You don't strike me as the kind of person who'd come to a party. Just go bury yourself in some physics textbook and enjoy your day like that.

Lily's words echo in my mind. I've never been petty but I really want to be now. It's been a while since I dressed up properly for something. Months, in fact. My wardrobe is open and I'm staring at the piles of neatly arranged clothes and the other clothes that I've used hangers for. I don't know what to wear since I didn't know I'd actually be going to a party this early into the year.

Summer Laurent is the daughter of Estella and Winston Laurent, both of whom run a successful company together. Since she's rich and has been in the media for as long as she can remember, it's natural that she's going to have a big party. Judging by the location, I'm damn sure it is.

I'm pretty sure that the parents of a few students are going to show up as well. Redville is also a place for children of influencing people, after all. I wouldn't be surprised if a few board members show up there as well.

It takes me a few minutes to decide upon an outfit—a black crop top with thin straps and a short black skirt with fishnets and doc martens. I put on a loosely buttoned shirt over it, keeping my hair open. I go with gold jewellery and minimal make up. When I finally look in the mirror, I feel satisfied with my look.

At last, I look at my elbow. The swelling isn't much visible now even though I still feel a bit of throbbing pain.

My phone rings and I see that it's Ryker. "The cab's here and if you're done dressing up, can we leave?"

Ryker's been excited to go. Not because we're going to Summer's party but because he doesn't want to spend a Saturday night in the dorms. I cut the call with Ryker, telling him that I'll be there in two minutes. On my way outside, I see a few students glance at me and whisper about something. Speaking of which, the rumour about me has actually faded ever since Summer has begun being friendly with me. Nate and Asher were right about it. I meet up with the others.

Rhea's face drops when she looks at me. "Goddamn, you really know how to dress up for a party, don't you?"

"So do you," I say, complimenting her look. She's in a black bodycon dress and black heels, her eye mirror smoky.

"As much as I agree with the both of you," Kai says as he stands leaning against the door of the cab, "I'm pretty sure that the driver is getting annoyed with us. Care to leave?"

The four of us sit in the car. Kai is the one who volunteers to sit in the front while the three of us sit at the back. I'm the last one to enter the car so I get the window seat. It takes us about half an hour to reach the venue. Throughout the journey, Ryker and Rhea bicker and kick each other, annoying me and Kai. I bet the driver wanted to kick them out of the car but couldn't since he has to be kind to his customers.

We reach the venue on time when there are still guests entering the place. I spot a few students from the Academy but there's no one other than that who I recognise. There are some older people entering the place and other than that, there's some media around here. The presence of the media is understandable because of the status of most of the guests around here. Moreover, the Red Prima dance group is an aspiring international candidate for the championship.

"Holy shit, I didn't know it was going to be this big of a party," Ryker mutters. "I've heard a few of the second years are going to come as well."

"Who?" Kai asks him.

"Reece and Sean and the others." He throws me a look. "You know them too. God, how the hell do you know all the popular people? I'm so jealous."

After waiting around for a few seconds, the four of us enter the area and the others are immediately taken aback by the crowd around here. The first people I spot are Reece and the others. Sean waves to us, calling us over but before I could even react, Rhea drags me with her to them. Before I know it, I'm standing amongst Reece, Sean, Cammy and Jase. I've never talked to half the people around here.

"Rhea and Harley are twinning," Parker points out, his lips turned into a small grin as his eyes flick between us. "Take a picture together before the two of you forget."

The thought of taking pictures didn't even come to our minds, making me laugh as Rhea agrees with him, nudging me and asking me to remind her when even she knows that I'd forget something like this. "Man," Sean begins, "the first half of the party is boring with meeting everyone and all." He's leaning against the wall, his hands folded. His brown hair is rather well styled and he's wearing a simple t-shirt instead of a shirt like the others.

"You've been here before?" Kai asks him and he nods.

"Yep," he says, "last year. The second half, we go to another room. Out of this place because Summer doesn't like spending her time around smelly old rich men."

A man behind him hears him, giving him a look. All the others try their best not to laugh while Sean tries to hide his face from him. Eventually, the man walks away and Sean sighs in relief, his nervousness clear on his face. The others begin to tease him for it while the others begin to make fun of him for it. I zone out for a moment, scanning the faces across the room.

