Love At First Academy Read online

  Love at First Academy

  Kat Cameron

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Kat Cameron. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact Beth Hendrix.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  First Edition June 2020

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1.

  Mac and Cheese

  2.

  Strange Guys

  3.

  Shit Show

  4.

  Firecracker

  5.

  Screeching Banshee

  6.

  Peaches and Sunshine

  7.

  Kidnapped

  8.

  Sleep With Her

  9.

  Damn Giant

  10.

  Shiver

  11.

  Fresh Rain

  12.

  Personal Cheerleader

  13.

  Boy Toy Collection

  14.

  Boyfriend

  15.

  SLUT

  16.

  Cobalt Blue

  17.

  Ryan

  18.

  Baby Doll

  19.

  Pink Hair

  20.

  Strawberry Cheesecake

  21.

  Ripped Panties

  22.

  Hot Tub

  23.

  Food Fight

  24.

  Regret

  25.

  Ice Pumpkin

  26.

  Ugly Mug

  27.

  Get The F**k Out

  28.

  Party’s Over

  29.

  Cuddle Sesh

  30.

  Helen Jones

  31.

  Benson

  32.

  Sweet Girl

  33.

  Bacon and Eggs

  34.

  Wailing

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About Kat Cameron

  1.

  Mac and Cheese

  Malia

  I needed a break. Just one break, from my drunk father, and having so many responsibilities at the age of seventeen.

  We moved here last week. Of course, we had to move since dad lost his job…again. Now I was on the hunt for a job so I could help out with the bills. Honestly, if I didn’t buy the food we wouldn’t have any. It seemed all dad needed was his bottle and his bed, although he really only needed the couch. I pretty much survived on Ramen noodles and Mac and Cheese. It wasn’t the healthiest diet but it was food and I couldn’t afford much more.

  Walking with the headphones in my ears was my only reprieve, but I still missed things-like football. One-second I was walking and upright, the next, I was flat on my back and my head was throbbing. I heard what sounded like the equivalent of a herd of elephants stampeding down the sidewalk. Opening my eyes, I saw three ridiculously tall guys hovering over me.

  My eyes were drawn to the first guy, he was tall with thick, silky jet black hair that made me want to run my fingers through it. His brilliant green eyes had a spark of concern in them while I took in his ripped form. It was clear to see that he was either a gym rat or played a sport. His white v-neck shirt and dark blue jeans brought out those muscles so well.

  The second guy was around the same height and it was like these guys were ripped right out of a GQ magazine. His body was a bit more on the skinny side but still just as muscular judging by how his red t-shirt and black jeans molded to his body. His bright blue eyes seemed to be dancing with mischief and the smirk he was wearing added to my suspicions that he was the joker of the group.

  And then there was the last guy. He was at least two inches taller than the other guys. Honestly, he looked like if he flexed too hard he would rip that tight black t-shirt right off his body. Looking into his hazel eyes, it was like he could see right through to my soul. His hair looked buttery soft and was dark brown almost like the color of dark chocolate. He was scowling but that just made him more attractive somehow. As I went to sit up, I pretty much fell right back down.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there.” The boy with the black hair said in a comforting voice. “What’s your name, pretty girl?”

  I looked at him like he was crazy. I knew I wasn’t ugly, but I didn’t think I was the prettiest either.

  “Malia” I mumbled. I cleared my throat and tried again, “Malia. My name is Malia. What exactly happened?”

  “Well, let me start by saying, I’m Ryder. We were messing around with the football, then I saw you walking down the sidewalk. You’re quite the distraction, considering I didn’t catch the football Grayson threw. Sorry about that, Malia.” The way he said my name gave me goosebumps.

  Grayson had to be the mountain man as he apologized next. “I’m sorry.”

  Finally, I was able to stand up with the help of Ryder. As I got a good look at him, I noticed his eyes were the color of spring grass. “I guess it could be worse. Hopefully, I don’t have a concussion. That was some throw!”

  Grayson looked at me suspiciously. He let out a humorless laugh, “You’re joking, right? Most girls would be shrieking or crying about this.”

  I looked him dead in the eyes and said, “Well, I guess I’m not most girls then.”

  All American Boy, finally spoke up, his voice a smooth baritone, “No I guess you’re not.” He looked at me with such intensity, that it made me feel like he could see right through me.

  I looked up at him and asked, “And you are?”

  He chuckled “I’m Asher.”

  While he was telling me his name, I noticed his eyes were almost like an ocean blue with little flecks of green mixed in.

  He cleared his throat when he noticed I was staring. I felt the blush creep up my neck to my cheeks. “You’re cute when you blush,” he nervously mumbled.

  This made absolutely no sense to me, considering he could pass for a model.

  “Are you alright?” Grayson more or less growled.

