Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)

by Tijan

Weddings were where two souls became one, but for me, it was a day where I was about to beat a bitch down.

“I love messing with you.” “You’re going to regret it.” The laughter died. Logan grew still. “What do you mean?” “When you get a woman who you love…” Mason glanced sideways to me. “When she means the world to you and you’re ready to do anything to keep her safe, I’m going to enjoy doing the same shit you’ve been doing all summer.” “Well,” Logan’s eyebrows bunched together, and the corners of his mouth curved down, “that won’t be very nice of you.” “Karma’s a bitch.” It was softly spoken, but it was a taunt, and everyone knew it. Logan looked at me. A question was there. He wanted to ask me something, but I shook my head. I was annoyed too. Yes, there could’ve been a Logan and Sam, but it hadn’t happened. Logan could’ve been a boyfriend, but Mason was my

soul mate. The tension of that question, if Logan had feelings for me or not, had been plaguing us for a while. It was dealt with last year, right before the fraternity burned down. That truth came out, that there could’ve been an us with Logan and me. Mason took it easier than I’d realized. And what Mason said was true. Logan had been making jokes about us a lot more lately. I couldn’t help to think it had more to do with the fact that Kris and he were finally done. They’d broken up, gotten back together, and repeated that chain of events throughout the entire year. Their final, final breakup was four months earlier. Weeks before our

graduation, Logan dumped Kris at a party, and he’d gone back to his man-whoring ways that night. There were rumors he’d gotten blow jobs from two different girls that night, at the same party, and he’d gone home with someone else. Girls were friendlier to me now than they’d been when Logan was serious with Kris. I wasn’t dumb. I’d learned to recognize the I-want-to-use-you-because-you’re-close-to-Logan-Kade looks from a distance. I was able to evade their hooks. When I couldn’t, my best...

“Sam, get over here.” “I’m going to the bathroom.” He shook his head. His eyes darkened, and he held the cup higher in the air. “You can piss later. Let’s drink first.” I glanced at Mason, and saw that he was fed up. He moved to stand in front of me, saying, “Okay, that’s enough. What the fuck is up your ass?” “Nothing.” Mason reached for the cup, but Logan moved it out of the way. He extended it to me again. “Sam, come on. Team player here.”

My chin lifted. That was a direct burn against me. Logan didn’t do that shit. He didn’t take his anger out on me—others, yes, but not me. Mason took the cup from Logan’s hand. “You want to explain that little dig right now?” Mark moved farther into the background. He was glancing between all of us, and I didn’t blame him. Mark was family, but he wasn’t in the core three. All our disagreements were normally held until we were behind closed doors. He was getting a front-row seat now. Logan and Mason were scary when they stood against others, but they were downright dangerous when dealing with each other. There was love and a

fierce loyalty between them, but they wouldn’t hold back either. This was one of those moments. I moved forward so I was standing beside Mason. My hand grazed against the back of his, just enough so he knew I was there. He reciprocated by turning his hand to the side. His pinkie wrapped around mine and he squeezed it before letting it go again. “I mean it, Logan. You can take shots against others but not us. What is going on with you?” “Nothing.” He drank the shot that was intended for me and downed...

“Oh, no, Mark.” Logan stopped him. There was a savage bite to his tone. “Why would you leave? You’re actually family to Sam now.” He poured another shot and waved it between himself and Mason. “Not like us. We were supposed to be, remember?” His gaze settled on me, and a burning anger was there. “Back in the day when your mom was faking it. She was supposed to marry our dad, and seriously,” a bitter laugh came from him, “I hated your mom. I know Mason did, too. We wanted nothing to do with her. Here you came, right alongside her, and there went all that hatred out the window.” He stopped and closed his eyes. His head hung down before rearing back up. He downed that shot before continuing, “She brought us you, Sam, but we’re not your family. We’re not your stepbrothers. That’s him now.” Mark cleared his throat. Mason let out a soft sigh. “Logan.” “Just stop, okay?” Logan bit out. “Mark’s her family. You’re going to be her husband one day. Maybe then I’ll officially be family to Sam.” ...

forward, my chin lifting in a challenge. “What’s really going on?” “I think I just spelled it ou—” “You are family,” I cut him off. “You know it. Mason knows it. Everyone in Fallen Crest knows it, so drop the bullshit. What is this really about? My mother?” Wait… “No, your dad. She didn’t marry your dad, not yet, but she took him away.” And Logan would be off to college after this weekend—when his dad wasn’t here and hadn’t been for an entire year. I said softly, “That’s what this is about, isn’t it?...

