The Revenge You Seek: A Dark College Bully Romance (Maddison Kings University Book 1)

by Tracy Lorraine

  "He is good," I say, after taking a sip of my water. "What?" I ask when he stares at me as if he wants me to go up in flames. "You know it's true. You've said it yourself before now."

  "Ugh." He drops his head into his hands and pushing his fingers through his hair, dragging it back painfully from his face. "I know, I know. I just wish I wasn't blindsided by this."

  "You need him, don't you?" It's no secret that the Panther's best wide receiver opted to enter the draft early in the spring and got snapped up to play for… someone. I have no clue where he went other than he went.

  "Do I have to answer that?"

  "No, it's written all over your face."

  Silence falls between us but it's not uncomfortable. Things are never that way between the two of us, it's one of the things I love about him so much.

  "Zayn told me to come to meet you after class. He's worried about you. Should we be?"

  Yes. "No, of course not. I can handle Kane. You need to focus on the upcoming season."

  He nods but I know it's not going to be that easy. There’s already more tension than there should be between teammates, I really don't need to add to it.

  "I wish I could stay and hang out more."

  "I've got a ton of work to do, don't worry about it."

  He leans over and drops a lingering kiss on my cheek.

  "If you need anything, if he so much as looks at you the wrong way, you know where I am."

  "I know, but it won't be necessary."

  He climbs from the bed and walks to my door.

  "Oh, party Friday night. You in?" Excitement sparkles in his eyes at the prospect of letting it all go for a night.

  "You got it."

  "Sweet. See you tomorrow?"

  I smile at him as he slips through the door and disappears.

  I'm making myself dinner later that evening when Brax and West come stumbling into the dorm, both fresh from the shower.

  "Evening, beautiful," Brax sings. "That smells insane. Enough for three?"

  "Funny you should say that," I mutter as he wraps his arms around me from behind and peers over my shoulder.

  "Giiiirl, I think I love you."

  I laugh at his antics as he smacks a wet kiss on my cheek.

  "Just gonna dump this and you can fill us up good."

  As they both disappear to their rooms, I pull down three plates and start dishing up.

  I didn't need to make this much, but something told me others would be grateful.

  After Luca left, I figured I'd be safe because Kane would be at practice with him, so I headed to the on-campus store for ingredients for dinner and everyone's breakfast in the morning.

  Cooking always used to be something that helped me to relax but I've barely done it recently, but with all the nervous energy zipping through me after the events of the day, I knew I couldn't just sit in my room and attempt to work on my assignments.

  "How was practice?" I ask when they both return and take their seats.

  "Brutal. And Luca was fucking pissed."

  "I've never seen him like that before," West adds.

  My stomach knots knowing that I didn't help with that situation.

  "What the fuck was that with you and the new guy earlier?" Brax asks, his eyes drilling into the top of my head as I stare at my dinner.

  I knew the question was coming. They were unlikely to forget jumping to my defense in statistics earlier.

  "It was nothing?"

  "Nothing?"

  "Luca wants to kill him and he treated you like a piece of shit."

  "He barely spoke to me," I argue.

  "Maybe not, but the way he looked at you. It was like he wanted you to go up in flames right in that spot."

  7

  Kane

  "Did you know?" I ask, throwing my bag at the wall in the living room as I stare at the three assholes sitting around the dining table stuffing their faces with dinner.

  The bag hits with a thud leaving a dark mark on the wall before crashing to the floor. But it doesn't make me feel any better.

  Right now, nothing aside from getting my hands on her will go anywhere near making me feel any better.

  Okay, maybe landing a punch on Luca's smug fucking face like I've been holding myself back from for the past fucking three hours might do something.

  The three of them stare at me as if I've sprouted another head.

  "Know what?" Devin finally asks.

  "Did you know she was here?"

  "She?" Ezra asks, his brows drawing together. “Wh—"

  "Holy shit," Devin interrupts, clearly having a light bulb moment. "No fucking way. She's not?" His eyes are so wide, I wonder if they're about to pop out.

  I stumble back on aching legs until my calves hit the couch and I drop down, lowering my head into my hands as three confused sets of eyes drill into me.

  "She's here like… she goes here now?" Ezra asks, obviously up to speed on the situation.

  "She was in my class, so I'm assuming so," I mutter into my palms.

  Silence echoes around the room as they wait to see my reaction to this and also try to figure out what to say.

  Scarlett Hunter has been a touchy subject for me for… a long time and they all try to avoid talking about her at all costs because they never know how I'm going to react—and nor do I.

  "So…" Devin says inquisitively, testing the water. "What happens now? You're… you're staying, right?"

  I drag my head from my hands and meet his concerned stare. Out of everyone, he knows just how hard I've worked to make this happen, which means only he really understands just how much I would be throwing away if I were to turn my back on it—on her.

  "Of course I'm fucking staying," I bark. "I haven’t gone through everything I have for her to ruin everything.”

  “O-okay good,” he stutters while the twins look at me bemused.

