Davyn couldn't sleep.

Every time he tried, maddening thoughts swirled around his brain and unwanted images morphed into something more monstrous than reality.

His father's body, the corpse rising from the grave after the lacking funeral. His mother wailing like a Banshee, her cries haunting the cemetery, their house, Davyn's very soul.

As much as he tried to either sleep or stay awke, he often found himself in a state of half consciousness which exhausted him and fed his migrenes.

It didn't help at all that the next two weeks were a whirlwind of lawyers, hearings and paperwork which were meant to both emancipate him and distribute his share of the inheritance. The moment it was done, he had a sliver of hope as he realized that he could literally walk away.

He didn't have to do what Freider wanted anymore, didn't even have to go to school or care for Ron. If he truly desired, he could walk out the door and never look back. Forsake his family and his twisted legacy.

There is so much out there for you, Davyn. Just you wait and see.

His father's words plagued his dreams as much as his mangled body. Like a fool, Davyn had hoped he'd find a clue regarding his supposed destiny in Sirius' will. But as it turned out, it was nothing but a mathematical split of the inheritance which depended too much on Grace being in her right mind. He now had independence, money, and nothing else.

In a moment of hope combined with insanity, he'd decided to visit his mother. The asylum, a red brick building with barred windows and too-hish floors, gave him the creeps the moment he stepped inside. Even if the staff was nice and professional enough, he'd picked up on their strain and discomfort. They advised him against seeing his mother yet, but he'd insisted. Of course, he'd regretted it right after, because Grace Grant didn't even recognized him.

For fifteen full minutes, they'd sat in silence, his mother glancing out the barred window. Then, when he'd tried to touch her, she'd started screaming again, accusing him of lies and broken promises. It only served to fuel his nightmares.

School wasn't any better, especially once the news of his father's accident hit the papers and the local television stations. Sirius Grant had been an esteemed member of the community, but it didn't stop people from endlessly debating just what he'd been doing out at three in the morning and what drugs he might have been on. Davyn focused on keeping Ron away from it all and trying to ignore the pitiful and curious glances he'd started getting even from the people he'd counted on to share some light conversation. He didn't want to discuss any of this, so he pulled away from everyone even more than before.

Endless sleepless nights weren't helping either, so he turned into a jittery mess of nerves, wound up in too much coffee and energy drinks, doing his best to merely function.

His hands shook so badly, he couldn't even handle opening his locker anymore.

"Davyn?"

Oh, God, no, just go away. But Maddie Silverman was the future prom queen so she didn't just go away. Not after two weeks in which he'd expertly ignored her. It was a wonder she hadn't shown up to chew him out earlier.

"I was so angry with you," she stated, not even waiting for him to acknowledge her. "I mean, leaving me like that? Really? But then I found out what happened." She heaved a dramatic sigh that made his skin crawl.

He gave up on his locker and half turned to her. "Maddie, look, I really don't want to talk about it."

Her grey eyes widened at his words, her small mouth forming a shocked O shape. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, shitty of me, I left you there, but that's it. Move on."

There was no room left for sympathy when her reputation as the school's sweetheart was attacked. "You don't get to tell me what to do, Davyn Grant!"

Of course he didn't, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear her talking or screeching at him. "Fair. So why don't you go somewhere else where I'll be unable to tell you what to do."

She swelled like a bullfrog, pursing her lips, her cheeks growing almost as red as her hair. "You just left me there!"

Yes, because he went to the hospital with his crazy mother. "True. Very assholish of me."

"Damn right." She crossed her arms over her generous chest and huffed. "You didn't even finish."

And normally, that would've bothered him, but he'd already slept with her twice before and he wasn't missing out on much. She was very selfish, point further proved by her inability to just drop this and walk away.

"That must have been really annoying and inconvenient for you," he deadpanned, then returned to fiddling with his lock. His hands shook even worse so he propped them against the metal to steady himself.

"Look, I just..." She hesitated which in itself was odd. "I'd like to pick that up where we left off."

He turned to her and leaned his shoulder against the locker to appear more in control of himself. "Why?"

She was shocked for a moment, but then she closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean why?"

"We're not a thing, Maddie. It's not like we'll be going to prom together."

Her cheeks caught a pink tinge and it becameobvious that was exactly what she'd been expecting. "That's an awful rude thing to say."

