He went to check his new bedroom and was even more pleased. The walls were painted a neutral gray, with the ceiling a chocolate brown that matched the wood blinds.
Lexi had placed his desk against the wall by the door. On it was a 60-inch TV with a keyboard and mouse in front of it. Next to the desk was a credenza. When David opened it, he found his new computer and printer. The credenza was stocked with all the office supplies he would ever want.
In the center of the room was a California king bed that had a USC bedspread on it. Instead of a headboard, Lexi had hung two surfboards on the wall. The bottom one was the one he’d bought his junior year of high school. It was white with a burnt-orange octopus with orange and yellow tentacles and bright green suction cups. The one on top had a weathered, vintage look and featured a huge sun as it dipped down over a tropical island.
Against the far wall was a comfy oversized chair with a round table. That looked to be a perfect spot to kick back and either study or relax after a long day when he wanted some alone time.
There was also a docking station for his phone. What he’d first thought were security cameras in the corners by the ceiling turned out to be speakers. David plugged his phone in and picked a playlist. He was impressed by the sound quality.
The walk-in closet was completely decked out with a top-of-the-line integrated closet system. He’d seen what something like this cost; there was a similar one in the master bedroom of his house in Malibu. If he ended up only living here for a semester, that would be a costly purchase. Everything else could be packed up and moved; the closet system couldn’t. Then again, for that kind of money, he could pay to have it torn out and put something cheaper back in its place.
The bathroom was as David remembered. There was a shower, toilet, and sink. Lexi had put in a shelving unit over the toilet to house all his products. It was embarrassing that a guy would have so much of that stuff, but he’d learned from modeling that proper skin and hair care were essential over the long haul.
“You’re here,” Lexi said, scaring the bejesus out of him.
Damn, that sound system was good. David hadn’t heard her over the music until she spoke.
“So, what do you think?” she asked.
“I love it,” David said with a smile.
Lexi was eager to show him everything. He did discover where all the security cameras were hidden. Fritz and his team were sneaky. They were in the pegs that held up the surfboards.
“Where did you go?” he finally asked.
“Oh. Alex and I went to get some food. If you’re hungry, I brought you a roast beef sandwich.”
“Do you even have to ask?” he teased Lexi.
When David walked out of the bedroom, he saw Alex was making full use of the gaming system and giant TV to play a soccer game. David made a mental note that he had to broaden his new roommate’s taste in gaming. Maybe he could interest him in real football.
Alex glanced back and dropped his controller as he began to laugh.
“You look like a complete dork. I’m not sure I can be seen with you in public.”
“Fuck you too,” David shot back.
“Seriously, dude. Are you sure about this? Lexi told me you wanted to blend in, but this will have people making fun of you.”
Lexi was trying not to laugh. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
“I think I scared one of the girls when I came in,” David said and then related helping the girl in the stairwell.
“That had to be one of the princesses. There’s a group of stuck-up townies who judge everyone. It’s almost as bad as what Lexi used to be like in high school,” Alex related.
Lexi stiffened.
“Thankfully, she outgrew that. If she hadn’t, I’d have kicked her to the curb by now,” David said.
Alex and Lexi gave each other looks David couldn’t interpret. Hopefully, she would win Alex over as she’d done him.
Lexi had to get going. Her mom had been ignored long enough, and it had been made clear that Lexi had to make an appearance at her parents’ home. Alex invited him to go hang out with his soccer friends, but he passed.
When he left, Alex had left the door wide open. Back home, it wouldn’t have bothered him. There were many days they’d left their doors unlocked when they’d departed the house for some reason, and no one bothered anything. Traveling around the world had taught him to be more cautious. He’d had his phone stolen in the UK, and Lexi had lost her watch and a nice pair of sunglasses in New Zealand. David had no reason to think someone would take anything, but why tempt them?
He was about to get up and close the door when a tall, skinny guy with curly hair walked in, followed by a girl with straight, dark-brown hair that went halfway down her back.
“You’re the new guy,” the girl said, channeling Captain Obvious.
“Yep,” David said, then just looked at them.
They looked at each other and then back at him before the girl smiled.
“I think I like him.”
“I don’t know. Veronica said he creeped her out,” the guy said as if David wasn’t there.
“That’s a plus, though, isn’t it?” she asked.
“You’re probably right, but look at this room. Do we want to hang out here?” the guy asked.
“It’s better than the roof when it’s raining,” she shot back.
“Excuse me, what are you guys doing?” David asked.
“Trying to decide whether you fit into our group or not. We lost one when he flunked out, and we’re figuring out who would be a good replacement,” the guy said.
“Do I get any say in this?” David asked.
They ignored him.
“He’s probably a virgin,” the girl said.
“He might be too much work,” the guy admitted and then held up a finger. “Do you have a car?”
“Yes,” David said tentatively.
“Have you gotten your books yet?” the girl asked.
“No.”
“Great. You’re taking us,” she decided.
“My mother taught me not to give rides to strangers,” David said with a straight face.
They both broke out laughing.
“He’ll do. I’m Lindsey Granger, and this tall, handsome dude is Kirk Meadows.”
“I’m Allen,” David said.
“Do you have your class schedule?” Kirk asked.
“Uh, yeah. Why?” David asked.
“Because we can order your books online, and they’ll have them ready when we go to pick them up,” Kirk explained.
“Okay,” David said.
“This would be where you get off your butt and log onto your PC,” Lindsey said and then turned to Kirk. “Are you sure he’s worth the effort? He seems a bit slow.”
David led them into his bedroom and turned on his PC. Both Lindsey and Kirk looked around and appeared stupefied at how different his room was from theirs. While David got onto the Internet, Lindsey flopped onto his bed.
“Oh, my God. How did you get a bed like this?”
“Bought it,” David answered.
Kirk sat on the edge and used both palms to test it out.
“Mine feels like it’s full of rocks compared to this,” he complained.
“You’d let us take naps on this, wouldn’t you?” Lindsey asked.
David wasn’t sure whether ‘naps’ was code for sex.
“I guess,” David said, not sure what the proper etiquette was for a question like that. “I just wouldn’t want to have to ... uh ... clean up after you two.”
“I have a boyfriend ... there’s nothing...” Lindsey began.
“He’s jerking your chain, Linds,” Kirk said to save her.
“You wouldn’t tease me, would you?” Lindsey asked seriously.
David just shrugged.
“Where do I need to go to order books?” he asked.
It was a relief that Kirk had shown him how to order everything he needed. The bookstore was a madhouse. They were able to bypass the chaos and slip in and out in record time.
When they got back to the dorm, David was given his orders. He was to meet the two of them, and their other friend, for dinner.