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Fallon

“F allon? Are you awake in there? Some guy named James is here and says he’s your bodyguard or something. I have breakfast when you’re ready, but it looks like Brent already left.”

Knock! Knock!

I shoved Brent as he spooned me in bed. “Brent,” I whispered while tapping him. “Get. Up!”

He shifted and moaned, stretching his arms out before clasping them around me again.

More rigorous knocks. “Fal? You alive? I’m coming in because you never sleep all day.”

I was wide awake and jumping out of bed. “Hold on! I’m awake!”

Brent didn’t budge like the sleeping dude he was while I was scrambling to cover my naked body. There was no way to hide the evidence if she came in, and I was furious at Brent for not locking the door behind him.

Kelly poked her head into the room. “I made panca–” her eyes caught sight of the other body in my bed and me clutching a blanket around my naked body. Red handed. “Oh. My. God,” she said before closing the door and scampering away giggling.

“I’ll be right out,” I hollered at the door.

Mental facepalm.

There were four of us at the breakfast table sitting as awkwardly as people in our situation could. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, and maple sausages covered the table in a large family spread style. We all looked around awkwardly while taking small bites of food wondering who would break the silence first.

“Breakfast is great, thanks Kelly.” Brent decided he would be the one to do it.

“Uh huh.” She gave me a sideways glance and kicked me under the table. “Did you two sleep well?”

I kicked her back. “Perfectly fine, thanks .” Subject change time. “So, James. You’re my new bodyguard?”

He looked startled that I acknowledged him and nodded. “I also came with the documents Mr. Evans would like you to review. Don’t worry, I will guide you through the process and instruct you on what roles you will be taking on as your transition happens.”

Brent looked between James and I, taking in the information. “You’re taking over your mother’s company in sophomore year of college?”

“Why, going to run back to tell Augustus Vaughn?” I avoided his eye contact after my newfound attitude slipped through the cracks.

James startled for the second time realizing Brent Vaughn was at my house after spending the night–and fucking me. That news was not something I wanted traveling around, but I expected a lot of words to be exchanged about it at Montgomery Group. The complications kept rolling for me day by day, never letting me come up for air.

“It’s probably good news for him,” he replied after downing a glass of orange juice. “Your mother and my grandfather worked closely, and I don’t expect things would change with you stepping up to lead the company.”

“Are you not in line to inherit?”

By the way his jaw ticked when I asked the question, it looked like that was a sore spot for him. If he wasn’t set to inherit the company, why was his grandfather deemed ‘the Dictator’ and so hard on him?

“So...” Kelly chimed in, “is the hot tub good to go for use? I want to go soak away this knot in my back and have cute date nights with Shane.”

“Yep,” I popped the ‘p’ for emphasis. “What documents have you got for me, James?”

“Nothing urgent that cannot wait until later in the day.” That had to be code for private.

The drama that unfolded just hours ago made me dread seeing the outside world and everyone in it looking at me differently. “I don’t know about you guys, but I am not excited to be on campus today.”

“You’re uber famous now, Fal.”

“Don’t remind me, Kel.”

Brent leaned into our conversation. “Need a ride?”

“And be spotted with another guy? No thank you. Kelly and I will go together.” I glanced at him, feeling like I was seeing a different person. He had a contented look on his face that usually held a devious smirk or an uninterested expression. His usual laid-back demeanor was replaced with sitting unusually tall–his chest puffed up more than normal.

Maybe he was playing big man in town since Kelly–and James–found us out.

“Damn right. Chicks before dicks. Sorry, Brent.” Kelly poked her tongue out at him.

If only things could feel as simple as they did at the kitchen table this morning, but it wouldn’t last for long. My depressingly short reprieve.

The drive was quiet, and when we made it to campus it was like stepping into an alternate reality. A crowd of students gathered around us as soon as we stepped out of the car.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were Fallon Montgomery?”

“What’s the story with you and Garrett Bradford?”

“Come sit with us for lunch!”

All of it was brutal, and they wouldn’t stop. Bodyguards could only go so far to keep crowds at bay, but my life had turned into a tabloid story and the internet spread it like wildfire. I expected Evans would soon be all over me at some point to start doing damage control. A true PR nightmare for a soon-to-be-christened CEO.

So much for going to classes and keeping my head down. Those days were long gone and were never coming back no matter how much I begged or pleaded the universe.

Welcome to the elite life, Fallon Montgomery.

Class was more of the same, but I was grateful my schedule change wouldn’t go into effect until the next semester. There was only so much time I needed to spend on campus with students taking pictures of me and whispering. I hoped it was a fleeting story that would be consumed by the next hot drama to sweep campus.

It got worse when the professor made an announcement not to take pictures of me and to stop with all the noise. All eyes were all over me the entirety of class. If someone could have warned me about the fame attached to my mother’s company, I could have at least tried to be mentally prepared for it all.

The head of Beta Kappa Phi, Sloane, made her appearance, linking arms with me acting like we were the best of friends. “Hey girl!”

“Hello,” was all I thought to say. She was top girl at the school–at least that’s what she made it seem like. My being instantly famous, and from a prominent company I was set to inherit must have looked attractive enough to her that she wanted me in her circle.

She sat and crossed her legs, flipping her hair across her shoulder. “You are the Fallon Montgomery. I wish you would have told me sooner, babe. You are ever the elusive girl, but I am so excited to meet you. Did you know you’re third on the list?”

The girls around her started nodding and chattering. Her tone was odd, fake.

“List?” Yet another thing I was unaware of.

