Favors and Lies by Mark Gilleo

go.”
    When the girl left the room, Dan sat on the unoccupied chair underneath his nephew’s loft bed. The room was littered with electronic goodies: a cell phone, iPods, remote controllers, a flat screen TV, DVD player, video game consoles. Laptops. External hard drives. Digital Cameras. Flash drives.
    â€œYou guys are wired.”
    Josh looked around the room, not sure what to make of the statement.
    â€œWhen I was in school we had a TV and a radio, and we barely studied. I don’t know how your generation finds time to open the books with all your toys.”
    â€œWe’re multi-taskers. And a lot of the books are digital these days.”
    Dan looked around at the pictures on the wall, the clothes oozing from half-closed dresser drawers. “You mind if I ask you some questions?”
    â€œNo. Not at all.”
    â€œWas Conner into anything I need to know about?”
    â€œLike?”
    â€œThe usual. Drugs. Drinking. Gambling. The kind of stuff that gets people into trouble.”
    â€œNot really. Me and Conner have been roommates for three months, most of the first semester. We were friends last year in a different dorm and we got along pretty well. We don’t get in each other’s stuff or in each other’s faces. We drink beer together and watch sports. We’re roommates. We’re friends.”
    â€œYou guys ever fight?”
    â€œSure, but nothing serious. Nothing physical. Occasionally we piss each other off—a wet towel on the bathroom floor. Someone dropping a deuce and not flushing. But Conner was my buddy. He had my back. I had his. That’s all you can ask for in a roommate.”
    â€œWhat about drugs?”
    â€œWe smoked weed a few times.”
    Dan felt like he had been punched in the stomach. “Conner smoked weed?”
    â€œA couple of times. But not here in the dorm. Never seen him do anything harder than that, but this is college and we are in DC; you can get anything you want.” Josh held up his hand and extended two fingers. “Two calls, two calls.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œEverything is two calls away. Everything .”
    â€œYou guys ever do heroin?”
    â€œJesus, no. You don’t even see heroin. A lot of weed. A lot of ecstasy. Every once in a while you will see some magic mushrooms. You hear rumors about people doing meth and coke, but people try to hide that shit. Heroin? You go to prison for heroin. We’re students but we’re not crazy.”
    â€œWhere were you on Monday night?”
    â€œIn the lounge. We were watching the football game. Chicago versus Green Bay.”
    â€œCan anyone vouch for you?”
    â€œHalf of the floor.”
    â€œAnd after the game?”
    â€œI spent most of the night here, with Krista.”
    â€œDidn’t go out?”
    â€œDid you see her?”
    Dan smirked.
    â€œConner left on Sunday morning. Early. Didn’t see him after that. I figured he was at his girlfriend’s or his mom’s.”
    â€œWho’s his girlfriend? Anyone steady?”
    â€œConner hooked up with a couple of chicks early in the semester, like we all do. Hell, there are more hoochie brothers here than anyone wants to admit.”
    â€œWhat’s a hoochie brother?”
    â€œYou know, two guys who’ve banged the same girl. We call them hoochie brothers. And it’s better to be the older brother than the younger brother, meaning that . . . well . . .”
    â€œYeah, I get the idea.”
    â€œAnyhow . . . Conner has been seeing a girl named Lindsay. Alpha Chi Omega. Nice girl. Real smart. A knockout. She came by last night after we got word from campus police. The floor held an emergency meeting and the university rolled out mental health counselors for anyone who wanted to talk. They handed out cards and gave direct numbers for the campus priest and rabbi. I have Lindsay’s number if you want. Or you can