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  Trouble’s What You’re In

  Danielle Allen

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2020 by Danielle Allen

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be copied, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, pirating, or by an information storage and retrieval system - except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or website – without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Editor/Proofreader: Trim & Polish

  Cover Design: Cover Me Darling

  Cover Photo Credit: Shutterstock

  Dedication

  The story idea came in 2015.

  The cover was purchased in 2017.

  The story was written and published in 2020.

  This is dedicated to the journey.

  Trouble’s What You’re In

  Danielle Allen

  It was a prank.

  It was a stupid prank.

  I didn’t know all the details, but the plan seemed simple enough.

  Get in.

  Get out.

  Get even.

  My job was to flirt with my crush Aiden Black.

  Yeah... THAT Aiden Black.

  But the night didn’t go as expected.

  I knew the plan, but I didn’t expect it to be more than that.

  I knew it was a prank, but I didn’t expect it to be a set up.

  I didn’t go looking for love.

  I didn’t go looking for trouble.

  But somehow, when I ran for my life, I found both.

  Chapter One

  Pressing my back against the jagged stone of the fraternity house, I made myself as flat as possible. The moonlight glimmered on the surface of the lake creating the only light as I hid in the shadows. Even in dark colors, hidden on the far side of the back of the house, I knew I wasn’t safe. I knew I was in trouble. I had to keep moving, but there weren’t many options. My heart hammered in my chest as adrenaline and fear coursed through my veins.

  My ride was gone.

  My cell phone was in Carter’s purse.

  My options were limited.

  Fear gripped me and I tried to control my breathing, but each sharp intake of air noisily slipped through my nostrils. My chest rose and fell quickly as the upstate New York chill strangled me. The unseasonably chilly late September breeze ripped through my cropped jacket, causing me to tremble. With my eyes closed, I prayed that if God could deliver me from my current predicament, I’d make other living arrangements. I swore I’d stop associating with the backstabbing bitches I called teammates.

  As soon as I heard a blood curdling scream, I took off running again.

  What the hell was that?

  Wearing the black, ankle-high boots and a short, olive romper seemed like a good idea when I’d gotten dressed. But I didn’t expect to be running into the wooded area that surrounded three-quarters of the lake. And as I nearly tripped over a dead tree stump and felt branches scraping my legs, I was reminded of why I wasn’t dressed appropriately. I wasn’t prepared for the temperature to drop so suddenly. I wasn’t prepared to run through the woods in heeled boots. I wasn’t prepared for the night to go down the way that it did. And I certainly wasn’t prepared to be swept off my feet.

  As I approached the rickety walking bridge, I pushed the knowledge of the rotted wood out of my mind. I ignored the sound of the bridge creaking under my weight with each step. I ran, rejecting the fear that I might not make it to the other side. So, I focused on the object of my affection: Aiden Black.

  Son of Hollywood Bad Boy Eddie Black and supermodel Dominica Farber, Aiden was undeniably good-looking. He had his mother’s perfectly coiled dark brown hair and her almondy sun-kissed skin tone. He had his father’s hypnotizing, hazel eyes, thick lashes and personal trainer sculpted body. Although not a celebrity like his parents, Aiden had graced the pages of magazines since birth. He’d been linked to other celebrity kids, actresses, and models up until he transferred to University Falls Institute of Technology in his junior year.

  UFIT was a small private school that didn’t have an Ivy League distinction but rivaled those schools in both the quality of education and elitism. Aiden transferred in the second semester and we had Advanced Creative Writing I together. He kept to himself and didn’t talk much so I assumed he’d gotten into UFIT due to a generous donation from his parents. But when we were randomly selected to critique each other’s final essays, I realized that he was incredibly smart and witty.

  I liked him when I read his essay.

  But I fell for him when I read his critique of mine.

  I had hoped to have a conversation with him at the next, and final, class of Advanced Creative Writing I, but his mother was being honored in Paris—where he ended up spending the summer.

  I didn’t know much about him until the night of the final when I got wine-drunk and did some research. He was described as a reincarnation of his father, but with his mother’s heart. They called him a womanizing player, but a loyal friend. They said he was insanely good-looking and deeply vain. They portrayed him as a rich snob who was too good for anyone or anything. They called him a dumb privileged kid who was kicked out of his old university for excessive drinking and partying. He was described in numerous contradicting ways by people who didn’t seem to know him personally.

  But to be fair, I didn’t know him that well either.

  But the man who wrote the essay I’d read, who anonymously donated thousands of dollars to local charities, who quietly paid for the funeral of a student who died on campus, wasn’t at all what the media made him out to be. He may have looked like his father, but he wasn’t tearing through his twenties like his father did almost thirty years prior. But looking at articles from various magazines and bloggers, Aiden as the sexy bad boy captured a bigger audience and got the most clicks and shares online. So, I’d closed my laptop and vowed to get to know him if and when he returned for our senior year. I knew, at the very least, we’d have one class together.

