The stranger simply raises his eyebrows, so I take a sip of my coffee, wondering if I’m still asleep and this is a bizarre dream where my subconscious is trying to tell me something.

“I’ve known Dawson a long time, and I’ve seen him with a lot of girls,” he finally elaborates. “Never seen him act like he did last night.”

“He spent most of the night trying to convince me to leave,” I tell him. “So I wouldn’t read too much into it. We can hardly stand each other.”

“That’s exactly why I am reading into it. Dawson ignores people he doesn’t like. He doesn’t care enough to ask a girl to leave once, much less spend all night at her side and then carry her upstairs.”

“Look, I still don’t know who you are or why you care about what Jace does at a party, but I can assure you Jace does not care about me at all, and the feeling is mutual. Now, could I please eat my breakfast in peace?”

The guy studies me for a long moment. “He has a lot riding on this season,” he states, then finally stands to leave, departing as suddenly as he appeared.

I let out a deep breath and dig back into my breakfast, musing over the bizarre interaction.

The return to my peaceful meal is short-lived. Minutes later, I see Katie walk into the dining hall. Her hair is tied up in a messy ponytail, and the creases from her pillow are still evident on her face. She heads over to the drinks station and fills a mug with coffee. Then, she turns toward the seating area and spots me. Her eyes light up, and she makes a beeline over to my table.

I take a long sip of my steaming coffee, bracing for what I have no doubt will be my third inquisition of the day. Katie plops down in the seat Mr. What’s-So-Special-About-You just vacated and leans back in it with a groan.

“How on earth do you look so alert and put together?”

“Trust me, I’m neither,” I reply.

Katie lets out a small laugh and snags a piece of strawberry off my plate.

“Okay, so spill,” she prompts, resting her chin on one hand with an expectant expression.

I raise an eyebrow and play dumb. “Spill what?”

“Vivienne! I told you Jace Dawson is treated like a god on this campus, partly because he acts like one. He hardly ever bothers to interact with us mere mortals who are not on the football team unless he has to. I’ve never seen him say more than a couple words to a girl, much less carry her up to his room in front of the entire football team. What the hell was that about? I didn’t even know you two know each other!”

“We don’t know each other, we’ve just…” I pause, unsure how to characterize our interactions. “We’ve just talked a few times. Actually, argued would be a more accurate description.”