CHAPTER 5
LANDRY
No Scrubs blared through Olivia’s G-Class speakers as we pulled through the gate and into her circular driveway, parking directly behind Zayn’s lifted, blacked-out 1994 Bronco XLT. It didn’t take long for me to notice a trend: all the guys in the group drove completely blacked-out vehicles, with the only exceptions being TJ’s cherry red Stingray Corvette and Nate’s white Ford Raptor, both parked in the open garage that occupied its own building to the left of the house.
We had just wrapped up our fourth week of classes, officially closing out August and marking mine and Bexley’s first month of college. Olivia had picked us up from the dorms after her last class of the day, making a quick stop to grab hot pizzas that now sat on Bexley’s lap in the backseat.
I didn’t see Cashton’s car or Kaptan’s motorcycle in the driveway, so I figured they either hadn’t shown up yet or had ridden with Zayn. Still, knowing my luck, Cashton would be here tonight. These were his friends too, after all. I’d already given myself the “Keep your cool, don’t let him affect you, boys ain’t shit” pep talk a few times over when Olivia extended the invite.
I’d seen him in Communications class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the past two weeks, and he had yet to acknowledge my existence. I was starting to think that I must’ve kicked his puppy in another life. Whatever his reasons were, I wouldn’t let him get to me.
Olivia was one of my closest friends, and I was starting to bond with the rest of the group too. One grumpy asshole wasn’t going to dictate who I could and couldn’t hang out with for the next four years. Well, technically three, since they were all sophomores—except for Kaptan, who was a year older.
We strolled into the house, Olivia leading the way through the oversized double doors and the grand foyer, the echo of Friday night football and raucous cheers spilling from the living room.
Nate and TJ were on their feet, shouting animatedly at the massive flat-screen mounted above the fireplace, most likely debating a bad call. Their voices mingled with the muffled roar of the stadium crowd on the TV. Meanwhile, Zayn was sprawled across one of the deep, cream-colored leather sofas, his legs stretched out and a blunt dangling casually between his lips. The warm amber light from the chandelier overhead highlighted the cloud of smoke curling lazily around him.
The moment Zayn spotted us—or more specifically, Bexley, with the four large pizza boxes stacked precariously in her arms—a goofy grin spread across his face and he straightened slightly .
“Well, hello beautiful, come to daddy.” He beckoned, and Bexley turned red as a tomato before remembering what it was that she carried, making her way over to hand him one of the boxes.
“Food and some lovely ladies? This night just got about ten times better. I’ve been stuck with these two asshats and their stupid football for the last hour.” he complained, leaning back and stuffing a piece of pizza in his mouth.
“The Spartans are playing the Bucks tonight.” TJ scoffed as Olivia reached up on her toes to give him a quick peck. “Biggest rivalry of the season.” Zayn rolled his eyes before giving his attention back to the food, the blunt still lit in his other hand.
With Ivybrook being a private elite University, the absence of a football team wasn’t exactly surprising. Ivybrook prided itself on its reputation as a prestigious academy for the “gifted,” though, if we’re being honest, only meant “wealthy.” The founders had deliberately crafted an institution centered around academic excellence and intellectual pursuits, steering clear of the collegiate sports culture that dominated most universities.
Professional athletics had little place in Ivybrook’s vision, though they had made a few concessions. The lacrosse team, which TJ and Nate played on, stood as one of the only competitive sports programs offered. Even then, it was more of a status symbol than anything else—lacrosse being a sport synonymous with the elite.
When it came to football, most people around here rooted for the Stoneview Trojan’s, Centennial’s public University to the north of the city, where most of the people I had attended high school with in Benbrook had gone. There was also a smaller community college on the less-wealthy east side of Centennial across the city, though they didn’t have a football team either due to their smaller size.
Settling in, the girls and I launched into an easy conversation, Olivia spilling insider knowledge about some of my professors from her experiences last year. Like me, she was a communications major. Neither of us had a concrete plan for how to use it in the future, but knew it could be applied to many different career paths.
Olivia, however, didn’t seem overly concerned about her post-college plans. With her family owning a portfolio of luxury hotel chains and sprawling golf courses, it was clear she’d eventually step into the role of running one—or many—of them.
