The Roommate from Hell

She did make a mental note to call her mother and ask about taking legal action if things got ugly. But before the class was even half over, she was back to her early determination to do as well as possible on the exam, and the consequence be damned.

After class, Jerrod sidled up to Carrie and Amy before they could escape. "How goes the studying, ladies?" he asked.

"Fine, thanks," Carrie forced herself to say, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"I'll let you know when I start studying," Amy said.

"God, why am I not surprised?" Jerrod said to her. Then he turned to Carrie. "So, Carrie, did you have anything to do with why Rob never came back to our room last night?"

"None of your business," Carrie said, zipping up her backpack.

"Hey, I'm just concerned for my friend," Jerrod said. "He's the type who falls hard when he falls in love. He's had this thing for his best friend's girl lately, too." Amy laughed at his faux-concern, and Jerrod ignored her for the moment. "Carrie, all I'm saying is, I want to know if my friend Rob is in danger of getting his heart broken again. We both know you're out of his league."

"Do we?" Carrie looked straight ahead as they strolled down the hall.

"Look, if you're not going to answer my question, I'm going to assume you two did spend the night together," Jerrod said. "If that's wrong, now's your chance to tell me the truth."

As they were passing the women's restroom, Amy paused outside it. "Carrie, can I borrow a tampon?" she asked.

"No wonder you're not studying yet, too emotional no doubt!" Jerrod declared, and he strolled off with a triumphant grin pasted on his face.

As soon as the bathroom door had closed behind them, Amy unzipped her backpack to retrieve her emergency tampon, but Amy stopped her. "I don't really need that," she said. "It was just the only sure way to get rid of Jerrod."

"And gross him out on top of that," Carrie said. "Good thinking."

"Exactly," Amy said. Noting that one of the stalls was occupied, she peered back out in the hallway and saw Jerrod was gone. "Let's go get a coffee, huh?" she suggested.

Once they were outside and there was clearly no one close enough to overhear, Amy spoke up. "Listen, it's none of my business I know, but I really do care about Rob, and --"

"Yes, he did spend last night with me," Carrie said. "And I care about him too. I think I might be falling in love, Amy."

"Good for you not telling Jerrod, then," Amy said. "I don't know what he's up to, but I'm sure it's something. He's always got an agenda, and he's always taking things out on Rob. It's almost like an abusive marriage."

"He's told me a little about it," Carrie said.

"A little doesn't do it justice," Amy said. "Some of the stuff he's pulled, you don't even want to know. Even last year, before they became roommates, he was always so passive-aggressive. I felt like begging Rob to get a single instead, but he just had to have that big room. And now Jerrod's got ninety percent of it covered with his papers."

"Covered with his papers?"

"He's got them spread all over the floor. He knows where everything is, and if Rob even kicks a scrap of paper out of the way when he's walking from his bed to his desk or something, Jerrod'll demand an apology at least. And of course he won't tolerate that from Rob."

"I can't imagine Rob would be that way anyway," Carrie said.

"Exactly. He's too nice of a guy for his own good. But every time Rob has had enough and he gives him a taste of his own medicine, it's 'How dare you treat me like that?!' Jerrod just doesn't think the rules apply to him."

"I've noticed," Carrie sighed. "Believe me, I've noticed. Speaking of which, this thing about the stolen exam..."

"That's one thing Jerrod wouldn't do," Amy said. "He's an asshole, but he's smart. He doesn't need to cheat and he knows it."

"I don't think anyone in that class would," Carrie said. "Maybe she's right and it's a freshman stealing the wrong exam."

"Could be," Amy said. "Speaking of which, want to go over today's notes now?" They were on the steps of the student union.

"Sure," Carrie said. "But I thought you said you hadn't started studying yet?"

"That's what I told Jerrod," Amy said. "He thinks I'm the most disorganized person on campus."

"No offense, but I thought so too," Carrie said.

"And I work very hard to keep it that way!" Amy said with a conspiratorial grin as they joined the queue to order their drinks. "Jerrod's the most manipulative person I've ever met, but he can't throw a wrench in my works if he doesn't know I have any works!"

"Good thinking," Carrie said, desperately wishing she'd thought of that one herself.

Amy noticed a table opening up. "Hey, let's claim that table," she said.

"Here," Carrie said, handing her two dollars. "You buy my coffee, I'll go there and hold the table."

"Just leave your backpack there," Amy suggested.

"No way," Carrie said. "Never again."

To her surprise, Amy didn't ask her why.

