Loser
Hillcrest University: Book One
Candace Wondrak
© 2019 Candace Wondrak
All Rights Reserved.
Book cover by Victoria Schaefer at Eve’s Garden of Eden – A Cover Group
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Books by Candace Wondrak are only available at Amazon. If you are reading elsewhere, please note it is an illegal, pirated copy, uploaded without my permission. I, the author, nor the distributor received payment for the copy, and if prosecuted violation comes with a fine of up to $250,000. Please do not pirate books.
Chapter One – Ash
Chapter Two - Ash
Chapter Three – Travis
Chapter Four – Ash
Chapter Five – Ash
Chapter Six – Sawyer
Chapter Seven – Ash
Chapter Eight – Travis
Chapter Nine – Ash
Chapter Ten – Declan
Chapter Eleven – Ash
Chapter Twelve – Ash
Chapter Thirteen – Travis
Chapter Fourteen – Ash
Chapter Fifteen – Ash
Chapter Sixteen – Ash
Chapter Seventeen – Sawyer
Chapter Eighteen – Ash
Chapter Nineteen – Ash
Chapter Twenty – Sawyer
Chapter Twenty-One – Ash
Chapter Twenty-Two – Travis
Chapter Twenty-Three – Ash
Chapter Twenty-Four – Sawyer
Chapter Twenty-Five – Travis
Chapter Twenty-Six – Ash
The legacy of Hillcrest University starts out just like any other. A girl, some boys, a bit of mystery…and a noose. Actually, it all begins with the noose. A noose, a note, and a corpse. And a pretty one at that…
Chapter One – Ash
Mom and I went through the basics on repeat as she helped me lug all of my stuff to my dorm room. I’ll be fine being the response I said most. I knew my mom was freaking out a little—who wouldn’t be, when their one kid was about to become the only girl going to Hillcrest University? Out of probably thousands of applicants, they’d picked me. I had no idea why.
The next thing I said most was: No, you don’t have to stay to meet him. Him meaning my roommate. I was rooming with the dean’s son, so there was really nothing my mom had to worry about.
Oh, and who could forget lucky number three: Yes, I have the rape whistle you gave me. Yes, I will always keep it on my person and use it if I have to. Yes, I’m aware that kicking and screaming and generally making a scene is the best way to get out of a sticky situation.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my mom, but sometimes she could be a little over the top.
We’d already had tours of campus before. During senior year of high school, when I first found out I was coming to Hillcrest and being their guinea pig, it was all my mom and I practically did. Orientation, scheduling, private tours done by the dean himself—it was nonstop, seriously.
My mom sighed as she sat on the edge of my bed, gazing around at the dorm room. My roommate wasn’t here; he’d been here already, all his stuff unpacked, but if I had to guess, I’d say he was laying low somewhere else, letting me acclimate. Or maybe he just didn’t want to meet my parents and have things be super awkward.
He needn’t worry about the parents bit. I lived with my mom since I was four years old. My dad ran off with some secretary or something, but we did okay. This trial run at Hillcrest University was the only way I was able to afford to come to a private university. Mom and I weren’t overflowing with money. Usually we lived paycheck to paycheck—not a good way to live life, but you take what you can get in this world.
HU was one of the few colleges left in the United States that only accepted male students. Privately owned, it was full of people with money. I didn’t know whether they weren’t making as much as they wanted or if the owners of the school were feeling the pressure to adapt to the modern times—modern times as in like a century ago—and accept female students. Maybe a bit of both. They could have the best of both worlds, the rich boys and the hoity-toity girls.
I had no idea why I was chosen to be the test subject, but I wasn’t going to complain. Having Hillcrest on my resume once I started applying for jobs was going to look good. Plus, my tuition was next to nothing. You couldn’t beat that.
“I wish I could stay longer,” my mom, Helen, spoke as her eyes scanned the room. Her blonde hair was tied back in a low ponytail, her body a tad too thin. She worked as a photographer, and she worked herself ragged when she had jobs. The problem with being a photographer was that there weren’t always jobs floating around. “But I have an appointment at three with a client.”
The dorm room wasn’t like a typical freshman dorm. Kelsey, my best friend, had moved into her dorm room at last week, and she showed me pictures of it. First off, her dorm had no AC. I would die if I didn’t have air conditioning. This was the Twenty-First Century; it was time to install AC in every building, wasn’t it? Secondly, her bed, along with her roomie’s bed, were both on top bunks, which left a bit of space under them for a futon and a TV. That’s it. You could literally stand in between the two beds and touch both bed frames. Her room was like a jail cell—and it’s what I would be stuck in if I hadn’t stumbled into this opportunity.
Kelsey was both hella mad and hella jealous that I was going to an all-boys’ school, but I placated her somewhat by telling her she could visit anytime she wanted. I’d take her to all the parties her little heart desired. I mean, Hillcrest was all boys, but there had to be parties, right? There was a public college about twenty minutes away from here. The two student bodies had to comingle.
