“Woah, your eyes are so pretty and unique,” she said, changing the subject completely. Her blunt honesty was refreshing, she didn’t seem to have an ulterior motive as I scanned the book in her hand—a romance novel showing a naked man with a six pack on the cover with no shame. She must have brought it from home , because the school library wouldn’t stock these kinds of books.
“Thanks, I suffer from heterochromia,” I murmured.
“Is it contagious? I’d love to have a pair of green or blue eyes. Wait, both. I don’t know,” she babbled before giving me a genuine smile. “My name’s Diona Webster, by the way.”
Knowing it was only a matter of time before she and everyone else knew who I was, I decided to bite the bullet. She hadn’t tried anything or reached into her bag to dump acid on me, so I had to take that as a win. “Tori Watson.”
“Tori … I like it. It fits you.” She grinned before tilting her head to the side. “Are you the girl everyone has been raving about since the party on Saturday? I wasn’t there, by the way, so I missed a lot of the details but I heard it on social media. So, I take it you’re the new girl Colten’s interested in?”
“Is it that obvious?” I joshed before nodding. Slowly, the tension around my shoulder dropped as she giggled and nodded. “But yes, I’m the new girl.”
“It is obvious when you’ve been living here for almost twenty years, and you practically grew up with the Barbies and Kens,” she tells me with a wink.
“And you’re not?” I inquired before I could stop myself.
She threw her head back, laughing without a care in the world even though we were in a library. It was just the two of us in here anyway. “Oh, I like that.”
“My rudeness and brashness?”
“I would go with honesty,” she replied with a grin. “It’s really nice to meet you, Tori. I heard what you did to Colten, and I have to say: fuck yes. I’ve wanted to knee him in the balls since middle school when he spread rumors that I had cooties. In case you’re wondering, half the town went to the same school growing up.”
“You hate him too?” I questioned, somewhat intrigued.
“Oh, I don’t hate him,” she barged ahead, “but I don’t like him either. But Zayn, on the other hand… I do hate him.”
“Who?”
“Right, you don’t know anyone.” She winced. “I keep forgetting, sorry. We don’t usually get new people in town, and I know you’re probably a little lost right now. Well, that will all change by the end of the week, seeing how small this college is. Can I see your schedule?”
“As long as I stay the hell away from Colten, I don’t care who else I encounter,” I huffed. With that, I dug into my tattered backpack and brought out my crumpled piece of paper Aunt Winnie had left for me this morning. I had no idea why the dean had decided to redo my schedule, but I wasn’t going to ask as long as I could graduate on time.
Taking it, she hummed to herself, playing with her hair before pressing her lips into a thin line. Finally, she looked up at me with a skittish look. “Okay, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear?”
“Good,” I answered.
“We have first period together,” she responded.
“And the bad?”
“You have an almost packed schedule with Colten.”
Chapter Five
Colten
It took everything in me not to storm into Nina’s house and demand to see Tori Webster.
The whole weekend, all I could think about was what she did to me.
How she felt pressed up against my body.
How I wanted to make her life a living hell.
With my legs crossed, I drummed my fingers on my forearm. I leant against my Bentley Continental. Hudson and Zayn were glancing at one another, evaluating me. After calling Dean Charles at four in the morning to change Tori’s schedule to fit with mine, we were able to pack five out of seven classes together.
I had contemplated changing my major just to make things work before I stopped myself. I’d never been the type to chase after anyone. Yet, in the span of mere days, I was about to change my whole career path for a girl who seemed to hate me.
Why?
Growling, my nose flared. I’d never waited more than five minutes for anything or anyone. Yet, here I was, twenty minutes later. Tori didn’t seem like the type to be late. Surely, she wasn’t going to skip her first day, would she?
My eyes twitched from lack of sleep.
I had no idea what was happening to me. The whole weekend, I trapped myself in my room as I thought of ways to get back at Tori. To top it off, my attraction and fascination for her only seemed to grow and I ended up looking her up on every social media platform.
Not surprisingly, she wasn’t on any of them.
Hudson and Zayn, along with everyone else, knew what had happened on Saturday. Though neither of them had seen her, rumours had spread by word of mouth. It only irritated me more as others now wanted to get into her pants before me.
That is, until one text later had everyone in college stepping away from what I now considered mine.
“So,” Hudson drew out. “I guess … your girl’s a skipper, huh?”
Just then, I recognized Nina’s car pulling into the parking lot. Just like half of the population at this college and town, it was driven by her chauffeur. She’d received the six-figure car for her birthday because she wanted to match with me. Her driver opened the door for her and as Nina stepped out, she made sure to flip her hair back as she noticed me.
She smiled brightly at me and waved whilst making her way over like an excited puppy. “Good morning, Colten.”
“Where’s Tori?” I demanded.
“She left earlier this morning. Right, Reed?” Nina asked her driver, who was just about to drive off.
He nodded. “Correct, Miss Bowers. I’ll pick you up today at the usual time.”
“Don’t be late this time,” she snapped at him, then dismissing him with a wave of the hand. She opened her mouth, but she didn’t even get to start a conversation before I walked into the university with Hudson and Zayn behind me. I couldn’t believe I’d wasted my time waiting for her. This never happened before.
