Bully Read online

  “I don't really know what to expect. All I know about frat parties is what I've seen in movies. I doubt it's going to be anything like that, though.”

  “I hope it's like that.”

  “Why?” He grinned.

  “Because those parties always looked like so much fun. I want to be entertained.” I broke away from him and stretched out my arms as if I was getting ready to hug the world's biggest invisible man. I was embracing the night. Embracing anything that might happen.

  “This will definitely be different.” The apprehension in his voice was there. It was even more apparent on his face. I could see the stress in his pale green eyes. Social anxiety was winding its way through him.

  Bobby had always been an introvert, but he hid it well. He was smooth enough to be able to chat with anyone about anything, but I knew he preferred being holed up in his room sitting in front of his computer playing video games or chatting online. That's probably why his relationship with Christine had worked so well.

  Partying had never really been his thing. I was glad that he was willing to get out more now, though. Before we had left for college, he had confessed that he wanted his life to be drastically different. This was the first step.

  We walked up the stairs leading to the front porch of the house, and a guy who was all muscle let us in. The music was almost deafening, the sheer number of students packed inside of the house, staggering. A guy in a Clear Lake University shirt came around with a tray of red Solo cups and offered us drinks. We each took one with a polite “thank you” before he moved along.

  I watched Bobby raise the glass to his lips. His eyes were everywhere, and though I could see the nervousness behind them, I doubted anyone else would be able to tell. He looked cool and collected, almost like he belonged. Almost.

  As soon as he took a drink, he hissed and smacked his lips. “Doesn't taste drugged.”

  “I guess that means our night is already off to a good start.” I raised my glass to him.

  “I guess it does.” He lifted his glass as well and then hesitated. “To a productive semester.”

  “Not fun enough.” I shook my head. “To a new life and a year we'll never forget. To making new friends and memories that will last a lifetime. To our first college party.”

  “Damn, Brenna, you should be giving speeches.” He clinked his glass against mine before taking a long swallow of the amber liquid within.

  The carbonation from the beer was barely discernible, and it was a bit warm. I could only guess that our cups had been sitting on that tray for a while. Bobby wrinkled his nose, mirroring my sentiment.

  “To college parties and warm beer.” He toasted again.

  “To college parties and warm beer.” I laughed, already enjoying myself.

  “Hey!” a female voice piped up from behind Bobby.

  He spun on his heels to face a petite girl with long blonde hair. Her cheeks were a bit too rosy, as if she'd either applied too much blush or was already drunk.

  “Hey,” he replied, recognition taking over his features.

  “You're Bobby Calhoun, right? I'm Zena Smith. I'm in your calculus class.” She extended a hand to him but paid no mind to me. It was like I wasn't even there.

  “Oh, yeah.” He shifted his weight and shook her hand, his lips lifting into the charming smile that always made me burn for him.

  “Let me introduce you to some of my friends.” She put her hand on his shoulder, and my eyes laser focused on it as jealousy struck at my insides. How dare she touch him? He was mine. Could she not see that we came together?

  Apparently not, because she began herding him away. He cast an apologetic glance at me over his shoulder but didn't come back to retrieve me. I was going to start after them when I noticed where she was leading him. There was a group of girls waiting like a harem, their eyes bright and glassy. All of them were gorgeous, but there was one in particular that I knew would be his type. She had long black hair that flowed all the way down to her ass, large blue eyes, pale skin, and big tits. The cleavage coming out of her low-cut black tank top seemed to extend for miles. So did her legs, which were well exposed in a black mini-dress.

  My chest suddenly felt hollow as I helplessly watched Bobby get pulled away from me. I took a step in their direction, but one of the other girls sliced through me with an icy stare. They knew what they were doing. Trying to separate us. At least, that's what it seemed like.

  I stood frozen in place, watching with an uncomfortable throbbing in my heart. I tried to like it didn't matter, sipping my beer and bobbing my head to the music. The girls made a semi-circle around Bobby, surrounding him like predators about to go in for the kill. They talked and laughed. The raven-haired girl vexed him, and I was forgotten.

