Palm South University: Season 3 Box Set Read online

  Table of Contents

  EPISODE ONE

  Thanksgiving

  Cassie

  Bear

  Jess

  EPISODE TWO

  Ashlei

  Adam

  Erin

  EPISODE THREE

  Skyler

  EPISODE FOUR

  EPISODE FIVE

  EPISODE SIX - SEASON FINALE

  Acknowledgements

  More from Kandi Steiner

  About the Author

  Sign up for my newsletter

  Copyright © 2017 Kandi Steiner

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1973744252

  ISBN-10: 1973744252

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without prior written consent of the author except where permitted by law.

  The characters and events depicted in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Published by Kandi Steiner

  Edited by Elaine York, Allusion Graphics, LLC/Publishing & Book Formatting

  Cover Design by Kandi Steiner and Staci Hart

  Formatting by Elaine York, Allusion Graphics, LLC/Publishing & Book Formatting

  Palm South University: Season 3 picks up right where Season 2 left off. You will need to read Seasons 1 and 2 before reading Season 3.

  Tweet/Instagram as you read using #PalmSouth and join the Palm South University Discussion Group on Facebook.

  EPISODE ONE

  Thanksgiving

  Cassie

  Bear

  Jess

  Cassie

  Bear

  EPISODE TWO

  Ashlei

  Adam

  Erin

  Ashlei

  Adam

  Erin

  EPISODE THREE

  Skyler

  Cassie

  Jess

  Skyler

  Cassie

  Jess

  EPISODE FOUR

  Bear

  Erin

  Adam

  Ashlei

  Bear

  Erin

  Adam

  Ashlei

  EPISODE FIVE

  Ashlei

  Cassie

  Jess

  Ashlei

  Cassie

  Jess

  Ashlei

  EPISODE SIX - SEASON FINALE

  Ashlei

  Skyler

  Jess

  Bear

  Cassie

  Ashlei

  Erin

  Adam

  Acknowledgements

  More from Kandi Steiner

  About the Author

  THANKSGIVING

  WORST.

  Friendsgiving.

  Ever.

  I thought it was my best idea since I’d decided to change my major, to get the gang together to overdose on mashed potatoes and red wine, especially since my original plans for the holiday had fallen as flat as my hair in the Florida humidity. I couldn’t be with Jarrett, so I’d be with everyone else I cared about. It seemed genius at the time.

  But here I am, sitting in the proof that I was very, very wrong.

  We’re all gathered around a long, folding table usually used for beer pong, though now it’s covered in a deep red table cloth with gold accents and several plates of food. I say all lightly, because Ashlei is halfway across the country due to her stupid internship and Erin is MIA.

  Her…and the turkey she was supposed to bring.

  “Maybe we should just start,” Skyler suggests, smiling softly, though her blue eyes are strained. The bags under them tell me she hasn’t been sleeping. “I’m sure she’ll be here soon. We can at least eat the sides while they’re hot.”

  Clinton scoffs, crossing his hard, dark arms over his chest as he rolls his eyes. “Oh, right, because you always know what’s best, don’t you, Sky?”

  Skyler’s face crumples. “Bear, please. I apologized. Can we just… can’t we have a nice meal?”

  All eyes are on Clinton, mine shooting daggers as we wait for his answer. He’s been a prick since he walked in the door, and though I have no idea what happened, I’m almost positive he’s being a little bitch about whatever is going on.

  Then again, that could just be because right now every man in the entire world is the enemy to me. I hate them. I hate how they make us feel things, how they make promises they can’t keep, how they have a gift for building us up with hope only to let us down in the end.

  And I’m not even on my period. God help the poor suckers who hit on me the next time I am.

  Clinton picks up his fork like he’s ready to play nice, at least for a while, but then he grits his teeth and drops it back to the table again. The legs of his chair scrape against the hardwood floor of the chapter room as he pushes back and stands.

  “How the fuck are we supposed to have Thanksgiving without a goddamn turkey,” he growls, and without another look at any of us, he steamrolls out the back door, letting in the tiniest sliver of the setting sun before the door closes behind him.

  Skyler sighs. “He’s not mad about the turkey,” she explains, standing up for him even when he’s being a giant dick to her. “He’s just worried about his little brother and…”

  “It’s fine, Big,” Cassie says, offering a soft smile. “I agree, we should just eat.”

  “Yeah, who says you can’t make a meal out of green bean casserole?” Adam chimes in, and for some reason Grayson is giving him a death glare from across the table. I know they had some tension between them after the dodgeball tournament, but was it really so much that he’s still not over it? “Challenge accepted.”

  Skyler nods, but she’s chewing her lip between her teeth, eyes on the door Clinton just blew out of. Adam starts, piling mashed potatoes and gravy on his plate first before passing the serving dish to Skyler. She glances at it briefly, then pushes back from the table with another sigh.

  “I’m sorry, I just need to check on him. I’ll be back.”

  So, she skips out the door, too, which leaves me alone with the peanut gallery: Cassie, Adam, and Grayson.

  Joy.

