by Hamel, B. B.
“You don’t deserve a sponsor, bitch,” Elise says, coming toward me.
“You’re just a sponsor slut,” the redhead mocks, closing in as well.
“JENNA.”
The girls suddenly stop as someone calls my name. I look around wildly and spot Brady walking in my direction, coming from my dorms.
“Oh, look who it is,” Morgan sneers. “Did he sleep over last night? Let him fuck you in the ass, I bet.”
I glare at her but the four girls are already backing off.
“Hi, Brady,” Morgan says sweetly as he approaches. “We were just chatting.”
“Yeah, I bet,” he says. “Don’t you girls have somewhere to be?”
Morgan shoots me a look and her friends are already moving on. “Yeah, I’ll see you later, sweetie.” She hurries away with the other girls and I hear them laughing.
I have to hold back the tears. I can’t let Brady see me crying, not right now, but what they said hurt.
It hurt really bad.
He comes over to me, a little frown on his face. “Are you okay?” he asks. “You look upset.”
“I’m fine.” I start walking away.
“Hold on.” He walks with me. “What did they say?”
“Nothing.”
“Jenna—”
“Nothing,” I snap at him.
He blinks and frowns. “Okay,” he says gently. “Listen, I just wanted to talk.”
“What?”
I know I shouldn’t take this out on him. I know I’m being a jerk. But I really don’t want him to see me cry and I’m a second away from it.
“I just wanted to say, I shouldn’t have brought you back into your dorm room like that.”
I stop and face him. “What?”
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he says softly. “I know the other girls here can be rough, and I just…”
I bite my lip but I can’t stop it. I start crying, face in my hands.
He pulls me against him. “Shit,” he says softly. “They were talking about that, weren’t they?”
Of course he can tell. He’s not an idiot. He saw the way they were coming at me and of course he figured it out.
“It’s nothing.” I manage to say.
“It’s not nothing,” he growls. “They’re bullying you because they heard us fucking.”
I flinch and force myself to get it together. “Were you really looking for me because of that?”
“I was,” he says softly. “I was thinking about you and I just… I know it’s hard here. You don’t need me making it any harder.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Next time, I’ll bring you to the sponsored dorms. You can be as loud as you want there.”
I grin and laugh a little bit despite myself. “Asshole.”
“I’m just saying. I know you wanted to scream my name but you had to hold back. If we were in the other dorms, you could’ve let loose.”
“Thanks. You’re such a gentleman.”
“You’re welcome.”
I shake my head, a smile on my face. I sniffle a little, feeling so freaking pathetic.
“Look, this whole thing,” he starts saying, but I cut him off.
“Those girls are just bitches,” I say.
He chuckles. “Yeah. They are.”
“It’s this place. It’s makes people…”
“Competitive?”
“Big bitches.”
He laughs. “Want me to walk you to class?”
“No,” I say quickly then feel like an asshole when his face falls. “No, I just…”
“You don’t want to be seen with the guy that was making you moan yesterday.”
I bite my lip. “Pretty much.”
“I get it. But you’re going to have to get over that.”
“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know.”
He sighs. “Look, I know this is a lot. I know you don’t trust me. I can’t blame you. But I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
“You can do whatever you want,” I say.
He nods. “Yeah. I know.”
I turn away and take a deep breath. “Thanks for breaking that up,” I say. “But I’m totally fine.”
“Of course,” he says.
I look back and smile at him. “Really. Thanks.”
“You can thank me by seeing me later tonight.”
I hesitate then nod. “Okay. Dinner?”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you by your dorm.”
“Fine,” I say, even though I’d rather we met somewhere else. But I might as well face this head on. It’s not like it’s going to just go away.
And like he said, he’s not going anywhere, either.
“See you then,” I say and hurry off to class. I can feel his eyes on me until I reach the building and head inside.
10
Brady
Of course the bullying is starting already.
I was afraid of this. I mean, I’ve heard of girls fighting each other for sponsors and part of me knew that could happen to Jenna. I just didn’t think it would be so…
Blatant. Intense.
Those girls looked like they were about to fight Jenna for real.
I didn’t hear much. They called her a whore, something like that, and I pieced the rest together. I know what people say and how they act and I can only imagine the sort of shit they’re saying about her right now.
I want to face it head on. I think that’s the only way to get past it. But I’m not allowed to meddle in her affairs, so I can’t just tell those girls to fuck off. Instead, I think I’ll just act like nothing happened at all and hope she does the same.
I kill the rest of the day before heading back to the sponsored dorm and getting changed. When I’m dressed, I head out to Jenna’s place.
I’m a little early but that’s fine by me. It’s a nice night and there are people out walking the paths in groups, talking with each other. I notice some of them stare at me and whisper, but I don’t mind.
The strange thing is, I haven’t seen many other sponsors on campus. I’ve caught glimpses of guys I think might be sponsors, but I can’t be sure. Each new year has a new crop of men, so there should be about forty sponsors hanging around. I don’t see them very often and I’d guess it’s because they’re too busy hiding out in the sponsored dorm where it’s basically a five-star hotel.