"It's the truth. I never led you on. You knew what this was."

The reasoning seemed to shut her up, because she just opened and closed her mouth. "But we... It was... You asked me over!"

He fought not to roll his eyes because he was sure that wouldn't help his impending headache. "So what? You're not the first girl I've had over and you definitely won't be the last."

This actually drew a gasp from her, but he was too exhausted to care. He never hid the fact that he didn't do commitment, that he had purely physical relationships for fun. And every girl he'd been with had been informed appropriately until his reputation preceeded him and it was no longer necessary. He'd enjoyed it, exploring and experimenting without any feelings or strings attached.

Maddie had been no different, and he'd never wanted anything serious with her. At the moment, he couldn't fathom having anything with her or anyone else, be it serious or not. Yes, his ultimate goal had always been finding a romance like the one his parents shared, but it felt impossible now. There was too much darkness inside him, swirling in unpredictable ways. Like the darkest flames licking the night sky.

"You're such an asshole!" She raised her hand and made to slap him.

Out of reflex, he caught her wrist in midair. For a second, he considered letting her have this, but there was no reason to. He hadn't lied to her.

"If I'm such an asshole, you're much better off without me."

"Let me go!"

He did, holding his hands up in surrender. Maddie glared at him then clenched her fists and stomped her foot before finally leaving him alone. Maybe if he wasn't numbed out with exhaustion, he would've felt at least a little sorry about this, but as it was, he was just glad she'd left him alone.

Now it was time to return to his locker and leave his books before heading out to find Ron. He really didn't like his younger brother's entourage and wanted to keep an eye on them.

His hands wouldn't cooperate. They shook even worse than before and the blood rushed to his head, filling his ears with a low buzzing sound that made it feel like he was underwater. His blood pressure was most likely through the roof, but he needed the coffee and energy drinks to function. They'd be having their intermediary tests by the end of the month and he needed to decide whether he was bothered enough to continue his education.

Because, damn, he didn't give a flying fuck about school anymore. What was he supposed to do with it? Go to college? He'd never even considered what he might like to do seeing as there was always this greater purpose waiting for him. It was why he needed to know everything.

But now everything was slipping away and he couldn't even open his damn locker.

"Looks like someone is going through withdrawal," a voice whispered in his ear.

Davyn jumped and turned just to come face to face with Nicholas Harkin. This time, he'd picked up the mantle himself while his goons hung back.

"I thought I told you to fuck off, Harkin," he said between his teeth.

The asshole was not deterred, watching Davyn as if he were a profitable investment.

"I checked you out, Davyn Grant. You're rich and apparently some sort of prodigy. And now..." His eyes drifted towards Davyn's still shaking hands and he clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Apparently you're in need. Let's say I'm willing to extend a hand. I'm going to give you some of the good stuff. And if you paid me four times the price, I'll let Snitch Gravel know we're cool and you can sleep at night."

He had to be joking. Pathetic bullying and drug dealing were the last things on Davyn's mind, just like what that moronic Snitch Gravel might want.

"I have a better deal for you. You fuck off and leave me alone and maybe I won't break your face."

Harking squinted at him, his grin turning into a snarl. "Don't overstep it, boy. You don't have your daddy around to protect you anymore."

The words sunk him into a cone of darkness, but it was almost immediately replaced by cold blooded calculation as his mind turned over all possible scenarios. He could still walk away, but he didn't want to. He wanted to wipe that snarl off Harkin's face. And the consequences, though clear, didn't interest him. This was worth it.

So he pulled his elbow back and drove his fist into Harkin's face full force. His head shot back, his nose crunched and he let out a loud yowl.

"You son of a bitch, you broke my nose!"

"And I'll break more if you don't learn to listen."

"Snitch Gravel will--"

"If that asshole has anything to say, he can say it to my face."

Harkin bared his teeth, still holding on to his broken nose and nodded forward for his goons to attack. Davyn took one step back to steady himself for the fight that would follow and raised his fists. When the first guy was near enough, he jabbed him in the jaw hard enough to send him toppling into the opposite row of lockers.

"Mr. Grant!"

Mr. Sanders and another teacher Davyn didn't know made their way down the hallway. Of course, he'd taken this possibilities into account, too, and didn't care about this particular brand of consequences either.

"They attacked me first," he said, straightening out of his battle stance.

