13

Adam

The Predator Mobile

Ever since Piper Fontaine moved into my dorm, I'd been waking up too early in the goddamn morning. It's Friday, I should've been showering off silly string from a party the night before and enjoying the hell out of my free weekend.

But I wasn't doing either of those things. I stood in front of the Marrs University student center with a duffel bag over my shoulder, gazing at a rusty white van that was supposed to take nine Marrs students and the shit ton of luggage on the sidewalk.

The van didn't look like it could crawl us to the next gas station, much less to our destination in Oklahoma.

"Good morning." Zariah toasted her coffee to me, a bleary look in her eyes. "I'm taking the fattest nap in the van. I might slip into a coma."

I didn't take my eyes off the van. "I'm nicknaming the van."

"Please don't."

"The Predator Mobile."

She choked on her coffee. "Don't let Piper hear that."

It didn't matter that we were driving in a van built for a horror movie or that the van driver, one of their bosses, was chugging down five-hour energy drinks like his life depended on it, Piper legitimately looked happy.

Confounding everybody, her blonde hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and she bounced from the other resident assistants to her clipboard, checking off everything for the journey with a smile on her face.

Zariah sighed. "I'm so grateful for her. I'm this close to passing out."

"Long night? Freshmen giving you a hard time?" I shouldered my duffel bag and started towards the van, keeping an eye on Piper. It was hard not to. She couldn't slow down for a second. Shaking my head, I turned back to Zariah.

"No, it's my brother. That moron," she said, irritation rippling through her words. "He's been disappearing, and it's scaring the shit out of my parents."

"Just say the word. I'll mess Elijah up."

Zariah gave me another side eye. "After what you did to his backpack? He'll never let you within fifty yards."

I chuckled, thinking back on how I superglued it to one of the chairs in the training center. It was a quick, dirty job. Just a laugh after he made some snide comments about me online and wore a Marrs Manwhore hoodie to a donor event.

How was I supposed to know he'd rip the backpack on accident and crash into the investors' meeting? If our hockey players can't walk properly, not my fault.

Piper glanced up from her clipboard. "We need you in the back, Adam."

"Actually, I've got a better idea," I said, keeping cordial.

Ever since that conversation at Gianna's , we hadn't been on the greatest of terms. But I had something to offer that Piper would jump at.

As much fun as the van ride looked, I used my school funds appropriately. Three cars in the parking garage belonged to me. It was for practical reasons. If someone was ever pissed off at me and got my car towed for some bullshit reason, I always had my backups. They were a perfect alternative to the shit mobile that the housing committee had bought from a junkyard auction.

"Better idea?"

"Yep." I smiled. "You, Zariah, June, and I take my car and we'll get there a full hour before the bus of horrors trudges into Oklahoma."

It was my gift to her. The four of us could drive into Oklahoma and start this off on a good note, and she wouldn't be so uptight about the RA weekend. I already checked out the brochure for the RA conference. The conference was set at a shit college with shit activities planned. As much fun as proper safety equipment workshops sounded, I was fine without them.

And I was fine without the rest of the people on the bus. They could suck a dick.

Besides, the idea of Piper and I driving together wasn't a bad one. With her blonde hair spilling over the car seat, as we listened to good music with my hand on her open thigh, it'd be a party.

Piper pressed her lips together. "I don't think that's a good idea, Adam."

"Why not?"

"It's not going to happen," she said, firm.

"Fine." I shrugged. It would've been a nice time together, but if she didn't want to go, she didn't have to go. Whatever. I didn't care. "I'll meet you guys there."

"No, Adam." Piper reached to touch my arm and stopped herself, pulling her hand back like I had scabies. "That's not going to happen because…um…"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I know you want some bonding time or holding hands or whatever it is you housing people do in the van—"

She rolled her eyes. "Adam."

"I'll meet you guys at a gas station—when you get there—next Saturday."

" Adam ."

"I'm not riding with Ms. Frizzle."

Piper held out her phone for me to see, a little reluctant. What would Piper be reluctant about? I leaned closer and couldn't believe what I saw.

"Is that my fucking car? "

"They impounded it this morning."

I swore loud enough to make everybody gape from the van. I couldn't believe it. If someone towed my car, it was usually because a cheerleader was mad I didn't return her calls. That was something I could pay for. It was a pain in the ass, but nothing like this . The timing was too convenient today. That only meant the athletics department. That meant…Coach Lawson.

I turned back to see Zariah heading into the van. "Z! They took my car!"

She poked her head out. "The Mustang?"

"No, not my Mustang—"

"Yes, your Mustang." Piper showed me the next two photos. "All of your cars."

"Goddammit. Fucking Marrs stole all my fucking cars. This is bullshit."

For what purpose? Weren't there laws against this? Against inhumane torture? My Civics course had great presentations, but the reading had been hard to get through. Regardless, they couldn't do this to me. I'd get back my cars—

—and probably lose my spot on the football team.

Fuck. Me.

And there was Piper, standing in front of me with her hands on her hips and a hard look in her eyes. "We're leaving in five minutes. You better be ready to go."

"Not in the airport auction van—"

Piper scratched a note on her clipboard. "We're representatives of our university. And this is what the funds could allocate for."

" This? "

"We aren't the football team, Adam. Until my babysitting-a-football-player money kicks in, this is what we have to work with."

Damn.

I rubbed my chest like she'd jabbed at it again. I was a big part of Marrs University and I almost opened my mouth to argue when I really thought about it.

The football team had blank checks. Our coaches had blank checks. Our training center had blank checks. Even our charter buses had state-of-the-art ass warming seats just for us. Never in my two and a half years at Marrs did I ever think about things like bottom lines or budgets.

I shook my head. "Well, they probably stole this van—"

"Would you shut up? " Piper demanded.

I frowned. Did Piper Fontaine just tell me to shut up?

"Shut up," she repeated, shoving the end of the clipboard at my chest. "Do you hear yourself sometimes? I am so sick and tired of your complaining!" She deepened her voice in a mock impersonation. " Oh, my name's Adam, and they took all my expensive cars for the weekend . My life is so hard! What am I going to do? " Piper threw her hands up in the air. "I'm sorry we're not traveling better. Don't you think this is new for me too? But at least I'm not whining about it."

I stared at her. "I'm not whining."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"That's all you ever do!"

"What—?" I stopped myself and tried to find the words again, but Piper breezed past me. I glanced over my shoulder, still trying to figure out what to say. And there were all those curious eyes from the van. Nosy bastards.

"That's not—you know what? Piper, you know what? I'm going to take a taxi. What then?"

Piper scribbled something on her clipboard again and said matter-of-factly, "I'll text your coach."

My eyes narrowed.

"Put your bags in the van, " she finished.

This woman had my balls in a vice, and I had never been in that position. Ever. And there she was, waltzing away in those skinny jeans that hugged her ass too nice for a trip to purgatory like this.