KAI
The walk from the campus gates felt longer than usual and It wasn't because of the atmosphere. It was because of the news I had gotten.
A change in room? Who would have thought that the administration would make such a decision at the last minute?
But I wasn't going to accept. I would try and fight for another slot because no one in their right mind wants to be roommates with a devil.
As I walked the stone paths toward the administrative wing, the students around me pointed fingers as they walked past and beside me.
"No way," a girl whispered to her friend as I passed, her eyes darting from her phone to me. "That's him? The one rooming with Aiden Cross?"
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Aiden and I slowed my pace to listen.
"Poor guy," a tall Beta remarked to a group of athletes near the fountain. "He has no idea what he's in for. Room 207 is basically a lion's den now."
"His roommates don't last a day and even if they did, they would withdraw from the college the next week." Another chimed in.
I heaved a deep sigh.
The news was already traveling faster than I could walk. "Room 207 — Kai Hayes and Aiden Cross." I repeated it internally, the words tasting foreign in my mouth.
The name Aiden Cross was the name of the devil and everyone knew who he was. It belonged to the most powerful, lone Alpha of the basketball team, the future leader of Cross-X Enterprise, and also, the most popular guy in this academy. He was strong, dangerous, and completely out of my league even though we are teammates. And now, he is my new roommate.
Great. Just great.
I forced myself to keep moving, ignoring the eyes tracking my every step.
There were Students flocking around the central halls, pushing and shoving to find their own assignments.
I shifted to the side, letting them clamor like the band of merry men they wanted to be even though my mind was racing pretty fast.
I had managed to survive my first year In disguise as an Omega because my roommate was barely around and I had thought that I could go along with the facade this year because we have been promised separate rooms this playoff season but it didn't turn out as expected because it has been confirmed that I was rooming with Aiden Cross now.
Pinching the bridge of my nose in exhaustion, I forced myself to understand why they would room me with someone like him? Who the fuck made up that list anyway?
Aiden Cross was an S-Rank Alpha basically at the top of the food chain and I was nothing compared to him not even my disguise as a D-Rank Alpha.
Clutching the strap of my bags tightly, I marched off to coach's office for a confrontation and almost collided with some students on my way there.
"Hey! Watch it!"
I stumbled as someone shouldered past me, nearly knocking me over.
A tall, sneering Alpha glanced back, flickering his eyes in a challenging way, like he was waiting for a reaction from me, so he would attack at once.
"Sorry," I muttered, not giving him the satisfaction of bullying me.
"Better keep your eyes on the road!" he said, baring his teeth in a mock grin.
I bit my tongue and kept moving, reminding myself that I couldn't draw attention to myself or fight back, else I would be figured out but my hormones stirred inside me, hating the submission.
Soon, I promised myself over again. I just needed to survive this. I just needed to make it to the pro leagues and it will be over like it never happened.
The hallway near the athletic department was chaotic. Students shoved and growled, vying for position, but I managed to slip through the crowd and into the coach's office.
"Mr. Bolton—" My words are caught in my throat when I found him talking on the phone so I had no other choice but to wait.
He gestured for me to sit down and I did.
My eyes scanned the office that had multiple trophies of past and present teams shelved off in glass cabinets, medals mounted on the wall on display with sports magazines littered on the table.
I couldn't help but focus on the steamed coffee in front of him.
After a while of waiting, he finally hung up to listen to me.
"What's up, Hayes?"
"Aiden Cross, really?" I asked, the name tasted sour on my tongue just like his dark and brooding personality.
"I'm not sure I follow." He leaned by his side on the desk, hands holding his chin and waiting for me to elaborate.
"They roomed us together. Did you agree to this? What happened to each player having their own separate room this year?"
"Oh, I see." He muttered in understanding. "The school committee decided to tear down the building on the West Campus over summer break to build a better one and since there are limited rooms available, they thought it'd be best that you all share for the time being."
"And they made Aiden of all people my roommate?" My voice railed off in irritation. "Why didn't they give it to another student instead? Why me?"
"Actually, they did but they all changed rooms last minute and since all rooms are fully occupied and you're the last person to arrive after the break, you get to have that one."
"I refuse." I refuted adamantly.
Sharing a room with Aiden Cross isn't going to end well. All hell will break lose. My secret might get out.
"Why? You're on the same team and he's your captain. You go to practice together so why can't you share?"
I was tongue-tied. Not because I don't have a reason but my reason is not a very convenient one. If he or anyone should find out about it then I'll be kicked off even before the championship game let alone making it through college.
"I-I just don't want to. Is it possible to change rooms?"
