Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR.

Ryder’s POV

I threw myself down on my bed with a heavy thump, the springs groaning under my weight. The room was dark except for the dim light of my phone screen. I didn’t bother turning on the lamp. I liked it this way, the shadows pressing against the corners, the quiet buzz of the campus outside the window.

Everyone had left after the party. Serena had called twice but I let it ring out. I didn’t feel like dealing with her shrill voice right now. The guys were probably still out celebrating, laughing, drinking too much. Normally I’d be with them, the center of it all, but tonight I just wanted space. I wanted something else.

Something to entertain me.

I rolled onto my side, scrolling through random messages, my smirk stretching wider each time I replayed the image of Ollie’s face at the party. That little flash of pink in his cheeks when I called him out, the way his lips parted like he wanted to talk back but knew better, the way everyone laughed at him. God, it had been too easy. The kid was a walking target. Too quiet, too awkward, those stupid glasses sliding down his nose every two seconds.

The kind of guy who screamed prey the second he stepped into a room.

I liked that.

I liked the way he looked small when I leaned into him. Like I could crush him with a word. Like he hated me but couldn’t look away at the same time. That was the best part—watching him squirm under me, knowing I was under his skin in a way he couldn’t shake.

I tossed my phone on my chest and stared at the ceiling for a while, tapping my fingers against the case. I could still hear the echo of the music from the party in my head, could still smell the mix of sweat and booze and perfume clinging to my clothes.

But Ollie… yeah, Ollie stood out more than all of it.

I don’t even know why. He wasn’t anything special. Just some nerd who probably spent more time in the library than anywhere else. The type who thinks he’s invisible until someone like me reminds him he’s not.

That’s what it was. He hated that I noticed him. He hated that I saw him.

And that was exactly why I couldn’t stop.

My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen. Nothing interesting. A group chat with the team. A message from Serena: Where are you? Call me. I ignored it. My thumb hovered over Ollie’s name instead. I didn’t even remember saving his number, but there it was, tucked into my contacts like it belonged there.

I chuckled under my breath. Perfect.

I opened the chat window, staring at the empty space like I was weighing what to type. Something simple. Something sharp. Something that would sink in without me even trying.

My thumbs moved before I could think twice.

Hi Oli-nerd.

I hit send and let the grin stretch across my face.

I could picture it already. Him at home, maybe still replaying the night in his head, still stinging from the way everyone laughed. And then my name flashes on his screen. He freezes. His chest tightens. His stupid heart skips a beat because the guy who humiliated him just won’t leave him alone.

Good.

That was the point.

I leaned back, folding one arm under my head, waiting. My mind drifted, playing out what he might do. Maybe he’d ignore me, pretend he didn’t care. But I knew he wasn’t that strong. Not Ollie. He’d read the text a hundred times, his face heating up, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, backspacing over a dozen replies before finally sending something pathetic.

Or maybe he wouldn’t reply at all. Maybe he’d just sit there, staring at the screen, cursing me under his breath, wishing he had the guts to block me.

I kind of hoped he didn’t reply. Because that way, I’d get to push harder.

My laugh came out low, quiet in the room. This was better than the party. This was private. Just me and him. No crowd. No teammates backing me up. Just my words, slipping into his space, reminding him that I could reach him anywhere, anytime.

That was fun.

And I liked having fun.

I twirled the phone in my hand, checking again for a response. Nothing yet. Figures. He was probably sitting there in that little room of his, clutching his phone like it might burn him.

I wondered what his room looked like. Probably messy, books stacked everywhere, maybe a secondhand desk shoved into a corner. Maybe he was the type to keep everything neat and lined up, like he thought order would save him. Didn’t matter. Whatever it was, I was inside it now.

Inside his head.

The thought made me smirk even wider. I typed another line, but I didn’t send it. Not yet. I liked holding it over him, liked knowing that at any second I could make his phone buzz again and ruin his night.

That was what Ollie was. A game. A toy. Something to fill the empty spaces when I didn’t feel like dealing with anyone else.

I stretched out across the bed, muscles relaxing into the mattress, and let my mind wander. Maybe I’d make this a regular thing. Maybe I’d text him whenever I was bored, just to see how far I could push him before he cracked. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it. What was he going to do, fight me? Please. One shove and he’d hit the floor.

The image made me laugh again, sharp and cruel in the dark.

I unlocked my phone, rereading the single line I’d sent him. Hi Oli-nerd. Such a simple thing. Harmless on the surface. But I knew better. He knew better. It wasn’t just a text. It was a reminder. A shadow he couldn’t shake.

I could almost see him now, running his hand through his hair, muttering under his breath about how much he hated me. Yeah, he hated me. I could feel it every time he looked at me like he wanted to tear me apart but couldn’t.

And that hate… it made this even sweeter.

I propped my arm under my head again, eyes drifting shut for a moment. My chest rose and fell slow and easy. I wasn’t tired, not really. Just content. The night had gone exactly how I wanted, and now it was ending exactly how I liked.

Me in control. Him squirming.

That was all I needed.