Free In Too Hard (Freshman Roommates Trilogy, Book 3) by Mara Jacobs

said, “Well, you better go and take your share of shit.”
    His grin died a little as he nodded. He reached for the keyboard, probably to disconnect, then pulled his hand back. “Hey, Syd?”
    “Yes?”
    He took a deep breath, looked down, and then back up at me. “The sweater wasn’t the real reason I wanted to FaceTime instead of call.”
    “No?” I said, thinking that maybe he had intended to fire me after all.
    “No,” he said. “I really… really …wanted to see you.”
    I literally could not speak. I finally just nodded and mouthed, “Me too.” He smiled a small, almost sad, smile and then he was gone.
    I stared at the blank screen for a long time.

 
     
    Chapter Nine
     
     
    D oes your roommate Jane have a boyfriend? He texted me on Saturday.
    No FaceTime. No phone call. A text. About Jane being single.
    Shit.
    And it’d been so great video chatting with him the past couple of days. Yesterday I even picked my laptop up and moved it around the office, showing him the different piles and what they represented, even going through a couple of the piles and showing how everything had been sorted by date and character.
    And we’d spent as much time talking about things other than his book. Like…well, other writers’ books.
    But it had been great. And now he was asking if Jane was single. Via text?
    I was half tempted to text that she indeed was very serious with some Bribury guy and was head over heels in love—her flirting with him just being a big joke to her. But I didn’t.
    No. No boyfriend. She’s very single.
    She and I had trolled some parties looking for guys, but she wasn’t interested in anybody. And anybody I was, didn’t seem interested in me—at least not for more than a one-night stand.  
    Well, she’s gonna have a boyfriend now. Or, at least for tonight.
    My phone almost dropped from my hand. Jane was with Montrose? Was he in Baltimore, or was she in New York? And Montrose was finally going to cave?
    Is she? I texted back.Vague. Noncommittal. Not too prying. You’re with her? I couldn’t resist adding.
    Yes. Well, not WITH her, but she’s here. And some guy just planted one on her on the dance floor.
    Dance floor? She was clubbing in Manhattan? And getting kissed in the middle of a dance floor? I knew anything was possible with Jane, but, still.
    I’m at a wedding she’s at. A wedding she’s in, actually.
    Oh, right. Her half sister’s wedding.  
    You’re at Betsy Stratton’s wedding?
    Yes. I went to Brown with her and Jason. He’s the guy who we went for drinks with on Christmas night.
    Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that Billy Montrose had been friends at Brown with Betsy Stratton, but I hadn’t known Jane then, hadn’t known of the weird connection Jane had with the Stratton family, so had never put it together.
    Is her dress hideous? She was afraid the dress was going to be God awful.
    Shoot. I shouldn’t have asked that. I didn’t want him studying how good or bad Jane looked. Unless the dress truly was hideous and she looked like a hot mess.
    A second ago her guy was twirling her, and she seemed to like the dress just fine. Was smiling ear-to-ear.
    Jane?
    Haha. That’s what I thought. But yep, she’s here. I knew about her of course, through Betsy, but was surprised to see she was a bridesmaid. I didn’t think she and Bets were that close.
    They’re not. It’s a long story. Jane didn’t even want to be there.
    Well she’s looking pretty happy dancing with this guy.
    That was part of the deal she’d made—Jane looking happy to be there, playing the part of loving sister. But maybe it was more than her fulfilling her part of the bargain?
    Do you know who the guy is? I figured he might be another college buddy that Montrose went to school with, seeing as both the bride and groom were Brown grads.
    No. Never saw him before. He’s younger than my group. Looks a little older than Jane. Wearing a tux. And a short ponytail.
    Ponytail? I just could