by Eden O'Neill
He thought he was so fucking smart, didn’t he? I scrubbed through sweaty hair. “Fuck, no. She just has a mouth on her, and I need to know what to do about it.”
“How about you just handle it? Like you did with that dog?” He nudged me. “You seemed to know what to do then.”
I swore to God I couldn’t talk to this guy. I rolled my eyes. “Sorry I even mentioned it.”
He cut me off when I started to walk away. “I’m just saying when it comes to girls, sometimes there’s shit there that you just don’t see. They make things complicated. Make you want things you don’t understand.”
I frowned. “That’s not what’s happening here.”
“Whether it is or not, you don’t have to push away every woman that comes walking around you.” He frowned suddenly, his expression sad. “I mean, when was the last time you saw your mom? Visited her?”
We definitely weren’t talking about that, my mom, and he was totally out of line here. My eyebrows narrowed. “You’re reaching.”
“Am I?” He pulled the towel off his neck. “Or are you lying? Lying to yourself?”
I wasn’t lying to anyone, and the only thing that needed to happen between Greer and me was me showing her, her proper place. I hadn’t taught her enough of a lesson the other night, and not only was I going to correct that issue, there’d be no mistake where we stood. She was nothing but pussy, nothing but mouth, and I’d make her see that, done with the mindfuck.
It was time to turn the tides.
Chapter Nine
Greer
I was falling asleep in class. Hell, I fell asleep in all my classes lately.
Psych 110 no exception, I curled up in the stadium seat, Professor Hershel lecturing across the front stage. These days getting any kind of sleep only happened in my classes anyway, the result of constant paranoia and stress when it came to Knight. I figured if class already started, the door closed and all focus in the room on my professor, he wouldn’t dare come in.
At least that had been my theory.
It’d been working so far so I took advantage of the time, fifty some odd minutes of sleep better than nothing at all. I obviously couldn’t sleep at the dorm, not with what happened in my own bedroom and mere steps away from my roommates. They hadn’t heard anything at all that’d been going on in my bedroom. Not that it sounded like I was at all in trouble in the end anyway. I completely gave my body over to Knight—willingly.
That was what scared me the most.
I would have done more had he taken it there, more because I wanted to. He left me humiliated in the end, damaged beyond repair, and I hated him. Hated him so much more than before this whole thing started. He was just as crazy as he had been when we were kids, just as hurtful. I needed to stay away from him, my sole focus, and privacy these days was nothing but a silent killer. Having people around and not being in the open was better for me. At least if he found me in my classes, he wouldn’t have an opportunity to take advantage.
I wouldn’t do anything fucking stupid either.
I jumped as Professor Hershel dismissed class, everyone gathering up their things. I got mine too, heading down the auditorium stairs and across the room. I passed the professor’s podium along the way, and he stopped me, waving me over.
After studying something on his podium, he looked up at me, frowning. “Greer Michaelson, right?”
“Yes, Professor,” I stated, slowing my strides and wondering what this was about. He’d never acknowledged me before, this class way too big. His teaching assistants usually only talked to us individually on recitation days.
The professor tucked his stuff in his bag. “I know we don’t take participation into account when it comes to grades for this class, but if I catch you sleeping again, I might have to. It’s wasting your time and mine.”
Completely caught, my heart raced. I adjusted my bag. “I’m sorry, sir. I just haven’t been getting enough sleep lately.”
“I’m sure you and half your classmates. This is college.” Closing his messenger bag’s flap, he slid it over his shoulder. “What I say stands. Don’t let it happen again; otherwise, your grade will be affected.”
Knowing he was serious, I nodded, heading out the room with the rest of my classmates. Completely humiliated again, I covered my face, so over this whole thing.
He’s affecting me, and he’s not even here.
I was blowing myself up now, my hopes for an education. Even though I was undecided, I’d eventually know what I wanted to do with my life and couldn’t afford to take this class over. I might have to pay out of pocket for that, and both Ben and Mom would have my ass. They’d worked so hard for me to go to school here.