Not that I can blame them. I mean, I’m living there right now. Living in luxury isn’t exactly the worst thing in the world.
I stop out front of her dorm and sit down on a bench. I smile and stretch my legs. I’m not totally sure what we’re going to do tonight. I was thinking I’d take her somewhere nice off campus, away from all the bullshit. Treat her special and like a normal person for a change. Hell, maybe I won’t even try to fuck her.
Nah, who am I kidding? As soon as we’re alone together, I know I won’t be able to keep my hands off her. I don’t think she’ll be able to, either.
As I’m sitting there, a girl comes out of the dorm. I recognize her from earlier. It’s the one that spoke to me, I think her name is Morgan. She spots me and smiles a big, toothy grin.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hey.”
“Are you looking for Jenna?”
I hesitate. “Yeah,” I admit. “Just waiting for her.”
“Oh, she’s already inside. I saw her in the bathroom talking to Iris.”
I frown a little, glancing at my watch. I thought she was still at class or something right now, but maybe I have her schedule wrong, or maybe she skipped out on it to get ready.
“Well, I’m down here,” I say hesitantly.
“You can wait in her room, you know,” Morgan says sweetly. “Come on. I’ll let you in.”
I hesitate a second, looking around. “Yeah, okay,” I say finally. “Lead the way.”
Morgan beams at me as I get up and follow her inside.
“You know, I think you got the wrong impression earlier,” she says to me as we head up to
ward Jenna’s floor.
“Yeah? I’m not so sure.”
“Honestly, we were just hazing her. I mean, she’s new to the dorm, so…”
“Yeah, right. Hazing. I bet that’s all it was.”
She smiles at me but her eyes are sharp. “We all know what this is, by the way.”
I arch an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“This,” she says, gesturing around us. “The school, the sponsors. We know it’s a game. That we’re trying to win you.”
I snort. “I guess that’s true. I guess it is a game.”
“I’m just saying, I’m not coming after you. In case you were worried.”
I arch an eyebrow. “I wasn’t, but thanks.”
“I’m just saying, I need a more… sophisticated sponsor.”
We reach Jenna’s floor and step into the hall. “Sure. Sounds good.”
This girl’s getting on my nerves but I’m already thinking about Jenna and the night we’ll have together. We walk down the hall and I’m not much paying attention to Morgan anymore.
We turn a corner and suddenly she turns on me. We’re a few doors down from Jenna’s room when Morgan steps up close. I nearly run right into her.
“You’re cute though,” she whispers. “I mean, my family would hate you…” She trails off, pouting up at me.
“Morgan,” I warn.
“Oh, Daddy would be so mad if I brought you home. I bet he’d have a heart attack. Then we’d inherit all his money, which is a lot.” She bats her eyelashes at me.
I put my hands on her arms, intent on moving her away. “I should—”
She lunges forward suddenly and smashes her lips against mine.
It’s the most aggressive kiss I’ve ever felt. It’s more like a headbutt. My lips smash against my teeth and I swear I can taste blood.
She grinds her face against mine before I can push her away. She grins at me.
“Oh, Brady, you shouldn’t,” she says loudly. “Please.”
“The fuck are you—”
But Morgan’s grinning huge as she looks over. “You saw that,” she says. “I didn’t want it. He’s just like the news says.”
Standing in her doorway just a few feet away is Iris. She sniffles, her eyes rimmed red, her nose bright pink. She’s staring, wearing pajamas, sandals, and holding a toiletry kit.
“You just… kissed her,” Iris says.
“No, wait,” I say quickly. “She just—”
Iris hurries away without another word.
I look at Morgan. “You fucking—”
Morgan grins at me. “Go ahead. Call me a fat, ugly bitch. Just like you did to Charlene, you piece of shit.”
I let her go and step away, horrified. The girl grins at me intensely. I turn away and hurry after Iris.
But it’s too late. She’s at the end of the hall talking to someone in the stairwell. As I approach, Jenna’s looking at me with shock and hate in her eyes.
“You didn’t,” she hisses.
“Jenna, come on,” I say. “You know I wouldn’t. You know I wouldn’t.”
She pushes past me and storms down the hall. “Morgan!”
Iris stares, surprised. I hurry after Jenna but the girl whirls on me. “Fuck off,” she hisses. “You’ve done enough.”
“Jenna, wait.”
“What’s going on?” An older girl, bigger with short dark hair, steps into the hall.
“Olive, can you kick this guy out?” Jenna says.
The girl named Olive looks at me with a frown. “Sponsor, huh?”
“Wait, there’s just been this stupid thing. I didn’t actually do anything.”
Olive rolls her eyes. “Come on. Get going.”
“Wait.”
The girl steps in my face. “You really wanna make a scene, Brady? The news isn’t kind to you right now as it is.”
I stare at the girl then look past her at Jenna. “I wouldn’t touch her,” I say.
Jenna turns away, shaking her head, and walks down the hall.
“Go,” Olive says. “Before you make it worse.”
I growl in frustration and turn away. Iris is standing there like a scared cat.
“She kissed me,” I say to her as I pass. “And I pushed her away.”
