Bonus Scene: “So What,” a Problem Child Alternate PoV

The following is an additional PoV for a scene from Problem Child. A lot of conversations and scenes happened off page in this book particularly because the majority of it is written only from KC’s PoV. This scene takes place between the prologue and chapter one as the boys discuss the arrival of Kaitlin Crosse at their school.

Problem Child is Book 1 in the Blue Ivy Prep series. To read more, Mad Boys is Book 2.

Note: This scene is brought to you because of a Review Challenge. What is that? And also, please be aware that spoilers may lie ahead.

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“So What”

Jonas
“Grab your food before you sit down,” Ramsey called from his bedroom. He’d been in orientation for most of the day. Lachlan had been at practice, and I’d been in one of the studios working. I’d still be there if Ramsey hadn’t sent Lachlan to drag me back for dinner. The smell of beef, sausage, and pepperoni not to mention onions, red sauce, and so much cheese sent my stomach growling and tempered my irritation.

A roll of paper towels came sailing toward me and I caught it one-handed as I flipped open the boxes. Three different pizzas. One for each of us. The last one was the fully loaded supreme. It had a little bit of everything. I didn’t bother with a plate, just carried the whole box and my soda over to the living room. There were boxes stacked up by the door—Ramsey’s books—and more next to his unused second bedroom.

I had already killed a slice by the time Ramsey emerged from the bedroom. He’d taken the time to shower, and dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. Lachlan snorted as he carried his own pizza box in. “It’s still early for off-duty, Ramsey, isn’t it?”

“Shut up,” Ramsey retorted.

“Love you too big brother.” Lachlan smirked at me and I shook my head.

Ramsey, however, wasn’t playing. He walked out with his pizza box, then returned to the kitchen for more cold sodas.

“You could stock beer, you know,” Lachlan told him.

“I could,” Ramsey informed him as he dropped into his chair and popped the can open. “But you would still be too young to drink it.”

Snickering, I rolled another slice together before I took a bite. Course, then I had to wipe my hands off to open my drink.

“So why are we here? Cause—” Lachlan checked his watch. “I have a date that should be on campus in an hour.”

On campus? Payton was coming back early? I grimaced. Hopefully, he’d go to her room. All the noise canceling headphones on the planet weren’t enough to shut out her screech.

“Cancel your date, we have more important things to sort out before the school year starts.”

I frowned. “What happened?”

“Unless someone died,” Lachlan said. “I’m going. You might like living like a monk, I’d prefer something besides my hand to get off with…”

The bland look Ramsey shot Lachlan was in no way as neutral as he might like to think it was. In fact, there was a vein throbbing in his forehead. “We have a problem this year. The following information is not for public consumption. I’m telling you two and you two only.”

I wasn’t the only one straightening. Disbelief filtered into Lachlan’s expression. “Who are you and what did you do with my stick up his ass brother?”

Ramsey’s aggrieved sigh was almost funny. Almost. But he really did look unhappy. The last time we’d had this kind of conversation, it was about Mom and Gibs getting married—finally. I still wasn’t sure what I thought about that. It made her happy and I liked Gibs. He’d been in our lives forever, so it seemed like a good call.

Still, Ramsey hadn’t been upset about it so much as circumspect. Whatever it was he didn’t like about them getting married, he hadn’t really shared. He just wanted us to know before the news broke. Also, we’d needed to take three days to go to the wedding itself.

“Kaitlin Crosse will be coming to school here this fall. She moves in next week along with one of her bandmates—Aubrey Miller.”

“What the fuck?” Lachlan asked, his feet hitting the floor with a distinctive thump. “Since fucking when did the little narcissist enroll?”

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Ramsey shook his head. “This year, that was part of the meetings I had today was to go over the new rules and to remind us that there are nondisclosures as part of working at the school.”

“Fuck her, I didn’t sign a goddamn nondisclosure,” Lachlan said as he slumped back in the chair. “She doesn’t want her face in the news, maybe she should stop showing off all the damn time.”

“She’s performing,” I supplied. “Not showing off. They are supposed to stand out then.” Still… she was coming here? “I’m surprised Gibs didn’t tell us.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know,” Ramsey suggested, though he didn’t sound certain. “She wasn’t at the wedding.”

“No, she was on tour,” Lachlan said the last with such disgust, I made a face. “She hasn’t made time for him in years. Why would she bother now?”

“How does she have time to come to school?” I didn’t understand that. “They were in Europe most of last spring into summer?”

