Bow Down To Your King

Chapter 9

JULIA POV

My ass was numb. So numb that I probably could take an eleven-inch di-

"As we embark on a new academic year, I am thrilled to welcome you all back to our esteemed college community. The beginning of a semester is a time of excitement, anticipation, and new beginnings. Whether you are a returning student, a fresh face on campus, or a dedicated member of our faculty and staff, I want to extend my warmest greetings and heartfelt wishes for a successful and fulfilling semester," The Dean grinned at our less-than-peppy faces.

I, and the rest of the university, was herded into the football stadium and held hostage for the Dean's beginning-of-the-semester speech. I leaned on my hand, waiting for all hell to break loose.

"To our new students, I offer a special welcome to our college family. You have chosen a remarkable institution that values intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and a commitment to making a positive impact in the world. Embrace the opportunities that lie ahead, forge new friendships, and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of experiences that await you."

Gag me.

I had been frowning so hard that I was starting to believe that my face would actually freeze that way, exactly as my mom said it would.

She so didn't get me.

Speaking of people that would never get me: Zeke and his entourage sat three rows in front of me and Katie, yucking it up while I mourned the quiet, passive existence I could have had if it wasn't for his royal idiocy.

I looked away before steam could begin spewing from my ears.

"Ready to kick some ass?" Katie asked, already grinning from ear to ear. She had been on Cloud Nine since we assembled our girl gang.

Was I?

"Is it always like this?"

"Boring?"

"Tense." I scanned the crowd, catching the occasional wandering eye of my potential competitors.

They all saw me as a golden ticket to the second round, immediately earning them a chance to be King. Especially if they could persuade me to do the truly depraved, kinky shit on the point guide.

I scoffed at the idea, knowing they'd never even get close enough to make Zeke break a sweat, but I would.

I would make him pay.

Katie shrugged, "There's a lot of money on the line."

Right. The winner of the games not only won a full panel of STD tests, complimentary of the clinic, but a twenty-thousand dollar prize compiled from the game entrance fees.

It would be my very own 'get away from dad' starter pack.

I just had to keep up my plain Jane, innocent prude act for a few months, blindside Zeke, and then run off into the sunset.

I pulled my baggy sleeves down, concealing the dark lines of my tattoos peeking out. My father was the one that insisted I stayed covered while at school. Before banishing me, he forced me to take out my septum, rook, and industrial piercings; everything visible had to be removed or concealed by clothing or makeup.

He hated the idea that his daughter could be seen as anything other than a perfect angel, although that image was shot to hell the day I fucked his secretary on the pool table he loved so much.

More than his own kids.

He was so angry I swore the little blue vein in his neck would explode, but he had it coming.

At least now his dedication to concealing my identity would work in my favor.

No one knew who I really was—no one knew what I had done, and I intended to keep it that way.

"Piper is going to meet us in the locker room as soon as the Dean dismisses us," Katie said, leaning close enough that the surrounding students wouldn't hear. "Did you bring the thing?"

The thing being my mask. How could I forget it?

We had spent the night scanning the rule book for anything that specifically said faces had to be in the proof pictures to count for points.

Spoiler: there wasn't.

An 'identifiable' feature could be anything, says the sick psychos that created the game over a decade before I arrived. Because no one at the school had seen the real me, the tattooed, pierced hellion (as my father affectionately called me), they wouldn't know who they were competing against until it was too late.

This Julia, Zeke's precious target, was a dowdy, prudish transfer with no life outside of school. It was crucial that he believed that, at least until the second round.

Katie had given me the mask and lined up my future conquests on a neon pink spreadsheet. She assured me that Jared, Zeke's jester was doing the exact same thing and likely had been for the last year.

We would be lucky if he didn't have two thousand points by the end of the day. I stared at him as he laughed and ran his fingers through his hair like he wasn't about to fuck everything that moved for the next four months.

His smile was perfect, too perfect. Everything about him was polished, ready to fool every girl that had the misfortune of meeting him.

Before I could stop myself and look away, Zeke turned, meeting my gaze.

Shit.

My eyes widened; he smirked.

The Dean thanked us for attending the mandatory rally and left the stage. A peppy pop song played over the stadium speakers and if I didn't know better, I could have sworn it was just an average day.

Zeke raised an eyebrow, enjoying the attention, deciding if he should make his grand move on me right that minute or rack up some points first.

I rolled my eyes and turned away, following Katie down the aisle and out of the stadium. It wasn't a normal day.

I didn't have the privilege of ignoring the games as they transpired around me.

My name was on the list. So was his.

And because of that, we were at war.

***

For Advanced Updates, subscribe to my Inkitt or Ream profile!

INKITT: https://www.inkitt.com/twilightdreams69
REAM: https://reamstories.com/janedarling69