Chapter 79.

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CHAPTER 79: college boy

[it bugged me that this was ending on chapter 79, but then i realised the epilogue could be like my chapter 80 lol. sorry to those people whose lucky number is 79 though. i'm just extremely picky. hope you all enjoy this last chap before the epilogue and there'll be an emotional asf message at the end :') ]

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TWO YEARS LATER.

BRIELLE.

During our second year of college, nothing much has changed except for one small thing. Well, what I mean by 'small thing' is actually a six foot two man who's built like a wall and currently looks more like a vulnerable puppy. Owen escorted Liam into the building, looking around suspiciously before setting his eyes on me. He walked over, tugging Liam by his blazer and I could only hide my amused smile behind my hand. See, like a puppy.

Since Liam was going to need to start getting back into education, he was enrolled into SVC by the mayor. He sympathised enough that he's had it rough with his dad and didn't get the care he needed growing up. Liam was back in education because the mayor wanted to see a change in him and had personally taken him under his roof like a son, teaching him everything he should've already known but didn't.

They walked over to me and I noticed some people's stares burnt through us. I smiled encouragingly at Liam who just seemed incredibly uncomfortable by the current situation he was in. It was fine and anyway, he'll get used to it. New students usually did after the first day.

"Everyone's looking," Liam muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes drifted to the different people looking at us. What could possibly be so interesting about this guy that everyone has to gawk at him?

"Well, duh," Owen said, his tone flat before I whacked him on the arm. He flinched before rolling his eyes at me. Yeah, he still hated Liam's guts, but he knew if he didn't look out for him, he might end up doing god-knows-what, "whatever. Do you have your timetable for the day? Please try not to do anything stupid. This is my last year and I don't want my graduation pictures to be me with no hair because you drove me up the fucking wall."

"Owen." I mean, Liam deserved it to be honest, but there's a time and place for forgiveness and I've learnt over time that forgiving people might be easier than being continuously angry with them, "play nice. Well, you know your way around, right? If not, just ask someone, okay? You'll be fine. We'll meet you in the cafeteria later at lunch."

Liam nodded as me and Owen walked off to our classrooms that morning. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't exactly thrilled about having Liam around, but decided to get on with him for my sake.

"Will you cut him some slack? He's been in therapy for two years now," I told him, my voice quiet as Owen simply sighed. He knew that no matter what, he would never be best friends with Liam, but he respected him for fixing up his life the way he did.

"I'm trying, but our rivalry's never going to suddenly leave, is it? I know he's smart enough to know right and wrong so that's why I even agreed to what the mayor said about him." I simply sighed as he dropped me off at my class and placed a kiss on my cheek. When he leaned back, we both bid each other our goodbyes and I looked after him as he walked off in his usual black sweats and grey shirt. In his hands, he carried his books for his next lesson.

Owen was leaving this year whilst I was still studying and every day since we arrived at college, he would walk me to my classes even when we pass his class. Him leaving meant I couldn't have that so I might as well enjoy the last of the little things whilst I can.

I turned and walked into my lecture room that morning before taking a seat towards the back of the room as some other students also walked in. Bridget walked in as well and moved up the stairs to sit next to me. She gave me a smile and opened her books.

"Did you hear? Apparently Darren might be dropping out of college," she told me, her voice quiet as I turned to her in surprise. I've heard Darren and Kelly weren't exactly getting along, at the moment, but they've always had those petty fights and then make up after. It wasn't like they ever argued so badly they broke up, "Lucas told me in earlier that Darren and Kelly...well, you know. I thought I should tell you because you're her friend and she probably needs the support right now. She hasn't told you yet, has she?"

"No, we've all been busy so I haven't spoken to her for a few days. Is Darren really going to drop out? Why do I feel like that's so dramatic?" I spoke as Bridget shrugged next to me, writing down in her notebook.

Bridget paused and stopped writing, turning to face me as she sighed. She looked like everything Lucas told her was utterly loaded with...something. I've seen Darren around and he definitely doesn't look as happy as he was when Kelly was around. Maybe her leaving is making him paranoid about how she is and what she's doing.

"Right, from what Lucas told me, Darren's been unhappy since Kelly left and he's seen him at parties sometimes. He's usually around girls, but he hasn't seen him disappear with anyone. Let's face it, Brielle, how many high school relationships do you know that lasts? Exactly and Darren has zero faith his relationship with her is going to last." now I was one to worry how Owen was doing sometimes especially when he's had one too many to drink, but it was mostly when he's doing something stupid like doing back flips from the balcony into the pool at parties.

All I knew was that Kelly was extremely busy with gigs and her singing and dancing career, but she missed the hell out of Darren. She told me parties in LA were never the same without him, but she definitely took it in her stride to enjoy herself as much as she could. Her worried about Darren has never spilled from her mouth because she could trust him.

For the remainder of the lesson, I sat there with slight worry on my features. There was a bad feeling brewing in my chest, but I simply pushed it aside for the sake of the lesson. I have to focus otherwise I might never end up leaving, I thought. I pushed the worry to the back of my mind so I wouldn't have to think about it until later, but I knew that with how much it stayed in my mind and forced its way through my head, that this might not end up so well.