"How's the new love?" Mark asked as Rob joined him and Rebbie at their lunch table.

"How'd you know?" Rob asked.

"It shows," Rebbie said. "We're both really happy for you."

"While you were up by the salad bar getting your drinks," Mark explained, "We both saw you and thought, wow, either he's in love or he just won the lottery!" He laughed, and Rob joined in although he didn't find the joke especially funny.

"Well, I think it's wonderful, Rob," Rebbie said in the motherly tone she hadn't used on him in months. Rob was relieved to hear it again -- maybe at least this meant she was over her suspicions about his feelings for her.

"Thanks," Rob said. "I'm...optimistic."

"Optimistic about what?" Rebbie asked.

"That's so you, Rob," Mark said. "Why not just be happy about it?"

"I almost am," Rob said. "But there's something going on. She almost told me about it last night, you could see she was just about to, but not quite."

"Everybody's scared when they first fall in love," Rebbie pointed out.

"Yeah," Mark asked. "I mean, the first time I danced with Rebbie --"

"Shut up, if you ever want to dance with me again!" Rebbie snapped. When Rob tried but failed to keep from laughing, she grumbled, "Men, always turning everything into a joke."

"Isn't that what you love about him, Rebbie?" Rob asked. "I mean, come on."

"It's a blessing and a curse," Rebbie sighed. "Anyway, Rob, Carrie seems like a really nice gal to me."

"I didn't know you knew her," Rob said.

"Oh, well, I know her a little." Rebbie looked for a sign that Rob had heard about her chat with Carrie and concluded that he probably hadn't. "Just to say hello, you know."

"Same for me up to last week," Rob said. "Funny how fast that can change! We had a mutual friend, and also she's a bio major, so Jerrod knows her...you know, that's another thing."

"Relax, man, there's no way she's sleeping with Jerrod," Mark said. Then he laughed so hard he bent over.

"Pass the brain bleach!" Rob said.

"No kidding," Rebbie agreed.

"No, but here's the thing," Rob continued. "This all started when Jerrod sent me on a wild goose chase to Cloverton Hall to replace some flyers that didn't really need to be replaced. I thought he was just trying to get me out of the room so he could study alone for a little bit. Now I'm wondering was there was something else going on?"

"You think he set you up with Carrie on purpose?" Rebbie asked.

"No way, dude," Mark said. "Why would he want to make you happy? I mean, no offense, but..."

"No, that's true," Rob said. "It's just..." He opted not to tell them about Carrie greeting him at the door in her bra. It did seem too perfect, but also too private to share even with his best buds. "Yeah, I don't know. Just paranoid, I guess."

"I think that's just what he's after," Rebbie said. "Don't let him win."

The conversation turned elsewhere after that. But as soon as Rob had said his goodbyes at the dining hall door, Mark said, "'Don't let him win,' Rebbie?!? What's wrong with you?"

"Well, you know how those two fight like cats and dogs!" Rebbie protested. "Wasn't it you who said Rob had nowhere else to go?"

"Yeah, but...look, he's our friend, he probably just wants to forget about all that. Especially now that he does have somewhere else to go. It's rude, don't you think?"

"Look who's talking," Rebbie said.

"That's just guy talk!" Mark protested.

"Rob's a man, not a guy," Rebbie said.

"Congratulations on your ability to watch teen movies," Mark said. "Now, want to come join me for a drink?" He unzipped his jacket and out tumbled two cartons of orange juice that he'd smuggled out of the dining hall.

"It's Monday afternoon, Mark!"

"It's after lunch, isn't it? And you don't have any classes left today."

"You're lucky I already love you," Rebbie said. She tousled his hair and helped herself to one of the cartons of juice.

As soon as Mark had shut his room door behind them, she asked him, "You didn't really want only a drink when we've got the afternoon to ourselves, did you?" She hooked her fingers in the belt loops of his jeans.

"Rebbie, the sun's out," he said. "We've never done it in daylight."

"First time for everything," Rebbie cooed, leaning in to nibble his ear. "Besides, you could use some practice with your tongue." She laughed and added, "Maybe even you can find the clitoris in daylight."

Mark pulled back. "The girls in high school never complained, you know." But he did unbutton his jeans.

"They were girls, I'm a woman. See?" Rebbie also undid her jeans and pushed them down. "Help me off with this?" She raised her hands and Mark, down to his boxers by then, pulled her shirt off. "The bra, too," she ordered him.

"Like I was gonna leave it on," he said.