  In the span of about a minute, my night went from amazing to horrible.

  Hope flickered inside of me like a flame that Bobby would return to me. Surely, he wouldn't leave me alone all by myself. Thankfully...or maybe not so thankfully, I wasn't wrong. It took a good five minutes, but Bobby finally made his way back to me. I perked up at the sight of him.

  “Hey. You should really meet these girls. Maybe you could make some new friends.” He thumbed over his shoulder at them.

  I glanced behind him. The girls were all chattering amongst themselves, seeming not hostile.

  What would it hurt? I did need friends, though I doubted me and gorgeous black-haired girl were going to get along. Not after how I'd seen her look at Bobby. Any girl who moved in on my territory was automatically my enemy.

  “Alright.” I nodded.

  Friends, Brenna. You need to make friends. You can't expect to spend your entire college life with Bobby as your only friend.

  Friends didn't seem to be a part of their vocabulary. Not when it related to me, at least. I pretty much stood behind Bobby while they swooned over him and ignored me. What casual conversation I managed to engage in was not the least bit welcoming. They looked at me like a threat, though that decreased dramatically when Bobby announced that we were just friends, a declaration that stung.

  This party was no fun at all. Not like the parties in the movies. Boring and depressing and horrible.

  Raven-haired girl, whose name I learned was Theresa, was all over Bobby like white on rice. Every subtle touch was a slap to my face. Every playful whisper, a wound to my heart. Even worse, he was giving her eyes. Those eyes. The eyes that I wanted him to be using on me.

  He was lost to me for the night, and so I didn't feel like there was any point in sticking around. Hanging out with these girls wasn't fun for me. Watching Bobby flirt definitely wasn't fun for me. But I refused to let this ruin my night. The night was still young. It was my first college party. There were a lot of other people to engage with. Surely, I could find fun somewhere.

  “I'm going to go look around for a while.” Not like there's much to see. I clapped Bobby on the shoulder, breaking him away from Theresa for a moment.

  “Alright. Have fun.” He barely even looked at me when he spoke. While I didn't get the vibe that I was an annoyance to him, I also didn't feel like he cared whether I stayed or disappeared. That hurt even more, though I refused to show it.

  “What a pal,” I muttered under my breath as I pivoted to move in the opposite direction from Bobby and his harem.

  Fuck my life. I should have known it was going to be like this. Bobby is hot as hell. Girls have always been attracted to him. He's just never shown anyone interest in front of me because he's always been with Christine. Now they're not together. This is the single him. The him that...

  I bit back that last thought. Nope. Not going to think it. Not going to let this shit ruin my night.

  I chugged the rest of my beer and threw the empty cup in a trash bin. Maybe if I got drunk, my night would improve. That love confession was still in the back of my mind. Theresa could try all she wanted. Bobby would still end up being mine when I spilled my guts to him on the way back to our dorm rooms. I still planned to let him
know that something real was waiting for him. That would make him change his tune. Once I told him my feelings, he'd be all about me. End of story.

  I wandered into the kitchen and grabbed another beer from the counter where they were lined up like the frat had bought out Walmart's entire supply of red Solo cups. Briefly, I looked down at the liquid within, thinking about the test strips in my purse. My eyes volleyed back to the cups. There were so many of them. I highly doubted that someone would drug all of them. They were safe, I decided.

  I took a taste test of the beer before downing half of it. Then I stepped out the side door to go into the backyard. The music was less irritatingly loud outside, but the sound of voices made up for that. For some reason, I was pissed that everyone was having a good time and I wasn't. Probably because my heart was still inside the house with Bobby. It was all I could seem to focus on. I knew I had to redirect my attention, but that was hard when the guy I'd been in love with for the past four years was flirting with another girl only a few yards away.

