Page 12 of In the Midst of Chaos

“Is there a reason you’re up here?” I continued to apply my lipstick.

“You’ve been back a week, and you haven’t made any arrangements for a school transfer. I was wondering if you wanted to come down with me. I’ll show you around campus.”

Before I could reply, Duncan walked in. He was wearing a pair of ripped black jeans and no shirt.

“Nice tats,” I said, referring to the roses and skulls on his chest. In the middle of the design, the insignia for the Death Disciples was inked.

“Awww, so adorable, you two are going to college together. How cute,” Duncan said with disgust in his voice.

I felt him before he even spoke.

“You’re going to college with Huxley?” Nash asked in a low growl.

I sighed and put my stuff away and then turned around in my vanity seat.

“No, I’m not going back to college.”

All three of them looked confused, and it was quite adorable to watch.

“You were adamant that you had to stay away because of college,” Nash bit out.

I raised my eyebrow at him. If this was how he wanted to play the game, that was fine by me.

“I had things to take care of, and I took care of them.”

“You have one more year left,” Huxley stated. “You’re just going to throw that away?”

“Throw what away?” I looked at Huxley, unflinching. “What exactly am I throwing away? Whether I finish college or not, I still have a seat on the board of DD Enterprises, and I’ll still earn with the Disciples. A piece of paper won’t change my fate.” I took a breath. “And it won’t change yours either. You can run as fast and far as you want, but by doing so, when that invisible band that tethers us to this place snaps, it’s going to fucking hurt.”

Huxley’s jaw was stiff, and his eyes blazed with anger. He knew what I said was right. We’d had our futures laid out before us since birth, and no running away would change the outcome. Believe me, I had tried, but I was meant to be here, and if I couldn’t be in the arms of the Crull boy I wanted, then I wanted to be my own king.

When I looked up, something looking a lot like pride shone from Nash’s eyes.

“So why did you go to college?” Duncan asked.

I smirked at them.

“I went to make friends.”

When I got up and walked out of my room, all three of them followed me.

* * *

Axton was waitingfor us when we got to the dining room. We might be a lot of things, but family had always been big for us. We might betray and lie to the world but never to each other. My eyes went to Nash, who sat to Ax’s right. Well, almost never to each other.

“There’s going to be a board meeting on Friday, and I want you all there.”

“Who’s coming?” Huxley asked since he was the one that always showed more of an interest in our legitimate earnings.

“Everyone.”

All of our heads snapped to Axton.

“Define everyone,” I asked hesitantly.

“Your aunt, Riley is coming,” he grumbled.

I groaned, and Duncan rubbed his hands together with a smirk. My aunt, Riley, well, she was a handful who always managed to rub Axton the wrong way. She was my mom’s younger sister and a little too irresponsible. That’s why staying with her was not an option, and she wasn’t much older than I was. Part of my mom’s shares went to her, and the other half to me, as well as my father’s shares.

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