"That's not true," Harking moaned. "You're the one who punched me in the face for no reason."

"You were trying to sell me drugs."

There was a deathly pause after the words graced the air and Davyn waited. No one had ever dared to out Nicholas Harkin before, not like this.

"Excuse me?" the other teacher asked. Then there was a moment of verg awkward pause as his words seemed to test the air.

"Mr. Grant, you are one of our best students. Why would you be engaging in something like this?" Mr. Sanders finally asked, his voice higher than usual.

"Precisely," Davyn said. "I'm one of your best students. Just why would I be hitting my peers without cause? Unless they were pushing to sell me drugs and couldn't take no for an answer."

"That's not true," Harkin growled. "You have no proof. I, on the other hand, have six witnesses that you just decided to attack me for no good reason."

This seemed to trouble the teachers. Of course they knew that Harkin wasn't an innocent bean, but his parents had been throwing money at the school for years, which was why Harking could still attend even if he'd been held back three times. They also knew about Snitch Gravel and some of the teachers feared him even if the faculty pretended he didn't exist. But, on the other hand, Davyn had always been the poster child for Sanit Agnes Academy's impressive results.

"Both of you, to the principal's office," Mr. Sanders finally said.

Davyn didn't falter for one second and started off down the corridor. It didn't take long for Harkin to reach him and fall into step with him.

"You're dead," he hissed.

"Funny, you'd think I'd have stopped walking around by now."

"You had your chance and you blew it!"

"How about you blow me?"

Harkin gritted his teeth and Davyn regretted that they'd reached the principal's office. He was rather enjoying their conversation.

♣️

As it turned out, Davyn got a week's worth of detention, effective immediately. He didn't get to find out Harkin's punishment since he was chewed out and dismissed first, but he had the vague suspicion that nothing would happen to him. After all, rumors about his extortion ring and drug dealings had swept the school for years and nothing had happened so far. Davyn doubted it ever would. The faculty was probably waiting for him to care enough to pass his mandatory classes and be rid of him.

Let him be someone else's problem.

In hindsight, that was a very healthy approach, so Davyn decided to ignore him all together and head for his detention. He didn't even mind. After all, going home felt like a punishment every afternoon. So much so that he'd ended up driving endlessly for hours or finding any other place to go just to escape the dreary atmosphere inside that house.

Every evening, it was the same. He would ask Freider how their mother was, get an annoyed answer that nothing had changed, then he'd retreat to his room where he couldn't sleep. Ron being crushed didn't help either, because Davyn didn't have the energy left to comfort him. He was just so done with everything.

Sleeping in detention was a much better option, even if it was still that annoying state between consciousness and true sleep that didn't offer any respite. It helped the time pass and he got to ignore everyone else there.

Someone sat on the seat in front of his and he jumped into a sitting position. He'd been so out of it, he hadn't even realized the classroom was now empty. The person who'd joined him was Mr. Sanders.

"Davyn," he said, his voice careful. "I know you're going through a hard time right now, what with what happened to your parents. But you can't let the pain ruin your future. You are a brilliant young man with so much going for you."

Davyn fought not to scoff at this. Yes, of course, his bright and noble future.

"But," Mr. Sanders continued, "we do understand that it's not an easy process. I've been talking to coach Johnson and he mentioned you've missed the last two weeks of training?"

That was true, but basketball was the last thing on his mind right now. He still nodded, because he didn't see the point in making it hard for someone who seemed to want to help.

"Thought so," the teacher said. "So we think this might help you." He took out a single key on a keyring and held it up.

Davyn frowned. "What's that for?"

"It's the key to the gym. If you need to practice on your own for a while or just get away from it all, you can. Use the entrance from the dorm rooms and just please put everything back where you found it when you're done. This is a bit unorthodox so we wouldn't want any trouble."

The idea of a space he could escape to alleviated some of the pressure on his shoulders. It was an infinitesimal amount, but at that moment, it meant the world.

"Thank you. For the key and the vote of confidence."

"Just..." Mr. Sanders sighed. "Try not to ruin your future, okay? I would personally hate to see that happen."

Davyn just nodded and got up, more than ready to leave for the day. As he headed down the empty hallways, the key felt like a ray of hope in his pocket. Once he exited the main school building, his eyes drifted to the adjoining dorms. He'd been inside that building, but only in the lobby to hang out while doing projects and use their vending machines. The bedrooms themselves were on the higher floors, meant for the students who came to study from out of town or even from out of state.