I was ready to wreak havoc before the first period had even started, when I saw her standing in front of her locker with Zayn’s girl. I was somewhat disappointed when I saw her wearing the university’s shorts rather than the skirt, paired with a white collared button-up tucked in.
Feminine, yet tomboyish.
Something about it made my cock rock hard.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the nobody.”
She kept on talking to Diona as she walked away, though not before raising her head and giving me the middle finger. I ran after her, ignoring the whispers, staring and gasping. It wasn’t every day that they saw me like this, fascinated by someone.
Especially a person who was dirt poor and with a nasty attitude that rivalled my own. It was a match made in heaven or maybe in hell. Satan knew who to push my way.
She had reached the classroom when I grabbed her by the arm to stop her walking through the doorway. I ignored the electricity zapping between us as the fluttering in my stomach got worse. Whatever effect this person had on me, I needed to fuck it out of my system. I needed to know why she wanted to hide from others.
I pinned her to the nearest wall, thankful that Hudson and Zayn had ushered Diona away. That one wasn’t scared of me, being under Zayn’s protection and all.
I thought Tori would have balked at how roughly I’d grabbed her. But, instead, she gasped and leaned into me, my hardened cock digging into her front. I didn’t even try to hide how much I wanted her, and she didn’t even flinch as I leaned down to nibble her skin. “You’re not even going to say good morning to me, Starlight?”
She tried to push me away but I held her tight. My mind swam with desire and the blood was rushing through my groin. This close contact made me lose my mind. I wanted nothing more than to press her front to
the wall, pull down my pants, and take her from behind. That kind of need scared the shit out of me. I craved her, yearned to fuck her hard and fast. I imagining her telling me that we couldn’t, that someone was going to see us, but I would have told her that I didn’t give a fuck. She was mine to play with, to please.
“Fuck off,” she snarled through gritted teeth, her nose flaring.
“I’m starting to think you never learned anything about common courtesy.” I chuckled before my tongue darted out. The thought of getting on her nerves and seeing her lose it because of me was maddening. Not to mention, the way her breath hitched before she sighed was making my cock drip with need. People were staring more than ever, holding their breath as they watched our entanglement play out.
All the while, she stayed in place, cocking up a sly brow. “And I’m starting to think you must enjoy the pain. What’s the matter? Does your dick need another kneading from my knees?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I think my cock could do with kneading from your hand, or mouth. Either will work for me.”
“I’m not interested in putting something so tiny in my mouth,” she replied, eyes narrowed. She may have fooled everyone else, but I knew better. After all, her body’s reaction to me gave her away. She was enjoying this.
Was she as fucked up as I was?
“Why don’t you come with me and find out?” I dared.
“That’s only going to hurt your ego,” she quipped. “But if you’re willing, I’m sure there are girls willing to tell you whatever you want and let you knock them up for your money. Spoiler alert, it sure as hell isn’t going to be me. I already told you, I like men, not boys.”
Fuck me—this fucking girl.
The thought of her fucking anyone else had me riled with jealousy. I had no problem with her being a virgin. Everyone here seemed to have lost it young. But the thought of someone else fucking her, hearing her scream, knowing how tight she was made me want to hunt them down and skin them alive.
The thought of her being with some loser in the past just had me fuming.
No, I’d ruin their lives and make them suffer for touching what I considered mine since I laid eyes on her.
Snarling, I was ready to call her bluff and haul her into the janitor’s closet when Diona’s voice broke through our stare down. She grabbed onto my arm and pushed me away. I had forgotten how annoying she was.
“Stop bullying my fellow Slytherin,” she hissed before putting her body between us, holding out her hand as if her frail body was going to be enough to stop me from getting what I wanted. She puffed out her chest. If Zayn hadn’t claimed her, I would have fucked her back in freshman year. She was sassy, yet sweet, too.
“Shit, she’s a Slytherin too?” Zayn questioned. “Would you look at that.”
“I have no fucking idea what the fuck she’s going on about,” I remarked, causing Hudson to laugh before I focussed my attention back on Diona. “This nobody’s your friend now?”
“What of it?” she pushed back.
I was convinced Zayn liked her because she reminded him of the chihuahua his mother had a few years back. The thing was like a spawn of Satan, constantly shaking and barking, but once you got used to her, she wasn’t all that bad. Though when she barked, you were quickly reminded of how annoying she was.
“You never introduced us to your girl,” Hudson chimed in out of amusement.
“Because I’m not,” Tori snapped, but everyone except for Diona ignored her as I gestured towards her.
“Nobody, this is Hudson and Zayn,” I stated, leaving no room for any more information because I didn’t know anything more about her except for how much I wanted her. Judging from their amusement, they didn’t have to figure that one out.
“Your girl’s name is Nobody? Really?” Hudson arched an eyebrow before his eyes went to her. I couldn’t help but stiffen, yet I knew neither he nor Zayn would go after someone I’d set my eyes on. It was the one code we all stood by. “What’s your name since my dickweed of a friend clearly hasn’t bothered to ask?”
