Bringing down the Star: Small Town Bully Romance Book 1 Read online

  Bringing Down the Star

  Small Town Bully Romance

  Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  Copyright © 2021 by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Afterword

  Chapter 1

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Tori

  The day my father murdered my mother in cold blood before turning the gun on himself wasn’t a sad one for me. I don’t think I even cried. When they sent me to a shrink to find out why an eighteen-year-old girl would lack any emotion after the gruesome deaths of her parents, he found it worrying how my reaction wasn’t at all due to shock.

  Rather, I already showed signs of being a sociopath.

  I had pretty much raised myself since learning to walk and talk, because my parents had no idea of what to do. The trailer was always filled with empty beer cans, syringes, and other toxic waste. The only thing they were good for was teaching me to rely only on myself.

  One thing they knew about me: if I said something, they knew I meant every word.

  Life went on until I moved the hell out and then, everything crashed two semesters before college graduation.

  Pure rage festered within me. Why did he choose that time to take my mother out of this world? Why not after I’d finished my studies?

  See, there was a contract my mother drew up with her rich aunt. If my mother died before I graduated college, she would become my guardian until then. My parents had life insurance bought and paid for by my aunt. It was almost as if she knew this would happen—she’d invested so when they died, I’d inherit over six figures.

  Too bad Aunt Winnie, an uber-rich actress in her own right, needed to sign off for me to see any of that money, or indeed anything from the will itself.

  And she never did.

  The only way out of this damn town for me would be to get my degree and prove to my aunt I had no desire to waste my inheritance on things like drugs, like my parents had. This was never my intention, but I needed this money. I had huge plans—but before that, I needed to put on my big girl panties and just study. Stay put. Education was important to me. It was all I had, the promise of becoming someone in the future.

  My parents’ murder-suicide had garnered a lot of bad press for my aunt. It was a pretty big deal in our small town. She had put a lot of focus on living a peaceful, hassle-free existence and this unexpected event threatened to destroy all that. She was famous enough to attract the attention of the press, but oddly enough she didn’t feed off the spotlight. In fact, she avoided it wherever possible.

  Nina was the same age as me but had also been getting much negative attention, and contrarily to her mother, I thought she loved that. Yet, all the partying, drinking, and being caught naked with a man twice her age in the park didn’t reflect well on dearest Aunt Winnie.

  So, to save face, she’d adopted me and taken me into her home. A mansion, stretching over eight thousand square feet, with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Four luxury cars, all earth worth at least as much as my inheritance, took space in the garage, even though neither she nor Nina would drive. I always wondered why people needed so much stuff. It was only the two of them, but I reminded myself that I wasn’t supposed to get involved. This was their life, I was just like a third wheel. Extra baggage.

  She transferred me to an elite college that cost an arm and a leg—one of the most prestigious in the US.

  No, really. There were fewer than one hundred students on campus, and admission was so difficult to get, many didn’t even bother to try their luck. I didn’t have to go there, I just needed to graduate, but my aunt insisted, so I had no choice.

  In the span of one month, my life had utterly changed before my eyes.

  Now here I was in Middletown, away from big city.

  I stared at myself in the mirror. My mother would always say I had a severe case of resting bitch face growing up and for some reason, I found this hilarious. I didn’t care about her opinion; at least, that’s what I told myself over and over until I felt nothing at all. But what I saw did bother me now. With a groan, I took in my baggy, ripped jeans and oversized t-shirt tucked inside the waist. I had on my battered converse, so with my short blonde hair, I was regularly mistaken for a guy.

  Which was precisely what I wanted: as little attention as possible.

  I knew what kind of sick world we lived in after spending most of my life in that trailer. Women got abused on the daily: rape, beatings, and constant put downs. I soon learned that if you didn’t adapt quickly, you’d be eaten alive—and I wasn’t going to be taken down by anyone.

  Especially not by some rich, elitist pricks. I was my own person, and I did not suck up to or change for anyone.

  My flip phone buzzed in my pocket, and I didn’t have to check to know it would be one of two people. Only Justin and Cleo knew my number. Luckily, both were happy to keep my trailer up and running for me until the time came I could return home.

  I was currently keeping myself amused by making bets on who would cave in first in this little game: I would either successfully finish my last year at the college, or Aunt Winnie would get tired of me and kick me out of the house. The wild card would be my social butterfly cousin, whose antics could affect both scenarios.

  As far as I was concerned, I was really hoping for outcome number two, although I knew I had to make an effort. It helped a little to remember this was only for a short period of time and I had to be grateful I didn’t end up on the streets.