when almost no one could read Logan Kade. I shook my head. “Logan, your dad—” He bit out, “Is a fucking asshole, but he’s not here, is he? And, yes, Sam, your mom took him away. He’s been at her side for a year now. He’s not here, not for his son’s last year, but I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s never been around. Always gone. Always screwing some woman. Of course, he’d fall in love and actually be the good guy to a psychotic evil woman like Analise Strattan....

who wanted to beat his ass all the time, not me. Give me this one time when I’m just fed up and spewing some anger out. I mean, why shouldn’t I?” He gestured to Mark, who was plastered against the wall now. “We’re celebrating his mom’s marriage to Sam’s dad. His mom, who is awesome and loving and a better mother in one day than Analise will be in her entire lifetime. I mean, this is great news for Sam. She’s getting a family who will love and support her. Finally, right? Finally. While you and I—we’re stuc...

Mama Malinda is great, but Sam’s real family is them now, not us.” That wasn’t true. I started to shake my head, but I was reeling inside. I couldn’t believe he was actually thinking this. “No, Logan.” He snorted and poured more shots. This time, Mason took one, and he handed one to Mark. When Mark hesitated, Logan gave him a half grin. “Sorry. None of this was meant as a personal attack. I’m just,” he raked Mark up and down, and his half grin fell slightly, “jealous, I guess. Not an emotion I’m used to ...

celebrate. You got the family you wanted. Finally.” I glanced at Mason and saw he was torn as well. Logan was jealous, like he’d said. They came from money, but that was the only benefit from their family. It was a broken home. Their dad abandoned them on more than one occasion. It was enough that Mason wasn’t saying a word right now, and I knew it was because he understood his brother’s pain. That hurt so much more, that both of them shared in their abandonment. And they felt I was...

shot and held it up, but I said to Logan, “You.” I looked at Mason. “You.” I skirted between both of them. “You two are my family. My mom left me. My dad left me. You two stuck around and held me up. You are the definition of family to me. No one else can even come close, and this stuff you’re talking about, how I finally have a loving family, is bullshit. You two were it for me for years. You two are it for me, no matter what. Drop the pity act, Logan, and enjoy the fact that Mama Malinda will start buying you Christmas gifts now because that’s the only thing changing. You both are in the family with me. They aren’t accepting only me. They’re accepting you two, too.” I leaned closer, making sure they were watching my eyes and could see the promise I held in there. “Deal with it. No one’s fucking replacing the two of you.” A look of pride came over Mason as Logan was fighting to hold back a grin, and Mark sighed in relief beside me. I held ...

“Jax,” I drew her gaze back to me again, “I’m going to violate my brother code right now.” Logan sucked in his breath. I didn’t care. “Logan wants to pound you. He always has, but he’s held back for a few reasons. Sam’s family. It would hurt her friendship with you. He doesn’t love you. You’re not the long-haul girl for him. And the last reason is Channing. However, my brother is not in the right frame of mind. He’s not thinking clearly, and he’s not caring about the consequences right now.” “Fuck off, Mason.” Logan ripped himself from my hold.

“Who gave you the right to play god for us?” “I don’t have the right, but this is going to hurt Sam.” I looked through the corner of my eye. Heather had stepped back from us. She was thinking, and she was seeing that I was right, but hell, she was in pain too. I saw it there. Channing hurt her. I added to my brother, “You can’t hurt Sam and definitely not on this day.” Logan expelled a ragged breath, and he raked a hand through his hair. His head tipped back, and he let out a, “Fuck.” As if hearing him, even though I knew she couldn’t because of the deejay’s music, Sam turned in our direction. She wore

a bright smile on her face, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks were red from laughing. She lifted a hand to wave at us, but saw our faces. It was like watching a sunset falling fast. The liveliness left her. The smile dimmed. Her eyes grew worried, and the redness turned pink as her hand dropped back to her side. Just like that, with one look at us, seeing the storm over all three of us, it was like we’d sucked the life from her. I gritted my teeth. I said to Heather, “Go and...

I shook my head. “Tell Sam we’re going on a keg run. We’ll be back in a bit.” “Okay. Yeah.” She frowned at Logan, but he wasn’t looking at her. Everything I’d said earlier to Sam was still weighing on my mind. Sebastian was a problem. I needed my brother with me to deal with Sebastian, and Logan was half himself right now. He didn’t fight me, falling in line with me. Both of us weaved our way through the groups. As we got to the parking lot,...