I was very lucky in that my dorm room was huge. It was bigger than a freaking hotel room. The two beds were pushed on opposite walls, two large windows directly behind each bed frame. We had our own little kitchenette area, along with our own private bathroom. I couldn’t imagine using a communal bathroom with every single guy living on the same floor. Ew. The nastiness. At least here, I’d only have to share with one guy. He and I would definitely have to talk about cleanliness, because I was not going to clean up his shit. If he clogged the toilet, he was going to be unclogging it.
“It’s okay, Mom,” I said, sitting next to her. “I have unpacking to do, anyway.” All of my stuff currently sat in boxes. I had to put all of my clothes in the dresser and the closet, and then I had to put the sheets on the bed. Right now, we sat on the plastic covering that enveloped the mattress.
She kept looking around, frowning. “I do wish I could meet your roommate. I don’t like leaving you here without—” My mom was a worry wart. She had all these terrible notions that I was going to be ostracized and bullied and made fun of constantly because I was the only girl here.
Maybe. People could be assholes, but I could handle them.
I ran my fingers through my hair, bringing its pink lengths before my face, acting bored as I tried to spot some split-ends. It wasn’t all pink. Just half of it. The other half was a bright, natural blonde, so light it was near white. I’d inherited my hair color from my mom. “I’ll be fine. Declan’s the dean’s son. If he does or says anything wrong, I’ll head straight to the dean.” I dropped my hair as I patted the pocket on my jean shorts. “After I blow the whistle, of course.”
My mom fro
wned at me for a bit, but the frown soon gave way to a chuckle and a smile. She reached for me, pulling me into a hug, squeezing me just a bit too tightly. “I’m going to miss you so much, honey. Home won’t be the same without you. I know you probably want to have the college experience, but if you ever want to come home for the weekend, just let me know, and I’ll come pick you up.”
Right. Because being poor growing up did not lend itself to me having my own car. I’d had part-time jobs here and there, but all my money had gone to my mom to help pay the bills. I hoped she’d be okay without me.
“I will,” I said once the hug ended. We stared at each other for a bit. Leaving each other would be a new experience for the both of us. We were all each other had for so long now. After Dad left…well, let’s just say we were close, and as I grew up and realized how much of an asshole my dear daddy was, Mom and I bonded like gossiping friends.
“Text me every day,” Helen went on. “I want to know about your classes, if anyone tries to be your friend—”
I noted how she said friend and not boyfriend. My mom was of the vein that boys were no good and rotten. I didn’t blame her for thinking that way, but I knew not all of them were bad. Yes, there’d be some assholes here, but there had to be cool guys, too. If I came home for the weekend with news of a boyfriend…
Oh, my mom would flip. She’d flip, and it’d be so funny. Just like when I’d told her Jeremy has asked me to prom and that I was going to after prom with him. After flipping shit for two days straight, she’d finally calmed down and told me that if I was going to have sex, I better be smart enough to use a condom.
Like I’d never had sex before Jeremy at the after prom. Poor Mom. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, or freak her out.
“Mom,” I cut in, giving her a look. No, not just a look. The look. The look that said I can handle this. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”
She laughed, shaking her head softly. “I’m supposed to be the one telling you that, Ash.”
I gave my mom another hug after walking her to the door. Hillcrest University wasn’t too far from my hometown—four hours—but it was a hell of a long drive just for a weekend. I doubted I’d be going home for normal weekends. Only weekends that involved holidays, maybe.
Standing in the hallway, my mom watched as other parents and students walked by in the hall, moving in just as we’d done earlier. “Be safe,” Helen whispered, her eyes locking with mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” As I watched her go, I grinned to myself. I thought I’d be sad, anxious, something, but I wasn’t. I was just here. If anything, I was excited. I was in college, finally, almost like an adult but not really. This was the start of a new chapter in my life, and I was more than ready for it.
Hillcrest University, then soon the world. I’d take it all on, and I’d enjoy doing it.
Once my mom disappeared down the hallway, I heaved a sigh and closed the door. I didn’t want to hear the hustle and bustle in the hallway, and I didn’t need constant interruptions as people looked in to snoop. If they didn’t already hear that HU had accepted a single girl as a trial run, well, they’d find out soon enough.
I unpacked my suitcases, putting my clothes in the dresser and hanging my shirts in the closet. I placed my TV above the dresser, hooked it into the wall outlet, and had it surfing for channels as I started to make my bed. My gaming systems would remain in their boxes until later. I was tired, and I honestly wanted to take a nap. Unpacking was hard.
I glanced over my shoulder, looking at the other side of the room. I hadn’t met Declan before, but he seemed…normal enough. A part of me had been expecting a goth or someone weird who I couldn’t get along with, but judging from his stuff, he seemed alright. His bed was covered in a brown comforter, nothing but his laptop sitting on his desk.
When my bed was made, I meandered to the small kitchenette area, bending inside the small fridge to see if Declan had brought food. If not, we’d have to get some. I didn’t want to eat out constantly. It was pretty well-stocked with food, though. We wouldn’t have a problem with food for a few weeks, at least, depending on how much he ate.
