by Hamel, B. B.
Instantly I know I’m going to get along with Iris. She’s nice and a little awkward and nerdy, but I like that about her. Honestly, I think I’m a little awkward and nerdy too. And I find the history of this place just as interesting, although I don’t know nearly as much about it.
“And now they have this Draft thing,” she says and then stops herself. “I mean, never mind.”
I arch an eyebrow at her. “Draft thing?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” She waves me away with a nervous giggle before hopping up. “Hey, want to go explore?”
I nod and put the finishing touches on my bed. “Sure, sounds good to me. Do we have anything we need to do?”
“Floor meeting in an hour but otherwise we’re free.”
“Perfect. Lead the way.”
She grins at me and heads to the door. I follow and just as we step out into the hallway, Iris practically runs right into the tallest, most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
She stumbles back from Iris like the smaller, heavier girl just charged her like a bull, even though it was barely a graze. The tall girl glares at her. “Watch yourself,” she snaps.
“Sorry,” Iris mumbles.
“She didn’t mean to,” I say, glaring at the tall girl.
Her two friends join her, both equally beautiful. All three girls are blonde or dirty blonde and are wearing the sort of understated and simple clothes that are without a doubt incredibly expensive. Their makeup is immaculate, like they’re all beauty YouTubers, and they all look like they’re looking at talking cockroaches.
“And who are you?” the tall girl snaps.
“Kayla. And this is Iris.” I gesture at my roommate but Iris just mumbles something.
The tall girl purses her lips. “I’m Nora,” she says. “These are Morgan and Elise.”
The other two girls wave. One has her phone out already like she can’t even bear to pay attention.
“Do you guys live on this floor?”
Nora makes a face. “Unfortunately, yes, we live in this squalid little hellhole.”
“I think it’s nice,” I say.
Nora scoffs at me. “Please. The rooms are tiny and probably have rats.” She cocks her head at Iris. “You’ll fit right in.”
I can’t believe she just said that. Iris shrinks away from the girl and I step forward. “Why are you being a bitch?”
Nora looks at me and her two friends actually seem surprised I’m speaking to her like that.
“Excuse me?”
“You just called Iris a rat. Do you even know her?”
“Oh, I know of her,” Nora says, glaring at Iris. “And her stupid little family. Look, I don’t know who you are, Kayla, but understand this. You’re nothing at Gradus, understand?”
The feeling of being an imposter rears its ugly head. This is what I’ve been fearing the whole time, that some rich, chic girl would look down on me. And now she’s actually doing it.
“Oh, go fuck yourself,” I snap at her, proud of myself for saying something.
Nora just smiles mockingly. “Come on,” she says to her friends, and the three girls swoop away like Iris and I are not worth the effort to insult anymore.
I turn to my roommate. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, god,” she bursts out. “What did you just do?”
I blink as the girl stares at me in horror. “Uh, I called that bitch a bitch, I think.”
“That was Nora Murphy,” she hisses. “Do you have any idea who she is?”
“Nope,” I admit. “Not sure I care.”
Iris groans. “She’s rich, pretty, and famous as hell on Instagram. She has like over a hundred thousand followers. Her friend Morgan has sixty thousand, and the other girl Elise has like twenty, but she’s more popular on YouTube.”
I frown at her. “So what?”
“So… what? They can ruin us here.” Iris stares at me, eyes wild.
I look down the hall and watch the three famous internet girls disappear around a corner. “Honestly, if they’re going to be the ones running things around here, I think I’ll just stay far away from all that.”
Iris laughs nervously. “You’re nuts. They can make things hard for us, you know.”
I look back at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll fight her next time.”
Iris lets out a laugh, genuine this time. “Oh my god. Can you imagine? Nora Murphy in a fight?”
“Honestly, no, because I’ve never been in a fight before.”
Iris laughs again and seems to be coming back to herself. “Come on. Let’s go look around before the meeting starts. I can’t believe you called her a bitch…”
We walk out of the dorms and head along one of the branching paths through the campus. Iris talks the whole time, basically giving me another tour. It’s a beautiful campus and I’m struck all over again at how much I don’t belong here. The incident with those three rich girls keeps nagging at me with every step.
We spend about forty-five minutes wandering before Iris checks her phone and leads us back to the dorm. There’s a crowd forming outside, some people laughing and taking pictures.
“Wonder what’s up?” I ask Iris.
“Who knows.” She frowns a little. “We’re almost late for the meeting.”
I walk over to the group of people and Iris follows hesitantly. On the ground is a whole pile of underwear, bras and panties scattered around to spell the word “BITCH” in the grass.
“Wow,” a small red-haired girl says. “What a crazy prank. It hasn’t even been a day.”
“Seriously, that’s insane.” They’re all laughing and smiling and taking pictures.
But I’m not laughing. My body starts shaking as I ball my hands into fists and my cheeks turn red.
“Kayla?” Iris asks me softly. “Are you…?”
I storm forward and start to gather up my underwear. Everyone stops laughing and talking.
“Show’s over,” I say, forcing myself not to cry. People are staring and Iris stands there watching.
