I giggle from his excitement. “As much as I would love that, I have to go to the bathroom first. Can I borrow a shirt or something if you’re not going to give me my clothes back?” I wait for him to move, but instead he sits staring at me. Playful Kipton is gone. I punch his arm, hoping to bring him back. “I’ll only be a minute. What’s wrong?”

He leans over the side of the bed and grabs one of his clean T-shirt’s from the wash basket. “Nothing. Here.” Instead of handing it to me, he pops my head through the shirt. I stick my arms in the sleeves and pull it down to cover most of my body. The shirt smells like him and I might have to keep it.

“Thank you. Be right back.” I scoot off the bed and hurry to the bathroom at the end of the hall with a very angry bladder hurrying me along. I shut the door and rush over to the toilet. In my haste, I forget to check the seat before sitting down and fall in. Yelping in surprise, I grasp onto the corner of the sink and the toilet paper holder to hold myself up. Gagging, my feet find the floor and I can stand to put the seat down. Men!

I didn’t ask if I can take a shower, but I hop in anyway, turning the water on as hot as I can tolerate it. There’s no way I’m climbing back into Kipton’s bed with all those germs on my body.

Soaking up the warm spray of water, I’m instantly revived and refreshed. Three bottles of body wash line the shower wall and after sniffing each one, I easily know which belongs to Kipton. I pour a little into my hand and lather up, replacing the germs with his irresistible scent.

I’m forced to wrap Kipton’s t-shirt around me instead of a towel when I finish. My butt is barely covered and the fabric is soaking up the water from my body quickly. I open the bathroom door and check for his roommates. When the coast is clear, I run back to Kipton’s room. Slipping on the hard wood floor, I end up shutting the door with too much gusto, slamming it loudly. “Sorry. Do you have any extra towels in here?” When I turn to face the bed, Kipton’s crouched over with his head in his hands, grasping onto his messy morning hair. “Are you okay?”

He lifts his head and glares at me. “Are you?”

“I’m fine, now.”

“Sophie, please don’t do it in my house.”

Completely confused by his mood swing, I don’t know what to say to him. I’m freezing from the shower and desperately want my clothing back. “I didn’t do anything. Can I have my clothes?”

“No.”

Is he for real right now? “Why not?”

“Because you need to listen to what I have to say first.”

“What’s up your ass all of a sudden?”

“Help me understand why, Sophie?”

I have no idea what he’s asking me. “What did I do? Why are you acting so weird?”

“You threw up your breakfast didn’t you?” He stands up and starts pacing.

Understanding why he’s being so cold, but not willing to put up with it, I defend myself. “Not that I need to justify myself to you or anyone else, but I went to the bathroom. To pee!”

“So, you eat, run to the bathroom as soon as you finish, and come back showered?”

“Yes. I want my clothes, Kipton. Tell me where you put them.”

“You can’t have them until you answer me,” he shouts.

Tears leak from the corners of my eyes. I’m so angry I start to shake. He doesn’t believe me. I raise my voice another octave, “Give them to me. You’re being an ass and have no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe you should get your facts straight before you go accusing people of shit they didn’t do.”

“I’m an ass because I don’t want the girl I care about shoving her head in the toilet every time she puts food in her mouth?”

“Stop it! You don’t know what you’re talking about, Kipton. And you have it all wrong.”

“Sophie you can’t keep this up. You’ll kill yourself. Do you even realize that?” He throws a pillow at the wall and when that doesn’t give him the satisfaction he needs, he launches his cell phone instead. It doesn’t shatter into pieces, instead falling on top of a pile of clothing.

The bedroom door opens and Caleb’s standing in the doorway looking back and forth between Kipton and me. “What’s going on, guys? Kipton, I could hear you yelling through my bedroom wall.”

“None of your fucking business.” Kipton snaps back.

I jump from the unexpected roar of his voice. While I usually avoid Caleb, I couldn’t be more thankful he walked in when he did. He reaches his hand out cautiously, unsure if I’ll accept it or not. When I do, he walks me out of the room. “Are you hurt, Sophie?”

“No. Not physically.” Inside his room he hands me a pair of his shorts and a T-shirt to put on. Kipton’s drenched shirt is barely clinging to my body. “Thank you.” I wipe away my frustrated tears, remembering the words my mom always told me as she bitched about my dad. Never let them see your tears, Sophie, it’s a sign of weakness. Save your tears for your pillow.

Caleb watches me, but doesn’t try to interfere. For once he knows when to shut his mouth. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“Thank you, Caleb.” As the words leave my mouth, I hear tires peel out of the driveway. This time, Kipton’s running.

With him gone, I take a minute to wrap my head around our argument. At least I know he has very little faith in me. I thought he understood why my life is the way it is, but obviously he didn’t hear everything I was saying to him last night. Or maybe, I wasn’t conveying things the way I needed to for him to understand. Either way, I don’t deserve his anger or judgment—especially without him knowing all the facts.

“You ready?” Caleb asks.

“Yeah.”

By the time I get back to my dorm, Cara’s waiting for me outside on the bench next to the entrance. “Sophie, I–”

“Save it Cara, I’m not in the mood.” I was upset at the house, but now I’m angry. How dare Kipton judge me the way he did. I stomp up the stairs, grinding his assumptions into the cement. Screw. You. Asshole.

“Sophie, my brother didn’t mean it. He’s worried about you. He would never be able to live with himself if something happened to you. Especially at his house.”

I stop walking up the last flight of stairs. Facing her, I tell her the truth. “Well he no longer has to worry about me. I won’t be at his house or in his damn bed. And I know he’s your brother, but I’m done, Cara. Done. So if you have a problem continuing to live with me, tell me now. I’ll pack my shit and get out.”

“No, Sophie. You don’t mean any of that. Of course I don’t want you to move. You and Kipton care about each other. Don’t give up on him. He’s an idiot sometimes, but he wants you in his life. That’s why he got so mad. He can’t lose you.”

Under normal circumstances I might take her words into consideration, but not today. “He’s making me fucking crazy.” I stalk down the hall, not even caring about the clothes I’m holding onto so I don’t walk right out of them. Heads are popping out of rooms, left and right, trying to get a look at the drama unfolding. Normally I’d be embarrassed, but right now it’s the least of my worries.

“Sophie, wait,” Cara stops my hand from turning the door knob. “Before you go in there, you have to calm down.”

Oh hell no. “He’s in there isn’t he?”

“Sophie, please. Calm down. You two need to talk.”

I don’t listen to her and when I open the door, I find Kipton sitting on my bed much like the way I found him after my shower. Only this time, he looks remorseful instead of angry. “What do you want, Kipton?”

He looks directly into my eyes. “I’m sorry, beautiful. I lost my shit, and I never should have accused you. I needed to cool off, but as soon as I got in my car I realized what an ass I was. Arguing won’t help you, I know that and I’m sorry.”

Does he deserve my forgiveness—probably. Does it mean he’s going to get it—not right now. “But you did anyway. And you know what, your words hurt. Especially after you told me we were in this together. But you lied—it’s always lies. Nobody can handle the truth.”