by Dakota Lee
Shit. I just went shopping two days ago, to get enough to help me make it through the month. If I do another grocery run, it'll throw my budget way off. Shit, shit, shit. I do a mental count of how much money I have to work with. If I eat cereal for breakfast and a simple sandwich for lunch, I can survive on salads for dinner. Then I won't be cutting into my food account too much. I know mom said she'd work it out, but I don't want her to worry. Summer's sports dues and competition fees are astronomical, and that girl seems to grow an inch taller every week.
I've survived three days with skipping breakfast and lunch altogether and immediately realize my mistake when I agree to join Kassidy during peak meal hours for dinner. I usually order something off the basic menu. Tonight's specialty cuisine is anything but. There's no salad, unless I count the calamari salad and poke bowl they're offering. It's surf and turf on steroids around here, with one of the local chef's cooking the meal.
"Damn, I must've missed the memo about tonight," Kassidy says, swiping through her phone.
"Me too." I agree, distracted by the numbers in my head. Even an à la carte item is gonna severely deplete my meal account balance for the week.
"Jordanna, I can cover your meal."
"What? No. It's fine."
"It's not, and you missed the earlier fast plan options, because I asked you to join me."
"Kassidy. I'm fine. Really." I insist, declining her offer. It’s bad enough everyone knows I’m here on a scholarship. I don’t want to deal with what they’ll say if I can’t pay for my own food.
We sit at a table on the edge of the room, with a perfect view of Logan and his pals. His eyes scan the dining hall, looking bored until they settle on me. He turns to say something to Bella, and she leans forward, looking over at me, an icy glint in her eyes. Yeah, yeah. I know you'd rather I be miles from here. I wish I were too.
I settle on the poke bowl and spicy tuna roll, my mouth watering when it's set in front of me. Kassidy and I click our chopsticks together and I dig in. The very first bite sets my tongue on fire. I know without looking it's been heavily garnished with wasabi and sriracha. I grab my glass to douse the flames, quickly dropping what's clearly salt water.
My body breaks out in a sweat, my eyes water, my ears burn, and my head feels like it's about to explode. I stumble from my seat, tugging at my collar as I make my way to the door. I narrowly avoid tripping over someone’s foot, only to find myself pushed into the table where Satan's spawns are sitting.
Two, three, four.. pairs of hands grab me, shoving me forward again. I'm jostled back and forth until I finally make it outside. Tears sting my eyes as I feel my jersey cling to me. Steak sauce and ketchup drip from my head onto the collar. This was my dad's jersey. He wore it to every one of Summer's games, saying it brought the team good luck. I wear it on her game days too, even when I'm not in town. I desperately pray I can get the stains out.
A hand snakes out to grab me, pulling me into the alcove between the cafeteria and math building. "Don’t you know it's rude to run out on a Michelin chef without sampling his cuisine?"
"It was inedible, but then something tells me you know that."
"Damn, that's too bad. I bet that set you back, forty bucks, and the school doesn't give refunds. Hope you have something back at the dorm to tide you over."
Bastard probably orchestrated this whole thing, starting with stealing my food. I need to get to my room and get out of these clothes. The longer the stain sets, the harder it will be to get out. "Why are you in my face, Logan? What do you want?"
"Same thing I wanted yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. It's time for you to get with the program, Jordy."
“How many times do I have to tell you my name's Jor-dan-na?”
"Your name will be whatever the fuck I call you. But, that outburst lets me know you're not there yet. Think about how many days the human body can go without food. Because I promise I can make it so that there's not an affordable meal available to you for a lot longer than you can hold out, or your food account can last."
He's right. Just three more days of forty-dollar meals and I'll have exceeded my account balance for this month. The school rations their portion out, instead of giving it all to me upfront.
"Damn, Bella must have a diamond studded vagina, to have you go through all this trouble. Or does she feed your ego by telling you what a big strong man you are?"
His eyes narrow as he steps closer. His hands go to his pants, opening the button and unzipping his jeans. "How about I show you how big I am."
His dark chuckle causes bumps to break out on my arms. A tingle of awareness slides down my back.
"Look at it, Jordy." I squeeze my eyes shut, averting my gaze. He grips my hips, slamming me against him. "I'm not even hard yet. That's how you start to determine how big I am."
I shift my hips, trying to get away, realizing my mistake at the exact moment his hands flex on my ass. "The way you're moving, I think you want me to take you right here."
This is what he wanted. For me to fight, because he likes it. His hand reaches between us, between my legs, grabbing me through my jeans. "Are you wet for me, Jordy?"
"In your dreams."
"Nah. My dreams consist of you bound and gagged while I fuck you hanging over the side of the bell tower."
He's moved his hand back to my side, dragging it from my waist to my hip in an absentminded caress. It would be sweet and affectionate if Robbie were doing it. Logan's no Robbie and sweet isn't in his makeup.
"What should I do with this thing in my pants, Jordy? Or better still, what should I make you do with it, since you woke it up?"
He flexes his hips against me, a swath of air floats across my now exposed stomach. A shrill whistle comes from the left of us. It’s some type of alert. I dart around him when he steps away, straightening his clothes. His hand snakes out to grab my hair, pulling it so hard, I'm sure a few strands have ripped out from the roots.
