AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Right?
I bit my lip and looked out across the fields that were owned by my nearest neighbor. Mr. Chester had acreage totaling somewhere in the five hundred acre ballpark, he had told me, with some of the prettiest views in Cold Spring. I wasn’t seeing his acreage at the moment, though. I was seeing this grant disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. Should I call the school to alert them to the mix-up? It could go one of several ways. If they cared about a woman being in the men’s dorm, they could transfer me to a women’s dorm. But what if there were no spaces available in the women’s dorms? The application and vetting process had taken months, compounded, no doubt, by the fact that we were already a month into the school year and most of the grants had already been awarded. What were the chances that another dorm would be available? Would I lose the grant?
I stood up and walked inside the house. It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. I would just have to convince my new roommates that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
Glancing down at the names once more, I took a deep breath. How hard could it be?
Inside, I headed for the shower. I had three hours before I had to be at Sugar Babes for work, and I wanted to call Eleanor and give her the news. I had to pack, too, because tonight would be the last time I’d be driving the hour back home at midnight. Tomorrow morning when I woke up far too early to make the trip back to campus, it would be with the knowledge that I’d be sleeping there that night. It was fast, but since the semester had already started the letter had stated I could move it whenever I was ready. Excitement gripped me at the idea.
I showered swiftly and threw on a pair of panties and tee shirt to pack in. My uniform at Sugar Babes was a variation on the naughty schoolgirl look, with a short navy and green plaid skirt that hung low on my hips and just barely cleared my ass, and a top that was basically a bra masquerading as a white button-up. I wouldn’t put that on until I absolutely had to.
While I packed the essentials that would be going to Chandler with me—clothes, books, a quilt and my treasured silky blanket—I put the phone on speaker and called my sister.
“Hey.” Her voice was a whisper. “I’m in class, doof-ass.”
“Oh, shit. Sorry, Lens. I’ll text.”
“K.”
She hung up and I sat cross-legged on the bed to message her.
Grant came through. Official resident of Bueller Dormitory starting tomorrow!
LensBaby:OMG! Can you have a party and invite me?
No fewer than thirty praying hands accompanied her reply, making me snort.
Not a snowball’s chance, babe.
LensBaby:[crying face emoji]
Everything okay with the uncle?
LensBaby:I’m fine no worries
I chewed on my lip. She wasn’t fine. Uncle Rick hadn’t done anything overt yet, but the hair on my arms stood up when he was near. I’d learned to trust my instincts, and those instincts said he was not a good man.
I’d done all I could at the moment, though, without getting myself arrested. Eleanor had an aluminum Louisville Slugger beside her dresser and a can of mace beneath her pillow. I had to trust that she would take care of herself if the time came.
Get back to work. Love you.
LensBaby: if you loved me you’d invite me to a frat party…
I’m not in a frat, doof-ass
The texts stopped, indicating that Eleanor had put her phone away as ordered.
I looked at my Apple watch, one of the few items of any value other than my car that I’d kept after we’d lost our home and virtually every other thing we had. I had planned on selling the car and buying something cheap, but then realized that with the constant driving back and forth I would need something reliable. Thankfully, it had been in my name and hadn’t been seized with most of our other possessions. The remaining odds and ends—some photos, a few family heirlooms, some seasonal clothing—were in storage until we needed them.
The watch was a necessity with my asthma and running, monitoring my blood oxygen level and sending nudges when something was off. Right now it was telling me that I needed to get my butt dressed and on the road, or I would be late for work.
And as much as I hated the whole naughty schoolgirl thing, the money it earned was very, very nice.
Chapter 2: Baron
Sugar Babes was insane tonight. I shouldered my way through to the table the hockey team had commandeered, wondering what the hell was happening to make it so busy. It was a Sunday, for shit’s sake. I rarely hung out at bars, but I was forcing myself to tonight, for the sake of my thesis project. It was still in the early stages of development, but I was doing something on the psychology of dating in a modern age—very interesting since I was an utter failure at it. I just needed to make it unique and compelling in some way.
The crowd parted easily for my wide frame. “Yo, Baron.” Adam, our left defenseman, hailed me with a raised hand. With a grunt of greeting, I dropped into the seat he had held empty and glanced around.
