8. Thea
8
Thea
T he sun filtered through the clouds, casting a golden glow over the mountains towering above the college. Despite how much I wanted to hate this place, it was growing on me. My room was comfortable, and best of all, private. The food was good, and even though my classes bored me into a coma most days, I could see the appeal of embracing the college experience.
Freshers’ week had been low key so far. I’d not attended any of the events organized by the student council but had witnessed - and heard - some of the revelry. None of the events came close to the debauchery of Landon’s party, but it was obvious most of the students here had more money than sense.
More than a few of them looked ill as they hung around the cafeteria this morning. I smirked to myself as I sipped a cappuccino with 50 sugars and pretended to read my textbook. In reality, I was making mental notes of how I could gain access to Cassian’s apartment again without getting caught.
The party had been a bust. Aside from witnessing Landon take down the meathead known as Dirk, which had been entertaining, I had only spotted Cassian Forsyth in passing. Whenever he appeared surrounded by fawning sycophants, he barely gave me a second glance, and approaching him in front of his hangers-on seemed like a terrible idea.
And besides, Landon had followed me around with puppy dog eyes, refusing to take no for an answer. He seemed to be under the illusion I wanted to fuck him. I mean, I did, but no matter how attractive he might be, I couldn’t afford to get close to him.
Cassian was my target. Once I got what Dad needed, I was out of here. There was little point in muddying the waters with an ill-advised dalliance. Even if Landon was the prettiest guy I’d ever met.
I just had to keep reminding myself he was a fuckboy. Pure and simple.
“Mind if I sit here?” I looked up in surprise. While I’d zoned out, the surrounding tables had filled up with students enjoying the late summer sunshine. The quad area was now packed. It was almost lunchtime, and I guessed people were choosing to eat outdoors while it was still warm enough.
A pretty girl with sparkling blue eyes and pink hair stared down at me, a sandwich and drink in one hand and a book in the other.
“I can go somewhere else if you don’t want company?” she added when I didn’t reply.
My brain rebooted, and I tried to smile like a normal person. “Sorry. I was miles away.” I gestured at the chair across from me and looked down again at my textbook. God, she probably thought I was a total weirdo.
“Thanks! I was late leaving class and by the time I bought some food, there were no outdoor tables left. No way am I sitting on the grass. It’s much too damp.”
I looked up, not sure why she was talking to me. Was I giving off a vibe that suggested I wanted a friend?
“Hi, I’m Eden, by the way. Are you a freshman? I am.” She beamed at me before taking a bite of what looked like a ham and cheese roll, which reminded me I needed to eat something. And soon.
My stomach grumbled almost immediately. “Um, sort of. I transferred in. I’m Thea.”
“I can watch your stuff if you want to get some food?” Eden offered.
I’d never had a female friend. Dar had been my only friend.
“I’m not hungry,” I lied, wishing she’d leave me alone.
“The growly sounds your stomach’s making say otherwise!” She laughed softly and took another bite of her sandwich. “It’s OK. I’ll shut up now.”
I wasn’t here to make friends. But the way her smile dulled at my cool response made me feel shitty, like I’d kicked a cute puppy by accident.
Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to act like a normal human being.
“Um, thanks, I will go get some food if you’re OK watching my textbook and stuff?”
She smirked. “Sure, no problem. Although I highly doubt anyone would want to steal that brick.” A teasing laugh tumbled from her lips and she grinned.
Despite my misgivings, I smiled back. “You’re not wrong there. I fell asleep three times in this morning’s lecture.”
Eden chuckled. “I’m not surprised. Business classes must be boring as hell.”
We both laughed in agreement and then a small spark of hope unfurled deep inside. Even if I didn’t plan to stick around here for long, perhaps I could experience what it was like to be a college student, one with real-life friends.
Torrance wasn’t around to threaten me or drag me out in the middle of the night to do my father’s dirty work. Here, I was free.
“So I’ve heard rumors that there’s a fight club in Glen Cross,” Eden said in a low voice brimming with excitement. “We should go!”