My eyes rest on a particular face. I shudder, taken aback since I had no idea that he'd be here. He's tall and well built, wearing an elegant light blue coloured suit and a white shirt underneath. His hair is well arranged, his long face maintaining a soft smile. I didn't want to see him here - I should have known that he'd be here. I ask myself whether I'd still be here if I knew he was going to be here and realise that the answer is yes, because I'd like to know what he'd say to me when he sees me.

And in that moment, his face turns. His eyes meet mine, his smile falters for a single moment before he looks back at the person he's talking to. He throws me another glance and I almost think that he's going to walk towards me at this very moment but before he can do anything, I feel someone wrap their arms across my shoulder and pull me closer to them. I feel their breath on my cheek and let out a small yelp before turning to see who it was.

"Penny," I say, not feeling comfortable around her at all, "if you creep up on me like that again, I'll hit you."

She laughs. Her laugh is sharp but sweet. It's hurting my ears but calming me at the same time if that's possible. "I didn't creep up on you!" she exclaims. She pulls away from me, looking at the others. "I'm borrowing your girlfriend for a while," she says to all of them. All of them are either laughing or feeling bad for me. It's on their face.

"I don't wanna go anywhere," I say to her.

She clicks her tongue. "It's not me who wants to borrow you. Summer asked me to bring you to her the moment I see you."

"Why?" I ask her. She gives me a look that just makes me sigh. I look at the others and tell them that I'll be back. I don't miss the look that Reece gives me, the sharp and blank one as he watches me walk away from them. Penny puts her arm around me again with a smile.

"You're meeting her dad."

I almost laugh at that. "Why am I meeting her dad?"

"Don't worry, we had to, too. Two years ago. Reece and Sean did too last year. Now you're her friend and her father likes to meet her friends to see whether they'd be a good influence or not."

We walk past many people I think I've seen before. They're probably popular in business. Penny pinches my side and I flinch. "You look like you're dying. Cheer up." She tucks a strand of her dyed hair behind her ear, showing off her set of earrings. She's wearing a loose green off shoulder top with shorts and boots. Her arms are covered with fluorescent bracelets and I now notice a tattoo up her arm, which would usually be covered by the sleeve of her school uniform. It's something written but I can't make out the words. "If you're worried about whether he'll like you or not, then chill out. He liked me. You're not as bad as me. If you were, well, then that would've been an entirely different thing.

I smile at her reassurance. She's right about it. If her meeting had gone well, then my meeting shouldn't be bad either. Of course, anything could go wrong but I don't care about it much right now - overthinking will only do more harm than gain to me at the moment.

We stop in front of the door. Before I can reach for it, Penny opens it for me. "After you," she says and I walk through it. We're in the hallways and she takes the lead. We walk to the end of the hallway, passing a few waiters who are serving back in the hall. When we reach the end of the hallway, Penny stops. She looks at me, stepping a little away. "You ready?"

"Yeah," I mutter.

She nods and pastes a bright smile which almost seems real. She opens the door and my heart skips a beat. The room is darker than the corridor and the hall, with very few people inside. It takes me a moment to adjust to the lighting here. Penny pushes my arm, gesturing to me to enter the room and I do. She doesn't leave my side and her smile doesn't falter either.

There are no customers around here, just a few waiters making drinks behind the counter. Soft upbeat music is playing in the background and I hear a few voices from the other side of the room. My eyes go to that corner, where there's a table and a few couches with some people sitting and talking.

"Who exactly is here?" I ask Penny in a low voice.

She shrugs. "Summer's dad, Summer, Asher, Nate, Mason, Lily, Ella and Vera. I think. Maybe Asher's dad is here too now. He's supposed to be but he's always late and since I was trying to find you, I don't know what happened around here."

I nod, understanding her. Before I can say anything, I feel someone jump on me. The smell of the familiar perfume makes me recognise the person. It's Summer. Her arms wrap around my shoulder and she puts her weight on me. From the corner of my eye, I catch her smiling face.

