Dynasty Boys

Chapter 19

Elle

As soon as we exited The Smiths, we headed straight to my house. I was still in shock from my earlier encounter with Carter. I couldn't believe everything had been a lie. I felt so stupid. I should've listened to Lila sooner. While thinking about him earlier, I realized I didn't really know much about Carter, his past, his friends, or even what drove him to do the things he did. I should've paid more attention. I probably should ask Lila—or, even better, Madden. But I felt awkward bringing up his twin brother.

What if Madden thought I was prying?

"Elle, are you okay? You've been really quiet. What's on your mind?" Madden's voice broke through my thoughts, and I blinked, realizing we had been sitting in his Porsche for about ten minutes in complete silence. If I weren't so consumed by my thoughts, I would have been cringing from the awkwardness.

"Sorry, yeah, I'm fine." I shifted in my seat, trying to shake off the heaviness in my chest. "I was just thinking about today... and I was wondering if I could ask you something?"

"Of course, Elle. What's up?" Madden's voice was warm, with a small smile tugging at his lips.

I began, biting my lip nervously. "I just realised that I don't know much about Carter and his friends, and I feel like I should. Lila's the only one who told me to stay away from them, but she doesn't really know much either. So I was wondering if you could... I don't know, give me some insight into them?"

Madden's face shifted slightly, as if he was preparing to share something serious. He cleared his throat before answering. "Alright, first there's Sawyer, Carter's best friend. They've been close since they were about five years old. Sawyer's kind of the joker of the group, always cracking jokes. He'll follow Carter no matter what, so if Carter's nice to you, Sawyer will be too. But if Carter's being an ass, Sawyer will treat you the same way."

"I see..." I whispered to myself.

"Sawyer's parents are both lawyers. His dad's a real piece of work, though. I heard he's always threatening him with military school, trying to push him to follow in his footsteps. Sawyer doesn't want that, he's always out drinking, and that just makes his dad more pissed." Madden continued, his voice taking on a slightly more detached tone. I was quiet for a moment, letting his words sink in.

So, Sawyer wasn't just a jokester, there was a lot more going on beneath the surface.

Madden took a deep breath, as if gathering himself before moving on. "Nathan," he said with a slight shift in tone. "He's probably the most normal out of all of them, but even then, there's something about him that feels... off. Like, I don't know. Something's fake. I can't put my finger on it. He's got natural blonde hair, by the way, people think he dyes it, but he doesn't. He really hates it when people bring that up, so... don't ask him about it." Madden's eyes were intense as he glanced at me, as if warning me not to pry into Nathan's past too much.

I nodded, absorbing everything he'd said. It was a lot to take in, especially about the other guys. So, Carter's friends were just as complicated as he was, each with their own issues and histories. I couldn't help but wonder if any of them were as dangerous as Carter seemed to be.

A laugh escaped his lips as he continued his rant. "Then, we have Vaughn Bates. He's probably he biggest player out of all of them. Fuck...and that says a lot. He makes his own rules and isn't about to change. His dad is a business man and his mum just a trophy wife, but that's why no one fucks with him. He gets away with everything. He's a scary mother fucker and someone you really must avoid by all the costs."

Thinking about Vaughn gave me chills... he was so horrible and awful to Nicole and I. I would probably never understand his reasons.

"But yeah. That's about it, I don't really want to talk about my brother because he's just asshole. Well they all are, but Elle I'm not joking when I say to stay away from them, they aren't just some cocky high school jocks. They are the real fucking deal, they won't think twice before hurting you, they don't care because they're emotionless. Just stay out of their way and they hopefully will stay out of yours." Madden confirmed my thoughts.