Chapter 1
Addison
The most tragic thing in one's life, as I've come to learn, is not poverty, a major illness or even death! It is not having that one person beside you that's yours to keep.
Someone who's there in your time of need whether in illness, sickness or in health.
Someone who gives a damn when you're depressed, hungry or gone.
Someone who celebrates your successes and mourns your losses. Someone who made your life worthwhile so that when death came for you, you'd have no regrets.
And no I'm not talking about a spouse or a husband. I'm seventeen, well a few months shy of eighteen but you get it, basically a young adult.
I'm not at that stage yet, hell I've not even had my first kiss yet. I'm sure you're curious what brought about my melancholy thoughts.
I know some people might think that I'm being overly dramatic. Born into privilege. Rich parents, good food, and school, expensive clothes.
I've got my own car and a trust fund I get when I finish school and get my degree. I'd be ungrateful if I said I didn't enjoy these privileges because the truth is I do.
But my life wasn't all roses either and up until two months ago I would have probably traded all I have to experience what it means to be seen, really seen and loved by my family.
I was born into a family that didn't have me in their plan, ten years after my older sister. While others might see having a fifth child as a blessing, my parents didn't think of it as such.
I was the odd ball, the third wheel or rather the fifth wheel in their otherwise perfect little family.
I have two older brothers and two sisters, all gorgeous, beautiful and famous and running their own businesses. Some are more famous and richer than the others.
My mom was a famous actress and a model back in her day, my dad was a billionaire businessman who came from old money.
My eldest sister and second brother own a fashion line that is known internationally.
My twenty-five year old sister is a model, while my first brother was a billionaire who owns his own tech company.
Financially our lives couldn't be any better. We were half all the world could talk about while the other half was an equally rich family, the Conrads. But they're not that important, not to me anyway.
But all that was before the scandal. The bankruptcy and my father's imprisonment. In a single week our life took a dive for the worse, Dad was accused of fraud and mismanagement of the company.
My siblings businesses were facing backlash, our family name that used to bring us pride now is forever stained with scandal.
With new reporters hounding every one of our movements. My mother is depressed and more distant than ever burying herself in her liquor and delusions that we're okay.
My brother Nolan was the only one fighting to protect us all. And he’s the only one who cares enough to free his time and bring me here to Brighton Academy.
The BRIGHTON ACADEMY.
My new school. Yay! Not. It's an elite school for the who’s who, the creme de la creme of the socialites and billionaires of this part of the world.
Every year three kids are giving scholarships into Brighton. Two kids get the full ride.
Starting from junior to twelve grade, but one student gets the opportunity to transfer from any other high school and come here for their last year of high school.
Entry requirements are extensive and very competitive. What they always want are highly intelligent students so they can keep up with the school standards and expectations.
Which is bullshit because from what I'd heard.
Here at Brighton hierarchy is everything!
Being smart might take you places but without money or influence you'll always be less in certain circles.
The SUV parking right outside the huge gate of Brighton Academy was what jolted me from my thoughts.
“Please don't abandon me, Nolan,” I begged, desperate. It was a last attempt to change my fate.
“Don't be dramatic, Addie, this isn't prison and I'm not abandoning you,” my brother said, getting out of the car and rounding up to open my door.
I glared at the tall gate that dwarfed even the tall trees around us, then at the security guards outside and the CCTV camera.
“It might as well be, what kind of school has such a high gate and such tight security?”
He smiles. “It's for your safety Addie.” I scoffed. Right, of course!
“Look, little sis. I'm sorry you're not happy with this and trust me I don't like it, either. I wish there was something I could do but Mom has already made her decision. This is for your own good.”
“You call this good? I was forced to leave all my friends behind, and Poppy,” I whined. My little Siamese kitten, I was going to miss her growing up.
“You should have thought about all these before you set your chem lab on fire.”
“That was an accident.”
“What about spray painting the school and putting slime all over your teacher's office which had led to him fracturing a hand and his hip?”
“That ... .that wasn't me,” I muttered lowly, ashamed of what I'd done.
“You were caught on CCTV Addison,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looks so stressed that I feel bad for adding to his worries. “You're lucky, he didn't press charges and only accepted compensation.”
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out.
In hindsight, I should have never gone out that night but I'd been so angry when I came home and there was no one.
My mom had gone on a trip without even telling me. My sisters were ignoring my calls.
Ever since the scandal everyone has gotten even worse, everyone doing their own thing. I was worried too, and I just wanted someone to explain to me what is going on.
The only thing I knew was what I heard from the media outlets, everyone thought of me as a kid and refused to tell me shit.
So I'd gone out with the cool kids or bad kids, as some might argue, pretending I was one of them, trying to drown out my misery.
I'd smoked weed for the first time and dumbly accepted a dare.
Not only did I start a fire in the lab which was a total accident, I'd spray painted the school though I'd been so fucking scared doing it.
But I'll have to admit that while it was a thrilling experience, putting slime all over our physics teacher Bald McCarthy’s office and watching him dance the disco before falling had been fun.
