The Phone That Almost Ruined Everything
I snatched the printout from his hand and plopped myself down on his roommate’s desk without asking.
(His roommate was Logan, who was probably throwing some kind of party on the roof right about now. That was another problem I’d have to deal with eventually.)
I turned the desk lamp to its brightest setting and began checking the solutions one by one, the ones some kid had scribbled down so carefully.
In the end, neither of us got what we wanted.
I wasn’t thrown out into the hallway, and Cyrus didn’t beg on his knees. He simply assigned me a decent amount of grading.
Figures.
I’d done this kind of thing countless times when I was younger.
Especially with my nanny’s son.
Even though I never knew what he looked like, he had always been my academic comrade. We used to trade printouts like this, comparing each other’s solutions and ideas.
At least until my nanny was unfairly driven away.
…Anyway, that’s too dark a story. Let’s stop there.
For the next twenty minutes or so, the only sound in Quinton’s room was the scratch of pens racing across paper.
I glanced at the clock, then switched off the lamp and drew the curtains over the small window near the top of the hallway wall.
It was almost time for Mr. Holdane to make his rounds.
“Quinton, turn the light down a bit.”
He didn’t respond to my suggestion. The way his hand was flying across the page made it clear he was the type who heard absolutely nothing when he was focused.
I walked over myself and dimmed the lamp.
“Ah.”
He finally looked up, as if coming out of a trance. I grinned at him.
“It’s not a bad idea. You don’t want to catch the teacher’s attention on purpose, do you?”
He set his pen down with an irritated clack and rubbed his face with both hands.
He seemed to be muttering something about how annoying this was, but I let it go in one ear and out the other, just like he’d done to me earlier.
Right now, Cyrus had no choice but to go along with my request.
After lights-out he might be able to report me as an intruder, but not at this moment. If a teacher caught us now, we’d both be held responsible, and that would be an enormous hassle.
I flopped down on the bed right next to him.
There was still enough faint light to see by. A single sheet of paper, folded in half, lay on the pillow.
Without thinking, I picked it up.
The reason I felt no guilt about touching someone else’s belongings was simple: it was one of the printouts I had made.
“I didn’t know Logan had taken one of these.”
Even if he’d just tossed it on the pillow and was breaking the rules again tonight.
Still, the fact that someone had actually kept it made me grateful.
“That’s my spot.”
Quinton spoke in a low voice, chin resting on his hand at the desk.
“What?”
“The bed you’re sitting on. It’s mine. So if you know that, could you move?”
“Logan left my printout on your bed?”
His teal-green eyes, shadowed by the dim light, turned toward me. The gaze behind those silver-rimmed glasses was filled with unmistakable contempt.
It seemed I had said something completely ridiculous.
“Wait… did you take it?”
He let out a sigh before answering. Apparently he had decided there was no point in trying to kick me out of his room.
“Speak accurately. It wasn’t that I took it. Weren’t you the one who forced it on me?”
Oh. When he put it that way, I guess that was true.
Saying he’d been saddled with it wasn’t exactly the kindest way to phrase it, but for some reason it made me laugh.
I was clearly losing my mind, and honestly, today’s version of me had every right to.
“At least one copy got distributed, then.”
“A few people probably took them.”
“Really?”
“They said they were going to show them around other dorms.”
The thought of my embarrassing printout making its way to other dormitories was strangely pride-inducing.
“Well, at least everyone will know that I, as class president, have finally started taking action.”
He didn’t reply again. It looked like he intended to wait in silence for the dorm supervisor to pass. I set the printout down and kept quiet too.
Two people in a room with zero conversation should have felt awkward, but surprisingly it didn’t.
If anything, it felt comfortable.
Which was incredibly strange, considering the person sitting with me was Cyrus Quinton.
Wasn’t he the single greatest threat in my entire life?
He might not be a bad guy after all.
The thought came out of nowhere.
After all, a truly bad person wouldn’t take the time to write careful, detailed answers to children’s math problems.
Not that it changed anything. Still.
I was smiling faintly at the thought when I felt eyes on me. I turned my head and immediately locked gazes with Quinton.
“…?”
“…You.”
He was about to say something in that quiet voice of his when careful footsteps echoed from the hallway.
It had to be Mr. Holdane.
Tension flooded my face, and Cyrus looked pretty tense himself.
But nothing should happen. The lamp was dimmed, and the curtains were drawn. There was no way the supervisor would notice us.
Even so, I felt my chest tightening little by little. It was strange.
Then it happened.
Inside the quiet room, a familiar melody began to play—the default ringtone that came with every phone.
I stared at him in disbelief.
Did he not know the rule about turning off your phone or switching it to silent after lights-out?
I literally wrote it in my printout!
I tried to signal him with my eyes to turn it off immediately, but he didn’t even reach for the phone sitting on his desk.
Oh my god, are you seriously trying to drag me down to hell with you…?
I was holding back a scream when I noticed something even more horrifying. Cyrus’s phone screen was dark.
And one more thing. My own phone was also set to that exact same default ringtone.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I yanked my phone out of my pocket and quickly ended the call. In that time, Cyrus clutched his forehead and muttered, “This idiot!”
The footsteps were clearly heading straight for us now. They must have heard the ring.
What do we do?
I looked at Quinton in despair. Without warning, he shoved my shoulder hard. My body tumbled backward in an instant and landed on his bed. A thick comforter was thrown over me.
He was telling me to hide.
It was clumsy, but I had no other choice right now. I curled up inside his bed.
A knock sounded at the door. Cyrus sighed and got up to open it.
“I’m sorry, sir. I forgot to change the setting.”
“Please be more careful. And… excuse me for a moment.”
The supervisor’s footsteps drew closer to where I was hiding.
Had I been caught? If so, this was the absolute worst.
The essay topic I’d be assigned would probably be “On the Reasons I Arbitrarily Crawled Into Cyrus Quinton’s Bed,” and it would remain on my permanent record forever.
I don’t want that! Please, someone save me!
Mr. Holdane’s steps stopped right beside the bed.
Maybe I should just get up now and confess? At least then I might be able to change the essay topic…
“I’ll speak to Blake. He does this sometimes.”
Just as I decided to count to three and come out, Cyrus’s voice cut through the air.
It was obviously a lie, but there wasn’t the slightest tremor or awkwardness in his tone. Only the weariness of someone dealing with a troublesome roommate.
“Understood. Even if you share a room, it’s an important dorm rule that everyone sleeps in their own bed. I’ll make sure to remind him.”
I could almost feel the supervisor’s sharp eyes piercing through the blanket. I did my best not to move at all.
“Yes, sir.”
The sound of the teacher walking away felt slower than a turtle.
Click.
Even after the door shut completely, I stayed hidden under the covers, holding my breath.
Just in case.
By the way, I felt terrible for Cyrus. He was probably going to get blamed for leaving his phone on because of me.
“Underwood.”
At the quiet call, I carefully sat up. Feeling a little embarrassed, I fiddled with my messy blonde hair.
“Um…”
I should probably thank him first, right?
That’s what I thought as I got up, but no words came out.
Or rather, I forgot them completely. In one swift motion he closed the distance, leaned down, and brought his face level with mine.
So close our breaths mingled.
“Underwood.”
He called my name again.
In his eyes, I could see nothing but my own reflection staring back.