He had no idea what the living conditions were like, since he'd never had friends staying there. Come to think of it, he didn't have many friends in general. Sure, he got along with mostly everyone in his classes and could always exchange jokes with the guys on the basketball team, but he'd never really had close friends to hang out and waste time at the mall with.

Because, once school was over, he had his activities and schedule with his family. He had deep conversations about life and science with his Dad, discussed growing pains with his mother. Played around with Ron. He hadn't realized how dependant he was on his family until there was no friend outside the detention room asking him if he was alright. He had teachers looking out for him instead of other kids. His life was defined fucked.

That became even more apparent once he reached home and found Freider alone in front of the TV.

"Where have you been?" he mumbled, not taking his eyes of the screen. "You're late."

Davyn ignored his question, not wanting to give him the satisfaction to know he'd been in detention. "Did Ron come in?"

"I don't know."

Davyn froze on the way to the stairs. Anger tensed his muscles and his fists clenched again. Still, he did his best to turn slowly instead of whipping around. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Weren't you supposed to pick him up?"

"And when you noticed I was running late what did you do?"

Freider finally looked away from the TV, his face scrunched up in disgust. "Are you saying I can't count on you?"

Something seemed to crack inside of Davyn. "I'm saying you should look after Ron, asshole! He's your responsibility!"

"Watch your mouth!"

"Fuck off." And he strode up the stairs and directly to Ron's room.

Of course he wasn't there, so he headed back down the stairs, into the garage and out in the street. There was no point going back to school because Ron wouldn't be there at this hour. Davyn hadn't forgotten him there. He was supposed to be home. He drove to the nearest mall instead.

The place was crowded, mainly with families or adults looking for a bit of late shopping. Near the fountain in the center, a bunch of youth were huddled together, laughing too loudly. It was the sort of crowd that could easily be identified as troublemakers by shoppers and were given a wide berth. Davyn was not surprised to find Ron amongst them, laughing too loudly at something one of his friends said.

"Ron," he called the moment he approached them.

As he turned, there was a flash of fear in his eyes before it became defiance. Unlike last time, Davyn was in no mood to spare his feelings, so he nodded towards the exit, trying to keep his frown from becoming a full-on snarl.

Ron shrugged and returned to his friends, mumbling something to them that looked a lot like complaining about his lame family. It only riled Davyn up even more.

"Now!"

"Alright, alright," Ron said with an eyeroll. "Don't get your underwear up in a bunch."

Breathe, just breathe. It's not his fault. He's a kid. He doesn't know better.

Freider should've known better. His mother should've known better. His father shouldn't have gone off driving in the middle of the night. None of this should be on his shoulders.

Once Ron reached him, he just headed back outside towards the car. His little brother didn't make any snide comments as he got inside and fastened his seatbelt.

"If you ever do something like this again--" Davyn started, turning the keys in the ignition.

"Where were you?"

"It doesn't matter where I was! If you're not going home, you call and you let someone know! You take the bus home! Hell, maybe you even ask Freider to pick you up! I have absolutely no desire to identify your body in the morgue, too."

This effectively shut Ron up and he huddled in his seat, hugging his knees to his chest.

Davyn did his best to calm down his breathing, but it wasn't working. His entire body shook as exhaustion made controlling his feelings much harder than it should be. So he didn't speak another word, just drove home and let Ron scurry out of the car and inside. Freider had turned off the TV and the lights, probably hoping the two of them would die in a ditch somewhere and he could be rid of them.

The thought had the simmering fury inside Davyn explode into full blown rage, so after a half an hour of pacing in his bedroom, he got back in his car and started driving at random.

His hands still shook. It felt like everything was slipping away from him, swirling in a whirlwind of misery he couldn't escape. His life had been marvelous until it all went to hell and he lost all control.

He needed his control. He needed to feel like he could still predict outcomes, do things with finite results.

So he found himself in front of the school building. There was something in there that he could control.

♣️♣️♣️

And we're mostly done with the set up at this point. Things will start to move in a direction now, both with Davyn and his issues, as well as the lovely Nichoals Harkin (don't you just love the guy?)

We will also be meeting someone relevant in the next chapter, so hold on tight for that! It's finally time to have some fun.

Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to vote and comment for support.