As soon as I turned eighteen and I got my hands on my trust fund, I was out of my parents’ house. There was no way I was going to stay another minute longer. I wanted to disappear, forget about my last name, and what it meant.
After finding out about the things my father had been up to, I didn’t want a single thing to do with the family business.
“This is college, and you’re acting as though someone has sentenced you to ten years hard labor.” Shelby laughs. My nose wrinkles as I look up at the fortress before me. Of course, the place would look more like a medieval castle set in the Scottish Highlands than a university. Ropes of thick green ivy climb the walls like they’re trying to escape.
“Maybe not ten years, but at least four, right?” I grin.
“College isn’t a dick, Harlow. Stop making it so hard.”
“Nice analogy. Where did you pull that one out of?”
“My ass.” She grins and slams her hips into mine. I roll my eyes like I’m annoyed with her when in reality I’m grateful she is here. She really had to talk her parents into letting her attend college here. I think the only reason her dad agreed is because he’s had a bad year at his law firm and the tuition is cheaper than Stanford, where Shelby was supposed to go originally. She doesn’t seem to care though.
Students rush past us in a flurry to get into their dorm rooms, while Shelby and I take our sweet time. We had most of our things shipped to the college, all except our personal belongings so there’s no rush for us. We spend most of our time taking in the surroundings. The University itself is beautiful, with huge oak trees, and sprawling areas of lush green grass, that I can picture myself sitting on with a blanket and a good book.
We make it to the crowded dorm and up the stairs to our room without incident. Once inside I exhale all the air from my lungs and sag down onto my small twin size bed. The dorms are small and leave very little room for privacy but that’s okay. The place is close to the ocean and has a view that most would dream of.
“Okay, so I was invited to a party by a couple of guys I met over at Starbucks,” Shelby says, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.
“We’ve been here less than twenty-four hours and you want to go to a party already?” I knew parties were going to happen, but I’d hoped to avoid them.
“It’s a past time set forth by our ancestors, when you arrive at college you must party.”
“Sounds like its set forth by Shelby.” I roll my eyes.
Shelby juts out her bottom lip into a firm pout, “Oh, come on, Harlow, you only went to a handful of parties when we were in high school and now you don’t want to enjoy college. Your parents are out of the picture, you can basically do anything you want.”
She has no idea how wrong she is. Yes, I’ve managed to escape my father’s clutches for now, but I’m not going to be able to hide from him and my mother forever.
“If I go will you at least wait a whole month before inviting me to another one?”
Amusement twinkles in Shelby’s hazel eyes, “Mmm, two weeks tops.”
“Seriously.” I cringe.
“It’s college, Harlow, and I’m your certified fun helper.”
Shaking my head, I say, “You’re not a fun helper, you’re a get into trouble helper.”
She taps at her chin with her finger, “Trouble. Fun. All sounds the same to me. Now, what are you wearing? Better be something sexy. We’ve got to grab the boys’ attention right off the bat. You know college boys, all ADHD squirrel like.”
“I’m not catching anything, and especially not any boys’ attention.”
I’d garnered enough attention from the Bishop Brothers back home. After what I did to Sullivan, I was surprised he could walk past me without wanting to murder me. Let’s just say it made social gatherings a little tense.
“Your parents aren’t here. You don’t have anything to worry about. You’re free.” Shelby gets up from her bed and puts her arms out like a bird, flapping them until she reaches my bed, slamming herself down onto it, causing me to bounce and a bubble of laughter to escape my throat.
“I’m not worried about them,” I lie. I’m worried about them just as much as I’m worried about the Bishops.
Actually, I’m not worried. I’m terrified. For years I’ve helped my father spread rumors about the Bishops. I’ve helped ruin their lives and for what? Nothing, it was all for nothing. I didn’t know how horrible my father really was. He didn’t just want their business, he wanted them gone.