  I was about to leave the bathroom when Nina barged in. Our eyes locked as we assessed each other’s choice of attire. Her couture designer dress with plunging neckline clung to her like a second skin. Her long, beautiful blonde hair, which I’m sure cost more in one salon visit than a year’s payments on my trailer, framed her face and shoulders in soft waves. Her face was caked with makeup, with hooker-red lipstick that matched her dress.

  She looked the exact opposite of me in every way—a glaring reminder of how different our lives were.

  “Do you not know how to knock?” I questioned, narrowing my eyes on her.

  “I forgot that you’re living here for the year,” she scoffed, reaching over to grab some more makeup. I mean, really, how much did one person need? “Anyways, are you going to get dressed soon? The party starts in thirty minutes, and I can’t be late to this town’s biggest party of the year.”

  I gestured to my clothes, feigning innocence. “What are you talking about? I am dressed and ready whenever you are.”

  Her face paled slightly as horror filled her eyes. Of course, she expected me to look like I fit in her world. Well, she was bound to be disappointed. I tried and failed to hide my smile as I st
raightened my back, relishing her reaction. “Please don’t tell me you’re wearing that to Colten’s party.”

  “I am,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “What about your allowance?” Nina asked, her face paling more as if I’d told her The Kardashians upcoming season had been cancelled. “Have you bought any new clothes since you came here?”

  “I’m saving it since all my old clothes are still fine. Plus, Aunt Winnie never said I needed to change my wardrobe,” I replied. I was clean and my clothes weren’t torn. That’s what mattered. “I’m most comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt anyways. What you see is what you get.”

  Petty of me, but pushing her buttons gave me a high.

  “Fucking hell, Tori, I can’t believe you’re not going to change,” she murmured under her breath.

  I watched take a few long breaths, the same way Aunt Winnie did whenever she was irritated or angered. Nina was getting on her last nerve lately, which meant she might fall right into my trap and let me out before my official time was up.

  I just needed to give that final push.

  Aunt Winnie couldn’t have been clearer in her admission that she didn’t trust me to be alone in her home. She probably thought I’d steal her most treasured belongings and dart out of town before anyone noticed. The thought of that was tempting, but I needed the insurance money more. It would go a long way for the only two people I cared about and me to live comfortably.

  I couldn’t help but hold my breath in anticipation. Maybe I could find a way to escape through the window and dash back to Justin and Cleo. Better yet, I still had my phone so it wouldn’t take long for them to come visit and leave again before they came back. Aunt Winnie had practically thrown me in the car before I could even say goodbye to either of them, hating to spend even a single minute longer at the trailer park than needed.

  “You can just let me stay here in my room while you attend that fancy party of yours that I have no interest in going to,” I said. “I won’t tell, if you don’t.”

  She went quiet, and I knew she wanted to leave me behind more than anything. Deep down, she knew she couldn’t. She was supposed to keep an eye on me.

  “No.” She shook her head as she straightened her back. I couldn’t help but curse, knowing that, for a moment, I almost had her convinced. But, instead, she let out a loud huff, like a spoiled princess. “I promised Mom. Not to mention that by tomorrow, everyone will know who you are anyways, which complicates things for me. I don’t want any rumours to spread that I abandoned you in favour of the town’s hottest party or something. That’ll look bad on me and the Winchester name.”

  Right—reputation was a big deal, along with power, money, and influence in this town. Nina needed social validation; she needed to feel important amongst her peers.

  Reluctantly, I sat in the car, silently seething the whole way as her personal assistant drove us to God knew where. Since I’d arrived a few weeks ago, I had yet to step foot outside the house, save for two occasions.

  The first was when I yelled at Aunt Winnie and slipped out the house before she got security to drag me back. Although I had to say, I was pretty chuffed when two household staff resigned afterward. I was sure she’d paid hush money to prevent any information leaking to the press.

  The second was when Justin came to check on me. I had no idea how he was able to sneak through the security checkpoints, but I was thankful. He was my best friend and I missed him so much. Justin and Cleo were the only people who kept me sane when I was falling apart. After giving him my new number, he started to check on me every day with messages and calls. This warmed my icy-cold heart.

  I just hoped I could sneak out of campus and meet him.

  The whole time we drove into town, Nina was squealing and girlishly gushing with her friends on her latest iPhone that cost more than I cared to consider. She was truly irritating and I didn’t know if I could handle being around her so much.

  Scowling, I had to restrain myself, because going to this shitty, snobby college was better than suicide. I was taught I had to survive. Acting on impulse usually got me in trouble.