It just wasn't worth it, knowing I'd hurt someone had been terrible. But that shouldn't have been the deciding factor in my banishment.
I agree that what I did was bad, but I'm a teenager with too much time on her hands, so I make dumb mistakes.
I was a good girl with straight A’s. I've always done great at school, I thought that my performance would earn me my parents love and approval.
But all I got was their looks of disappointment.
Despite the fact I hated coming here, at least it was my choice. I'd chosen the lesser of two evils. I just hope I made the right choice.
I should probably make my peace with it except now that we're here I just have this uneasy feeling.
God, I wish I could go back in time and wipe the last six months away. Maybe help my dad stay away from jail, though I don't even know how I could do that. Maybe then I wouldn't have to come here.
“Please Nolan, I'll never do it again can't you try to talk to Mom. She listens to you.”
“I'm really sorry, but it's done,” he said sympathetically. “Just stay low, get your high school diploma and you'll be back home before you know it. Now I really have to go, I have a meeting I must return to before it's late.” He gave me a big hug and quickly let go.
“Smile Addie, I'm sure you're going to like it. With your personality you'll be making friends before you know it.” Yeah right! With that he got inside the SUV and the driver drove away.
“Smile, Addie,” I muttered to myself, unenthusiastic as I dragged my suitcase towards the huge gate which instantly sprang wide open. “Middle-class scholarship student, remember? No scandals. No attention. No one can know who you really are.”
I’d rehearsed that line a hundred times since my Mom dropped the bomb that I was going to transfer to a boarding school as a scholarship student three months ago, right after she picked my ass up from the police station.
“Lay low,” she’d said, her voice clipped, though she was smiling, probably thinking there's a reporter or paparazzi lurking outside somewhere. Better be accused of doing something bad than looking bad. She'd say.
“No more incidents. No more shenanigans she'd said. That our family can't handle more scandals. You’re lucky the police officer has been kind enough to keep a tight leash on the news of your arrest before it blew out of hand. Imagine the scandal this would cause if the press had caught wind of this last night.” Her head whips back, eyes hard as steel “You will not embarrass me again. Do you understand?”
Right then I understood everything. My family didn’t give a shit about me. One misstep…okay a couple of missteps after seventeen years of good behavior should have earned me their understanding, right?
Instead they'd banished me to this hell hole. You'd think I got here because I was privileged and you'd be wrong.
I got here just like the other two scholarship students through my hard work. Though I have little to no extracurricular credit to speak of.
My grades were the only reason I got this scholarship but with conditions that I at least chose a sport and passed it with at least a B.
So, here I was Addison Campbell, totally normal, middle-class nobody. Only my “middle-class” sneakers were limited edition, and my phone was the latest model.
If I wasn’t careful, one wrong move might give me away. It was fortunate for my family that there wasn't much information about the youngest Campbell daughter.
As far as I knew there were two times that my face was on the TV. Which was fortunate.
If my face was as frequently on the screen as my other sisters and brothers, my cover would be blown before the week was over.
“Addison Campbell?” I looked up at the man sitting inside a golf cart.
“Yes?”
“I'm your ride. My name is Jude and I'll be taking you to the administrator’s office,” he said as he loaded my suitcases in the cart.
“Hi Jude,” I greeted before getting inside and sitting down.
I glanced at the map of all the school buildings in my hand. I'd gotten it from the administration office along with my whole class schedule.
It said to take two lefts and a right and there's a building adjacent to the school hair salon? I looked around and didn't see a hair salon in its place, only the Brighton gym.
But I did see a magnificent three-storey building. I wonder if this was the girls' dorm. But then there's no other building here, must be it then.
I took another look at the sleek mostly glass building and I have to say I'm impressed. Damn, Brighton sure is even better than I expected. Can't believe this is the dorm.
Biting my lip, I hastened my pace dragging my suitcases, glad to finally have a place I can rest from the long ass day I had.
There was a desk with a desktop computer and a mobile phone on the desk in the foyer but no one was there. I waited for a bit and when no one came.
I took the elevator to the third floor. The elevator opened to a sleek all shiny marbled hallway. Still no sign of people, just where's the girls?
I'd barely taken a couple steps, my eyes down, dragging at my suitcases when I suddenly lost my footing and slid across the wet hallway. My eyes widened as dark stormy eyes collided with mine as I screamed.
“Get out of the waaaaay.” And then I slammed into him. Hard.
There was a loud “Fuck!” and a hiss of pain before we both crashed onto the wet floor with me sprawling flat on the poor guy I'd accidentally collided into.
For a few seconds I just lay there, eyes closed, chest heaving.
“Get the fuck away from me,” a deep voice growled. My eyes sprang open as he pushed me roughly away.
My ass hit the floor hard, but I quickly scrambled up, wiping my now wet jeans.
“Oh my god! I'm so sorry…I wasn't watching where I was going, I didn't realize the floor was…” the rest of my speech faded into nothing as my eyes finally took in the sculpted face in front of me.
