Chapter 1 #3
Killian might be our cousin, but the three of us were raised like brothers, and technically, we sort of are.
The thing about our branch of the family tree is that it’s decidedly wreath-shaped since our dads are brothers, and our moms are identical twins, so genetically we’re considered siblings while still having two different sets of parents.
And even though he’s not as tuned into my moods and thoughts as Jax, he can read me well enough to know when I’m bullshitting.
But unlike my brother, he won’t say anything until I bring it up.
“Did you hear about the drama going on at Belmont House?” Felix asks, effectively changing the subject.
“Drama?” Myles and Killian ask at the same time.
“Oh yeah.” Felix nods. “Eden told me all about it.”
“What happened?” Myles asks.
“Have you heard of the Belmont Ball?” Felix asks.
Myles leans forward at the same time Felix does, like they’re about to share some state secrets. “Who hasn’t heard of it?”
“Right?” Felix exclaims excitedly. “Okay, so this is what Eden told me…”
I only half listen as Felix fills us in on the latest drama his best friend told him. I don’t really care about what’s going on at Belmont, and hearing drama about people I don’t give two shits about isn’t enough to keep my attention right now.
It’s funny how different Myles and Felix are, but how they’re also eerily similar.
Felix is the type who looks like he could murder you in your sleep, but he’s actually a giant softie.
Myles seems like a sweet nerd who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but in reality, he’d have no issues dropping someone if he needed to.
They also get along like sleepover besties, which makes all our lives easier. I might love to cause chaos and sprinkle a little craziness around wherever I go just for shits and giggles, but I hate drama, and life is better for everyone when I don’t have to deal with drama.
The topic switches from campus drama to a party the Keepers, one of the other frats on campus, are hosting next week, but I’m too busy replaying the highlights of the meeting to give the conversation more than surface-level attention.
Having the meeting on a Friday night was weird enough, but add in how little information they actually gave us while obviously feeling that whatever is going on is important enough for us to know about, and nothing about tonight makes sense.
It’s not so much what they did or didn’t say that’s tripping my Spidey sense; it’s the fact that they said anything at all.
The Rebels might look and act like a fraternity to the outside world, but in reality, it’s a secret society that’s steeped in traditions and secrecy, and there’s a hierarchy of members.
Those whose families were part of the initial founding of the frat are considered founding legacies and are at the top of the food chain. Then you have the regular legacies and the first-years, who are the first of their families to be tapped for initiation, rounding out the bottom.
Jax and I, along with our cousins, are founding legacies, and thanks to how well-connected our families are and the particular skill sets we have, we’re at the top of the frat hierarchy and pretty much second only to the leaders.
If there were an issue with the security of the frat, we would be the first to know about it. The fact that we only heard about whatever’s going on in a general meeting with the rest of the membership is weird.
On campus, we’re known as Rebels, but that’s just a nickname that was coined by our founders to keep the true name secret.
Members aren’t even told what the real name is until after they’ve finished hazing and are granted full membership at the end of their freshman year.
And it’s strictly forbidden for members to tell anyone, including spouses and non-member children, anything about the society and its traditions.
We’re not even supposed to say the real name out loud unless we’re in a secure room with other members.
All of this paranoia and secrecy means that most of the guys who live in Hamilton House have no clue about what actually goes on and are only brought into things if and when they need to know about them.
This is the first time there’s been a house meeting specifically about the importance of our security and security protocols outside of the yearly orientation we have to sit through at the start of every school year.
Something is going on, and not knowing is making my brain itchy.
Loud laughter brings my attention back to the group, and I do my best to pay attention and take part in the conversation so no one calls me on my distraction, but I’m still stuck on the meeting and what could be going on.
“Well,” Felix says, giving Killian a knowing look. “I’m getting kinda tired. How about you?”
Killian smirks. “Oh yeah. I’m definitely tired.”
Felix rolls his eyes and smacks Killian on the thigh. “Could you be any more obvious?”
Killian’s smirk morphs into a smile. “Is that a challenge?”
Felix shakes his head. “You’re hopeless.”