  Adam swallows, offering the dish across the table to Cassie, instead. I’m kneading my temple now, eyes closed until I hear my phone buzz on the table. My hands fly, unlocking the screen quickly and expecting to see Jarrett’s name, only to find a sorry ass excuse from Erin.

  - Sorry, got caught up with some Panhellenic stuff. I’ll be there soon! -

  I grumble, but before I can even text back, another chair scrapes against the floor.

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake, what now?!”

  It’s Grayson who’s standing now, jaw all tense and chest puffed out. I’ll admit, he’s still a sexy motherfucker with that man bun and those steel eyes, but even he’s not immune to my man-hating today.

  “I can’t do this anymore, Cassie,” he says, eyes hard on Adam across the table. “You have to choose. Him,” he snarls, thrusting a hand toward Adam. “Or me.”

  “Andddd, that’s my cue.” This time it’s me who stands, tossing my napkin on my still-empty plate. “You guys can have your pissing match. I’m going to get a cheeseburger.”

  Tossing my long, freshly highlighted hair over my shoulder, I snag a dinner roll and take a large bite before saluting them and walking out the opposite door the other two had exited. I roll my eyes as soon as the door closes behind me, crossing through the sorority house and taking the stairs two at a time up to my room.

&nb
sp; I hit the speed dial for Jarrett, switching my phone to speaker before dropping it to my bed and filtering through the clothing options in my closet. By the second ring, I’m stripped free of the tea-length dress I’d had on. By the fourth, my favorite pair of skin-tight jeans are hugging my hips. And by the time his voicemail picks up, my boobs are pushed up to the heavens and barely covered with a black crop top that criss-crosses over my cleavage.

  Huffing, I end the call before the beep, stepping into a high pair of candy red pumps and checking my reflection in the mirror. I run my fingers through my hair, swiping my purse from where it hangs off my closet door and fishing through it for the lipstick that matches the shoes.

  Rubbing my lips together with approval, I give myself one last look before adding my last accessory — a smile that screams trouble.

  Jarrett is busy. I get it, really, I do. But he could at least call. He could at least text, especially considering we were supposed to be together today.

  But if he wants to play hard to get with his attention and affection, I’m not afraid to step up to the table and play the game. I have tricks up my sleeve, ones he isn’t exactly oblivious to. Still, maybe he’s forgotten. Maybe he needs a reminder.

  If he’s going to sleep on me, then I don’t really have much of a choice anymore.

  Time to wake that motherfucker up.

  THREE MONTHS EARLIER

  I’M OFFICIALLY A SOPHOMORE.

  It seems impossible that an entire year has gone by since I first stepped foot on the Palm South University campus, and even more impossible that I’m now on the other side of recruitment. If I thought it was hard rushing as a freshman — choosing a sorority to call my home — I clearly had no idea what it was like to stay up late every night for two full weeks practicing and preparing for rush as a sister.

  Erin wants the best pledge class Kappa Kappa Beta has ever seen, and she’s stopping at nothing to get the most premier girls. Top GPAs, athletes, dancers, pre-med, pre-law, previous class officers, and yearbook editors — she wants them all. We’ve been studying bios for weeks, and with only two days left before the girls make a decision, Erin is pushing us even harder to lock in the new members.

  With all the chaos, it’s a miracle I was even able to sneak out. I’m exhausted, I barely have a voice left, and all I want to do is sip a cup of coffee in a quiet coffee shop and kiss my boyfriend whom I haven’t seen all summer.

  But apparently, quiet is out of the question.

  Pushing through the crowded coffee shop, I keep checking the time on my phone, knowing I won’t have long before Erin will be blowing it up wondering where I went. I’ve never seen Cup O’ Joe’s so packed before. There are girls in every bit of free space, some sitting at tables while others line the walls. None of it makes sense until Grayson comes into view, and when he croons out a smooth note from the Maroon 5 song he’s currently playing, I have a feeling this is going to be the new normal.

  The longest sigh leaves my lips as I take him in, noting how his eyes look brighter with the tan still bronzing his skin from the summer. His hair is pulled back, bun messy, beard clean and trimmed, guitar strapped over one shoulder like it’s an actual limb and not an object he can take off.

  “Can I help you?” I hear the barista at the counter ask when it’s finally my turn to step up and order, but I can’t tear my gaze from Grayson.

  I wait for his blue eyes to connect with mine, but they keep wandering the crowd as he sings to every single girl like they’re the only ones in the room. I can’t deny there’s a sting in my chest every time he winks or gives them that same sexy smile he hooked me with last semester, but I try to remind myself it’s all now part of the show.

  As if he senses my discomfort, Grayson furrows his eyebrows, and he searches the crowd until he finds me.

  Then, he smiles.

  A radiant, too-hot-for-a-coffee-shop, drop-your-panties-now smile.

  “Get that girl a caramel latte,” he says, nodding to the barista behind the counter. “And don’t let her leave before I kiss her breathless.”

  He keeps that smile on his face and his eyes on me as he finishes the song, but he’s not the only one watching me now. Every girl in the room is staring, eyes flicking from me to Grayson and back again, likely wondering how in the hell I landed him.

