“There are leftover enchiladas in the fridge if you’re hungry,” Katie says.
“Takeout?” I ask.
“Hadley made them.”
“They’re good,” Carsen adds.
I nod. “I need to go grab some notes from her.”
“From Hadley?” Katie turns rigid.
“We have a class together.”
“You and Hadley?” she repeats.
“Indeed.”
“Nolan…”
“Relax. It’s just notes.”
She doesn’t relax.
“I’m putting the ice cream in the freezer.” I move out of sight before she can say more. I put the ice cream away and head downstairs to set my stuff down.
I flip on the lights and start to lower my bag of clothes to the ground, when my heart rate spikes, and I jump back two feet at the sight of a long, brown diamond patterned snake coming out from under my bed.
It takes several seconds for me to register it hasn’t moved, and then I toss my bag of laundry at it for good measure.
The toy snake rolls sideways.
I grin and retrieve the rubber snake. With my backpack and snake, I head upstairs, catching Katie's expression as I head up to the second floor. I stop at Hadley’s door where I knock twice.
“Come in,” she calls.
I push the door open, and my smart-ass comment about the prank dies on my tongue at the sight of Hadley on her bed, hair tied up, wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a baggy long-sleeved shirt. It’s the most casual I’ve seen her, and it triggers the desire to see her like this every damn day.
She looks at the snake and her shoulders sink. “I didn’t know what time you’d be here. I should have studied down at the kitchen table. I was planning to hide in your room so I could record your reaction. Tell me you jumped. Was there a scream?”
“So loud, I’m surprised you didn’t hear me.”
“You weren’t scared at all?” She slides off the bed and walks toward me, taking the snake. “It looks so real. How’d you know it was fake?” She slithers it, playing with it like a child.
“I’ve never seen a snake inside.”
“I have,” she says. “We once had a rattlesnake get in through the doggy door. It got under the oven. My dad thought my mom and I were hearing things, and then one night when he was getting water, it poked his head out.” She pushes the snake's head toward me an inch. “Needless to say, he believes us now when we say we hear something.” She grins.
I return her smile.
“He’s been down there, waiting to haunt you for over a week. That was rather anticlimactic.”
“Have you been icing your ankle?”
She glances at her taped ankle. “I was just about to.”
“You’re full of bullshit.”
She flashes another smile. “I was thinking about it.”