Bexley, on the other hand, already had her sights set on a career in Molecular Biology or Biotechnology, insisting that she still wasn’t sure exactly where she planned to end up, but clear in her work ethic that she at least knew the general direction.
I would love to have a passion as evident as hers, but as of right now, my only goal was to graduate and figure it out eventually. The only thing waiting for me back home was the option to follow in my father’s footsteps into the world of politics—a thought that churned my stomach just imagining it.
I had enough in my trust fund to live comfortably for the rest of my life if I chose to, but that wasn’t the life I wanted. I craved a career of my own—something that would give me purpose and pride beyond my last name or bank balance. The thought of becoming a trophy wife, like so many women on the west side who wore their husband’s status like a designer label, held no appeal to me whatsoever .
The one solace I had was Ivybrook itself. A degree from here was more than just a piece of paper—it was a key. A key that promised to unlock doors I didn’t even know existed yet.
“GO, GO, GO, RUN!” The sudden shouting jolted me out of my thoughts, and I looked up just in time to see Nate and TJ crashing into each other, spilling beer all over Olivia’s pristine cream carpet. Her eyes widened in horror, and she immediately launched into a string of chiding remarks, waving her hands at them like a mother scolding unruly kids.
I stood up, deciding to escape the chaos by heading to the kitchen to look for some paper towels. As I passed the grand foyer, the front door opened, letting in a cool draft from the night air. Kaptan and Cashton walked in, both of their dark hair damp and their frames clad in sweatpants and hoodies. They must have just gotten back from the boxing gym that Zayn had mentioned earlier.
I offered a curt nod, continuing on my quest for paper towels, deciding that I would offer Kaptan a proper hello once he wasn’t with Cashton.
I found the paper towels and headed back to the commotion in the living room. Cashton was making his way around the room, offering ‘bro hugs’ to all of the guys and even offering Olivia a kiss on the cheek before taking my original seat next to Zayn and grabbing the blunt to steal a quick hit.
Kaptan bypassed any greetings altogether, his broad frame moving directly to the couch, where he sank into the cushions beside his brother and Cashton. True to form, he radiated his usual quiet intensity, the broody, enigmatic contrast to Zayn’s boisterous, life-of-the-party energy .
It was hard not to notice how Cashton fit seamlessly into their dynamic. With his dark hair and a build that balanced Kaptan’s bulkier frame and Zayn’s lean athleticism, he could easily pass as the third Hawthorn brother. The three of them together were a most intimidating sight, their easy confidence and sharp features making it clear they belonged to the same exclusive, untouchable world.
I dropped down to my knees, helping Olivia clean up as much of the carpet as possible and dabbing up the spilled beer before disposing of the paper towels and finding a seat between Olivia and Bexley on the opposite couch.
“How was boxing tonight?” Zayn asked, turning towards Kaptan and Cashton.
“Fine.” Kaptan answered, shooting a quick glance at Cashton who only took a sip of the beer he grabbed from the cooler at their feet.
“Fine?” Zayn pushed. “Geez, I was waiting for y’all to get here for a little bit more entertainment and that’s all you’re gonna give me? Whatever, suit yourself.” He complained, taking another hit from the blunt now back between his tattooed fingers and slouching further into the sofa.
“You could always join us sometime, you know.” Kaptan retorted, shooting a pointed look towards his brother.
“A few times a week is plenty enough for me. It gets boring when there’s nobody decent to spar with.” Zayn teased, Kaptan rolling his eyes in return as Cashton laid his head back, wholly unaffected by the conversation taking place on either side of him.
“I’m gonna laugh my ass off when you get abducted within minutes in Taken this year, you crazy fuck. ”
“Taken?” Bexley asked, her soft voice somehow carrying over the sounds of the football game and catching their attention. I would have asked the same question if she hadn’t beaten me to it, curious what it meant. Even Nate and TJ tore themselves away from the TV for a split second, seeming intrigued by where this conversation was going.
