Destroyed by Deception (Amethyst College Saga Book 1) Read online

  Destroyed by Deception

  Stacy McWilliams

  Contents

  Preface

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Bonus Chapter 1

  Bonus Chapter 2

  Bonus Chapter 3

  Bonus Chapter 4

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2016 Stacy McWilliams Destroyed by Deception

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be duplicated, transmitted, in any form or by any means– whether electronically, mechanically, by photocopying or any other means, without prior written consent. To do so would result in Legal proceedings.

  This novel is a work of fiction and any similarities to any party are coincidental.

  The ownership of this work is protected by Copyright and belongs to the author.

  Cover by Leigh Stone, Irish Ink Formatting and Graphics

  Edited by Sylvia Kerslake

  Formatted by Leigh Stone, Irish Ink Formatting and Graphics

  I’d like to dedicate this book to my amazing hubby. Mike I love you as far as I can reach and your support means everything to me.

  Always
  If you have been affected by any of the themes in this book please know you aren’t alone. There is support out there if you know where to look.

  Suicide Prevention

  Samaritans UK- 116 123

  Visit http://www.samaritans.org/

  Or

  Visit https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

  US- 1-800-273-8255

  Or visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/#

  Rape Crisis

  England and Wales- http://rapecrisis.org.uk/

  Scotland- http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

  http://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/rape_sexual-assault.php

  US- 800.656.HOPE (4673)

  https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline

  Please, please seek help and never feel you are alone. There are people out there who can support you and there are always people who love you.

  Stacy.

  As I moved along the halls of the upper-class dormitories of Building C, with Fall Out Boys Softmore Slump or Comeback of The Year bouncing around my head, making me smile as I hummed the tune to myself. I couldn’t help but think back to how lucky I was to be there at all. My dad had to call in a favor with a friend to get me in because I hadn’t accepted my offer in time. I was a nervous wreck, but dad had wanted me to attend college, probably because he hated me and couldn’t bear to have me in the house. I hadn’t been sure I would even be able to make college this year, or ever, but dad had insisted. He was adamant that I shouldn’t miss out just because of what had happened.

  I was alone on my designated floor calmly moving by and reading the numbers from the heavy pine paneled fire doors, glancing around for my door and trying to find a number that matched. My arms ached because the box I was carrying was awkward and heavy, when this pretty looking girl, with long jet black hair, walked right into me. “Oops,” she tittered, “watch where you’re going.” She stood smirking at me with a feral glint in her pretty brown eyes.

  As I glanced at her I took in her clothing, dark ripped jeans, tight crop top and laced with enough makeup to change her altogether. I glanced down at my clothes and realized I wasn’t going to fit in here, if her attire was anything to go by. With my loose black sweats and holey sweatshirt I could only watch as her heavily made up brown eyes judged me and found me wanting. Her full lips turned up in a sneer at my attire before she turned quickly away, flicking her head. Her hair whipped across my eyes as she barged into me, knocking the box from my hands. I heard the crunch of glass as the box struck the wooden floor underfoot.

  I leaned down, picking up the box and investigating what had broken. I was praying it was just a vase or my decorative bowl, but the box was wet. Tears filled my eyes as I realized that the moisture meant one of my precious snow globes had broken.

  I hoisted the box back up into my arms feeling my eyes grow wet, with the irony, that in another life that had been me. I had been like that girl until life knocked everything out of me, leaving me with the shell of an existence that I’d been living. I gulped a breath and continued shuffling down the corridor, passing a group of guys messing around, but we ignored each other, thankfully. I couldn’t deal with more drama and as I shuffled past them I smiled at the thought that I was finally away from all the drama in my life. A loud bang sounded behind me and I startled before rushing on, desperate to get into my room and find out which snow globes were broken.

  Finally, I reached the door with the number that was marked on my letter and I sucked in a breath as I fished around for my keys. The door to the common area opened while I was still searching and revealed another strikingly pretty girl with a cell phone wedged against her ear. Her eyes assessed me as I stood there and I noticed the way her gaze soured as she took in my sweats and loose fitting jumper. She tossed her hair angrily, pushing past me as the door next to mine slammed closed behind her.

  A second later she returned and moved away from me towards the exit. Her coldness chilled me and I heard her on her cell, saying to whoever was on the line, “the girl next door just arrived and she looks homeless. This year’s going to be fun. Is it time to go get drunk yet?”

  Oh great, I thought, as she left haughtily, they put me next to a complete and utter bitch.

  Shaking off her bitchiness, I tried to push the door open, struggling to shift the weight of it with the box in my arms. The moisture from the leaking snow globe had softened the box and I envisioned the sodden box containing all my prized possessions breaking apart, spilling the contents across the floor. While I stood holding the door open with my foot, I heard another door open nearby and a hand held the door open.

