Game Over (Whithall University Book 2)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  She squeals, jumping in Cole’s arms. “Oh, my God. This is amazing. My mum is going to lose her shit when I tell her.”

  I laugh at her enthusiasm. “Which reminds me… He asked if we were okay with them being together.”

  She scrunches her face up. “Yeah, Mum did too. I’m okay as long as she’s happy, though I never want to witness what we did again, and I do have a few reservations about their relationship. But she assures me it’s fine and she’s happy, so I’m happy.”

  I nod, agreeing. “I told him pretty much the same thing. I told him I was worried he would ruin our friendship if he treated her the way he treated Mum.”

  “What did he say?” she asks, looking eager for the answer.

  “He promised it was different, that things with Mum were complicated. He wouldn’t have treated her so badly if they were in love with each other. He said he’d explain things the next time he pops down.”

  She relaxes. “I’m glad you told me. It was what I was worried about.”

  “You two really should communicate more,” CJ blurts out, and we all look to him. He holds his hands up. “Sorry. Just saying. Couple goals and all that.”

  We all laugh, shaking our heads at him.

  “Come on. Let’s go out for coffee before he starts telling us what it entails to keep the relationship blissful,” Cole states dryly.

  He grins. “That’s easy—”

  I slap my hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of what he was going to say. “Nope. Let’s go.”

  Still laughing, I grab my bag and coat and head out with the others, ready to spend the rest of my birthday with them.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I’ve never been more excited in my life than I am right now, travelling to London to meet some of my favourite authors.

  Yesterday, I called Milly, and together, we went shopping for a new trolley crate to put my books in, so I won’t have to carry them around. The plan is to take the books I have and get them signed by their authors at the event, and maybe buy a few new ones while I’m there. I’m so hyped up about it I can barely keep still in my seat.

  “You really are excited, aren’t you?”

  I turn to CJ, whose eyes are still on the road, and he’s smiling wide. “I am. Alanea Alder is going to be there. She’s from America, I think—I’m not sure. But her books are freaking amazing. Her one character, Meryn, is a massive Doctor Who fan and is hilarious. In this one book, she flies a drone into a detention cell which has a spell cast to it. They let the spell go inside the room with him. The next day, any time he tries to say his name, douchebag comes out instead. It was so funny I had to keep re-reading it over and over. She does loads of funny stuff like that in her books though. Her writing is really amazing. And KC Lynn is going to be there, too. She’s lovely. I follow her posts on Facebook and she has the most adorable family ever. Oh, and E. A. Western, Kirsty Mosely, and Nicola C. Priest is signing there, too. I can’t wait to meet them. Did you know…” I stop when I realise I’m rambling, but in my peripheral vision, CJ’s smiling big.

  Hearing I’ve stopped, he turns to me, a twinkle in his eye. “You really love this shit, don’t you?”

  I sigh, falling back in my seat. “I do. I love reading. I love how authors can take something so ordinary and make it extraordinary. I like how they can create their own world and make it thrive. I love books. I’m just excited about meeting them tomorrow. It’s going to be awesome. I’ve only been to a small book signing before. This one is going to be huge, with thousands of guests.”

  “Thousands?” he asks, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

  “Oh, yeah. Not only will authors from all over the world be there, but people also travel from across the globe to attend. It’s incredible.”

  “No shit?”

  I laugh at his shocked expression. “Yep. It’ll be like being in a room full of celebrities, because to us book nerds, authors are like our famous actors and actresses.”

  “I never thought of it like that. Are you going to go all squealy again when you meet them? You got all crazy-eyed when I mentioned some of the authors attending.”

  “I did not go crazy-eyed,” I defend.

  “Cupcake, you did. Even Cole took a step back, and Willow already had the incentive to give you room. You nearly took out my balls.”

  I pout because I hadn’t meant to get that excited. I’d started jumping around again, flapping my arms like a lunatic, and nearly hit CJ in the balls. Luckily for him, I only hit his lower stomach.

