Loser: A Dark College Bully Romance (Hillcrest University Book 1)

by Candace Wondrak

  All Declan did was shake his head.

  Did the boy not talk? Hmm. That would put a damper on things.

  “Oh, come on. You need to eat.” I playfully punched his shoulder, standing a bit too close to him. My persona was probably freaking him out. “Why not eat me?” I instantly realized what I said, quickly adding in horror, “Eat with me.”

  Shit. I was messing this up terribly, wasn’t I? Declan and I weren’t going to be friends. I was just the weird chick trying too hard and stumbling over her words like she’d never been in the presence of a hot guy before.

  Declan looked away, mumbling, “I don’t like going out.” He tugged at the long sleeves on his arms before opening his laptop. “Just go.”

  Just go. Okay. How could I deny him when he phrased it so eloquently?

  I grabbed what I needed and left, carrying my skateboard as I walked down the stairs. The elevators were currently jam-packed with students and parents still moving in. Once I pushed outside, I paused for a moment as I let the sun hit me. Its rays filled me with warmth, a calmness sweeping over me.

  I could do this. No problem. Being the only girl on campus besides faculty? Easy-peasy. I’d done it a thousand times before.

  Not really, but I had to talk myself up a bit. All summer Kelsey and I went over scenarios, things that could happen. Of course, there were some really bad things that we came up with, but also some really cool things that were taken straight out of an anime. I mean, one girl among a bunch of boys? That was a reverse harem situation waiting to happen.

  I set my skateboard on the sidewalk, kicking off. I grinned as the wind whipped around me. I’d never dated more than one guy at a time before, not really. Could I even handle that many dicks at once?

  The area of Hillcrest University that held the dorm rooms was bustling. The rest of campus was quiet, and I liked it. I didn’t have to zigzag along the sidewalk to avoid running into people. I should’ve brought my earphones so I could listen to music and totally zone out.

  HU was full of old architecture—but not old in the literal sense. These buildings were all new and updated; their outer stonework was just crafted to look old. Almost gothic and castle-like. I’d been here so many times with my mom that I knew all the buildings where my classes would be. I hadn’t been inside any of the buildings yet, but that would come tomorrow.

  I thought back to my roomie, to Declan.

  There was something off about him, and I didn’t mean serial killer off. I meant off like…sad. His brown eyes had been sad. Like he’d thought himself too boring or too much of a burden to go with me for food. And I’d been so caught up in myself that I didn’t really fight him on it. Well, now that I knew he was cute and sad, I’d make sure to handle myself better next time.

  The student union was one of the largest buildings on campus. It was only two stories tall, but a lot was packed into it. All the shops, where you could buy textbooks and school supplies, not to mention shirts and hoodies that were plastered with HU on their fronts and backs. The grand conference room, where most of orientation had been held for incoming students. Half a dozen lounges with free Wi-Fi and multiple plugs on the walls to charge your phones and laptops. And who could forget the vast array of food places, too?

  I really wished there was a McDonald’s here. I’d gain like a hundred pounds over the course of the next four years, but who cared about that? McDonald’s was delicious, and I didn’t give a shit about all of the stories that came out about what was in their chicken nuggets. I loved those fucking things.

  Not many other students were here, but the food places were open. I chose a salad place, got the biggest bowl, and had the woman working there fill it up with lettuce, croutons and carrots. Might as well try to be healthy, right? Even if it only lasted for a few weeks. I did not want to gain the freshman fifteen—unless it was with McDonald’s—not when I was the only girl student on campus. Had to keep my figure up for all of my admirers.

  I nearly laughed at that as I poured some dressing on the salad. Admirers. Like I was the hottest shit around. I wasn’t, but I liked to think I had a certain charm. Bit of a punk, bit of a skater, sort of a geek with my knowledge of movies and videogames.

  After paying, I made my way to one of the many tables in the union. With a mouthful of salad, I got out my phone and texted Kelsey. Until this opportunity fell into my lap, the plan was to go to the same college as her, a public school a bit closer to home. I missed her. It’d been two weeks since I’d seen her.

