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He rattled off a ton of boring shit, most of which I forgot instantly. After 20 minutes of him talking while I smiled vacantly, he seemed keen to get rid of me as quickly as possible. I hoped it wasn’t because he’d invested in Dad’s scheme and lost his life savings.
“If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” he said eventually, having run out of steam. I was pushed back out of his office with a stack of leaflets about student counseling services, which I promptly dumped in a trash can. No way was I planning on booking an appointment with a student counselor. Sure, they were supposed to maintain student confidentiality, but my motto was trust no one.
My watch told me I was now late for my first lecture. Cosmic.
Chapter 4
Brax
As usual, I was running late for my morning lecture on business management. Not that I gave a shit about managing anything anymore. Completing this degree seemed like a massive waste of my time now Dad was dead, but Mom had insisted I finish the course, and as she didn’t need any more shit on her plate, I was here.
My head hurt like a motherfucker. Not even a quick gulp of tequila with my Cheerios had helped. I could barely keep my eyes open, and I knew I looked like shit. Harley had been kind enough to tell me when he returned from the gym. The fucker.
I arrived at the lecture theater just behind some girl in the most shapeless sweater ever. It swamped her petite frame. I assumed she wore it to keep men away. Well, it was working. The only reason I figured out she was a girl was her stature and the ponytail hanging out the back of her baseball cap.
She pushed open the door and instead of holding it open for me, she let it bang me in the face.
“Thanks,” I snapped irritably, pushing through. She jumped and spun around. I realized she hadn’t heard me behind her.
“Erm, sorry,” she muttered. Her pale cheeks flushed as she scanned my face. There was something about her that niggled me, but I brushed it away. Judging by her ugly glasses and awful outfit, she wasn’t someone I’d banged and ghosted. No, definitely not my type. Still, I felt like I’d seen her before. I was about to ask if we knew each other but she didn’t give me a chance. Instead, she scurried away like a little mouse, heading for one of the upper rows where there were a few vacant seats.
“Are you joining us, Mr. Walker?”, Professor Simpson asked in a dry tone.
Flashing him a smile, I hurried up to the back of the lecture theater, where I could snooze in peace once he turned the lights down a bit. I took a seat behind the mouse and watched with interest as she diligently scribbled notes. I supposed I should have been doing the same, but I knew one of the girls in here would let me have her notes if I asked. Most of them would do anything for me. And frequently did.
Quinn, Harley, and I had a running bet on who was willing to go the farthest. So far, Amber was winning. That girl would literally do anything for a scrap of my attention. It was sad. She needed some self-esteem.
I idly wondered if Little Mouse would be as willing to help me out. She seemed like a good little student. I could do with a girl like her helping me with assignments and essays. The less work I had to do, the better. It gave me more time for drinking and partying. I fully intended to get the most out of my college experience.
When the lecture ended, I stood, hoping to treat my little mouse to the full force of my charisma, but she had up and left before I had time to focus. I shrugged. Oh well, I’d run into her in the cafeteria. Right now, I had other shit to do. Like picking up snacks for tonight’s poker game.
Chapter 5
Stella
The cafeteria was buzzing with students when I walked in. I kept my head down and avoided eye contact. It mostly worked and the majority of people didn’t give me a second glance. Those who did took one look at my outfit, glasses, and hostile expression, and moved on. Which suited me just fine.
I grabbed a sandwich and drink and found a seat at a table in the corner. Nobody bothered me while I ate and read my Kindle. Then, just as I was about to leave, Brax sat down opposite me.
I froze. This was not great. I wasn’t 100% sure he recognized me from last night, but I definitely didn’t want to jog his memory. So I ignored him and carried on pulling my shit together.
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you!” He grabbed my arm as I bared my teeth at him.
“Get the fuck off me.” I didn’t need anyone invading my personal space, least of all a fuckboy like him. Yeah, he was hot, but nope, I wasn’t interested, and I had no desire to find out what the fuck he wanted with me. No, no, no. Without giving him a chance to reply, I sped out of the cafeteria like my ass was on fire. I just prayed he didn’t try and follow me.
I spent the rest of the day getting lost and ignoring all friendship overtures. Not that there were many. Most people were already embedded in cliques and not looking for new besties, as I expected, given I was starting mid-way through the semester. It was a relief. I planned on attending lectures, working hard, and spending my free time in my room studying, reading, and watching Netflix.
It was the life I was used to.
A little part of me wondered what it would be like to make friends, go to parties, and be a regular student, but then I remembered that such a life wasn’t for me. Dad had made sure of that. He’d torpedoed our entire existence and now there was nothing left but a gaping chasm.
The only way I would ever escape his infamy would be to build a new life under a different name. Which was why I had switched from Estella to Stella and had enrolled under my mother’s name, Blake, rather than my actual surname, Cancello. Blake was reasonably common whereas Cancello would draw too much attention. The dean knew who I was but if he was to be believed, nobody else did.
As long as it stayed that way, I was safe.
Chapter 6
Harley