"You look so pretty, Harley," she says to me and I smile, keeping my palm over her hand and patting it. She releases me but holds my hand anyways, earning a look from Penny, who is trying too hard not to say anything.

"Happy birthday," I say to her, "I ordered something for you but it'll be delivered tomorrow, I'm sorry."

Hearing this, Summer pokes the side of my stomach and I wince a little. "Did I ask you to get me something? No, right? So, shut up. Come on. My dad wants to meet you."

"It feels like I'm meeting my girlfriend's parents," I mutter under my breath, trying to make sure that neither of them hear me but they do. Penny snorts while Summer just laughs softly without saying anything. She drags me to the place where everyone is sitting and stops suddenly, making me stumble a bit.

Penny grabs my arm firmly to keep me steady while throwing Summer a look. "Dude, don't get too excited. She's gonna fall."

"She wasn't going to fall," Summer says in a cheerful tone and turns to me. "Right, Harley?"

Penny speaks up again. "Yeah, sure she wasn't."

"She wasn't," she repeats. "And I didn't ask you. Harley, were you going to fall?"

"Deja vu," Asher says. I look up to find him standing behind a man, his palms resting at the back of his chair. He's looking at me and Summer, a ghost of a smile on his face. "She definitely was."

Summer just pouts. "You're supposed to take my side." Asher just shrugs. It is then my eyes go to the elder people sitting around the table. Asher's father looks like the older version of him - they have the same eyes and hair, the same expression on their faces. He's wearing a white suit and probably looks younger than he actually is.

There's another man, in a light blue suit, whose eyes are on me and Summer as well. He's blond and rather old and I recognise him as Winston Laurent. He's been in business magazines a lot of times along with his wife. I did see Estella greeting some of the guests back in the hall. I wonder why there are so many people here when they have to sit inside but I guess it's pretty understandable considering they'd prefer a private party that only includes people they know.

The third person is a woman with dark blond hair tied in a bun. Her eyes are on me as well but her face is way more relaxed than the others. She's wearing a peach coloured formal suit, matching with her light toned makeup. I don't know who she is, but then I remember Penny saying that there is someone named Vera here. I don't remember a Vera from school, so probably this woman sitting right here is Vera. There is something about her calm composure that makes me want to know more about her - how is she so unnaturally cool?

"Dad, this is Harley. Harley, this is my dad," Summer says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I manage to show a soft, small smile in greeting, unsure of what to say.

"I've heard so much about you," Winston says. His voice is calm, just like Summer. "Summer's been going on and on about how she met you."

I look at Summer, still not knowing what to say.

On the table at the left - the last one in the area, Nate is sitting with his feet on the table, his phone in his hand. But he's not looking at his phone. His gaze is set on me, making a chill go down my spine. He's wearing a pair of black trousers and a dark blue shirt, his top two buttons open. His hair is ruffled like always, a small, amused smile on his face. He looks so unbelievably attractive that I have to force myself to look away from him.

"So, you're a first year dance student?" Winston asks me.

I nod. "Yes, I am."

"One of the best in your year, I've heard," he states with a smile. "Summer's told me a lot about your dance. I want to see you perform sometime."

Before I can say anything, it's the woman who speaks up. "Harley Kingsley, aren't you?" she says, her voice bold but low. Her eyes are set on me, her gaze making me uncomfortable. Somehow, hearing her voice has perked everyone's interest. Lily, who was sitting next to Nate and was scrolling through her phone, is now looking up at her with a blank expression. Mason and Ella's eyes are on us too. Only Nate, who's been looking at me all this while has looked down, his signature smile nowhere to be found.

"Yes," I reply, confused about whether or not I should put a 'ma'am' after the sentence or not but end up not doing it. "I am."

"Kingsley. Your last name," she speaks thoughtfully, her gaze going all over me, making me feel uncomfortable. "Are you, by any chance, related to Austin Kingsley?"

"Austin Kingsley?" Ella carefully pronounces his name, her tone full of disbelief. "As in the businessman?"

"Yes," the woman replies. "The businessman who recently inherited the brand Brooke."

"Right," the man in front of Asher says. "I heard his father passed away sometime last year, right? It was all over the news then."

