Kaitlyn's sneakers slapped against the pavement, her breaths coming in rhythmic bursts. Line upon line of identically whitewashed houses passed her by in seemingly endless rows on either side. Occasionally, she'd pick out a personifying detail or two—a flag, a little lawn statue, a basketball hoop standing in the driveway—but for the most part, the homes ran together in an easily forgettable blur.

  It had been a few weeks now since she'd moved in with Vinny and the guys. So far, she found that she couldn't particularly complain about how things had progressed. Considering that the guys usually had things to do during the day, she generally found herself with plenty of opportunities to hunker down and get some work done in peace. But aside from that, most of her time was filled with cooking, cleaning, and occasionally some leisure activities when she felt particularly inclined. Though considering how much of a disaster the house became after each of their frequent parties, she didn't often leave time for that last one.

  It really feels like we're all settling in. Even the teasing about Vinny needing to hook up with me has gotten much tamer… Not that it was ever really that bad this time around.

  That initial conversation about her presence here seemed to put Chris and Ryan at ease a lot more than she'd expected. Evidently, Vinny hadn't been kidding about how much they valued her. Of course, that newfound comfort and security meant that they were also more comfortable with poking fun at her and her living situation. But even those jabs felt far more manageable than ever before.

  Maybe it's because I'm firing back instead of just stammering like an idiot.

  She wiped some sweat from her forehead. As good as she felt about her current situation, however, one thing still stuck out in her mind like a flashing sign. One that refused to be ignored. It was the matter of endings.

  I still don't really know how to move toward those. Like, at all.

  Keeping her eyes and ears open had yet to offer any miraculous insights regarding Vinny's route. She didn't even feel comfortable speculating about it. After everything she'd learned, throwing herself into an approach without getting a bit more information felt like a recipe for disaster. That seemed like a great way to go astray and get herself embroiled in yet another bullheaded attempt to brute force things. So for now, she didn't push it. Instead, she'd just stay, relax, and observe.

  I mean, it's honestly a good idea. I've only spent a single full loop with these guys, and that was way back when I got Vinny's bad ending. So who knows? Maybe just sticking around for a full semester would be enough to get his friendship one.

  Of course, that was contingent on her not getting him into some dumb fight that got his hand broken. But she'd been handling herself quite well at parties this time around—an especially impressive feat considering her new role as resident bartender. So she wasn't too worried.

  Then the question just becomes whether he considers us friends. That'll be interesting enough to know on its own.

  She rounded a corner, revealing another stretch of houses before her. Only this time, it was a more familiar stretch. One that had a particular house with a brown, dead lawn at the end.

  Grimacing, Kaitlyn put her head down and dug deep. Her pace accelerated as she redoubled her efforts and made one final push. A minute later, she slapped a telephone pole with her hand, slowing to a walk as she hungrily gulped in air.

  Of course, what felt like a sprint probably looked like little more than a slightly faster jog to any onlookers. It was pretty early in the loop, after all. But she'd take what she could get.

  She used the final stretch of her morning run to cool down, walking sedately to recover as her thoughts turned toward the other ending. Friend endings were one thing, but romance? That might be harder. If there was any male lead that obviously screamed "I have issues," it would be Vinny. And at the same time, he was the absolute last person on Earth that would take well to any sort of correction or perceived "help." His reaction to something as small as being offered a ride proved that.

  Yeah, no. Trying to "fix" Vinny is a quick way to get him pissed. I'm absolutely sure about that.

  Still, she probably would have tried it. Even now, she found herself having to stop herself from pressing him to do things like put his laundry in the hamper or take better care of himself. The line between trying to help and being a nag was far too thin for her to tempt—even if holding back felt like she was enabling some of his less positive habits.

  But that's ok. I'm not his mom. I'm just a guest. I don't have to solve everyone's problems, even if I feel like they'd be better off for it.

  Kaitlyn sent a silent word of thanks to Elliot for that lesson.

  She got home and finished showering well before anyone else was up. Afterwards, she headed down to the kitchen to finish up the slow cooker full of overnight oats she'd started the night before. Some fresh blueberries, bananas, and walnuts made their way into her bowl, and a glass of peach and orange juice leftover from last night's party completed the ensemble.

  Well, "party" might be putting it a little generously. That one was pretty small, more of a kickback.

