Page 82 of Red Queen (Red Thorns Crew 3)

“Because I’m not, Dani. Why the fuck would you drop out of school?”

“Because I don’t want to be in HR. I don’t want to be some human resources officer or whatever for the rest of my life. Just like I didn’t want to be a pharmacist like my father.”

“Then find something else. You’re smart, Dani. Incredibly smart. Why the hell would you throw that away for something like this? For someone like me?”

Confusion washed over me in waves. What the hell was this man talking about? He looked disappointed with me, which wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. I watched him turn around. He turned his back to me and sat on the edge of the bed. And it wasn’t until he started tossing my pants and my shoes to me that I understood what he was doing.

He was getting dressed.

“Max, what in the world?”

He stood. “You’re not dropping out of school.”

I snickered. “Did you not hear a thing I just said?”

He whipped around to face me. “You’re not dropping out of school, and that’s final.”

“Isn’t this the kind of thing you pulled with Benji? Not allowing him into your crew? And look where it’s gotten him. Look where it’s gotten you!”

He pointed at me. “You’re different. You're not like him. You’re not like any of us. You can choose a different degree. You can choose any path you want.”

“Which is why I choose this.”

“Any path but this one.”

I pulled on my shoes. “Great. So I can make any decision but the one you don’t want me to make? Funny. You’re starting to sound like literally everyone else in my world.”

“Maybe they’re right.”

“And maybe you’re not the man I thought you were.”

His back straightened. “You want to try saying that again?”

I stared him down. “If you really can’t see where I’m coming from right now, then you’re not the man I thought I’d fallen in love with. You’re not a man at all. And I’d proclaim it from the rooftops if necessary.”

He blinked, but he didn’t say anything.

“I don’t want to work in HR. I don’t want to be a pharmacist. I don’t know what the hell I want to be. All I know is that this is the normal track for people. High school, college, career. But it’s not what I want for my life. All of this with you? It’s made me realize I want more than mediocrity. More than average. Meeting you made me realize I never want to settle, Max. I want to change what feels right.”

He blinked. “And what’s that? What feels right to you?”

I didn’t skip a beat. “Y

ou, Max. You feel right.”

He shook his head. “Dani, I can’t--”

I took his hands in mine. “You feel like home. You feel like goodness. You feel like every dream come true and every good future that could have ever come my way, all wrapped up into one. You are my future. You and whatever this life brings for us. And if--out of all this--you’re the only thing left? Then I’ve still gotten exactly what I wanted.”

“I can’t let you lose everything.”

“If I lose you, I lose everything. Life isn’t about degrees and societal norms and social classes. It’s not about parties and events and massive dinners and holidays. Life isn’t about any of that shit. Life is about who you love and how you spend time with them. It’s about having them in your life through thick and thin. Always. You’re my everything. Not school. Not my parents. Not some bullshit roommate who thinks she’s my friend when she really knows nothing about me at all.”

“Your family and your friends are important.”

“But not as important as you. And if you think for one second you can stop me from dropping out, you’re mistaken.”

He growled softly. “I don’t like this.”

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