All Chapters of The College Bad Boy's Target : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter 12: Control gamesRyder's POVThe sharp smell of stale liquor and sweat clung to my room when I cracked my eyes open, my head throbbed, though not from the alcohol, I hadn’t drunk enough last night for a hangover. No, it was from the restless spinning in my mind that hadn’t stopped even after my body had given in to exhaustion, my sheets were tangled around me, damp in spots, clinging to my skin with the faint sweetness of perfume. Serena’s perfume. A scent that now only irritated me, crawling under my nose like an itch I couldn’t scratch away.I lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to feel some sense of satisfaction, nothing, my chest was hollow, restless, as though all the release in the world wouldn’t quiet it. Serena’s body had been soft, eager, and I had taken everything she offered, twice, until she collapsed against me breathless. And yet, when she finally slipped out sometime near dawn, I’d ended up finishing myself again, chasing the phantom of someo

Chapter 14: Cracks in the MaskOllie's POVThe notification lit up my phone like a warning flare, my heart jumped straight into my throat, pulse pounding as I froze, staring at Ryder’s latest message, short, taunting, dangerously close to the truth, he hadn’t spelled it out, but the implication was sharp enough to cut straight through me, he knew. Or at least, he knew enough.My stomach twisted, fingers trembling, I typed a reply, deleted it, tried again, deleted that too, every word looked like a confession, every attempt at casual humor dripped with guilt I couldn’t hide. Sarcasm, deflection, anger, none of it worked, my thumbs hovered over the screen, desperate to send something, anything, before panic shoved the phone out of my hand. It hit the desk face down with a clatter, and I sat there, chest tight, trying to breathe past the rising heat of dread. Silence was safer, silence was all I had left.Except my body didn’t agree, heat curled low in my stomach, a pulse I couldn’t igno

Chapter 16: WaitingOllie’s POVThe sound of the knock echoed through my apartment, sharp and heavy, settling into the silence like it belonged there. My body locked up instantly. My chest rose too fast, too shallow, like the air had turned to smoke. I sat frozen, staring at the door as though it had grown teeth. It wasn’t a neighbor’s knock. I knew that before I even admitted it. It was too slow, too deliberate, each pause between raps stretched long enough to crawl into my bones.My fingers gripped the edge of the desk until they ached. I couldn’t bring myself to move closer, but I also couldn’t move away. My ears strained for the next sound, and when it came, it wasn’t another knock—it was his voice.“Open up, Ollie.”Ryder.I didn’t have to see him to know. My breath hitched, my throat closed tight, and a tremor raced down my arms into my hands. My nails scraped at the wood as I pulled myself toward the door like a moth toward flame. I pressed my palm flat against it, as if that t

Chapter 18: Eyes that see everything Ollie's POVSleep never comes. I spend the entire night curled up in my bed, every muscle tense, my ears straining for the smallest sound, the shadows in my apartment seem alive, stretching long across the walls, creeping toward me. My heart refuses to slow, pounding heavy in my chest like it’s trying to break free.Ryder is out there. I know he is.Every creak of the floorboards, every whisper of the wind against the window keeps me on edge. I lie there, staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself I’m imagining it, that he isn’t really standing somewhere in the dark, waiting for me to slip. But I can’t shake the feeling of eyes on me. Watching. Hunting. Owning.When morning light finally filters through the blinds, pale and weak, I force myself out of bed. My body feels wrung out, heavy with exhaustion. Still, I stumble to the window, clutching the curtain like it’s the only thing holding me upright.And there he is.Across the street, Ryde

Chapter 20: The KnockOllie's POVI dragged myself through the day like a ghost, my body moving while my mind stayed stuck somewhere else, my legs carried me from class to class, my hands opened doors and scribbled notes, but none of it felt real, my skin itched with exhaustion, my head felt heavy, and my chest ached with something I didn’t have words for.The worst part wasn’t the lack of sleep.It was the constant awareness of him.Even when Ryder wasn’t there, he was there. His presence clung to me like a shadow stitched to my skin, a weight pressing on the back of my neck. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know he was near. My body knew, some deep, primal part of me that wouldn’t stop trembling.Every time a door opened, I flinched, every laugh behind me felt like a threat, my pulse jumped at the slightest sound, at the whisper of footsteps, at the scrape of a chair.I was unraveling, and I knew it.Allison noticed too.“Hey,” she said gently as we walked across campus tog