  Holding the fork in my mouth, I smiled the moment Kelsey texted me back. She wanted pictures of both my room and my roommate, preferably shirtless ones.

  I was in the process of texting her back when someone pulled out the chair beside mine and plopped himself down on it like he owned the damn thing. His foot knocked into mine, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to snap at him.

  Slowly taking the fork from my mouth, I set my phone down as I glared at him. “You know, there are lots of other empty seats around here…” I trailed off when I met his blue eyes. They were under a sea of black-blue hair, attached to a body that contained so many tattoos I couldn’t count them.

  Had I mentioned lately that I loved tattoos? My mom never let me get one, but it was on my list of things to do eventually.

  He lounged back, his knees spread, inviting me to glance at the tightness of his jeans, the way the denim hugged him in a way I should not notice, mostly because he was a rude stranger with no knowledge of personal space. A dragon tattoo curled up his left arm, the dragon’s neck and head disappearing under his shirt sleeve.

  I wonder what other tattoos he has under the hood…

  God, this guy was more than just hot. He was sexy. My kind of sexy. My exact kind of sexy, and he stared at me like I was a tall glass of water on the world’s hottest day. Like he instantly craved me.

  Hillcrest was going to be more fun than I thought.

  Chapter Three – Travis

  Holy fuck. I definitely didn’t expect to come across her so soon. She was…pretty in the same way Sabrina had been. The same heart-shaped face and spunk, though her hair ended in a light bubblegum pink. A skateboard sat near her feet, and she’d been too busy texting to notice my approach.

  Sawyer was going to love her, I knew. I knew it instantly. Sawyer was going to love using her to get back at Declan.

  This was my first year at HU, but Sawyer and Declan were on their second year. We all used to be friends, once. Before the world crumbled below our feet and left us all to pick up the pieces and point fingers. Unfortunately for Declan, all fingers pointed at him.

  Sawyer wanted Declan to pay for what he did. Me? I just liked the drama. I liked the fights. I liked getting down and dirty and playing the blame game. Not going to lie, though—the other games I liked to play flashed in the back of my mind when I met this girl’s stare.

  Wonder how she’d look, tied down…

  She’d started to say something snarky to me, but the moment she’d looked at me, she stopped herself. Her cheeks flushed slightly, just a tiny bit of redness there that signaled she liked what she saw. I was good at picking up signals like that. I learned from the best.

  My family had dropped me off early this morning, leaving me to lug my shit to my room and unpack by myself. I made it to my room, left all my shit in the suitcases, and headed to Sawyer’s house. Since he was a second year, he didn’t have to live on campus. He was renting a house just outside of HU, basically across Main Street. The parties he’d have would be legendary.

  We all had gotten word that there was going to be a girl on campus. Hillcrest was inching toward modern times—which was great. I loved girls. I loved looking at them, touching them, kissing them, and I loved fucking them the most, especially when they were compliant and submissive.

  This one…she looked like she could be trouble, but luckily for her, I craved trouble like a drug.

  A girl on campus meant one thing. Sawyer and I had a bet going to see w
ho would sleep with her first. A juvenile bet, I knew, but it was one that practically begged to be made. And when we found out that she’d be rooming with Declan, the little bitch who should never have come back here? The bet changed a little.

  We were still going to try to sleep with her, but it’d be fun to use her against him too, wouldn’t it? Turn her against him, make her believe he was an awful human being—tell her the truth about what happened last year—and convince her to break his heart.

  Maybe if we all played it just right, Declan would do us all a favor and kill himself, and then Sawyer and I could put all our focus on our new toy.

  “So you’re the pretty girl they let in through the gates,” I said, giving her a lazy smile. I had one arm hooked on the back of the chair behind me and the other splayed along the table. I could tell by her tense shoulders that she wanted to get up and leave, but she was also intrigued.

  “I really hope you have a better pickup line than that,” she said, shooting me a forced frown.

  My smile only grew. “When I’m trying to pick you up, you’ll know it.”