They were, right?

I was pretty sure they were in Europe during the wedding. I’d checked her Instagram. I probably shouldn’t have. But i’d kind of hoped she would show up and surprise Gibs.

But nope.

“I don’t care,” Lachlan said. “She’s probably counting on riding her popularity for grades.” He shut his pizza box with a half-slam and stood. “If that’s all we were talking about, then I’m out. I can get my dick sucked and enjoy the person doing it without worrying about Kaitlin fucking Crosse.”

“Lach—” Ramsey stared at him. “We need a plan. Because all personal feelings aside, she’s going to be a student here and we have to respect that.”

A chuckle escaped Lachlan. “No, you have to respect that. I’m here for another ten months, then I’m gone. I don’t have to respect shit. She can’t even be bothered to show up for her father’s wedding or send him a damn holiday card. I don’t owe her shit. So—you two figure it out and I’m going to get laid.”

Then he stalked out, slamming the door behind him.

“Fuck,” Ramsey swore before he looked at me.

I wasn’t really sure what he wanted me to say. “You okay?” was about all I could come up with.

“No, but I’ll manage,” he answered more honestly than I think he was even comfortable with because a grimace quickly followed the statement. “I need you to keep your distance from her.”

“Why?” I wasn’t that worried about meeting her. “We’re her stepbrothers,” I reminded him and that just seemed to sour his mood further. “What does it hurt?” At the end of the day, Gibs had done a lot for us. “Maybe we can help Gibs out—”

“Jonas, what we don’t know about this girl? It’s a long list. What we do know? Not so pretty. You have enough issues and if she’s the hard partier the news makes her out to be, she would be a bad choice for you.”

“But not Lachlan?” I wasn’t irritated. My meds were working and I had my counseling sessions. I wasn’t planning on falling into drinking or drugs or even fighting… Then again, I hadn’t really planned on all the fights the year prior either.

Ramsey didn’t even try to dispute it. “If I tell him to keep his distance, he’s going to try and get in her pants and park there.”

I didn’t laugh, cause it wasn’t funny. At the same time…

“He has someone to suck his dick,” I reminded him and Ramsey made the same face I did.

“Some things, I don’t need to know…just do me a favor? Keep your distance. Keep it at least until we know more about her? She’s made it pretty clear she wants nothing to do with Gibs and Mom, and her absolute and total absence at the wedding or even bothering to send a card drove that point home.”

I sighed. “Maybe she just doesn’t like us?” We hadn’t done anything to her.

“She doesn’t know us enough to make that call,” Ramsey countered. “Either way, keep your distance. Focus on your junior year and keeping your shit toegther.”

“What about Lachlan?”

“I’ll keep an eye on him, but if you see him—”

“With her?” I chuckled. It was Lachlan. He was going to do what he wanted. “Yeah, I’ll tell you. Then again, maybe she can humble him.” It was trying to make a joke, but it wasn’t funny. Kaitlin Crosse was an enigma. Her father was one of the best guys I’d ever known. I admired him and more than once, I wished he was my dad not that I didn’t love my father—but I liked Gibs.

A lot.

She’d shit on him.

“They are due here in a couple of days, they’re moving in to the dorm next door. They got one of the nicer suites.”

Lucky bitch. We’d gotten them too but we’d been here. She was getting it on move in? Yeah, her name had privileges.

Suddenly, my appetite was gone. “Did you tell Gibs?”

Ramsey didn’t answer, that in and of itself, was an answer.

“Should we tell him?”

“I don’t know,” Ramsey admitted. “A part of me says yes and a part of me says stay out of it. Technically, not supposed to discuss it with anyone.”

Yet, he was making sure we knew. Making sure we weren’t ambushed.

Maybe she was nice. Maybe she wasn’t.

“So what,” I said before I reached for another slice of pizza. “So what if she is coming to our school? We were here first.”

That mattered, right?

Raising his drink to me, Ramsey shrugged. “Good attitude. We’ll go with that for now.”

But his expression didn’t shift much and he didn’t relax. Ramsey was worried about her being here. Lachlan storming out didn’t say he was unaffected either.

I couldn’t really blame either one.

“Maybe she’ll flake out before the first quarter is over…” She wouldn’t be our first celebrity.

Not all of them lasted.

“Maybe,” Ramsey said but he didn’t sound confident.

I supposed we could always make her leave…

Maybe.

 

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