1

Piper

The Greatest Pie Event On Record

I was by far the happiest person at the pie-throwing competition.

What's not to like? Slices of delicious pie, courtesy of our lovely dining hall staff, the super cute, sparkly posters I put together with my brand new coworkers, and—did I mention—the first resident assistant event of the semester? Giddy with excitement couldn't cover it. I tied the bow in my hair again, and when the surveys hit the floor, I rushed to grab them.

"I got them!" I reassured my coworkers - my future best friends.

Three of them stared at me blankly. One of them tried not to yawn.

With a wide smile, I slipped them back to the table. "That was almost a disaster!"

"You've got to give me five minutes, girl," Zariah chuckled into her coffee. "I just got my latte."

Months ago, when I'd first gotten my letter with the little congratulations underlined, I couldn't believe it. Honestly, I only signed up to be a resident assistant because I wanted to sign up for anything . Being in charge of the dorms on campus sounded like a great way to meet new people. Brand new people who didn't know why I left Kennedy Young University—KYU. Because transferring to our rival, Marrs University, was my new start.

Becoming a resident assistant and getting free rent? The best kind of perk.

There was just one little snag. Out of all the possible places on campus I could've been assigned, I was assigned the athletes' dorm, Roman Villa.

Apparently, being assigned to RV was like getting shackled to a radiator in an abandoned motel. Plenty of my new coworkers told me we were embarking into No Man's Land. Nobody on the roster had signed up for this. People literally quit over it.

Well, good for them. Too bad I was determined to prove them wrong.

"I've got the signup sheet right here." I held up my clipboard, covered in whale stickers. "The survey was all over the place, so I redid it, updated the columns on the online version, and color-coordinated them. It'll be twice as fast getting the paperwork sorted."

"Wow." Zariah raised an eyebrow. "Can you do that for my dorm?"

"Already did!"

She toasted her coffee to me in the middle of stifling a yawn.

Even though Zariah Contractor was signed with the freshmen dorms, she volunteered to help out a transfer student. And that transfer student happened to be yours truly. We spent a couple of nights together, cutting out door decorations, eating pizza at the on-campus place, Gianna's , and cranking up the music while the dorms were still empty during winter break.

Exactly the kind of college experience I'd been missing out on.

I was about to ask a question, but a noise from my back pocket made me freeze.

Please. That can't be him.

I just want a good day.

That's all I was asking for. A fun pie-throwing contest at ten in the morning and getting to meet the athletes while they moved in a full week earlier than the rest of the student body.

Today would be a good day. It had to be.

With a hard lump in my throat, I checked my phone.

To Be Blocked: bitch

"Did you finish your door decorations?" Zariah asked, breaking me out of my doom and gloom. "My brother had a hockey thing last night. If he ruins my sleep schedule, I'll flood the ice rink."

"All up." I shoved my phone in my back pocket. There were other things to think about. Like the adorable sea animal decorations I made for my residents, plastered on each of their doors, all with their names written in marker, and the fact that I would finally meet my new residents face to face.

All I had to do was ignore the sixth text of the morning from my ex-boyfriend.

"I need to talk to you about something." Zariah hesitated, brushing her curls over her shoulder. "Look, Piper. You don't have to do all this."

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"You don't have to put in the work, girl. They're not going to appreciate it. Freshmen, graduate students—hell—even law students would enjoy it more. Athletes are…different."

"Different?"

"A lot of them don't give a shit," Zariah admitted.

My frown deepened. Back at Kennedy Young University, I was an athlete's girlfriend. Okay…I'd been one of the top football player's girlfriends. And it'd been a lot.

A lot of obligations, a lot of checklists, a lot of going, going, going . But I couldn't remember his resident assistants ever being anything but so friendly and so sweet and the nicest girls I'd ever—

Maybe they were in that picture too. Maybe that's why they were nice to you…

They knew what he was doing behind your back.

I banished the thought as soon as it appeared and glanced at the desk assistant station. "Do you think the new lists are out?"

"You're expecting management to do their job?" Zariah snorted. "Low expectations, Piper."

"I'm going to go check."

" Low expectations!" Zariah reminded me.

"Sure!" I waved, quickly walking away. "Got it!"

