Oh My God: An Enemies to Lovers College Bully Romance (Saint Angels Academy Book 1)

by L. J. Woods

  The joint falls out my lips and I scream before something’s stuffed in my mouth and darkness takes over.

  I try to run before I’m tackled to the grass, something coming around my legs, and holy fuck …

  I’m being fucking kidnapped!

  That makes me wriggle like a worm on a hook. The cloth in my mouth tastes like dirt and sweat, and when I try to spit it out, there’s pressure on my chest. Another cloth comes over my mouth, tied at the back of my head, blinding me. I’m lifted off the ground, thrown over a shoulder like a laundry basket. The clothed gag muffles my scream but I’m hoping my sounds are loud enough to get some attention.

  A smack comes to my ass but that only makes my muffled screams louder. I don’t know who the fuck this is, my heart racing, their body sticky and sweaty but I only want one thing.

  Out.

  They’re careful, not saying a thing the whole time, even when I kick and squirm. Even when I scream through the gag. I’m not making this easy. Listening for clues, it sounds like we’re moving from concrete to grass, steps getting quieter before I hear the crunch of leaves. The chatter from the game grows distant and that makes me worried.

  Is this the person that killed Sammy?

  Is he gonna kill me?

  With that in mind, I rock my body side to side, trying to roll off his shoulder. The person grunts while I put up a fight. A deep grunt. A man? There’s no way in hell I’m going down without a fight but their grip is strong. Hard. They keep me in their hold before there’s a breeze on my legs, the air getting chillier. It feels like we’ve been walking forever.

  I can’t believe I’m saying this but where the fuck is Gabe when I need him?

  While I know he has something to do with the craziness in this town, something wants me to believe that I’m wrong. That he wouldn’t actually do anything to hurt me, that he’ll keep his promise to keep me safe. But I’m a dumb bitch if I’m gonna rely on another person. They always let me down.

  Our pace slows, the sound of water, sloshing around us. The earthy smell of dead algae and mud in my nose.

  Cocks … are we at the ravine? Are they about to drown me? Rape me, then drown me?

  I try to move as the thoughts crawl through my head, trying my hardest to loosen the knot on my wrists and legs. They feel raw and sore with how hard I’ve been pulling but I don’t fucking care. I’m not dying in Clementine.

  Something pulls at the knots and before I can send a fist flying, a voice comes to my ear.

  “Nice try, Dee.”

  SPLASH!

  I panic, my freed hands flaying, splashing around me as my body gasps for air. The darkness disappears, a black bag floating off my head before I reach for the surface, and … Okay, I can totally stand.

  Rising from the water, I’m a swamp thing, my hair stuck to my head, blinding my vision. I untie the cloth around my mouth first, spitting out the one inside before I move my hair out of my face. My body’s cold, nipples puckered against my shirt before I realize I’m exactly that. A swamp thing with murky water surrounding me and now that I know, I’m alive, it fucking stinks.

  I fucking stink.

  Looking at the muddy shore ahead, there’s no one there. My head whips from left to right but still no one. His voice rings in my head again before I scream into the forest. “Gabriel fucking Godfrey!”

  Not wanting to stand in this filth any longer, I make my way out, picking algae off my arm, lip curled to my nose. “Fucking cocks!” I hardly know where I am, twigs and dead leaves sticking to my hair, my skin clammy and dirty. Thank fuck this autumn is warmer than usual.

  My Chucks squish under my feet as I walk through the forest. It’s the same one Gabe and I saw Sammy’s body and that doesn’t make this any more pleasant. A knot sits heavy in my stomach as I walk back to campus, but I have plenty of time to think of my next move.

  I’m gonna find Gabriel and I’m gonna punish him for this. He lives with me after all.

  A flash of lightning brightens the sky, thunder in the distance. Great. This is the icing on the fucking cake.

  “Godfrey!”

  When I kick open the front door with my squishy wet sneaker, I’m happy Grandma’s not in sight for this show. It’s Thursday night which means she’s selling her food at Bible study so Gabe is fair game.

  Tonight, what happens at Grandma’s house, stays at Grandma’s house.