  She took a moment to glance around the kitchen. It felt practically unrecognizable compared to what it had been. Brand new appliances filled one section of the countertop while sleek utensils hung from little stick-on hooks she'd adhered to the walls for easy access. A spinning spice rack and knife block flanked the stovetop, each resembling display pieces from an interior design catalog that just so happened to be functional. The drawers and cabinets remained shut for the moment, but she knew that each hid similar collections of pots, pans, dishware, and other odds and ends—each neatly organized and thoughtfully stored.

  Having her Kate's Kitchen setup was one thing. Throughout the loops, she'd more or less dialed in on what her needs and preferred arrangement of things was. Still, considering that she had to regularly tear down the entire operation and store most of it in her room, there were plenty of concessions she'd had to make. Concessions that no longer applied to a real, honest-to-goodness kitchen. And that meant she could deck it out however she wanted.

  Well… maybe I did go a bit overboard. Still, though. Not like anyone's complaining.

  Kaitlyn took her breakfast over to the table and opened up her laptop to get to work. She munched on the oatmeal, scrolling through her messages and emails as usual. Nothing particularly pressing had come her way since logging off yesterday, it seemed. That meant that she'd be free to finish up her current project.

  That shouldn't take too long. I mean, I've already done it before, so it'll be a quick and easy win. Although… maybe I'll ask Corbin about branching out into something different this time. It might make things more interesting, give me a new challenge to learn from.

  "Yo! Mornin'."

  She looked up from her screen. Chris waved to her from the stairs, his dark mop of hair tucked beneath a Rosedale College baseball cap. Zach followed close behind him, quiet as usual. Both guys had backpacks slung over their shoulders.

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  "Morning," she gave them a wave of greeting. "There's oatmeal if you guys want some. Takeout containers are next to the slow cooker. This one's really good with blueberries."

  "Awesome, thanks!"

  They both made a brief stop to fill their bowls. Not for the first time, Kaitlyn found herself wondering how exactly Zach had ended up with these guys. He seemed pretty down to earth and mostly kept to himself. He pretty much never came out for parties, either, which she always found a bit odd. It felt like that kind of thing would get on a person's nerves if they weren't into it, especially as often as the house hosted events. Still, he seemed to get along with the other guys, so evidently he didn't mind the arrangement.

  She turned her attention back to her screen as the pair headed out. The thought of getting additional monitors for her setup crossed her mind, and not for the first time. It was kind of a pain doing all this work on her tiny laptop screen. Still, she didn't really know where she'd put them. Setting them in the living room was asking for them to get smashed at a party, but Vinny slept in enough that putting them in his room was a nonstarter. She didn't particularly enjoy the thought of disturbing him or taking over his desk, either.

  Well, it's not like he ever uses the thing. He probably wouldn't mind… Maybe I'll ask anyway.

  Eventually, the blonde in question clomped downstairs, his hair still mussed from sleep. He grumbled a semi-intelligible greeting as he made a beeline for the fridge to dig for leftovers. As expected, he more or less ignored the oatmeal.

  Vinny clunked a plate of last night's reheated tacos on the table and took a swig of some energy drink. After a moment, he finally spoke. "What're you up to, girlie?"

  "Just working."

  He leaned over to squint at the screen and snorted. "Huh. Looks like nerd shit."

  "It is. Programming." She kept typing. "Don't go looking too hard, though. Most of this stuff's technically under NDA."

  "Seriously? Who would care?"

  "You'd be surprised. Competitors, stock market investors…probably a lot of three letter agencies, too."

  Vinny fell silent, staring at her as though to gauge whether or not she was serious. After a moment, he leaned back and crossed his arms. "Why the hell are you with fuckups like us, Lynn?"

  Her fingers paused in midair, surprised at the sudden question. "What do you mean?"

  "The fuck you think I mean?" He gestured toward her laptop. "You're over here with some fancy-ass job, a fancy-ass car, and enough money to wave it around and light it on fire. The hell are you doin' living with some dipshits like us? Shouldn't you be livin' in a high-rise apartment somewhere?"

  Kaitlyn sat back and turned her attention to the guy. "...I'll be honest, I'm kind of surprised that you're the one asking that question. I kind of thought you didn't care?"

  He snorted. "I don't. Just curious."

  She thought for a moment, drumming her fingers on the table as she considered how to respond. Previously, her mental state had provided a pretty clear reason for her to run away from her dorm and classes and all of that. But now? Obviously, the pursuit of Vinny's endings played a large part in her presence here, but past that…

  "...I guess I just wanted a change of pace," she admitted. "A chance to… I dunno, try something different. You guys are night and day compared to the people I usually hang around, so maybe I thought I could learn something by living with you."

