Page 43 of Discord
“I always entertain her because she’s young,” Raven declared. “She’s allowed to explore and change her mind.”
I rounded the car, bored.
Raven followed behind like an incessant bug. “The things I heard you say in her room… you’re suggesting permanent changes to her life that’ll cost her the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity to attend Yale. If you care about Mia at all, don’t let her ruin her life over her newest found hobby,” she said pointedly, insinuating I was the new, temporary interest.
I stared at Raven’s frantic nature. She was annoying, but one thing had become clear from our exchanges today. Raven would never hurt Mia intentionally. Whatever happened between them, it was an accident and an isolated incident. Mia was right. There’d never be a repeat because Raven wanted to protect Mia with every fiber of her being.
“We can all move past this if you two simply end things,” Raven persisted.
My jaw tightened. “No.”
Raven gave me a hard stare before changing strategy. “Mia is doing this to get a rise out of Milo. But the moment he finds out, he is going to take it out onyou,not her. Don’t get caught in the crossfire of a Sinclair duel, Brandon. It never ends well because when push comes to shove, they’ll never choose an outsider over each other. And by that point, you would have lost too much.”
I clenched my teeth. “You’re wrong.” Though a pestering voice inside me screamed otherwise. My grandfather had said the same to me.
I folded myself into the driver’s seat and slammed the door just as Raven said, “No, I’m not. And you know it, too.”
Mia
I slept all yesterday,an emptiness burning a hole through my chest. Regret and sadness had become my temporary companions, and my heart ached from the hollowness.
Anger got the better of me again. I shouldn’t have slapped Brandon. I wanted nothing more than to turn back time and erase the dripping look of disappointment on his face.
After Brandon stormed out, Raven and I argued for hours. I insisted Brandon was a good guy. I told her that he loved me. Though he had never said the words, our foundation felt shaky under Raven’s barrage of logical arguments. I needed ammunition to stick up for our relationship. In any case, I was almost positive he did love me a little.
Realizing there’d be no better opportunity, I let out the other issues boggling me down. Things like:
Milo made me skip a grade, but he didn’t even ask me what I wanted.
You guys are convinced I’m some sort of genius in the making. I’m not.
It hardly mattered to my family. They were adamant that I needed to achieve more because I had a “gift.” But not Brandon. Never. I could flip burgers at McDonald’s or become a professor at Harvard. He wouldn’t care, as long as it made me happy. I told Raven as much.
Brandon’s the first person to understand that my likes and dislikes are different. He accepts me for who I am.
When I couldn’t think of anything else, I lamely added,I love all three of you, but I don’t fit in with you. I smoke pot. I want to dye my hair blue.
Raven listened to me for hours and dissected each issue. To my shock, she promised to let me pursue my interests if only I took a couple of online classes at Yale this upcoming semester. She found a middle ground for all my concerns until we reached a satisfactory conclusion. There was only one topic she refused to budge on.
“You have to end things with Brandon.”
Before I could open my mouth to argue, she charged ahead.
“I’m sure Brandon cares for you. But do you want to wager his entire life just to explore these feelings? If you’re caught, it’ll be solely on him. We know so many people who will persecute him for chasing a younger girl. Plus, you know your brother. Brandon’s family is rich, but Milo is better connected. He can ruin anyone’s life in the snap of a finger, and he will ruin Brandon for this.”
I had grimaced at the ugly truth. “Maybe Milo will understand—”
“Do you remember what Milo did to Asher?”
Her words had made me shudder. Milo didn’t take kindly to disloyalty.
“Milo will kick Brandon out of their company, dissolve their partnership, ruin his name,” she pointed out everything Milo had done to Asher.
Check, check, and check.
My shoulders had slackened, defeated by the time she muttered, “If you care for Brandon, then the best thing you can do is let him go.”
A lone tear had fallen down my cheek by the time Raven finished her compelling argument. She was right. Milo would destroy Brandon, and I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining another man’s life. But I also didn’t know how to go on without Brandon.