  “Oh, great. That’s comforting.” She turned her focus back to her salad, picking at it with her plastic fork.

  When I told Sawyer I’d head to the union to buy a pizza for dinner, I had no idea I’d run into her. What a fucking coincidence. Almost like fate, if I believed in fate. There were…not many things I believed in these days, not after what happened to Sabrina.

  “I’m Travis,” I told her, watching as she picked up a crouton and ate it, glancing at me as her mouth crunched on it.

  “And I’m not interested, sorry” was her response.

  I smirked. I knew Sawyer and I wouldn’t be the only ones trying to get her, but Sawyer had the connections. One word from him, and most everyone would back off. If they didn’t…if people chose not to listen to him, people had a habit of getting hurt. Declan would be hurt in the worst of ways, once it was all said and done.

  “Oh, come on,” I said, eyeing her up. The more I stared at her, the prettier she became. “Just tell me your name and I’ll stop bugging you.” It was spoken as a promise, but what this girl didn’t know was that I’d find out her name one way or another.

  If this girl wanted to make it through these next four years, she’d play nice with me and Sawyer.

  She rolled her eyes. “Ash,” she muttered, her glare indicating she was done with this conversation, whether or not she was intrigued by me.

  “Ash,” I spoke her name slowly, letting it roll off my tongue. My fingers tapped the table. Ash. I liked it. It was fitting, in a way, since Sawyer and I planned on using her to turn Declan’s life upside-down, set it on fire and leave only when it was in ashes. I was more of a straight-forward kind of guy, but I’d follow Sawyer’s lead on this one. After all, Sabrina was his sister, and there was no replacing her.

  “Travis,” Ash spoke, setting her fork down as she turned to me. One of her knees moved between mine, its bare skin taunting. Sabrina liked to wear short shorts like that, too…I could remember spending many summers watching her in them. I also took them off of her more times than I could count. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was hoping to at least make it twenty-four hours here before the hordes of boys starting trolling me.”

  “Trolling?” I chuckled, eyes falling to her lips. No lipstick, no gloss, but they still looked full, supple, and so inviting. Mark my words: I’d take those lips soon enough, and I’d take them before Sawyer did.

  Sawyer was…he didn’t know when to temper his anger, when to play nice. He had one setting, and it was downright mean with a side of dastardly conniving.

  “You know what I mean,” she said with a shrug. The small gesture made me realize just how small she really was. Thin, not an ounce of fat anywhere on her. Just like Sabrina. God, she reminded me of Sabrina so much, it might be impossible for Sawyer to sleep with her without thinking of his sister.

  That would only help me win.

  “Okay, okay,” I said, getting to my feet. I pretended not to notice how her eyes followed me, how her gaze ate me up. “I get the not-so-subtle hint. I’ll leave you alone. All bets are off though, if you’re in one of my classes.”

  I headed to the pizza place, tossing a look over my shoulder once I got there. Ash was watching me, distrust in her gaze. Hmm. That was interesting. Whereas most girls found me easy to talk to and be around, this one didn’t seem to like me very much. Maybe I came on too strong, or maybe I wasn’t her type, beyond my looks.

  Fucking ridiculous. I was everyone’s type.

  I ordered two pizzas and carried them all the way to Sawyer’s place. They made the pizzas after you ordered them, so it took about twenty minutes. Sawyer’s place was a nice two-story house that normally housed a bunch of guys from HU, but when Sawyer got his hands on it—and his parents’ money—he’d rented the whole damn thing, no roommates needed to split the cost. Next year I’d move in here with him, once I didn’t have to live on campus.

  I brought the pizza to the kitchen table, flipping open the top box and grabbing a piece as I went into the living room, plopping myself down on the leather couch and kicking up my feet. I was seconds from turning on the TV when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I glanced up, watching as a girl came down, her hair and makeup messed up in a telltale way, her skin flushed. She met my eyes awkwardly before leaving.

  Sawyer took his time coming downstairs, wearing nothing but sweats, his chest bare and sprinkled with perspiration. His blonde hair was shorn at the sides, his chosen hairstyle a fauxhawk. Between his legs, I could see the indentation of his semi-hard cock, so I knew he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. He went straight to the pizza boxes.