  “Here let me help you.” A deep male voice said. I turned to look at the guy holding my door open, he had a chiseled chest and his shirt was sticking to him. A woodsy aroma filled my nostrils and I took a deep breath before lifting my eyes to his. He must have thought I was completely spaced out because my breath caught when I glanced into his eyes. They were the bluest eyes I’d ever seen and I felt an odd twinge of butterflies in my stomach.

  As I stared at him I took in full lips, chiseled cheekbones and I noticed he was about five inches taller than me. His honey colored hair was plastered to his forehead and as my eyes roamed over him, a drop of sweat rolled from his hairline down his cheek. I watched its path frozen for a moment as the owner of the hand smiled down at me.

  After another few seconds, I dragged myself through the door, followed closely by the gorgeous guy. His breath tickled my neck and I shook with either fear or longing, it was difficult to say which. He caught me glancing at him again as I moved into a large open area and he smiled, nodded towards two doors, on the opposite side of the room.

  “See ya.” He muttered and moved slowly towards one of
the rooms.

  At the door, he paused and glanced back at me, shaking his head when his eyes landed back on me. I stood frozen, with my mouth slightly open as I took in his gorgeousness. He stepped inside the room and my body came back to life. I was sharing a dorm with a guy whose movie star good looks put me on edge, but something about him caught my attention. I shook my head and moved towards the doors nearest to where I was standing. There were two of them, with black printed numbers on them.

  I turned towards the other two doors and took in the numbers, noticing one had a taped up poster of End of Time, a band I hated with a passion, because of their penchant for screaming at the top of their lungs, which was both unpleasant and annoying. I was into music like Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco. Patrick’s voice was incredible, Pete’s song lyrics spoke to me in a way that nobody else could, while Joe’s guitar skills were amazing and Andy’s drums had me melt. Their music helping me to see it was okay not to feel happy or even okay all the time, but that there was always hope of a better tomorrow. I listened to their music constantly, with their albums on repeat on my iPod.

  I put my box down as I moved the keys around the ring. My hands were shaking too badly to hold onto it while opening the door. As I bent over with the box, the doors of the rooms opposite opened and two male voices sounded. They moved towards the exit and as it swung closed behind him I distinctly heard one voice say, “Dayum, she looks like a nun.” The other voice laughed and the voices disappeared down the corridor.

  I tentatively pushed the door to my room open and found it stuffed with boxes. I glanced down again and took a step back letting the door close over so I could check the number again. My eyes darted around taking in the other numbers in the common area I was standing in. There were a few unnumbered doors, presumably with storage space and a door which led to the student bathrooms. Four rooms lay around the common area which was a sitting room like set up with a sofa and two armchairs, a TV and a four person dining table next to an open archway, which was a small clean kitchen stocked with food.

  Each cabinet had a room number on it and when I opened my one, I found it stuffed with chips and dip. I didn’t have anything to go into the cabinets yet, but I needed to get into my room, so I moved around and checked every door with my key and none of the others turned, so I knew that the room I’d tried to go into was my own. Walking quickly back to the room that was to be mine, I rolled up my sleeves. I needed to move all of the boxes out of my room, but I didn’t have any idea where to put them.

  I walked into the common room and tried a few of the closets, but they were all full of boxes and folding chairs and one even had a large stuffed bear inside of it. I closed it over quickly and moved on, but there was no space in any of the closets. I pulled my hands into fists in frustration and just as I was about to give up, I noticed another door half hidden by dresses on hangers. The dresses were glitzy and short enough that my mom would never have let me wear them. The thought of my mom made my chest hurt, so I closed my eyes, sucked in a breath and focused on the task at hand. Moving the hangers to one side, I peered in and found a small empty closet. After a few hours of back breaking work and reorganizing a few of the closets, I finally managed to clear out my room.

  I paused in the doorway and surveyed the room, smiling a little at the fact I was on my own and away from my dad, after what felt like the longest summer on record, but I was there and I could be free of the past. This room was my chance to reinvent myself, to make myself a new person. I wasn’t going to be a victim here. Here I was going to be a survivor and I hummed Sugar as I emptied the room.

  Once the room was empty it was easy to see that it had a single bed in one corner, a chest of drawers in the other, a closet against the near wall and a desk facing the window. The walls were a dirty off-white and I had a window which overlooked the quad I had driven past on my way into campus.

  I retrieved my box from the common area and placed it on my desk, the sodden weight reminding me that one of my treasures was gone, just like that. Just like my mom was. My heart pounded with dread as I looked at it and my fingers shook as I tried to open it. I sucked in a breath and decided to go and get the rest of my stuff so I could begin unpacking and make this place as home-like as I could. It took a while to get everything from the car and rearrange my room, but eventually it was done. I hadn’t opened that box yet, but I decided to put it off until the morning, because I was exhausted and I knew I’d be emotional, no matter what snow globe was gone. They were a part of my mom and I couldn’t face seeing any of them destroyed. It hurt way too much, just thinking about it.