She hesitates. “Maybe,” she says.
I growl again in frustration before leaving the dorm.
Fucking hell, how did this happen?
These girls, these monsters. They don’t care who they hurt so long as they get what they want. They’re willing to play any games, go to any lengths, just to fuck with the people they don’t like.
God damn it. I just need to let Jenna cool off before I can talk to her again. She’ll understand. She knows Morgan, knows what she’s like.
I tighten my fists and hurry back to the sponsored dorm, already trying to figure out how I can make Jenna see what really happened.
11
Jenna
I stare out the window like a brooding teenager as the rain softly falls over Gradus’s campus.
“Do you really think he’d kiss that twat?”
I look back at Azrael. She’s frowning at me, arms crossed over her chest. Iris is sitting on my bed, absently twirling her hair.
“I saw it,” she says. “At least, I think I did.”
I frown at her. “You think you did?”
“She shoved her face against his! And I think he…” She trails off, frowning.
Az groans. “You don’t even know?” She looks over at me. “I don’t know why I keep defending this man but it doesn’t seem like him.”
“You weren’t there!” Iris snaps at her, still stuffy from her cold, but at least she’s feeling good enough to get out of bed now.
I look back out the window and let the girls bicker. I’m not sure where I fall in all this just yet, and I’m not sure I’m going to be decent right this second.
Azrael does have a point though. Kissing Morgan doesn’t seem like something Brady would do, just like having an affair with that actress girl then calling her those nasty names doesn’t seem like something he’d do. And yet Iris says she saw it, and the actress says he did it, and I just don’t know who to believe.
Doubting the victim is an awful thing. That’s how abusers get away with it. But I’ve been around Brady and I know he isn’t an abuser. He’s a decent guy, at least I think so, and Azrael seems to think so. I actually trust the Goth girl’s opinion, mostly because she seems to hate everyone equally.
I sigh and stretch before turning back to them. “I think I should talk to him,” I say.
Azrael just nods. “Probably should.”
Iris looks less sure. “Listen, Jenna, I don’t want to see you get hurt. These sponsor guys…” She trails off.
Azrael rolls her eyes. “Didn’t your last roommate fall madly in love with her sponsor and, like, run away with him or something?”
Iris looks uncomfortable. “Yeah, so?”
I blink, surprised. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“I thought you knew.”
“I didn’t.”
Iris takes a deep breath. “It’s a weird coincidence, actually. The two sponsored girls that don’t want to live in that sponsored dorm appear in my life.” She laughs but it doesn’t sound happy. “And here I am, without a sponsor, wishing I had one.”
“Not all it’s cracked up to be,” I grumble.
“That’s what Kayla though too.”
Azrael sighs. “This is too much angst for me.”
I shoot her a look. “Says the girl that listens to, like, the most depressing music ever.”
She grins at me. “Makes me feel alive.” She stands up and grabs a hoodie, throwing it on over her black shirt. “I’m heading out. You want something to eat?”
I shake my head. “No, thanks.”
She looks at Iris. “You?”
“I’m fine.”
Az nods then leaves the room. I look back at Iris. “So what happened with your old room
mate anyway?”
“Well, she didn’t know anything about the game before she moved in, and she got drafted…”
I snort. “Of course. That was probably a nice surprise.”
“I couldn’t tell her about it. I feel so bad about it now, I wish I’d told her sooner. It caused all this drama, and Morgan was being a bully to her, and this other girl Nora tried to get her kicked out—”
“Hold on, slow down. Nora?”
“Some other girl that used to live here, she’s got a sponsor now.”
“Right. Bully?”
“Yep. Real big… you know.”
“Bitch.” I grin at her.
She blushes. “Anyway, it worked out with Kayla and Reed. They left Gradus though.”
“Probably for the best.” I look out the window at the rain and catch sight of Azrael hurrying off toward the dining hall. “I guess it can work out, the sponsor thing.”
“Lots of girls marry their sponsor.”
“More like lots of girls get pregnant.”
Iris giggles. “I guess. Same thing in the end, though.”
I shoot her a look. “I guess.”
We lapse into the silence and I groan.
“I’m sorry this is so complicated,” she says softly. “I wonder if it’s like this with all the sponsored girls.”
“Probably. Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Did you meet any in the other dorm?”
“Nope. We’re kept pretty secluded. I tried making friends but nobody seemed interested.”
“Oh.” She frowns. “I guess I can see why you wanted to come here then.”
I stand up suddenly. “I’m going to go see him.”
She looks surprised. “In this?”
“It’s just rain.” I hesitate a second, looking at her. “Do you have an umbrella I can borrow?”
She laughs and gets up. “Yeah, I can do that for you, at least.”
“Thanks.”
“Just, don’t get hurt, okay? It worked out for Kayla but I’m afraid for you.”
“I’ll be fine.”
She bites her lip then nods and heads out into the hall.
As much as I want to just curl up in my room and pretend like the world outside doesn’t exist, Azrael has the right idea. Doesn’t matter if it’s raining or what, if she’s hungry, she’s going out and getting what she wants.