  “It’s nothing,” I say with a wave of my hand but we all know it’s a lie.

  To get here, I had to have the help of their father and we all know that Victor Harris' help comes with a serious cost.

  "You want some food, man?" Ellis finally asks. "There's plenty of leftovers."

  "Yeah, that would be awesome. Thank you."

  Him and Ezra collect up their plates and disappear into the kitchen while I make my way over to the table.

  Devin pushes a bottle of beer toward me but I decline. I need to start taking shit seriously so that I can prove my worth to the team and show them that Luca is wrong, that they need me to help take them all the way this year.

  They had an incredible season last year but it's all up in the air with a new team hitting the field this season. Just one person can change the dynamics of a team, and I fear that if we fuck it up this year, then the blame is going to be entirely placed on me.

  "Did you talk to her?" he asks, pushing the remaining food around on his plate.

  "Yeah… kind of. She's… she's different, man. I don't know." I slump down in my chair as I picture her in my mind. "She was so skinny, tired."

  "You think something happened?"

  I shrug. "She wouldn't have given up Columbia without a fight."

  I might not have known Letty well for a lot of years, but she was dreaming of that place before most of us even knew what a college was. It was her ultimate dream.

  So the fact she's here right now raises huge questions.

  "Something bad must have happened," he muses, mirroring my thoughts. "You hear of girls getting attacked and shit all the time, dropping out and—"

  "Really?" I ask him, turning to stare at the side of his face.

  "Sorry, I was just saying."

  "Well don't." I've already got enough images racing through my mind as to the reason she could be here. Him adding more—or encouraging the ones I already have—isn't helpful.

  "Here. Enjoy," Ellis says with a smile, sliding a plate over. The scent of the tomatoey Bolognese assaults my senses and my mouth starts watering.

  "You
perfected anything else yet?" I ask him, knowing this is the only dish he ever cooks.

  “Nope, I’m a one-dish kinda man.”

  I shake my head at him as Ezra calls something about not being a one-woman man from the kitchen.

  “You need to talk to her. Put all this shit behind you and move on.”

  My fork pauses halfway to my lips.

  “Wait… you're fucking serious?"

  "Bro, I know, I get it. But don't you think it's time to let it all go? You're both here, starting over. Just…" He trails off, not really needing to say the words out loud.

  But while he does understand. He has been beside me through it all, he suffered some of the same loss I did, it doesn't run as deep for him as it does for me. And no matter how hard I might want to walk away, to do what he just suggested, I know I'm not going to be able to.

  I'm not going to be able to watch her walk around, embarking on her new life and stay on the sidelines. I already know that it's not going to happen while we're here together.

  "Yeah, I know." I shovel Ellis's Bolognese into my mouth and savor the flavors for a second, it's the perfect distraction, although it doesn't last very long.

  "You're not even listening right now, are you?"

  "Of course I am."

  "Sure. That little issue aside, how's it feel to finally be a college student?"

  "I'm sure it'll be great if I ever manage to drag my head out of the past," I mutter.

  "You didn't hear a word of your classes, did you?"

  "One or two. It's all online. I'll figure it all out. Things can only get better, right? I mean, the girl I hate is in my classes, the captain of the team hates me and wants me gone. It's a pretty solid start to my college career."

  "Dude, you're so fucked." He laughs, slapping me on the back.

  I'm glad my life amuses someone.

  Once I've finished eating, I begrudgingly agree to clean up the kitchen before shutting myself in my room to attempt to fix the tiny issue that is me fucking up all four of my classes only two days into the semester.

  Dropping onto my bed, I flip my laptop open and log into the college website so I can locate the class notes from today.

  My head spins as I read through everything, but my mind keeps dipping in and out and taking me back to that auditorium where she was sitting beside me.

  I start to wonder what she's doing right now?

  Is she in the dorms, or does she have a house with friends?

  I sit bolt upright. Does she live with him?

  My heart begins to race as I think about the familiarity between them when she rushed into his arms at the first opportunity earlier. He was waiting for her to finish class, that much was obvious.

  I knew they were friends in high school, but I never saw any evidence they were any more than that. If I had, then our games might have been even more brutal if I had any suspicion he'd touched her.

  Did she move here for him?

  It's that thought and the image of her in his arms that has me dumping my laptop on the end of the bed and jumping up. I might have had our session this morning followed by a hardcore practice but the only way I'm going to expel the energy that's twitching at my muscles is to get up and move.

  Pulling on a black hoodie, I shove my feet back into my sneakers and head out of the house, popping my AirPods in, I pull the front door closed behind me and take off.

  It's dark out now and I have no clue where I'm going but I don't really give a shit. I'll find my way back eventually. All I know is that I need to at least try to outrun some of my demons and attempt to get my head together before it all starts again in the morning.

  I smile as my muscles start burning.

  This right here is something I have control over. The rest of my life, not so much, it seems. But this, my body, this is all me.

  I push harder, sweat beginning to stick my hoodie to my skin as I move.