Summer's dad hums, taking a sip of the drink in front of him. "Yeah, there's a deal that was put on hold because of that. It's on again, though. That man's really private about his personal life like his father. I'm not surprised that we didn't know his family member was going to the same school as Summer."

"Back to the question," the woman says, clapping her hands together. "Are you related to him?"

I've been frozen while they talk about him, a bitterness rising inside of me but I press my nail into my skin to keep myself calm. "He's a distant cousin," I tell them and it's not a lie. Austin Kingsley is my mother's cousin's son. I was close to him when I was younger but eventually, we grew apart just like all siblings do. I didn't care about what happens to him anymore and I'm sure this feeling is mutual.

"That's pretty interesting," the woman says. "I didn't expect you to be his sister but guess that's cool. Tell me, now, are you planning on competing anytime soon? Or do you have plans for the competition next month? I hear Valeria's been preparing the first years."

"Yes, she has been." The three of them ask me questions over and over again while the others interrupt sometimes in between. Summer laughs a lot throughout the conversation. I don't miss the occasional glances that Nate was throwing my way and I don't miss the way Asher was smirking whenever I replied to a question without hesitation.

The whole conversation lasts for about a few minutes before Summer's dad asks us all to leave the place and have fun, which in their words meant that it was their time to get drunk and talk. Penny puts her arm around me and drags me out of the room. The moment she opens the door, we see a beautiful, light haired woman standing there with a smile. She gives me a nod and greets Penny before entering the room. She was Estella Laurent and she was probably going to join the others.

"That was scary," Penny says to me. "Vera's the scariest of them all even though she looks the calmest. When I met her, I was fucked. She asked me so many questions that I wanted to get up and leave the place."

When she says that, I take it as a hint that my encounter with all of them is way better than how hers went.

"For real though," I hear Asher say as he walks out of the room along with the others. "Those three in there are scary. You're lucky you weren't interrogated by Estella, though. She's even more scary than Vera."

"Who's Vera, though?" I ask just out of curiosity. She's probably a close friend of their parents considering she was sitting inside instead of roaming around in the hall and talking to the other people.

"She's my aunt," Nate says, his tone neutral. My eyes go to him and I find him staring at me with an expression that I can't quite make out.

I didn't expect Vera to be related to Nate in any way so the fact that she is his aunt comes out as a surprise to me. Penny is still by my side, scrolling through her phone. It is now that I notice that her hair dye looks a little faded than before.

I feel someone put an arm across my shoulders. "Let's go," Summer says to me.

I raise my eyebrows. "Go where, exactly?"

"Just come," Summer says. By then, Asher has already begun to walk towards the stairs with Lily in tow. Summer and Penny are on either side of me and I almost want to tell them that something called personal space exists in this world and that they were invading mine but rethink my choices, ending up saying nothing.

We go up the stairs and reach the first floor. Asher is standing in front of the third door towards the right, holding the knob. "It's this one, right?" he asks and Summer shows him a thumbs up. He turns the knob and opens the door. I hear some familiar voices inside the room, telling me that all the others are there.

One by one, all of us enter the room. The moment I'm in there, Rhea waves to me. She's sitting between Sean and Kai and was previously engaged in some conversation with them.

"Are you gonna stand here forever?" I hear someone whisper in my ear from behind me and almost jump, slightly turning to find Asher behind me with a smile on his face. Seeing my reaction, he laughs and holds my shoulders, forcing me to walk forward and sit down. I end up sitting at the end of the single bed between Asher and the wall.

I sigh.

I have no idea what we're gonna do. Lily is passing on drinks around us and offers me one with an unsure look. "Do you drink?" she asks me and I just shake my head. She shrugs and takes the bottle back, taking a sip. "Suit yourself."

Lily goes back and sits right next to Nate, who lets her rest her head on him. Nate catches me staring at him but I look away. Asher nudges me and I flinch a little, wondering whether he's figured about whatever it is between me and Nate. He shouldn't, obviously, because most of his friend circle is playing with me at this point.

"What?" I ask him, slightly annoyed.

"You really don't drink?" There's a slight amusement in his voice. "Well, that's surprising."

