"Hey, Xavier," Rob said as he entered the frat house.

The guy had buddied up with Tom, the frat president, rather quickly. Rob had attempted to do so as well, but with his being a freshman, Tom hadn't hung out with him much. Xavier was a junior year transfer and that helped his status. Besides that, the guy wore designer labels and drove a Porsche. Tom's family was wealthy as well. Rob often saw Tom throwing money around like it was nothing. He'd hoped to get in on the big poker game that Tom was planning. Rob could get the money easy, but Tom was being hesitant about allowing freshmen to play.

"Has Tom reconsidered?" Rob asked, sitting down next to him at the dining room table.

Xavier shuffled his cards like a dealer at a Las Vegas casino. "No."

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Rob asked, watching him flip the cards quickly back and forth over the table.

"Coopertown," Xavier shrugged.

Rob hated the guy. The guy was cocky. Worse than Rob ever was. The guy had a right to be, he guessed. Xavier was good. Rob hated that he was good at cards. That he was good with the babes. That he made friends so easily; that actually he was a lot like him. But what Rob hated most of all was that Xavier had Ryan. Rob hated seeing her touch him, kiss him. What was worse was the guy's hands on her. And that she allowed it.

"Prison?" Rob asked smugly, referring to the Coopertown prison. He'd sent plenty of drug dealers and junkies there.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. He wanted to laugh. Rob really could be a real funny guy, Kyle thought. Especially when he was all jealous. Kyle did sincerely  hope that Miranda ended up with the guy. Rob could certainly hold his own, and he'd need that to get along with the rest of them. "Casino," he answered in his Xavier accent, "Down the block from the prison. I trained to be a dealer there for a year."

"Why'd you quit?"

"Other avenues opened up."

"Such as?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm studying to be a lawyer."

"Ah. I guess that I should keep your number, huh?" Xavier said sarcastically.

"So, does Ryan know you're such a professional card shark?"

Xavier smiled, amused. "Sure."

"Really?" Rob said in surprise, "I didn't think that you two had gotten to know each other so well so quickly," Rob said bitterly, as he imagined her in bed with Xavier, as she had been with him.

"Just what are you getting at, Rob?"

"I'm just saying that the two of you have gotten pretty serious, pretty quick."

Xavier shrugged. "Love is like that."

"You love her?!" Rob exclaimed, shocked.

Xavier looked up at him. "With all my heart," he said firmly, looking him dead in the eye.

Dear God, he did! Rob saw the serious truth in Xavier's eyes, and it killed him.Rob swallowed hard. "And does she love you?" He asked quietly.

"You'd have to ask her that," Xavier answered.

Rob nodded sadly. He was sure that she did. He'd seen how Ryan looked at Xavier. It punched him in the gut every time he saw Ryan glance at Xavier and share a secret smile.

"What's going on?" Kyle asked Ryan later that night.

They were sitting in the middle of the football field watching a movie marathon with about two hundred other students. Ryan sat in between Kyle's legs and leaned back on his chest for support. Rob was sitting with some of the other frat guys and was flirting with some of her sorority sisters.

"What?" she asked puzzled, her hand was up, behind his neck, stroking his hair absently.

Kyle moaned when she started rubbing his neck. "He was grilling me earlier."

"He who?"

"Who else?" Kyle scoffed, looking over towards Rob and gestured to him with a nod.

"What? What did he say?" Miranda dropped her hand, turning to look up at Kyle.

"I'd never call you a tease before, angel, but, damn, that was really harsh."

"What?" she asked innocently.

"And I thought you were my friend," he sniffed, and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout.

"Fine, you big baby," Miranda said getting up. She went behind him and rubbed his shoulders.

"Jesus," Kyle sighed, leaning back against her, his eyes closing. "That's damn good."

"You are so tight," she murmured, "You worry too much.

"Mmmm-hmmm," he agreed in an agreement sound which formed into a groan. Kyle enjoyed Miranda's  hands massaging his stress away for a few more minutes. "He asked me if I love you."

"He did?" she asked, straightening. Her hands stopped their kneading and he knew that was the end of his massage.

"Yup," Kyle answered, turning to study her.

"And what did you say?"

"That I love you with all my heart," he answered with a smile.

"Aw...you're so sweet," Miranda cooed and came back around him. She sat back on Kyle's lap and kissed his cheek.

"Well, I do. Not like he meant. But I do. You know that right?" Kyle told her seriously, taking her by the chin.

"Of course I know, babyface. I love you too."

He kissed her lightly on the forehead, "He's jealous as hell, you know."