As we started to climb inside, a truck braked right next to us, and a window rolled down. “Hey!” Nate was grinning at us. He had on a dress shirt with the top unbuttoned, and his hair was spiked up. Logan grunted out a short laugh. “You sure you left the fraternity, Nate? You’re only missing a crew sweatshirt for your neck. You’d be the image of Yale assholery.” “Missed you too, Logan.” Nate rolled his eyes and gestured around the lot. “Let me park my ba...

he did, I glanced to Logan. “I’ll tell him—” “Let him.” Logan shook his head, letting out a long sigh. He leaned back in his seat, his head falling to the backrest. “I’m the asshole. I’ll get my shit together. I know what you were going to do, and we’ll talk. I promise. I’ll let you know what’s going on, but you’re right. I know you want my head in the game.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been an asshole almost all year, but we have Seb-ass-tian to deal with. Monson will have the latest u...

“I know. I know. Trust me. I want nothing more than to pound Seb-ass-tian’s head in, and it’s game time.” He grinned at me. “You have no idea how boring senior year was. No one to fight. No one to deal with. It was all too easy. Maybe I got bored. Maybe that’s the problem.” He laughed to himself as Nate climbed into the backseat. Logan remarked, “Maybe I need a war to get all my demons out.” “What?” Nate was reaching to shut the door, but he heard Loga...

“I do.” Nate leaned forward as I eased out of the parking lot. The Elite formed in a small crowd outside the door, but I didn’t think they would do anything against Sam while we were gone. Heather was there. It was Sam’s parents’ wedding and Mark was her stepbrother now. Logan saw the group, too, and met my gaze. We were thinking the same thing. I murmured, “She’ll be fine. Mark will step in if he has to.” “He better.” Nate was t...

“Yes.” He started as I drove away, “Sebastian was allowed to buy a house off campus, but their place is only a block away.” Logan cursed. “Let me guess. All his roommates are the same douchebags from his fraternity house?” “No.” “No?” Logan’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s surprising.” “Campus stepped in. They thought the same thing, so they set a rule in place that no more than five members of their fraternity could live in the same place. If they have more, they’re violating...

They can have non-students live there or guys who weren’t members of the fraternity.” “How many are in the house?” Logan questioned. “They’re allowed three, and have two more guys who weren’t members of the fraternity.” “Well,” Logan snorted, “that’s something.” “They’re a block off campus?” Nate nodded. “None of the members are allowed to live on campus unless they’re in the dorms.” I knew the rules. I’d been there at the hearing when they were i...

“Good,” I said. This was good. Cain U was enforcing their policies. Logan was watching me. “What are you thinking?” “I’m thinking Sebastian is waiting for us to come back. He’s getting all his ducks in a row, and when we’re in place, he’ll start again.” “You think?” Nate was looking between the two of us, his hands dangling over the sides of our seats. “So much damage has happened.” Not to me. That was the bottom line. I shook m...

jumped me, I hurt them more than they hurt me.” Logan grunted. “Prick. Prick. Prick. He’s a super prick…in my asshole.” Nate and I paused, glanced at Logan, and then skipped over that one. I said, “Sebastian always gets his way. He pushes people around to do what he wants, and I didn’t do what he wanted. He wanted to control me, and I said no. Every time he’s tried to hurt me, it hasn’t worked.” I sighed. “I do...

“You and Logan are not monsters. You protect. You take care. You shield those you love. Yes, you’re ruthless. Yes, you go to lengths others don’t, but you do

it so that no one—and I mean, no one—can hurt you or even try to hurt you. That’s why you do what you do. That’s why you’re who you are and why you’re loved by me and wanted by so many others. That’s why you’re respected. You protect and you love and you don’t let anyone take that away from you.”

That’s my weakness—how much I love you, the lengths I’ll go to protect you.

Summer went past the two girls, who really were camped out by the doorway. Nina was holding her backpack in her lap while Kitty had a strand of hair pulled over her face. She was furiously picking at it. Summer strolled past them and pretended to trip over Nina’s feet. Kitty didn’t seem impressed, so Summer spied the water bottle next to her and somehow lunged for it, knocking that to the ground, too. I waited as both girls got up. Nina helped Summer while Kitty grabbed her water bottle before it fell down the rest of the stairs. It was my time.