  “Godfrey!” I yell, soaking wet from the rain.

  He wasn’t at the rink when I walked around in dripping clothes. The skateboard home was cold and windy. Miserable. But it flew by as I thought of all the ways I’m about to make Gabriel squirm. Something in my stomach stirs as if fucking with Gabriel excites me. As if I know fucking with him might bring us closer together again. Or pull us apart. But for Elijah, for me, I’m risking it.

  “Godfrey!” I yell again, thunder crackling in the distance as I try to flick on the lights. Nothing happens. Cooocks. Not a flicker. Nothing. I should’ve known something was up when the light over the stove wasn’t on.

  Did they finally cut Grandma off?

  My hands come to my sticky arms, the darkness making the house colder. Eerie. The next time I call Gabriel’s name, it comes out less fiery. Less demanding. “Gabriel? Grandma?” I know she’s not here but if I keep talking it’ll make me feel less alone. Climbing the stairs is the worst. I always think there’s gonna be a monster emerging from the darkness to drag me back down. So I’m quick to my room.

  Closing the door right now is not an option. As scary as my brother’s door looks in the darkness of the hall, closing my door will only make me feel worse. Trapped. Claustrophobic. Patting my front pocket, my phone isn’t there.

  Fuck, did I drop it in the ravine?

  Giant. Fucking. Cocks!

  The sound of a slam makes me jump. Walking back to the corner of my room, that night comes flooding back. Rainy and thundering like this one. The dark room sticks to the front of my mind as I remember walking into the apartment. Everything was quiet like how this house is right now with no music in the background. No radio. No TV.

  There’s another bang as I drop to the floor, curling my knees to my chest, chin above them. My eyes lock on his door. “Elijah?” His name is a whisper but that night is so big in my head that it feels like I’m reliving it. My body starts to shake, tears forming at my ducts while the grim flashbacks eat me alive.

  Thud.

  Thud.

  Thud.

  Squeezing my eyes shut does nothing to pull me away. It puts me right there. Right in front of his dead lifeless body. Just like Sammy. Gone. Forever. If Elijah’s ghost is back to kill me for betraying him, I won’t blame him.

  “Dee?”

  “Ahhhh!” Pulling my sneaker off my foot, I toss it right at the dark figure in the door.

  “Fuck!” It hits the head and when it comes closer, my muscles relax.

  “G-Godfrey.” I mean to be more threatening but I can hardly speak, my mind and body way too lost in that flashback.

  He rubs his head, approaching me. “The fuck, Delilah?”

  Tears stream down my face and I can’t stop them. He crouches in front of me, a flash of lightning brightening his eyes and that perfect jawline. His hand comes to my chin and I let out my first long breath of air, his thumb wiping a tear away. He pulls my head to his chest before it all comes out. The emotions I’ve been hiding since I got back to this town stream out of me, and all Gabe does is hold me. Tight.

  He doesn’t ease up until my sobbing quiets and right now, that’s exactly what I need. No words. No answers. Just his warmth. His hold. His cinnamon and tobacco scent. Everything I’ve wanted from Gabe since the second I saw him again.

  When I’ve calmed down enough he takes my face between his palms, searching my eyes. “Dee.” I’m so very aware of how close his lips are to mine, even with my nose filled with snot. I’m the perfect mix of vulnerable and fucked up that I’m craving the comfort of his lips again. “Don’t tell me you’re cryi
ng because of the blindfold baptism.”

  My body tenses again.

  “What the fuck is your problem!?” My hand comes flying to his face but he catches it, an eyebrow cocked. So I let the other swat at his shoulder. “Blindfold baptism?!”

  His brows furrow before he rises to his feet. “Me?” he scoffs. “Like the shit you pulled at the game wasn’t fucked up?”

  “And what you did wasn’t?” Like a mood ring, I’ve gone from sad to angry, burying my misery in a fiery rage. “Everyone thinks you’re some perfect hockey player destined for greatness when I know what you really are.”

  “And what’s that?” He meets my challenge. Not one to ever back down unless it’s away from a conversation.