"Good," Miranda said firmly, settling back against him.

"You're evil," Kyle chuckled.

"Doing what I have to, right?" she said quietly.

"Right."

"Hurts like hell though," Miranda said, sighing.

"I know. I'm sorry, angel." He was quiet a minute. "Do you want out?"

"I don't know."

"If you don't think you can handle it..."

"I can handle it," she said firmly.

"Alright," Kyle answered, kissing her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her giving her a hug from behind.

"You don't believe me."

He sighed hard. "I just see you now. And you're doing what Gus was doing."

"What?"

"Caring about the other person so much that it clouded judgment."

"Gus never let it cloud his judgment," Miranda said defensively. Kyle looked at her disbelievingly. "Okay... how's my judgment clouded?"

"You know about the big poker game?"

"Yeah."

"What have you done about it?" he asked. Miranda shrugged. "Exactly!" Kyle exclaimed. "The Ryan that I know would have gone up to Tom there and demanded equal rights for women. Would have demanded equal rights for class."

"I was working on a plan," Miranda muttered. He raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay. I'm going, I'm going," she said, getting up.

"Think about it!" Kyle called after her.

Rob watched in amusement as Ryan gave Tom hell about equality for women and equality among classes. She wanted in on the poker game and wanted in bad. Tom demanded that she prove to him that a woman could play as good as a man, so she sat down as he pulled a deck of cards out of his back pocket. A small crowd gathered watching them play. They played a pretty even game, Ryan winning some and Tom winning others.

"Not bad," Tom said finally.

"Come on, she's good," Rob said.

"What else can you bring to the game?" Tom asked.

Ryan unzipped her shirt revealing a fabulous cleavage. Some guys whistled. She raised her eyebrows, reached into her bra and pulled out five one hundred dollar bills. "That enough?"

"What else you got in there?" Tom asked leaning over to peek in.

She laughed and pushed him back. "Enough."

"Alright. Alright. Girls can play. Freshman can play," Tom answered.

"Happy?" Miranda asked Kyle as she walked back to him.

"Ecstatic," he answered pulling her down in his lap and kissed her passionately. He squeezed her waist, their signal that someone was watching them.

"How 'bout a game?" she asked holding the deck of cards she'd won from Tom up to him.

"You can't beat me."

"Oh really?" she laughed.

"Okay. One time!" he exclaimed. "One time you beat me. Do you always have to hold that against me?"

"Yes."

"How 'bout strip poker?" Kyle asked with a seductive smile, tapping her waist. Someone approaching.

"Not in public." Miranda batted her eyelashes at him.

"In private?" He asked and nibbled under her chin.

"Maybe," she answered with a slow smile.

"Maybe. That's hopeful. But you better improve your game, if you want to go home in something."

"Maybe, I don't want to go home," she purred

"Oh, that can be arranged," he said, kissing her lips.

"So who was it?" Miranda asked a few minutes later as Kyle grew quiet and thoughtful.

"Your favorite guy."

"You sure?"

"Might as well glue his eyeballs to your rear, angel."

"Very funny."

"I'm serious!" He said as he laughed. "Any way, you gonna sleep at my place tonight?"

"Yeah, guess I should," she glanced over her shoulder, looking for Rob.

"Well, if you put it like that then maybe I don't want you to," he answered like a pouting six year old.

"You don't want to camp out?" she turned back to look at him in surprise.

"Are you kidding? I had enough of that... you know where."

"But it's so romantic," she said seductively, kissing his cheek.

"It would be," he said, meaning that if they really were a couple, instead of a couple of friends pretending to be a couple.

Miranda pushed his shoulder lightly. "You're supposed to try to be romantic, baby."

"Yeah, throw that in my face, when I was thinking about my nice, soft bed." Kyle said sarcastically. She glared at him. He felt guilty because Miranda had told him about her uncomfortable bed in the dorm. Kyle sighed, "Okay. For a while," he said, lying down on the hard ground. Miranda laid down next to him, putting her head on his chest. They watched the movie, her eyes grew heavy.

"Get some sleep, angel," he said, stroking her hair. "I got your six."

"Always," she murmured sleepily, yet certainly.

"Always, angel," Kyle agreed. He knew she was exhausted. She pretended she wasn't, but she was. He knew her signs. She clung more to him. Rested her head on his shoulder. Rubbed her eye and pretended she just had an eyelash loose or that her eyeliner was smeared. He pressed a kiss on top of her head. 