  I jumped slightly at the low tone of his voice, “I think so. I’ll probably have a nice bump on my head. I have a slight headache right now, but otherwise, I’m good.”

  “Did you just move into town?” Ryder asked randomly.

  “Yeah. My dad and I just got here last week.” I answered with a slight shake to my voice, but tried to hide it. Whenever the topic of my dad was brought up, it made me upset and pissed all at the same time.

  “Where’d you move from?” Ryder added hesitantly, “I mean if you don’t mind me asking.”

  Vaguely, I said, “Delaware.”

  Ryder continued questioning me, “What made you come here?”

  “Dude you can’t just ask her a question like that. What the hell is wrong with you?” Meanwhile, Grayson emphasized his point with a smack upside Ryder’s head, that made me giggle.

  Wait, I didn't EVER giggle. What was going on with me?

  “Glad to see my abuse is good enough for your entertainment,” Ryder grumbled with a scowl on his pretty face.

  “Apologize dick.” Grayson’s voice did the growl/yell thing again, I had no idea what that was about. But I think I liked it.

  “I’m sorry Malia. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just that this is a small town and everyone pretty much knows everyone here.” Ryder explained.

  “Grayson, what is with the whole grow
ling thing you have going on?” I asked, trying to change the subject. For some reason, his face flashed a look of surprise as if he couldn’t believe that I had talked to him. However, that look was gone in an instant.

  “Yeah, that’s just Grayson. It is something that happens when he gets mad, sad, or happy.” Asher answered, before Grayson could get a word in.

  That earned Asher a smack on the head from Grayson. It seemed to be his thing. “Ouch! What the fuck was that for?” Asher grumbled, while rubbing his head, as if it actually hurt. Grayson just rolled his eyes, while I giggled again.

  “I think you might’ve hurt your head more than you thought, considering you’re giggling at our abuse again,” Ryder smirked while crossing his arms.

  “You may be onto something because I don’t giggle.” I tried explaining.

  Thankfully, Asher changed the subject, “So I take it, you’re going to be the new girl in school?”

  Stunned, I fidgeted with my hoodie as I answered. “Looks like it, since I’ve never been there before. Why? Is there something I should know?” Hopefully, I didn’t sound as nervous as I was. I’m not even sure why I was nervous considering this wasn’t the first school I’ve relocated to.

  “Not at all. We were just thinking, if you wanted, we could help you out navigating classes and shit.” Ryder offered.

  I gave them all a dumbfounded look, I couldn’t believe they wanted to help me. Usually, people just passed me by without a second glance. If they did stop and notice me, they sneered as none of my clothes were in the greatest shape.

  Kind of like right now, I have on a black tank top with my hoodie zipped up. My pants have holes in them from being worn so much. My shoes were black Converse but those were old and worn as well. Since I had to put all my money towards bills and food, I couldn’t exactly buy myself anything.

  “Why are you looking at us like that?” Grayson hesitantly asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  Clearing my throat, I muttered, “Like what?”

  “You have this look on your face that would make someone think we just kicked your puppy,” Grayson spoke softly, as if he didn’t want to spook me.

  Unbidden tears sprang to my eyes, I quickly found my shoes very interesting, trying to will them away. I couldn’t help but mumble, “I ah… I guess I’m just not used to getting help, from the goodness of your heart.”

  Suddenly another pair of black converse filled my vision. Ryder put his finger under my chin and lifted my face until I was looking up at him. We were close enough that I could smell him and the only way I could describe his scent was like, the ocean and sand all wrapped in one.

  “What’s wrong, pretty girl?” he pleaded, looking at me like he wanted to solve all of my problems.

  2.

  Strange Guys

  Ryder

  Malia looked at me, her eyes shining with tears. I wanted to make her smile and laugh. The way she carried herself, it was like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. A weight I wanted to help carry.

  She looked so vulnerable as she whispered, “You were serious about helping me? All three of you?” At this point, I just wanted to wrap her up in my arms and hold her. Asher spoke up behind me, “Why don’t we swap numbers? This way we can meet up with you tomorrow in the morning, before class. Unless you need a ride?” It came out sounding like a question he was hoping to get a yes out of.

  Malia went to pull out her phone and I dropped my hand. We were still standing close and I didn’t want to move away. She was this petite little thing, with flowing chestnut brown hair, and her eyes were a clear blue. Like the sky on a cloudless sunny day, my favorite kind of day. It seemed that her clothes were a little big on her but not by much. I had a feeling she was skinnier than she should be.

  “Here. Just put your numbers in and I will text you all in a group message.” Malia said, as she handed me her phone.

  “You know if you need anything, you can just text or call any one of us,” I told her, as Asher nodded his head, and Grayson grunted in agreement.

  “Thanks, guys. I need to get back,” she muttered, as I handed her phone back to her.