“Yes, silly.” She giggled. “The rich list, of course. Being a top ten is an honor, but top three? Ugh, I’m jealous! We have no time to waste. I’m sixth, by the way. But someone of your caliber is needed in our sorority, and we need to find you a man in the top ten.”

I had no fucking idea what this girl was saying to me.

She pulled me down by my arm, forcing me to sit with her so she could show me her phone. A list on her phone was shoved into my face. “See? Montgomery is number three. That means you’re the third richest family of, kind of, everyone. Number one is my boyfriend, Brent Vaughn. So having the two of you associated with BKP will keep us a living legacy for years to come, marking us down in the history books. We don’t normally allow sophomores, but you’d be an exception.

“Then there’s the issue of getting you coupled up with someone. I’ll have to do a little digging in the gossip and chatter, but I think Alexander Fitzgerald might be up for the taking.” She grabbed some of my hair and pushed it around a bit, eyeing my face. “I think with a little work and some training you’d make such a little hottie. Do you wear much makeup at all? Some light contouring could make all the difference and make those blue eyes pop. Right girls?”

Again, they all nodded and agreed with her, creeping me out like I was in a horror movie about a cult.

If one thing terrified me, it was cults. And I was sitting right in front of one.

Wait .

Did she just say her boyfriend was Brent Vaughn?

Kelly half-watched me from afar, leaving me to teal with these vultures on my own. Hell, James didn’t look like he wanted to intervene with Sloane. Kelly looked amused while she leaned against the wall, typing away on her phone. Her attention was on something else, but I was sure she’d want to hear what this was all about later.

For a chill girl, she was very into learning all the gossip and secrets.

“Anyway,” she continued, “you need to rush with us. It will rebrand you away from that piece of shit Garrett and his family. Did you hear his father was being investigated? They’re going to be blacklisted for, probably, ever, and you do not need to be anywhere near that dumpster fire. Did you know that they were shady?”

Everyone leaned in simultaneously, eager to hear what my response was.

“As everyone knows, I’ve kept my head down. I was oblivious to a lot, and I thought he was just being nice to me. We met over the summer and went on dates and stuff...but we never talked about family businesses. Do you think he knew who I was?” I was genuinely curious. She seemed to be on top of the latest information. I just got the feeling Sloane was nosey.

The girl directly to her right gasped. “Of course he did. I bet he stalked you before he approached you! He’s barely holding on in the top ten. His family has been falling year after year, and I’m not surprised at all about them going down. I bet you he wanted to step up his family’s reputation by canoodling with you!”

I scoffed. “Stalked me? Really?”

They nodded in unison. The precision of these girls was better than any team of synchronized swimmers I’ve ever seen.

“He totally did,” Sloane said. “A rebrand is necessary. Then, we get you linked up with a squeaky-clean boy, stat.” She clapped her hands, and a few girls produced their phones, showing me pictures of what I only could assume were the guys they wanted to push on me. “Penn. Calvin. Alexander. They are top ten boys and likely to be single as of right now per our sources. I can have the girls do more recon on them, but solid options. I would say go for the number one, but he’s mine.”

Holding in my facial expressions was so hard that I opted for biting my tongue as hard as I could. What would she do to me if she found out that not only did I sleep with Brent, but that he was pursuing me endlessly. Don’t forget you gave him your V card, you dumbass.

Another girl clapped briskly. “We need to find out who’s single and set her up on dates. Immediately.”

More freaky nodding in sync. So, so freaky.

“We will be your new guide in all things wealthy and elite. You need to learn the ropes on how our society works since you obviously have no clue about the social etiquette that goes along with being who you are. We are having a party tonight for only the ones who can afford it, and you will be there to show face. I can get to work clearing the air and your name for you–my family has all the connections of course. It’s the perks of being a Whitmore. I can start and end people and I will be right by your side, helping you out.”

So, this was being elite.

She patted my knee. “Don’t worry about the problem families, either. Their spawn won’t be in attendance. You can bring along your little friend as a courtesy.” She gave another hair flip so she could flick her gaze to Kelly, still leaning on the wall paying us no mind.

I nodded, knowing that attendance was probably mandatory. Getting on her bad side right off the bat didn’t sound like a good idea. “And my bodyguard.”

“Duh! Give me your phone.” She opened her hand, expecting it. Obliging, I handed it over. She took it and scrolled faster than I’d watched Kelly flipping through her phone. She took a selfie and then handed it back. “I put my info in your phone for quick access to me. I don’t hand out my number to just anyone , but I’ll trust you with it. I texted myself so I have yours too.” She flicked her wrist, and the entire group stood up with her. “We’ll see you tonight! I am so happy I caught you before the party. Don’t worry, babe. You are in good hands with me.”

That was a lot of speak for nothing of real substance being said. She struck me as the type to hold a firm grip on her place in the world, fearing losing it at any moment. Whatever just happened, it left me dumbfounded that people acted like that.

Kelly appeared in front of me, snickering. “What was all that?”

“A lot of nothing. One thing’s for certain: Sloane just told me that Brent is her boyfriend.”

She stiffened. “We’re so fucked, aren’t we? I mean, you definitely are.”

I had a feeling I was going to do a lot of mental facepalming this semester. “ We definitely are. She invited us to an exclusive rich people party and in the same breath tried to hook me up with three different guys.”

My phone dinged with a message. It held the complete list that she mentioned. “Check this out. It’s a list of the ‘top families’ that Sloane is oddly obsessed with.”

“Wait.” She grabbed my phone from me. “You’re number three. No wonder she’s obsessed with you now. And her so-called boyfriend is number one. Are you surprised that she’s trying to claim him as hers? Huh. Looks like I’m number five.”

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“Sloane is going to hate you.”

She turned my phone around. “She’s sixth.”