  Advanced Creative Writing II was every Wednesday and Friday. When Aiden walked in the late afternoon class, I made a point to catch his eye and smile. He’d smiled back and took the seat next to me. We talked during class and continued the conversation for a few minutes after class. Each time getting to know each other little by little. When he mentioned going to the Pi Rho Omicron party, I mentally committed to going to a party I didn’t want to go to with people I didn’t want to go with. In my mind, even though I was going with my housemates as part of a plot to prank Dakota’s boyfriend, Trevor, I’d been given an opportunity to get to know Aiden.

  And it’d worked.

  Even as I pumped my arms and dodged low hanging branches, the thought of Aiden’s hand on my skin stole my focus. I’d made it over the makeshift bridge and continued hoofing it around the widest part of the lake. I didn’t realize how distracted I was by my thoughts until I reminisced about our first kiss. All it took was that one second memory to flood my brain and throw me off. I tripped over something and fell hard, rolling into the hefty trunk of a massive tree.

  I winced, stifling the yelp through clenched teeth as I pushed myself back to my feet. Hot tears burned my eyes as pain lanced through me. I didn’t care about how much it hurt. With a deep breath, I continued sprinting through the darkness until I couldn’t take it anymore. I was so tired that I didn’t kno
w exactly where I was. As I stood huffing and puffing, I realized I was on the far side of the bell curve of the lake. I was three-quarters of the way around and I knew if I just kept moving, I’d make it to safety.

  I couldn’t stop for long. I’d never run so hard or so fast in my life and for me to make it around the lake, I couldn’t take a break. I braced myself against the back of a tree for a moment and every muscle in my body felt like mush. I let my eyes close for a second as I fought the urge to cry. Turning to the lake, my panting stopped as I peered through the brush and looked toward the frat house. Shock flooded my system as I took a step closer.

  My heart was racing. The blood rushed my ears, so I never even heard the police sirens as I was running. But the blue and red lights were unmistakable. Even without the sirens blaring, Fraternity Row was lit up with so many flashing lights that it couldn’t be any less than five police cruisers surrounding the Pi Rho Omicron house.

  Even though it was far away, I could still make out at least three silhouettes in the backyard. I didn’t know if it was the cops or members of the fraternity, but either way, had I been caught, I would’ve gotten suspended from school, or worse, arrested. My record would’ve been blemished. My future would’ve been up in flames. My life would’ve been over. All because the shitty plan I had nothing to do with went sideways and instead of warning me, they left me to take the fall.

  A branch snapped somewhere behind me and that was all it took for me to take off running again. My legs felt like lead, so I was slower than before. But I darted through the woods like I was the female Usain Bolt. My dance background involved endurance training but nothing like what I was pushing myself to do as I hurdled over underbrush, roots, and the unknown.

  After what felt like hours, I could finally see Main Street. Gasping for air, I slowed to a stop. Still hidden in the trees, I scanned my surroundings. I ducked down immediately as two cars approached. When I thought the coast was clear, I inched forward, but the rumble of an old muffler caused me to hide again.

  Main Street served as the primary road through University Falls Institute of Technology. When I couldn’t see or hear anything in the immediate area, I said a little prayer before darting toward the perfectly manicured campus grounds. The school was relatively small, but it was stretched out over a large piece of land. I felt exposed running through the grass and once I passed the huge UFIT welcome sign, my body shut down.

  I don’t have another mile or two in me.

  Unable to run anymore, I dragged my tired bones behind the library, where the on-campus apartment complex was located. I wasn’t going to make it much further and I didn’t want to go to the team house all the way across campus on Athletics Circle anyway. Jogging up Building A’s stairwell, I only paused for a second to check the time as I stood in front of my best friend’s apartment.

  I knocked hard.

  No answer.

  I knocked again—harder.

  I raised my fist just as I heard the door unlocking. The door hadn’t opened an inch before I pushed my way inside.

  “What the hell, Brooklyn?” James Williams looked confused, disoriented and irritated as he closed the door behind me.

  I collapsed into the beige carpet. The moment I hit the ground James seemed to startle awake.

  “Brook, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” He was at my side in an instant. His hands on my shoulders. His eyes darted across my body.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.

  “You’re bleeding! What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you everything, Jay. I promise,” I whispered. “I just—I need water. And can you help me take my shoes off please?”

  He stared into my eyes for a second longer before releasing his hands from my shoulders and pulling off my boots. As soon as he saw my feet, he balked. “What the hell? What happened to you?”

  “I’m okay.” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Water,” I reminded him gently, my voice barely a whisper. My eyes filled with tears seeing how swollen my feet were and the amount of bruising on my legs.

  Jay handed me a bottle of water and then left the room again. I twisted off the cap and gulped it down. He came back with alcohol, bandages, and a towel. With a shake of his head, he went back down the hall to the bathroom. I heard water running and by the time he returned, I was finishing the last huge mouthful.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he mumbled as he squatted, wrapping his arms around my torso to help me to my feet.

