Chapter 3

Back at the dorm, I pulled the washbasin out from under the bed.

Logan was flying back the day after tomorrow, and his sheets needed to be washed fresh.

I stripped his fitted sheet, soaked it in water, poured in detergent, and squatted down to scrub.

Cold, fragrant suds bubbled over the back of my hands.

The door swung open.

Tristan walked in, holding a bundle of dirty socks and boxers.

Seeing me scrubbing sheets on the floor, the corner of his mouth twitched into a smug grin. He walked up to me, let his hands drop, and dumped the foul pile straight into my washbasin.

Dirty suds splashed all over my face.

I snapped my head up.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Tristan stood over me with his arms crossed, his chin cocked high.

Behind the cracked lens of his glasses, his eyes were colder than I'd ever seen them.

"Washing sheets, washing boxers. It's all laundry."

"Since you're already scrubbing, wash mine too."

"Isn't serving people what you do best anyway?"

"We're roommates. Why play favorites?"

His lips curled with vicious satisfaction.

"What, think it's gross? You literally lick Logan Vance's boots, but washing a pair of boxers for me is beneath you?"

"Figures. A lapdog is still a lapdog. Only knows how to lick rich men's feet. A poor guy isn't even worthy of you washing his socks, right?"

He hammered on the word "poor," wielding his poverty like a poisoned dagger.

I stood up slowly, wiping the suds from my hands onto my sweatpants.

Then I glanced down at the foul-smelling pile in the water.

I reached in, fished it out, walked right up to his chest, and shoved the soaking wet mass straight into his arms.

"Wash your own crap."

I turned back and squatted down to scrub Logan's sheets again.

The dripping wet fabric soaked right through Tristan's shirt. He stood frozen for a second.

Then his voice spiked, screeching like nails down a chalkboard.

"Flynn Vance! What is your problem?!"

"Looking down on me because I'm broke, huh? You only wash stuff for the rich?!"

"Fine! Go keep kissing your billionaire master's ass! Let's see how far that gets you in life!"

His chest heaved violently, his eyes behind that cracked lens glaring at me like a cornered viper.

I ignored him completely.

Our other dormmates finally spoke up.

"Come on, Tristan, that's disgusting. Flynn isn't your maid."

"Seriously, man. Why would anyone wash your underwear?"

Tristan's face flashed from pale to furious red.

He bit his lip, slammed the laundry back onto the floor, and stormed out of the suite.

The door slammed shut with a deafening bang.

About twenty minutes later.

My phone buzzed three times in my pocket.

I pulled it out. Messages from an unknown number.

"Flynn, do you really have to be such a bully?"

"Would it kill you to help him do laundry? Don't you know his hand is injured?"

Buzz.

"Flynn, I never realized you were this cold-blooded."

"You won't even help with a tiny favor. I am so deeply disappointed in you."

Buzz.

"What kind of man are you? Tristan might be poor, but at least he knows how to be grateful. What about you? What can you do besides riding someone else's coattails?"

Buzz.

"I must have been blind to ever date you. Look at how amazing Tristan is, while you just coast through life like a loser. How do you even have the nerve to wear that watch?"

I stared at the wall of text on my screen and burst out laughing.

She would never know that Tristan's "injured hand" was just a Band-Aid slapped over skin that wasn't even cut.

She would never know the sick smirk Tristan had when he dumped his dirty underwear into my basin right in front of everyone.

All she knew was that her precious "Tristan" was a poor, hardworking angel, and I was a spineless parasite.

I opened the thread and typed out a reply.

"If you're that eager to wash his dirty boxers, come over and do it yourself. I won't stop you."

"Also, we broke up. You don't have the right to be disappointed in me."

"Whether I'm a real man or not is none of your damn business."

Sent.

Then I pulled up my contacts and shoved the number straight into my block list.

The screen faded to black.

I went back to scrubbing the sheets.