Inglorious Roomates

Chapter 4

If Theo had to make a list of all the weird shit about Liam Dunbar, the first thing would be:

1. Liam was always doing at least 12 things at once

Usually, he was pinging around, doing push-ups, cranking his amp and shredding heavy metal on his guitar, jumping rope right in the middle of the room, and then flipping between several comic books, going back and forth, round and round. Then sometimes, he would just become a multitasking God and do it all at once.

Theo couldn't decide if it was annoying, interesting or exhausting to watch.

It was a Sunday morning and Liam had been going nonstop since his feet hit the floor—annoying.

He was currently reading two books and writing a paper while eating a banana—interesting.

And while doing those things, he was carrying on a full workout with a ball and stress bands in the middle of the floor, splayed out on a blanket—exhausting.

Theo felt inadequate reading his one measly biophysics textbook. The thing was, he'd seen plenty of people with ADHD, this wasn't that. Maybe Liam had some kinda hybrid strain that made him mutant-level productive. Maybe that's what his meds were for, to contain his superhuman-ness.

"Is this what an Adderall rush looks like?" Theo pondered out loud.

Liam laughed and threw his banana peel at Theo's face. "This is what no Adderall looks like, Raeken."

Unbelievable.

Theo tossed the banana peel in the garbage, making sure to 'accidentally' kick Liam's two books so he lost his page.

"Shit bag," Liam grumbled at him while he flexed his foot against the stress band, his back resting on the ball.

Looking a little closer, Theo lifted his brow at the equipment. "Are those from the gym in the rec room?"

Liam feigned innocence, "Just borrowing."

Theo folded his arms across his chest, "Borrowing, huh?"

"What do you care, Westside?" Liam grinned over his shoulder, "We could use a TV in here. What do you think?"

"You gonna steal it from the rec room too?" Not that Theo cared, but rich little Beacon Hills twerps doing petty crimes, knowing they'd get away with it, was a tired old game.

"Maybe," Liam replied. "We could play video games."

Theo's eyes flitted back to his textbook. "I don't."

"What? You don't play video games? So what did you do for fun when you were a kid?" Liam sounded so shocked, as if the idea of a kid in a bad neighborhood not having some high dollar game system was such a surprise.

Theo could have hit him with his fist, but decided to hit him with some reality instead. "Started dealing when I was 10, Hillside," And whatever else Peter told him to be. "Guess you can say I paid bills for fun." Tara's medical bills, his Dad's liquor bill, whether the price was paper or a pound of flesh, Theo always paid.

Not that it was any of Liam's business, but Theo was willing to divulge a bit just to hear Liam eat his words.

"O-oh... I didn't... Oh"

Eventually he stopped babbling and decided silence was best.

There was a knock at the door, Theo got up to answer it so it didn't interrupt whichever one of Liam's 12 things he was doing.

It was none other than Erica.

"Another creep?" Theo asked, taking in the way she was leaned lithely against the doorframe. "I might have to raise my fee, Reyes."