Page 1 of Play Dirty (Villalargos University #1)

Chapter One

Shiloh

F reshman

Age Eighteen

Nothing prepares you for the jittery weight in your stomach when you realize life as you know it has officially ended. That everything, down to the man you will marry, is already chosen for you. University might be a commitment for others.

For me?

A small dose of freedom. A small choice in a life full of pre-decided ones.

I take a deep breath in, the sea breeze drifting in from the coast as Villalargos comes into view.

Just as I remember it, from visiting with my mom.

Nothing but salt, extravagance, and power.

My grin widens as I look at Coastal Bay’s top university, home to the legendary Sirens FC.

In a couple of days, I will start my first year of college.

Like my mother, I will be part of the Delta Kappa Theta and will eventually marry some big shot.

My mother used to rule DKT before all the Botox, and I plan on doing the same, minus the crow's feet. But today I’m here to look at my dorm and, of course, shop for it.

Glancing at my freshly polished nails, I lift my hand in the air, checking whether the color fits the aesthetic of the school.

Champagne pink against bone white with golden accents.

I would say it does, but my focus today is finding the vibe for my dorm that I'll be sharing with June.

I want a very minimal look with touches of beige and sage.

However, it would be too basic for someone as colorful as June, my best friend since elementary school.

My driver parks the SUV in front of the main campus—a large three-story Victorian building with the school logo hanging from the front.

The trident is dipped in real gold, along with the siding and the ornate decor.

The school screams money, power, and beauty.

Alfred opens the door for me. “I’ll be waiting. Enjoy your walk around campus, Ms. Shiloh,” he says with a tender smile.

“Thank you, Alfred. Go grab some food. I’ll be here for a while.

” I reply softly, my face relaxing as I take in his warm features.

He isn’t my father, yet he gives me more attention than mine ever does.

The only man who’s always carried my luggage, expecting nothing in return.

Don’t get me wrong, my dad is great, but he’s always working.

Around this season, he’s usually helping with the Athlete Sponsors Program, which is basically when they scout for new players for the Sirens.

Only the best get selected for such a privilege.

It’s like the show The Bachelor, but for boys with good calves, mean kicks, and no family connections.

While I don’t necessarily care for soccer, as a donor's daughter and obviously a new Villalargo student, I have to partake in celebrations. That means sitting through the games— hence why I’m here today and not at the mall shopping or in the comfort of my studio back home.

The role assigned to me at birth is now fully mine to assume.

This year, everything falls into place. Being a freshman is simple when your path is already paved— like my mother, I will become a crowned one.

The highest status within the Delta Kappa Theta.

A sorority as old as Villalargos itself.

Created for girls raised to marry into power, born to be seen but never heard.

We’re the face of the university.

The polish on its rot .

And like everyone else that’s part of this elite society, I would bleed for the crown.

Climb or fuck my way up the ladder. That much mom didn’t say, but I know.

As a freshman, I will start as a Petal. Like every other job, I have duties.

As far as my first assignment, I’m expected to be part of the welcoming committee alongside the student council.

June is already a part of the student council, while Tati and I represent the sparkling parts of Villalargos— the eye candy that motivates the players.

Nothing sells more than a pretty face and nice body that they think they can own… claim.

You’d be surprised how well men can play when they want to show off.

I honestly didn’t want to come in today and welcome this season's players. Well, the ones trying out for their spot in the scholarship. But duty calls, and it would be a lie for me to say I didn’t mind the eye candy and the quick distraction.

Through the corner of my eye, I spot the new girls like myself who have already formed their mini clique, and I wave with a smile, of course. Katie, who is the upcoming crowned one currently and a junior, I believe, smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

It’s all fake. Nothing but a show.

“Love your tracksuit,” one of the new girls says, but her tone drips with venom.

She tucks a strand of burgundy locks behind her ear and smiles.

Of course, I smile back and notice the fake leather and uneven stitches on her black Chanel bag.