"Clock's ticking Jordy." He releases me with a shove, and I wind up on my knees in front of him like he wants. I climb to my feet, on high alert, wondering when and where the next person is going to lash out, as I make my way to the dorm.
Chapter Nineteen
We're on day three of messing with Jordy’s food budget. Hal and Frankie used Kassidy's key to clean out her stash, and have been doing a sweep of the room to make sure there aren't any extras lying around. She puts up a good front; I doubt her roommate even knows just how precarious her account balance is. She's at the register swiping her meal card, to pay for the half serving of Waygu Ribeye and Foie Gras Cheesesteak on her plate.
Bella's sitting beside me at our table, in her usual bitchy mood. "She's not going down so easy, Logan."
"Yeah. I can see that." Jordanna was Bella's personal pet project until sushi night in the cafeteria where she announced it was open season on her. "You've already upped the intensity, by unleashing the entire student body against her."
I study the girl who goes to sit in the corner, content with her half order of food and sketchbook in her hand. She eats alone most of the time, even though I know she and Kassidy are on good terms. "She doesn't seem to care whether or not she has any friends here."
Tabitha blows on her coffee before taking a sip. "It's probably because it's temporary."
I turn my head slightly, still keeping Jordanna in view. "What is?"
"Her being here. The art auction and symposium is doubling as her submission for a scholarship she's working on to transfer back to her old school. That's why she was mad enough to clap back after Bella destroyed her painting. She’s got it good back there. Boyfriend, friends, and notoriety. Rumor around the galleries is she's a shoo-in to win the highest bid at the end of semester auction, so, why should she care if a few assholes don't like her for speaking her truth?"
I never ask Tabitha how she gets her information, but she always seems to know something I don't, which keeps me on my toes. It's another reason I like her best of all. I'
ve already heard from Bella about Jordanna having a boyfriend, but her intel is usually vague and exaggerated to get the outcome she wants. "How serious is the boyfriend?"
"There's likely a china pattern in their future. Going back to her old life is all she cares about." That simple phrase tells me everything I need to know.
"Then that's how we break her. We take that away from her."
Frankie shifts closer, making room for Hal to sit beside Tabitha. I watch her threaten to stab him with a fork when he leans in to steal an air fried chip off her plate. "How?" She asks, taking a bite and chewing loudly in his ear.
"By giving her something else to love."
"You?" Hal snorts.
"My dick. But for her, it'll be the same thing."
Frankie shakes his head. "She's a virgin man, and prideful, and thanks to the hell we've been putting her through, she hates us. That's a lot of negative equity to overcome, and you're not used to putting in any effort to get laid. The ass just climbs into your lap and sucks you off in public. This one will want roses and wine and dinners and all that dating shit. There's no way you're gonna be able to turn this boat around."
"I don't do that romance shit because I don't want to. Not because I'm incapable of it. Besides, she won’t be all that hard to crack. She's here, lonely, away from everything she knows and loves. By now she's got to be feeling vulnerable. A little kindness goes a long way, and her untouched ass is ripe for the taking."
Bella's face stretches into a twisted grin. "Sounds like we need to draw up some paperwork," she says, putting me on record for taking her bet.
Frankie looks nervous, probably thinking about his situation with Destiny. "You really think you can do this?"
"Frankie, when I'm done with Jordanna Felding she'll be just like every other piece of ass on campus. Begging me to fuck her any time and anyplace and won't give a shit who sees it."
We all raise our glasses. “Audentis Fortuna Iuvat.”
I'm not known for wasting time, so our very next class, my active participation in Jordanna's demise begins. I hide my devious grin, slipping smoothly into the seat beside her.
"Here we go again." She mumbles under her breath. Her gaze darts left as if she's expecting Carson to crash our little party again. If he does, he won't be as handsy as he was the last time. I'll make sure of it.
She's flapping her pen against her hand. I muffle a chuckle when it slips loose, somersaulting by me before landing on the floor. I reach down to retrieve it, and hold it between us. "Nervous?"
She refuses to reach across the space to take it out of my hand, eyeing me like I'm offering her a poisoned apple. The mistrust is strong with this one. I place the pen on her desk and return to taking notes on the lecture.
Jordanna ignores me the rest of the class and walks to the opposite side of the aisle to leave. Bella's smirking at me when I reach the front of the room. "Cinderella’s rushing off and it's not even midnight. Doesn't bode well for a quick resolution of our bet."
"I'd be disappointed if sitting next to her was enough to make the ice around her heart melt. Besides, did you expect her to hang around after class knowing you're still out for blood?" I'll have another chance to get Jordy to warm up to me in our art class.
We've been seat mates for weeks, but the truth is, I never took the time to really look at her. I'm usually too busy looking at her work and finding ways to irritate Noel.
Today I see her, accessing her with my critical eye, the way I would a girl I'm interested in. She shifts in her seat when she notices me looking. Most girls would be a blushing, giggling mess, having me this close to them. Jordanna's features are pinched into a permanent scowl of disgust. This will make the chase much more satisfying. Easy conquests bore the shit out of me once I blow my load.
