Lullabye (Rockstar #6)

by Anne Mercier

  During roll call, I learned that his last name was Powers. Oh, boy, he was one of them. The them I’d been hearing about since stepping onto campus. And he was flirting with me. Well, wasn’t I the lucky one. Unable to help being curious about this latest bit of info and wanting to know if he really was as good looking as everyone had been saying (I mean, I’d seen him but hadn’t known who he was so I hadn’t really seen him seen him), I risked a glance over my left shoulder at him only to find him gazing right back at me with a lazy grin. Holy crap! I turned around quickly and promptly swallowed my gum on the breath I’d sucked in at getting caught. As I choked out a cough, I decided he was as hot as everyone had been saying, and I also decided I was an idiot to mess with him. Although very handsome, he was uncouth, rude and too wild for the likes of me and I needed to stay far, far away from him, which I told myself I’d do.

  So why the hell did that make him even more intriguing?

  Loyalties and Lies (Chastity Falls #1)

  ©2015 LA Cotton

  The place I would call home for the next four years was quaint, but it didn’t have the air of a small college. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It just felt different. Nothing like the Ivy League schools that I had visited before everything changed. As my eyes swept over the red brick buildings, scattered amongst dense woods, my imagination was working overtime. Chastity Falls Academy looked like the kind of place that housed secrets—the kind of place perfect for a girl running from her own.

  A crowd of students huddled together on the steps outside of Carver Hall, waiting for freshmen orientation to commence. I took a deep breath, shook off my reservations, and hitched my bag further up my shoulder as I headed toward them. Better get this over with.

  “Freshmen, over here,” shouted a wiry guy with hair so white it shimmered in the damp air, his hands cupped around his mouth. “Dorm assignments in the Schroeder building, class registration in Pauling Hall, and student activities sign up is out on the field behind the Kingman Gymnasium. But most importantly, the orientation party tonight at Chastity Fallen House.”

  A chorus of cheers erupted, reverberating off the buildings, making the few hundred crowd seem bigger. Apparently, I was the only person not excited by the prospect of the first college party, and who had no idea what Chastity Fallen House was.

  “Name?” the brunette seated behind the desk scowled as I moved up to the front of the queue.

  “Ana Parry, I mean, Savanah, Savanah Parry.”

  She flicked through the pile of manila envelopes and pulled one out. “Savanah Parry, three B, McGinley Hall. Key card is in the pack; campus map, freshmen orientation schedule, and tokens for the cafeteria are all inside, too.” Smile, it won’t kill you, I thought to myself while I plastered on my best I-refuse-to-let-your-mood-piss-me-off smile. “Thanks.”

  I followed the campus map to my dorm. The air was damp and a fine mist clung to my jacket like incandescent spiderwebs. Moving three thousand miles across the country had been like arriving on another planet. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, now I was about to meet my roommate; the person I would be forced to at least tolerate for the next year. Anything more would be a bonus, but I wasn’t holding my breath. Social wasn’t exactly a word people used to describe me anymore. It’s why I had marked a preference for a single room, but the welcome pack that arrived at Aunt Betsy’s back in May informed me that I had been assigned a double. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.

  Stopping at the bottom step of the entrance to McGinley Hall, I rolled my eyes. Of course, it just had to be the last dorm block, sitting nestled on the edge of a vast forest, with the football stadium just visible off in the distance. Huge Douglas firs cloaked the small two story, l-shaped building. I inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to calm my racing pulse. Welcome home. The thought made my heart ache, but I forced down the feelings, locking them away tightly in their compartment. Now wasn’t the time or the place for a trip down memory lane.

  The dorm was crazy; girls dragging boxes and suitcases, teary-eyed parents offering warnings, and gushing well wishes. I kept my head low, avoiding the questioning looks at my one person-one bag arrangement, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips when I finally reached the door marked 3b. Home.

  I stepped inside the half-opened door, my eyes scanning the room, taking in every detail. The beige walls, white varnished door and window frames, pale roller blind, and light matching furniture weren’t exactly cozy, but it was clean and tidy, and we had our own bathroom.