  “I said I was sorry.”

  He begins to laugh. “Ten minutes later—after we finally got you to calm down.”

  “When are we going to get there?” I ask, changing the subject.

  He chuckles deeply. “Not long. We need to check in at the hotel, then we can go get something to eat. You do realise the signing isn’t until the morning, though, right?”

  “Yes,” I say dryly. “I just want to check, one more time, that I have everything ready. We need to be up early so we aren’t waiting around in a queue to get in.”

  “That’s fine. We can grab breakfast around seven, then finish getting ready before heading over. It’s only a five-minute drive according to Google, and the doors don’t open until nine.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  *** *** ***

  We’re stepping over the threshold of our room and I’m about to dive onto the bed, when CJ snags me around the waist, stopping me.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, looking over my shoulder at CJ.

  He smirks, taking his phone out of his back pocket. “Snapping a picture for my mum. She asked me to send her a picture of the room.”

  “And you’re stopping me from going in because…?”

  “And… I don’t want you messing the bed up and throwing your shit everywhere. At least let her think we’re clean and tidy.”

  I roll my eyes but watch as he snaps a few pictures of the room. The second he lets me go, I dive onto the bed, bouncing into the middle with a huge sigh.

  “This is so comfy.”

  He gives me an amused chuckle. “Looks it. I’m starving; do you want to go eat downstairs or go look somewhere else for food?”

  I look around, not really in the mood for a long trek to find somewhere to eat. I just want to relax. Anything involving any kind of exercise and I stay away from it. It’s why I hate our apartment so badly. The lift is always breaking down, and I swear it hates me because it always does it when I have something to lug up the stairs.

  It kills me every time.

  “Downstairs. Then we can come up and find a movie to watch. I want an early night.”

  “It’s five,” he states, looking at me like I’m an alien.

  “And we have to be up at the crack arse of dawn. I’m going to have to get up at six so I have time to wake up properly before getting ready. I need to make sure I have enough time to do my hair and shit because there is no way I’m looking like a slouch in front of a bunch of authors. No way.”

  He chuckles, grabbing my hands and pulling me off the bed. “You really do amaze me sometimes. I still don’t know how people confuse you to be this shy, timid girl. You’re batshit crazy.”

  “I am not!” I pout but then tilt my head to the side, sagging my shoulders. “Okay, maybe a little, but I’m one of those people who hates meeting new people. It makes me uncomfortable so I stay quiet. If I don’t, I ramble and blurt out stuff I shouldn’t. But the minute I’m your friend, you’re out of luck. I’ll end up telling you my life story.”

  “I know. When we first met you wouldn’t even look at me. You’d blush and start stuttering.”

  “That’s because you were hot.”

  His chest puffs out as his eyes light up. “I knew it. You had the hots for me.” He winks, pulling me against his hard chest. “It doesn’t matter either way. I love all sides to you, and there’s definitely more than one. I’m just lucky I get to see all of them.”

  He says the swe
etest things.

  I did have the hots for him. How could I not? He was everything I normally stayed away from because of how intimidatingly sexy he looked. People who are overly confident weren’t who I hung around with at all. In fact, Willow had been my only real friend for a long time, until we arrived at Whithall. It was hard to be heard, being who I was, let alone being around someone who demanded attention without even asking for it.

  People always spoke over me at school. I’d be in the middle of saying something and they’d start something up, and everyone would pay attention to them. It hurt, so after so much of it, I learnt to keep quiet. After, it became a habit. It’s only ever Willow who let me be me. She was outgoing, friendly, and sometimes loud, but she always listened, asked for my opinion, and never left me out.

  CJ, however, is not who I thought he was when I first met him. I was completely wrong about him from the beginning. Yes, he is confident and has an ego the size of the Titanic, but he is more than a pretty face. He’s incredibly smart, even though he prefers for people to think he’s dumb; he’s good-looking, yes, but he doesn’t exploit it to get attention or what he wants; he listens to people, no matter what they’re talking about; he’s never been selfish, not in the time I’ve known him; and he’s the most selfless person I know; he’d give the shirt off his back, if you needed it.

