6. Sydney
six
sydney
Unknown
How many texts do you get a day?
Me
Texts, emails, phone calls…
All of them.
Well, there’s a feature that lets you send unknown calls right to voicemail. So I turned that on, and now I have 150 voicemails. I think it’s full, though, because they’ve stopped.
And I’ve been trying to delete the texts as they come in, but I gave up.
It’s been a week.
And you’re still talking to me.
You’re intriguing.
I get that you think that, but I’m about as far from it as possible.
Boring people don’t interest me like you.
Because you saw a photo of me online?
Because you were ballsy enough to steal a playbook and give it to their enemy.
Come back.
I’m just trying to formulate a reply to that…
Some sort of defense? An excuse?
I knew you were too nice.
I think you just don’t want to take responsibility for it.
Ha. I’ve done nothing but pay for it.
The hockey fans at these schools have long memories.
Sounds ominous.
I thought I was supposed to be praying for someone to fuck around with the football team?
I spoke too soon. Their season has already gone to shit anyway.
Okay, well, thanks a lot.
Dylan and Brandon become my allies. Friends, maybe. I don’t know if I can call them that. But after a few more shared meals, they seem to make a pact to stay close to me.
Almost as soon as I reach campus, one of them is there.
It helps that I’ve got two classes with Brandon—the writing class and a crime fiction class—and one with Dyl. It’s her who joins me on our walk from the coffee cart up to the second floor in the student center, which has a short row of classrooms behind the school bookstore.
“Have you talked to your dad lately?”
I wince. After he helped register for classes, and then took me out to dinner with his new wife, I’ve been avoiding him. He sent me several messages that were easy to lose in the onslaught of spam.
Eventually, he’s going to intercept me here or wait for me outside my apartment, and I’ll have to deal with it.
Him.
“And your SJU friend, Lettie?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, no.”
It’s funny how things change. Her text thread is at the bottom of my messages, but I can’t make myself delete it. Even when my phone prompts me to deal with the storage issue. But why would I get rid of her messages and keep the hate texts?
For every text I delete, another three come in. Although I’ve started noticing that some double or triple text, hoping to pull something out of me. Or trying new angles. Poking at different spots hoping to find a bruise.
My ending with Lettie wasn’t vitriolic. Just… abrupt.
I put Lettie through too much trouble. She was a casualty in the war against Sydney Windsor, and she decided it was best to cut ties than try to weather the storm with me. I’m not mad about it—it’s just the kind of friend she is.
Was.
The worst part is, I keep expecting Dyl and Brandon to abandon me, too. I wouldn’t even blame them for leaving.
“Uh-oh,” Dylan says under her breath.
I follow her line of sight.
Oliver Ruiz and two others, both in FSU Hockey sweatshirts, are strolling our way. Dark hair, sun-kissed tan skin, hazel eyes, perfect fucking face. I want to punch him.
One of the others, a guy with dark-blond hair that flops in his face, has a black eye. His green eyes bore into mine from this distance, and I automatically shiver as goosebumps rise along the backs of my arms.
“You are probably familiar with Oliver Ruiz,” Dyl says in my ear. “On his left is Bear.”
Not the one who’s eyeing me. Bear is a big fucker, a few inches taller than Oliver and the third, and packed with muscle. Dark hair, dark scruff on his jaw, a mean scowl in place. His gaze rakes over both of us but doesn’t linger.
“And the third?”
“Penn Walker. Fucking crazy goalie, although he’s actually pretty nice if you catch him in a good mood.”
I scoff. “He doesn’t look too nice right about now.”
“Well, yeah…”
“Maybe we should get out of here.” I tug at her arm.
“Hey, Windsor!”
The three guys are around me in an instant, subtly boxing out Dylan. Oliver Ruiz wedges between us, forcing me to drop her arm.
“Enjoying your stay at FSU so far?” he asks.
I scowl at him.
“Still trying to sabotage us?” Bear questions. He tips his head. “I bet you’re fucking someone on the hockey team within a month.”
“She’ll try to get in my pants,” Oliver says, flashing me a smile. “All the girls do.”
“There’s no way in hell,” I sputter.
He pretends to consider that. “Your friend, Scarlett, did say you were a prude…”
“Scarlett?” The goalie with the black eye pipes up.
“Lettie Blake,” Oliver tells him.
My gaze bounces around them. “What about her?”
Ruiz pulls out his phone and scrolls for a minute, then flashes it at me. It’s a picture of her… naked, on her knees. Mouth open. Her nose is practically touching his pubic bone?—
Things I never wanted to see.
I snatch for his phone, but he’s faster.
“Does she know you took that?” I hiss.