  “A fucking coward. A snake. A bitch ass, sad sacked, asshole of a best friend.” I’m letting words fly and I’m not even sure what I’m saying. And in the middle of it all, he heads for the door. “Point proven!” He’s about to slam it but my eyes widen, and I reach out. “W-wait!”

  Twenty-One

  Gabriel

  “What Delilah?” I turn around, my nostrils flaring. “What more do you have to say? I killed your brother? I killed Sammy? I finger-fucked my best friend’s sister?”

  She pulls her knees higher to her chest and she looks like that little girl all over again. “The lights are out.”

  “I know!” My voice frightens me. How loud it is and I guess it’s been that long since I’ve had anything fun in my system. It’s not often I forget that and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because I’ve been feasting on Delilah. The girl who won’t let whatever grudge this is go.

  She looks down at her knees like she’s unable to move and I’ve seen this before. Shit. But she won’t admit it. Holding out my hand, I give into the part of me that still vows to keep Delilah safe. The part of me that wants to protect her. I can’t do that if we’re not playing on the same team. And she won’t let me move on if we’re not either.

  “Come on, Dee,” I say, moving back to her. “Let’s go find the breaker.” She doesn’t move and fuck, this might be more than my prank coming to bite me in the ass. So I help her out, and she lets me, her hands heavy like it’s taking everything in her to take her body off the floor.

  She clutches my arm as we make our way out the room and that tells me she’s been talking a lot of shit. Delilah needs me more than she lets on. “Hold me any tighter and you’ll break my arm, Daniels.”

  “I oughtta.” We make our way down the dark steps, careful that she doesn’t trip. “Blindfold baptism? What the fuck is that? What if I drowned!?”

  “Geez, do other guys know if they eat your pussy, you’ll eat their head off?”

  “Do other girls know you’ll eat their pussy and act like it never happened?”

  We make our way into the living room before Delilah takes over this dance, leading me to a door at the end. “Is that what Nix likes about you? You’re always fired up.”

  She looks behind her, I can hardly make out the shape of her face but I can tell she’s glaring. “Nix? What the fuck does he have to do with anything?” Opening the door reveals a darker path, she moves to the side so I can take the lead again.

  “You’re quick to judge my actions but you’re out here two-timing like it’s no big deal. Is that a city girl thing? Or is that a Delilah Daniels thing?”

  That gets a laugh. It’s loud and I’m wondering what the fuck is so funny. To shut her up, I take Delilah between my palms, twisting her around so I’m behind her, the tiny hallway darkening some more. When I slam the door, that laugh turns into a scream. I smirk but she doesn’t see it. “Not so funny now is it?”

  She slaps my chest but I turn her around, her body tense as I move her towards the fuse box. “Nix isn’t my boyfriend, you idiot.”

  Pulling my phone from my pocket, I shine a light ahead, confirming my path before her words hit me. So I point the phone in her face. She winces. “He’s not?”

  “Nope.” A smile spreads across her face. “But now I know you’re jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous.” Am I? There’s a shelf above the fuse box and I reach for it. “Curious.”

  “Curious about my sex life? Yeah, that sounds like jealousy to me.”

  My nostrils flare, opening the fuse box with a hard swing before what looks like a decapitated head falls in front of me. I take a jump back, my phone falling to the floor.

  Delilah starts laughing again. “It’s my grandma’s wig.” Then she gasps. What sounds like a fake one as I retrieve my phone. I really need something to calm my nerves, this shit is embarrassing. “Wait. Is Gabe Godfrey afraid of spiders?”

  “No, but rich coming from the girl who’s afraid of the dark.” Shining a light on the switches, I’m looking for the main breaker. None of them have a label and they’re all off. “Automatonophobia. It’s a fear of things that look like humans. Puppets. Mannequins. Fucking, Buck-E-Cheese monsters.”

  “Auto-what?” She laughs again. I don’t know why I’m telling her this but talking to her helps to calm my nerves. Helps to silence that nagging voice telling me to do anything to get high right now. “You mean the characters that sing to you?”

  “Yeah. Fucking possessed.”

  “This isn’t Ten Nights at Teddy’s,” she laughs again as I flick another switch. Nothing. “And I’m not afraid of the dark.”

