Page 1 of Fight or Flight
PROLOGUE
Shane
Two Months Ago
The silencethat greets me as I walk down the hall of Hamilton House, the dorm I live in, helps soothe some of the restlessness that’s been plaguing me since I got back to campus two days ago.
Normally the main floor would be crawling with guys, but since it’s still Christmas break, the house is empty.
Well, that’s not true. It’s mostly empty, and the two other people here are two of the last ones I’d ever choose to spend even a single hour alone in the house with, let alone a full week.
Silvercrest University is different from pretty much every other college out there. We don’t have the same holidays as other schools, so instead of getting three or even four weeks off in the winter, we get the week of Christmas and the week after off before classes start again.
We also have no affiliation with any other schools, so we don’t have sports or academic teams, and we live on a closedcampus in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the best security that money can buy.
On paper, Silvercrest sounds awesome. Who wouldn’t want to go to a college where a degree is essentially a golden ticket into pretty much any job or grad school we want because we were privileged enough to be invited to study here?
There are also perks like every dorm having a full cleaning staff and a laundry service, which guarantees we don’t actually have any responsibilities beyond having fun and going to class. And the private dining halls staffed with Michelin-star chefs definitely make going to school here more tolerable.
The part that no one talks about is that the tradeoff for having all these amazing perks is that we have almost no freedom and are under constant surveillance. Our movements are tracked, and the only place on campus where we have any sort of privacy from security cameras is our dorm rooms.
After two and a half years here, I’m used to the bullshit. Doesn’t mean I like it, but I’m used to it.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and my heart drops.
I’ve been expecting this call, but I’m still not ready for it.
Even though I’m alone on the floor, I duck into the nearest study room and pull out my phone.
“Hi, Mom,” I greet as I lean against the wall and brace myself for what I know is coming.
“Hi, honey.” Her voice is strained, and the sniffle she tries to cover up makes my stomach clench.
One of the hardest things in the world is to see or hear your mother cry and not be able to do anything to help her. Especially when you’re part of the reason her heart is broken.
“How are you doing?” I ask to get the conversation going.
“I’m good.” She sniffles again. “How about you? How are things at school?”
“Good.” I close my eyes and lean my head against the wall. “Quiet, but that’s a nice change.”
“That’s good.” She pauses. “Is anything interesting going on?”
“Not really. There’s only three of us in the house right now, and a few dozen on campus, so things are quiet.”
“At least you have people to hang out with this year.” I can hear how hard she’s trying to sound normal and not like she’s about to break down, so I play along.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a bonus,” I tell her.
The truth is, I’d rather walk over hot coals and immediately soak my feet in a vinegar bath before I’d ever choose to hang out with the Hawthorne twins, but she doesn’t need to hear about that today.
I’ve come back to school early for the past three years, ever since I started here, and this is the first time I’ve had to deal with anyone else in the dorm. I miss the freedom I had before, and I really hate how I can’t seem to escape one of the twins, even though I’ve gone out of my way to avoid him.
Silence stretches between us, and my stomach tightens a little more with each passing second.
I have no idea what to say, and I know from experience that any attempts at small talk on my part will just make things worse for both of us.
“Did you forget anything when you were packing to go back?” she asks, her voice cracking with emotion. “I can put a care package together if you need or want anything.”