  “Hi, roomie,” a voice called from behind me, and I turned to observe a girl, similar to my five-foot-six height, enter the room balancing boxes in her slim arms. “Could you grab one of these?” she asked.

  I dropped my bag onto the empty bed—the one she obviously designated as mine—and went to help her. As I peered into the box full of clothes and shoes, I realized just how light I was traveling. Another wave of sadness crashed over me, but I pushed it down. Lock it away, Ana.

  “I’m Elena, Elena Marks. You’re Savanah Parry, right?” the girl asked over the box.

  I forced my lips into a thin smile. “Ana, I like to be called Ana. Nice to meet you, Elena Marks.”

  “Likewise. I just waved my parents off, thank God. They were driving me loco.” She dropped the box onto her bed, next to the other boxes, and turned back to me, zeroing in on my one bag. “So, where’s all your stuff?”

  I shrugged. “I travel light.”

  Elena’s dark brown eyes narrowed as if she was trying to work me out. After a couple of seconds, her features softened. She smiled and said, “Well, we look about the same size. Mi casa es su casa. You can borrow my stuff whenever, chica.”

  My body sagged with relief. I had been dreading this part—the questions, the getting-to-know-you awkwardness, but Elena made it easy. And if I didn’t have issues with people touching me, I would have hugged her right there and then.

  “So, where are you from?” Elena emptied a box out and started hanging dresses onto hangers in her wardrobe as I rolled out the desk chair from my side of the l-shaped room and sank into it.

  “Born and raised Floridian.”

  “Ahh, a fellow sun sister. Muy bueno. I’m beginning to think that I made a mistake moving to the wet side.”

  I smiled. Elena was like a breath of fresh air and her hint of a Spanish accent made her voice sing, but surprisingly, it didn’t irritate me. Instead, its melodic quality calmed me.

  “I’m from Santa Fe; we get our fair share of rain, but we also get plenty of sun.” Holding out her caramel-skinned arms in front of her, she added, “I’ll end up three shades lighter after four years here.”

  I couldn’t help the small laugh escaping my lips. “They must get some sun here.”

  “Chica, did you not read the climate information? Chastity Falls, Oregon is one of the wettest places on the planet. And with the blanket of firs out there, even if the sun did find its way out, we’d never see it.”

  “It is a little creepy, isn’t it?”

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “Just be sure never to go down to the woods alone. You don’t know what’s lurking.” Her heart-shaped lips broke into a grin. “Anyway, what time shall we head over to the party tonight?”

  My brow furrowed to match the tension radiating through my body. “What party?”

  Elena clicked her tongue. “The one at Fallen House. Please tell me you know what I’m talking about?”

  I slouched back and closed my eyes, spinning the chair. “Yeah, about that, I’m not really big into partying.”

  Elena’s head whipped up. “Please tell me that you’re joking? This is college, chica, college.”

  She was right. It was college… my fresh start. I had to move on with my life. Needed to move on. It was time. Wasn’t it?

  I hesitated, and then said, “Of course, I’m joking. You should see your face.”

  It was a lie, something that I had become good at over the last year. Too good.

  Elena
clutched at her heart. “Gracias a Dios. You had me worried there. If there’s one thing you come to CFA for, it’s the parties.”

  It is? I had picked it because it was the furthest point away from my old life. The life that I was trying to forget. I had given anything else little thought. Chastity Falls had a great English program, and it was small, hidden… and far, far away from Fort Pierce, Florida.

  * * *

  I had survived my first day at CFA. Elena talked me into checking out the orientation activities at Kingman Gym and Carver Hall, and we both returned to McGinley with bags full of coupons for the two stores in town, the local theatre—which apparently only had two screens— the college cafe, and handfuls of tiny samples of washing detergent and strips of condoms. I had tried to refuse them when the student holding the huge bucket thrust a handful at me. Like I’ll ever need them.

  But I wasn’t so sure that I would survive the party.