"I'm sixteen. It shouldn't be surprising."

He scoffs. "Hardly anyone waits to be legal to drink."

"I do drink actually," I tell him, "but I haven't in a long time." I wonder if I'll still like it.

He laughs, shaking his head. "Do you wanna right now? I mean, I'm not trying to force you or anything, but it'll be cool. You'll have your first drink of high school with us."

I don't say anything while they pass on bottles and make drinks, but two minutes later, I say, "I take it back." It takes a moment for Asher's smile to return, it's more of a challenging one. "I want one."

He whistles, leaning back. "You think you can finish this," he clicks his own bottle, producing a sharp sound as his nail collides with the glass, "before me?"

I shrug. "No," I pause for a dramatic effect, a smirk forming on my own lips, "but I can try."

He scoffs again, leaning towards me. "If you're doing this because I'm asking you to, don't. I don't wanna force anyone into drinking."

"You're not forcing me to do anything. I want to drink."

I notice that the others have started to hear our conversation with interest. I don't mind it at all and it seems like it's the only thing that's keeping Asher amused. He likes it - challenging people and winning, just like I do. Up till now, our relationship has been complicated since it was based solely on a rivalry and rumours. Right now, it felt like we were friends.

Which, by the way, we aren't.

Maybe we'll be friends someday, but at this moment if either of us wanted to progress our relationship, we'd have a long way to go. It's even longer considering I've threatened to bring him and his house down as if it's easy for me to do that. That being said, neither of us have enough trust in each other yet. The only thing I knew that was obvious between us is that he underestimates me.

"Wanna bet on it?" he asks, the playful note on his voice apparent.

I smile. "Hell, yeah."

***

We're sitting at the centre of the room where a table has been set. I have my legs crossed and I'm leaning on my palms with my eyes set at him. There are two beer bottles on the table and nothing else.

The others are surrounding us all. The moment Asher had suggested a bet, Rhea and Ryker were the first ones to jump and ask me to stop. Their major arguments were that we're underage and that I shouldn't be drinking. They stopped in just two minutes when Sean and Cammy had set the table for us.

Summer sits on the bed with Penny while Lily is standing in front of us with a bored look on her face. "What are the two of you betting on?" Lily asks us.

"Uh, let's see," Asher speaks, his eyes never leaving mine, "Money isn't cool. How about we simply put it like the one who loses would owe the winner."

I shrug at the offer. "Sounds cool to me."

"Okay," Lily says. She leans down with the bottle opener to open up both the bottles one by one. She stands up straighter when she's done and begins to countdown. The two of us hold our bottles and the moment Lily says one, I put the bottle to my mouth and begin to drink.

It's cold, I think. The bittersweet taste invades my taste buds and the fact that it is freezing doesn't help me at all. I take gulps as calmly as I can, the fuzzy feeling immediately rising in my stomach but I don't stop. My eyes meet Asher's who's looking at me too. Even though he's not smiling right now, his eyes tell me everything I want to know.

I'm winning, he says, you'll be owing me.

As expected, Asher's the one who wins. I finish just two seconds later and keep the bottle on the table, breathing heavily and slightly wiping my face.

"You're good," Asher says with a smirk. "I didn't expect you to be that quick."

I smile. "Thank you," I say.

"You owe me now, by the way."

"Yeah, I owe you one."

Summer claps her hands then. All eyes go to her as she stands up. "We're gonna go play something now."

I see Nate whisper something to her before leaving the room. Summer suggests that we play seven minutes in heaven and never have I ever, the two games I'm not really fond of.

My phone vibrates. I take it out of my pocket and my expression changes into an annoyed one. I open the message from my notifications.

Unknown: Meet me outside right now.

I feel my heart drum with anxiety as I recognise the number. I purposely leave the person on read but he sends me a message again, making me internally groan and facepalm myself in frustration as I type in a reply.

Unknown: If you don't come here right now and I'll storm in where you're sitting and drag you out here to talk so please don't test my patience for once or you'll fucking regret it.

Harley: jeez. calm down. i'm coming.

I get up from where I am sitting after telling Rhea that I'll be back in a while. She doesn't question it. "I'll be back in a while," I tell Summer when I'm near her.

