The Girl Who Would Be King(57)

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The day of the party, I change my outfit about 83 times, which is especially impressive because I only have a few pieces of clothing. I finally end up in jeans, my beat-up Chucks, and an old Wonder Woman t-shirt I found in a second hand shop. It’s also the first outfit I tried on. It’s hot out, so I pull my hair back into a ponytail. I look so mundanely average I can’t imagine what Clark sees in me. It looks like I could be going on a date, I guess. It also looks like I could be going to work, or to do my laundry, or any other totally ridiculous non-important thing. I double-check the address in the back of my book, even though I’d memorized it the first time I’d looked at it, and head out the door.

At Clark’s apartment, the music is already very loud and I suddenly regret my super hearing. I can feel the bass in my spine, and I’m not even inside yet. A very tall guy with broad basketball player shoulders and a shaved head opens the door. He has a huge mouth with glittering white teeth and smooth, dark skin. Before I can think what to say, he thrusts out his hand.

“You must be Bonnie…I’m Ryan,” I take his hand and we shake and he steps his massive frame aside so I can get in the door.

“Hi,” I say. Once inside, Ryan motions to a small group of people, never taking his eyes off me.

“Jake! C’mere!” I look at Ryan confused and in a moment a blonde guy, maybe five foot seven, looking laid back and happy and like he just got back from a beach somewhere is standing with us. “This is Bonnie,” Ryan says pointing his beer at me. Jake looks me up and down, which should probably seem creepy, but there’s something innocent about it.

“Hey Bonnie, good to meet you, I’m Jake, Clark’s other roommate,” he says taking my hand.

“Um…hey,” I say, and look at them both like I have no idea what to say next, because I don’t. After a second Jake laughs a little.

“Sorry, it’s just Clark like…never dates. Or almost never. So we’re just like, super curious about you.”

“But I get it,” Ryan chimes in, “I totally get it.”

“Yeah,” Jake agrees.

“Get what?” I ask.

“You. I get why he’s so into you. You’re like…” Ryan trails off and Jake interrupts him as if they’re sharing the same brain.

“Totally.”

“Totally like what?” I say, feeling more lost by the minute, and quite sure I don’t need to be around for the conversation to even be taking place.

“Um…you, you’re just like, I don’t know…I can see why he likes you.”

“Yeah,” Ryan agrees this time.

“Um. Thanks?” I say, still lost and unsure. Just then I see Clark. He rushes over and elbows them both out of the way.

“Oh god. Leave her alone,” he says. Jake and Ryan laugh good-naturedly. He looks at me, his eyebrows knitted comically. “Did they say anything horrible?”

“Um, I don’t think they said…anything,” I say honestly.

“Man, we didn’t do anything,” Jake protests.

“Yeah, we just said we get it is all,” Ryan adds.

“Get what?” Clark asks suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.

“Why you dig her,” Jake says, his smile somehow even bigger than before.

“Oh my god,” Clark says rolling his eyes and ushering me away. Jake and Ryan are calling out to us “Don’t go!” but Clark pushes me into a room off a hallway and closes the door as if we’ve escaped zombies. “Sorry about that,” he says very seriously, but I’m just trying not to laugh.

“It’s fine. I’m not even sure what’s happening.”

“They’re just…whatever, they’re good guys for the most part, but they’re just like…I don’t know, like a bunch of gossipy teenagers or something, I can’t trust them around anyone.”

“They seem nice…but weird,” I add, raising an eyebrow.

“Definitely,” he says, “To both.”

I sit down before I realize we’re in his bedroom and then wish I hadn’t. Bedroom is way above my preparedness level. He sits next to me on the bed, but not close. And it’s suddenly very still and quiet as the music in the living room changes over. “Nice room,” I say, looking around causally. He looks around too, as if trying to see it through my eyes.

“Thanks,” he says, and we sit in silence for what feels like whole minutes and then the music blasts again and I hear a squeal of laughter and then more people arriving.

“Okay. Are you ready to go back out there?” he asks.