I don’t know why. It’s not like I can go and become anything I want to be, anyway.
And I couldn’t. Princeton couldn’t either, which was why he likely acted like he had no fucks to give. Why focus on taking classes to go to the University when our fates had already been decided for us at birth? Born into the Brannington Empire, we were destined to take over for our grandfather once he was ready. And Ronan Brannington made sure we all knew it. He was hard on the three of us, but we were all that was left of the family.
Our fathers had passed away when we were younger, so we’d been raised by our grandfather and given a first-hand view into what it took to run an empire the size of ours. We also knew the sacrifices involved, which was likely the only thing Princeton and I had in common. We couldn’t get attached to anyone, especially from outside of our world, because our futures were not our own to give. There were acquaintances to hang with, and women to warm our beds, but they would never matter to us in the end, as all were disposable.
“Hey, Cill, we’re going to the boathouse. You going to join us?” Princeton asked as he stuck his head in my door.
I wanted to ask where he’d been, but decided I didn’t even want to know. “Sure. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I replied before getting up.
The boathouse was the best part of this school. It not only had a number of canoes, kayaks, and jet skis, all of which had been provided by our elders, but it also gave us a chance to party on the lake. Parties like the one tonight would all end the same way. Someone always managed to sneak liquor, which would result in most of us getting butt naked in those same waters. And when we were sure the headmistress had gone to sleep, the shoreline, pier, and lake itself would become the setting for a huge orgy.
This might be one of the last of those parties for a while because Fall often ushered in cooler temperatures, which made the water unbearable to be in. After, Winter would arrive and blanket the entire campus in multiple feet of snow. These parties would then take place in numerous cottages, but they weren’t the same.
Getting up, I was determined to make the most of this one, and I quickly changed into some swim trunks. I did put on a T-shirt, but I knew it wouldn’t stay on long. It didn’t matter. After sliding my feet into a pair of slides, I grabbed my cellphone, which would be the only thing I would need. Conrad was supposed to provide the booze this time, and not sure if he needed help or not, he was the one I went looking for as soon as I left the room.
When I reached the main hall, a slew of students were all gathered about. The girls all had coverups on over their swimsuits, but I could still see many of the bright colors peeking through the mesh holes in them. Most looked like they came out of a department store ad, but money could make anyone look better. Or at least, that was what my grandfather had always told us.
I turned away from the females, then began to scan the room. My gaze met my cousin’s, who gave me a curt nod before smirking as one of those girls moved closer to him. Princeton was already starting to party, and I couldn’t even say that he had the wrong idea as I would be doing something similar soon.
A flash of color caught my attention, and I realized it was the girl from the first night. Her bright, red hair drew my eyes to her like a moth to a flame, and it was then that I noticed Conrad. Ignoring the girl, I walked over to my friend. The girl had tried to walk by at the same time as well, and when I reached them all, I could see Benny, Conrad, and three others now surrounding her.
“Why are you eavesdropping, squatter?” one of those kids asked.
“I’m not eavesdropping. Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”
“Registration...housekeeping...food server...There’s only one other thing for you to do here to earn your keep,” Benny said to her.
“Yeah,” Conrad said to her as he moved closer. “You could join us later at the pier so my friends and I can run through that pussy of yours.”
“You’re all disgusting,” she sneered at them.
“After a few drinks, it won’t even matter.”
“Drinking is illegal on campus,” she said.
“How would you know the rules, squatter? It’s not like you have a student guidebook to review.”
“Yeah, because she’s too poor to be a student here,” said another of the guys.
“She probably can’t even read it,” Benny added.
“Hey,” I finally said to him.
“The little whore’s playing hard to get on us, Cillian. It’s all for the best. She likely has soot under her fingernails, anyway,” Conrad said to me. “She’s certainly never heard of a manicure.”
Our entitlement came through in his words, especially with the level of disgust he had for her because she wasn’t rich like our parents. Conrad was smarmy like his State Attorney General father, and I was sure he was also meant to follow in his father’s footsteps. The difference between his doing so and mine was that he was excited to do so, while I had resigned myself to my fate, but had yet to accept it.
“You’re a fucking prick. All of you,” she said to us, before bolting.
Princeton came over and slapped Conrad on the arm. “What the fuck, man? She’s going to run to her mother and have the entire party shut down now.”
“She won’t,” he said. “She knows better.”
I wanted to ask him what that meant, but Conrad was completely unbothered by the very possibility, so he likely believed his own words. He probably had already fucked the girl. Most of them here had been unable to resist the playboy over the years. He might be smarmy, but he never lacked a warm body in his bed.
“Whatever,” Princeton said, before he pointed over at a group of girls, all from other countries like us, and completely disinterested in our group. None of that would matter by the end of the night.
“Let’s get this party started,” Benny chimed in, and for once, I agreed with him.