  I’m still trying to figure it out, too.

  When he plays the last note, the whole shop cheers, whistles ringing out, but I barely register them. All I can see is Grayson jumping down from the stage, his stride confident, eyes on my mouth. All I can hear is the beat of my heart in my ears matching each step he takes. All I can smell is his cologne, and I remember sleeping in it, in his sheets, in his arms. And when he finally reaches me, hands framing my face as I taste him for the first time in months, all I can feel is everything.

  Longing, excitement, fear, relief, passion — all wrapped into one kiss in a crowded coffee shop where only the two of us exist.

  When he pulls back, forehead still pressed against mine and hands on my cheeks, I smile.

  “Well, mission accomplished. Officially breathless.”

  He smiles, pecking my nose and pulling me into his chest for a hug. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too, rock star. Speaking of which,” I add, eyeing the girls around us as they throw knives at me with their eyes. “I think you’re going to start a riot in here if you don’t let me go.”

  He laughs, shifting to pull me under one arm and leading me through the crowd to a blessedly empty table in the back corner. It’s marked with a reserved sign, and Grayson slides it aside when we sit down in the two chairs behind it.

  “They’ll live. It’s crazy, though, isn’t it? That video, Cassie… it changed everything.”

  “You had the magic formula,” I remind him. “You, shirtless, lights turned down low, acoustic guitar, and an original song better than anything on the radio right now. All it took was that one YouTube fangirl to share it on Facebook and all her groupies attacked.”

  He chuckles as the barista from behind the counter sets down two matching coffee cups, smiling at both of us before leaving us alone again.

  “I guess. But seven-hundred thousand views in less than two months?” He shakes his head, reaching for his coffee to take a sip. “It’s crazy. I maxed out on Facebook friends, Cassie. Like… I can’t add anymore. It’s insanity.”

  My heart skips as I watch him, eyes all glowy and smile wider than I’ve ever seen it. He’s like a puppy in a blanket — too damn adorable not to kiss.

  So, I lean in, taking his coffee from his hands to set it back on the table as I thread my hands behind his neck. His lips are sweet, sticky with caramel, and I lick them clean before letting him slide his tongue between my teeth.

  Grayson moans into my mouth, arms wrapping around me and sliding down to palm my ass. His knee is right between mine, and when he pulls me closer, I catch just the slightest bit of friction that makes me whimper.

  “Come over tonight,” he whispers, slowing our kiss enough to say the words.

  I groan. “I can’t. Recruitment, remember? I actually snuck out to be here…” I check the time on my phone. One missed text from Erin, soon to be five, I imagine. “I should probably get back.”

  Grayson pouts, but he doesn’t get to throw much of a fit before they’re announcing him back up on the stage.

  “What about Sunday, then? I’m playing at this swanky new restaurant downtown and I want you there as my date.”

  I bite my lip, debating my options. Bid Day is Saturday, but there are usually Sunday Funday celebrations at all the houses the day after, too.

  “Please?” Grayson adds, pulling me closer. “I need you there.”

  Smiling, I run my fingers through the hair at the back of his neck with a nod. I’m sure Erin will have something to say about me not being present, but she’ll get over it. I’ve been in her captivity for over two weeks now.

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”


  He smiles, leaning in to kiss me once more before pulling me up to stand with him. “Have fun pillow fighting or making necklaces or whatever it is they have you doing over there.”

  I smack his arm and he sneaks in another peck on my nose, adjusting his hair in the messy tie he has it in as he jogs toward the stage. Allowing myself one last minute of gawking at him as he straps on his guitar, I debate staying a little longer. That is, until a string of three texts come in from Erin all at once.

  Sighing, I give Grayson one last longing look before taking my coffee to go for the walk back to the house.

  “There you are,” Erin says as soon as I walk through the door, her voice tight with annoyance.

  Sisters are running all over the place, some of them balancing protein bars in one hand and bios in the other. Just because the potential new members are done for the day doesn’t mean we’re even close, and that fact is cemented when Erin thrusts a thick packet into my chest.

  “I need you to run this down to the Alpha Sig house and get it to Adam. Then come right back because we’re doing dress check for tomorrow and I’ll need you to help me fix the sisters who apparently don’t understand what cerulean blue means.”

  She rolls her eyes, tucking a misplaced blonde strand of hair behind her ear before checking two items off the list on her clipboard.

  All I can do is stand there and gape at her.

  “Why are you still standing here?” she snaps, then she closes her eyes and forces a breath. “God, sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound as bitchy as it did. I’m just stressed. You okay?”

  I nod, forcing the swallow I couldn’t seem to get a grip on before. “Yeah, I just… is there anyone else who could maybe run this down to Alpha Sig? I was actually hoping to take a shower before—”

  I don’t even get the rest of my pathetic excuse out before Erin cuts me off.

  “I need you to do this, G-Little. Please. I’ve already got Jess, Lei, and your Big off doing other pertinent things and honestly I’m too exhausted to even try to find someone else I trust enough to deliver that packet without somehow getting lost at one of the campus bars.” She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes again. “Please?”