Do you know what low expectations get you? Low results . We'd only received an eight-by-eleven paper on the first names of our residents due to the insane supply shortages imposed on the buildings. As if this wasn't a tier one school.

I mean - Marrs University? With a new stadium built only three years ago? Telling the resident assistants we needed to conserve ink and buy our own highlighters?

How ridiculous is that?

But our bosses promised brand new lists today with all the details. If I could memorize all my athletes' first and last names, and class schedules, and maybe make some cute cards for their birthdays, that could be my secret weapon for them to like me.

Pssh. Difficult athletes?

Wait until they see my bedazzled game night invitations.

"Dude, what do you mean?" a voice echoed from the elevator lobby.

More athletes moving in!

I'd already met the girls' track team, the junior soccer players, and half a dozen swim boys. All of them were super, super nice. I couldn't wait to meet the new ones.

A husky voice laughed. "I'm not keeping the glitter crap on my door."

Oh .

The voice sent a shiver down my spine. Almost had a built-in smirk too, the kind of cocky smile that made my toes curl. Little electric shocks zipped through my fingertips. And…the voice was kind of familiar.

What am I doing?

Marrs University had forty thousand students, plenty of cute guys, and I'd been given very clear instructions during training - no fooling around with anyone who lives in your own residential building. Especially at RV.

What a nice voice though.

"It's cute," the voice chuckled. "What'd I tell you guys? It's always the sunshine good girls who are the craziest in bed."

My walk slowed.

"Don't tell me you're going to ruin another RA," the other voice groaned.

"That's a good one. This girl's next on my list. And right across the hall too."

The voices approached, leaving me no time to scoot away.

Oh no.

Adam Russell, linebacker of the Marrs University football team, number forty-five, arguably the most infamous player on the team, towered over his two companions. He wasn't just tall. Muscle packed on him like it was ready for a camping trip.

His disarming smile, the men's gel commercial hair, and those eyes—those eyes .

They were the first thing I'd noticed about the picture with him and my ex-boyfriend. Both of them, relaxing on a leather couch together at a bar, surrounded by fifteen shirtless college girls, the bleacher bunnies that chased after athletes.

The photo zipped all over KYU campus and then came the stories of exactly what my boyfriend had been up to during that party and every other party before it. The photo cut my entire college family out of my life when they glommed to his side. The photo landed me endless crying nights and throwing up in my grandma's antique jar.

And when I confronted Thomas about it? He kicked me out. I had to call my parents and finish the rest of my semester living at home.

That Adam Russell. Nicknamed the Marrs Manwhore.

But it wasn't his eyes, or his muscles, or his walk, making his way to where I was frozen in place that caught my attention. It was the turtle cut out of thick paper in his hand. The paper turtle with the word Adam written on a sea anemone.

My door decoration for my resident.

The Adam on my roster was…Adam Russell. Not one of the other guys on campus with that same first name.

Oh no.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket again, and I winced. As if by some sick coincidence, Adam's eyes flickered to mine. His face lit up in recognition.

I'd been wrong. It wasn't going to be a good day.

He cocked his head to the side. " Piper? "

Okay. Adam Russell was on my floor. That wasn't a boulder to push up a hill. I can handle it. I'd prove my worth to the housing committee, get out of Roman Villa, and never see Adam again. Easy.

As upset as I was, the photo was in the past. Everybody deserves second chances. Even second introductions now that the KYU parties were behind us. We could start fresh.

"Adam," I said, trying to be as cordial as possible.

A lofty grin tugged up on his lips. "What are you doing here? Guys, this is Sullender's Piper."

My eyes narrowed. That was my introduction? Thomas Sullender's Piper. Nothing about me. Nothing at all. Just a football player's property.

But…didn't that ring true at KYU? When did I go anywhere without Thomas?

I chewed my bottom lip, trying to figure out what to say. Was it some kind of mean joke? He knew what Thomas did. Was he mocking me for dating a guy who publicly cheated on me all over the place?

"We actually…um…broke up."

"Broke up?" Confusion flashed across his dark eyes. "What?"

Oh, come on.

I sighed. "We broke up because of that bleacher bunny party."