After my lessons, I headed towards the cafeteria for some lunch. There were a few students there, some of which still doing work whilst they ate their food. I knew at some point, Owen and Liam were going to end up in the same business and economics class, but I had no idea when during the day it would be. They might end up coming in together.

I sat down on an empty bench and got my phone out, dialling Kelly's number before pressing the call button. Answer, answer, please answer. On the fifth ring, I heard someone pick up their phone, followed by a cheery tired out voice.

"Hey...Brielle. I was just...finishing up...a rehearsal," she spoke up, out of breath as I giggled slightly, "what's up? How's Summer View? Have things changed? Has Darren been a good boy whilst I'm gone?"

"Well, everything's fine. I just thought I'd check in," I told her, holding my phone near my face as I heard rustling from the other line. As I looked up, I noticed Liam walking in and heading in my direction. He had his bag slung over one shoulder and a folder in his hands as he made his way towards me. I gave him a small smile as he settled on the seat across me, placing his bag on the table to get his lunch out, "how's LA?"

"Ugh, it's so chaotic, but I love it here. I've been practicing for a gig tonight and I'm on my break," she told me and I could sense she was having the time of her life. Her thorough enjoyment was practically leaking through the screen, "how are things there? Is Darren behaving himself?"

"Of course, he is." I paused, taking the phone away from my ear when Liam offered me some of his chips in which I delightfully agreed, silently thanking him, "you know how he is. Missing you like crazy, but I just wanted to ask how things between you were. Obviously, long distance is very difficult."

"I suppose it's tough, but we're taking each day as it is. Why...has he said anything?" her voice dropped as the suspicion in it didn't go unnoticed by my whatsoever. She's always found it tough to trust guys, but the guy she thought she would never trust turned out to be one of the only guys she could trust. Kelly has never been given a reason not to trust him...until now that is.

"No, of course not." I reassured her because I knew she needed to hear it. When I looked up from my notebook, Owen was walking in with his books. He sat down next to me, planting a firm kiss on the side of my head as he opened his textbook, "everything here is fine so don't worry. Well, I guess you're pretty busy today so I should leave you to it. Call me tonight, okay?"

I heard her giggle slightly before sighing. Her calm tone told me she was feeling a lot better now. Sometimes I was worried about the fact the two didn't talk that much about what they were feeling was wrong, which only meant their significant other had no idea what they were going through. However, it wasn't my relationship and I'm not the sort of person to interfere in something that probably seemed normal for them.

"Of course, wouldn't miss it for anything," she told me before we bid our goodbyes to each other and ended the call. Fuck, I'm stressed and it isn't even my relationship, I thought as I turned to the boys and smiled sweetly at them. The both of them were tense around one another, but then again, what did anyone expect? Owen just wasn't so comfortable being around former rivals and the two were incredibly good and competitive at basketball. 

"Well, boys, do you mind doing me one small favour?" I asked as they both looked up from what they were doing. Owen had closed his textbook now and Liam was finishing his chips as they both listened contently. 


LIAM.

As me and Owen listened in on Brielle, I simply wondered how a girl like her could fit as much of a bubbly attitude in her. She was bursting at the seams of wonder and excitement, something I've never seen in my life until now. A lot of the women who associated with my father's gang were desperate and did everything any man said. Quite frankly, a lot of them ruined their dignity just for a stupid excuse of a man. 

"...so you both know what you're supposed to do then," she spoke, finishing as Owen nodded. He was a sucker for her, willing to do anything for her even if he didn't want to. I could tell how much he probably wasn't even listening to her seeing as he stared at her dazed. What am I meant to do again? I thought, "Liam?" 

"Uh, yeah. Of course," I told her, my voice unsure. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. Giving them a smile, I decided to leave Brielle and Owen by themselves and I packed my lunch away before bidding them goodbye. When I walked out, I headed to my next lecture across the school with something on my mind. I should've asked, I thought before shaking my head and letting my feet carry me across the school. 

Things have changed a lot since I left rehab for every problem I had with myself. Sometimes, I had a drink, but not too much and it was mostly just a sip. When I first arrived to the Smith estate, Mr Smith could see how much I wanted to try alcohol from me looking at his wine glass at almost every dinner. He didn't want me to be uncomfortable with alcohol whilst I was living under his roof and so he decided to control the amount I drank. 

Anything to stop me from tumbling back to my old self. 

I helped him with work occasionally when his housekeeper and secretary were out at the shops. He treated me with enough respect and appreciation that I almost didn't want to leave the estate and begin work on the company I wanted to set up. Still, I studied hard every night and was fitting in just fine with how things currently were. 

For me to give back everything Andrew Smith had given me, I would have to study hard, extend my knowledge on the business world seeing as he warned me there were corrupt people in the industry who could stab you in the back as quickly as you reached an agreement with them. I knew I still had a long way to go, but slowly and surely, I would grow up and make Andrew proud. 

He told me how he married a woman who was the love of his life and then they divorced one year later. Come to think of it, I haven't stopped thinking about everything he told me that night in the front room. 