  My single duffle bag only contained a few items of clothing, and according to Elena, didn’t feature anything ‘party worthy’, so she had talked me into borrowing a knee-length, scoop neck black dress. The downside was it only had three-quarter sleeves, so I discreetly added some chunky bracelets to my right wrist.

  Elena gave me the once-over, her eyes widening. “You scrub up good, chica. Have you seen Chastity Fallen House yet?”

  I applied some pale pink gloss to my lips, the only piece of make-up that survived my ‘fresh start’ wardrobe, and made a fishy face. “Nope.” I popped the p. “What is it with that place? It’s all I’ve heard about today. Am I missing something?”

  She laughed, tucking her cell into a small bag hanging over her shoulder. “Chica, did you read any of the welcome pack? Chastity Fallen are like gods around these parts.”

  My forehead creased. “Am I supposed to know what in the hell you’re talking about?”

  Elena pulled out the campus brochure from the top drawer in the desk on her side of the room. “Read it.” She thrust it into my hands.

  My eyes scanned over the words. “Chastity Falls Academy is home to Chastity Fallen, one of the most successful college football teams in NCAA Division Two since the early nineteen-forties…” my voice trailed off, and I placed the brochure back on Elena’s desk and shrugged. “So?”

  “So? Chica, Chastity Falls lives, breathes, and dies football… the sooner you get on board with that, the better.” She tapped my butt and opened the door.

  We exited the room into chaos. Half-naked girls shrieking with excitement sauntered up and down the hallway, talking and laughing about the ‘best party of the year’. I was too busy trying to figure out how a party could be the best party of the year before the year had even started to notice when Elena stopped to talk to three leggy blondes dressed in some kind of matching ensemble.

  “… Ana… Savanah? Hellllo, chica. Earth to Ana.” Elena stared at me, an incredulous expression on her face.

  “What, hmm, sorry. Hi.”

  Blonde one stepped forward and smiled. The whiteness of her teeth next to her overzealous fake tan almost blinded me. “I’m Talia, and this is Cassie and Lydia.” She nodded over her shoulder toward the other two girls, and they smiled.

  “Hi. I’m Ana.”

  “My roommate and mi mejor amiga for the next four years,” Elena sang with a huge grin on her face.

  “Cool. Well, we are in rooms four and five b. We should totally go together tonight. I heard this year’s party is going to be even bigger than last year, now that Braiden is here…”

  I tuned out, my mind drifting back to the last time I was ready to go to a party, sixteen months ago. Don’t go there; don’t go there, JUST DON’T, my conscience pleaded.

  “He’s a Donohue. There are no rules for him. Just wait and see; this year is going to rock.” Talia flicked her hair off her shoulder and rearranged her cleavage, which was already spilling out of her skimpy, sparkly tank.

  “The rain’s let up. Let’s make a run for it,” a girl called from downstairs. Elena, Talia, and the other two girls cheered, excitement twinkling in their eyes. I rolled mine toward the ceiling, wondering what in the hell I was getting myself into. But before I could make an excuse to stay behind, Elena intertwined her hand with mine. The close contact made me wince, but thankfully, she didn’t notice.

  “Our first party, chica. This year is going to be amazing.”

  I forced a smile, something that I figured I would be doing a lot now. May as well get used to it.

  Ten minutes later, I was trying to figure out how I ever missed Chastity Fallen House. It. Was. Huge. By far, the biggest building on campus. Situated on the opposite side of the campus from McGinley Hall, it was a giant colonial-looking mansion, complete with alabaster pillars and a first-floor wraparound balcony above the porch. Two hidden spotlights shone up onto the plaque hanging above the double door. Straining my eyes, I could just make out the CFA crest.

  What I didn’t miss were the crowds of people. Everywhere. This definitely wasn’t just a freshmen party.

  Elena squeezed my hand and whistled through her teeth. “Dios Mio.” I wracked my brain trying to do the translation… My God—she wasn’t wrong.