No, we shouldn’t. It sounded like a terrible idea. A distraction I didn’t need. Eden hadn’t stopped yammering since she finished her sandwich. I’d long since given up trying to pretend-read my textbook.
Yet, I was still here. What was wrong with me?
“Not sure a visit to an underground fight club is the best idea. It could be dangerous.” Not that I gave a damn about that, but Eden didn’t look the type of girl who was comfortable with extreme violence.
Eden scoffed. “I’m used to that kind of thing.”
My eyes narrowed. Had I underestimated her? “Oh?”
She looked around, checking to make sure nobody was listening. “Yeah, my family is, um, connected to some less than savory, um, elements.” A faint blush colored her cheeks, as if she was worried that I might judge. If only she knew how similar we were.
“So you’re saying your family has criminal leanings?” It didn’t hurt to clarify.
“Kind of. My uncle is Irish mafia. Dad got out while he was young, but I grew up with my cousins, and they are all involved in the family business.” She grinned. “Declan, the eldest, is a psycho. He’s a cage fighter when he’s not doing shady shit for Uncle Seamus, and I’ve been to loads of his fights. It’s fun!”
My jaw dropped.
“I’ve seen a few fights in my time,” I hedged. “They can be fun.” Especially when I have the pleasure of taking down a man three times my size .
“Then we should go!” Eden bounced on her chair with excitement and then frowned when she saw I wasn’t nearly as enthused at the idea. “Come on! I can’t go on my own!” Eden pouted adorably, and I sighed.
“Fine! I’ll come with you if you can’t find anyone else to go with.” Maybe one of the other girls would offer to take her. She must have overheard some of them gossiping.
“Well… Olivia was the one who mentioned it, and I know for sure she won’t invite me.” From Eden’s scowl, I knew exactly who she meant.
Olivia Huntington was the queen bee here. She swanned around with her little clique of bitchy friends and acted like she owned the place. There was always one girl like Olivia.
“I’ll find out where the club is and we can go, yeah? I have a car parked in the student parking garage. I don’t mind driving.”
My ears perked up the moment I tuned back in. Access to a car could be useful. My driving skills were rusty, but I had a driver’s license.
“How come you have a car here?” I knew there was a student parking garage, but I figured most people wouldn’t bother bringing a vehicle given how remote this college was. It wasn’t like there were many places to visit on a weekend.
“My dad said I might need transport, so he bought me a car. Eden shrugged as if a parent buying their daughter a car was a normal thing. Maybe it was? I had no clue. My father was an unhinged lunatic. He didn’t do normal.
“That’s good.”
“It is! Give me your number and I’ll message you when I find out more.”
Ugh. I didn’t want Torrance reading messages about a fight club. He’d start asking too many questions. Maybe Eden could drive me to the nearest town so I could buy a new phone. One that didn’t have spyware installed. I had some cash saved for that exact purpose.
“Yeah, about that… I dropped my phone in the toilet and it’s fucked.”
“Oh my god! That’s awful!” Eden looked like she wanted to cry on my behalf. I guess for her, losing a phone was the equivalent of one’s house burning down. “We need to get you a new one, stat!”
“Yep, I could use a lift to a store that sells phones? I’d order one from Amazon, but Dad manages my account and he’d kill me if he knew I’d ruined my phone so quickly.” I fixed a sad expression on my face, and Eden reached out to squeeze my hand in sympathy.
Despite not being a huge fan of unsolicited physical contact, I gritted my teeth and smiled at her, hoping it looked natural rather than like a serial killer clown.
Clearly, I was a better actress than I thought because she patted my hand and smiled back. “Fear not, my new friend, we can go buy a new phone this afternoon! There’s a big supermarket in Glen Cross, and it’ll definitely sell phones. Probably not the latest iPhone, but you can pick up something half-decent.”
“Perfect.” This time, my smile was genuine. Eden might talk too much, but she was rapidly becoming someone I could rely on.