The Academy Read online

  Not that he’d gotten the chance to try. He hadn’t seen a single flash of gray eyes since their last encounter. He hated how annoyed that made him.

  Maybe Sebastian died, suggested a cheerful voice in Nick’s head.

  The closest Nick came to a Sebastian sighting was when he walked into his Thursday evening lab. He immediately spotted one of the men he’d seen hanging out with Sebastian: the ridiculously handsome one. The seating chart told Nick that his name was Dante. If neither of them dropped the class, they’d see each other once a week.

  Nick toyed with the idea of talking to him, but what would he say? Hey, you don’t know me, but I’m kinda obsessed with your friend. Would you mind telling me, a complete stranger, what his deal is? Thanks. For some reason, Nick decided against doing that, and so the minutes until the end of the class ticked by one agonizing second at a time.

  The lab ended up letting out late. Nick had thought taking an evening class would be easier than taking one of the early-morning options—he knew well the cardinal rule of college: never schedule anything before 10 a.m.—but getting out as the sun was setting was depressing. It made him feel like he’d wasted all day in class and now it was time for bed.

  Outside the science building, he stood in the cooling evening air and spent a moment breathing in and out. The sunset was beautiful as it draped itself over the old, ivy-covered buildings like a sheet of gold. If he saw Dr. Finn again, he was going to recommend they add some dusk photos to their brochures.

  While he took in the view, he considered his options. If he wanted to, he could stop by the dining hall and grab some dinner. But he’d eaten two meals there already today, and it was getting old.

  He had snacks back in his dorm. Nothing fancy. Chips and cookies he’d gotten when he’d raided the vending machines by the gym. It wasn’t healthy, but then neither was the pizza he ate for lunch every day.

  Resigning himself to a night of processed goodness, he trudged through the quad toward his dorm. His thoughts drifted back to the lab. It seemed like it was going to be a fun class. The professor was a fiftysomething gangly guy whose energy said he’d never left college mentally.

  According to the syllabus, they were going to do a lot of “hands-on demonstrations.” In physics terms, that meant they’d get to build shit and use sound to measure temperature. Nick was really looking forward to it.

  As he walked, he passed a group of guys hanging out by a bench. Nick could tell from their build that they were athletes, and he confirmed it when he glanced at their clothes. They were each wearing a crimson shirt that said AHN Swim Team in white letters across the chest. Nick had considered joining one of the Academy’s sports teams, but he’d never played anything more serious than street hockey. He was a dabbler at best.

  His eyes latched on to one guy who was a little taller and leaner than the others. His hair was blond, but from this angle, he almost had the same build as—

  “Hey,” one of the guys shouted. He didn’t sound happy.

  Nick startled. Oh shit. Was I staring?

  “What are you doing gawking at him? See something you like?”

  Fuck. Here comes the gay panic. Abort, abort.

  Nick backed away, mumbling excuses. He didn’t mean anything by it, it was a misunderstanding, et cetera.

  But then the guy slid his arm around the slender guy’s waist and glared at Nick. “Robby is my boyfriend. Go ogle someone else.”

  “God, Chris, you’re so possessive,” Robby whined, but he leaned into his boyfriend’s meaty arms.

  Nick gaped. “Boyfriend?” Was the whole school gay? Was this what happened when people went to Catholic school for too long?

  Chris bristled. “You gotta problem with that?”

  “No! Not at all.” You have no idea, buddy. “I’m gonna go.” He turned to walk away.

  As soon as his back was to them, Nick heard a stage whisper. “Isn’t he the new kid Minho was talking about? The scholarship student?”

  The way he said that last bit made it sound distasteful. Like, Isn’t he the guy who kicks puppies?

  Nick whipped around despite his better judgment. He wasn’t a fighter when he wasn’t hugely outnumbered. If things got heated, he’d need to run. Good thing this was the swim team and not track.

  “What’s me being a scholarship student got to do with anything?” Nick asked carefully. So far, no one had given him shit for not having money. He’d almost let himself believe that no one cared, that they were all adults.

  The swim team guys exchanged looks that Nick didn’t like at all.