  I walked around the side of the house and then paused as I realized what all of the hubbub was about. There were seven girls lined up, all in white T-shirts. Most of them appeared to be drunk, but there were two who still seemed to have their whits about them. They giggled and looked between their audience and each other. A guy stood at the end of the line holding a water hose. There was no mystery to what was about to happen. If it wasn't obvious enough, the chanting of “boobies” from the guys standing in front of the girls would have given it away.

  I rolled my eyes and took another gulp of beer. I wasn't sure why I was going to bother standing there and watching—it felt so degrading—but it was still a better option than watching whatever was going on with Bobby and Theresa.

  “Wait up!” A guy behind me yelled. “We've got another one here.”

  I felt a palm against my back, pushing me forward, and my heels instantly tried to root into the ground, though it did no good.

  “What? No.” I shot a slicing glare back at the guy who was pushing me.

  “You're wearing white, aren't you?” He grinned wolfishly.

  Shit! Was that the only requirement for getting roped into this? I hadn't even thought about it when I was dressing for the party earlier. My white T-shirt and black skirt seemed innocent enough. Well, if innocent meant wanting to be easy access for Bobby. The shirt was innocent, though. There certainly wasn't anything about it that screamed “Look at my titties!”

  “I'm not interested.” My beer sloshed in my hand. I was buzzed, but definitely not buzzed enough for this.

  “Sure you are.” He guided me until I was in the lineup.

  “Off with the bra!” Some of the guys yelled at me.

  “Look at this little morsel,” the guy with the water hose said, his eyes unabashedly raking over me.

  All I could do was gaze around in bewilderment, my mouth still agape.

  One of the guys stepped forward to relieve me of my beer. I was so startled that it took me a few seconds to drop my hand. It simply stuck out like a claw, waiting for the return of my beverage.

  “Boobies! Boobies!” The chanting grew louder.

  I felt like a deer in the headlights, paralyzed with fear and anxiety. I was about to get doused with a water hose in front of a bunch of horny cheering frat boys. My mother would be so proud.

  I shook my head, summoning up all of my courage. “I really don't—”

  “Are you guys ready?” the guy with the water hose shouted, and the crowd erupted to drown out the rest of my sentence.

  My eyes flitted from face to face, but it was one in the background that caught my attention. He wasn't with the group clamoring to see some exposed girl flesh. He was hanging closer to the house, standing in a circle with two other guys, talking casually as they drank their beer. His eyes locked with mine, and my heart sank straight into my bowels.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Oh hell no! Not him. Anyone but him. What in the fuck was he doing here?

  My anxiety was already high. Beyond high. But it shot like a rocket the second that recognition hit me. Not just like a rocket that sailed into outer space, but one that hit a meteor, exploded, and sent the shattered fragments down into the atmosphere to wipe out half of the planet. If I thought that Bobby hooking up with something else was the worst thing that could happen to me tonight, I was dead wrong. Even the unpleasantness of being forced to enter a wet T-shirt contest paled in comparison to the panic I was feeling now.

  Fight-or-flight response kicked in. Well, just the flight part. Seeing Dustin Nikoli was enough to melt the glue on the soles of my shoes and get me moving.

  I plowed through the crowd with no remorse. There was a brief uproar. Someone grabbed my arm, but I was able to pull away. I kept my gaze forward, praying to God that Dustin hadn't seen me as I made a B-line for the side of the house to go back inside.

  If he had seen me, there was a chance he would come for me. Humiliate me. Maybe even make me cry.

  Yes. I was vulnerable enough to cry at the slightest thing right now. My nerves were so on edge. My night was completely ruined. I just wanted to grab Bobby and go. If I told him that Nikoli was here, he would understand. He would leave with me no matter what. Then we could get away from this hellhole and enjoy the rest of our night together.

  When I reached the living room, Bobby and the girls were nowhere to be seen. What a pain. I groaned internally, not in the mood to track him down. I went from room to room until I found Zena talking to some people I didn't recognize.

  Urgently, I placed my hand on her shoulder to get her attention. “Hey.”