  She waved goodbye and started walking back the way she came. I turned around and found that Asher and Grayson were both watching her figure disappear. Seems as though, I was not the only one that had found her intriguing. Clearing my throat, they both blinked and looked at me. Smirking, I walked back to the field and picked up the football.

  “Ryder!” Asher yelled for me.

  Turning around to look at them I asked, “What Asher?”

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?” he wondered, as if the most gorgeous girl didn’t just walk away without giving us her number. I just shook my head as I walked back over to the guys.

  “Do you think she’s going to take us up on our offer?” Asher asked with hope lacing in his voice.

  “Not sure. I get the feeling she is going through a lot of shit at home.”

  “Why do you say that?” Grayson grumbled.

  “I’m not sure but did you notice how she closed up when we offered her help?” I asked, as Asher looked at me with something like anger, confusion, and sadness. I didn’t see this face very often on him. He was usually the happy jokester of the three of us.

  A couple of minutes later, after leaving them with their thoughts, the sun started going down. “Looks like it’s time to head home boys. Tomorrow is the first day of our last year. Let’s make it a good one. I will see you in the morning.” I told them. We all waved goodbye and I went on my way to a house that was supposed to be a home, but never felt like one.

  Once I got home, I threw my jacket on the couch and headed for my room. After grabbing fresh clothes from my closet, I went to the bathroom across the hall for a shower. I left the door open since Mom and dad were traveling like usual.

  Getting in the shower I couldn’t help but think of what the consequences of being their only child were. I made it easy for them to leave me, by myself, by not having any parties. Ever. Except for our annual Halloween party.

  Besides, the housekeeper stayed in the pool house. I guess mom and dad wanted some type of guardian around. Her name was Jessa Thomas or better known as Skylar’s aunt. Skylar was the Queen Bee at our school. She and I hooked up over the summer. Unfortunately, she thinks there was still something going on between us. I tried to tell her the opposite, but she wasn’t having it. Anyways, Jessa was a nice woman. The complete opposite of Skylar.

  About ten minutes after taking a shower, I went back to my room. As I went to lay down, I saw my phone light up with a text.

  Unknown number: Hey it’s Malia

  Grayson: Hey Malia

  Asher: Hi Malia

  Me: Hi. I didn’t think you would actually text us

  Malia: I had to think about whether I wanted three strange guys to have my number. Oh and not to mention two of them caused me to have this nice bump on my head. LOL.

  Asher: I’m not strange!

  Me: Well these strange guys would like to be your friends and help you out at school tomorrow

  Grayson: What Asher said; I’m not strange

  Malia: Well considering you do that whole growly thing, I disagree

  I chuckled at her response. Most people found Grayson intimidating, most likely due to his size, and the constant scowl on his face. I was starting to notice Malia had a little fire in her, after all.

  Asher: Well Grayson, I guess she told you! LOL! That was a good one Malia. I’ve got tears in my eyes.

  Me: Alright guys, and Malia. Considering it’s late and we have our first day tomorrow, I think we should get to bed.

  Asher: Awe! Look at the Golden boy. He wants to ruin our fun. Don’t worry Malia. We aren’t all killjoys. Goodnight, see ya tomorrow!

  Asher liked to call me the Golden boy because I was the quarterback of our football team. If I didn’t have my grades at a B+ or higher, I would be kicked off the team. If that happened, I would lose my chance at goi
ng to the one school all three of us wanted to get into. The University of Michigan. Asher was the wide receiver and Grayson was the tight end for our team. When we’re all together we’re easily the best.

  Malia: Goodnight guys and thanks again for offering to help and drive me to school

  Grayson: Stop saying thank you! We want to help. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have offered. Goodnight.

  Me: Goodnight see ya tomorrow

  I plugged in my phone, set my alarm, and laid down. While lying there, I realized Malia never told us where she lives. So I wrote up a private text to her.

  Me: Hey Malia. You never told us where we should pick you up

  Malia: Can we just meet at the football field where we were earlier?

  Me: Yes that’s fine. School starts at 7:30. So you want to be there by 7:15. Since it is a ten-minute drive.

  Malia: That would be fine. I really appreciate this Ryder.

  Me: I told you earlier, if you need anything, just let either me or one of the guys know.

  Malia: Honestly, I’m just hoping to get through school without a problem.

  Me: We will be there with you as much as we can to help. Alright, Malia, I guess we will see you in the morning then. Goodnight again.

  Malia: Goodnight Ryder, see you tomorrow!

  While I was laying there thinking about Malia, I almost forgot about the one thing that might not go well for Malia tomorrow at school. Unfortunately Skylar was not the nicest person. She had the reputation of being a nasty person to everyone except for me and the twins that were basically her sidekicks in reigning terror on the population at school. Maybe I could talk some sense into her and let her know that Malia was just a friend and that I was helping out since she was new. As I laid down, I found myself actually excited for the first day of school for once.