Those menacing blue eyes filled my vision, and another bout of nausea churned in my belly. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t puked? Would he have raped me? My first time would’ve been at the hands of a monster. I never wanted anyone to have that control over me again. In that moment, I vowed to lose my virginity to the first willing guy I found.
At the thought, a tiny messed-up part of me felt better.
I’d taken back control. At least a tiny bit of it.
Killian stomped around his room just over my head. I glanced up and thought about my best friend. Nope, not him. He was the only good thing in my life, and screwing things up with him would kill me.
“Be right down, Red.” Killian’s voice echoed from upstairs.
I stepped out into the foyer, and my gaze drifted to the large bay windows. To the black Mercedes in the driveway.
I gasped, and the mug slid through my fingertips. It crashed to the floor, the sharp crack echoing through the quiet hallway. Hot coffee splattered my clothes, burning my skin, but I didn’t move, didn’t scream. I was numb. Frozen again.
“Shit, Lexi! Are you okay?” Killian barreled down the stairs, tugging the shirt over his head.
“I—I...” I stared out the window at the car as ice surged through my veins.
“What’s going on?” He crouched down and began picking up the pieces of broken ceramic.
I was paralyzed, eyes fixed on the car as fear suffocated me again. Killian stood and followed my line of sight, his hand full of broken shards. “The car?” he asked.
Somehow, I managed to nod.
“Mom’s new boyfriend, Stan.” He shrugged. “Seems like an okay guy, and the best part is, he’s loaded.”
The faint scent of cigars and scotch filled my nostrils, and a chill skated up my spine despite the heat blossoming in every murky crevice. Darkness blanketed my vision, and I was sure I’d pass out. Instead, I spun for the door and ran.
CHAPTER 1
WELCOME TO STONEWALL
Lexi – Present Time
I stared up at the looming iron gate, the golden letters shimmering beneath the mid-morning sun. Stonewall University. I’d finally made it. A herd of fat butterflies battled it out in my gut as I gaped, my jaw practically unhinged.
A man dressed in a steel gray uniform in the guardhouse signaled for us to stop as he spoke into a com in his ear.
Papá’s old truck sputtered to a stop as he glowered at the sprawling campus beyond the gate. A row of perfectly manicured trees lined the drive, a few of the leaves already turning a bright ochre. Having spent my whole life in Arizona, I’d never experienced fall, or winter—really any season other thanhot. It was beautiful.
At the end of the driveway stood Stonewall Manor, the giant mansion that had been converted into the main building of the campus in the late eighteen hundreds. I’d done all my research on the university when I’d been accepted a few months ago. I’d only ever seen it in pictures, but damn, it was even moregorgeous in person. And best of all, it had the most exclusive pre-med program in the country. And I’d gotten in.
Sure, I’d had to suffer through two years of community college back in Arizona, but none of that mattered anymore. I was here, and today was the first day of my future.
“I still don’t understand why you had to go to college halfway across the country,”Papágrumbled.
Its location was a large part of the draw, but I’d never admit that to my father. After everything that happened in San Carlo all those years ago, I wanted to get as far away as possible.Papáthought I was trying to run away from him, from memories of my mom, but it was so much more than that. There were things I’d sworn never to tell him, and I never would.
The guard approached the car, his lip twisted into a faint sneer as he assessed my dad’s beat-up truck. “How can I help you?”
“Move in day,” I said with a smile, instilling a perkiness into my tone I didn’t feel in the least.
His dark brows furrowed as he regarded me. “Name?”
“Alexis Vega.”
Again, that incredulous stare.
The only downside of getting into a super elite school on a scholarship was dealing with this shit. I’d already mentally prepared myself, but I hadn’t expected it from the staff. Stonewall was the smaller, richer Harvard of Maine. I’d honestly been shocked when I’d gotten in. I had a feeling it had more to do with my last name and the school’s affirmative action program. But I’d take it. If being Latina was what got me into the best university in the country on a full ride, just call me fucking Alejandra Vega, all day, every day.
