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Wendy perched uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa in the West Tower Common Room and listened to Torrin give a blow-by-blow account of the rugby game he’d played the previous Saturday.
It was fine to be in the common room of one of the other schoolhouses, but it happened rarely. People tended to stick to their own, and after only ten minutes Wendy was already wishing she were back in North Tower with her friends.
Logan had been annoyingly right. While Wendy did find Torrin’s parents and their work quite fascinating, she couldn’t really say the same for Torrin. He talked about sport all the time. He was definitely attractive, not as handsome as Logan and not as tall as Logan either, but as Wendy was quite short herself, she hadn’t seen that as a problem. Plus Torrin had a fit body; all that sport had paid off, giving him great muscle definition. He also had the Scottish thing going for him – a genuine Highlander. Yup, he was a catch, not to mention a year older, which meant he should be more mature than Logan. Except it was kind of hard to tell if he was because he was absolutely impossible to hold a conversation with. No matter what topic they started on, it just seemed to swing back around to rugby.
When they’d first met in the school library, Torrin had been reading the same book she was searching everywhere for. It had been a total meet-cute. He’d photocopied the last few pages for himself and then given her the book. Clearly he liked to read, and he could talk knowledgably about literature, just not for very long.
“Sorry, Torrin, I’m going to have to go in a minute. I’ve got a ton of homework to do.” Wendy looked at her watch with pretend regret.
“Oh sure, just listen to how we scored this last try. So, Clem passed the ball to Clarke, using a dummy switch, and then Clarke punted it all the way down to their twenty-two. I was running to get under it, but...”
“Actually, I think I should head off now,” Wendy interrupted.
“Okay, no worries. Listen, we don’t have a match this Saturday, and it’s a visiting weekend for parents. Would you like to meet mine?”
Wendy’s face lit with enthusiasm for the first time, then fell again. “I think my dad might be coming, with his... fiancée.” She pulled a face as she said the last word. “Then again, I’ll just tell him I’m busy – I can see him another time.”
“Great, if you’re sure. We’ll organise it later in the week.” He walked her back to the stairs and along the gallery until they reached the door to North Tower. He took a quick look around and then pulled her in for a kiss.
Nice, thought Wendy, but not heart-racing. Damn you, Logan Moss!
***
LOGAN WAS LISTENING to music, sprawled on a couch in the North Tower Common Room with his feet up on the table and oversized headphones sending a clear message not to disturb him. But he yanked them off the moment Wendy walked into the room.
He took in her flushed cheeks and instantly decided that she had just been kissed. He frowned, opening his mouth to say something, then closed it again, realising he didn’t have the right to pass comment.
Wendy gave him a brief look of loathing, before stalking across the room and going through the door that led to the girls’ dormitories.
Logan sat where he was for a few minutes, unwilling to admit to himself that he had been unconsciously waiting for Wendy. He put his music back on, but five minutes later he turned it off again with a sigh and went down to the library to email Trent.
He needed advice. He still felt almost embarrassed about his crush on Wendy, certainly too much to talk to his other roommates, but at least Trent was thousands of miles away as well as being his best friend. He might laugh, but at least he’d help.
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FROM: LOGANMOSS.UK – To: Trentonzhang.ca
Hi, buddy, I don’t know if you’re around, but this Wendy situation is eating at my sanity! Have I gone nuts? She just isn’t my type at all, so why am I getting so hung up on this one weird girl? It’s the worst choice ever, what with our parents being engaged etc. But I’m actually feeling really gutted about her going out with this other guy. It’s not like she’s the one that got away or anything dramatic like that, because as you know I strike out just as often as I get anywhere, so why am I starting to obsess about her? Please talk some sense into me!
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FROM: TRENTONZHANG.ca – To: Loganmoss.uk
Hey, dude. I don’t think you’ve gone nuts. You just finally connected with someone. You normally keep it so light they never affect you, but I think that with Wendy you genuinely met a kindred spirit. I know the two of you are opposites on the surface, but it sounds to me like underneath all that defensive outer shell, you’re actually pretty similar. You like Wendy because she “gets” you. The real you. And maybe those other girls weren’t really your type at all, it was just easier to go with that than have something real?
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FROM: LOGANMOSS.UK – To: Trentonzhang.ca
Hey! You weren’t supposed to say that! You were supposed to tell me it’s just some crazy lust I need to get out of my system.
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FROM: TRENTONZHANG.ca – To: Loganmoss.uk
You can tell yourself that if you want to. But I know you. You like her, so do something about it.
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FROM: LOGANMOSS.UK – To: Trentonzhang.ca
This is exactly why I’m glad you moved to Canada, you know me too well! Oh well, at least best mates are always honest with you, even if you don’t want to hear it.
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FROM: TRENTONZHANG.ca – To: Loganmoss.uk
Um, yeah. About that...