The lights were dimmed down as I sat across him in an armchair. He was having some late night coffee, something I noticed him drink on some evenings before he hurried off to his office for a few hours of work. We often sat there before I would go up to my room at around nine in the evening to get ready for bed that night. 

Sometimes I would head down--Laura would be there as well--at around eleven or midnight to see the office light was still on and that he was still working. His secretary Laura Russell stayed at the estate most nights to help him out with work and only travelled out of the state on the weekends. We would beg him to go to sleep for the sake of his health, but he wouldn't hear of it and Laura would tell me to head back upstairs to bed whilst she tried to persuade him to head up as well. 

It was Friday when we had that conversation so we were up later even after nine. I had with me a cup of hot cocoa that his housekeeper gave to me before she left to head back home. He told me about his life at school, a part of his life he hated yet made it sound like it was a dream for anyone. If anything, it wasn't everything he was proud of that annoyed him; it was the people and the way they acted. 

"You know, Liam. If you heard about my life, you would see the opportunities you have," he told me, drinking from his cup before placing it down on the coffee table in front of him, "let me tell you, I went to a really good high school, graduated top of my classes, went to college and met the love of my life, graduated in law and politics, married the love of my life..."

I had no idea where the story was going, but I definitely wasn't expecting the sudden turn of events of what seemed like such a happy story. 

"...then we divorced a year later and she took off with my money." I turned my head to look at Andrew with an arched brow. When I said I was shocked, it was an understatement and he was simply chuckling like he had just told me a joke. I had no intention of disrupting his story any time soon even if I didn't know the purpose of him telling me it, "I'm telling you this because if I could go back in time and not have given in to my parents' wishes of getting married off sooner than later, then I would. I have many regrets, many things I would do to the people that have done me wrong, but the truth is, I'm not getting any younger and I've always wanted to have someone I can carry my wisdom down to."

He explained to me that he never got remarried and he never had any children. Taking me into his home and make me a part of his family meant the world to him. To be honest, it meant a lot to me as well. When I had snaked my father out for everything he did, I thought now that I was free of him, I could stay at rock bottom and not give a shit. I always thought there was no way in hell I would ever recover from the fall I've taken. 

Andrew Smith was a rich man, admired by others and gave everything he could give yet seemed lonely in the big house we stood in. What he couldn't achieve by himself or avoid, he warned me before it was too late because for him, time was just a curse that he couldn't reverse. 

"You're young and good looking, Liam. Girls like that in men, don't they? All I'm telling you is this is your own life so don't let others tell you what to do in it. Even before you arrived here, I had already seen you as a son to me; the son I never had." that was when a smile appeared on my face and a sense of pride welled up in my chest. It was such a strange feeling because I don't know if I've ever felt something like it before. 

"Thank you, sir. I promise I'll make you proud," I told him and I definitely meant it. Andrew stood up from his chair and finished the rest of his coffee before walking past my chair, giving me a slight pat on my shoulder.

"You don't need to. You've already proven you could do anything." 

When I turned around, he was already walking out and in the direction of his office. Laura--who had just come down from upstairs--quickly went after him before he could drown himself in anymore work whilst I sat there in the seat, unable to get rid of the smile from my face. 

For the first time in my life, I was experiencing a sense of self-accomplishment that couldn't dampen my mood. I think I stayed where I was sat for another hour just dazed, planning thoroughly in my head everything I could about this new company I wanted to start. That was until the clock struck ten and I headed up to my room to get ready for bed. 


I knew I would have to study hard to catch up with everyone else. Owen was studying business like me, but I was already behind as it is. I would study every day whenever I could or in the mornings if I had basketball the afternoon before. My whole life revolved around making sure I graduated with the best chances I had in order to do everything I planned out for my life. 

After I finished my lectures for the day, I left that afternoon and walked back to the Smith estate which was only ten to fifteen minutes away from the college. As I walked down the pavement, I looked around to see the all the other houses looked to have been taken care of, lawns a bright green and vibrant with life. Mr Smith's house was an old estate that has been in Summer View even before he took over, but he renovated it and changed one of the unused rooms into another bedroom. 

When I arrived, the gates were open and I picked up my pace and hurried into the property before heading round the back to the garden. The gardener was there that afternoon, trimming the hedges and he gave me a polite wave as I went over to the patio where Laura was, typing busily at her keyboard. 

"Hey, Laura, do you know where Mr Smith is?" I asked her as I came up the steps. She looked up and gave me a smile before placing her laptop on the chair next to her. I watched as she stood up and lead me into the house, through the kitchen and into the hallway before pointing upstairs. 

"He's currently in the library stuck in some books again, but I'm sure you can persuade him to get some fresh air." I nodded and made my way up each step, the wood creaking beneath me slightly before I tried to remember where the library was. 

There were many rooms in the house, most of which were unused bedrooms that only the housekeeper and Andrew himself had access to. My room was on the far right with a view out to the garden whilst Laura's room was upstairs along with the housekeeper's room when she needed a place to stay. I remember Mr Smith saying his room was right near the library so I assumed it was on the far left where the double doors were. 

As I knocked upon the wood, someone said a simple 'come in' and I opened it, heading inside to see Andrew sitting on an armchair with a

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