After Julia left, Jason stayed in the dorm to read. After a while, his roommates returned from class and lunch.
When they saw Jason sitting there, all three froze — then their faces immediately soured.
Ever since Jason had left The Hotel with Mia that day, he hadn't come back to the dorm once.
To them, it was obvious what had been going on. A guy disappearing for several days with a girl like Mia? Yeah, no need to think too hard about that.
And before that, Jason already had Holly Larson. That was like winning the lottery twice — they were envious, jealous, and resentful all at once.
At this point, the thought of Jason being tormented by Emma again almost seemed comforting to them.
What they didn't know, however, was that during those few days Jason had also spent time with Grace, and even managed to raise Shenna's favorability above 80. If they found out about that, they might actually combust from jealousy.
Jason noticed their expressions and smiled. "What's wrong? You guys look like you're not happy to see me."
Mike crossed his arms. "Man, it's generous of you to even remember we exist, living that penthouse life now. Comparing ourselves to you is just… depressing."
He smirked and added, "Bro, don't compare yourself to this beast. Anyway, dorm gatherings are becoming a thing around campus. Let's organize one too — maybe we'll finally find someone."
"Yeah, we're not bad-looking, just short on connections. The engineering department's seriously lacking girls. Let's start hosting events — it's the only way we'll stand a chance."
Jason chuckled and didn't say much. Last time I helped you guys at the talent show, introduced you to Mia's friends, and you still couldn't make it happen. Not sure what more you want me to do.
Just then, Mike's phone buzzed. He checked the group chat — and suddenly shouted, "Holy crap! The Finance Department's girls' dorm just invited us to a hangout! Dude, this is huge!"
They immediately looked at each other, then at Jason, realizing something.
"Bro," Ivan said, deadpan, "Quinn is in the Finance Department's dorm. They didn't invite us. They invited you."
Mike blinked, processing that for a few seconds before blurting out, "Damn."
The three roommates all groaned in unison.
Jason shrugged. "If you guys want to go, go ahead. Just tell them I'm busy."
The trio looked like they wanted to strangle him.
Busy?
Bro, they won't even show up if you don't go!
Just as they were lamenting their fate, Mike's phone buzzed again.
He checked it, and his eyes widened. "Wait— The Sophomore Engineering girls' dorm, just invited us too! And they're younger! Not Holly's dorm, not Megan's… they're new girls! Finally, not everything revolves around you, Jason!"
He hadn't even finished celebrating when another message popped up.
It was from Julia.
"Hey, is Jason in your dorm? Will he be coming too?"
Mike's smile instantly froze. He stared at the screen, then muttered one word under his breath: "Damn."
"Dude, how do you even know sophomore girls already?"
"Jason, you already blew off the finance. Don't ditch this one too. If you don't go, the whole thing's gonna collapse. For the sake of our love lives, please — just show up, man."
Jason leaned back, smiling faintly. "Fine. But don't blame me if they all ignore you again."
Mike sighed. "We'll take our chances. Just… try not to steal the spotlight this time."
Jason grinned. "No promises."
They both looked at Jason with hopeful expressions. Even though they were a bit jealous of his luck with women, they still had to rely on him if they wanted their dorm gathering to actually happen.
Truthfully, Jason didn't mind the idea of joining the Engineering girls' dorm for a casual hangout. After all the "late-night cardio" with Shenna and Ava lately, he could use a bit of calm, outdoor socialization to balance himself out.
Still, he put on an exaggeratedly troubled expression. "Ah, but I've been so busy lately. I barely have time to grab breakfast, wash my clothes, or even clean the dorm properly…"
They immediately exchanged knowing looks. They'd seen this play before — Jason wasn't busy; he just wanted to milk them for favors again.
Josh sighed. "Here we go again. He's not saying no; he's just setting the price."
They'd tried to branch out without him this time, using every connection they could think of — student clubs, alumni networks, local hangouts, even the student council — to send out invitations to other girls' dorms.
But almost every invite went unanswered. The few replies they did get all asked the same thing:
"Will Jason be there?"
Each time they heard that, their morale took another hit. After the fifth or sixth time, their confidence was hanging by a thread.
Finally, they gave in.
Mike said through gritted teeth, "Alright, man. I'll handle your laundry for the next week — except for your underwear."
"Fine. I'll bring you breakfast every day for a month."
"And I'll take care of all the cleaning around here. Not like you're ever around anyway."
Jason smiled in satisfaction and clapped his hands together. "Deal. In that case, we'll go to the hangout with the Engineering Department's."
The three roommates immediately realized they'd walked right into his trap. They'd been completely played — again. But a promise was a promise. Even if they'd been tricked, there was no backing out now.
—
Meanwhile, in the Engineering Department's, a small debate was going on.
"Come on, Julia," said Zoe, a fashionable girl with carefully curled hair. "I know you two don't get along with Ben and his friends, but didn't he help her with that financial aid paperwork last semester? There's no real grudge. Why not just invite them too?"
Julia shook her head. "We already planned the hangout. We don't need another group."
Zoe sighed. "That's fine, but think about it — why not invite both groups? If you're worried there'll be too many guys, just ask another girls' dorm to join in too. Problem solved."
Julia hesitated, unsure how to respond. It did sound reasonable, but she didn't really want to associate with certain people there.
Before she could answer, Ava — usually quiet and agreeable — spoke up firmly.
"I'll only go if it's with Harbor Hall's 307. If you want to invite Math 611, do it without me."
Zoe blinked, momentarily speechless.
Ava rarely ever took such a strong stance on anything. She was soft-spoken, polite, and always the peacemaker of the group. But once she'd made up her mind, no one could sway her.
Zoe exhaled slowly and nodded, backing off. "Alright then. 307 it is."
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