  “Local, huh?” I asked. There was a public college not too far from here. It was where Sawyer got a lot of his girls from, but the one that just walked out? The way she looked, the way she dressed, it was obvious she’d grown up around here, more than clear she never planned on leaving.

  I wasn’t a fan of girls like that. I liked them much better when they had some aspirations, when they had goals and dreams and all that shit. It made them more like people and less like fuck toys. Sawyer liked them to remain strictly as fuck toys, however.

  “I like to try out the local flavor every once in a while,” Sawyer said, moving to sit beside me. He snatched the remote from me and turned on the television.

  I watched him for a bit, both eager to tell him that I’d met the lone girl of HU already and wanting to keep her to myself for a bit longer. I knew he’d want me to tell him. Maybe that’s why I kept my mouth shut just then, why I was so conflicted.

  We ate in silence for a while, watching the TV.

  “I think I’m going to have a party Friday,” Sawyer said with a smile. “Invite some of the girls from Stanton. See if we can’t get ourselves a few orgies before classes get hard.” Stanton was the local college; it wouldn’t be long before Sawyer didn’t have to go looking for girls. Once HU became co-ed, girls would be all around, everywhere he looked.

  I said, “I’m surprised you want to focus on those girls when there’s one walking around Hillcrest waiting for you.”

  Sawyer’s mirth about the orgy joke—although I knew him well enough to know he didn’t mean it as a joke—faded, and he asked, “Did you see her?”

  A pause before I said, “No.” Sawyer always happened to stumble upon the girls who liked assholes. I was a bit of a jerk myself, but I didn’t think I was near the level of asshole Sawyer was. Sawyer had redefined the word.

  “Fuck,” Sawyer spoke, frowning. His eyes were green, a brilliant jade color. Much unlike Sabrina’s eyes, which had been a dusky grey hue. “You’re right.” It must’ve taken a lot out of him to admit it, but what he didn’t realize was that just because I was right didn’t mean he was wrong. If he wanted to fuck a bunch of girls and have threesomes and orgies, he could. I wouldn’t stop him.

  I would simply put all of my focus where it belonged—on Ash a
nd Declan.

  “We need to find out who she is,” Sawyer went on, oblivious to the fact that I already knew. I knew her name, and with a little digging, I was sure I’d be able to find her online. Ash had no idea what shitstorm was headed her way. “I’ve already told the others to keep on Declan.” A muscle in his jaw tensed, and I was silent as I finished the slice of pizza I’d taken.

  The others. The cronies. The ones who followed Sawyer Salvatore because he had money and could make their lives easier. Or harder. Sawyer could always make lives harder.

  “You know, if we don’t get to her soon, she might think we’re the bullies,” I told him, rubbing my hands together to get off the crumbs. “I’d be careful not to stick them on Declan too hard, at least until we have her on our side.”

  Sawyer looked at me. “Maybe we should put off our bet until we take care of Declan.”

  “You mean after Declan’s gone, then see who can sleep with her first?” I should’ve known—the one thing Sawyer needed more than tight pussy was revenge for his sweet baby sister. Declan was the focal point on that.

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one up.

  What Sawyer didn’t know, though, was that his sweet baby sister hadn’t been so sweet after all. I was all for revenge, because it gave me something to do, but as for needing revenge because of what happened to Sabrina? No. I was remarkably level-headed about that situation, only following Sawyer’s lead.

  As my lungs filled with smoke, I held it in. It should’ve burned. I should’ve wanted to exhale and fill my lungs with air, but I didn’t.

  These days, I hardly felt anything anymore.

  Chapter Four – Ash

  I took my sweet old time returning to my room. The sky turned into dusk, and I decided to hold onto my skateboard and walk back. For some reason, I couldn’t get that guy, Travis, out of my head. Those tattoos, and the easy smile on his lips. He was exactly my type of guy, and also exactly the type of guy that I should steer clear from. Guys like him were never good news.