He laughs. “Yeah, she got all indignant about it. Kind of cute, actually. I might go back for seconds, see if I can get a few more shots… It would sell better, don’t you think? A full set as opposed to just one.”
My body goes cold. “You can’t do that.”
“No? I mean, she might’ve driven your getaway car for all I know.” He taps my chin. “Close your mouth. Wouldn’t want you to give me any ideas.”
I scowl. “Just leave me the fuck alone.”
“But we have a bet,” the goalie calls. “You may as well settle it for us, snitch. A month. Over or under?”
“Over,” I say through my teeth. “Way, way fucking over.”
I shove past Oliver, ignoring his laugh. Dylan grabs my arm and urges me along faster, although my stomach is twisting. I need to tell Lettie that he has a photo of her. I need to warn her that he might share it, or?—
“Breathe,” Dylan says. “They’re still watching.”
“Everyone is always watching,” I reply.
“So, even better reason to not fall apart.”
She’s got a point. I hate that I have to swallow that down. Every emotion gets shoved to the back of my head, where the tears can’t find it.
We get to class, and I automatically take a seat in the far back, but as close to the door as possible. Dylan sits in front of me. After Calculus, I’ve got a break of time, and then an introduction to law class that gets out at five o’clock. And after, I fully plan on going home and hibernating until I have to be back for class on Monday.
When everyone is here, our professor jumps right into class. I liked math at SJU. I was planning on minoring in Mathematics, although I hadn’t quite figured out what I was going to do with the rest of it. English was something I was leaning toward, although at that point I had only done the introductory courses.
I keep my head down and do the work, occasionally glancing at the back of Dylan’s head. She seems just as focused, which is good. I like problem solving, especially when there are clear-cut answers.
It’s so different than analyzing a piece of literature, in which there’s no true right answer. There’s what the professor thinks, of course, but sometimes the table being blue has nothing to do with the state of the author’s mind.
Anyway.
The skin on the back of my neck prickles halfway through class, and I glance over. A girl is glaring at me, and she slowly lifts her middle finger.
So. Fucking. Classy.
As soon as the professor dismisses us, Dylan and I hurry out.
“I need to make a call,” I say, pausing outside of the dining hall. “You go in, I’ll meet you.”
Dylan gives me a skeptical look, but she eventually nods and swipes in. I pull out my phone and go to Lettie’s number, my thumb hovering over it.
Just call her .
Too exposed in the middle of the atrium, I go down the hall where the restrooms are. Trying not to think about how poorly this conversation can go, I press it and raise the phone to my ear.
“Come on, Lettie,” I murmur to myself.
It goes to voicemail. I let out a low breath, when really, it should hurt more. But maybe I’m just a fucking coward, because I don’t want to hear her reaction in real time.
I clear my throat and wait for the telltale beep . “Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to give you a heads-up that Oliver Ruiz has a compromising photo of you… And he’s threatening to get more. Which I guess is fine if it’s consensual, but at the very least you should know what he’s saying. Okay. I hope you’re doing well… Call me back.”
“Aww, that was so sweet .”
I turn slowly.
The goalie leans against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. I can’t help but recognize that he’s blocking my way, albeit in a subtle fashion. If I were to accuse him of it, he could double down or motion to the space between him and the far wall.
“Warning your little friend about Ollie’s threats?” He tilts his head, watching me with a curious expression.
I lift my chin. “Something like that.”
“Because you’re such a good person.”
“I’m a fine person.”
He pushes off the wall and stalks closer. “Yeah? And yet, you snitched. On your dad’s team, no less. That’s fucking cold.”
“Cold? You don’t know the half of it.” I don’t back away. And I really wish I could recall his stupid name.
“Why, did he do something to you?”
He backs me into the wall. When I edge to the left, he slams his hand down next to my ear. A wicked thrill goes through me, and I have to seriously look up to see into his eyes. But he doesn’t seem pissed. More curious than anything.
“Not so fast, princess.” He trails his fingers down my arm. “Why do you want to bother pretty Lettie with worries? We’re not going to leak her pictures… It’s you we want photos of, don’t you think?”
Yeah, right.
“Photos of you tied up, choking on our cocks, tears decorating your pale skin…” His pupils dilate, like he’s fucking turned on by that. “I say under a month before you break and get naked with one of us.”
“As I said, it’ll be a cold day in hell when that happens.”
He laughs. “Oh, I do like your bluster. But winter is coming, princess, and I’m pretty sure this is your own personal Hell.”
He leans in, his lips brushing my ear. A chill shoots down my spine that I try desperately to suppress. But my heart is beating against my ribs in a way that almost hurts, and I don’t know why I’m staying in this position. Why I’m letting him talk to me like this.
“But if it’s not…” He pulls back just enough to meet my gaze. “Feel free to let me know, and I’ll adjust the temperature.”