  "Learn somethin'? Like what, how to be less shit at beer pong?"

  She shook her head. "No. Well, that too, but not what I mean. More like… how to relax a bit maybe? I'll be the first to admit I'm not great at that—"

  "No shit," the guy grumbled.

  "---And I'm not saying that you guys have it all figured out, either," she continued. "But maybe I can find some middle ground or something. Just… remember what it's like to not be running all the time."

  "Geez. What kinda joyless psychos you been hanging out with?" He took another swig of his drink. "What, your parents push you too hard or somethin'?"

  She winced at the mention of her parents. "No, it's not like that. I've been pushing myself, mostly. Though it's easier to do when the people around you are overachievers, I guess. My roommate back at the dorms has always been super ambitious—"

  "Wait, you're a student?"

  "Yeah. Over at Hartland. You didn't know?"

  "I figured you were one of those prodigies who finished college when they were twelve or some shit." He folded his arms. "What else would I think? The semester started weeks ago and I've never seen you go to a single class."

  Kaitlyn gave him a helpless shrug. "Well, that's also true. I haven't been back to campus since coming here. But that doesn't mean I'm not technically a student."

  "Oh, so you're a dropout."

  "No, I'm not. I'm still enrolled."

  "Sure, sure," he waved a dismissive hand. "But you're gonna drop out."

  "I wasn't planning on it, no. I mean, it's not like the classes are really doing much for me, but…"

  Technically, I can't actually drop out. The loop doesn't even last long enough for me to do that. Not officially.

  "Sounds like you're a dropout who just doesn't wanna admit it," Vinny countered. A slow grin spread across his face. "Which means… you're actually a fuckup like the rest of us."

  Kaitlyn gaped at him. "I am not! I mean, not that you guys are, but—"

  "Ha!" Vinny leaned back on his chair, balancing on its two back legs. "Hey, ain't not judgement here. Like I said, you're in good company. I just don't see why you're pretendin'."

  Kaitlyn put her head in her hand as Vinny laughed. I mean, he's not wrong. I AM kind of a fuckup. Just not in quite the way he thinks.

  "I'm not a dropout," she insisted. "I just don't see much point in going to classes everyday, that's all. But at this point? it's honestly not worth the time. Not when I already know the material. If I wanted to, I could be a model student, ace all my exams, go the whole nine yards."

  "Wanna bet?"

  She glared at the shit-eating grin on Vinny's face. His smugness made it abundantly clear how little he believed her. But as his words actually processed, her expression softened with realization.

  …Oh. Oh, shoot. I have an opportunity here. An opportunity to do something REALLY funny.

  "...Yeah. Yeah, I do." She folded her arms in front of her. "I'll bet you I can pass all of my midterms no problem."

  He waved dismissively. "Pass? Nah, girlie. The way you're talkin', you better ace that shit. A's or nothin'."

  "Fine. Deal." It took some effort to hide the smirk that threatened to break onto her face. "What are the stakes?"

  "If I win, you stop makin' me try shitty cocktails."

  She rolled her eyes. Finding a mixed drink that Vinny actually liked had been an ongoing project of hers at each party. So far, the results had been less than stellar. Not because her cocktails were actually shitty, of course, but because his tastes seemed to peg anything other than cheap beer or straight shots as "too fancy."

  "Sure. But if I win…" A sinister smile crept across her features. "Then you have to swap places with me. You take the bed and I sleep on the floor."

  He shot her a glare. "You're still on that? Seriously?"

  "Yup. Here, I'll even do one better," Kaitlyn leaned forward as another idea struck her. "If I manage to get perfect scores on every test, then you let me buy a second bed."

  "A second one? The hell's that gonna fit? The room's the size of a damn shoebox, Lynn."

  "We'll figure it out. I'm pretty sure we can fit it if we move the desk a bit, or we can get a bunk bed. But it shouldn't be an issue, right? If you're so confident, that is."

  Her words were delivered in as innocent a tone as she could manage. But she saw Vinny's eyes narrow as a trace of suspicion crept into them. Still, his pride kept him from backing down from a challenge like this.

  "Fine. Deal."

  The blonde reached a hand across the table to shake Kaitlyn's own. Internally, she felt like she'd tricked him into selling his soul.

  Oh, you poor thing. You have no idea what you've done.