  “Jay,” I whined, wincing as I stood.

  He pushed off my jacket and it dropped to the floor softly. “I was going to try to put alcohol on your wounds.” He secured his arms around me and lifted with relative ease. Walking down the hall, he continued, “But some of your bruises are just dirt so I’m putting your dirty ass in the tub.”

  “Shut up,” I groaned with amusement, squeezing his neck as he maneuvered us into the narrow doorway of the bathroom. I wanted to laugh but everything hurt.

  “And you know I love your hair,” Jay started, staring at my kinky curls pushed back with a headband. “But with the sticks and leaves…”

  “Shut up,” I grumbled, stifling a giggle.

  “It looks like a bird’s home.”

  “Just call it a nest! You’ve made your point.”

  I didn’t want to look in the mirror, but I knew I looked bad. My thick, coarse hair was usually styled to perfection. When I caught a glimpse of myself, I quickly looked away.

  Jay was looking at me with a pained expression. I could tell he was trying to keep his cool, but his eyes always gave him away. “What happened to you?”

  I smelled the sandalwood in the air and immediately knew it was the bubble bath I’d given him for Christmas. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply. “Mmm.”

  “I’m about to put you down,” he warned before lowering me to the black and white tile.

  My feet hurt, but the coolness of the tile and the anticipation of the bubble bath made them hurt a lot less.

  “Thank you.” I glanced at the bottle on the side of the tub. “Is this your first time using this? I got it for you months ago.”

  “You’re welcome.” He chuckled under his breath as he walked out the door. “You always have something to say.”

  Stripping out of my romper, I climbed into the deep tub and leaned back. My body sank into the water as my muscles and skin felt instantly soothed. The water was hot, the scent was intoxicating, and every inch of me was relaxed.

  Jay knocked. “Are you covered?”

  I pulled the shower curtain to shield myself. Checking to make sure bubbles covered my chest, I moved the curtain back fractionally. “Yeah, come in.”

  His 6’6” frame always took up a lot of space, but it wasn’t until he entered the bathroom that I realized how little he had on. His broad shoulders, muscular chest, and six-pack abs were on display. With his smooth skin the color of terracotta clay, he looked like he was molded to perfection by a skilled sculptor. His basketball shorts sat low on his hips and showcased a rather large print in front. Without trying, Jay had a raw sexual energy that emanated from him.

  Whenever that energy tried to draw me in, I would stamp it out immediately.

  We were often alone together, but I tried to make sure that even in our fun flirtations, a moment never developed between us. I averted my eyes as he pulled on a UFIT t-shirt to cover himself. I hated when I’d catch glimpses of him and unexpectedly feel something. He was undeniably sexy, but he was one of my best friends—and my ex-best friend’s ex-boyfriend.

  So, he was off limits.

  I met James Williams and Carter Yates at the exact same time during a UFIT athletics summer program right before senior year of high school. We were put together in a group and became fast friends—mostly because UFIT was comprised of entitled snobs. Even though we were all on different sports teams, we spent a month doing everything together and became The Trifecta.

  By the end of the program, I could tel
l they had a little thing for each other. By the end of the summer, they were in a long-distance relationship for their senior year of high school. By the end of the first semester of freshman year, their relationship was completely over. She was convinced he was going to cheat on her as his star quality and popularity soared. He said she was high maintenance and spoiled. I always assumed it was because of her parents. But the reason didn’t matter because I loved them both equally and refused to choose a side.

  James “Jay” Williams was smart, good-looking, popular, and fiercely private. He was a basketball phenom and a complete homebody. Carter Yates was a Disney princess come to life with her pale skin, big eyes, and dainty features. She was a spoiled little rich girl who swam like a fish and cursed like a sailor. And I was the glue that held us together.

  We called ourselves The Trifecta because we balanced each other out. Our personalities clicked immediately, and we became a safe space for one another during those first few days of the program. Carter was a legacy kid. Jay was a heavily recruited star. And I received a dance scholarship. But none of us wanted to be a part of the UFIT culture. Even though UFIT was a great school academically, it wasn’t our first choice socially. We bonded over that fact.

  We vowed that if we were ever going to survive undergrad, we needed to stick together, and The Trifecta was born. We were a team and we were always going to be a team. We didn’t want to ruin that so they’d sworn that if they broke up, it wouldn’t negatively impact the group.

  And it didn’t.

  Carter moving into the house with the cheer squad negatively impacted our group. Those bitches got their hooks into her and she was never the same.

  I shook my head and let it fall back.

  Carter was smart, funny, outgoing, and loyal. She had big, hazel eyes that could convince anyone to do anything. She quit the swim team to join the cheerleading squad at the end of sophomore year. Even with their reputation, I thought Carter would be the one to make them better people. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. They reeled her in and by the end of the summer, she was a completely different person.