Chapter 16
“And you aredead set on not going out tonight?” Addy questions me as she applies her makeup.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I assure her. “I have to work on this project for studio and chapters to read.”
She frowns but nods at me. “Okay. But make sure you take a break and eat something.”
“I will. Probably just go down to the SUC and grab a sandwich to bring back to the room. I have laundry to do, and I want to catch up on the book I’m reading.”
“Oh? What book?” She raises a curious brow.
“Church by K.G. Reuss. It’s dark as fuck, but oh my God, it’s a masterpiece.” I smile at her.
“See? Now you know why I love this genre so much. And yeah, K.G. is just simply amazing.” She grabs her phone. “Okay, well, just call me if you need anything. We won’t be far from campus.”
I assure her, “Addy, I’ll be fine.”
She lets out a sigh, then walks over and plops herself on my bed. “Look, I’m extremely bothered by the fact that your own stepbrother is allowing this bully shit to happen with his friends and those chicks he hangs around. I don’t like leaving you alone. Especially with what happened today.”
“What? That I gave them a taste of their own medicine? Fuck ‘em.” I shrug. “Besides, I don’t think Xayden will do anything too bad considering he may think I would go running to his dad and tattle on him.”
“But would you tell his dad?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No. For one, I’m a big girl. I can fight my own battles. Two, him just thinking it is enough of a deterrent, and I’m fine with him torturing himself with that.”
Addy purses her lips, then nods with a shrug. “Well, then I guess you will be fine. But still, please call me if you need anything.”
“I will. How soon until you take off?”
“Now. Going to head over to Jason’s dorm and pre-game this party.” She jumps up and gives me a little dance.
I let out a chuckle. “And just what are we celebrating?”
She holds her arms out. “No idea. That it’s a school day? A day that ends in ‘y’? Hump day? I mean, do we need a reason?”
“I guess not,” I reply with a grin.
“Okay. I’m out of here. Call me if you need me.” Addy grabs her purse and waves as she walks out the door.
Sighing, I take a look at the clock and see that it’s almost six. Grabbing my laundry basket, I throw all my dirty clothes into it and grab my wallet and phone.
I figure I can start my laundry and go run and grab some food, then come back and finish it.
When I reach the laundry facilities, I find that both washing machines are open. Thankfully, I just toss everything into one machine.
Who the hell has the time or patience to separate all that? Plus, that just means spending more money.
No thanks.
After starting the washer, I quickly run back and throw my basket back into my room. Making sure my door is locked, I turn toward the stairs and head down to the front of the dorms.
In my pajama bottoms, flip flops, and a T-shirt, I walk over toward the SUC to grab some dinner. Just the thought of food has my stomach grumbling and ready to devour anything it can.
Pulling open the heavy doors, the scents from the food court instantly hit me.
As I walk past the pizza joint, the smell of the sweet tomato sauce fills my nostrils. I was going to get a sandwich, but damn, that pizza smells good.
Fuck it.
I walk over to the counter and order myself a giant ass slice of the Meat Lovers pie.
“Did you want that to go?” the girl behind the counter says with the barest hint of emotion in her voice. I can tell at this point she is counting down the time until she gets to leave this place.
“Yes, please. Also, can I get a Coke please? Large?” I ask. She rolls her eyes and turns to fill the cup she grabs at the soda machine behind her.
Once she rings me up, I slide my student ID card and pay for the meal. Bag and drink in tow, I turn on my heels and start to make my way toward the doors and back to my room. I don’t even bother to look around the room.
The last thing I want to see is if Xayden and his asshole friends are here. I just want to get in and get out.
But a shove from behind me sends me flying forward. With my hands full, I am not able to stop myself, and my entire body crashes to the ground. The drink in my hand lands between my body and the floor. I can feel the coldness start to seep into my T-shirt.
The room around me goes silent as I slowly turn to see who the fuck pushed me. Standing before me are the Sorority Sisters of Purgatory: Monica, Ella, Ivy, and Quinn.
The four of them laugh like hyenas as they take in the damage that they caused with that move.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I say as I push myself up off the ground. I stand, my shirt completely soaked.
“You should watch where you’re walking. You almost caused an earthquake with that fall.” Monica cackles as if she just made the best joke of all time.
“First of all, you cunts shoved me from behind. I was walking just fine. Second of all, a fat joke? Really? Your mouth just spews that shit without thinking? Doesn’t that mouth of yours have something else to do? Like being a cum dumpster for every dick on this campus.”
She seethes, “You fucking whore!” Monica’s face goes red as her hands fist at her sides.
“What? Did I strike a nerve?”
Before I can say any more, three figures appear to my left.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Xayden’s voice catches my attention, causing my eyes to meet his.
“This cow is saying we pushed her. But she just wasn’t watching where her fat ass was going!” Monica whines.
“Are you fucking serious with the fat comments?” My head snaps to her.
“Why don’t you just go back to your lonely little life?” Ivy chimes in.
I sneer back, “My life is just fine and was fine until you completely ruined my dinner. Thanks, by the way.”
“Well, you could stand to lose a few pounds, so you can thank us later,” Quinn smirks, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a derisive hmph.
I scoff and just shake my head. I turn to see Dekker grinning from ear to ear as if he is enjoying my misery and Seven frowning as he takes everything in around him.
My stepbrother merely stands there, hands in his pockets just staring into me like he’s trying to stare into my soul. It’s unnerving.
“Please, all of you, go get herpes or something.” I turn and pick up my bag with my pizza slice in it and the now smashed cup and walk toward the nearest garbage can before throwing it away. I am still painfully aware of the eyes that are on me, and it’s making my skin crawl.
Pushing through the glass doors, the heat from the night hits my face. My shirt is still sticking to my skin as I make my way back to my dorm, trying to avoid all the stares and gawking coming my way.