She furrows her eyebrows. "Where are you going?"

"My dear brother requests my presence," I say sarcastically and she immediately understands what I mean, showing me a thumbs up.

"Just be back soon," she tells me and I nod. Walking out of the room, I keep looking at my phone for him to tell me where he's waiting for me. When I'm walking down the stairs, his message pops up on the screen.

Unknown: Behind the parking lot.

"He just has to pick the weirdest places, doesn't he?" I mutter under my breath before making my way out of the building as fast as I can. I'm being quick since I want to get this over with and I know better than to test his patience.

I reach the parking lot and make my way past it, ignoring the guests. I walk out of the area and find that the place he's called me is rather secluded. I'm under the impression that he's not here yet when I hear someone clear their throat behind me. Turning around, I come face to face with the guy I recognised back in the hall - Austin Kingsley.

"Long time no see, Lee," he says. The nickname rings at the back of my head.

"Don't call me that," I snap.

"Why not?" he asks me, strolling closer with a smile on his face but I know that the calmer his expression is, the more he is trying to keep his cool. "It's your name."

"It's ridiculous."

His face drops for a second and he scoffs, shaking his head. "Ridiculous," he repeats the word and somehow, coming out from him in his voice, it seems like I'm in trouble and that I'm a dumbass for agreeing to come to meet him. Seeing him makes me feel small and weak because he's the worst brother anyone could ask for. "You're going to talk about ridiculous? Oh, please. You're the only one who's ridiculous here." He pauses, his smile widening. "Everything you say is ridiculous."

I hate when people talk about me like this but when it's him, I can't help but ball my fists and punch him in the face. You're the only one who's ridiculous, I want to scream at him, because you left like the others. There are things I want to say to him just to get them out of my system. Once upon a time, I'd have told him everything that was on my mind. He used to tell me things too. But in the past year - no, it's been a lot more than a year - my relationship with my family has worsened to a point I don't think it can ever be normal.

I don't think it's ever been normal in the first place.

"I can see it, you know," he continues, "your eyes. You want to punch me right now. I can't say I don't deserve it but you deserve it more than I do."

I don't reply again, trying to avoid his gaze. He scoffs again, running his hand through his hair. He's noticed my lack of reply and doesn't seem happy about it. I won't be surprised if he hits me now.

"You're gonna stay quiet and listen to me? Fine by me, I guess." He gets a hold of my right hand, pressing his thumb right where it hurts intentionally. I groan in pain, my expression and composure falling immediately and stumble back, trying to make him let go of me but he doesn't. "Sebastian's been texting me about you. Says you've gone crazy like her. I mean, what do you expect? You're both sisters. You both share the same blood. You both share the same weaknesses. I won't be surprised if you run away too one day."

"Stop," I say to him but my voice betrays me, coming out as a whisper.

His eyes spark up in amusement. "Say it louder, Lee."

The nickname doesn't fail to sting me again when I hear it from him. He's finally lost it and I don't know what to do about it. I'm scared of him sometimes - in fact, he's probably the only person I'm scared of. No, scratch that. Sometimes, I'm terrified of him.

"I take it that you didn't say anything," he laughs. His face drops then, his grip loosens on my arm as his eyes go to my arms, trailing down. The fingers of one of his hands trail down the most visible scar. "You know, Sebastian refuses to tell me how you got hurt. I never saw these scars of yours until today but he did tell me that there was an accident." He pauses, his gaze never wavering. I feel terrified of what he's going to say next as the corner of his lips momentarily tugs upwards. "I don't think it was an accident. I think you're lying. And you've convinced him to lie for you too."

He drops my hand.

"I'm not going to ask you about what happened that night. Tell it to me yourself. I never decline your calls, though you've stopped to talk to me for a while now. Tell me when you feel like it because you're the only one who can."

You're the only one who can.

The words themself make me freeze. No one else can tell him about the accident more than me. Even Zack's words won't hold true because he only knows what I've told him, which is not the whole truth. He only knows what I want him to know, a part of the story that seems believable enough to be accepted by my mom and dad.

