I closed my eyes and took my first long pull of that glorious drink. If we had to buy more bottles, then so be it. I was practically addicted to the stuff at this point. And I was glad I finally had someone on my bandwagon. Mom didn’t like spicy things and Dad wasn’t a honey fan. He didn’t like anything that was overly sweet in the first place. Unless, of course, he was talking about the cheesy way my mom went about romance.
I rolled my eyes at the thought.
“So guess what I heard this morning?”
I took another long pull. “I’m surprised you were up this morning.”
She snickered. “By morning, I mean an hour ago.”
“That sounds better.”
“Apparently, there’s going to be another party tonight.”
I paused. “Another one?”
“Yep. Just for the top three levels, though. Not the entire dorm, like last night.”
I blinked. “Yay?”
“Oh, come on. You know you had fun last night. And I saw you watching out for that hunk of meat the entire time.”
“I wasn’t watching out for him. I was watching out for myself. There were way too many people stacked on this floor last night.”
“Trust me, I know a wandering set of eyes when I see them. And you were definitely hunting him down.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I need more coffee for this.”
Hannah snickered. “Anyway, this one is to celebrate. Last night was, like, a campus-wide ‘yay semester’ party. This one is just for this dorm to celebrate the craziness. No random people coming in and out. Just for us, you know? There shouldn't be a lot of people piled in like last night. You’ll enjoy this one better.”
“And if I don’t enjoy it at all?”
“Quit being a party pooper and drink your coffee. I know how you are when you’re tired.”
“Then hush so I can drink.”
Hannah giggled at me as I drained my drink. And, like the wonderful friend she had become, she got me another mug. She stirred the hot honey in before it filled my nostrils, and the only thing I thought about was how to get out of this party. Where I could go on campus in order to have an excuse to get away from it all.
The sound of bikes outside pulled me from my trance.
Hannah rushed to the window. “Nuh. Uh.”
I furrowed my brow. “Are they back out there?”
She grinned. “Why don’t you come take a look for yourself?”
The sound of a roaring engine split the air again and I slipped off my bed. With my coffee held tightly in my hands, I walked over to the window and peeked out, hoping and praying the sound wasn’t them. I didn’t like how those guys made me feel. Just sitting across from campus. Not quite on it, and not quite in it. Hovering, like the creepy guys they were.
But once my eyes fell on the guy who’d helped me with my stuff, a shiver slid down my spine.
And not a cold one, either.
“Where’s that one going?”
I followed Hannah’s pointing finger and saw where the revving engine was coming from. One of the bikers with a rusted-up bike was riding it onto campus. Over the curb, down the sidewalk, and straight for the dorm. My eyebrows rose as he disappeared underneath the awning of the building. I sipped my coffee and lifted my eyes, gazing back over the street.
Just before the sound of roaring engines kicked up again.
“Where do you think they’re going?”