Uncharted Territory (The Compass Series Book 3) Read Free Page A

bust our asses on the next big thing? We’ll get pizza, and when we can’t take it anymore, we can watch Point Break .”
    “ Point Break ?”
    “Have you never experienced the majesty that is Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Utah?”
    “No.”
    The incredulous expression on his face makes me giggle. “Oh, little one, I have so much to teach you. Come on. What do you need—these?”
    He’s bounded off my bed and is gathering up the books on my desk and my laptop. Just like that, Rey’s bright chatter clears the last of the fog.

Chapter Two
    ‡
    Year One
    I ’ve been at school for a month. I’ve got my routine down to a science, and outside of classes, it’s heavily weighted toward Rey. I can’t quite explain it, but somehow I feel more myself around him than I’ve ever felt in my whole life.
    I was reluctant at first, not wanting to impose my lame-ass, first-year self on him, but he always seems happy to see me so I’ve tried to let it go. Tried to believe I might be worth his attention. He’s cultivated that—stopping by my room, inviting me to eat with him or watch one of a drawer full of awesomely bad movies. Point Break is a recurring favorite.
    Last week when I was having a meltdown over how to get all my work done, I sought him out against my better judgment. He calmed me down, then helped me make a plan that even allowed for eating and sleep. When we were through, I felt so much better. Better still when he texted me silly messages over the next few days:
    How’s my Queen Bee? Meet me at Hoagie Haven, 1 PM. We’ll split your fave and then you can buzz off.
    He’s such a dork. He’s also my only real friend here. Though I’ve met a lot of people, most of them haven’t left an impression. They float by, names and faces to be stored away so I can perform the barest of social obligations.
    Thankfully, people have started drifting out of their aggressive friend-grab sociability and are settling into cliques. It had been exhausting. I can only put on a mask of giving a fuck for so long. I’m settling into a quiet night of poli-sci homework when there’s a knock at my door.
    “Come in,” I call, not bothering to take my eyes off my book. Yes, Robert Kennedy’s role in the Cuban Missile Crisis is just that fascinating.
    “India, India, India…”
    “Hi, Rey.”
    “It’s Saturday night, little one. What are you doing with your nose in a book?”
    Isn’t it obvious? Rey, on the other hand, is not planning on studying. Instead he looks delicious in some dark jeans and a fitted T-shirt. Nope, no books for Rey tonight.
    “That was rhetorical. But seriously, no one asked you for a date?”
    I shrug.
    “Someone did, yes?”
    “No,” I hedge, not meeting his eyes.
    “Someones?”
    Dammit. “Yes.”
    “How many?”
    “Four.”
    “And none of them appealed to you?”
    I frown and glare at him. No, they didn’t appeal. None of them do. We’ve had this conversation before.
    “What do you want, Rey?”
    “I want you to be happy. So tell me, what do you want?”
    “Honestly?”
    “Of course. I always want you to be honest with me. Actually, it’s really important that you’re always honest with me.”
    I stare, measuring him. After only a month at school, I can’t imagine what my life used to be like without him. It would be pretty hard to shock him, but I’m not a big risk-taker and the thought of losing him because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut terrifies me. But what the hell? I can always pass it off as a joke if things go badly.
    “Someone like you, but who actually wants to fuck me.”
    His eyebrows go up the slightest bit. “D’you mean that?”
    “Yes.” I realize how true that is. I feel adrift and at a loss, but at the same time wound too tight. I’m in need of an anchor, someone who’s strong enough to allow me to let go and not worry I’m going to get washed out with the tide. Rey’s the only person who’s ever made me feel that way, but he can’t be everything to me.
    Rey