Page 699 of Filthy Elites

Earlier in the day he had charmed a girl in the housing office. It was amazing how a little flirting would garner all kinds of interesting information. Even though he would have never wanted to stay in one in the past, he learned that all the dorm rooms on campus were full. They usually left several open for emergency situations or to separate roommates who didn’t get along, but even those rooms had been taken.

The girl had also told him that once a room is paid for and assigned, even if it was in a team house, the student was entitled to stay there or be placed elsewhere. His former teammates had no right to throw him out. He was in the right, but he would not go back to that house.

The student lounge never closed to allow for all night study sessions and provided a safe place for gathering. They had a strict no alcohol policy, but that never stopped people from bringing it there.

Adrian considered stopping at a liquor store, but he was running low on cash, and he was going to need it for gas. He had to continue driving to the animal shelter so he could complete his service hours. Falling behind was not an option. His college career was at risk.

He selected a secluded corner with a couch and two chairs. It had a charging station and the entire building offered a free wireless connection, so it was the perfect spot for him to relax. He spread his feast on the circular coffee table and pulled out his iPad. He could study and eat at the same time.

Adrian glanced around the room. Not many students were hanging around. They were all either out partying or in their rooms for the night. He was one of only a few students left in the lounge. His parents had more money than just about everyone on this campus and here he was broke, homeless, nowhere to go, and unable to trust anyone. Man, his life sucked.

Exhaustion finally hit, so it was time for him to go back to his car. Adrian needed to move it to a new location so that no one would see him sleeping in it and ask questions.

His mother had called and demanded that he return home to help his father. He shot her down quickly, making an excuse to get off the phone. Adrian was not going to answer the next time she called.

As much as it sucked to sleep in his car, he was not going to quit school and run home like his mother wanted. He was determined to stick things out and live on his own terms. So, his back would be jacked up for a while. He was young and would bounce back.

Adrian thought about sleeping in the boat house or one of the athletic offices that had a couch, but he knew he would be caught. He wasn’t afraid of getting into trouble, he didn’t want the pity and sympathy.

Even though the days were still mild, October in Philadelphia tended to have cold nights. Before long, it was going to get uncomfortable sleeping in the car as the fall turned into winter.

Reaching the nearly empty parking lot, he moved toward his car when he noticed the door was open. Someone had broken into his car.

FOURTEEN

Hot Pursuit

The slim jimmybar was still stuck inside the car door where the intruder left it. His stuff was dumped into the parking spot next to his car and everything was torn apart and thrown all over.

“What the fuck?”

Adrian rubbed his face with his hands. Was someone messing with him? Greg or one of the guys in his house? Or was someone looking for something? The scene from the locker room shower flashed through his mind. He had dismissed it as someone on drugs or looking for quick cash, but maybe it was all connected.

He needed to clean this crap up, make sure his car was okay, and find a secluded spot to park for the night. He could figure this all out in the morning.

His textbooks were all over the pavement and his ethics book was in pieces, its pages torn out and scattered. Guess the asshole didn’t like ethics.

It took a while to gather everything up and stuff most of it in his trunk. He still needed to place some things on the back seat and the floor behind the front seats. It was a huge jumbled up mess, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Adrian discovered why the thin metal bar was still in between the outer door and the window. It was stuck pretty good and had taken him several minutes to wiggle it free without damaging his car door or breaking the window glass. He finally pulled it free and threw it on the passenger side floor. He should have called the police and got it dusted for fingerprints, but that would have caused a scene and raised questions he didn’t want to answer.

He would figure out his next steps after a rotten night’s sleep.

* * *

Janie and Kelseywere sitting on their couch enjoying their morning coffee. It had been a couple of days since the girls had an opportunity to catch up. They both had been missing each other with their different work and class schedules.

“You let Greg drive you home?” Janie’s eyes grew large.

“I didn’t have a choice. Two of my tires were flat.” Kelsey tucked her feet under her and leaned back into the corner of the couch. “He told me he didn’t know Eric was blackmailing you.”

Janie stared into her coffee cup. “At first, I thought they were all in on it, but after taking a step back and looking at the whole situation, I don’t think anyone except for Parker knew.”

Kelsey took a sip of the steaming liquid. “Adrian didn’t know?”

Janie shook her head. “He never said anything to me, but he also never asked me to do anything. I don’t believe he knew what Eric had done.”

Kelsey considered that for a moment. “So, Greg might be telling the truth too?”

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