Stronger With You

Chapter 2

After orientation and a couple more awkward moments when students decided I was the newest nerd, Callie and I ended up sitting cross-legged on the floor between our beds, our schedules spread out like we were planning a military operation instead of our first day of college.

“Okay,” she said, tapping her pen against the paper. “Tell me you at least have something with me. I refuse to emotionally survive this place alone.”

I leaned over and compared our class lists.

“American Literature,” I said. “And… Sociology.”

Her eyes lit up. “Before lunch?”

“Yeah.”

She grinned. “We’re basically best friends now.”

I wasn’t sure that was how it worked, but I smiled anyway.

It was… nice. Sitting there. Not feeling like I had to be on edge. Not waiting for a mood to shift or a voice to get loud.

Callie’s phone buzzed, and she glanced at it. “Oh, my mom. Hold on.”

She put it on speaker without even asking.

“Hi, Mama,” she said, stretching out the word.

I tried very hard not to listen. I failed immediately.

There was laughter. Questions about the room. About her classes. About whether she’d eaten.

“Yeah, I met my roommate,” Callie said, then looked at me. “Emery, come here.”

I froze.

Before I could object, she turned the phone toward me. “This is Emery. She’s very quiet and very sweet and we’re going to keep her.”

“Hi, Mrs. Vega,” I said, like a normal human who was not internally panicking.

Her mom was… warm. You could hear it in her voice. She asked me where I was from. What I was studying. Told me she was glad Callie wasn’t alone.

When Callie hung up, she smiled at me. “See? You’re family now.”

That word hit weird.

Family.

“Do you want to call home?” she asked gently.

I didn’t even have to think about it. “No.”

It came out too fast.

Callie didn’t push, but her eyes softened in a way that made me uncomfortable. Like she was starting to see something I hadn’t said out loud.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “Okay.”

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the unfamiliar quiet. No doors slamming. No raised voices. No tension humming in the walls.

It felt… wrong.

The next morning, I went back to my usual uniform. Baggy shorts. Oversized hoodie. Hair in a messy bun that was less “effortless” and more “gave up.” I was nothing special. Short at just over five feet and messy light brown hair. I even had those weird mismatched eyes. One Blue and one Green. Of course I would get the weird genes thanks to my biological dad. At least that's what my mom tells me. He ran away as soon as he heard my mom was pregnant.

Callie watched me from her bed.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m giving you my secret.”

She rummaged in her bag and came back with a tube of lip gloss.

“This,” she said seriously, “is the key to a good day. No matter what. You put it on and POOF, a great day, just like that. Pinky promise, it’s the best!”

She swiped some on her own lips, then held it out to me.

I hesitated. Then took it.

It felt… silly. But also kind of nice.

I put it on.

I still felt like me. Just… shinier.

We left the dorm early. Callie didn't want to take a chance at being late, and we were both unsure about where to go exactly. Callie chatted the whole way, which was nice because I didn't have to talk much.

American Literature..... it ended up being in a big lecture hall.

And of course the world hates me because Blaire Kensington and her entire court were already there.

So was Allie.

And Nicolás.

And his group of human accessories.

And a guy I never seen before.

I noticed the guy because he was nothing like the rest of them. He had messy blond hair like he didn’t believe in mirrors, bright blue eyes, and an easy, laid-back posture that didn’t match Nicolás’s controlled, polished one at all. If Nicolás looked like he belonged on the cover of something expensive, He looked like he belonged in a beach ad.

“That’s Ryker,” Callie whispered, following my gaze. “Nico’s best friend.”

Her voice did something weird on the last part.

“Uh-huh,” I said. “You sound very normal about that.”

She shot me a look. “I am being normal.”

She absolutely was not.

We sat a few rows back. I tried to make myself invisible.

It did not work.

One of the guys behind Nicolás leaned forward. “Did she get dressed in the dark?”

Another snorted.

Callie turned around. “They’re annoying,” she said under her breath. “Ignore them. And my cousin is… complicated.”

“Uh-huh,” I muttered. “I’m sure he’s secretly a teddy bear.”

She winced. “He is. Kind of. Deep, deep, deep down.”

I did not believe this propaganda.

We were getting our notebooks out when Blaire walked past our row with a coffee in her hand.

She stopped.

“Oh no,” she said.

And dumped it straight into my lap.

Cold coffee soaked into my hoodie and shorts.

The room went quiet.

“Oh my God,” someone whispered.

My face burned.

“I’m so sorry,” Blaire said, not sorry at all. “I’m just so clumsy.”

Callie was on her feet instantly. “You did that on purpose.”

“Did I?” Blaire blinked. “Oops.”

Callie grabbed my arm. “You’re such a b***h Blaire! Come on Emery let’s get cleaned up.”

She marched me out and helped me blot at my clothes with paper towels while I tried very hard not to disappear into the floor.

When we came back, Blaire was waiting.

Her smile was gone.

“Did you just call me a b***h?” she asked Callie loudly.

The room went quiet again.

Callie lifted her chin. “If the shoe fits.”

Blaire’s face flushed. “You think you can talk to me like that?”

“Don’t,” Nicolás said, standing up.

Every head turned.

“Back off,” he said flatly. “You don’t get to talk to my cousin like that.”

Blaire stared at him. “She insulted me.”

“You dumped coffee on her friend,” he said. “On purpose.”

Blaire scoffed. “I said I was sorry.”

“Riiiiight.” he murmured sarcastically.

She huffed and turned away, furious.

Then Nicolás looked at me.

His eyes flicked to my coffee-stained hoodie.

“Well,” he said lightly, “that thing looks like it belongs at Goodwill anyway.”

A couple of his friends laughed.

It stung anyway.

But his face didn’t match his tone. He looked… annoyed. Not amused.

And he kept watching me.

Blaire tried to get on his good side again, which didn’t take much. She was laughing, leaning in, touching his arm. Damn touching everywhere possible.

AND he just let her. Didn’t even try to move. My face was doing something visibly irritated and deeply unflattering for the rest of class, and I couldn’t stop it. He kept glancing at me like I was about to catch fire. If I did, Blaire was first. He was a close second.

Ryker, however, didn’t laugh. Didn’t say anything. He just looked between me and Nicolás, like he was filing something away for later. Interesting……

I crossed my arms and tried to finish the class. It was only an introduction but I am not about to lose my scholarship over a rich petty b***h and her boyfriend.

I already didn’t like this place.

And I really, really didn’t like him.