When Rivals Fall (Bayshore Rivals 1)

“Yes, that would be great. And just so you know, I’m so proud of you. You deserve this. Now go and have fun. I have to take a shower anyway. In case you haven’t noticed, I stink,” I exclaim, fake smelling my armpit as I grab my shower bag.

Shelby pulls back completely, pinching her nose. “That’s what that smell is.”

“Hey, now!” I complain, giggling.

“Get out of here and get rid of that smell.” She teases. Slipping from the room feeling lighthearted and happy I head down the hall to the showers. That’s one of the many crappy things about living in dorms, the bathrooms are shared, and so are the showers.

I walk into the bathroom and find two other girls inside glancing at me like they are unhappy to see me. I’m not even in the shower yet and I can hear two girls whispering in the corner. I don’t know if they just don’t care or if they are making it obvious on purpose but it’s annoying as hell. All the rumors, and whispers are soul-sucking. I thought it would die down after a couple of days, but it seems the more I ignore it the louder the whispers get. The fact that one of the brothers is with me at all times just adds to the rumor mill.

Trying my best to ignore them I strip out of my clothes and set them down on the bench in front of the showers.

The sound of a door opening and closing meets my ears right before I slip out of my underwear and get into the shower stall, pulling the curtain closed behind me. Hopefully that was them leaving, as the last thing I want to do is deal with catty bitches after a shower. Fiddling with the water I wait till it turns hot and let the steamy water soothe my stiff neck muscles. As I wash my hair the silence inside the large room becomes too much and I start humming to myself.

Lost in the shower and the song inside my head, I don’t hear someone come into the room.

“What song is that, Princess?” A male voice echoes around me. I’m so startled I drop my soap and almost slip and land on my ass in the process. Thankfully I’m able to grab onto the shower curtain and steady myself before I do. With my heart racing out of my chest, and my eyes wide I stand there, shocked, and confused.

Fisting the flimsy plastic in my hand, I pull the curtain to the side just enough to stick my head out and find Banks standing right in front of my shower stall with a smug grin, and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Even though I’m annoyed, I can’t help the warm flush that works its way through me at the sight of him. He’s wearing a tight fitted T-shirt, and a pair of ripped jeans that hug his toned legs. He looks like he belongs on a magazine cover.

“What the hell are you doing?” I bark.

“Just checking up on you. Making sure you’re cleaning all the important spots.” His eyes roam over my curtain covered body and even though I know he can’t see through the blue plastic, I feel like he can. In the presence of the Bishop Brothers it’s like being under a microscope and right now I feel naked and exposed and the worst part is that I’m not embarrassed or appalled by it, not at all.

In fact, I’m curious, excited, and a little turned on.

Bad, Harlow. Bad. I internally scold myself.

“You want me to join?” he asks, a thick brown brow raised. His question making me gulp. Yes. Yes, I do. Wait… no… no I don’t. When I don’t answer him right away, he takes a step towards me.

“N-No… Please leave, you’re not supposed to be in here. This is a girls’ only bathroom.” I state the obvious, trying very hard not to imagine Banks stripping out of his clothes and stepping into the shower with me. Briefly I wonder which of the brothers looks better without their shirts on, who has the bigger…

“Whatever.” He shrugs, the blazing fire in his eyes turning to ice in an instant. “Your loss.”

“Get out, Banks, or I’m going to report you to the RA.”

“Oooo, I’m so scared,” he taunts.

We both know it wouldn’t matter if I reported him. It’s already obvious the Bishops are royalty at Bayshore. I wonder what kind of donation their parents gave the school, god knows new students, freshman at that, wouldn’t hold sway like they do.

Pulling the curtain shut all the way, making sure that there isn’t even an inch of space at the sides for him to peek in I finish washing my body, keeping my eyes on the shower curtain at all times. Eventually, I hear his heavy footfalls walking away from me, my heart beats a little more, but only when I hear the door open and shut does it steady to a normal rhythm.