  “Freshmen, this side,” shouted a dark-haired hulk of a guy dressed in a white, black, and green football jersey. And like obeying minions, we joined the queue. The whole thing seemed a little ridiculous just to get into a party. A party meant for freshmen. For us.

  “I wonder what it’s like inside. There are all kinds of myths about this place, you know.”

  Elena was dressed in tight fitting pants and a barely-there tank with a see-through blouse over the top. She looked every bit a Mediterranean model, even if she was talking nonsense. “Please,” I groaned. “Don’t tell me that you believe the scare stories they feed to freshmen?”

  “I know someone who graduated here a few years ago. He said that some weird shit goes on in this college… this town.”

  My head shook with laughter. “Elena, you’re kidding me, right?”

  She didn’t get a chance to answer. The dark-haired guy beckoned us forward, and his eyes gave us the once-over, lingering slightly on Elena’s chest. I noticed her wink at him. “Boyfriends?”

  “Excuse me?” The words had rushed out of my mouth before I realized, the defensive edge to my voice obvious.

  He smirked, his hungry eyes fixed on me. “Do. You. Have. Boyfriends?”

  Elena opened her mouth as if to say something, but I cut her off, feeling my whole body tense. “What in the hell has that-”

  He stared at me blankly, unaffected by my imminent meltdown. “Just answer the question. Yes or no.”

  Elena nudged me, shooting me a confused glare, and said, “Me? No.” She glared at me and I threw my hands up in defeat, trying to stifle the panic clawing its way up through me. “Fine. No.”

  The guy laughed, grabbed my hand, and stamped it with a green heart. I snatched it back and observed the tiny print. “What the-”

  “Ana,” Elena scolded, pulling me into the house. “Seriously, what is your problem? The guy looked ready to tell us to turn around.”

  “Me? What’s it to him if we have boyfriends or not, and what’s with these hideous stamps?” I rubbed at the ink stain but it didn’t budge.

  “Oh, these.” Talia joined us. “They’re freshmen tags. You know, like green for single, red for unavailable… orange for persuade me and we’ll see.” She laughed.

  “Are you serious?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Yeah. It’s just a bit of fun… helps to make getting to know one another a little easier, if you know what I’m saying.” She smirked and I had to suppress my urge to get into it with her.

  “I think it’s a great idea,” Elena added. “Saves all that ‘oh and by the way, I’ve got a girlfriend’ after you’ve already fucked.”

  Deep down I knew that I was probably overreacting, but I couldn’t prevent the tut of disapproval that escaped my lips. “You’re all mad. It’s objectifying wome
n, making them prizes to be won. It’s disgusting.”

  “Chill, chica. The guys have stamps, too.”

  “Oh, well, that makes it all better then. I’m going to find a drink and take a look around. I’ll catch you guys in a bit.”

  Elena’s expression faltered. “Hey, come on, Ana, it’s just a freshmen prank. It doesn’t mean anything. We can still enjoy the party. Please.” Her almond-shaped eyes pleaded with me, but I was too close to losing it to hang around.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll cool off and find you guys later. Have fun!” I didn’t wait to hear her pleas.

  Winding my way through the crowd of unfamiliar faces, I moved deeper into the house. My heart hammered in my chest as the claws of the looming anxiety attack started to drag me under. I moved on autopilot, my body knowing it needed to air and space, and quickly. I almost flung myself through the door leading out onto a huge decked area, ignoring the guys lined up doing body shots off a girl’s bare stomach as she lay on the counter shrieking with excitement.

  Slumping against the wall, I clamped my eyes shut, focusing on evening my breathing. Ten, nine, eight, seven… Count, Ana, just like Dr. Simmonds showed you. My heart began to return to a normal pace, slowly calming my whole body. Dammit. The guy at the door had totally caught me off guard. Boyfriend. The word filled my heart with such overwhelming sadness that it had almost knocked me to the floor. But I needed to get a grip, be better prepared for this kind of situation. It was college, for Christ’s sake. College, Ana. People were bound to want to know that kind of stuff. History. Past relationships. I just hadn’t expected to hear that question. Not yet.