Soft Like Thunder: A Dark College Romance
Julia Wolf & J. Wolf
Prologue
Helen
One Year Ago
I knew what trouble looked like.
It came in a lot of forms, some more easily recognizable than others. Today, it was brown-haired boys, rich and cocky with Daddy’s money, basking in their first taste of real freedom.
College freshman boys. They descended on Savage River every year. Once their moms finished decorating their dorm rooms to look like their childhood bedroom take two, and their dads patted them on the back and slipped a few condoms in their pockets, they’d ditch the illustrious Savage University campus to explore the local terrain.
And these boys...these boys with perfect teeth, unblemished skin, bright eyes, and even brighter futures, always wandered in to Savage Wheelz. I’d been a skater since I could walk. One look at the three boys who sauntered in under the entrance’s jingling bell was all I needed to tell they’d never touched a skateboard, much less ridden one.
They weren’t here to buy skateboards. They were here to buy trouble.
I’d give them that for free.
I fingered the bat under the counter, narrowing my eyes on the three of them. One was legit, looking around at the T-shirts and decks on the walls. Wheelz was cool as hell, so I was offended the other two weren’t even sparing our gear a glance. They were huddled together, probably discussing which of them was going to talk to me first.
I’d worked at Savage Wheelz since I was fourteen. This song and dance was more than familiar. Boys like them came in at the end of every summer looking to score in more ways than one. Even at fourteen, I never held back from breaking down the truth in tiny little words their smooth brains would understand: this bitch does not like rich boys.
That had not changed a single bit in the last four years, and these three boys reeked of money. There were probably some decent, rich people out there. Maybe I’d even met them and hadn’t known. But like I said, I knew trouble, and this brand of rich boy wielded their money like a shield. From behind it, they could wreak havoc and never feel the bounce back.
I knew that all too well.
A decision made, one of the boys approached. He was what I thought of as medium. That bland, in-the-middle type, forgettable the second they were out of sight. Medium brown hair, medium attractive, medium height, medium, medium, medium. I’d feel sorry for his middling ass if he didn’t look like he was one wild frat party away from roofying someone.
Bracing my hands on the counter, I gave him a big, fake smile. Customer service was my jam. “How can I help you, gentlemen?”
He stopped on the other side of the counter and rubbed his chin. Baby smooth, of course. One day, he’d probably have a medium amount of stubble.
“Hey. Are you from Savage River?”
I lowered my chin. “I am. Let me guess, you’re new in town.” I cocked a hip and bit the corner of my lip. Then, as if something dawned on me, I shook my finger at him. “Oh, I bet you’re here for the furry convention. Honestly, I admire you guys for being true to yourselves. Some people say furries are sick, but what do they know?”
Medium guy stiffened. No sense of humor, that one. His friend over by the painted deck chuckled low, drawing my eye. He was looking at me now instead of the merchandise. Blue eyes twinkled right at me. I’d never seen eyes twinkle in my life. That must’ve been a rich boy thing.
The other guy, who was a bit too tall and lanky to be medium like his friend, approached the counter too. Sadly, he wasn’t laughing.
“We go to Savage U,” Lanky guy announced.
I let my mouth fall open like I was impressed. “You do? Wow. Was it hard to get in? That’s just so impressive.”
Lanky grinned. His teeth were big and white. I’d never seen any straighter. Did eighteen-year-olds get veneers? Not the ones I knew, but they weren’t richie riches.
“We worked hard to get where we are,” he explained like I was two. “Are you going to college?”
“Nope.” I popped the P. “It’s not part of my life plan. But good for you.”
“Interesting choice. Do you plan on working at a skate shop all your life?” Lanky asked.
I folded my arms across my chest. “You have to pay my bills before you get to question my life choices. If you brought your debit card, then sure, I’m game to explain my five-year plan. If you want the ten-year plan, we’re going to have to go a tad bigger.”
Another laugh from Blue Eyes pulled my attention. His friends glanced back at him too. He had an elbow propped on a rack, his other hand tucked in the pocket of his shorts. Unbothered and casual, his wide grin said he was enjoying the hell out of the show. I raised a brow. His smile widened even more.
Medium cleared his throat, bringing my attention back to him. “Listen, we got off on the wrong foot.”
“Did we? I’m not convinced we did,” I answered. “I think we’re on the exact right foot.”
Medium huffed. “Are you allowed to speak to customers that way?”
I batted my lashes at him. “Are there any customers in here?”
He mimicked my stance, bracing his hands wide on the counter, bringing his face far too close to mine. I straightened, fingering the bat once more.
“We have money to spend, and we’re more than willing to part with it. Now, you,” his medium-brown eyes flicked over me, “look like the kind of girl who might need money.”
“Really? What kind of girl is that?”
Ignoring my question, Medium went on. “We’re new in town. Classes start next week, but parties are going strong all weekend,” he thumbed in the direction of Blue Eyes, “and my boy could use a pick-me-up.”
“Cool,” I said dryly.
Lanky rolled his eyes. “Seriously, does your boss know how you deal with customers?”
“Yep.”
My boss, Preston, felt comfortable leaving me alone in the store for a few hours at a time because of how I dealt with customers. I could be cool when they were cool, but I didn’t take any shit, and I wasn’t afraid to take care of what needed taking care of.
Blue Eyes finally had something to say. “Come on. Let’s go. This was a stupid idea.”
My chin lifted, and I addressed Lanky and Medium, studiously avoiding those twinkly blue eyes. “Your friend is obviously the brains of the bunch.”
Medium’s knuckles went white on the counter, and his jaw clenched. “We simply haven’t come to an understanding yet. As I said, we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Deacon,” he gestured to Lanky, “this is Daniel, and the kid lurking behind me is Theo.”
I said nothing.
Deacon pressed on. “Do you give skating lessons?”
I canted my head. “Is that a real question?”
“Sure.” He rocked back on his heels, smug in his richness.