Chapter 3 Worst Roommate Ever

ALEXA POV

“Ahhhh!” The scream ripped out before I could stop it. I slapped both hands over my eyes fast, but it was already too late. The image of that man standing completely naked under the shower spray was burned into my brain forever. Water was running down his tattooed chest, his hard abs, and... everything else.

“What the fuck?!” His voice echoed angrily around the bathroom tiles. It was deep, rough, and very mad.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know anyone was here!” I choked out, forcing my voice to stay low and rough like a boy’s. “I just needed the bathroom and—”

“Get the hell out, you pervert!” he snarled.

I stumbled backward, nearly falling over my own feet. Through the small gap between my fingers, I saw him quickly grab a towel and wrap it around his waist. His eyes were blazing with anger as he glared at me. Up close, the tattoos covering his arms and chest looked even more dangerous. They made him look like someone you should never mess with.

“I said get out” He took a step forward, towering over me. “Or are you one of those weird freshmen who gets off on sneaking into the showers?”

My face burned with so much shame. “It was an accident! You don’t have to be such an asshole about it.”

He let out a cold laugh. “Asshole? You throw doughnuts at my head earlier, then walk in on me showering, and I’m the asshole? Get lost before I make sure you don’t last one day on this campus.”

He shoved past me, his wet shoulder brushing hard against mine. The sudden contact sent a strange jolt through my body. I hated how my heart started racing even though he was being a complete jerk to me.

“Ryder Voss, the coach wants you,” I heard someone call from outside. So that was the jerk’s name Ryder Voss.

I stayed frozen by the sink until I heard the door slam behind him. Only then did I lower my hands and let out a very shaky breath. My heart was still beating like crazy. I quickly fixed my binder and cap, making sure everything was still in place, then slipped out of the bathroom area. The other scholarship guys were still hanging around the court. I joined them quietly, trying to act normal even though my hands were shaking badly.

A few minutes later, the coaches gathered everyone again.

“Listen up,” one of them barked. “The final five who made the team will be announced shortly. For now, all of you are dismissed. Check your emails in the next hour and the lucky five can resume tomorrow.”

My stomach twisted with nerves. I had given everything during the tryouts, but what if it wasn’t enough? What if they changed their mind?

As the group started breaking up, I finally spotted Blake Sanders. He was laughing with a couple of teammates across the court. My heart did a familiar flip. He looked even more handsome than in the matches I watched online. Taller, stronger, and with that same warm smile I remembered from high school. I started walking toward him slowly, hoping he would remember me after two years.

Before I could reach him, loud footsteps came from behind me.

“You.” I turned around. Ryder Voss was fully dressed now in a Blackwood Bears hoodie, still looking pissed off. His intense gaze locked on me like I was prey.

“You the one who almost got run over earlier?” he asked, his voice low and threatening. “And now you’re sneaking around the showers? Stay the fuck out of my way, new guy. I don’t have time for annoying little shits like you.”

I clenched my fists at my sides. “I already said it was an accident. Back off.”

Ryder stepped closer, his presence feeling very overwhelming.

“Or what? You’re gonna throw more food at me?” He smirked, but there was no warmth in it at all. “Just stay invisible. That’s what rookies like you do best.”

With that, he turned and walked away like I was nothing. I stood there fuming, my cheeks hot with anger. Who did he think he was?

---

Later in the Evening

I arrived back home feeling very tired. When I entered the house, my family was eating dinner together. I greeted them softly, but none of them answered me. They didn’t even look up. They didn’t ask where I had been all day or why I was dressed so strangely. It hurt, but I was getting used to it. I went straight to my room and closed the door.

I sat on my bed and started going through the many pictures of Blake I had saved on my phone. He was also my wallpaper. He looked so handsome, so perfect. Seeing his smile made my heart feel a little lighter after such a stressful day. I wondered if he would recognize me when we finally talked.

Then my phone vibrated. I had gotten the email.

I was among the five selected. I was officially a scholarship student at Blackwood University.

Before I could even celebrate properly, the door opened and my sister Bianca came in. She smirked when she saw me sitting there.

“Are you trying to change your identity by dressing like that?” she asked with a mean laugh. “Too late. Your pictures are already all over the internet.”

My heart dropped. I quickly opened my phone and checked. She was right. My old pictures from school were everywhere, with hundreds of hate comments calling me a cheater, a disgrace, a liar, and all sorts of bad names. The words were so hurtful. Some people even said I deserved to be kicked out and never come back.

But I did something she wasn’t expecting. I laughed.

Bianca looked shocked. She had clearly expected me to start crying, to break down like my life was completely destroyed. But I wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction. Not anymore. She stared at me for a few seconds, then stormed out of the room angrily.

I immediately started packing. I took all my brother’s old clothes and went out quickly to buy a few more male clothes with the money I had saved from my weekly allowance. I also got the other things I would need toiletries, a new binder, and some basic stuff. I arranged everything carefully in my bag.

Then I sat down and wrote a letter to my family. I told them that by the time they saw this letter, I would probably be far away and they shouldn’t bother looking for me. I apologized for everything I had done to stress them and promised to change my ways. I also promised to return the favor to them in the near future and thanked them for everything. I kept the letter on my bed where they would see it if they even noticed I was gone.

Early the next morning, before any of them had woken up, I stood up, packed all my stuff, looked at the house for the last time, and left quietly.

---

I arrived at the hockey court and met the four other guys who were chosen. The coaches congratulated us and told us we were special because the school was sponsoring us. They were going to turn us into the best players. So they would give each of us a room with one of the five best players on the team. Those seniors would be our roommates and personal trainers.

A box was brought out with five keys inside. We all took one key each. I held my key tightly, praying in my heart that it would be Blake’s room. I really wanted to be his roommate. We all left together and arrived at this special dorm for the star athletes in the school. It was huge and very beautiful. Every big sports star lived here. We found the hockey section and used the numbers on our keys to find our rooms.

I opened my door and stepped inside. My mouth fell open. The sitting room was so huge and beautiful. It looked twice as big as the sitting room in my family’s house. I saw two doors one was locked and the other wasn’t. I believed the open one was my room, so I entered. It was even bigger and nicer than I expected. I dropped my bag and jumped happily on the big bed.

This was my new life now.

I heard a sound in the living room and stood up immediately, running outside with a big smile on my face, hoping it would be Blake.

But I stopped dead on my track. The smile on my face disappeared completely.

It wasn’t Blake. It was Ryder fucking Voss.

“You gotta be kidding me,” he muttered angrily.