Chapter 1
WELCOME TO STONEWALL
Lexi – Present Time
I stared up at the looming iron gate, the golden letters shimmering beneath the mid-morning sun. Stonewall University. I’d finally made it. A herd of fat butterflies battled it out in my gut as I gaped, my jaw practically unhinged.
A man dressed in a steel gray uniform in the guardhouse signaled for us to stop as he spoke into a com in his ear.
Papá’s old truck sputtered to a stop as he glowered at the sprawling campus beyond the gate.
A row of perfectly manicured trees lined the drive, a few of the leaves already turning a bright ochre.
Having spent my whole life in Arizona, I’d never experienced fall, or winter—really any season other than hot. It was beautiful.
At the end of the driveway stood Stonewall Manor, the giant mansion that had been converted into the main building of the campus in the late eighteen hundreds.
I’d done all my research on the university when I’d been accepted a few months ago.
I’d only ever seen it in pictures, but damn, it was even more gorgeous in person.
And best of all, it had the most exclusive pre-med program in the country. And I’d gotten in.
Sure, I’d had to suffer through two years of community college back in Arizona, but none of that mattered anymore. I was here, and today was the first day of my future.
“I still don’t understand why you had to go to college halfway across the country,” Papá grumbled.
Its location was a large part of the draw, but I’d never admit that to my father.
After everything that happened in San Carlo all those years ago, I wanted to get as far away as possible.
Papá thought I was trying to run away from him, from memories of my mom, but it was so much more than that.
There were things I’d sworn never to tell him, and I never would.
The guard approached the car, his lip twisted into a faint sneer as he assessed my dad’s beat-up truck. “How can I help you?”
“Move in day,” I said with a smile, instilling a perkiness into my tone I didn’t feel in the least.
His dark brows furrowed as he regarded me. “Name?”
“Alexis Vega.”
Again, that incredulous stare.
The only downside of getting into a super elite school on a scholarship was dealing with this shit.
I’d already mentally prepared myself, but I hadn’t expected it from the staff.
Stonewall was the smaller, richer Harvard of Maine.
I’d honestly been shocked when I’d gotten in.
I had a feeling it had more to do with my last name and the school’s affirmative action program.
But I’d take it. If being Latina was what got me into the best university in the country on a full ride, just call me fucking Alejandra Vega, all day, every day.
“Right this way.” The guard’s voice drew me from my musings. “The registrar’s office is in the main building, Stonewall Manor, and the dorms are just behind it in the old carriage house. Once you register, someone will direct you.”
“Thanks.”
With a stiff nod, he disappeared back into the gatehouse. The monstrous gate creaked open, the sharp whine sending a chill up my spine. Papá gunned the engine, and the decrepit truck rumbled up the gravel driveway.
We parked the old Chevy between a silver Bentley and a gleaming Lamborghini SUV.
If I gave a shit about what people thought, I would’ve been embarrassed as all hell.
Luckily, I didn’t. I slid out of the front seat and stretched my legs.
The salty sea air reached my nostrils, the crashing waves oddly soothing, and I drew in a deep breath.
It had been a hell of a long drive, one I was surprised the old car had survived.
We’d only stopped once during the cross-country trip and spent the night at a ratty roadside motel.
Papá unloaded my luggage as I stared out into the rolling waves of the sea. The university sat along the jagged shoreline of Copper Cove, a small upscale town in northern Maine. It had been years since I’d seen the ocean, and the beauty stole the fresh air from my lungs.
A flash of green caught my eye, and I swiveled toward the Lamborghini to my right.
A dark head of hair disappeared beneath the sleek sports car parked beside it.
I rose to my tiptoes, trying to make out the figure that had my heart catapulting against my ribs, but the car slid out of the parking spot, the engine cracking like thunder before I could get a good look.
I stared after the tomato red Ferrari, but the tinted windows cloaked the driver in shadows.
Killian? I sucked in a breath, shaking my head. Nope, couldn’t be. Absolutely impossible.
“Ready, mija?” Papá's question tore me from the dark thoughts of the past the mystery figure dredged up.
Drawing in a steadying breath, I nodded and rolled the suitcase and carry-on up the inclined pathway beneath the ornate portico to Stonewall Manor.