  My feet pound against the sidewalk as I eat up the miles.

  I don't realize where I've ended up until the bright lights of the campus coffee sign come into view.

  I look around, seeing all the unfamiliar buildings but knowing exactly where I am.

  Is she here somewhere?

  I spin around looking at all the lights in the surrounding dorm room buildings.

  My fist clench as I imagine her looking down at me right now.

  My eyes flick around in an attempt to search her out.

  "Where are you, Princess?" I whisper to myself like a complete psycho. "You can only hide for so long.”

  8

  Letty

  I sit at my desk working on my assignment with my eyes burning and my body begging me to give up for the night and head to bed.

  Spinning around, I stare out of the window and up at the dark night sky.

  With all the light pollution from campus, it's impossible to see if there are any stars out tonight.

  Pushing from the chair, I walk toward the window and rest my forearms on the sill, staring up and squinting in the hope of seeing a twinkle.

  When I returned to Rosewood with my tail between my legs to confess to Mom that I was now a college dropout, I spent a lot of time out in the backyard or sitting on the beach watching the sun go down and getting lost as the darkness engulfed both me and my surroundings.

  Staring up at those twinkling stars made me forget about everything that had led to the moment I broke down in Mom's arms and told her everything I'd been hiding in for so long.

  It felt good to finally get it all out. I openly bled out my pain and to have someone cry with me.

  The look on Mom's face as she held my face in her hands and sobbed with me is one I'll never forget.

  I was terrified to go home and to tell her what a mess I'd made of my life. I knew she'd be disappointed in me. Her main focus since the day we were all born was ensuring we had everything we needed to make a success of our lives and there I was crumbling and losing control of the life I thought I was making for myself.

  I should have had more faith in her because although, yes, she was disappointed that I'd turned my back on Columbia, she supported me wholeheartedly and chastised me for suffering alone for so long.

  Maybe if I had come clean sooner, I might have been able to continue with my life with her support. But it's too late to wonder now.

  All of that is done and here I am.

  Starting over and trying to put all of that behind me.

  But I can't, because he's here.

  Taunting me.

  Reminding me.

  Threatening to drag me right back into the darkness.

  With a sigh, I turn away from the window, shrug my hoodie from my shoulders, I throw it over my chair and crawl into bed.

  I lie there staring at the ceiling knowing that really I should flick the light off and attempt to get some sleep but something stops me from doing it.

  The rest of the dorm has been in silence for over an hour, everyone disappearing to their own rooms to do their thing, so when a sharp knock sounds out on my door it makes me squeal in fright.

  My heart jumps into my throat and my hands begin to tremble.

  My initial thought is that it's him. That he's found me already.

  I didn't tell anyone not to let him know where I live but I'm sure there are a million and one ways to find out if he wanted to.

  He's always been pretty resourceful. I mean, he got himself here after all.

  Hesitantly, I pull the covers back and lower my feet to the cold floor.

  Every single muscle in my body screams for me to stay where I am and hide.

  But I know that if it is him, that he won't stop until he gets to me, even if that means kicking the door in.

  I'd rather just accept my fate than wake the entire dorm and have them witness my shitshow of a life.

  My breaths race out so fast that I'm almost hyperventilating by the time my hand wraps around the door handle.

  If this is him then… then anything could be a
bout to happen.

  My entire body jolts when whoever it is knocks again.

  It's okay. It's okay. Just open the door. It might not even be him.

  I suck in a long breath before pressing the handle down, the loud click of the lock disengaging echoes through my silent room.

  I pull the door open quickly. It's too late to turn back now.

  "Holy fuck," I breathe, relief racing through me so fast that I sway a little on my feet. "It's just you."

  A lopsided smile appears on Leon's face as he steps toward me, his eyes darkening with concern. They're so similar to his brother's but they're darker with a little hazel mottled within when you look close.

  "Who were you expecting? Wait… don't answer that. Can I come in?" he asks and I jump back, realizing that I'm still standing with the door half open and totally blocking his way.

  "Oh, yeah. Of course."

  I pull the door wide and walk into the room, leaving him to close it behind him.

  The second he turns his eyes on me, a tingle runs down my spine and I'm suddenly very aware of what I'm wearing—or not, as the case may be.

  "Sorry, I was in bed," I mutter, embarrassed about showing too much of my body right now.

  "Hey," he says, turning me toward him.

  He steps into me a little and tucks his fingers under my chin so I have no choice but to look at him.

  "You're beautiful, Letty."

  I fight to look away but he doesn't let me.

  "It's me, Let. You never have to hide from me."

  Tears burn my eyes at the emotion in his voice.

  "I know. It's just… it's hard."

  He nods in understanding. That's the thing about Leon, he just always seems to know how I feel, the right thing to say or do to just make me feel better about whatever the situation is.

  "Why don't you get back into bed? I just came by to check in on you. Luca mentioned what happened earlier."

  "Of course he did," I mutter, although not expecting anything different from them. They're nothing if not protective.

  "He's worried about you."