Both were distracted, and I slipped down the back stairs. I went all the way down and through the back door. Summer was right. A girl soared through the door two seconds before I hit the last set of stairs. No alarm sounded, so I went outside. I was waiting by the bike rack as Summer came out, laughing. She was barely holding on to her coffee cup, which she’d told me she was going to refill in Ruby’s room right before activating Operation Distract and Dash. She had a second cup for me and shook her head, tsking under her breath. “Logan was not enough of a dick to put those two off. I think he only cemented that they both want to marry

him. What will Nate think? Kitty loved him first.” “I think Nate will sleep just fine at night.” “You never know. She could’ve been the love of his life.” Summer sped forward as we began walking toward the classroom buildings and turned around so she was walking backward. She wiggled her eyebrows. “What if Kitty actually is the girl he’s meant to be with? I mean, who knows? He could end up going down the completely wrong lane in life. Do you believe in stuf...

to keep up with her. “I mean, the decisions you make today could alter your future. Things like that. Maybe I wasn’t meant to be your roommate. Maybe I was supposed to be someone else’s, but something happened. Say, for instance, she did something horrible. She made one decision that changed her future, so it changed ours, too. You and I weren’t even going to meet, much less become the best buds that we will be. Thank god she made that horrible decision, right? Or maybe not. Maybe whoever that girl was mig...

“No.” I scratched my head. It was spinning a little bit. “Why the hell would you?” Summer laughed, twirling around so that she was walking side by side with me again. She lifted a shoulder, her head falling down. “I don’t know. I think it’s the aftereffects of hating my stepmother. She did a real fucking doozy on my dad. I always think, what if they hadn’t met at that bar? What if my mom and dad hadn’t fought that night? What if I hadn’t come home late, so they wouldn’t have e...

I stopped walking. People streamed around us. A few shot us dirty looks, but most just zipped around us, hurrying to their classes. I’d known her a day. That one moment told me so much more about her than all the other hours we’d spent together. She was unhappy. She hated her stepmother. She wished for her old life. And she blamed herself. As if she realized she’d given me a full window to her inner workings, Summer gr...

Me. I was looking at myself. I pushed forward. “Let’s go to class. Where’s your first one?” Summer pointed to a brick building across the courtyard. “In there. I checked the map yesterday when we got our books. The store is right over there.” She moved to the smaller building right next to where her classroom was. Students were everywhere. A line was outside of the bookstore, weaving down the sidewalk. People were milling back and forth, some dashing around the line and moving into th...

Some were smoking. Others were talking with friends. Still more stood next to the bike rack. We were coming down a sidewalk that met five other sidewalks in a large stone circle in the middle of the courtyard, and people were coming back and forth. As Summer checked her map again, I saw some others doing the same. We weren’t the only lost freshmen. The thought was a little comforting. “Yeah.” Summer nodded before folding the paper up and sliding it into her folder. “That’s m...

“Okay.” She stopped. Her finger started to point, but she turned until it was aiming at the building right behind us. “This is your stop.” “Really?” “Yep.” She checked once more. “Ives. That’s what my map says, so this is it unless there are two Ives buildings.” I was about to say good-bye and head inside when Park Sebastian stepped in front of me, blocking me. A smug smirk was on his face beneath his black sunglasses. His gelled hair was combed to the side. As he stood the...

shirt hung from his wide shoulders, not too tight, and fell to his trim waist. He had on frayed cargo shorts, but they seemed like they’d been frayed on purpose. I didn’t think. I said the first thing on my mind, “You look like a douche.” I pointed to his shorts. “That’s trendy? If you’re hoping to look poor, you’re sucking at it. Your whole demeanor screams entitled rich prick.” Summer gasped quietly beside me, but she coughed, trying to cover up her laughter. Sebastian’s smug smile didn’t mov...

front of me. He was dressed in a T-shirt and similar cargo pants, but I kept my mouth shut about him. Logan could pull it off, looking like a rich bad boy who didn’t give a shit. Then again, I knew Logan. That probably helped, but standing next to him, Sebastian looked even more like a poser. Summer glanced nervously at me. I shook my head. It was during the day. There were lots of witnesses around. We’d be fine. Nothing bad would happen. Logan started. “Thought we told you to stay away from Sam.” It wasn’t a question. Sebastian moved back a step, letting his sunglasses fall back in place. He gestured to the building behind him. “I’m going to class, Kade. You’re going to start a fight because of that?” “You’re in her way.” Logan’s hand slipped behind him, and his bag slid down his shoulder and his arm until the strap was hanging over his wrist. He held his fingers toward me. His bag slipped even further, and he motioned for me. I took the bag from him and slid i...

first at Logan, to Sebastian, and back to Logan again. “Again, I was just going to class.” Logan didn’t move. Neither did Sebastian. Summer kept glancing between the two and to me. When she saw I was holding Logan’s bag, her eyes got wide. I wanted to reassure her, but the truth was that I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept remembering what Logan said the previous night. Call him, not Mason. Mason could...

trailed past him, past Sebastian, and landed on Mason. He was coming from the building where my class was located with my cell phone in his hand. A scowl was on his face, and his jaw locked in place. I swallowed tightly. Logan moved backward, stepping into me. I adjusted, knowing that he was herding me even more away from Sebastian. I started to go to the side. I wanted to go to Mason, but Logan’s arm swept me back. He caught me around the waist. He held me in plac...

