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Chapter One
Helen
My dorm room was bigger than my trailer.That wasn’t saying much since my trailer was a rusted-out tin can, but still. I’d expected cinder block walls and barely any room to breathe—which, frankly, still would have been an improvement.
I should have known better. Savage U wasn’t some overcrowded state school. Those endowments from the many,manyone-percenter alumni paid for real walls, windows with views, and privacy. My dorm room wasn’t really a room at all. It was a suite with a shared living area and three private bedrooms.
I’d slept on a couch for the last ten years, so having a room with a real bed all to myself was hard to wrap my head around.
I dropped my trash bags filled with my clothes and bedding. The contents of three large, black bags were all I had to my name, and the majority of it was hand-me-downs. The hand-me-downs were of much higher quality than anything I’d ever owned. That was because they were from Mads. She had only had the best of the best.
Rubbing the sudden pinch in my chest, I kicked a bag and decided I wasn’t ready to unpack yet. I went back to the small living area and turned in a circle. The windows overlooked a sea of green, green grass where students were sunbathing and playing frisbee. There was a tiny kitchenette with a mini-fridge and microwave. Two loveseats and an armchair sat in the center of the room facing a TV mounted on the wall. Simple and plain, but to a girl like me, luxurious.
A girl in a sundress emerged from one of the bedrooms. Her eyes rounded when she saw me, then she waved.
“Hi,” she said softly. “I’m Zadie.”
“Helen.” I looked her over.Reallylooked her over. “You’re really fucking pretty. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone prettier.”
Zadie’s apple cheeks were immediately engulfed in flames, and Jesus Christ, she got even prettier.
“I’m not,” she almost whispered. “But thank you for saying so. You have the nicest hair I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks,” I waved off her compliment, “but I’m going to need a minute to get over your face.”
Honest to god, this girl looked like an angel. I wasn’t the type to comment on other girls’ appearances, but I was just so taken aback by her face. If soft was a person, Zadie would be her. Her brown hair flowed in ringlets around her shoulders and down her back. Her skin was fine and smooth, pure cream except at the cheeks where she was pink. Her eyes were big and blue, surrounded by the blackest, thickest lashes I’d ever seen. She was short and a little round, but in a perfectly proportionate way, with boobs and hips and, I suspected, an ass that didn’t quit.
Yeah, Zadie was fucking stunning.
I blinked hard. “Sorry. I think I’ll be okay now. Did I introduce myself?”
She giggled, but it was filled with nerves. “Yes. Helen. And I’m Zadie.”
My nose scrunched. “I remember. You can call me Hells or Helen. Whatever. Do you know who our other roommate is?”
She shook her head. “No idea. There was a last-minute change and someone new was assigned to our suite, but her name wasn’t online when I checked.”
“Well,” I plopped down on the couch, “I hope she’s chill.”
Zadie perched on the opposite couch. “I hope so too. My roommates last year were a disaster. They hated me instantly because I’m…you know, I guess chubby, and—”
“What the fuck?” I spit out.
She shrunk back. “They never said it out loud, but it was obvious. The girls at this school, well…”
“What about the girls at this school? I’m a transfer, so tell it to me straight. Are they bitches?”
Zadie gasped, then she giggled with less nerves. “Not all of them, of course. I guess I had some bad luck last year, rooming with two best friends who looked, spoke, and acted just alike. You don’t seem anything like them, which is a relief.”
“I’ve never met them, and I can guarantee I’m not like them.” I slouched and spread my arms over the back of the couch. “So, what’s your deal, Zadie? What are you into? Why did you choose Savage U out of all the universities in the land?”
Her cheeks went rosy again. It was cute, but since we were going to be living together, I hoped like hell she calmed down and got comfy with me. I didn’t want to have to be concerned with making this pretty girl blush just by asking her a question.
And this was probably why I had so few girl friends. The ones I did have were the girlfriends of my guy besties. I mean, they were legit, but the friendship wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t been attached to my boys.
“Well, my mom and stepdad went here, so that’s most of it. Also, I’m majoring in accounting, and the business school is one of the best in the country.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I slipped it out and read the screen.