Feeling terrible, I headed across campus to get some lunch and frankly, reevaluate my life at this point. My phone buzzed, and my stomach tossed for only a few seconds before seeing it was my roommates, a group text, and thank God nothing from Knight Reed.
Sophie: You guys want to meet for pizza for lunch?
Keisha: Sweet! Green Street sound, okay? They got the best pizza places over there.
Haley: Love it. Let’s just wait until we hear from Greer. I’m close and it’ll only take me a minute to get over to that area.
Same for me, and though I didn’t feel like socializing, socializing was exactly what I needed to do. More power in numbers after all.
Me: Sounds good. The Cheezery sound okay?
It was the best place on Green Street, and since they all agreed, that’s where I headed. It took me a little longer than expected to get over there, I guess dragging my feet, and by the time I actually got over to the restaurant, my friends were already in the booth. I spotted them easily upon entering.
Mostly because they weren’t by themselves.
Knight had his huge ass body tucked between Sophie and Haley, his arms basically around both of them. He had his wingspan draped behind the back of the booth, so yeah, he had his arms all over them, and the moment he spotted me, he tipped his chin. This got the girls’ attention, all of them popping up and waving at me. They looked only too giddy to have Knight Reed basically all over them, and something told me Keisha would have been a part of the sandwich too if he had another side to hug.
“Greer!”
They all said it together, but the only one truly smiling at me with mad delight was Knight himself. He was playing a new game here, easily psychological warfare, and since I was spotted by my friends, I couldn’t so easily walk away.
My stomach clenched as I gripped my bag, coming over and squeezing in next to Keisha. Knight dropped his arms from around the girls after that, sitting up, and the absence definitely hadn’t kept my roommates at bay. Hales and Soph hugged up on his big body like he was their life-force, grinning up at him like he was a member from a K-pop group.
“What’s going on?” I asked, treading lightly here. I lay my bag on the seat of my other side, Haley leaning forward.
“Can you believe Knight was eating lunch too?” she stated, her voice way higher than it usually was. “Right over there.”
She pointed to a group of guys just as big and as arrogant-looking as Knight was, talking amongst each other with their arms filled with just as many girls as Knight had when I came over. The girls swarmed these guys like locusts, but for whatever reason this one in particular stalked me.
“Came over to say hi,” Knight said, hand tapping the table. “Recognized your friends.”
This made them all giggle like four-year-olds, Haley and Sophie hugging Knight even more. In return, he dropped his arms back around them again, and I swore to God, Haley had actual drool dripping out of her mouth when his bicep merely brushed the back of her head.
“So naturally, you invited yourself to sit with us,” I said, expression serious.
Knight leaned forward. “Naturally.”
“We figured it’d be okay.” Keisha exchanged a glance between Knight and me. “He asked if you were coming, and since you knew him, we thought…”
> They figured it’d be okay. My insides were swirling so badly I wasn’t sure if I could keep down anything, let alone order pizza. I started to make up some excuse, that Knight shouldn’t inconvenience himself by sitting with us, but then I noticed his finger. The tip of it looped right around Haley’s blond locks unbeknownst to her knowledge. He was playing with her and, in turn, playing with me.
My mouth dried. “Of course it’s fine.” I shifted in my seat, and only after did Knight drop his arms to his sides. He placed his hands in his lap, his muscled biceps squished between two girls a fraction of his size. His bulging arms shifted beneath his coal black T-shirt, matching his dark eyes, and I tried not to look at them as I grabbed a menu.
“Actually, already ordered for the table, Greer. On me.”
Of course he had, the ass.
Knight grinned. “Meat lover’s all around.”
“Too bad,” I said, shrugging. “I’m a vegetarian.”
“Really?” Knight sat back, fingers moving to his lips. “Weird, since you were scarfing down all that chicken with your fries the other day at lunch.”
My nails dug into my thigh. “Recent development.”
He smirked, but did wave the waitress over. Her gaze too poured over Knight’s body like she’d never seen a member of the opposite sex before, and I rolled my eyes, Knight’s grin widening. “A personal pan cheese pizza please for the little dove over there with the white hair.”
