When Rivals Fall (Bayshore Rivals 1)

At one point my hate for the Bishops started to diminish, and in its place resentment towards my father bloomed. I didn’t want anything to do with my old life, the drama, the hate, the revenge. I wanted to forget that part of my life ever existed.

“Good, because it wouldn’t matter if you were. Now, up. Let me see what I have to work with and then what clothing you’ve brought with you.”

“Do we really have to go?” I bat my long eyelashes knowing damn well it won’t work. I can’t make myself look as innocent and sweet as Shelby does. Plus, I kind of owe it to her to at least go out once. She did, after all, move hundreds of miles away from her family to be a supportive friend.

“Yes.” She smiles and I should’ve known that smile was going to be the death of me.

???

I pull on the bottom of the miniskirt that Shelby shoved me into. I’m not exactly skinny, curvy is more like it, and even though I don’t have any real self-confidence issues, this thing is so short every single guy here is going to get a flash of my crotch by the end of the night.

If and that’s a pretty big if I go out with Shelby again, she will not be dressing me.

Brushing a few strands of my silky blonde hair behind my ear I survey the crowded room. The frat house is filled to max occupancy with women and men of all ages. There’s dancing, singing, and drinking games. People chilling on the couch in the living room, smoking what I’m pretty sure isn’t cigarettes based on the sweet aroma that permeates the air.

“We made it.” Shelby huffs, a wide grin on her blood red painted lips. She acts like she just aced a test that she’s been studying for all semester. We stand together, side by side, in the middle of the room, watching as people move around it, chatting, and having the time of their lives. The longer we stand there the more attention we bring to ourselves.

I can feel eyes on me, gliding over my bare legs, and my shirt that hangs off of one shoulder. Yeah, I don’t like this. Being the center of attention. Feeling out of place and a little timid, I hide behind the curtain of my hair as I turn to Shelby.

“We came, we saw, we had some fun, can we go now?” I whine, tugging on her arm. I haven’t been to a party since that night. That disastrous night. A shiver runs down my spine at the memory, at the anger, and simmering rage that reflected back at me from all three of the Bishop Brothers.

“We’ll make you pay for this, Harlow. One day you won’t have your parents’ protection, and then what will you do?”

Shrugging I say, “I’m not scared of you. You’re weak. Pathetic. Just like your parents.”

Oliver entered my bubble of space, forcing me to take a step back or be chest to chest with him, “One day, we’ll get even with you. We’ll break you. You’ll wish you were never born.”

“You’ll be waiting a long time…” I sneer, feeling the fear slither up my spine and around my throat like a snake.

Wiggling my shoulders, I shake off the unpleasant emotions coming with the memory.

“Nope.” Shelby pops the p, and grabs onto my hand, tugging us deeper into the house. The place is huge, similar to the mansion I lived in back home. There are priceless paintings on the walls, crown molding, and chandeliers that cost more than most cars. It reminds me so much of my old life that I have to shake away the creepy feeling slithering up my back. I did my research when selecting a college and I made certain this one wouldn’t have any billionaire co-eds.

As far as I know, Shelby and I are the only two people attending this university with parents that make more than a million a year. Which leaves me to wonder whose house it is? Does another student own it? His or her parents? Why do you even care, Harlow?

Paranoid. I’m being paranoid. Ever since leaving North Woods I’ve wondered when my past would come back to haunt me. All the things I said and did. The guilt eats away at me every single day. I let my father lead me blindly into the dark. I let him feed me lie after lie. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I wasn’t.

When we enter the kitchen I notice the black marble counters and stainless steel appliances. Off the kitchen is a pair of patio doors that open up to a backyard that butts up to the beach. It’s beautiful really, minus all the college coeds that are liquored up.