and reached out to pluck lint from my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t do that usually. Why are you acting so weird?” I asked, and she blushed.

Cameron reached around and smacked me on the back of my head. “Behave.”

“I’ll try. You guys go. I know you all have busy days, and I need to unpack.”

“If you need anything, you let us know,” Brendon’s wife said quickly.

“I will. But I’m going to be living…what? Thirty minutes from you guys? It’s fine. I’ve lived away from you before. For years, even.”

I saw my new roommates look at one another at that, and I held back a wince. I hadn’t meant to mention anything about my past, but I was nervous enough that I’d let things slip.

“We’re going to be overprotective. It’s what we do,” Aiden’s wife said quickly.

“And on that note, we’re leaving,” Cameron said and pulled his wife and the rest out. I waved and closed the door after Miles’ parents left, as well.

And then there was just the five of us. I looked around, shoved my hands into my pockets, and held back a grimace. I had no idea what I was doing, and I really hoped I hadn’t made a mistake.

“Well, we’re at least partially moved in, so I’ll count that as a win,” Pacey said.

“That’s good,” I said. “I guess I should finish unpacking a bit before I go and meet with my new counselor to finalize my schedule.”

“You haven’t finished that yet?” Sanders asked, his eyes wide.

I hoped to hell I wasn’t blushing. “Since I’m a new transfer—and a little late at that—it’s taken them a bit longer to fit things in, especially with all the credits being transferred. But it’ll be okay. I’ll make up what I have to next semester.”

“You’ll be fine,” Tanner said, surprising me. “They’re really good about making sure you get the classes you need, even if you aren’t one of their precious darlings.”

I frowned at that. “What do you mean?”

“Just the regular stuff,” Pacey answered for him, and I hoped that they were on the same page, at least. “Some people are really good at schmoozing their way into the classes and the grades they want. For those that grade on a curve, it kind of screws the rest of us. But we make do. You just have to decide what kind of student you want to be,” Pacey added.

“Yeah, the suck-up, the loser, or the one who gets by,” Sanders said, and I froze.

Tanner shook his head. “You can be whoever the hell you want to be. Just get your shit done. And don’t fuck anyone on the couch,” he added.

Miles nodded vigorously. “Yes, we can make that a house rule. Along with divvying any chores that need to be done. I overheard your sister making remarks about a chore wheel. And while that sounds like it might work, I really don’t know if we need that,” he said quickly.

“Well, if after a month we completely muck up this house, maybe a chore wheel will be needed,” Pacey said dryly.

“You never know,” I said. “I should get busy before my meeting since I still need to work tonight.”

“You have a job?” Sanders asked.

I blinked. “Yeah. My family owns a bar and a couple of other businesses. I need to pay for rent somehow, right?” I asked, laughing a little nervously.

“I think this guy here is the only one without a job,” Tanner muttered and hitched a thumb at Sanders.

Sanders winced. “What? My parents want to make sure I get a good education. Can’t really do that if I’m focusing on work.”

I met the other guys’ gazes.

“You make do with what you have,” Pacey said easily. “Anyway, we all have work to do. I guess I’ll see you around. Welcome home,” Pacey said, and I nodded at the others before making my way to my room, wondering once again