"I deserved that asshole comment, the other day, and it's probably a little too late, but I'm sorry for what I said about your painting." Her hand stills against the canvas.
"You're sorry, alright."
"You should know, my tirades had nothing to do with you, and everything to do with Noel."
"I find that hard to believe considering every time I see you, you're either insulting me, threatening me, or assaulting me." She lowers her pencil. "Is that no longer enough? Tell me Logan, what angle are you playing now?"
We work in silence for a few more minutes before I try to engage her in conversation again. Chicks like it when guys share their feelings. I know I'm larger than life and Jordanna wants to cut me down to size. I pretend to humble myself, to make myself seem more human.
"Noel and I have history, and I'm sure you can tell we don't always see eye to eye when it comes to art."
She scratches her head with her pencil and continues to ignore me. "I'm not making excuses for what I've said about your work. But I'm an artist too, and I know that criticism should be constructive. The things I've said were cruel, and I apologize if it affected your creative process."
I leave my apology hanging between us, and even though she doesn’t acknowledge it, I know she was listening to what I said.
Chapter Twenty
I don't know what possessed Logan to sit beside me in Poly-Sci or to apologize in our art class. The fact that he did both of those things has me on edge. After the shit he and his friends pulled with my painting, the private and public messages I'm getting on Prospectus, and the number of times he's cornered me, I'd be a fool to let my guard down. They're probably plotting some other stunt to make sure I keep my mouth closed about what they did.
Kassidy showed me the video they took when we were in the lecture hall. From the camera angle, it looked like Hal and Frankie were kissing my neck, while Logan was humping me. The voice over didn't help.
I endured my discomfort of being seated next to him, hyperaware of the looks we were getting. When my pen flew out of my hand and landed by his foot, I decided to leave it there. There was no way I was bending over. They already have enough ammunition to justify their stupid slut coughs and sucking noises. No need to give them more material to work with.
After dealing with the expensive meal options in the cafeteria for a week, I'm living off of protein bars and wheat toast for breakfast to help keep my meal costs down. They finally flipped back to the regular menu, but I have to offset the money they forced me to spend. I swipe my ID and scan the dining hall for a seat away from the noise.
"Uh, hum." I know who's behind, without having to turn around. Bella is gorgeous, but whenever she clears her throat, it reminds me of a diesel engine pulling into a truck stop. It's obnoxiously loud and hard to ignore, but I do my best to pretend she's not here.
"Charity, I know you hear me talking to you."
I turn to face her, holding my nose. "I didn't, especially since that's not my name, but as soon as you opened your mouth I smelled you. I think it may be the Panini you were eating. They went a little heavy on the garlic."
Logan walks over to us, slips his arm around Bella's shoulder and pulls her away. She tosses a glare at me over her shoulder before they disappear on the other side of the room. I decide to eat what I can only loosely describe as my meal on my way to class. I don't want to stick around to see what new form of harassment the beautiful people might come up with.
It's been three days. Three days since the last time anyone from the BP's inner circle came up to me to say anything. Three days since the last post about my ability to multi-task with men was ranked as the most viewed post on the Prospectus app. Three days since any of textbooks have come up missing. I usually find them in a bush behind the dorm with sticky condoms filled with whipped cream or butter on top of them. Small mercies that they didn’t use actual semen.
Logan and his friends enter the room and once again, he bypasses his usual seat and sits next to me. Okay, this is it. They've had time to come up with something truly heinous, and this is when they spring it on me. I'm on alert, ready to defend myself if needed. There's no way in hell I'm letting Logan or any of his perverted friends put
their hands on me again.
Hal takes the other seat next to me, sandwiching me between them. My knee bounces under the table, my thumb clicks the top of my pen over and over again. I flinch at the sudden movement at my right, sending my notebook careening to the floor.
There's no way I can reach it without crawling under the table. Yeah, that ain't happening with Hal and Logan sitting next to me. Logan slips from his seat, getting down on one knee like prince fucking charming and offers my book to me, head bowed like he's presenting a pure and virtuous sacrifice.
People are watching, phones are out, and I'm embarrassed that once again I'm the center of attention. "What are you doing?"
"Hoping this offering will raise my esteem in your eyes.”
"It won't." I hiss. "Now get up, before the professor sees you."
"He won't care."
Right. Of course. Logan’s one of the elite. The beautiful people. He could probably take a nap naked on the professor's desk, in the middle of a midterm, and not get any shit for it.
"I don't know what game you're playing at Logan, but whatever it is, leave me out of it."
"It's a game of friendship."
"Never heard of it. So deal me out, I'll probably suck at it."
His hands touch my thighs, my stomach twists into a ball, waiting for the bruising grip that's sure to follow. "The rules are simple." He says, massaging my calves. "You be my friend."
"And?"
"And that's it."
It's simple. Too simple. I'm so distracted looking for another angle, an opening for him to use to humiliate me that I don't address the other thing he's doing. Touching me. "I'm sorry. What the hell would I get out of letting you call me your friend?"