I can barely contain the urge to laugh as I see all the signs that her bag—it’s a knockoff.

And like a true girl's girl, I clock it.

“Thank you, it was from last season.” I point at her bag. “Honey, you might want to return that.” I scrunch my nose and pause dramatically before adding. “That's a fake.”

I watch as her face turns red, her green eyes going wide as her eyebrows lift, deepening the lines on her forehead as she scrambles to find something to say back. Like a true Johnson, I finish it .

“You might also look into Botox; my mother knows a great place for it.” With that, I continue to head towards the field, using my hands to shield my eyes from the sun, to look for June.

“Shiloh!” June calls out from the left side, already busy creating posters for the athletes.

It’s her first year like me, and she wants to motivate them to do well.

I, on the other hand, didn't care for it. And Tatiana, our other friend who stands beside her with Bluetooth in one ear and phone in hand, looks more interested in what she’s talking about than what she’s doing here.

Her honey coils bounce with each step, as she paces back and forth.

“Ciao, kiss kiss,” she says into the mic before turning her attention to me. “You look hawt.”

I give her a crooked smile and a small pose.

“Back at you,” I respond with a wink.

My friends and I are matching. All three of us are wearing light blue Coach tracksuits with white running sneakers.

Our hair is nicely braided to the side. The holy trinity is reunited after a long summer apart.

I smile at my friends. What started as a duo soon evolved into a trio during junior high.

The rest is history; we have been inseparable ever since.

It also helped that our parents all mingled together.

Well, until Tatiana’s parents’ cheating and divorce scandal.

My mother became distant and ended the friendship.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a mother like June’s.

Only around to show face, always available for her kids.

She wasn’t like the others; she didn’t care about the Botox, the luxury, and focused on instilling her values into her kids.

Mrs. Morelli managed it with June; sadly, she didn’t have the same luck with her son.

I shiver from the thought.

Peter Morelli is hot as sin but fucking scary. There was a time that my parents really wanted us to get married—I was his crowned. Then, one summer after some scandal, Mr. Morelli paid a lot of money to make it go away. Then Peter was sent to study abroad. And marriage was off the table.

I’d say I dodged a bullet, which is great because then that summer Asher came into my life. June looks up at me from the ground.

“Are you guys going to help?”

I scrunch my nose at her question, pretending to be bored, staring at my manicured hands.

“Not sure, maybe not.” I tease. Of course, I’m going to help the girl I love like a sister.

“You seem like you are ready for an actual game.” I point to the posters in June’s hand. She laughs nervously, fidgeting as she looks down at her work. “I thought it would be a nice source of encouragement. This place is going to be brutal to them. Might as well show them they can have an ally.”

Tatiana scoffs loudly. “With the lowies. June, this is practically a charity.”

Scowling, I roll my eyes at the comment. Tatiana can sometimes be too judgmental and believes in the separation of classes. She doesn’t mind helping the ‘needy’ as she calls it. Ironically, she’s quite the humanitarian, but sometimes her actions don’t match her words.

“Come on, I’m all for charity. Let’s not act like they will make it to nationals, not here, fuck they are lucky if they survive the first year. Lowies just don’t belong here.”

“Stop calling them that,” June mutters, already heading towards the fields. Tatiana throws her arm around June. “Hey, I’m sorry, you’re right, that was shitty of me.”

“It was.”

“Right, so let me make it better. Let's welcome and encourage the newbies.”

I stand behind for a bit; my stomach feels odd, as if butterflies are dancing inside it. Like a warning that something big will happen today. My phone pings in my hand, and I smile when I see that Asher, my on-and-off again boyfriend, finally texts me back.

Asher

Bummed that you didn’t pick to come to my school. :(

I replied immediately.

I tried, Mom said it was my right to become a crowned one.

The bubbles appear and disappear.

Finally, the message comes, and with that, my heart sinks.

Asher

I think we need a break. I don’t like distance.

Left on read.