Level Hands: Bend or Break, Book 4 by Amy Jo Cousins Page B

of paper. With notes written on them in pencil.
    New England college traditions were weird.
    During his call home two days prior, he’d foolishly been honest about some of the things he lacked, and his sisters had clearly mobilized into action instantaneously. The Castro girls didn’t fool around. His mention of needing to find a ride to the Target out on the highway must have generated a tsunami of activity back at home, because the box they passed to him over the counter at the post office was awkwardly huge and heavy in a lopsided way that made carrying it a total pain in the ass.
    Leaving his room without Denny at his heels had felt both liberating and slightly scary. As if he might actually fuck something up without Denny there to guide him. Irritation at letting that emotion even touch his brain had led him to heading out without a plan at first.
    Rafi walked back to the dorm with a guy he’d bumped into at the counter who looked vaguely familiar and turned out to live down the hall from him. Random conversation had segued into a meal plan discussion that left him sweating.
    “Dude. Nobody gets the twenty-meal plan. It’s a total waste of money,” the dark-haired white guy with the half-assed dreads and the weird cork sandals had argued most of the walk back to their dorm.
    Fuck . Rafi lifted his chin in thanks as the guy held the front door open for him and hauled his care package upstairs. He crossed his fingers, mentally, that his sisters had stocked up on protein bars and fruit so he didn’t end up blowing cash on midafternoon snacks at the campus center. It hadn’t even occurred to him that he could stock breakfast cereal and skip paying the school for his morning meal.
    How much money had he wasted? He couldn’t remember the difference in cost between the meal plan that included breakfast and the one that only covered lunch and dinner, but the acid in his stomach started churning at the idea of having blown even a part of his limited budget.
    Maybe he could still get it changed? Would they refund him his money?
    “Heads up.” Denny met him at the door to his suite, heading out at finding no one home, Rafi assumed. They’d met at the library the night before, so Denny could show him where the best studying carrels were. He’d also shown Rafi the most remote stacks in the building, aka the best place to fool around in the library. Denny had stood there, a glittering invitation in his eyes, and Rafi had found himself swaying toward him. All of his willpower had been required to focus on digging in to his first reading assignments, which were key. It was already obvious Intro to Geography was actually going to kick his ass and not be the cakewalk course he’d hoped for. The professor was from Ethiopia and had already made it clear he thought American students coasted through their college careers. “Whoa, why the rage face?”
    “I think I fucked up my meal plan.” The words burst out before he had a chance to think about them.
    “Oh shit. Do you not have breakfasts?” The panic on Denny’s face almost made him laugh. “Maybe you can get them to upgrade you if you pay extra.”
    “Wait, what? I heard breakfasts were a total waste of money.”
    “Pfft. Who’d you hear that from? Not a rower.” Denny’s shoulders had dropped back down to their normal, relaxed slouch.
    “I don’t know. No. Probably not.”
    “Then that person doesn’t know shit. Civilians can skip breakfast, or eat some crappy instant oatmeal in their rooms.” Denny grabbed the package from Rafi’s sisters out of his hands while Rafi messed with the lock. “Rowing gods need protein, and a lot of it. Eggs, bacon, full-fat yogurt, even that damn tofu Bob insists on putting in everything, despite the farts.”
    Rafi laughed and the stress leaked out of him like air from a sad balloon. “Okay. Good to know.” The stupid lock gave way at last. He entered the suite, Denny behind him, box in his arms.
    “Seriously. Maybe that