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He sets the chopped broccoli aside and reaches down for a saucepan. “It’s complicated. Chris—that’s my mom’s husband—and I don’t get along that well. We never really did, but it wasn’t as much a problem when I was younger. Mostly because… you know, who gives a fuck what the kid thinks?”
“Yeah,” I murmur thoughtfully.
“But as I got older, we started to butt heads more and more. He’s used to bossing people around and lording over people, and I can’t fucking stand being looked down at like that. I think some part of him didn’t like me just because I was my dad’s son, too. We share the same opinion of the guy, ironically, but since it’s his wife’s ex, I guess it’s different for him.” He shrugs. “He’s a good fit for my mom. Her personality suits his just fine. Mine doesn’t. We butt heads anytime we get in a room together. Their son is more of a yes-man, so they get along great, but… I think in some ways, he and I are too much alike to like each other.”
“How does your mom cope with it? I mean, does it bother her that there’s a rift, or…?”
“It does, but there’s only so much she can do. Chris has a strong personality. I think that’s the polite way of saying he’s a domineering asshole, right?” he asks, glancing at me over his shoulder with a mischievous twinkle in his eye that lightens my stomach.
I smile, feeling warmth rush to my cheeks as I look down. “I think so.”
He cracks a smile at my shyness. “But yeah, he holds the purse strings, you know? She’s smart enough that she could have made her own way in the world, she could have become a powerhouse in her own right, but she made the mistake of tying her fate to my dad’s instead. But he didn’t have the promise she had, so he held her down for a long time. Then, even when she got away from him, she had a kid in tow. She needed to figure out a new life for us quick, so she took the nearest path to stability instead of forging her own way. He doesn’t hold it over her head or anything, but we all know he’s the one with money and power; she only has it because she’s with him. Personally, I don’t want to rely on anyone’s goodwill for my happiness and security. I’d rather build something for myself than rely on handouts from someone who will always want me to dance for my dinner.”
“I totally get that.”
“I never wanted to take a dime from him, but since my biological dad’s a loser and my mom had the hookup, she begged me to let Chris pay for my education.”
I guess that explains the fancy apartment and the nice car. Hell, even tuition at Calhoun. This is an expensive school. I’d never be able to attend if my parental income didn’t fall well below the income threshold to qualify for financial aid. Between that and my grades, I was able to qualify for close to a free ride.
Finally, being poor paid off.
I crack a smile at my own dark humor, then I look back at Killian. “I’m glad you have a mom who cares. Some women in her situation wouldn’t.” Stacking the last of Toast’s cat food in a vacant spot in a lower cabinet, I ask, “Were you considering other Ivy League schools? I applied to all the ones in New England, but this was my first choice.”
He hesitates, then looks over at me. “I was pretty set on this one.”
I nod my agreement. “I love Calhoun’s biology program. It’s hard, but it’s worth it. They offer a broad range of study with opportunities to overlap wherever it makes sense—and even if they don’t already think it makes sense, if you can convince your advisor it makes sense, you can do it, which gives you a lot more freedom to pick your own path. The advisors work with you to make sure you’re getting a well-rounded education, which was really important to me since I have a wide range of interests and I believe a wide range of education is what helps you think outside the box. The school’s obviously really well-funded, so you can get invited on research trips and get to travel and study somewhere you’d never get to otherwise—and it’s free. It’s built into the price of admission, which, for those of us who can only be here because of scholarships, is really awesome. They have free seminars every week from visiting speakers, and they’re all brilliant. It just makes my brain happy to go here.”
“You like traveling?”
“I love traveling… hypothetically, because traveling here for school is honestly the most I’ve traveled. But I’m an optimist so I got my passport just in case I get picked for any of the research opportunities and have to travel abroad. I want to go to so many places and take so many classes. I’m just sad I won’t have enough time to take advantage of everything this university has to offer, honestly. There’s this synthetic biology research opportunity in January that I’m dying to get into. Obviously, the demand is high because it’s really exciting so I probably won’t make the cut, but I would get hands-on experience with genetic engineering. How crazy would that be?”
He smirks, and I can feel him wanting to call me a nerd. “So crazy,” he mocks lightly.
I roll my eyes. “It would be. I wouldn’t travel for that one, it’s here in Boston, but there’s a summer session in Paris I’m hoping to do next year. Partially for the class, but mostly just to see Paris.”
“Yeah, I can see why this place would have so much to offer someone like you. Just don’t forget to make friends. In my opinion, the appeal of going to a place like this isn’t so much the coursework, but the people you meet. The networking.”
I put away the last box on the counter and walk over to the island counter where he’s working. “Is that why you wanted to go here? The networking opportunities.”
He nods slowly, seeming to consider something. It doesn’t take him long to make up his mind. “Chris was a Blue Blood,” he states, looking over at me.
My eyebrows rise because I thought that was something he didn’t want to talk directly about. “Oh.”
“He wasn’t born rich, either. Most of the Blue Bloods have family money, but…” He smiles faintly. “Maybe it’s a stupid comparison, but it’s like your scholarship program. Because there’s plenty of money between them all, sometimes they see someone with promise who doesn’t have the money and connections by virtue of birth, and they can afford to bring him into the fold. To give him the opportunity to be one of them.”
I watch him. “That’s not a stupid comparison at all. I’d say it’s an apt one. I’m assuming they have access to a powerful network? Probably some kind of perks for being a member?”
“An immensely powerful network. Lots of perks,” he says dryly. “Lots of responsibilities, too, especially for those ‘scholarship’ students. But they’re not assholes about it. Once you’re in, that’s it. You’re in. You’re one of them. They’ll find you the opportunities you need to get on their level, and then you’re all equals. It’s mutually advantageous because you’ll all build your own thing, sure, but at the end of the day, you’re brothers. You’ll get whatever support you need when you need it, so you invest in each other.”
“Sounds nice,” I say, smiling faintly. “Who wouldn’t want a network of powerful friends who want to see you succeed the same way they do?”
“Exactly. And that’s why I wanted to study at Calhoun. I knew about the Blue Bloods. I wanted to be one.”
And now he is.
He doesn’t say that part, but it’s easy enough to piece together.
One thing strikes me, though. The mask he wore last night, with blue blood dripping down to the mouth. “The costume you wore to the Rho Kappa party… Did you dress up as a blue blood right in front of Kyle’s face?”
