The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield

Chapter Twenty-Four: Designs of Destiny

A/N: Hi everyone! It's been a while, I know, but I've written a bit of the remaining chapters that I thought it wouldn't hurt to give you some of it now. 

Also, I made a small tweak at the beginning of the story, placing Charlotte's house farther away geographically than I when I first wrote it. I didn't have plans of placing the story in Boston, it just kind of happened, so I stuck with it. But to be realistic, Charlotte can't afford a house close to downtown so I had to push it a bit farther out. It doesn't really make a huge difference except in the plausibility of the story.

Thanks!

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As Brandon promised, we spent the next day together.

We started our morning touring the top three schools I was seriously considering: Boston University, Fisher College and Northeastern University. There were definitely a lot of options out there (especially  now that I could afford most of them) but I wanted to stay in the city. 

Looking at all the different requirements and deadlines the night before, after Brandon and I came home and happily and enthusiastically ‘reunited’, we decided that I would put off enrolling until the winter term started. Besides, my calendar was booked up with Championette stuff for the next few months, most of the biggest events all clustered together right before the holidays. 

It was a fun morning, walking hand-in-hand around the different campuses like college sweethearts, wearing jeans, sneakers and preppy shirts. With the fall term being a week away, the campuses were starting to pulse with activity already. 

I couldn’t help notice the cart-load of girls checking Brandon out and giggling to themselves, and I was instantly relieved that he wasn’t going to school with me because I would’ve been like a very jealous girlfriend who would snap and snarl at anyone who came prowling around him.

When we poked our heads into one of the admission offices just to get some pamphlets and brochures, Brandon made the mistake of introducing us to a woman who’d approached us in greeting. 

At the mention of our names, she contemplated us for a few seconds before she lit up like a Christmas tree. To say that she was thrilled at the prospect of having me (the 'endearingly original Mrs. Charlotte Maxfield'—words she quoted from a society paper article) attend their school would be an understatement. For one, I was a notable philanthropist being the co-chairperson of the highly esteemed Lady Championettes Society. It didn't seem to matter that I was nineteen (almost twenty!) and as average as the next college kid. 

The biggest incentive for them might be more the fact that the Maxfields were one of their important benefactors, Brandon having donated a new wing on the commerce building just over two years ago. I certainly felt the weight of that new wing on my shoulders when I realized just how much people will expect from me. 

When we were heading out of the campus, I blurted out to Brandon, “Obviously, you’ve donated enough money to a bunch of these schools that if you really wanted to just pull strings, you could’ve. Why bother doing all of this legwork with me?”

He shrugged and smiled. “Because I wanted you to experience this as a normal person would. And I know how you much you dislike using the advantage of our name and money.”

I rolled my eyes. "Hard to avoid the reminder whenever I pass the Maxfield Annex."

"If you stop caring so much about it, so will other people," he said as he draped an arm around me while we walked to the car. "Anna and Tessa both go to BU where one of the dorms is named after my grandfather. They never mentioned that it bothered them."