To my surprise, Tori didn’t tell him to fuck off. Instead, she stared at him for a moment before calmly replying, “Tori Watson.”
“I heard about what you did at Colten’s party.” Hudson laughed, drawing more attention to us. “I gotta say, you have guts. It’s not every day that someone is willing to knee Colten Fitzgerald in the balls.”
“Because I’m not a sheep,” she responded.
“You are if you want to survive this town,” Zayn warned, causing Diona to snort as she crossed her arms.
“So you’re saying I’m a sheep too, then?”
“No, I didn’t—”
Diona had already stalked off into the classroom before Zayn could finish. Seriously, this boy couldn’t do anything right when it came to Diona, I didn’t know why he even tried. There were others who were much more available and ready to spread their legs for him.
I guessed the same could be said about me and my weird fascination with Tori.
The bell rang, signalling the start to the day. They’d installed it as a fair warning to every college kid they had one minute before class was officially in session. If you didn’t make it, then you were officially late or absent. Naturally, though, no one took it seriously as one could just pay one’s way to getting a degree, which we were all doing.
I watched Tori jump at the noise before her jaw clenched, almost as if she was angry to be startled, before going into her classroom. I had no idea how they’d become so close already and couldn’t make up my mind yet how much I should care about that fact.
Turning to Hudson and Zayn, I had to make one thing clear, just to reinforce the text message from the weekend.
“She’s mine.”
Neither of them seemed surprised as they merely grinned at my possessive tone.
If only they knew, I was in grave danger of passing the healthy obsession mark.
Chapter Six
Tori
After the first day of my new senior year, I was ready to call it quits. The class syllabus was barely more complex than high school. Their curriculum seemed to cater around social development rather than anything out of a textbook. This wasn’t what I signed up for. I truly wanted to learn something in this private school.
Everyone, even the professors, catered to what Colten wanted. He spent his time on his phone or generally not paying attention, and no one batted an eyelid. One professor who may have been new tried to rock the boat at first, and as soon as she found out who he was, she immediately apologized. Truly baffling, to say the least.
It was almost as if I had moved to a different dimension.
When my last class of the day rolled around, I was more than relieved to find Colten wasn’t in it. He’d practically scared off everyone and chose to be my partner for every single class we had together so far. I’d received enough death glares for a lifetime, especially from my cousin. It was abundantly clear no one was happy I had their shepherd’s attention.
Trust and believe, I didn’t want it either.
Taking out my phone, I saw a message from Justin. A small smile made its way to my face as he suggested, for the tenth time, to smuggle me out of town, and we would live on the road with Cleo, too. It was definitely tempting, but I couldn’t do that—especially not to them. Justin had been more attentive lately and I wondered why. I knew he hated his life, but running away wasn’t an option just yet.
I wanted the money so they could live a better life. I wanted Cleo to pursue her dreams since she would be graduating high school soon, and I wanted Justin to travel the country like he’d always dreamt of. It would all be possible once I got what was mine.
Just one year—two semesters. I could do this and Colten could go to hell as far as I was concerned. He wasn’t going to make me break my promise that I made to myself.
“So, I heard you’re a political science major as well.”
Glancing up from my phone, I found Hudson smiling do
wn at me before gesturing to the empty seat next to me. “Do you mind?”
“Actually, I do.”
“Tough,” he playfully shot back as he took a seat with a grin.
Hudson somewhat reminded me of Justin in terms of their personality from what I’d gathered during our limited interactions. I was quite surprised he was friends with Colten and Zayn. He seemed to be relatively normal. Zayn had a crazy look in his eyes whenever he saw Diona, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was some sort of history between them. They had chemistry.
While Colten had a sinister cold look on his face, Hudson had the exact opposite. He appeared down to earth. Thick, unruly black hair framed his face, soft green eyes drew you in, and he was about the same height as Colten. He wasn’t wearing the uniform, and I had soon realized it wasn’t mandatory after the first period, and with the way Diona dressed. In fact, most of the students chose to dress in their designer clothes and fancy expensive bags. The whole place looked more like a fashion show than an actual learning environment.
I decided I would still wear the uniform because I'd already paid for it and that was much easier than trying to rotate the same five outfits I had.
“Do you always dress like you’re going to a business meeting?” I couldn’t help but ask what was on my mind.
“Nah,” he informed me with a laugh as he took out his laptop. I’d yet to even unwrap my laptop I’d received from Aunt Winnie. The one she got me had all the latest specs and I needed to get used to it using it. He turned to me. “I have a meeting today. I’m not sure how out of the loop you are, but given the phone you’re using…” His voice trailed off as he eyed the flip phone on the table. “My father owns a multimillion dollar hotel chain. I’m closing a deal today that he entrusted me with after class since the potential client is coming by, once his plane lands from Japan.”
Again, fancy rich people acting all excited, that was cute. I had to admit I was impressed that he was dealing with his father’s business while he was still in college. Hudson seemed like the type of guy who liked to make an effort and I respected that.
Bringing down the Star: Small Town Bully Romance Book 1 Page 4