I grabbed a cold water bottle and unscrewed the cap, about to walk back to my side when I heard the door open. It was not Declan who walked in, but his father, Dean Briggs. The man was near fifty, his hair a greying brown and his eyes kind. I liked him, even if the suit he wore cost as much as my mom’s used car. A goatee sat on his face, the majority of it still brown, unlike the rest of his hair.
“Ah, you’re here,” Dean Briggs spoke, giving me a smile. “Your mother?”
“She just left,” I said. “She had to get back to her work.”
Dean Briggs studied the room. “I see Declan’s not here. He’s probably in the library, wishing he was old enough to graduate already.” Right. Because Declan was in his second year here. He was a sophomore rooming with a freshman. I didn’t know why my mom was worried about me getting mocked. Declan was the lame one.
I watched as Dean Briggs reached into his suit jacket’s pocket, pulling out a small card and handing it to me. Plastic, looked a bit like a credit card, but I knew it wasn’t. It had the Hillcrest University symbol on it, and then in big bold letters Meal Card.
“I didn’t choose a meal plan,” I said. My tuition here wasn’t covered one hundred percent, so I had to take out a few loans to be here. I’d opted out of everything that wasn’t mandatory to save costs.
“I know. This is from me,” he said, giving me a smile. “You can use it anywhere on campus, and a few places on Main Street, too.”
Free food? The man was offering me free food? Well…how could a girl say no to that?
“Thank you,” I said, doing my best to hide my shock. Maybe rooming with the dean’s son wasn’t going to be too bad after all. I wasn’t going to deny some special treatment.
Dean Briggs fiddled with the top button on his suit jacket. “I did hope to catch you before classes began. I hope it’s not too much, but I was hoping to ask if you’d look after my son.” Traces of hesitation lingered in his voice, and when I met his benevolent, warm eyes, I didn’t know what to say.
He wanted me to babysit his son?
“Declan didn’t have a good time last year. There was…let’s just call it an incident. I’m worried about him. If you could watch him, make sure he doesn’t do anything…wrong, I would be forever grateful.” When I said nothing, he went on, “Having the dean of HU owe you is not something any other student could say.”
If I babysat his son, the dean would owe me? When he put it like that, how in the world could I say no?
“Of course,” I said.
He nodded once. “Thank you. Now, I should go before Declan comes back. It should go without saying but…” Dean Briggs quieted, a darkness flashing behind his gaze. “Please don’t tell him I asked you to look after him. It would only embarrass him, I think. And if anything should happen, do not hesitate to call my office. At night, I have the line forwarded to my cell, in case of emergencies. You’ll always be able to reach me.” He said nothing else as he left, closing the door behind him.
Still holding onto the meal card, I felt my eyebrows coming together. A strange sense of foreboding rose within me. What in the world did I get myself into?
Chapter Two - Ash
Declan didn’t come back for hours, and I got tired of waiting for him, so I hopped in the shower to rinse off the day’s sweat. After I planned on blow-drying my hair and heading out. Hey, I had a meal card now—one I didn’t have to pay for. I wasn’t not going to use it. There was nothing better than free food.
Once I was out of the shower, I dried myself with a towel and grabbed my brush, getting the knots out before I started to blow hot air on it. The hot hair wasn’t good for the pink ends, but I brought more than enough dye to redo it for the next two months.
I dressed in another pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was a bit holey. From the bits and pieces I’d seen of th
e others in the hall, I was going to stand out for what was between my legs and what I covered my body with. Oh, well. These guys needed a taste of the real world.
Leaving the bathroom, I went to grab the meal card and my skateboard, but the instant I left the safety of the bathroom, I froze.
Declan had returned sometime while I was in the shower. He was…not at all what I’d been expecting the dean’s son to be like.
For starters, he didn’t wear nice clothes. I knew that with the salary his dad was making here, he could afford those shirts that cost a few hundred dollars and those jeans that were rubbed with fake dirt to make it look like he was a working man. He was clean enough, I supposed, but normal.
Declan Briggs looked normal.
He was sitting at his desk, his head bent on top of his closed laptop. He looked decently muscled, if the tautness of the shirt across his shoulders meant anything. His brown hair was a few inches long, a mop on top of his head, and when he lifted his head and turned to look at me, I was struck with a pair of dark amber eyes, a stubbly jawline that could kill, and a slightly crooked nose.
Damn.
The dean’s son was hot. Not at all the distraction I needed, but…
I suddenly felt like I didn’t look good enough. I walked over to his side, extending my hand like some uptight, crazy chick as I said, “You must be Declan. I’m Ashley, but you can call me Ash, if you want. Most of my friends do.”
He didn’t move to take my hand to shake it. His eyes fell to it, and he gave me a weird look.
Right. Because kids our age didn’t shake hands when they first met. That was weird. Totally. Good to know I wasn’t going to let his looks affect me…
“I, uh, I’m going to get some dinner. Do you want to come?” It wasn’t like I was asking him out. He was my roomie. Roomies spent time together all the time. If they weren’t friends, college life sucked. I had to be friends with Declan and ignore his attractiveness. It wasn’t like he was the only good-looking guy around here. I’d already seen more than I could count while my mom and I were lugging my stuff up here.
Loser: A Dark College Bully Romance (Hillcrest University Book 1) Page 1
