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It’s Johnathon Eaton’s way or no way.
“He assured me that you’re making good progress. However, feedback from your teachers is that you could be a little more prepared for your exams. They have reported that your focus has been lacking in the past few weeks. Care to explain why that might be.” He raises a brow, impatiently waiting for me to fill in his blanks.
“I’m fully focused,” I lie.
“Your teachers don’t lie, Elliot,” he warns darkly.
The tone of his voice makes my skin prickle.
Thankfully, the slamming of the front door stops him from saying anything more.And not thirty seconds later, footsteps outside his office door get louder before Scott lets himself in.
It doesn’t escape my attention that he doesn’t knock, and that he’s not scalded for it.If I were to invite myself into Johnathon Eaton’s office, I would get a very different reaction.
He walks in, bold as brass, and drops into the empty chair in front of our father’s desk that I’ve avoided.
I ignore any opportunity to be lesser than my father in any way, and that includes any kind of height disadvantage.
“I know you said to be here for eight, but we were running a little late,” he explains after our father fails to chastise him on his punctuality like he did me the second I stepped into the house.
I just about manage to contain my frustration.
This is how it always is.
Scott is the golden child who can do no wrong. And I… Well, I’ve apparently been nothing but a disappointment since the moment I was born.
You’d think I’d be used to it by now.
“No problem,” Dad says. “How’s uni been this week, Son?”
The two of them chat away about Scott’s life while I zone out, wondering why the fuck I was summoned here. Well, any other reason for him to nitpick about everything I do.
“Right,” Dad eventually says, banging his palms on his desk and standing. “We’ve probably kept them waiting long enough.”
My brows pinch but I don’t ask the burning question.I wasn’t aware anyone else was here. I mean, I guess Mum is somewhere. Probably hiding out in the sunroom where she can usually be found tending to her plants.
When Dad gets to the door, he pulls it open and gestures for Scott to go ahead. I take a step forward, expecting him to let me go, but just as I step up to him, Dad follows Scott out, leaving me to either catch the door or have it hit me in the ass.
My teeth grind as rage unfurls within me.But it’s not until soft female voices float from the kitchen that my hackles really rise.
Zoey appears the second Scott steps into the room and he pulls her into his side.
She smiles up at him like he’s just hung the moon. I’ve no idea what kind of bullshit he fills her with, but they’ve been together for years now and it’s never changed. Clearly, she sees an entirely different person to the one I’ve known all my life.
“Zoey, you look as stunning as ever,” Dad greets politely before turning to someone else. “And this must be Lauren.”
The second he says another girl’s name. My heart sinks into my feet.
I glance to the right, staring at the front door with longing.
How far could I get before they give chase…
“Elliot,” Dad snaps when I don’t follow them into the room fast enough.
Not very far.
The second I step into the room, my eyes land on a pretty blonde girl standing boldly in the kitchen.
“Elliot, this is Lauren. She’s a friend of Zoey’s. She’s starting at Saints Cross U later in the year as well. Her father is an associate of mine and thought it would be fantastic if you met and spent some time together.”