  The drive from my uncle's house in Providence to Amherst was just over two hours. I had landed from Portland at two in the morning the previous day, spending the day with my uncle Jimmy, his wife Clara and their two little terrors Marcus and Morven. I spent the whole drive alternating between nervous terror and nervous anticipation. Part of the drive, I’d half wanted to turn the car around and go back, but I’d been determined to do this. It wasn’t for my dad, it was for me and I’d do it in memory of my mom. I sang loudly and off key to Uma Thurman, swore at drivers who didn’t use their signals and ate fast food on the highway. As I sat on my bed I realized I hadn’t checked in with Jimmy yet, but he’d be in bed. I sent a message regardless to let him know I’d arrived safely and was in my dorm, settled and would call him tomorrow to fill him in on my first real day of college life.

  I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes, allowing my head to fill with the color black as I tried to fall into a dreamless sleep. I was just about to drop off, when an almighty crash, followed by a scream, made me leap out of my bed. I grabbed my baseball bat from behind the door; my defense weapon of choice since my dad refused to let me own a gun; and I stopped at the door, palms sweating and heart racing as a flashback hit me about the last time I heard a scream like that. My whole body shook as I stood poised to open the door one-handed with the bat held ready at my side. As I reached for the handle there was a vicious pounding on my door that shook the walls. I turned the lock slowly and peeled the door away from the wall, as though I was taking an Elastoplast off, to see my roommate was pacing on the other side of the door, with a face like thunder. She glared as my door slowly opened, and my body shook again in fear as she spat out,

  “You moved my stuff?”

  I stared at her in complete bewilderment, because of course, I did move her stuff. This was my room and her stuff was all over it. My palms sweated more and I thought about rubbing them on my sweats, but then she’d see and think I was a victim again. She snarled out loud, and I flinched as she moved in close, her eyes blazing as she took in my room through the open door behind me. I was stunned and her next move stunned me even more. She slapped me so hard across the face that I saw stars and my head rattled on the door frame.

  “Don’t fucking touch my stuff again, you stupid little bitch.” She screamed at me.

  I stood there stunned into silence as she stormed back into her room and blasted her god awful music, making my room shake with the wailing singers and sucky loudness with words no one, not even bloody bats could understand. My door rattled with the noise of her music and my body shook with the noise and the panic. She was seriously pissed and I hadn’t done a thing wrong. I hadn’t made her clear out my room, or ripped her dresses or done anything other than clear my room out. Great, she was a bleedin’ head case and I was stuck next door to her. My thoughts raced for a few moments and my cheek throbbed.

  My feet were welded to the floor. I was left speechless by her venomous attack and could not believe the audacity of her behavior. After a few minutes of standing numbly, I kicked the door closed, by this point more angry at myself for letting her hit me. I knew self-defense, I was going to be a newer, improved version of myself, confident and take no prisoners while I was at college, but I just let her hit me and I hadn’t reacted at all. I’d taken classes to learn to protect myself, so I questioned why I didn’t see that coming and why I didn
’t do anything. I went back to bed after locking the door and fell asleep quickly, lost in thoughts that were loud enough to drown out her music. Her shrill voice woke me a few hours later and I could hear every word she was saying through the wall.

  “Dad she moved my stuff,” there was a pause before she whined, “yeah I know it’s not your fault I had to share, but how dare she touch my stuff… Can you sort this out please daddy?” There was silence for a minute or so, then she said, “oh my god, so I’m stuck with her stupid ass for the whole fucking year?” She shouted in a louder and even whinier voice. “Yeah I got it thanks for nothing.”

  A moment later her music was back on and shortly after a louder banging noise carried over the din she was making. Ignoring it, I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn’t because of the song she was blasting. It was so loud it set my teeth on edge. I thought about putting some music on, but decided against it. I wouldn’t be able to hear it over her music so instead; I headed over to my mini fridge to get a bottle of water and heard the banging noise again, even louder this time.

  The sound continued and I cautiously opened my door to check and see where the noise was coming from. I tiptoed out of my room into the sitting room where I saw the gorgeous guy from earlier, wearing only dark sweats, which hung low on his ass and cupped his firm backside, which was moving slightly as he stood hammering on her door. I moved out of my room watching him and my breath caught at the sight of his toned back and shoulders, the muscles rippling as he moved.

  He spun round and glared right at me as I walked towards the door leading to the bathrooms. I panicked and jumped backward, cracking my ass cheek on the table corner as I fell. I was wedged into the gap between the sofa and the table. He stood watching me with a bemused expression and then stepped towards me. His eyes were warm and a smile played on his lips as he stood over me.