  With a heart full of love, and an empty stomach, I squeeze his hand. “Let’s go get something to eat. Maybe if you’re good, I’ll let you have one of my sweets when we get back.”

  His eyes widen in mock shock, and he rests a hand over his heart. “I’m… I’m speechless, Cupcake. I’d be honoured to eat your sweets.”

  Giggling, I pull him toward the door, grabbing my bag from where I dropped it on the floor.

  The restaurant is busy when we arrive, but we manage to get a table without waiting. The place is beautiful and expensive-looking. I would have been happy with a Travel Lodge or a bed and breakfast. Instead, the place looks like something you’d see in a magazine.

  The floor is black-glittered marble, shiny enough you can see a little of your reflection. Extravagant art lines the inside walls of the building, while the outside wall is glass.

  The decor is dark wood. It’s warm and inviting, especially with the light shining through the window.

  You can even watch as the chef cooks, flipping steaks and other stuff on the hot stove. Waiters and waitresses are dressed to impress too. The girls are wearing black skirts that end below the knees, white shirts and black ties. The guys are wearing the same but with trousers.

  Fresh flowers in little vases are on every table, and as we arrive at ours, we have fresh bread and cold water waiting for us.

  “Do you think all these people are here for the signing?” he asks, looking around the busy restaurant as we sit down. I do have to admit, when my eyes scan the room, I do notice more women than men here.

  “Probably, but there’s also a Comic-Con convention going on nearby, so they could be here for that.”

  “No wonder I had to get my mum to find us a room. Everywhere I looked said they were fully booked.”

  “You asked your mum?” I smile.

  “Yeah. She also found me the tickets. I told her how badly you wanted to go, but there weren’t any tickets left. She told me to wait a few days to see what she could do. Apparently, she knew one of the organisers and managed to snag a couple of tickets. They keep a few spares for raffles or something. I paid the money to get them, and then she helped find this place. She has to come here a lot for business trips so she has a standing reservation.”

  “That is awesome. She didn’t mind doing it?”

  He chuckles, taking a sip of his water. “Are you kidding me? She loves this shit. She called me after our first visit with her and said she nearly blurted out my surprise a few times. It was killing her not being able to talk about it.”

  “No?” I laugh. “Is that how she knew about my birthday?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Your mum is amazing. You’re really lucky to have her.”

  His expression softens, and he takes my hand. “I am. She’s the best. She’s been through so much, and her family aren’t really the supportive kind. We avoid them at all costs now.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, happy he’s opening up more. He told me about his mum, but when it comes to his other family, he shuts down, getting a hard look in his eyes. I never brought them up again. I didn’t like seeing him so upset.

  “They disowned her after she decided to keep me.” He scoffs, looking disgusted. “They didn’t understand why she would keep me after what happened to her. According to them, she should have aborted me when she had the chance.”

  I gulp, rubbing my thumb over the top of his hand.

  “I know it’s a hard question to ask, but… why did she? Not that I’m not happy she did, because I am—I wouldn’t have met you if she hadn’t. But you have to admit, it’s not something you hear happening every day.” When his gaze darkens, I immediately feel bad. “Sorry, that was rude of me.”

  He pulls my hand closer, kissing my knuckles. “No, it’s fine. A lot of people ask the same thing when they find out. You’d be surprised at how many women my mum helps who are in the same position she once was. It’s more common than people think. It’s just not something people broadcast to others.”

  “I guess.”

