When she opens her mouth again, I’m already dreading whatever’s about to come out, but thankfully, it’s “Mr. Lambert! So nice to see you again!” I realize the time for food service has come, and the room has filled with hungry people patiently waiting for us to fill their trays with corn bread, chili, and, at the less exciting end of the table, my peas and carrots.

I tear my eyes off of the Nicest Girl in the World and get to work.

Chapter Six

THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG by the time the van drops us off at Camden, and I know exactly how I’m spending it. I bypass my room and head up the stairs instead to knock on Salem’s door. When there’s no response, I prepare to bang even harder, but then the door opens and Salem fills the frame, shaggy hair sticking out in all directions. “Skeevy? What has you darkening my door?”

“God, you stink.” The smell of weed emanates from his every pore. “How do you not get in trouble when you’re being that obvious?”

“For one thing, I don’t usually have girls standing in my doorway, loudly declaring that I’ve been smoking.”

“Well normally, this is when a gentleman would invite a lady inside.”

He snorts. “I’m not a gentleman, and you are definitely not a lady.”

“You’re not a gentleman yet,” I correct him. “But we are going to fix that. And we are going to take our first big step tonight.”

“Which means?”

“Which means you’re going to crawl out of your room and join me at one of the many fine options available to us.” I walk across the hallway and scan the list hanging on the second floor’s communal bulletin board. “How about movie night?” I ask as I shoulder past him into his room, slipping off my shoes and making myself comfortable on his soft flannel sheets.

“Movie night sounds like—”

“A great idea? I know, I think so too. But you should shower first; you smell like bong water. And let’s introduce you to a comb. Also, this music is abysmal. Can we work on that too?”

He exhales sharply, rustling his damp shaggy bangs and proving my point. “This is Phish!”

“I don’t know what that means.” I curl my legs under my butt and take in my surroundings. Matt’s side of the room is pristine, like he makes sure to keep it in perfect condition in case a female visitor should come by. “Where’s he?”

He glances at his wrist, as if there were a watch there. “Hmm, it’s Friday, so … I believe that means Kylie.”

“At least he’s efficient?”