Chapter 4 Hot Roommate

• Book two.
• Hot Roommate.
• For a nerd like me, I never thought I’d ever live in the same room with a famous, hot hockey alpha Male.
• Well, my student loan, burgeoning house rent, and other bills beg to be paid. For someone living in a city as large as New York? I wouldn’t want to be thrown on the street. So I hopped on the easiest offer, get a new roommate. Tada! The house rent load will be made easy. But no one actually told me getting a roommate as hot as Ledger would flip my world upside down.
• _____
• Anna.
• The classroom is plunged into a certain kind of quiet as Mrs. Dee spills tales about the book she told us to read for today’s class, titled “Othello.”
• I’m the only child of my parents and I school at NYU. Yup, it’s as expensive as it sounds. Some people gape their mouths open whenever I tell them I’m schooling in NYU but they don’t know the back story. They grab the shallow information and go ahead to gossip with others in our little town in the south--- Texas.
• My parents own a ranch but it’s not yielding enough money for me to attend such an expensive school. The truth is, I borrowed a loan of two hundred thousand dollars. To pay them off, I do several mini jobs to make money and pay off my loan.
• My independent nature doesn’t allow me to niggle my parents for funds. I fend for myself. After all, it was my decision to school at NYU and major in literature.
• I’m a huge sucker for storybooks. Sometimes I wonder if ending up as a librarian will be better so I can coup-up in a dark corner and read as many books as I can.
• “Yes. It was a tragic book.” One of my classmates prattles, raising his hand when Mrs. Dee asks a question.
• Everyone’s eyes trail in his direction when Mrs. Dee further asks him to mention the theme he figured out in the book.
• He stands up, awkwardly raking a hand through his hair. “Uh… I figured manipulation, love, and jealousy as some of the themes in the book.”
• “That’s very impressive, Mandy.” Mrs. Dee cheers at Mandy’s response before continuing to venture into the details of the story.
• In between the class sessions, my phone goes off with a notification. Stealthily, I peek at my phone.
• Etta: Hey, Anna. Can you meet me down at Mr. Lowry’s Pizza? It’s urgent.
• My brows shrivel at my roommate’s text. It’s unlike Etta to text me. I mean, we hardly have rapport. She’s not always around the house. Since I started living with her which has been over a year, I’ve only seen Etta four times.
• So, seeing her text right now, requesting to see me makes my nerves jumpy.
• Quickly, I shoot her a response.
• Me: Hi, Etta. Okay, but can you wait for an hour or two? I’m in class.
• Her response comes way too fast.
• Etta: No problemo. I’m waiting.
• The bump of some sheet of paper at my back makes me turn my eyes around until it lands on Lizzy’s smiling face.
• I cock a brow at my friend and she mouths at me, cupping the corners of her mouth with her hands.
• “What’s up, girl?”
• “I’m fine.” I mouth back.
• Lizzy’s the first friend I made here in NYU. She saved my ass from falling flatly in the hallway in our freshman year. Since then we have become best buddies.
• Her blonde hair contrasts my chestnut hair. In fact, Lizzy and I are complete opposites.
• I’m all filled up and curvy, on the plus size but she’s svelte with hot straight legs. I’m a nerd but without weird glasses, if I might add, but she’s a socialite. A full-blown Instagram influencer with millions of followers. She’s a shopper and a dancer.
• Of course, she has insurance that makes her shopping brand work. People like me can’t even dream of being in that kind of field.
• Lizzy never boasts about her rich lifestyle that’s why we get along.
• “I’m bored, Anna. Can we just go?” She mouths off again.
• I scrunch my brows at her, giving her the ‘You can’t be serious’ look.
• “Ms. Anna and Lizzy, do you mind sharing with the class what you’ve been discussing?” Mrs. Dee's words snap us out of our mute conversation.
• I flush in embarrassment, turning to face the woman. “Uh, nothing….” I stammer.
• But my girlfriend beats me to it. “Actually, Mrs. Dee, there’s something going on.”
• I turn my wide eyes at her but Lizzy spares me no look. She continues. “Anna is having an upset stomach. She needs to purge. I was only offering to help her out.”
• My pale face quickly flushes crimson. I know Lizzy. Whenever she’s bored, especially in Mrs. Dee's class, she makes excuses and flees.
• She’s at it again.
• Mrs. Dee turns her surprised face at me and asks. “Is that true, Anna?”