The historic mansion had been perfectly preserved, the smooth gray walls pristine.
Not that I’d ever been to France, but the style reminded me of an old chateau with its elaborate towers, spires, and steeply pitched metal roof.
The school crest had been inlaid within the light stone, the knight-and-sword shield stretched across my t-shirt.
I’d already also bought a sweatshirt with the emblem in a lame attempt to fit in.
Papá held the door open as I wheeled in my luggage and scanned the bustling foyer for a registration sign.
“Wow.” My dad’s head tilted back, his jaw forming a capital O as he stared at the rotunda overhead. “I guess I’m starting to see why you picked this school.”
“I didn’t just pick it because it was pretty, Papá. It’s going to give me the best opportunity for med school.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side.
“I know, mija. I’m so proud of all your hard work, and I know your mom would be too.
You’re going to be the one to find a cure for cancer, Lexi.
I can feel it in my bones. And if it takes you being all the way out here to do it, I get it. ”
“Thanks, Papá.” I blinked back the quickly forming tears and followed the trail of freshmen to the first counter.
As I walked out of Stonewall Manor, a stupid grin stretched my lips, the smile so big my cheeks hurt.
I was an official student of the university.
Now, to find my dorm. I glanced at the campus map the admin lady had given me and traced a path to the carriage house.
Apparently, that and the former stables were turned into the current dorms. Hell, if it was good enough for rich people’s horses, it was good enough for me.
Papá followed me down the path, dragging my big suitcase while I toted the smaller carry-on. Was it sad that all my earthly possessions fit into two suitcases? Maybe. But I preferred not to get attached to things—or people—as it only led to disappointment.
Killian’s deep green eyes filled my vision, and that damned lump thickened in my throat. Nope, it couldn’t have been him. I wouldn’t think about him today.
A crisp sea breeze flitted over the cliff, and I inhaled another long breath of salty air.
I could totally get used to this. The expansive campus sat on the edge of the bluff with breathtaking views of the cove below.
Small fishing boats dotted the inlet, along with a few massive yachts just beyond.
Seagulls squawked overhead, their cries a symphony in tune with the crashing waves.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the students arrived by yacht from what I’d seen of the prestigious alumni list: senators, presidents, oil tycoons, Nobel Peace Prize winners. The former student catalog was basically a list of Who’s Who among the country’s most wealthy and powerful.
Did that intimidate me? Hell, yes. But would I ever admit that? Nope.
“I think that’s it.” Papá pointed at a sign that read Davenport Dormitory.
Davenport? Sweat trickled down my spine, an unearthly chill dancing over my skin. No, it can’t be. It’s a popular hoity-toity name, that’s all.
I did a double-take, glancing at the name I’d somehow completely missed on my paperwork and nodded.
“Yup, that’s the one.” The dorm was a smaller version of the manor, with the same light gray stone and pitched slate roofs with elaborate dormers.
I glanced at the double doors and the smattering of students eyeing us, then turned back to my dad.
“You don’t have to come up, Papá. I can handle it from here. ”
It wasn’t like I was embarrassed of my father. I just didn’t want to subject him to the nasty stares.
“Oh no, mija, I came all this way. I’m going to make sure you’re settled in your room before I leave.”
“Okay, sure.”
He held the door open and I trudged in, dozens of curious gazes boring into the side of my face. Whispers and inquisitive gazes lanced in our direction.
“The freshman dorm is that way.” A tall, blonde lifted her nose and pointed a perfectly manicured nail out the door. Two other girls surrounded her, each eyeing me like I wasn’t worthy of licking the dirt off their designer shoes.
“Not a freshman, but thanks.” Sure, I was short, but did I really look eighteen? I was going to be twenty-one soon.
“Oh, a transfer?” Her eyes widened as they continued their careful scrutiny.
I wasn’t exactly looking my best after a forty-three-hour cross-country drive. My dark red hair was pulled into a messy bun, and I was sporting low-slung sweatpants with my new Stonewall University tee and old Converse. “Yup,” I muttered.
She opened her mouth to say more, but I lowered my head and trudged down the hallway. I was in no mood to meet the resident mean girl after that long-ass trip. I just wanted my room, a bed, and most definitely a shower.