Freezing at the nickname he gave me, I stayed silent, shrinking in my seat after the waitress added to the order and left. Keisha touched my shoulder. “Um, cute nickname.”
Knight shrugged. “She hates it.”
“I wouldn’t.” Haley folded her hands and rested her chin on them, Knight’s smile light as the others and I gave her a look. She sat up. “What? It is cute.”
Hardly, and crossing my arms, I stiffened up more. I wanted to be anywhere but here right now, but was clearly stuck for the time being. The conversation moved on when Haley started it, but before I knew it, I was being pulled right back in.
“Knight was telling us about how your mom used to work at his house,” she said, bouncing her shoulders. “And, Greer, you never told us you guys lived together.”
For all of like a minute before he’d gotten my mom fired over that dog thing, the sicko. I frowned. “Yeah, it wasn’t for very long.”
“How was that? I mean…” Keisha sat back. “Sounds fun.”
“Never really saw Greer too much,” Knight said, dashing up dark eyebrows. “She tended to keep to herself.”
“More like got lost in his house,” I returned, my frown deepening. “It was big enough.”
Knight wet his lips before glancing at the girls. “She’s right. It wasn’t for very long.”
“What happened?” Sophie asked, and by then, our drinks had come. She sipped her cola. Knight started to answer, but then I grabbed my drink.
“Something having to do with a dog, wasn’t it, Knight?” I asked, his eyes smoldering. There was a definite dare in there, one I probably should heed, but with him pinned between my roommates I found myself not caring. “He likes to torture and kill them.”
Silence, full on besides the outside chatter and fifties swing music from the pizzeria’s jukebox. I sucked down my Coke before Keisha’s elbow nudged my shoulder.
“Oh my God, nice one, Greer!” she chanted, obviously thinking I was joking. Awkwardly, she started to laugh, and the others quickly joined in, obviously wanting to believe I was joking.
Amongst the laughter, Knight swirled around his beer bottle, his eyes flicking coldly at me before taking a sip. He wiped his mouth with his finger. “Always one for jokes with that mouth, dove. Maybe you should do stand-up.”
Maybe I should, staring him down now that I had the confidence. He couldn’t do anything in this booth, intimidate me or otherwise, and though I knew I should probably tread lightly, he’d hurt me. He’d called me a whore, and those words radiated through my mind in a dark haze. I wanted to hurt him back, punish him, but at the moment I was gridlocked too. My roommates around, I couldn’t really do anything either, so I sat there, the two of us in a stand off. Eventually, our pizzas came, a cheese personal pan sliding in front of me. Sophie eased out of the booth to go wash her hands and the others split a pizza that made my mouth water. I really did love meat lover’s, but was obviously too stubborn to do anything about that now.
“Cheese not tickling your fancy, Greer?” A cool expression across the table. Knight flicked up his chin. “You’re hardly touching your pizza.”
“Just needs a little pepper.” I reached for it, but knocked it off the table. I started to ease out of the booth to get it, but Knight stopped me, bending over his big body and getting the shaker himself.
He returned it to the table, but didn’t rise all the way, fishing beneath the table for something. All too coolly, he rose with a hand full of my calf, and before I could say anything, Sophie returned.
“What did I miss?” she asked, Knight’s eyes darkening as he pulled off my flip-flop beneath the table. He tossed it to the floor, staring at me and with the others devouring their pizza, they said nothing.
“Um,” I started, large fingers pulsing up to the back of my knee. Knight squeezed, rubbing the pads of his thumbs over and over above my knee before his fingers pushed up and gripped my thigh. He picked up then, massaging me and before I knew it, he was setting my bare foot right on his crotch. I jumped. “Er, um…”
“You alright there, Greer?” A smirk from the son of a bitch sitting across from me, his eyes dancing with gleeful delight as he lounged back and let me feel his cock. He was rock hard through his jeans, his dark gaze simmering on his side of the table. He wet his lips. “You’re looking a little bothered.”
