Inglorious Roomates

Chapter 3

Theo wasn't entirely sure what the hell he walked in on the next morning.

"What kind of weird Kumbaya shit is this?"

To set the scene, Liam was sitting shirtless on his bed, strumming a guitar with some lanky blonde guy staring at him like he had the sun shining out of his ass.

"The weird Kumbaya kind," Liam quipped back, "Theo, this is Nolan."

"Nice to meet you," Blondie held his hand out for Theo to shake.

"Beat it, flower boy, I need to talk to Dunbar." Theo gestured vaguely toward the door.

Blondie lowered his rejected hand, looking confused.

"Actually, we were kinda—"

"Kinda what?" Theo cut him off.

"In the middle of..." Theo's stonewall stare made the words die in his mouth. "I guess I'll be going then."

"I'll call you later No'," Liam called out as Theo shut the door behind him.

"So what's the sitch, twenty-two?" Liam smirked mischievously, strumming what Honest to God sounded like the damn Impossible theme song on his guitar.

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose at his roommate's dorky antics. "I saw Erica this morning. We got another gig. She wants us to run security for her party."

Liam played louder, slowly nodding to the rhythm. "Challenge accepted."

"None of that Spy Kids shit this time." Theo warned. Admittedly, he could probably handle the gig alone, he'd worked as a club bouncer plenty of times since turning 21. But for whatever reason, he felt inclined to cut Liam in, since it was their expert (dysfunctional) teamwork with Matt that got them the job.

Liam laughed lightly then set his guitar aside. While Theo was getting his stuff together for class, Liam wandered around doing random exercises. Theo had noticed lately that when Liam wasn't sleeping for days at a time, he was clearly the hyperactive type that couldn't sit still.

Theo tossed Liam's lacrosse jersey onto his bed while he was doing jumping jacks.

Liam glanced over at it, still hopping up and down. "Do I need to wash it once or ten times?"

"Relax, princess, don't go flinging yourself off the ivory tower," Theo taunted him. "One should do. It didn't get any action."

And neither did Theo. When they left the party after the Matt fiasco, Tracy was quiet on the drive across campus to her dorm. She threw off the jersey as soon as they went inside and changed her clothes, then cornered herself in her bed. Theo obviously sensed that she didn't want him too close, so he sat at her desk.

Eventually he spoke up. "I shouldn't have involved you. It won't happen again."

She sat up, scoffing at him. "You think that's the problem, Theo?"

"You've been rubbing elbows in the Hills too long. You can't handle getting your hands dirty anymore." When he looked at her, he didn't see the same girl with skinned knees and a handful of candy they nicked from the cornerstore. The one who used to be attached at the hip to Tara, along with Lahey back when he and Theo were doing Peter's bidding. The four of them, a mix-match band of misfits, but a family nonetheless.

"I grew up in the same shitty neighborhood as you. Gunshots ringing at night, dealers on every corner, new crime scene tape every day." She countered sharply. "Can't handle it? I lived it."

"I know." Theo responded just as harshly. "You were with me then. What changed?"

She took a breath and softened her voice. "The difference is, we left that behind, Theo. You're trying to be something that can't exist here." She reached out for his hand, tugging it from where it was folded under his arm. "We made it out for Tara, remember? I can't let you drag yourself back. She'd hate this."