  “Anyway, after she was raped, she had all the tests they do at the beginning and took the morning after pill they gave her. That night, though, she said she was violently ill, throwing up, which was caused by bad memories. The after pill never had chance to get into her system, so it didn’t work. Three months later, she found out she was pregnant with me. She admitted to me about being torn, not wanting anything to do with the monster who hurt her, but the second she had her scan, she fell in love. She wasn’t repulsed, she didn’t have any reservations about keeping me, she just knew it didn’t matter how I came to be. What was important was that I was there, and I was hers.”

  “What did she do next?” I ask. His mum is more incredible than I first believed. The amount of strength she must have possessed is inspiring.

  “As far as I know, she kept it from her parents for as long as she could—they already looked at her differently after the attack—but when they found out, they went ballistic. They couldn’t comprehend why she would keep me.”

  I rub my chest, the ache there hurting for both CJ and his mum. “So, what did her parents do?”

  “They kicked her out.” He shrugs, but I can see their actions hurt him more than he’s letting on. “Her grandparents took her in. They weren’t like her parents; they were kind and loving. It’s how she ended up inheriting everything they owned after they died.”

  “What were they like—your great-grandparents?”

  Light fills his eyes when he speaks. “They were the best people in my life, apart from my mum. They loved me unconditionally and weren’t afraid to show it. They didn’t treat me any differently. We lived with them until they passed away. Mum didn’t want to leave them as they were getting on a bit, so we never moved out of their house. And it was nice to have them around all the time. My granddad taught me everything I know.”

  “What about her parents, though, surely after seeing how you turned out, they changed their beliefs. Did they not contact you once? Or your mum?”

  His eyes harden again, and I wish I didn’t bring it up. He scoffs. “They hated me. They couldn’t stand the sight of me and I knew it from an early age. They always seemed repulsed at the mention of my name.”

  “That sounds awful,” I whisper, feeling the back of my eyes burn.

  “Not as bad as my cousins. My mum’s brother and sister obviously didn’t mind what they spoke about in front of their kids. They’re a lot older than mum. When I was nine, they made sure I knew how I was conceived. They’d call me a monster, a rapist, a sicko… whatever they could come up with. We were all the same age, near enough. Even my uncle and
granddad would tell me I would end up just like my dad.”

  I gasp, putting my hand over my mouth, before looking at him dead in the eye. “You are nothing like that man. You even look like your mother, CJ. And you don’t have a vicious bone in your body. Argh, I could kill your grandparents. Who do they think they are? And your cousins?” I grunt, getting really good and angry now. “Bet none of them have a high IQ like you do. Bet they’re working in McDonald’s for minimum wage.”

  He places a hand over mine, stopping me from going further and drawing attention to us, and chuckles. “Cupcake,” he says, a small grin lighting his face. “It’s sexy when you get mad, but it’s fine. I’m over it, and since my great-grandparents passed away, we don’t go to any family gatherings. I have my family; my mum and Cole, and now you and Low. I’m good, really good.”

  “It’s still not okay, though. That’s a horrible way to be treated. That could have been one of their stories.”

  He kisses my knuckles again, and I relax into my seat, even if I am still sickened he had to listen to them spout venomous lies. “It is, but if I’m honest, seeing my mum hurt by their accusations is what hurt me more. I’m glad they told me though. That night, it brought me and my mum even closer. I never understood why people distanced themselves from us until then. Knowing what she went through, yet still choosing to have me and loving me with her whole heart… it made me realise just how lucky I was to have her. After that, I made sure I didn’t get into trouble,” he says, but I give him a look that says ‘yeah right’, making him chuckle. “Okay, I tried to stay out of trouble, but I still did all my school work, even took extra lessons and made sure I got all the best grades. I was polite to my elders and respected any and every girl I went out with. Not many people know about what happened to my mum, but there were a few times when girls, who knew one of my cousins, would avoid me, looking at me like I was the rapist.”

  It saddens me that he went through this. I shake my head glumly, feeling tears gather behind my eyelids. “It’s still not fair. I’m glad you have your mum, and now us. And those girls? They missed out big time.” I wipe my cheeks, feeling more tears building behind my eyes.