“Yeah, Greer. You okay?” Hales was staring at me, all the girls staring at me. Meanwhile, Knight was rubbing my toes against his hard on, his eyes hazing as he attempted to bring me back to a familiar place. One where he’d called me a whore and I’d not only let him get away with it, but had actually cried that night. He’d embarrassed me.
He wouldn’t do it again.
A grunt when I jabbed my foot right into his balls, his eyes shrinking as he let go of my foot, and I maneuvered it back into my flip-flop. Pushing away my pizza, I grabbed my things. “I just remembered I have a lot of homework to do.”
“Greer?”
I ignored Keisha and got up, leaving my pizza behind. Knight said he’d pay so I hadn’t bothered leaving any cash. I left that room and table so quick and hadn’t thought about the repercussions until I hit the bus stop to head back to my dorm. I got a text then, one that made my stomach absolutely sick.
Knight: I hope to God that little stunt you pulled just now was worth it. And good luck getting me out of your life now. This isn’t over until I say it is.
Chapter Ten
Greer
Knight proved to make good on his threat. Because not only did I find him at the dorm later that night, but he had friends with him, two huge guys about the size of himself. I caught Haley, Sophie, and even Keisha, who was hugely into taking her bedtime seriously, hanging out with them all. They all sat on or around the couch, partying away with a game system, snacks, and music blasting all around them. Knight hadn’t come for me, but he basically had, his eyes glaring coolly at me as I cut across the room. I’d heard the music, the only reason I came out to see what was up.
“Hey there, dove.” He once again had one of my roommates squished into his side, Haley, with his arm stretched across the back of the couch behind her. His dark eyebrows dashed up. “Come out to join us?”
I definitely hadn’t, completely disgusted, and Haley barely noticed me upon entering or leaving the room. She was too obsessed with Knight Reed. All of my roommates were. Belly down, Keisha and Sophie let these two gargantuan-size guys that Knight had brought show them how to play the Xbox they’d brought when my friends definitely didn’t play Xbox. Like stated before
, they were too serious about school.
Scoffing, I slammed the door, a sheer panic at the turn of events. Somehow things had shifted from me keeping quiet about what I saw that night at the frat to this, Knight Reed completely invading my life. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I reached for it.
Knight: Night one, little dove. You ready?
I threw my phone on the bed, forcing in a scream. Burrowing into my bedding, I pulled the sheets over my head.
The music only got louder.
Night one turned into every night that week, every damn night, and the more evenings Knight accrued the more people he brought, guys and girls. My dorm room was turning into the hottest spot to be at in the freshman dormitory, and I’d even caught a few of the building’s resident assistants frequenting through, wanting to see what was up when they were supposed to be keeping order. The whole thing was madness, and the whole time I’d taken to nothing but barricading myself into my room. I had to. The last time I went out, I’d caught actually Haley on Knight’s lap instead of under his arm.
He’d cradled her hip, barely looking at me when I left to go get dinner that night, but he’d definitely seen me. Nothing but a devious smirk curled his lips as he braced Haley’s hip and brought her closer. He played Xbox around her, the two of them peas in a pod. I’d feigned nothing but annoyance when I snapped the door closed, but something had my heart racing and laying my head back against the door. Something had me gripping my dorm keys like a lifeline, and whatever it was, I didn’t fucking like it. Knight Reed was nothing but sin, cancer, and fuck, did I hate him.
Fuck.
I went to bed that night like I had most nights, no sleep and nothing at all allowing me to focus. I was angry. I was frustrated, but not only could I do nothing about it, I was sure I’d get protests if I did try to do something. The other girls clearly wanted him and his friends around, so what did it matter what I wanted? I just had to hope one day Knight might get over his little obsession with me and torturing my life, move onto something else, and I thought that’s what I had by that Saturday. The dorm was miraculously empty, but I definitely hadn’t questioned it and decided to take full advantage of the fact when I brought my school things out and set them up in the living area. I wasn’t failing all my classes yet, but was definitely on my way. I was still sleeping in most of my classes where I could get away with that, and so behind in psych it wasn’t even funny. I’d actually failed the last quiz entirely.