“Oh my gosh, did I seriously forget to tell y’all about Taken ?” Olivia practically squealed, leaping up and twisting her body to face us, legs crossed beneath her like she was gearing up to spill some grand revelation. Her excitement was contagious, and it was clear she had been dying to share this moment with us.
On the opposite couch, the guys remained silent. Cashton lifted his head slightly as a flicker of intrigue crossed his gaze, while Nate and TJ kept their attention divided between our conversation and the game still playing on the TV.
“I don’t even know where to start!” Olivia started, “So it’s like a game. Well, it is a game. It happens every year, we all played last year. Basically, the entire school is invited to play, and if you accept you get assigned to a group of like four or five people and each group gets assigned a different group as their target, and then your group has to abduct someone from that target group. So, like, the goal is essentially to kidnap someone from that group while trying to avoid being kidnapped yourself.”
Bexley and I exchanged a brief look while Olivia caught her breath, the questions in my mind clearly also playing out in hers.
“Okay, pause, kidnap people? What kind of game is this? For starters, is this ‘game’ even legal?” I asked, breaching the surface of my concerns .
“Yes, it’s totally legal! Well, like, mostly legal. Basically, the school has been taking part in these for such a long time and the cops turn a blind eye, as long as nobody gets seriously hurt or worse. But as long as things don’t get out of hand, they’re cool with it. We’re not technically doing anything illegal since everyone that plays consents to possibly being abducted, and they make sure there are some sort of guidelines preventing weapons and stuff. Besides, the cops know better than to mess with Ivybrook kids. They’re more focused on CSU or the east side, where the parents couldn’t ruin their careers like ours could.” She answered, the others still openly listening to her explanation, choosing not to contribute to the discussion.
My mind spun a bit at all of this new information, but Olivia proceeded before I could vocalize any of my many questions.
“So originally, the game called for taking out one target, as in like, you get assigned a target and someone gets you as a target and your goal is to take out your target by sneaking up on them and slipping your hand across their throat while also keeping your eye out for whoever is after you, but at some point, they decided to up the stakes at. And since we can’t actually, like, murder people and shit, kidnapping was the next best option! But it’s all fun and games, promise. It’s basically meant to make you feel like you’re living out your greatest spy fantasies.” She said excitedly.
“So basically, here’s how it works—You get assigned a random team, right? You get texted the names of the people on your team and it’s up to you to find a way to find them or contact them, and then you get a team name. When the game officially starts, your team gets texted the name of a different group. And a completely different group will get your group as a target. Your goal is to abduct someone from your target group, while also watching your back knowing that a different group out there is going to try to abduct someone from your group.”
“So how do you win?” I asked “And like, where do you keep these… Kidnapees? Hostages? Whatever you call them.” Those were barely the tip of the iceberg as far as questions that I had, but I had to admit, it sounded a bit fun so far. I shot a glance at Bexley, the only other one in the room that seemed to be as much in the dark as I was.
“Okay so once you successfully abduct someone from your target team, your team is responsible for figuring out where to keep them until the game ends. There are rules though, you obviously have to, like, feed them and give them water and stuff and can’t treat them like total shit or anything. Obviously sometimes there’s hazing type stuff, especially between the dudes, but you still gotta treat them well. Last year we actually ended up becoming friends with the girl. I just locked her in one of the spare bedrooms and gave her the TV remote, and by the end of the week we were besties. But anyways—The game ends at the end of the week at a certain time, and every team that’s both intact and managed to get a hostage gets invited to the finals. So, long story short, the way to make it to the finals is to make sure that nobody on your team gets kidnapped, and that your hostage doesn’t get away or get rescued.”
I let out a chuckle, genuinely intrigued and admittedly fascinated by these games I’d never heard of before. If Olivia had participated—and judging by what Olivia had said about the guys, they had too—it couldn’t be that bad, right? A part of me was undeniably terrified at the thought. I mean, who wouldn’t be nervous about being kidnapped by strangers? But at the same time, a thrill coursed through me at the idea of playing. Maybe it was FOMO, or maybe it was my love for adrenaline-filled situations and crime-action movies, but I was already falling in love with the concept.