"No. At least not until a full year." He answered, taking a sip of his coffee. "Listen Hayes, switching rooms will disrupt the system and before you know it, everyone wanna change rooms too so I'm afraid you'll have to survive this."
"So what am I supposed to do?" I grit through clenched teeth because I didn't like where this conversation was headed.
"Toughen it out and stay in your assigned space." He shot back, shifting comfortably in his seat. "And besides, Cross is just another player like you and he is good so you can learn from him if you want to remain on this team. I would've suggested living off campus but it's against our rules and my hands are tied kid."
I let out a groan and nodded before standing up and walking out of the office. There was nothing I could do now and I was left with no choice but to room with Aiden.
I took the path that led back to the hostel and when I arrived at the room number, I heaved a deep breath, inserted my key card, and made my way inside.
The room was empty and dimly lit when I entered and I let out a shaky breath of relief, glad that he was nowhere.
The space was surprisingly big as there were two separate beds, two desks in the living room, a shared bathroom which smelled overwhelmingly like cedar and smoke.
Aiden's scent was everywhere and it made my whole body stir uneasily.
Crazy, I thought looking at the two beds on which one to choose.
I was still trying to familiarize myself with it all, setting my bag down on the vacant desk, when the door burst open behind me with a crack that made me jump.
"Get out." The voice was cold, deep, and void of any emotions.
I turned and almost forgot how to breathe. Even though we were teammates, I don't think he'd ever actually looked at me for more than a second during practice.
Aiden Cross was… a lot. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that had grown out over the holidays. His gold-flecked eyes weren't curious; they were annoyed. He was all power and grace, and his presence was so dominant it felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.
I blinked, my heart slamming into my ribs, but I didn't move. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," he said, stepping into the room and kicking the door shut with his heel. He didn't even drop his gym bag; he just stood there like a mountain. "I don't do roommates. Take your shit and find a couch in the lounge. Or a hallway. I don't care. I just don't want you here!"
I felt a flash of heat rise on my face from pure irritation at how he was talking to me. I had just spent an hour being told 'NO' by the coach; I wasn't about to take it from a guy who couldn't even remember my name.
"In case you missed the memo, Cross, the West Campus is a construction site," I snapped, surprised by the steady edge in my own voice. "There are no other rooms. I'm assigned here, and I'm staying."
Aiden narrowed his eyes, stepping closer until he was looming over me. The scent of cedar grew suffocating with how close he was.
This was the power of an S-rank Alpha, the highest tier of Alphas to exist and it made me want to submit to him.
"I don't care if the whole school is buried underwater or in another planet. You aren't staying in my space. Move, or I'll move you myself."
"Is that right?" I shot back, tilting my head up to meet his gaze, even though every instinct told me to look at the floor. "What are you going to do? Carry me out? We're on the same team, Aiden. Try to act like you have at least one social bone in your body."
He paused, his lip curling into a sneer as he finally seemed to actually see me. "Hayes, right? The bench-warmer with the self-proclaimed fast feet."
"I'm the Point Guard who keeps you from losing the ball every five minutes," I corrected through gritted teeth. "And I'm your new roommate. Get used to it."
He let out a sharp, mocking laugh, taking another step forward until our chests were inches apart and I could feel the heat radiating off him. "You've got a big mouth for someone who looks like a stiff breeze could knock them over. I'm giving you ten seconds to grab that bag before I throw it—and you—out that window."
"The window is locked," I said flatly, crossing my arms over my chest to hide the fact that my hands were shaking. "And if you touch my stuff, I'm going straight back to Coach Bolton. He's already having a bad day. I'm pretty sure he'd love to hear how the 'future leader of Cross-X' can't handle sharing a bathroom."
Aiden's jaw tightened, his gold eyes flashing with a dangerous stare.
For a moment there was silence and he looked like he was genuinely debating if the penalty from the coach was worth the satisfaction of tossing me into the hall.
"Fine," he hissed, leaning down so his mouth was right by my ear.
The proximity made my skin prickle, my heart racing for an entirely different reason.
"You can stay. But stay out of my way. If I even see your shadow on my side of the room, you're dead. Got it?"
"Crystal," I muttered.
"Let's see if you will last a day here," he said shoving past me, his shoulder hitting mine hard enough to make me stumble, and disappearing into his bathroom, slamming the door so hard a picture frame on the wall tilted.
I stood there for a long moment, my legs shaking. I had survived Aiden Cross without running out crying like the others who had encountered him him. "I survived," I muttered placing a hand on my pounding chest. "And now, I just have to survive the rest of this year with him."