Page 34 of Ruthless Court

Piper sits up and studies me.

“You’re actually pretty under those glasses.”

“Comforting.”

“No, seriously. We could give you a makeover.”

“I’ve been here eleven minutes.”

“Exactly. Fresh start.”

“My contacts were lost with my luggage. I wanted to sleep on the plane so I didn’t wear them. I have severe astigmatism even my contacts can’t correct.”

Piper’s face changes with immediate sympathy.

“That explains the glasses.”

“They’re prescription, not a cry for help.”

“You need your hair down.”

“I need underwear.”

Jules holds up one finger. “The campus store sells Stanford underwear.”

“I’m not putting the university logo on my ass.”

Piper gasps. “That would be adorable.”

“That would be branding.”

They start discussing shopping, parties, and which athletes are worth noticing. Apparently, the point of college is not education but identifying a man before his professional contract increases his market value.

Piper stretches across her bed and scrolls through her phone.

“The smartest move is getting one before he goes pro. Then everyone knows you were there before the money.”

“A ground-floor investment,” I say.

“Exactly.”

“I was mocking you.”

She waves that away.

“You need to think bigger. These guys could be in the NFL or NBA. That’s security.”

I place my laptop on the desk.

“Financial aid is security.”

Kenzie snorts. “Not the fun kind.”

“No one takes pictures of you sitting courtside with a scholarship.”

“Tragic.”

Piper swings her legs over the edge of the bed.