Defending Donovan (Face-Off Legacy/Campus Kings 6)

She cups my shoulder and spins me around to face her. “Tay, don’t let her get to you, okay? She’s nobody. Drake is with you, not her. No matter what she says or does, you know she’s just making shit up to piss you off.”

“I know… but why does it hurt so much to hear her talk about me… about him like that. I want to rip her fucking face off.”

“It’s not worth it,” she assures me. “You could get into more trouble than just thrown off the team if you fight Jackie.”

“Yeah, I know.” Furious, I blow out a puff of air. “She knows how to press all the right buttons with me. You know, Drake never even touched her. So, it’s not like he was all that interested in her. I don’t get why she’s so obsessed with him. That was two months ago when he sent her those pics.”

“It’s in the past,” Bex reminds me.

I nod. “I knew this was going to happen when I told him we could be together. That’s why I wanted to keep our relationship a secret. His life is too public. Everyone stares at me like I’m some whore, and now I have to hear it from my own teammate.”

She taps my shoulder with her fingers and flashes a quick smile. “It will all blow over. Go hit the showers.”

If only I could believe this will all blow over, but I have a feeling the worst is yet to come.

Chapter Fourteen

Drake

After Taylor’s fight with her teammate during practice, our relationship has started to take its toll. We’re still together, I guess. But it’s hard to tell with how distant she’s been this week. I don’t blame her. I knew the risk when we first started dating. Though, that doesn’t make this situation suck any less.

Sitting next to Preston in the cafeteria, I watch as Tucker outwardly cringes when everyone in the room’s cell phones chime at the same time. It’s a new blog post from The Queen. Who will she dethrone this month?

“Maybe she’s moved on from us,” Tucker says with hope in his tone, his eyes pointed down at his cell phone.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Jamie says.

Everyone has their cell phones in their hands, while I’m busy shoving the last bite of my sandwich into my mouth. Trent skipped dinner, most likely to meet Jemma, his new girlfriend, who accidentally hooked up with both Trent and Tucker before the break.

“Take out your phone,” Tucker says, looking across the table at me. “You need to read what she wrote about you.”

Fuck. What now?

The students at Strickland University now live for the new posts from The Queen. She’s so popular there’s even a Dethroned app that dings with new notifications. Reaching into my pocket, I prepare myself for the shit she’s spewing this month. Fuck, I hope this doesn’t have anything to do with my virginity. That’s a secret no one knows but Taylor. There’s no way in hell The Queen would know about that.

Phones are raised in the air around the cafeteria, and so many eyes are on me. Some people are laughing, while others are pointing and whispering in my direction.

Dethroned

December Edition

Ahh, Christmas time, the most wonderful time of the year. And yet, at Strickland University it’s the most scandalous. While everyone is out shopping for the holidays, the spoiled brats of Strick U are up to their usual debauchery. From the looks of the dick pics Drake Donovan has been sharing with a certain someone, he has plenty of lovin’ for his mystery woman to unwrap. But who’s the lucky girl? Or should we say girls, you nasty dick-pic-sending creep?

You, Drake Donovan, have been dethroned.

XO,

The Queen

Tucker laughs so loud it shakes the table. Fucking dickhead. He’s just happy it’s not about him. Jamie follows suit, his laughter piercing my eardrum. Preston looks relieved more than anything after The Queen throwing him under the bus about his once-secret relationship with Bex.

Nostrils flaring in anger, I feel my cheeks flush as I read her words once more. All eyes are on me when I look up. I’m used to unwanted attention. I couldn’t care less if The Queen attacks me. It’s Taylor I’m the most concerned about. She’s already taken so much heat because of me, and now this?

“Who’s she talking about?” Tucker asks me. “Not Bex’s friend. Right?”

“She would never go for that shit,” Preston chimes.

“Fuck.” I clutch my phone tight enough to snap it in half. “She’s never gonna talk to me again.”

Taylor’s interest is fading, though I know she still cares about me. How can I expect her to walk through fire with me only to end up in her own personal Hell?

“Oh, now that she called you out, you care?” Tucker asks. He has the most to be angry about when it comes to The Queen. “It’s not like everyone on campus hasn’t seen your dick, anyway.”