  She regarded me with annoyance, looking down at my hand as if it was filthy. I quickly recoiled just from that look alone. “Yeah?”

  “Do you know where Bobby is?”

  “Bobby?” she repeated the name like she'd never heard it before. Then a light bulb went off inside of her head, and the tension left her face. “Oh. He went with Theresa...somewhere,” she trailed off.

  “Where?”

  “I don't know.” She shrugged.

  Exasperation flared inside of me causing a plume of smoke that gathered at my temples into the beginnings of a headache. “Just...Tell me if they're still here.”

  “They should be. Theresa is riding back with Leah tonight, and Leah is still here.” She glanced in the direction of another group of girls. I didn't give a shit which one of them was Leah.

  “Thanks,” I said between tight lips. For nothing, I wanted to add but didn't.

  Then it was back to searching the house again. I made the rounds. Kitchen. Living room. Dance area. Dining room. Front yard. Backyard(cautiously avoiding where I'd seen Dustin Nikoli standing before). I even peeked into the basement. All that was left was to go upstairs. God, I did not want to go upstairs. Because what happened upstairs...

  I cursed under my breath as I ascended the staircase. This was no fun. Nope. No fun at all. This night got less fun by the second. When I said earlier that I wanted to make memories to last a lifetime, this certainly wasn't what I had meant.

  I ignored the Do Not Disturb sign that was hanging off of the door knob and cautiously peeked into the first bedroom. There were a bunch of guys playing poker inside. They had a naked girl with them, but everything seemed rather innocent. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. I apologized and closed the door.

  All of the doors had the same Do Not Disturb sign on them. It was like the frat had raided a hotel and stole all of their door signs. They looked authentic.

  With an internal groan, I moved to the next door. There was no question about what was going on inside. A girl was crying out in a rhythmic pattern. Whoever was sticking it to her sounded like he was good. My stomach flopped at the thought that it might be Bobby and Theresa. I didn't want to see them together. That shit would scar me for life. Knowing he was with someone else was one thing. Seeing it...

  I shook my head, my hand hovering above the doorknob. No, I couldn't hand
le seeing that. I didn't want to see that. It just...wasn't worth what it would do to me.

  My shoulders slumped as I turned away from the door to lean against the banister. Everyone below seemed to be having so much fun. I felt like a complete outsider, and depression crashed over me like a wave. I needed to drink more. Needed to drink all of these bad feelings away. Needed to drink and be patient and wait for Bobby to resurface so that we could leave. There was no point in letting my fear ruin his night. Besides, Dustin hadn't come after me. He might not have even given two shits that I was there. As long as I kept my distance from him, I should be fine.

  My courage was short-lived. A head came into view. Light brown hair that was perfectly styled. He didn't look up—didn't see me—but just knowing he was there made my heart race, and not in a good way. If he saw me, he could come upstairs and corner me. There would be no escape.

  Fuck what seeing Bobby could do to me. What would happen if Dustin got a hold of me was far worse. I spun on my heels and pulled open the door to the bedroom. The couple inside were getting dressed. It wasn't Bobby and Theresa.

  I went to the next door. The couple inside this room were still going at it. The guy yelled at me to get out. My cheeks turned about fifty shades of red as I closed the door so fast that it almost felt like the wind had sucked it out of my hand.

  Relief was beginning to flush through me. The odds of finding Bobby in one of the fuck rooms was diminishing by the second. That meant I had probably missed him outside while I was trying to avoid Dustin. Now that Dustin was inside, I could circle back around and give the backyard a better look over.

  I glanced over the banister to see if Dustin was still there. Yup. He was chatting it up with a guy and a girl. The girl had her arm draped loosely around his waist. I didn't envy her.

  Getting downstairs unseen was going to be a problem. I could wait him out if I had to.

  Upstairs. Trapped. Remember, Brenna.

  Oh yeah. Fuck that.

  Two more rooms to go. I refocused my attention, now more worried about being cornered by Dustin than I was about finding Bobby with Theresa.