  Instead of answering Nick’s question, the one who’d spoken up asked one of his own. “Is it true you don’t have parents? I heard yours died, and that’s why they gave you all those scholarships.”

  Nick’s vision sizzled red. He was actually taken aback by how quickly rage flooded into him, making his heart pound. He clenched his hands into fists at his side and willed himself not to lose his temper.

  Calm down. Ignore him. You can’t get in trouble in your first week. Or ever. Even as he thought that, his skin itched with the desire to punch that dick in his smug face. For a split second, he seriously considered doing it; he was so volatile with grief and anger.

  Luckily, one of the guy’s friends shoved him. “That’s not cool, bro. You can’t say shit like that to people.”

  “He started it,” the guy muttered.

  But the group was already moving. Chris gave his boyfriend a possessive squeeze and shot Nick one final, nasty look before they migrated away.

  Nick watched them go, taking slow, deep breaths until the adrenaline left his system. Jesus. He hadn’t gotten that angry in . . . ever. He’d never been in a fight before. The idea that he’d been so ready to punch a guy was scary. Clearly, he wasn’t dealing with his grief as well as he’d thought.

  You should take up yoga or something. It’s been a year. You shouldn’t still be so raw. Besides, these rich kids would probably sue you into another lifetime if you so much as breathed on them.

  With a sigh, Nick returned to his original goal of getting to his dorm. The sun was halfway below the horizon when he got there, and lights were blinking on all around the quad.

  He took the stairs at a jog. Between living here and that one class on the fifth floor, he hoped he’d be in awesome shape by the end of the semester. As it was right now, however, he was out of breath by the time he got to his room. What better time to load up on junk food?

  Unlocking the door, he prepared to wheeze through a greeting with Deen, but his roommate wasn’t home. The sight of his empty bed jogged something in Nick’s head. I didn’t tell anyone besides Deen about my parents. How then did those swim guys know? Could Deen have told someone?

  Deen didn’t seem like the gossiping sort, but how else could that have gotten out? Then again, people around here seemed to know things about him, like the fact that he was new. Nick hated to think he couldn’t trust Deen, the only friend he’d made so far. Without him, Nick was completely alone.

  God, that was a depressing thought. He’d been trying to keep his chin up this whole week, but in this strange place, cut off from his old friends and the city he loved, he was really starting to feel lonely.

  His bed called to him. He made a beeline for it and flopped onto the tangled sheets. He buried his face in his pillow. “Never in my life have I been so eager for the weekend.”

  Of course, once Friday rolled around, he’d have to deal with the fact that he had no plans, and that would probably send him nose-diving into a pit of despair again. Awesome.

  As if cued by his thoughts, there was a knock at the door. Nick picked his head up from the pillow and stared at the door as if he expected it to explain itself.

  Had Deen forgotten his key? Or maybe it was one of the swim team boys, come to finish what they’d started.

  Cautiously, Nick sat up in bed. “Who is it?”

  In lieu of an answer, the person knocked again.

  Nick de
bated with himself for a beat before he tiptoed over and peered out the peephole. All he saw was red hair.

  Frowning, he opened the door and stepped back. On the other side was a guy who looked familiar. It took Nick a second to place him. He’s the other one I’ve seen hanging around Sebastian.

  “Hey there. I’m Theo.” He waved. On top of having dyed hair, he also had bright green-gold eyes and a short but muscular frame. His face was boyish, with a big forehead and a pointed chin.

  “Hi.” Nick wet his lips. “I’m Nick, but I’m willing to bet you already knew that.”

  Theo laughed and walked through the door without waiting for Nick to invite him. Once inside, he looked between the two beds before turning to Deen’s desk and pulling the chair out. He fell into it, seeming as comfortable as if he lived here.

  Nick stared at him. “Can I help you?”

  “I certainly hope so, Nick. You were right, by the way. I do know you. Everyone does by now. Isn’t that annoying?”

  Theo’s frankness surprised Nick into relaxing a fraction. He nodded. “Yeah. It’s been a hell of an adjustment.”

  “From Chicago to Evanston?”