• Holy cow, I don’t know what’s wheeling my head but I find myself nodding, wordlessly.
• “Apologies, dear. You may go and purge. You can ask others for a rundown of other things I taught.”
• Lizzy’s already at my side before she finishes, hurling my bag and books.
• I chuckle a bit at Mrs. Dee's words. This is apparently the tenth time we’re tackling Othello in class this semester. I bet that’s why Lizzy grew tired and wanted to flee.
• Emerging outside, Lizzy snorts, fanning her face dramatically.
• “Don’t do that!” I caution, playfully swatting her arm.
• “That woman is annoying. Why is she always repeating topics? Gross. I tell you, the story ‘Othello’ is now one of the most annoying books I've come across. Thanks to Mrs. Dee.”
• I guffaw at her words, doubling over. Lizzy isn’t the book type and this experience sure will double her aversion for books.
• We chatter as we pad down the brimming hallway. “Are you going to follow me to Josh's?”
• I make a face at her question. Seriously, I’m tired of witnessing Lizzy and her boyfriend having sex and their PDA.
• I suck at love, and seeing them do their thing without me having a man bruises my ego.
• “Ew, don’t give me that look.” Lizzy knocks my shoulder playfully. “I’ve told you, let me set you up with Josh's friends but you fucking as hell refused.”
• “You know it’s not going to work. I don’t want anybody to body-shame me, Liz.”
• Lizzy quickly pauses at my words, she holds me by the shoulders and barks.
• “I’ve told you, Anna. You’re as hot as fuck. And any dude that tries to body shame you deserves to have his dick cut off, I swear.”
• It’s easy for her to say but the stigma leaves with me. Apparently, my size is just one of the reasons I’ve not gotten a boyfriend since being in New York.
• Guys these days want lean chicks, but not my type.
• I nod solemnly at Lizzy’s words. “Thanks, girlfriend!” I belt out, making Lizzy tsk.
• “Good. So, what are you up to?” She asks as we resume walking.
• “Wanna meet up with my roommate, Etta. Says she wants to have a chit-chat with me.” I rattle out.
• “That weirdo. I sure know you guys need it. Well for me though, I just need some dick in me.” Chucking, Lizzy winks at me.
• At last, we separate ways, and I take a cab to Mr. Lowry’s pizza shop.
• It’s a drive-in pizza shop with servers moving around on skater-roll as they serve pizza.
• I inch toward the door in confusion as my eyes dart around in search of Etta.
• “Psst! Anna! Over here!” Etta’s voice reverberates through the air and I whirl to my right and see my roommate waving eagerly at me.
• Thank goodness, I whisper under my breath as I strut to the black sedan she packed in front of the pizza shop.
• Etta shoves back into the car, opening the passenger side for me.
• “Hey, rommie.” She chatters when I swing into the car.
• As if we’re in literal terms, I whisper to myself again in reference to what Etta called me.
• She’s wearing a ripped Jean short, gingham blazer over a strapless camisole.
• Her septum ring reflects over the overhead lights of the pizza shop. Ew, she now has her hair in a close-cropped and a tattoo on her neck.
• “Hi, Etta. Long time. No see." I chirp.
• “I know right?”
• She offers me a bite of pizza to nosh but I politely decline. I’m more curious to know why she called me out here.
• “Uh…Is everything okay, Etta?” I finally cut to the chase.
• “Yeah. Some good news from my side. I just wanted to share.”
• Oh, I gasp inwardly.
• “Listen, Anna, don’t freak out, okay?”
• “Yeah…I’ll try not to. Just what’s popping?”
• “I’m moving out of our apartment. I wanna move in with my new boyfriend.”
• That’s all I need for my heart to stop beating for what seemed like forever.
• Finding my voice, I croak out. “You’re moving out?”
• “Uh-huh.” She slants her body to face me fully, the buttery leather of the seat squeaking. “Rent’s due in five days, so I figured it’s better to move in with my boyfriend.”
• Holy shit!
• I gape disbelievingly at Etta. Why didn’t she tell me on time?
• Dang it! How am I supposed to pay the rent alone?
• Hell, I’m gonna be thrown into the streets.
• After everything, I leave the pizza shop on autopilot and return to my apartment. Sure enough, Etta has packed her things and her room is empty.
• Worry tugs at my heart as I think of what to do.
• Nothing comes up, so I decide to head to Lizzy’s place. Maybe she can help.
• TBC.