"I don't know how she can sleep with all this noise," Rob said coming to sit next to Xavier a while later. Ryan was conked out on his chest. Her arm wrapped around his waist. Xavier's arms were wrapped around Ryan, keeping her upright and comfortable against him.

"She had a busy day," Xavier commented, glancing down at her.

"She been drinking?" Rob raised an eyebrow, studying Ryan's completely relaxed face. He hadn't seen her so relaxed in sleep since that night that Lawson character had stayed over.

Xavier frowned. "No, why?"

"Ryan's a light sleeper. Anything wakes her up. To prove it he said, "Ryan." She didn't stir. Rob looked at her puzzled. "You give her something?" He demanded.

"For Pete's sake, she's sleeping!" Xavier snapped, " You haven't seen her sleep before?! I thought you lived with her."

"Not so soundly...well, except once, only she'd been drinking."

"With you?"

"No. Some guy. He stayed over."

"Are you trying to make me jealous or something?" Xavier's eyes narrowed. 

"Do I have to try?" 

Xavier chuckled humorlessly. "And who was this gentlemen that stayed the night? In her bed, I'm sure you're going to say."

"Yeah, her bed."

"Who?"

"A guy named Lawson. Older guy."

Xavier bit his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. Rob was trying to make him jealous of Lawson?! That was hilarious. "Interesting. Thanks for the information," he said with a straight face.

"No problem," Rob said, patting his shoulder in false comradery.

He looked down at Ryan. It was strange that she hadn't awakened. They hadn't kept their voices down. "Are you sure she didn't take anything?"

Xavier sighed."How well do you know Ryan?"

"Pretty well. We're real close."

Xavier nodded. "Has she ever slept with you?"

Rob cleared his throat. "Well, we sleep in the same room."

"Have you ever slept in the same bed? Or say cuddled up and went to sleep together on the floor?"

"No."

"Let me demonstrate something," Xavier said and tapped Ryan's shoulder lightly. She didn't move. "You call her." Xavier ordered.

"Ryan," Rob said loudly enough so that the people sitting next to them turned. Ryan stirred slightly, but not much.

"Now watch," Xavier said, slipping out from under her. He walked about ten feet away and turned back around to face them. "Ryan," He said lowly, almost under his breath. Rob could barely make out what he'd said.

Ryan's eyes opened and she sat up quickly. She rubbed her eyes and looked around anxiously for him. Her eyes landed on Rob. "Rob?" she asked, looking at him confused. Ryan then looked over at where Xavier was standing. "What's going on?" she demanded.

"Nothing, sleepy head. " Xavier said, walking back to her. "I'm going for a soda. Would you like one?"

"Yeah, thanks, baby," she said, planting a light kiss on his lips as he leaned down for one.

"Okay. Be right back. You want one, Rob?"

"Sure, I'll take one," Rob shrugged. He dug in his pocket for his wallet, but Xavier waved him away.

"I'll be back," Xavier said giving a pointed look at Rob before leaving.

"Must have dozed off," Ryan said as she stretched.

"You can go back to sleep, if you want," Rob said admiring her body as she elongated it as she stretched. 

"It's okay," Ryan shook her head, and brushed her long hair out of her face.

"Why can you sleep with him and other guys so soundly and not with me?" Rob asked accusingly.

"What?" she frowned in confusion.

"Never mind," he muttered.

"No, tell me," Ryan insisted.

"It's just that when you're sleeping, when I'm around, anything wakes you up. A bird chirping, a floorboard creaking, whatever. With them, a bomb could go off, and you wouldn't wake up."

"Come here."

"What?"

"Come here," she demanded. He got up and sat down onto the blanket next to her. "Lay down."

"I'm not laying down on the hard ground."

"Don't be a baby."

He sighed and complied. She laid her head on his chest and layed down next to him.

"Wake me when Xavier gets back, would ya?" she asked with a yawn.

"You're not going to fall asleep."

"I am."

"How much you wanna bet?" Rob scoffed.

"I'll bet you the five hundred dollars that I've got stuffed in my bra."

"You're on!"

He looked at the screen and not her so that she could concentrate or whatever she needed to do in attempt to get back to sleep. She changed positions and he smiled. Ryan wrapped an arm around his waist and put her head on his shoulder, between his arm and his chest. God, what a nice fit, Rob thought. A leg came over his, even better.

After a while he noticed Ryan's breathing had changed.

"Ryan?" Rob asked. There was no reply. "Ryan?" he said louder. He tapped her on the shoulder, but she didn't move. He smiled and went back to watching the movie.