My knees and my forearms are sore from the fall, but I keep pushing through. All I want is to get to the safety of my room at this point.
When I finally make it up to my room, I throw my pizza down on my desk, grab a new shirt, and take a moment to myself on my bed. Xayden could have fucking at least been nicer about it.
But no. He just has it out for me.
And I just don’t get it.
Though, maybe it’s better that we don’t get along. God knows he is so fucking hot. I’m attracted to him in ways I definitely should not be, seeing how he is my stepbrother and that now makes him family.
Though, these romance books make it seem like it’s totally okay to fall for your stepbrother.
Liars.
Wonder how that dinner conversation would go over?
Hey, Mom, so Xayden and I have been fucking each other. Yeah, that wouldn’t go over well at all.
But at least I never have to have that conversation, because Xayden’s a dick. An asshole. Someone who I would have been better never knowing.
Thanks, Mom.
My eyes drift to the laundry basket, and I let out a sigh, remembering that I have to go move my stuff into the dryer.
Grabbing my ID card and a dryer sheet, I head out of the room and down the hall over to the laundry facility.
Once there, I grab my stuff and throw it into the dryer, tossing in the dryer sheet.
My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I still have not had anything to eat. Hopefully, my pizza isn’t too fucked up from the fall.
As I make my way back into my room, I grab the pizza box out of the bag on my desk and bring it to my bed. Plopping down on the mattress, I open the box and see that the cheese and toppings have slid right off the pizza. Of course they did. Whatever, I’ll still eat it.
Getting up, I go grab a fork and a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. Then I sit back down and start picking at the toppings. The minute the gooey cheese and spicy sausage hit my tongue, I close my eyes and groan.
Food. I so needed this food. I pick up the now cheese-less crust and take a bite into the soft dough. The undercarriage of the slice has a bit of crispness to it, and oh my God, it’s so good.
I finish off the food, then settle back into my bed and pick up my Kindle. I still have an hour until my clothes are finished.
Might as well get some reading done.
Well, the fun kind. Church is way better than any of my schoolbooks.
And a lot spicier, too.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The banging against my door has me jolting up from where I apparently fell asleep in my bed. I scramble out of bed and rush to the door, yanking it open to see my RA, Trisha, standing there.
“There has been a bit of a situation.” She looks down the hall with a grimace.
“What’s going on?” I look in the same direction as she is, furrowing my brows as I try to see what she’s talking about.
“I need to go door to door and ask if you were doing laundry on this floor.”
I scrunch my face in confusion and then realize I left my clothes in there, and God knows what time it is. “Yeah, shit, I was. I had some stuff in the dryer. I apologize, I will go get it. I fell asleep. Didn’t mean to cause any problems with anyone else needing to do any.”
“You are going to want to come with me.” She turns on her heels and walks away from my door. I grab my ID off my desk and my basket. Quickly, I run down the hall to try to catch up to her.
But a smell assaults my nose the closer we get to the laundry facility. Placing my fingers over my nose, I try to keep the stench from breaching my nostrils.
Because, holy fuck, I’m doing all I can to keep from gagging.
“What the fuck is that smell?” I ask Trisha, aghast.
“Your clothes,” she says as she coughs.
“What the hell do you mean?” I cover my mouth as my stomach turns.
She spins and faces me. “You tell me. Your clothes were in the dryer on the right, correct?” I nod, biting my lip. “That smell, it’s coming from that dryer.”
“How the fuck is that my problem then? Obviously, something is wrong with the dryer. What the hell is that smell anyway?” I walk into the laundry room, and I realize instantly what that smell is. It’s like a burnt fishy smell.
A campus worker with a handkerchief over his face is coughing as he points to the dryer my clothes are in.
I start dry heaving between breaths.
“What the hell did you put in with your clothes?” the worker asks me in disgust.
“Ugh, I can’t take this smell. They don’t pay me enough for this.” Trisha turns and runs out of the room.
“I just put my clothes in the dryer. What do you mean what did I put in there? A dryer sheet. That’s it!”
I gag and walk closer to the dryer. I yank open the door, and the sight before me has me running toward the nearest garbage can.
Everything I ate, only a little bit ago, came right back up.
The dryer is filled with bits and pieces of fish and fish guts. Dried pieces of the fish are cooked into my clothes, blood and God knows what else, staining everything.
The smell is revolting, and I can’t stop dry heaving into the garbage can.
“Well, explain to me how what’s in there now got in there?” I look up to see the worker’s eyebrows raised.
“I have no fucking clue! Why would I know how what looks and smells like fish, ended up in a dryer with my clothes?” My eyes are watering from the dry heaving and the smell. My nostrils burn, and I am doing all I can to try to keep from gagging more.
“Well, you ruined the dryer. You will be responsible for a new one.” He coughs into the crook of his arm.
“Me? Are you fucking kidding me? You know what? Fuck this.” I immediately turn and run down the hall and down the stairs, passing people on the floor by as they try to figure out what that rank smell is.
The minute I burst outside of the dorms, the fresh air hits my face, and I try to take a deep breath in and out.
Anything to clean out the smell of the horrid nightmare.
I walk to the back of the building and just break down. Tears fall from my eyes, as I lean against the brick wall and slide down it. I let the anger and sadness pour from me.
All I want is to go home. Back to Vegas. That’s where I belong. And maybe this is my sign that I need to.
Everyone seems to be happy but me. And I haven’t been happy for years.
But would going back to Vegas make me happy? Would that be the right move? My mom wouldn’t be there, and she was everything to me after my dad died.
But she has Aaron now.
Who do I have? Who is there for me?
Because it’s starting to feel like I was thrown here to just be close but far enough away.
No one. I have no one.