"On to the next thing," he says, noticing my lack of reply. "Why are you here at Redville? You never wanted to be here, no matter how good it is. You shouldn't want to be here. Not after what happened. You're hanging out with the people who did this to her. Do you have any self respect?"

He doesn't know, I tell myself, and he won't be able to figure it out. No matter how smart he is, I'm smarter than him. I can say it with full confidence and he will admit it as well. He may have surpassed me in some fields and he may be a clever strategist and a manipulator, but I'm better at it than he is. His skills are rusty but I'm not brave enough to say that he's weak out loud.

"I'm here because I want to be," I say quietly. "I hang out with those people because I want to. You cannot comment on that, no matter what the situation is."

He's surprised to see I actually replied to him. He's pleased, even. "You're shameless. You don't care about what happened to her. You don't care that they ruined her life. You just care about yourself. You think you're going to fit in with them and everything will be happy? Because if you do, you're so, so wrong, Harley. They're going to ruin you too. They're going to do the same thing and break you until they can't anymore." He takes a deep breath. "But you don't care about any of it, do you? After all, you-"

My fist flies before I can even think about it. He doesn't know anything. He doesn't know anything. He doesn't know anything.

He's taken aback by it when my fist stops just a few inches away from his face. I only stop because I realise what I'm doing. I don't know what's going on in my mind and I don't know whether I'm right or wrong. I said he doesn't know anything. But I don't know anything either. I can't figure out why I'm doing this. I had everything and in a moment I was left with nothing but me and my thoughts.

My hand drops and I break then, tears welling up in my eyes. I don't let them fall. He just watches me with a neutral expression as I close my eyes and turn away from him. I take a moment before facing him again.

"You're not doing anyone a favour by staying here. Leave before it's too late," he says, his voice suddenly soft. "Go see Seb. Go to some normal local high school and to whatever law school you wanted to go to before. But staying here? It's disrespectful." The last words come out like venom slurring from his tongue.

When I don't reply to him, he begins to walk away. I want to say so many things. I want to apologise to him. I really want to, but I don't. Instead, I call out to him again, my voice cold and blank. "Austin." He stops, turning to face me, mirroring my expression. "You're talking about disrespect and ridiculousness to me," I walk towards him, my eyes never leaving his. It's not confidence of course. I'm faking it. "When you're signing a deal with Summer's dad?"

He stiffens. He clearly did not expect for me to know of this. "Business is business. No one should let personal feelings get in the way of business and you know it too."

A bitter laughter escapes my lips. "If business is business, Austin, then my education is education as well. I don't let personal feelings get in my way as well." My tone is mocking and he doesn't seem to come up with a reply. "I came first at the entrance. I broke a well kept record. The studies here are the finest in the whole country. I'm here because I want to be. It's not disrespectful to anyone. But still, if you think so, you should reconsider the deal between you and Winston."

He doesn't reply for a whole minute. Then, a smile tugs up his lips, genuine amusement behind his eyes.

"Well, then, seems like I can't change your mind." He grabs my fingers once again, this time a lot more carefully than before. He takes my hand in his, and looks at me, a small smile on his lips. There's a sadness in his eyes - one that I cannot ignore even if I try. "Whatever you do, I want you to be careful and safe."

His voice is surprisingly soft as he speaks. I don't know how to react.

"I may seem like an asshole now but I'm still your brother." He drops my hand and takes a step back, his smile not faltering. "Call me when you're willing to talk. I'll listen to you no matter what and unlike the others, I promise I'll believe you."

With that, he walks away and I'm left alone. I almost feel guilty doing everything I am after this. I feel bad for not telling him things that are on my mind even though some of them would hurt both of us. I'm sure there are things that he didn't say either. Neither of us are willing to communicate or let each other help the other. He calls me ridiculous but he's just the same as me.

With a heavy sigh, I decide to walk away from this place too and forget the conversation between us because that's all I can do at the moment.

Even after everything he said to me, I don't regret coming to Redville yet. I probably will later on but I don't think anything or anyone will be able to change my mind about the situation in front of me.

One day, he'll realise what I've always meant to do.

He'll realise that my reason for being here is anything but to cause disrespect.