CHAPTER FOUR

Harold and the student he'd met in the dormitory who had a lit cigarette hanging from the edge of his mouth, stared at each other.

The student was the first to speak. He had a thick, brassy voice and Harold suspected his smoking habit contributed to it.

“Are you my new roommate?” he asked. It was almost like he was daring Harold to say he was.

Of course, all schools had bad eggs. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes a few. But all through last year, Harold hadn't come across any, hence, found it quite amusing that there was one, in him and Wilke's room, smoking like it was a totally normal thing to do.

Harold didn't think.

“Yes,” he responded. “I think I am your new roommate.”

“Oh,” the student said dryly as he stood up from the edge of the bed he was sat on. “You weren't to find me this way,” be continued, pointing at the cigarette that had a white, wispy smoke ascending from the bright red end.

“It's… okay,” Harold stammered, trying to sound like a student found smoking in the school environment was something that happened everyday.

“You're cool,” the student said with eyes of administration as he walked to Harold. His breath as he neared Harold was choky but he, Harold, didn't say or do anything. “My name is Drew and I'm a vampire. That explains why this room is —” he looked around the room in one glance then back at Harold “— this way.” He expected a verbal response from Harold and when there was none, he continued. “We can make some changes in here if  that's what you'll like.” He took in long, deep breath and out, causing the smoke to make his voice not too visible.

“No, it's not that,” Harold said and faked a smile. “The room is okay the way it is.”

“Sure?”

“Yes, I am sure,” Harold responded. “And my name is Harold. Harold Girard. I am a…”

Before the last word he had to say escaped his mouth, there was a loud ding on his phone.

“Excuse me,” he muttered as he brought his phone out. He had a text from Wilkes.

‘You're taking ages. Everything all right?’

Harold swallowed a small ball of saliva before texting back.

‘I'm in the room right now and you are not. There's a funny dude here.”

He held the phone in one hand and dropped his arm. He turned to look at Drew who seemed to have forgotten Harold existed as he took in long, deep breaths and about two seconds later, let the smoke out his nostrils and lips.

“— and I'm a werewolf,” Harold completed what he had to say.

Drew turned to look at him, nodded, and smiled.

Harold got a new text and hurriedly looked at his phone. He needed to understand what was going on. Why he was in a room with a smoker nor Wilkes.

‘You must have gotten in the wrong room,’ Wilkes said. ‘Can you step out of it? I'm in front of ours.’

“Uhm,” Harold said to Drew. “There's something I have to do.”

“Go ahead,” Drew said. “This room is just as mine as it is yours.” He chuckled. From how Drew had behaved, Harold could tell that he was going to be a great roommate. He just wasn't Harold's.

Leaving his travelling bag in the room, Harold stepped out. 

He looked to up and down the corridor with a frown on his face. Was Wilkes playing some jokes on him? He thought. If he was, he had better snap out of it. 

“I'm right here,” Wilkes said out of nowhere.

Harold sharply traced where the voice was coming from. Wilkes was right at his front. He felt as blind as a bat.

He began to chuckle when he saw the expression on Wilkes face that said he had a lot of questions.

“Why were you in that room?” Wilkes asked as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

Harold's chuckles burst into loud laughters that caused the other students who were doing their own things on the corridor to turn to them.

“I… I… thought that's out room,” he finally said, pointing his thumb behind him.

“Once again,” Wilkes said, shaking his head slowly as a grin spread across his face. “What will you do without me.”

“Nothing,” Harold chuckled. “Absolutely nothing. I couldn't even find my own room.”

He calmed down a little and when his breathing has returned to normal, he said to Wilkes.

“I'll have to get my bag from that room. The dude in there, Drew, that's his name, won't be able to figure out what happened.”

Wilkes shook his head and the grin on his face widened. 

“Turns out this isn't my room,” Harold said when he'd walked back to the room which now stunk badly of cigarette. He reached for his bag.

“What do you mean?” Wade asked, looking at him.

“My room is the one directly opposite this.” He chuckled to ease the tension. “I made a mistake.”

“Oh,” Wade said, taking the cigarette from his lips for the first time in Harold's presence. “It was nice meeting you, though. Have a beautiful session.”

Harold nodded, grabbed his bag and headed out. There was something about the way Wade said, “have a beautiful session,” that didn't go well with him.

He didn't know what it was and as he walked out of the room and saw Wilkes still with the grin on his face, he shrugged it off as nothing.

He was over thinking.