My Roommate Is A Werewolf

The Conspiracy

Amara woke up to the worst headache of her life. Her brain throbbed like it was trying to punch through her skull. Her lips were dry, cracked. Her tongue tasted like glue. The room spun softly. The light was golden, dim, almost kind, but to her it was too much. She blinked once, then groaned.

She turned, looking for her pillow, maybe the stack of textbooks she sometimes fell asleep on. But instead her face landed on something warm. Solid. Bare.

Her eyes flew open.

A chest. A real chest. Not a dream one. Her fingers had actually pressed into the muscle before she flinched back like she touched fire.

Leo.

She screamed.

It wasn't loud. More like a panicked squeak. Her legs kicked out, tangled in unfamiliar sheets. The bed dipped. She rolled and hit the floor with a thud.

"What the hell," she hissed, holding her head.

"Oh you're up," Leo's voice came from above. Lazy. Unmoved. Like this was all normal.

Amara squinted at him. He was still in bed. Shirtless. His dark hair sticking out like someone had run their hands through it. She hoped to God it wasn't her.

"Why am I in your room?" she croaked.

"Because you locked me out of yours," he said, rubbing a hand over his face. "Then you started yelling about the patriarchy and how bras are modern chains."

She froze. Then slowly looked down. Oversized t-shirt. Not hers. Leo's shorts. Her legs were bare.

Her face flushed. "Did you—"

"No," he cut her off, voice suddenly sharp. "Relax. You puked on yourself. Like a whole exorcist situation. I changed you. Eyes closed. Swear."

She groaned again, pulled her knees to her chest. "Kill me. Please. Just bury me in the backyard."

He snorted. "I considered it. But I didn't want to get my shoes dirty."

"You're so annoying."

"Thanks."

She peeked up. "Wait. Did I sleep here the whole night? With you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You crawled into my bed at some point. Don’t look at me like that. You were sleepwalking or something. Mumbled something about monsters. Then kneed me in the stomach."

She pressed both hands to her face and moaned. "I wanna go back in time. Undo yesterday."

He kicked the blanket off. "You and me both. Now get out."

She looked up. He wasn’t laughing anymore. His face had gone blank. Cold. Almost irritated.

"Leo..."

He stood up, walked past her, didn't even look back. "Get out before I call pest control."

The door slammed behind him.

Amara tried to remember everything that had happened after she left the party but she came up blank. She hadn't drank…had she?

How come she found it hard to remember all that had happened.

Later that day, school felt like a stage and she was the headline act. People whispered. A few pointed. Someone actually winked.

In the hallway, Becky Linn met her with a mix of horror and sympathy. "You're like a legend now. That slap? Viral."

Amara winced. "God. Just shoot me."

"People are calling you Queen A."

She shut her locker slowly. "That doesn’t make it better."

"Also, Kevin’s got a black eye now. Did you punch him again?"

"No!" She blinked. "Wait. What?"

Becky nodded, leaning in. "I heard someone jumped him. Badly. Some say it was Leo."

Amara’s hand jerked. Her water bottle slipped and clattered to the ground.

"Leo?" Her voice came out high.

"I dunno," Becky shrugged. "Just rumors. But someone beat Kevin up last night. Pretty bad."

Amara frowned. She hadn’t seen Leo that morning. After he shoved her out the room, he vanished. Didn't wait for her. No texts. Nothing.

After lunch, she finally saw Kevin again. He limped into the cafeteria, sat at the far end. His face looked rough. Swollen lip. Eye almost purple. He didn’t look her way.

She hesitated, tray in hand. Then walked past him. Didn’t ask. Didn’t stop. Just kept going. It was over. And whoever hit him... well, she muttered a quiet thank you in her head.

The real shock came after last period.

Amara had stayed back to fix a worksheet. On her way to the office, she cut through the stairwell. Voices drifted up the hallway.

She paused.

It was Kevin. And Tasha.

Again.

She rolled her eyes, then kept walking. But a word caught her. Her name. Her lips stilled.

She froze. Backed up. Pressed her ear against the door, breath tight.

"...she deserved it," Kevin said. His voice was low, hard. "Leo just made it worse."

"He hit you," Tasha replied. "Everyone's talking. Said you got decked near the gym."

"Yeah well, he shouldn’t have stuck his nose in."

Silence. Then Kevin spoke again. Colder this time. "He's gonna pay for that. I already made a call."

Amara’s spine stiffened.

"What call?"

"Boys are waiting near Kennedy Street. That alley behind the store. He walks that way, right?"

Tasha was silent.

Kevin added, "Just a little message."

Amara's heart dropped. Literally sank. Her breath came fast.

Leo. Oh God. Leo didn’t tell her. He didn’t say he punched Kevin. Didn't gloat. Didn’t brag. He protected her and stayed quiet.

And now they were going to jump him.

She ran.

She didn’t think. Just moved. Her legs felt like fire, her arms pumping hard, backpack bouncing against her spine.

She pushed past students, barely saw the hallway, just her goal. She slammed out the front doors, skipped the steps in twos.

The parking lot was mostly empty. No Leo.

Her feet hit the pavement, turned the corner, skirted puddles. She ran straight for Kennedy Street, lungs on fire. Her lips were dry again. Eyes stung from wind.

She had to find him.

She didn’t know what she’d say. Didn’t even know what she felt.

Just that Leo Vance—cold, annoying Leo—had thrown a punch for her.

And she couldn't let him pay for it alone.