  Nick’s eyebrows shot up.

  Before he could articulate his question, Theo shrugged. “Like I said, everyone’s heard about you by now. Sometimes I think about the fact that we’re all legal adults, and I just laugh.”

  Nick wasn’t sure quite how to react to Theo’s odd mix of mellow and blunt. He also had a quiet, measured way of talking that made everything he said sound important. Nick found himself leaning forward to hear him.

  After a pause, Nick pulled out his own desk chair and straddled it, facing Theo. “So, is there something you need?”

  “Need? No.” Theo regarded him. “But there is something I want.”

  Nick frowned. “Is it a map to a straight answer?”

  Theo laughed again—with enthusiasm—and Nick smiled despite himself.

  When he’d composed himself, Theo said, “You’re funny. No wonder Seb is so taken with you.”

  The smile dropped right off Nick’s face. “Seb? As in . . .”

  “Sebastian Prinsen. The notorious campus heartthrob who also happens to be one of my closest friends. And one of many reasons why I wanted to meet you.”

  Nick’s defenses slammed up. “Did he send you to talk to me?”

  “Nope. He has no idea I’m here. In fact, if he knew, he’d probably be all kinds of irritated, so let’s keep this tête-à-tête between us. I’m here because I ran into half the swim team outside, and they were—quelle surprise—gossiping about you. One of them lives here with us, and he swears you tried to start something.”

  “Jerks,” Nick grumbled. “So, you live in Powell Hall too?”

  Theo raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you didn’t even try to deny it. That pretty much confirms the rumor, you know.”

  Oops.

  Nick tried to look nonchalant. “I didn’t do anything. It was a misunderstanding.”

  “I’m sure it was, but by tomorrow morning, people will be saying you punched the captain of the swim team in the throat, or something equally ridiculous. You gotta be more careful.”

  Paranoia crept up behind Nick. “Did you come here to lecture me? What do you care if I get in trouble?”

  Theo held up his hands in surrender. “I have no ulterior motives, I swear. That was a friendly word of caution. No one wants to see you get thrown out of this school over some petty bullshit, including you, am I right?”

  Nick eyed him for a moment, but upon seeing no outward signs of obvious evil, he sighed. “Fuck. I’m never going to get used to this.”

  “To what?”

  “Not being invisible.”

  Theo inclined his head to the side. “Were you not popular at your old school?”

  “There’s no such thing as ‘popular’ at a big university. I went to UIC before this, and it has nearly thirty thousand students. Sure, there are cliques and shit, but no one pays any mind to anyone else. They couldn’t if they tried. Standing out was next to impossible. Plus, I had a job as a bus boy, and let me tell you, no one looks twice at the guy who’s hauling around dirty dishes.”

  Theo’s mouth formed a pensive moue. “I get it. You were a normal-sized fish in a humongous pond, and now you’re in a pond so small, you feel like you’re the size of the Loch Ness Monster.”

  “That was . . . descriptive. But yeah, I suppose that covers it.”

  Theo offered him a kind smile. “I know it’s frustrating, but the silliness makes it not worth getting upset about, right? If you absolutely have to punch something, make sure it’s inanimate, and there are no witnesses.”

  It was Nick’s turn to laugh. “It sounds like you’re not a huge fan of this place either. Why’d you decide to go here?”

  Theo shrugged. “It’s all I know. I went to the feeder high school, same as half the people here. Hell, I have classmates today that I went to kindergarten with. Besides, despite everything, it’s a great school, the campus is beautiful, and it made my folks happy. They’re footing the bill, so it was in my best interest to go to their top choice.”

  “I definitely understand going where money dictates.” Now that his initial surprise was wearing off, it occurred to Nick that this meeting was strange in more ways than one. “You never answered my question. Are you staying in this dorm too? How’d you know which room is mine?”

  “Yup, this is my dorm sweet dorm.” Theo flashed a catlike grin. “And everyone knows you got the attic. It’s the best room in the building. A lot of the other students are pissed they couldn’t buy their way into it.”

  Nick looked around the room. It didn’t seem any different than the rest of the house. “Why is it the best?”

