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I mentally slapped myself as Quinn disappeared in a cloud of expensive cologne. What on earth was I thinking? The whole point of dressing like a bag lady was to stay under the radar, yet I’d barely been at this fucking college for a week and already I’d attracted the attention of two of the hottest guys on campus.
Fuck my life.
Quinn was gorgeous. Like Brax, he was tall with dark hair, but unlike Brax, he wasn’t an arrogant shit. His hair was cropped short with long layers on top and he had some cool ink trailing down his arms. I especially liked the lip ring, which I’d noticed as he worked on my laptop. He had a habit of chewing on it when he concentrated.
On another guy, face piercings might be a bit intimidating, but Quinn’s warm brown eyes sparkled with mirth and something about him made me feel safe. At least as safe as I ever felt, which wasn’t saying a lot these days.
Yet no matter how safe I felt in his company, the moment he’d casually invited me to hang out with him back in his room, alarm bells started clanging in my head. Under different circumstances, I might have said yes. The guy was hot, I was attracted to him, and I’d have enjoyed getting to know him better. But this version of Stella wasn’t in a position to hang out with cute guys. It was too risky. I couldn’t afford to get close to anyone.
Besides, it was hard to see why a guy like Quinn would want to hang out with me. Like Brax, I’d bet my last dollar he had girls hanging off every word he uttered from those deliciously sexy lips. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if they knew each other, or were friends.
Ugh. That train of thought was a no-no. I really didn’t need to think about the two of them together, in bed with me, naked…
Nope.
I gathered up my stuff and shoved it in my bag. My essay was almost finished and I’d had enough for one night. The librarian nodded at me as I walked out, and I smiled back at her. It cost nothing to be nice to people. I’d spent much of my life witnessing how obnoxious rich people were to anyone they deemed lesser than them, and I made a point of not doing the same.
It was a relief to reach my dorm room without bumping into anyone. I was mentally exhausted. The constant need for vigilance in case I gave my identity away, plus a sense of dread each time my phone rang, was wearing me out.
Dad’s lawyer had been quiet for the last week. I hoped no new updates on the case was a good thing, but I wasn’t convinced. The media was still full of headlines about people who’d lost money, and until a new scandal hit, my father and I were hot topics.
I knew that things would die down eventually, but in the meantime, I needed to keep my identity hidden. There were too many people out there who hated our family. And while Dad was in prison, safe from the prying eyes of the press, I was not.
Chapter 10
Stella
My natural blond hair had always been the most distinctive thing about me. Before coming to Ridgeview College, I rarely bothered visiting a hairdresser. I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly unless coerced to attend an event with my father or my ex, Brody, so I never did much with my hair. It usually hung down my back in soft waves, or if I went for a run, I pulled it back into a ponytail.
I had decided to color it before I left New York. I knew that being a natural blond would make me too recognizable, so I ordered a home dye kit and turned my pale locks brown.
The problem with DIY hair dye kits was the margin for error. I had a sneaking suspicion hair colorists spent a lot of time learning about chemistry for a reason. Including how to correct color mistakes when it all went tits up.
The bathroom light was unflattering when I stared in the small mirror and wondered how on earth I was going to fix this shit. My formerly blond locks were now an alarming shade of green-brown. The original brown color had never exactly flattered my skin tone, but it hadn’t looked this bad. Now, I resembled the Wicked Witch of the West. All I needed was a cauldron and a broomstick to complete my look. It was just as well I’d brought a few hats with me. Frankly, I’d be needing them.
I was beginning to wish I’d gone with red not brown. Red stood out more, and it faded fast, but at least it didn’t make me look like a pile of dung.
Ugh. There was literally nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t visit a salon to have the color corrected. There was a risk someone would recognize me if I had the brown stripped out and my normal blond restored. It looked like I was going to have to front it out for a while. Still, at least it made my turquoise eyes pop.
I pulled a black cap on and tucked my hair under it, hoping nobody noticed as I headed down to the campus store to buy a few basics. Unfortunately, some girl running past with a huge backpack over her shoulder clipped me on the way.
My hat flew off, revealing my green-tinted hair. If it had been lime-green or some other cool color, I doubt anyone would have said anything, but dung green was clearly not a choice a sane person made voluntarily.
Not unless it was Halloween.
Before I had time to grab my cap and replace it, Rowena appeared. She took one look at me and started sniggering.
“Nice hair color. Pity Halloween is seven months away.”
I ignored her and reached for my cap.
“Did you pay a lot for that color? I hope not, ‘cause if you did, you should demand a refund.” She laughed even more.
A girl with long red hair overheard Rowena and snorted loudly. “I’d shut up if I was you, Rowena, your hair is so bleached it’s a miracle it hasn’t all fallen out yet.”
Rowena turned on her and snarled. “Fuck off, Tessa.”
“How about you fuck off, bitch. Don’t you have more blowjobs to hand out? Best hurry up or you’ll fall behind schedule.”
