“Hey, Nat!” Ted called as he waltzed right into the apartment I share with four other girls. Of course, it’s not like he was uninvited. Or like I could keep him from coming, even if I didn’t want him to.

I turned around, as I had been both cooking dinner and studying for a chem quiz tomorrow, and immediately noticed the smirk on my best friend’s face.

“What are you up to?” I demanded, rather than asked.

He walked about, stopping where the linoleum kitchen floor met the carpet. He knows I can’t stand anyone else in the kitchen when I’m cooking.

“No, Natalie, the question is what are you up to lately? You haven’t been much of a college student, holed up in here every night. Why don’t you ever go out with your roommates?”

I regarded him in such a way as to silently say, “what’s your angle?” I bought into his ploy by answering, “They go with their boyfriends. I’d rather not be the ninth wheel.”

His eyebrows shot up and his brown eyes began to glow with mirth. “I can fix that.”