Bexley, on the other hand, looked increasingly hesitant. This was definitely a leap for her—going from barely socializing or leaving the lab to potentially agreeing to either be abducted or plot someone’s abduction? It was a lot. I already knew I wouldn’t pressure her; she could decide for herself, and I’d fully support whatever she chose.
As for me? I was pretty much committed already. That said, I still had questions—plenty of them. I needed to make sure everything was safe and respectful. Luckily, Olivia seemed eager and ready to answer every single one.
“So,” I started, everyone else in the room still observing, “Just to make sure I have it right- You get assigned a team. Then your team gets assigned a different team from which you need to abduct someone and keep them until the end of the week, making sure that you don’t let their team come back to rescue them. And meanwhile, a completely different team out there gets assigned ours, and we have to constantly look over our shoulders and watch out for our teammates and make sure that none of us get taken, while also doing this whole kidnap thing?”
“Exactly!” Olivia exclaims, “It’s basically a full circle thing, all the teams assigned to each other on paper makes a circle to where every team has a different team after them and also assigned to abduct from to where it doesn’t overlap. And the fun of it is, you have no idea who’s after you, so you have to keep an eye out on everyone around you, kinda like a real spy movie. And since the teams are random instead of us picking them ourselves, you can’t use the advantage of staking out friend groups or anything. Think about it, for example- If Michaela Stanley were to come after you and you managed to get away, then you would be keeping your eye out for her friend group for the rest of the game, knowing they were coming after you! But if it’s randomized, she could be partnered with some random guy from the Lacrosse team and some quiet girl from the library that you’ve never noticed. It’s all about the element of surprise!”
I had to admit, this game seemed pretty well planned out. Someone must have put some real thought into it, or perfected it through years of trial and error. Who knew how long Ivybrook had participated in the tradition.
“And what’s the final?” I asked, “And what about classes? You said this lasted a week, we can’t just skip classes for a week?” I looked around the room, TJ and Nate now sitting on the couch to the right with the football game having ended. They all seemed to be okay with allowing Olivia to continue filling us in as she fixed her high ponytail.
“They do it the third week in October after midterms week since we basically don’t do shit that week, most students don’t even go. And it’s not like they take attendance anyways, but the professors are just as burnt out as us after the exams so they typically just play a movie or let us play on our phones, and any syllabuses passed out for the rest of the semester are usually posted online. But nothing important, I swear.” She huffed, readjusting her legs under her before answering my first question.
“And for the finals, it’s basically just a big paintball fight. All of the teams that are still intact, meaning nobody in the team was abducted, show up to this spot in the woods that’s totally secret, bringing their hostages with them. And then they all get, like, bases to start off, and they have to make it to the tower in the middle with their hostage, and the first team to get to the tower with their hostage still alive and at least one person on their team still alive to bring them there, wins.”
I couldn’t help the grin that had slowly spread across my face throughout the conversation. “How do we sign up?” I asked Olivia, and she didn’t skip a beat before jumping from the couch to give me a big hug.
“I’m so excited! I know we probably won’t end up on the same team, but you’ll be playing and it’s going to be so much fun!” She practically bounced up and down from the excitement. I dared a glance around the room, all of the guys exchanging glances while Nate got up to grab another beer.
Zayn, Kaptan, and Cashton seemed to have something unspoken going on between the three of them which I decided to ignore for now. At least Cashton hadn’t made any snarky remarks tonight, which I counted as a win so far. And if the teams were selected at random, there was little to no chance of me encountering him—fingers crossed.
“Bex, you have to play too! I know it sounds scary but I promise it’s all fun, you have to!” Olivia pushed, grabbing Bexley and dragging her into our hug.
“Okay.” She answered timidly, taking me by surprise.
“Bex!” I laughed, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. I mean, we have to show these boys up, don’t we?” The guys had no retort, all of us stunned. I guess my roomie had a competitive side that I had yet to see, and I loved that for her .
“You guys better watch out, fishies tend to be the easiest targets.” Nate teased, his eyebrows wiggling up and down as he taunted us on our freshman status.
I laughed, rising up to the challenge in his tone.
“Oh, we’re so ready.”