“And you’re horny,” I tease. “Go on. We all know you’re not tired and you wanna escape so you can bone. No need to pretend like you’re not gonna jump Killer the second you get back to your room.”
“You think they’ll make it that far?” Jax asks. “Felix seems like he’d be down for some elevator fun.”
“Or perhaps some stairwell sexy times,” I muse. “I bet the acoustics in there would make for a good time.”
“They definitely would.” Jax nods thoughtfully. “Imagine what the acoustics are like in the pool?”
“I don’t have to imagine,” I say with a smirk. “I still have access to the cameras down there.”
Felix’s audible gasp and horrified expression tell me my bluff paid off.
It’s true I still have access to the cameras in the basement, but I haven’t looked at them since we wrapped up the whole “someone is trying to kill Felix” thing.
And I definitely don’t have any desire to check them when I know Felix and Killian are in there alone when Felix goes to do his laps at night.
But they don’t need to know that.
“What?” I ask. “You forgot about the eyes in the sky?” I point to the ceiling, even though our personal rooms are the only parts of the house that aren’t under heavy surveillance and there are no cameras in the room. “Remember, Big Brother is always watching.”
Felix’s cheeks go bright red. “I hate all of you.”
“No, you don’t.” I blow him a kiss.
The corners of his mouth tick up. “Maybe not, but I have no clue why I put up with you.”
“Because we’re the best,” Jax tells him.
“And because you’d be lost without us,” I add.
“So lost.” Jax nods solemnly.
“Lost my ass.” Felix snickers as both he and Killian stand. “We’ll see you tomorrow?” He glances around the room.
I nod as the others say their goodbyes.
When Killian and Felix have left, I turn my attention to Jax and Myles. “Are you peacing out so you can get some too?”
“Yup.” Jax stands and holds his hand out for Myles.
Myles takes it, his cheeks pink with a blush, and lets Jax pull him off the couch.
“You coming home tonight?” I ask my brother.
He shakes his head.
“Have a good one.” I give them a little wave. “See ya in the a.m.”
“Bye,” Myles says with a wave as Jax gives me an upnod.
I wave again as they leave the room, but the silence that follows when the door closes behind them is stifling, almost oppressive.
Turning back to my computer, I wiggle my mouse to wake it back up, but my mind is already wandering as my multiple screens flash back to life.
I like Myles, and I’d take a bullet for the kid without a second thought, but I don’t like how Jax’s priorities have shifted now that Myles is in his life.
For twenty-one years, Jax and I have basically been a single unit, and after spending my entire life with him by my side, it’s weird to be alone so much now that he has a boyfriend.
I don’t do well with idle time, and I tend to get in trouble when I don’t have Jax around to ground me.
It wouldn’t be so bad if Killian were still single, but now that he and Felix are the world’s most nauseatingly adorable couple to ever exist, I don’t even have him around to rein me in and have to rely on Xave to do it, which is pretty much the same as relying on a thief to protect your valuables.
Shaking off those thoughts, I try and focus on the screens in front of me, but the lines of code look like gibberish. I’m too distracted by the meeting earlier to concentrate, and I’m too restless to sit still.
I need to do something. To move around and work up a sweat and get some of my energy out before I do something stupid, but my options are limited.
I’m not in the right headspace to pretend to be interested in people right now, so that means the multitude of parties and events going on around campus aren’t an option.
I could go to the cliffs, which is just a natural rock wall Jax and I found during our first year and go for a nighttime climb, but even that’s not appealing right now.
What I need to do is beat the fuck out of something, or someone. But going out and picking a fight isn’t an option either. With the mood I’m in, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to stop myself once I start, and that’s a complication I don’t want to deal with right now.
Making up my mind, I shut down my computer, then change out of my jeans and hoodie and into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Once I’m ready, I slip my school ID into my pocket and push my hair back from my face as I head out of my room and make my way down to the house gym.
Thank fuck it’s late enough that I should have the place to myself because the last thing I need right now is to have to put on my Jace mask and pretend to be the happy-go-lucky himbo everyone thinks I am.