Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Rogue Next Door: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

Maya I stay on the floor long after the door closes. At first, I tell myself I’m just taking a minute to breathe. Just a minute. A chance to calm down before I deal with the rest of my night. But one minute turns into five. Five turns into ten. And before I know it, I’m still sitting there with my back pressed against the front door, my knees pulled up to my chest, staring at absolutely nothing. The house is quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that leaves you alone with your thoughts. And right now, my thoughts are the last thing I want company from. Because they’re all the same. Cole. Logan. Cole. Logan. Over and over and over. Like my brain is stuck on a loop it can’t escape. I press my palms against my eyes until little bursts of color dance behind my eyelids. “What is wrong with me?” I whisper into the empty house. No answer. Obviously. Because there isn’t one. At least not one that makes sense. Nothing about this makes sense. The last few days feel like s

Maya Something feels off the second I step onto campus. At first, I can’t explain it. It’s not anything obvious. No alarms going off. No giant sign hanging over my head. Just a feeling. A weird shift in the atmosphere. The kind of feeling you get when you walk into a room and accidentally interrupt a conversation. Like people know something you don’t. I tighten my grip on my coffee and keep walking. Maybe I’m imagining it. Anxiety does that sometimes. It convinces you everyone is looking at you when really nobody cares. Unfortunately, today proves my anxiety isn’t the problem. The problem is that people are actually staring. I barely make it past the student center before I hear it. “That’s her.” The words drift over from a picnic table where two girls are sitting with their phones out. I don’t look. I don’t react. I just keep walking. Maybe if I ignore it, it’ll stop. Maybe if I pretend I didn’t hear it— “Cole Ryder’s girl?” My stomach immediately drops. Oh. Oh

Maya I should not be here. That is my first thought the second Bree and I walk toward the football stadium. There are too many people. Too much noise. Too much school spirit. Too many opportunities for public humiliation. The stadium lights glow against the evening sky, music blasting from the speakers while students flood through the gates in school colors. People are laughing, yelling, waving signs, and acting like this is the greatest night of their lives. Normal college students probably love this. I feel like I’m walking into a social death trap. “This is fun!” Bree announces beside me. I stare at her. “How?” She gasps like I personally insulted tradition. “Maya. It’s college football.” “Yes,” I say flatly. “Exactly.” Bree loops her arm through mine and drags me forward before I can change my mind. “Relax. You’re acting like we’re heading to your execution.” “You don’t understand.” “Oh, I absolutely understand,” she says. “You’re nervous because Quarterback Boy

Cole The locker room is absolute chaos after the game. Music is blasting from someone’s speaker. Guys are yelling over each other. Pads are getting tossed into lockers. Someone is standing on a bench attempting to reenact one of the touchdowns while half the team throws tape rolls at his head. Normal post-game insanity. The kind of thing that happens after a big win. The kind of thing I’ve been part of for years. Except tonight, apparently I’m the main event. Because the second I walk through the locker room doors, Jake points directly at me and practically screams. “There he is!” I stop. Immediately suspicious. “Oh, no.” Jimmy looks up from across the room. A slow grin spreads across his face. “OUR BOY IS IN LOVE!” The entire locker room explodes. Actual chaos. Guys start howling. Someone starts fake crying. A towel gets launched across the room. Markus nearly falls off a bench laughing. I immediately turn around like I’m considering leaving. “Nope.” “Don’t y

Maya I can’t sleep. Again. At this point, I’m starting to think sleep filed a restraining order against me and moved to another state. I stare at the ceiling above my bed while my brain replays the last few days on an endless loop. The football game. Savannah. The whispers. The gossip. Cole standing in front of half the student section and saying I was his type. Logan showing up at exactly the wrong—or maybe right—moments. Every conversation. Every look. Every confusing feeling. It’s like my brain grabbed all the worst moments and decided to create a highlight reel. I groan and drag my pillow over my face. “What is happening to my life?” The universe, as usual, refuses to answer. Rude. I throw the pillow aside and sit up. The clock on my nightstand reads 1:17 a.m. Fantastic. I have class tomorrow. A paper due later this week. A shift at work. And instead of sleeping like a normal person, I’m having an existential crisis over two athletes. Two. Not one. Someh