"You have before," she pointed out. "You men don't know what a relief it is to get out of your bra."

"Especially if you don't really need one!" Mark burst out laughing so hard he had to sit down on his bed. "Ow!" he said between gales of laugher as Rebbie whipped him with the bra.

His eyes were closed as he laughed, so he didn't notice as Rebbie pulled her panties off. Only when she climbed onto his lap and gave his chest a nudge with both hands did he open his eyes. "Well hello!" he said to her freshly-shaven vulva just before she pushed him back and straddled him to give him an even closer look at it. "Did you just do that yesterday?"

"Thought it might catch your attention better," she said. And it did -- or maybe he just couldn't miss with her nearly sitting on his mouth -- but either way, this time his tongue found the right spot and had her howling in no time. "Oh, that's right!" she whispered as he licked her a bit too hard but she didn't dare complain. She reached back and stroked the bulge in his boxers. "That's right, do it!" She rocked so hard it made her small breasts bounce, and she hoped he noticed from beneath that they were big enough to do that at least. Rebbie didn't much care if he did, though, for she soon found herself coming harder and louder than she ever had yet. "OH GOD, YESSSS!" She squeezed her knees tightly against his temples as the joy washed over her. "Wonderful, Mark," she said once it had passed, as she slid off him and got up to open the orange juice cartons that she'd left on his dresser. "You sure you want a drink, now?"

"Yeah, but we're not done, are we?" Mark asked from the bed, where he hadn't moved.

"Greedy, aren't we?" Rebbie asked with a grin as she poured a bit of whiskey into each carton. "But I guess you've earned it." After a swig of the spiked juice, she handed Mark the other carton and lay down beside him with her legs open.

Mark took a drink from his carton as he got up to retrieve a condom from his desk drawer. A chance glimpse at his planner on the desk reminded him of an econ exam next week. "Oh, hey," he said as he handed her the condom to put on him, "Did you hear someone stole a bio exam or something?"

"No, and do you really care about that right now?" Rebbie asked as she grabbed his hard cock in a playfully hard grip. "Really?" She squeezed harder for emphasis.

"AY! No! Of course not!"

"Good answer." She rolled the condom on, and then lay back on the bed. "Now, are you going to tell me it's not a kick making love in daylight, when you can see everything?"

"Of course not," he said as he climbed on top and let her guide him inside her.

"Good answer!" As soon as he was in, she gave him an inner squeeze. "Now, did your girls in high school know how to do that?"

"Actually, yes..."

"Shut up and bang me, Mark. Bang me like Rob's about to knock on the door."

Mark did as he was told. But this time, instead of reciting football statistics to keep from coming too soon, he thought about what Rob had said at lunch. What if he was right and Jerrod was up to something?

Rob spent Monday night in his own bed, but as usual Jerrod made sure he didn't get to sleep until well past midnight. Tuesday morning, as usual, Rob awoke to Jerrod sitting on the edge of his bed to put his shoes on. "I told you before, it's the only clean spot on the floor where I can put my shoes on without stepping on my papers!" he reminded Rob.

"Then clear out some space by your own bed!" Rob grumbled yet again.

"Quit your whining, you know I can't do that," Jerrod said. "You need to get up and study anyway, don't you?"

"Not the point. Especially if you're going to make a point of keeping me up until two-thirty."

"Oh, I didn't keep you up, Rob. I always let you sleep, you know that."

"Fuck off."

"Stop the whining, I mean it," Jerrod said, finally standing up. "We've both got to work together to get along better, and I'm doing everything I can."

"Yeah, right." Rob turned back to the wall.

"Oh, relax. Smile, it's a brand new day." And Jerrod left without turning the lights off.

As soon as the coast was clear, Rob did get up -- no sense in letting Jerrod know he'd won this particular battle, and he did want breakfast. He took a leisurely shower, got dressed and packed his backpack with everything he needed so he wouldn't need to come back to the room all day. Once he felt reasonably sure she'd be awake, he called Carrie. "Could I spend the night with you tonight?" he asked.

"I think you'd better," she said. "Things acting up with Jerrod?"

"They're never not acting up," Rob corrected.

"Just pack some clothes," Carrie replied. "I'll make room in my closet. But you do understand it won't go any farther just yet? This exam, you know..."

"Of course."

"Great! Come drop your clothes off anytime. I don't have any classes until after lunch today. I'll just be here studying."