I hear someone cackle a nasty laugh as I get all my underwear gathered up into my arms. Nora, Morgan, and Elise are standing over near the entrance to the dorm, laughing their heads off, phones held up to get pictures.
I’m about to tell them off when an enormous woman steps out from the dorm and looks around. She has dark skin, dark eyes, and her hair’s pulled backed into a poof on the back of her head. She frowns at the three cackling girls before looking over at me.
“What’s going on?” she asks, stalking over. She’s easily twice my size and she looks pissed.
“Nothing,” I mumble.
“You lose your stuff out here or something?” She looks around. “Hey, people, if you live in this dorm you’d better get inside. Meetings about to start.”
Iris lets out a squeal and gives me an apologetic look before hurrying away with the others.
I look at the new girl as she puts her hands on her hips. “Someone throw your stuff out here?” she asks softly.
I glance away. “It’s fine.”
She sighs. “Happens every year. Fucking bitches,” she grumbles. “Look, put your shit away and don’t make this worse, okay?”
I glare at her suddenly. “Make this worse? I’m the one that got attacked.”
“Pranked,” she corrects, “and don’t for a second think you’re gonna get any justice here. It’s Gradus University, where the rich get away with just about everything.”
I stare at her for a second before looking down at the ground. “Fine. Okay.”
“I’m Olive,” she says suddenly. “The RA for your dorm. If you need help… come to me. Forget about the administration. Okay?”
I look back up at her and nod slowly. Olive nods back once.
“Thanks,” I say.
“Whatever. Just hurry up and come right to the meeting.”
She whirls and walks inside without another word.
I stand there alone for a second, all my underwear clutched
against my body. I look around, feeling embarrassed, angry, upset, hating the world, wishing I can just go home… when I spot him.
He’s standing nearby, leaning against the building. He’s just watching me with these piercing blue eyes. I can see the light reflecting off them, even at this distance. He’s handsome, but definitely too old to be a student, and anyway it’s an all-girls school. His dark hair is styled just so and I can see the muscles straining against his casual shirt and jeans. He could be a professor, but…
Something tells me he isn’t.
I look at him for a second longer before hurrying inside, afraid I’ll be late for the meeting. Olive is not the kind of person I want to piss off.
2
Reed
The first day of class is chaos.
Girls are everywhere, walking in pairs, laughing with each other, pushing past each other, lying out in the sun, and basically just doing whatever young kids do these days. Shit, I’m not old, but it’s like a whole new world out here.
I’m one of only a few men allowed on campus. The professors, the administration and staff, and then the sponsors. I don’t see any other sponsors, but I know they’re lurking around, just like me.
We had a meeting early this morning. Trim sat us all down in his office, this absurdly large and ornate thing, and gave us the official rules of being a sponsor.
They’re actually surprisingly simple and almost… humane. At least as humane as this crazy thing can be.
First, I’m not allowed to take another sponsor’s girl. No matter what, even if we fall in love, if he has a claim on her then all hands are off. Otherwise, I can pick any other girl I want, any non-claimed girl. I can get rid of my current pick and choose another… but that means my current girl loses her scholarship and all her privileges. It’s cruel, to be totally honest, and I have no plans to do this.
Next, sponsors cannot force their girl or any other to do something they don’t want to do. This is the one rule that seems good to me, but pretty fucked up that it’s even necessary. Trim made it clear that just because we’re sponsoring these girls doesn’t mean we own them. Not yet, at least.
And finally, I’m not allowed to interfere in their lives. This one is a bit more nebulous, but basically Trim explained it like this. These girls are here to have a normal college experience, and if we’re around all the time breaking up fights and meddling in their business, they won’t ever have that normal existence. And so we’re forbidden from meddling too closely.
We can flirt, kiss, court them in any way we want… but we can’t meddle in their affairs. It seems needless, but again, interesting they need to have a rule for it.
Those are it, the three rules. No stealing, no taking without consent, and no meddling. I asked Trim if there’s anything else and he just gave me a sly smile. “Nothing you need to worry about, Mr. Wright,” he said and gave me a wink.
What a fucking world. I lean back on a bench and keep watching the girls walk past. I get more than a few looks, which isn’t a shock considering I’m the only guy around. Maybe I should be more discreet, but I can’t be bothered.
I saw Kayla just yesterday right in front of her dorm. I don’t know what she did, but some of the girls threw her underwear out on the lawn, made it spell out the word “Bitch.” I don’t know if it’s some hazing ritual or something worse, but apparently I’m not supposed to get involved. Even if it does piss me off that these rich bitches are picking on the one girl that actually deserves a decent education.
I stay sitting on that bench while the crowd outside thins and slowly disappears as everyone heads into class. The building I’m in front of has most of the humanities classes in it, and I know for a fact that Kayla has a literature class in there right now.
Mostly because Trim gave me her schedule, which is creepy, but whatever.
I don’t really know what my plan is. I shouldn’t even be here, but the sponsors are expected to introduce themselves today. If I don’t make a show of playing along, Trim will report back to my father, and that will ruin the game entirely. If he gets involved, I’ll be forced to choose a new girl, and Kayla will be fucked even more.
