Elizabeth looked at me and smiled.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you think that. He is an asshole. I’ve known him my entire life, and he’s always been that way.”
“I’m so glad someone else realizes it.”
“Yeah. You’re right that no one in that family does. They’re very good at pretending problems don’t exist. Of course, it helps that this is the first generation with actual problems. My mom and Isabella grew up together, they’ve been friends for years, and apparently their parents kept them in line. All those kids were poster children. But when Kiegan’s mom died I don’t think any of them knew how to handle him. Elton is way too soft on Kiegan, and he grew up to be an absolute terror.”
“So I’m not the only person he’s mean to?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Well, I didn’t say that. My guess is he always wanted a little sister to pick on. His grades aren’t great though, and he’s regularly getting into trouble.”
“Really? But he seems so… perfect.”
“His life is perfect. He’s rich, he’s gorgeous, and he is actually smart. He’s on the lacrosse team, he’ll get into whatever college he wants because his parents will pay for it and his name alone will be worth it. And if he works at it, he’ll get better grades than everyone else. But Elton has had to hide his fair share of scandals.”
“Good. I’m glad mister fucking perfect isn’t perfect after all.”
“No, he’s not. Definitely not. Last year he stole a motorboat and went joyriding along the coast. Then he rode it aground and the owner was going to press charges, until Elton paid him off.”
“Holy shit!”
“That’s not even the worst thing he’s done. He hasn’t been arrested yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Don’t worry. Daddy won’t be able to protect him forever. I saw him ordering you around. You won’t have to wait forever. My guess is before he graduates from college – if he ever graduates – he’ll either have changed completely, or be in jail. And my money’s on the latter.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked Elizabeth, glad for her company. Her mom seemed like such a horrible person.
“Because I can read people pretty well. I want to go into psychology after I graduate. And it’s obvious you’re uncomfortable, it’s obvious you hate this life, and it was obvious who was the cause of most of your problems. I just wanted you to know that it’ll get better. And he’s just an asshole in general, it’s nothing to do with you.”
“Thanks,” I replied with a smile. “You’re right. About everything. I don’t belong here. I don’t belong at Moreton.”
“None of that is true. The secret to Moreton is that while most people have more money than God, they still have the same insecurities you do.”
We walked back to the house in silence. I thought about what Elizabeth had just told me. My brother was actually a bad kid, one of those rotten apples, despite his upbringing. I wondered if she was right, if he was going to end up in jail. I had no idea that the heir to the Hunt family fortune and name was a total bad apple.
Chapter Six
One month later, my mom announced to me, just before my fifteenth birthday, that we were going to move in with Elton.
Kiegan never stopped bullying me. And the worst part was, he always got away with it. And it didn’t affect my life for the better.
I never went back to the track and field team. Whenever I had a class with Kiegan in it, I made sure to sit as far away from him as possible, and did my best to avoid asking questions. At lunch I’d scan the cafeteria and make sure he wasn’t near where my friends were sitting before I’d feel safe eating my lunch.
Elizabeth had been completely right. The more time I spent around Kiegan Hunt, the more I realized he was completely coddled by his family. And at the same time, he rebelled against them. He didn’t show up to functions, I would hear him sneak into the house at three in the morning – my room was right next to his – or catch him throwing out empty alcohol bottles when he was still sixteen.
There was no one I could talk to about the bullying, either. Usually it just took the form of snide comments about my weight. I tried dieting, thinking that if I lost ten, maybe fifteen pounds he’d lose interest, but it didn’t work. It turns out revenge isn’t exactly the best motivation to lose weight, at least not for me.