The Fire In My Eyes by Christopher Nelson Page B

bastard. Incredibly lucky. Amazingly lucky. What had I done to deserve this? “Hi!”
    “Who's that?” Jess whispered.
    “I know her from class. Must be Kaitlyn's roommate.” I whispered back.
    Andreas cleared his throat. “Jessica, could you assist me with setup?”
    Jess pointedly turned her back on me and knelt down beside Andreas. I took the given opportunity to walk over to Nikki. My palms were sweaty and I was suddenly nervous. Why? I'd had dinner with her several times, we were comfortable together, and I really liked her. “I didn't know you'd be here,” she said, suddenly looking down. Her cheeks were flushed. At least she seemed equally flustered. “Kaitlyn didn't tell me anything.”
    “She wouldn't have known. I've never met her before,” I said.
    She nodded and looked me over, then whistled. Behind me, I heard Jess stifle a laugh. “I knew you'd look better in darker colors. All black is a little much, but you still look great.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “You look pretty good yourself.”
    “Thanks! So these are all your friends?” Nikki asked, looking around the room.
    I nodded. “Over there, the girl I was just talking to, that's Jess. The guy with her is Andreas, he's our wing's residence assistant.”
    “I see. Are they dating?” she asked. “They seem pretty close.”
    “No, they aren't. I think they're both interested in other people. Besides, if they were dating, why would they be here at an anti-Valentine's Day gathering?”
    Nikki slapped her forehead. “There you go, using that logic thing again.”
    I chuckled. “Over there with Kaitlyn, the tall one is Drew, the one with the ponytail is Max. They're my roommates. The short girl is Lisa. I guess she's friends with Kaitlyn?”
    “Yeah, Kaitlyn talks about her a lot. I haven't actually met her yet. Aren't you going to introduce me?” She smiled at me again. I led her over to the table with drinks and snacks where the others were.
    “So he was holding me at arm's length and I couldn't punch him, so I kicked him in the shins,” Lisa was saying as we walked over there.
    “Then she headbutted me right here when I let go,” Drew added, rubbing his chest. “I folded like a dollar bill. Got me right in the solar plexus. She's such a violent woman.”
    “I told you I was sorry!” Lisa said.
    Drew ignored her and looked at me. “Hey, Kev, this the hottie you were talking about before?” He yelped as Lisa suddenly smacked him in the back of the head.
    Nikki blushed. I grinned. “This is Nikki, Kaitlyn's roommate, and classmate of mine. We've been having dinner together on occasion. Weird how stuff like this works out, isn't it?”
    Both Lisa and Kaitlyn looked at us with eyes gone wide, then both grinned. Some sort of relationship calculus was going on behind their eyes. I could see it in their expressions. They exchanged glances, then Lisa looked directly at me, and Kaitlyn looked across the room at Andreas. I did not understand what sort of group dynamic was going on here, but I was sure that I wasn't going to like it.
    Max sneered. “So, you think you're good enough for our roommate? We shall see.”
    Lisa marched over and cuffed him in the back of the head as well. “You are such an asshole! Stop messing with her!” She turned and drove herself between me and Nikki. “Hi, I'm Lisa. If any of these animals, especially Kev, say anything mean to you, just let me know. I'll beat them up for you. Your hurt feelings are my hurt feelings!”
    “Thanks?” Nikki sounded a little confused. Max caught my eye and pantomimed holding his hands in front of his crotch, just like soccer players did during penalty kicks. I winced and nodded. Lisa did not make empty threats.
    “Ok, let's watch some terrible movies!” Lisa called out. Drew flopped down in the middle of a couch, leaving plenty of room on either side. Andreas and Jess picked a couch close to the TV, and to my surprise, Kaitlyn sat with them, trapping Andreas between herself