Xavier came back with the cans of soda. He knelt down beside them, giving Rob an annoyed look.

"Sorry, man." Rob said apologetically as it was the guy's girlfriend, who was wrapped all seductively all over Rob. He had to admit that he enjoyed Xavier finding them that way. But as a guy, and having had watched Ryan hanging all over Xavier all the time, Rob understood the guy's jealousy.

"Ryan," Xavier repeated not answering Rob. 

Ryan mumbled something back. Xavier took a soda can and pressed it on the back of her neck. She jumped up to a sitting position,  cursing a long string of expletives, and hit Xavier on the shoulder repeatedly. "Jerk!" she exclaimed, pressing a hand on the back of her neck.

"You want to explain why the hell  you're cuddled up to another guy?"

"For five hundred bucks," Ryan answered with a shrug. "Hand it over," she said turning to Rob with her hand turned up, her palm facing him, waiting for payment.

"You could have been faking," Rob protested.

"I wasn't faking," she said as if she was offended by the accusation.

"How do I know that?" he demanded.

"How do you know that I was?" she countered.

"For five hundred bucks, I'd fake it." 

"Maybe I'm more honest than you then."

"What?" Xavier frowned, "You bet him five hundred dollars you'd go to sleep?"

"On him," Ryan corrected.

Xavier shook his head. "Pay up, buddy."

"How do you know she wasn't faking?"

"She was sleeping. It took a cold can on the neck to wake her."

"But she moved when you called her name."

"Only because it was me."

"What does that matter?"

"It matters," Xavier and Ryan said at the same time.

"Look, why are we testing my sleep pattern anyways, you guys?" Ryan asked, rubbing her eyes.

"To prove a point," Xavier said.

"And what point are you trying to prove?" Rob asked his eyes narrowing.

"I should be asking you, she's my girl."

"I just said she sleeps light with me. With other guys she doesn't. Didn't get the concept."

"Do you now?" Xavier asked crossing his arms across his chest.

"What? She likes to cuddle? So what?"

Xavier put his hand to his eyes in frustration.

"Can we drop it?" Ryan asked before Kyle would lose it.

"Fine with me."

"Me too," Rob answered.

"What the hell are you doing?" Xavier asked when Rob had left again.

"Proving to him that I could sleep with him."

"No. Proving to him that you trust him, that you rely on him, that you don't have to sleep with one eye open, that you feel safe with him. So safe you trust your life to him," Xavier said angrily.

"So?"

"God, how many more times can I say it? This has got to stop. Seriously, or you're out."

"You threatening me?"

"I'm trying to help you here and you are not listening. I care about you. I see what you're doing here, angel, and it's not good. You want to be with him. Fine. But don't do it now. Forget about him. You don't want to do this with me. Fine. Go cuddle up to one of the other frat guys. But I'm not going to let you do this. And I will fix it so that you can't if I have to."

"Maybe I will," she said getting up.

"Good, at least you'll be doing what you're supposed to instead of pining over him."

She glared at him when she walked away.

Rob knew Ryan and Xavier had had a fight. Her attitude had totally changed, and she even left with him, not Xavier. She was quiet the whole walk back to the dorm, barely glanced at Larry and Joe and climbed into bed fully dressed.

"Want to talk about it?" Rob asked as he pulled off his shirt.

"No," was a mutter from under the blanket.

"He'll come crawling back."

"He can crawl to hell," was the answer.

Rob smiled. He was happy that they'd broken up. He hated seeing her with another guy. Kissing another guy. Another guy's hands on her. But he felt bad as well. He knew that Xavier was in love with her. He suspected that she might be in love with him. He sat on his bed and looked at the lump under the covers.

"He loves you," Rob finally said.

"Good for him."

"Don't you think you should give the guy a second chance, whatever he did?"

"Why do guys always stick together?"

"What'd he do?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Was it because of me?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay."

Rob woke to hear her phone vibrating. "What do you want?" she answered the phone.

"No. He's being a jerk," she said. "I don't care. There's no reason he needs to be talking to me like that," she said. "He's taking it too seriously. I don't want to talk about this right now, okay?" she said. "No. I don't know. Don't. Ugh, Okay, fine, I'll call you later. Can I go back to sleep now?"

She slid the phone back under the pillow. So Kyle had gone running to Lawson to talk some sense into her. Didn't work. Didn't work because she hadn't let Lawson talk. And she had gotten off the phone with him as fast as she could. Lawson the peacemaker. He was the glue that kept them all together. She and Kyle had fought before, and they would fight again. She went to sleep accepting that.