"Thanks, Carrie." And as soon as he'd hung up, he got his duffel bag out of the closet and stuffed it with three days' worth of clothes. Setting that beside his backpack on his bed, he went over to Jerrod's side of the room and welcomed the memory of Jerrod's stern warning -- "You fucka with my stuffa, and I'll swear you don't get a minute of sleep for a week at least!" -- as he scooped up handfuls of his papers and deposited them on his bed. He didn't stop until the entire length of floor beside the bed was clean for the first time all year. Then, for good measure, he mixed up the papers as best he could without knocking any of them back on the floor.

After locking the door, he write a note on their rarely-used message board. "Jerrod, don't worry, I've made some room by your bed so now you can use your own space for getting your shoes on. Have a nice day!" -- Rob

"He sat on your bed while you were in it?!" Carrie asked him that night in her room.

"He's been doing that for weeks," Rob said. "It's his routine now."

"God, what a piece of work that guy is," Carrie said.

"Sorry if I'm bursting your bubble about him, Carrie," Rob said. "I know it's probably hard to believe if you don't know him the way I do."

"You're not." It slipped out, and Carrie could only hope Rob didn't notice her momentary panic when she realized it.

"So he's pulled stuff like this on you too, has he?"

Carrie gave him a probing look. Was it time? He really didn't appear to know.

She was saved by the bell, as the phone rang. Since Rob had told her all about what he'd done that morning, she wasn't terribly surprised that it was Jerrod. "Is Rob there?!" he snapped at her.

"Oh, hello, Jerrod," she said, welcoming Rob's amused look in response.

"He is, isn't he?! And if I know him, he's probably told you all about what he did!"

"He told me you have a thing for sitting on his bed while he's in it," Carrie replied. "Don't you know anything about boundaries?"

"I know he has no respect for my boundaries! Today he took all my notes from all my classes and mixed them all together! He caused five hours of work! That's how long it'll take me to get everything back in order!"

"What did you expect, treating him the way you do, Jerrod?"

"I expected him to laugh!" he growled, and Carrie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as Rob mouthed the words right along with him. "I have a good mind to demand he pay me for those five hours, I could've spent them working at the herbarium!"

"Good luck with that," Carrie said.

"I take checks, of course," Jerrod said.

"You expect him to pay you for bullying him?" Carrie had forgotten all about her own troubles with Jerrod for the moment.

"Look, just let me talk to him," Jerrod whined. "I know he's there!"

"I never said he was here," Carrie said. "It's an all-female floor, you know."

"Don't forget what I've got on you, Carrie. You heard Connie yesterday morning, you want to get expelled?"

"What you've..." Her voice petered out as she made eye contact with Rob, and then she turned around for a modicum of privacy.

"You think I won't do it?" Jerrod said. "Or that Connie won't take my word for it?"

"That's got nothing to do with Rob, Jerrod."

"You'd just better remember what I told you to do, April first!" Jerrod seethed. "Now more than ever! If Rob is there, you tell him if he doesn't pay me back for those five hours, I'll take all his records and scratch them all with my key. Every last one!" And he slammed the phone down.

Carrie hadn't even had time to put the receiver down before Rob jumped up and hugged her. "I'm so sorry he's dragging you into this!" he said. "I guess now you've seen just what a creep he really is."

"I already knew." She said it under her breath, barely audible.

But he heard it. "You did?" He let her go so she could hang up the phone. "Wait, what was it he said that had nothing to do with me?"

Carrie gave Rob a long, affectionate look, her heart all but bursting for him -- here she wasn't ever quite convinced that he was in on this, and he'd hugged her and apologized before asking that?! "God, Rob, I don't deserve you," she said.

"Oh, don't think that way!" Rob said. "I do that all the time, and -- well, someone's taught me lately how lousy it is to sell yourself short."

"I take it that wasn't Jerrod!" Carrie couldn't help herself, and she smiled in spite of the miserable situation.

"No, it was Rebbie. She's a selfish...you know what, but she did teach me a lesson about being down on yourself. Long story."

"Yeah, I got to know Rebbie a little better this weekend," Carrie said. She sat down on her bed and patted the spot next to her. "Rob, we need to talk."

"You met Rebbie?" Rob asked as he sat down.

"Other way around. She might be selfish, but I think she cares about you. But never mind that for now. Rob, I've got two things to tell you about Jerrod. First, will you be able to get your records out of your room tomorrow?"

Rob chuckled. "He threatened to mess with them, did he? He'll never go there, he knows I'd beat the daylights out of him if he did."