Not to mention I’ll end up with some spoiled brat I can’t stand.
I sit there waiting as the time slips past. Eventually classes finish and the crowds come out again, stuffing the sidewalks with bodies. I sit there scanning faces, looking for the one I actually care about.
And suddenly I spot her. She’s walking with a chubby girl with blonde hair and thick glasses, cute but not really my type. I get up and slowly walk toward them, parting the sea of girls in front of me.
Both girls stare at me as I approach. The blonde girl looks terrified but Kayla and her raven dark hair looks… unsurprised. She just frowns a little bit and I wonder if she recognizes me from yesterday.
“Are you Kayla?” I ask her, stopping a little too close to be polite, but not too close that I’m being suggestive.
She glances at her friend then nods. “Kayla Cox,” she says. “Can I help you with something, professor?”
I let a little smile slip out. “Not a professor,” I correct, and glance at her friend. “You are?”
“Iris,” she squeaks. “Iris Griffin.”
I raise an eyebrow. I know that name. Her family is… well, they’re almost as rich as my family, and that says a lot.
I look back at Kayla. “It’s nice to meet you,” I say to her. “I thought I should introduce myself.”
She looks a little confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t…?” She trails off, head cocked.
“I’m your sponsor,” I say with a grin.
Iris sucks in a breath and Kayla doesn’t really react.
“Oh,” she says. “Okay, cool. I didn’t think I’d actually, you know, ever meet you. But hey, thank you for sponsoring me, it’s a huge opportunity and I won’t waste it.”
Iris stares at her like she’s insane and I can’t help but smile. God, she really has no clue what it means to be sponsored, and I really do love it.
She’s more attractive up close than I realized. Her hair’s thick and full, shiny in the sunlight. Green eyes, high cheekbones, understated makeup if she’s wearing any. Her body is full and gorgeous and I can’t help but sneak glances down the front of her. I feel a thrill run up my gut and I force myself to maintain eye contact or else risk having some fucked-up thoughts.
“I don’t think you will,” I say to her. “You seem more than capable.”
“Thank you.” She hesitates a second. “Well, I need to get off to class.”
“Class,” Iris squeaks. “Right.”
“Why don’t we have dinner sometime?” I ask her suddenly, not sure why I do it. I think I’m just playing the game, or maybe…
She frowns. “Okay, yeah. That’d be nice. I don’t really know anyone on campus yet, so.” She laughs nervously.
“How about tonight?”
Another short hesitation. This time, Iris elbows her and gives her a look.
“Yeah, sure, of course.” Kayla flashes me a smile.
“Great. I’ll meet you outside of your dorm tonight at seven.”
“Where are we going?” she asks. “I assume we’re not just headed to the dining hall.”
“Nope, we’re not.” I look at Iris. “Lovely to meet you, Miss Griffin. Tell your older brother Reed Wright says hello.”
Iris nearly fucking chokes when I say my name. I turn away, unable to stop the malicious grin that breaks out across my face as I walk away.
I probably shouldn’t have said that last thing but god, it was totally worth the look on her face.
I know Iris’s older brother, Jared. He was a sponsor a few years ago and two years ahead of me in school. As far as I know, he married the first girl he drafted, and they’ve been happy ever since.
What a beautiful, modern love story. I guess Iris’s family was so excited that they decided to throw the poor girl in to the wolves.
Fucking hell. Gradus i
s one fucked-up cesspool of infighting and backstabbing. Except Kayla is outside of it all, and I think that attracts me to her just as much as her perfect body and pretty face does. She’s interesting, someone I would actually have to get to know… and someone I want to actually get to know.
I should keep my distance. I shouldn’t play this game. But I have to play it, at least a little bit.
So I might as well enjoy myself in the meantime.
3
Kayla
“You. Have. A. SPONSOR?”
Iris is practically freaking out. We’re back in the dorm, finished with classes for the day. We split up after running into my sponsor, I guess his name is Reed, and we haven’t had a chance to talk until now.
“I guess so,” I say with a little shrug. I cross my legs under me and lean back against the wall. Iris is sitting on her bed across from me, my mirror image, except she’s hyperventilating and I have no clue why. “It’s just a scholarship.”
“Just. A. SCHOLARSHIP?” Her eyes bug out and she stares at me. “You have no clue, do you?”
“About what?” I make a face. “Seriously, Iris, I don’t get what the big deal is. I mean, that guy seemed nice and all.”
She lets out a laugh. “Reed Wright comes from old money. He’s far from nice.”
I cock my head. “Really?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She lets out a wild laugh. “Shouldn’t you have a private room? What are you even doing in here with me?”
I sigh and twist my hair around my right index finger. It’s an old habit, something I do when I’m stressed or nervous. “I told them I didn’t want a private room and I guess someone approved this.”
Iris groans. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, I mean, I wanted to be a college student. You know what I mean?”
“You should have a private room and private bathroom and private chef and private masseuse and, oh my god, you passed it up to live in freaking Channel Hall with me?” She laughs like it’s the most insane thing she’s ever heard.
“Private chef?” I ask. “I didn’t know about that.”
