The Unexpected Path

Prologue - Lucas

This story is not for the faint of heart. This is a story where the villain prevails because the hero was broken. The hero is broken.

He will make choices you do not agree with, say things that might disgust you, and make you uncomfortable with the hell he unleashes. He is not the man you swoon over, or wish you had, or brag about to your friends. He is the man that will make you question why you're reading his story to begin with.

You will hate him before you love him. You might even loathe him. But that's the choice you made.

This is a story about REAL FUCKING LIFE. Every dark thought we have, every bad decision we make, every hurtful word we say — it's all in here. Because life hurts us and makes us bleed and nobody gets to say shit about how we choose to repair ourselves. Even if we hurt others because that's inevitable. No one's a hero. No one's perfect. We've all hurt before.

So when he hurts, when he hurts others,  just remember we're no better than him. That's life. Real. Fucking. Life.

Don't say you weren't warned.

***

"Luc!"

I take the joint out of my mouth, blowing hot smoke into the cool winter air. Fucking Boston. The winters get so goddamn cold you could take a piss outside and that shit will turn into an icicle before it hits the ground. I have no choice but to be smoking out here. The dean has been riding my ass about my dorm smelling like weed so I had to leave my own fucking party just to get high. Jackass.

"Luc!"

"Jesus," I growl, annoyed as fuck. Nothing I hate more than being disrupted when I'm balling up. I turn to where my voice was called and see Zack jogging towards me. "The fuck do you want?"

"That any way to talk to your best friend?" He smirks when he reaches me. Before I can even blink the joint is snatched out of my hand and sitting comfortably in his mouth. His cheeks become hollow as he sucks in before blowing out a generous amount of smoke. Never mind what I said earlier. Nothing I hate more than someone hijacking my joint. My hand twitches with the urge to punch his pretty boy face in.

"I repeat — the fuck do you want?"

He snorts, head lolling back to lean against the building. "Hastings twins were looking for you. They want to hook up."

"Both of them?"

"One for me, one for you. You couldn't handle both of them."

"You clearly don't know your best friend, then." I snatch back my joint and take another puff. Warm smoke fills my mouth and I hold it in for a few moments, pursing my lips and blowing out when I can't take it anymore. "Too late. I don't fuck when I'm high."

"You're turning down a fuck?" His eyebrows rise skeptically. "Are you forgetting what the Hastings twins look like? Huge racks, legs for days, and bendy. You must be coming down with something."

"My dick," I deadpan. "Getting high makes the junior a little too relaxed. Too late for Jessica and Kylie."

"Jennifer and Kayla."

"Same shit."

Zack chuckles, this time holding his hand out and probably sensing I'm in a shit mood. Reluctantly I hand my joint over because he's one of the few people I can tolerate. That's probably because we grew up together so I know he doesn't have ulterior motives to getting close to me and no doubt he feels the same way.