  “Bullshit, Daniels when I came in you were curled up like you were hiding from a murderer.” Now I’m chuckling. “Like high school all over again.”

  “That’s different,” she argues. Flicking another switch, light fills the crack under the door as the radio from the kitchen blares. It’s just in time for her to say, “I have flashbacks to the night I found Elijah.” When I turn to her, she reaches for the hanging bulb above her, the light finally on her face. She bites her lip but keeps her eye contact before continuing. “It was super dark inside and when I shone a light on him, he was just …” She pauses, pulling her hands to her arms, rubbing them up and down and I have the urge to be the one keeping her warm.

  Like mine, her clothes are wet, but hers are muddy, some algae still sticking to her. Still, I can make out the outline of those perfect tits and I want them in my mouth as bad as I want a cigarette.

  A tear falls from her eye and she tries to suck it up in the way she always does but something tells me she hasn’t processed Elijah’s death either.

  “He was gone.” Her voice cracks before her brows furrow. Her eyes turn to slits as she gives me the look of death. “And you weren’t there! You gave him whatever it is you get fucked up on and left him to die. How could you?” She bangs her palms against my chest. “And then the first thing you do when I come here is kiss me? And then treat me like you’re a fuckboy? What the fuck, Gabe?”

  “Dee …”

  “You left him! You left me!” Her palms hit harder and I let her before one comes to my face. I deserve it, but the sting doesn’t lift the pain in my chest. “I trusted you! I believed you! But you’re like your parents. Selfish and vindictive! You couldn’t even pick up the phone! You couldn’t even—”

  “I was in rehab!” Approaching her, my palms come to her shoulders and she tries to shrug them off but I back her against the door. Guess we’re doing this. “My parents sent me away the minute they found out about Elijah. Told me to stay away from you and your family. They pulled my funds and threatened the team.”

  Her brows furrow. “Bullshit.”

  “I felt so fucking bad and you’re right. I let you down. Especially when I didn’t own up to it.”

  She searches my eyes, hers blurry. “Your parents know?”

  “Never should have fucking told them.” My forehead hits hers, my body feeling like it’s possessed by the truth. Like I’m begging her to believe me because right now, the only thing I want is her. My eyes fall to her lips. “I don’t wanna hear this bullshit about how I killed your brother. That shit fucks me up, Dee. And you … you fuck me up. And it’s—”

 
; “Fucked up,” she finishes, her hand coming to my face.

  “This thing between us, I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “It’s complicated. I thought it would be for the better if I just let you move on with your life but I didn’t expect this shit.”

  “Delilah?” Grandma’s voice comes from the outside of the door and her body tenses. Fuck. “Gabriel?”

  Delilah’s eyes search mine as I’m staring back into hers and I’m all spent by the time I open the door and leave.

  Twenty-Two

  Delilah

  “Noah’s Ark? Really?”

  Leaning against the white wall in the main building, my arms cross as I cock a brow at Hazel.

  “You’ll be in pairs!” A TA calls at the front of the main hall. “And you’ll stay this way for the duration of the trip to complete the assignment. They are to be completed in two. And twos only!”

  “Yes, really.” Hazel nods as if I’m the one that’s being weird.

  “I thought that was like a children’s story.” My eyes scan the crowd heading towards the line of professors at the doors. I tuck my board further under my arm. ”Y’know, The Princess and the Pea, Sleeping Beauty. If Noah’s Ark exists I want twelve dwarves.”

  Hazel laughs and it feels like I’m growing on her. “It’s a museum. A replica or whatever of what it would have looked like.”

  Nodding as if I’m interested in this very educational excursion I catch Adam at the end of the hall with Gabe. Adam looks back at Hazel with a smile, his fingers through his hair, his classic model move. It seems Adam’s growing on her too, but Gabe doesn’t look back.

  He didn’t stay for dinner. Didn’t stay to talk. He left the house and I haven’t seen him since. He did leave my phone by my bedroom door. Either that or Grandma went looking for it in the woods. He also unblocked me on social media. When I slid into his InstaShot DMs and asked if we could talk, his only response was, “Soon.”