  “You only have to share a shower with one other guy. You should duck into one of the bathrooms on the other floors some morning. Or better yet, don’t. The locker room smell lingers something fierce.”

  Nick scrunched his nose. “I’ll take your word for it.” He studied the man across from him. Theo was what Nick would term unconventionally attractive. His big eyes and bee-stung lips seemed odd on a man’s face, but there was no doubt he was beautiful. Nick liked him too. He was frank, and there wasn’t a moment when Nick doubted his sincerity. Unlike with a certain someone.

  Theo chuckled, and Nick snapped back to reality. “What?”

  “I should be asking you that. You’re staring at me.”

  Nick’s face grew hot. I’ve really got to stop checking out guys. The whole school’s gonna know I’m queer before the end of the week. “Sorry. It’s been a long day, and I was lost in thought.”

  Theo’s facial expression was far too neutral. There was no way he’d bought Nick’s lie. “You can look at me if you want. I don’t mind.”

  Nick’s remaining blood rushed into his cheeks so quickly, he saw spots. “I wasn’t— I’m not— I didn’t mean to—”

  “Man, Seb’s right. You’re way too easy.” Theo leaned back in his chair with a grin. “Much as I hate to spoil the fun, I didn’t come here just to chat.”

  “Oh?”

  “I want to talk about Sebastian and Dante. You know Dante, right? Our third musketeer?”

  “If he’s who I’m thinking of, yeah.” Nick made a helpless gesture. “I don’t want to sound weird, but I don’t know how else to ask this: is he noticeably handsome? Like, tall, literally dark, and handsome, with cheekbones that could cut raw diamond?”

  For some reason, that made Theo blush. “Yup, that’s him all right. He told me you have a class together.”

  Nick couldn’t hide his surprise. “We got out of that lab like thirty minutes ago. How’d you find out so fast?”

  Theo gave him a funny look. “We have these things called phones. He texted me as soon as he recognized you.”

  “Oh. Right. I knew that.” Nick made a mental note to shove his foot into his mouth later. “I’ve never spoken to him, though. I’m surprise he knew my name.”
<
br />   Theo offered him a small smile.

  “Ah, right. I keep forgetting. New kid. Small pond. Never mind.”

  “If you’d like, I can share some wisdom with you.”

  Nick frowned. “What kind of wisdom?”

  “Think of it as an Academy survival guide, from someone who’s lived here all his life. Anyone who’s ever gone to a small university can confirm what I’m about to tell you.”

  “Okay.” Nick had an odd urge to brace himself. “Shoot.”

  “One.” Theo held up a finger. “The rumor mill here runs twenty-four seven. You’ve already figured that much out. It’s about sixty percent accurate, so take from that what you will. Two.” He ticked up another finger. “I don’t know if you’re so inclined, but if you have sex with anyone at this school, you’ll pretty much be sleeping with the entire university, including some alumni and several faculty members. There’s no six degrees of Kevin Bacon here. We have one degree of Charlie Sheen. Got it?”

  “Yeah.” Nick’s lip curled up. “And again, that was descriptive. Overly so.”

  “That brings me to three.” He added a third finger before dropping his hand. “The only way to get any sort of anonymity at this school is to live off campus, away from the mothership. For you and me, that’s not an option right now. But when next year rolls around, you might want to consider getting an apartment.”

  Nick grinned. “You think I’ll make it to next year?”

  “Dunno. It seems you’ve caught Seb’s attention. There’s a reason why people love to hate him. You might never be able to escape notoriety now.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not involved with him. He can flutter around me all he likes, but it doesn’t mean I have to reciprocate.”

  “True.” Theo rested his elbows on his knees and looked Nick square in the eye. “If you tell me right now that you have no interest in him, I’ll believe you. If you want, I’ll call him up and make him swear on our friendship to never bother you again. We can pretend this whole conversation never happened.”

  Nick pressed his lips together. Unbidden, his brain conjured up an image of when Sebastian had talked to him at breakfast. Nick could still hear Sebastian’s voice ringing in his ears. Because I wanted to. The memory sent sparks up Nick’s spine.