“Mom.” “Don’t!” Her head snapped back up, and her eyes were wild. “You always said, we’d be gone. He wouldn’t marry me, and you were right. He won’t. It’s over. Finito. Finished.” I stepped around Mason, but he moved with me. When I started to get closer to her, he moved another inch. He was blocking me. He didn’t want me close to her, so I stayed put. I folded my arms. “Mom, you’re drunk. Everything will be better in the morning. I promise.” Park Sebastian wasn’t my mother. I didn’t have years of terror built inside me because of him. My mind was made up. I wasn’t helpless, so I shoved Logan’s arm down. Mason’s gaze caught mine, and he narrowed his eyes. I caught the warning there, even before anything was said. It didn’t matter. I would not let him get hurt because of me. I would not allow myself to be his Achilles’ heel. Sebastian needed to learn that, so I started forward. Logan caught me again, but I sidestepped him. He went to the right to bloc...

Sebastian, who hadn’t realized Mason was right behind him, straightened abruptly. He kept his glasses on, but his jaw clenched, and he moved to the side so he wasn’t surrounded on both sides anymore. Mason adjusted, coming to stand next to me. Logan circled to stand on his other side. We were now a unified front while Summer crossed her arms. Her head kept going back and forth between us and Sebastian. I didn’t dare look over to see what she was thinking. She was get...

The aura of tension and danger was around us. Students dashed for their classes, but they slowed and then stopped to watch the standoff. No one said a thing. I wasn’t sure if I was even breathing. Sebastian laughed—or tried to laugh. It fell short and came out sounding angry. “Mason, nice of you to sneak up behind me.” I tensed. Mason pushed something against my hand. “I was waiting for Sam.” Opening my hand, I took my phone from him and tuck...

him. His arm brushed against me, and it was rock solid, like cement. He was like cement on a normal day, his body toned and perfected from his training during the past summer, but this was more. The strength in him was radiating out, and everyone else was noticing, too. As I looked at the crowd that formed, I knew the tension between Sebastian and Mason would be known by the end of the day, if everyone on campus didn’t already know. Phones were pointed...

Logan must’ve been thinking the same thing. He laughed and folded his arms over his chest. “Look at you, Sebastian. All alone. It’s like a rare sighting in the wild. You usually travel with your pack, don’t you?” Sebastian shot back, “You would know.” He gestured to Mason. “Always in your brother’s shadow, right? He’s the leader. He’s the football talent while you…what are you?” Sebastian’s eyes flicked to me, and I knew where he was going. He added, tau...

Yes, he hit a nerve, and I was the one to let him know that. Lovely. I opened my mouth. I had no idea what I was going to say, but Mason’s hand rested over my arm. He pressed it down. I’d been lifting it, but I hadn’t even known. Sebastian saw that gesture, too. He laughed now. “Maybe I should feel sorry for the two of you.” He looked at Logan and back to me. His gaze stayed on me, falling to my mouth. His eyes narrowed, lingering there. “Neither of you really matter. I mean, it’s...

where Mason was still touching me. “To be told what to do by him? My, my. That must be so much fun for you both.” His sarcasm was evident. I gritted my teeth. Mason shook his head. “It won’t work.” “What won’t?” “We’re not normal,” Mason continued. He was calm now. He was in control. Sebastian didn’t like that. I could tell as his mouth pressed into a thin line, the ends stretching tight. Mason continued, “You can’t try to ba...

have. But it’s not true. I don’t tell Sam what to do. My brother isn’t jealous of me. You’re looking for a reaction because you’ll know that’s a weakness we have in our family, but you’re underestimating the bond we share.” “What? You mean, you aren’t a dictator? You don’t control your girlfriend?” I wanted to defend myself, but I wanted to defend Mason, too. His hold was keeping me contained—for now. Logan started laughing. All attention went to him, and he was shaking his head. He...