Library

Chapter 26

It’s been three months of summer vacation, and two months since school started. It’s the same town, but somehow everything feels different. I’m living on campus now, in a dorm room that’s covered by the cost of attending the school. I do go home often though.

The last time I saw the masked man still haunts me, but he hasn’t visited me since he ripped away my virginity.

I’m here now, so he probably has no idea where to find me. I don’t really know how I feel about that. Safe, or…oddly empty.

I’ve changed. I know I have. Lizzy, who went to college across the country, comments on it whenever we video call, but my new friends don’t know any different. The Cora they’re friends with is harsher, a little sharper, less trusting and a whole lot less naive.

Sometimes I get the feeling that eyes are on me. When I walk into a room, or a class, I find myself searching the faces of the other students. But who’s watching me?

I can’t help the hope I feel as I look for Slater either, wanting to see his face among the sea of students. But I never do. The campus is large, and he’s older than I am, so we don’t share any classes.

Still, I look, and I hope, and I daydream.

I wonder if he’s thinking of me, too? Is he actively avoiding me? I’m sure he knows I’m here.

I have other things I need to worry about. Like my new job.

I start my first shift at the bar tonight. I’ll be a hostess. I’m excited. So excited. Elated…

Maybe if I keep telling myself this, I’ll actually feel it.

For now, I shake all thoughts of my new job away, and meet up with my new friends at the on campus coffee shop. It’s become my new go-to spot because it’s easy and cheap.

“Hey, sexy mama,” Stephanie says as I make my way over to the booth she and my other new friends always inhabit. She claimed it on day one. And the rest of us just sort of followed her.

“Hey Steph,” I reply absently, searching the faces of everyone here. Not that I actually expect to see Slater. In the two months since I set foot on campus, I haven’t seen him once. I doubt he’s going to pop up now.

“So in honor of your first day at your new job, we’ll all be at the restaurant tonight!” Steph says excitedly, as she looks around at our friends. At first, her words don’t register. Slowly, I turn back to them, taking the seat Brandon offers me as he scoots closer to Trish.

I met the three of them my first day on campus. Walking into orientation, actually. Steph took one look at the three of us and claimed us. We’re all freshmen, but Steph is two years older than the rest of us. She comes from a wealthy family, who paid for her to travel Europe for two years. Apparently she needed to find herself, and when she did, she came here. I think her rich family were less than impressed by her need to shave her hair, pierce her nose and get covered in tattoos in order to find herself, but she’s unapologetically herself and I like that about her.

I’m not sure what there was to find, considering she spent those two years neck deep in dick, but I’m not judging. Steph is wild, outspoken, and completely in touch with her sexuality.

Brandon is quiet, shy, and reserved. A bit geeky and scrawny looking, with his round out-of-style glasses and weird Math t-shirts that I don’t understand the punchlines of. I like him well enough because he supports each of us girls, even though we’re wildly different…but he does sometimes make me a little uncomfortable.

Trisha is full on cotton-candy goth with a major in art. She likes to get drunk and cry her eyes out, and I swear she changes her hair color more often than she changes her panties.

Then there’s me. Quiet, awkward, scared of my own fucking shadow.

But I’ve made it my mission to change that. This year, I will no longer be the scared little stepdaughter that gets pushed around. I’ll face my nightmares head on and fucking slay them.

In theory, anyway. In practice? I guess we’ll see.

“Stephanie.” A girl from our freshman class walks over to our booth, and glares at Steph. My friend lifts her chin and glares right back. “You have no shame, do you?” the pretty redhead asks, and Steph lifts her shoulder.

“Depends. What are you here to accuse me of?”

“Fucking Alex,” sassy red sneers, and Steph snorts.

“You’ll have to be more specific. I’ve fucked many Alexes.”

“Alex Chapman, my boyfriend. He confessed everything!”

“Okay. I don’t see what this has to do with me. If he’s your boyfriend, your beef is with him. He told me he was single.”

“Well, he wasn’t! You?—”

“Oh my god, she said her piece. Go dump Alex, and leave Steph out of it. Why are you blaming Steph? She’s not loyal to you. She isn’t the one who made a commitment to you. Alex is. Steph didn’t even know you existed,” I huff, not sure why I’m suddenly so aggravated by this entire exchange.

Sassy red stares at me for a long moment, her long hair swishing as she turns to me. When I finally look up at her, meeting her blue eyes, she sniffles. Ah, I’m a jerk. This girl is clearly in pain and came here looking for a way to disperse some of that pain.

“Men suck,” she finally whispers, and I nod my head.

“They sure do.” Steph stands, and wraps her arms around the redhead.

“Call me Steph. You dodged a bullet, girl. And from what I remember, it was a very small bullet that didn’t even know what it was doing.” Stephpats her back, and I watch as sassy red relaxes. I envy my friend’s ability to befriend everyone she meets. Even a girl she accidentally scorned.

“Come out with us tonight,” Trisha offers sassy red, as Brandon watches silently. He offers a small encouraging smile though. Like I said, he’s very shy.

“Yeah, we’ll be at the restaurant tonight, supporting Cora on her first day.” Steph leans back, patting the redhead”s back.

“Okay. Thanks. I’m Opal, by the way,” she says, still sniffling.

“We’ll see you tonight,” I add with a grin, even though I’ve just processed what Steph said earlier.

I don’t know if the thought of them all supporting me on my first day makes me more nervous, or happy.

Lizzy is the only friend I’ve ever had that would go that far to support me, and I know if she could be here to do that, she would. But we hardly get to meet up now. We still talk and text every day, but it’s not the same.

I’m glad I’ve found new friends. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They won’t replace Lizzy, but they do help keep the loneliness at bay.

“Well, that was awkward,” Brandon quips when Opal walks away.

“No kidding. I feel awful. I don’t sleep with married men or dudes with girlfriends. Can’t believe that shady fuck lied to me,” Steph grumbles, sipping her coffee.

“Someone should give him a taste of his own medicine,” I practically growl, surprised by my own anger. I’m even more surprised to find I mean it.

What would the masked man say about this new side of me?

Nothing.

Because he abandoned me.

After everything. After what I gave him… He just fucking disappeared on me.

“He’ll get his eventually,” Steph sighs, and for a split second I think she means my masked man, then I remember no one knows about him - not even Lizzy.

I’m reminded of a man I haven’t thought about in months, and my skin crawls. Victor. How did I miss how similar to my stepdad he was?

The desire to always be the good girl somehow always gets me into more trouble. Which is ironic because I thought being the good girl would keep me out of trouble.

Yet, time and time again, I end up suffering when I think I’m doing what everyone wants.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.