  I liked to think it was because of me that he was afraid of speaking up. I had a vague memory he might have been the man I’d kicked right in the balls. Gritting my teeth, it took another fifteen minutes before we arrived at a mansion that was, if possible, bigger and grander than Aunt Winnie’s.

  Standing outside, I couldn’t help but look around as the blaring noises assaulted my ears from all angles. Barely legal bodies loitered around the whole house. Most were about the same age as me, with the girls dressed as if they were ready to model for Playboy magazine.

  Some sported booty shorts and crop tops. Others paraded their bodies, half-naked. I thought I caught a glimpse of one giving a guy a lap dance right in front of everyone, no shame whatsoever. Most guests drank beer, and I had no doubt illegal drugs were being passed around without a care in the world. I was surprised the neighbours hadn’t already called the police with a noise complaint.

  Then I realized, these rich kids ran the town and no one wanted to antagonize them.

  Middletown was the place where parents ditched their barely-legal teenagers and forgot they even had them. No one seemed to mind as long as they had their freedom and money to do what they wanted. My stomach knotted in unease, because I knew I didn’t belong here.

  “Let’s fucking go, dipshits!”

  My eyes snapped up to see a guy standing on the balcony, naked. Everyone was cheering and clapping as he downed his drink in one gulp. It looked to be about a sixty-foot drop, but that didn’t stop him from jumping right into the pool. He came up a few seconds later, roaring like a neanderthal, and everyone cheered and drank again.

  Where the fuck am I?

  Was I going to have to put up with these morons for the rest of the year?

  Yes, you are, my inner voice replied.

  “Come on, I have to babysit you, so you’d better not leave my sight.” Nina snapped me back to reality as she tugged on my t-shirt. She beelined past a crowd, her best smile plastered on her face. “Listen, I’m going to be with my friends and Colten Fitzgerald. He’s the college quarterback, future CEO of Accessicom, and most importantly, the host of this party.”

  Jeez, talk about a mouthful. He was obviously important to her.

  “I feel bad for his cleaning staff,” I replied, keeping a mental note to stay away from him in particular. The people here looked no different from the scumbags I’d been dealing with all my life. The only difference was, they had the money to cover it up. “So when exactly should I hear the wedding bells since you’re clearly in love with the king himself?”

  I was surprised she’d heard me over the music as she scowled. “Please don’t embarrass me.”

  With a curt nod, she led the way into the house with me dutifully following behind her. I didn’t know why she’d promised her mother to babysit me. Did Aunt Winnie force her to? That was likely. I didn’t need this. I could have easily stayed at home and read a book.

  The inside wasn’t any better. Two naked girls were grinding on top of a guy who grinned like an idiot. Another guy sat snorting coke with his buddies, one of whom was shooting it up directly into his veins.

  I felt my skin prickle and looked around the crowded mansion with a frown. The more I saw of all the depravity, the more I was convinced not to allow any of them to make my life miserable this year. I would make sure to have my own protection against these savages and a party like this would likely give me all I needed.

  For see, if there was one thing I knew and hated, it was those at the top of the food chain.

  Chapter Two

  Colten

  There seemed to be a problem when one stayed at the top too long.

  One became desensitized. Why? Because everything would be handed to you on a silver platter, especially when you had the three things everyone wanted.

  Wealth was the first one.

  Being born to a mul
tibillionaire on his way to his fifth wife meant I had an abundance of money. Good thing they all signed a prenup because anyone who dated my father was either not a good person or was just after his money.

  With me, anything I wanted, I got without having to think twice about it. Though down the line, I had to agree with P.T. Barnum when he said money isn’t good for anything unless you know its value by experience. I knew this, and I knew how to buy people off with ease.

  The second was power. Thanks to social media, you could be seen as a god in the eyes of others, at the snap of a finger. When everyone let you do whatever you wanted because of the perceived power of your parents, you would have succeeded in filling their hearts with fear of you.

  The last was status, which came easily with wealth and power, along with social media. Status meant everything. Growing up, I realized the more one stood in the limelight, the more attention and money one was able to draw in. It had to be good, so things like donating millions to charity meant something much more than just a physical transfer of cash.

  Those three things ran not only St. Rockefeller’s College, but the whole town. Your popularity and relevance in this town depended on those three factors. You could say your entire life depended on it. Everything else, such your personality and characteristics? None of that meant shit.

  You could be one of the worst scumbags on Earth, but as long as you could play a good game with the media, that was all that mattered. Parties, connections, luxury, glamor—people craved all that.

  Then, getting away with stuff becomes child’s play. I witnessed parents cleaning up their children’s messes with one phone call, all because they could. Charges dropped randomly, police paid off, people leaving as if they disappeared off the face of the earth.