Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2024 Alex Winters

ISBN: 978-0-3695-1055-6

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Lisa Petrocelli

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

MY ROOMMATE’S BROTHER

Campus Crush, 4

Alex Winters

Copyright © 2024

Chapter One

Jett

Well, that should be the last of it.

Jett Carlson set the new cardboard box he’d just lugged up three flights of stairs next to the other four boxes he’d also lugged up three flights of stairs.

His brother, Casey, glanced up from his 360-degree gaming console with a forced smile and distracted air. You didn’t have to do that, Jett.

Jett leaned against the open doorjamb, the sounds of other poor suckers schlubbing other cardboard boxes a constant soundtrack in the background. It was Welcome Week at Cheshire College, a chance for early acceptance students to get familiar with the campus before the rest of the freshman arrived over the coming weeks. It was also the last chance Jett would have to make sure Casey was all set up in his dorm room before being apart for the first time since their mom died three years earlier.

I mean, someone has to do it, considering you haven’t left that spot since we got here.

Casey rolled his eyes, then bent his head back to the wiring he was doing. Jett ignored him and glanced around the other half of the room, already kitted out with framed movie posters, the bed made with perfectly generic sheets and comforter, a simple desk pushed under the wall with a laptop the only garnish.

Have you met your roommate yet?

It was a rhetorical question, at best. Jett knew without a doubt that Casey’s roommate could have come in the room, introduced himself, done a song and dance, given an eloquent speech, hung all those movie posters, made the bed, and perhaps even taken a ginormous dump in the middle of the dorm room floor and it wouldn’t have phased his younger brother in the least.

Only by his shitty taste in movies, Casey answered, waving a tiny screwdriver toward the posters on the opposite wall dismissively.

"What? Kid’s got great taste. I mean, Earthworm Invaders from Mars 3 was a classic!" Jett inched deeper into the room, glancing at a harried father in the hallway with a smile of commiseration before inching the door gently shut for a little one-on-one with his bro.

Classic? Casey didn’t bother to look up as Jett approached.

Listen, Casey. Look at me.

He gave Casey a few minutes before growling playfully. Casey? Look. At. Me—

Casey put his tool down with a flourish, making eye contact almost fiercely. Fine, Jett. Yes. What is it?

Jett nodded at the computer station, nearly finished, and amassing the wooden desk on Casey’s side of the room. I know you get along just fine in those games of yours, he conceded. But you’re out here now. In the real world. College, remember?

I remember, Casey said, responding as usual to Jett’s cool, calm tone. But I’m here for this… He waved his hand around the high-tech console, which probably cost as much as his first semester’s tuition. Remember?

Jett ignored the snippy tone and doubled down on the Zen speak. "Yes, of course I do, Casey. I’m the one who badgered you to fill out all those forms your senior year, remember? Gathered all those letters of recommendation for you, ticked off all those boxes, and dotted all your i’s and crossed your t’s. I’m well aware you’re here to do … computer stuff, work in the gaming industry at some point. But, you’re also here to expand your horizons. Meet new people. Consider their world views and opinions, you know?"

Casey’s eyes had glazed over ages ago, but somehow managed to glance past Jett’s toward the wall at his back. I already know his world views. They’re pedantic and pedestrian. You know? Like yours?

Jett snorted despite himself. Casey, that’s not—

"Matter of fact, maybe you should room with him since you obviously like all the same basic stuff, huh?"

That’s not the point, Casey. The point is, back home, you had the whole upstairs to yourself. I rarely invaded your space because I trusted you. But here, you’re sharing space. With another human. A stranger, and, well, I just want you to be mindful of that, that’s all.

I’m mindful of that, Casey insisted, waving a pair of high-tech earphones. He won’t hear a thing while I’m blasting the planet of Zegomorph to bits. And neither will you, Jett, as soon as you, you know … scoot? He made a little hand-waving motion.

Scoot? I just got here, Casey. I just hauled your worldly possessions up three flights of stairs so you’d have something to wear other than what you’ve got on, and need I remind you, it’s Welcome Weekend, so I’ve got two more days to bug the shit out of you before I even think of scooting, so—

Chapter Two

Finn

Did I … interrupt something?

Finn Jacobs stood just inside the half-open door, struggling not to smile at the family dynamics and obvious dysfunction filling up his normally quiet room. A pale, skinny kid glanced up from behind an animation studio-worthy computer monitor, and gave a vague half-smile from beneath a predictably thick pair of glasses.

On the contrary, he said in a kind of smarmy tone to match his smarmy face. You’ve got perfect timing.

Finn brightened, inching into the room a little further. That’s the first time I’ve been accused of perfect anything, he said self-consciously. He hoisted the pizza box he held in one hand and the six-pack of soda dangling from the other. Except … perfect taste in dinner?

He would have done jazz hands if his weren’t already full. The computer kid gave another condescending smile before turning back to his keyboard without another glance at Finn’s generous offering. With nowhere else to look, Finn glanced slightly upward at the tall