*Nathaniel*
Willow wouldn’t know what hit her this summer.
I was going to have Orlando romantically and sexually distract her so that I could destroy her during the internship. I would be on top once more and the world would be right.
“Do you have all your good ties?” Mom asked. “Appearance is everything, darling.”
“Yes, I know, Mom.” I rolled my eyes. “I have all my best ties.”
“Good boy. Oh and don’t forget your glasses, they make you look smart.”
“Got it.”
“And don’t forget-”
“Mom, come on!” Gerald exclaimed. “We’re just going to the summer mansion. If he forgets anything, we can come back.”
“Fine. I’m just trying to make sure he’s prepared. Willow continues to prove that she’s a force to be reckoned with.” Mom stated.
“We’ll see about that.” I smirked. “I have a feeling I’ve got Willow beat for this internship.”
“That’s my boy. Bianca was much too smug last night. ‘My Will got all A’s’ ‘My Willow has the highest GPA in her year’. You would think she actually accomplished those things, the horrid wench!”
“Alright, we should get going,” Gerald said. “We’ll see you this weekend. Come on Nathaniel.”
“Bye sweethearts.” Mom kissed us both. “Remember you’re a winner, Nathaniel Watson!”
“I sure am!” I grinned before following Gerald out of the house.
“Can you take it easy on Willow this summer?” He asked as we started driving.
“Why should I?”
“Because you don’t realize it, but that girl understands you more than anyone else in the world.”
I scoffed. “She does not.”
“Who else knows what it’s like to be born with an arch nemesis? Who else has an insane mother who pushes them to destroy their sister’s sibling?”
“I don’t know, but Willow doesn’t understand me. She’s simply not smart enough.”
“Whatever,” Gerald muttered. “Look, I gotta tell you something.”
“What is it?” I asked, looking over at him.
I had never seen my brother look so nervous. This must be something.
“I um…I dropped out of med school.”
“What? Dude why did you do that?!”
“I…hate it. I really never wanted to be a doctor, I just thought that’s what I was supposed to do, but I can’t do it anymore.”
“When are you gonna tell Mom and Dad?”
“In the fall. You can’t tell anyone.”
What the hell was it with everyone telling me their secrets? No way they thought I was that trustworthy!
“Alright, I won’t tell anyone. But what the hell are you going to do?” I asked.
Gerald sighed. “That’s the million dollar question.”
--
Only Grayson, Scarlett and Robin were there when we arrived.
I was glad. I felt like I never got enough time to just talk to Scarlett. I worried I was her least favorite sibling a lot. She’d had Gerald for longer, and Willow was a girl. And then there’s me.
“Oh, Nathaniel, I wanted to talk to you alone, actually.” Scarlett smiled.
I was thrilled.
We went out to the garden. That had always been Scareltt’s favorite place.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Daddy asked me to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“About Willow and the crazy rivalry you two have.”
“Oh come on, Scar. It’s not like it’s just me! She does stuff too! I mean you saw her at graduation yesterday, she stepped on my foot!” I exclaimed.
“After you tripped her,” Scarlett pointed out.
“After she purposely annoyed me. It’s a cycle with us.”
“Well I just think it should end. Willow has had a very hard year, you know that.”
“What happened during Spring Break was not my fault, Scarlett. I swear! I-I don’t know what happened!”
“I know, Nathaniel but…would it kill you to take it easy on her?”
“You don’t get it, Scarlett. I-I didn’t choose this. It’s ingrained in us to hate each other. It’s inevitable.” I said.
Scarlett sighed heavily. “Alright, I tried. I guess you’ll always have that sibling rivalry.”
“We’re not siblings!”
“Sorry, you’re right. Hey, at least try to enjoy this summer huh? Your whole life might change after graduation. Enjoy it now.”
“Oh don’t worry, I plan to enjoy this summer very much.” I grinned.
We heard honking from the front of the mansion. We went around the house to see several cars pulling up. Julian in his silver Ferrari, Joy in her purple Rolls Royce, Lee in his blue Lamborghini. Behind them was a brand new Aston Martin. It was red, had the top down and was glimmering in the sunlight. It was everything I had ever wanted.
Behind the wheel was none other than Willow Monroe.
*Willow*
“Honey I cannot tell you how proud I am of you!” Mom smiled as I packed. “You sure showed Sophia who the smartest is.”
“I didn’t beat Sophia, I beat Nathaniel.”
“It’s the same thing. Oh I knew when I was pregnant with you that you were going to be amazing! Now let me see what outfits you plan on wearing to your fancy internship.”
I inwardly groaned before allowing Mom to look at my suitcase.
“Honey, what are these skirts?! They’re much too long!”
“What? They’re professional.”
“Sure, but no man is going to look at you in that.” She frowned.
“So what? This is about the internship.”
“Exactly. Most likely a man will be in charge, so you need tighter and shorter skirts so you’ll always have his attention.”
“Bianca, are you trying to pimp our daughter out so she can get a job?” Dad asked, walking into the room.
“Of course not honey! I am telling her to pimp herself out. There’s a difference.” Mom stated.
Dad and I exchanged weary looks.
We did that a lot. Mom was very eccentric. According to Scarlett she’d always been like that. I’m sure it got worse when I was born though. That’s when her sole goal in life was to make Sophia Watson feel like a failure as a woman and a mother.
I was just glad I at least had a great relationship with my dad. He was so patient and understanding in a way Mom never really had been. Some say it’s because Dad’s closer to my age than she is, but I think she’s just kind of nutty.
“Let’s talk honey,” Dad gently pulled me out of the room. “I really need you to enjoy this summer, Will.”
“I will, I promise Daddy. If I win this internship, I will be happier than ever.”
“I just…this rivalry thing, sweetie, it’s a bit much now don’t you think?”
“No. Nathaniel has done a lot of nasty things to me!”
“And you’ve done them in return.” He said.
“I know. He just gets on my nerves. He’s horrible!” I whined. “I have to beat him.”
“This will never be over, Willow. You’ll always find another thing to compete over.”
“It’s motivation!”
“I just worry about it, honey.” Dad admitted. “It’s been an intense year-”
“I’m fine, that was months ago. Really. I’m totally fine, I swear. I can win this internship and then so many doors will open for me. I just want to make Mom proud.”
“You do, I promise you that. And you make me proud too.”
“Well that’s not as hard.” I smiled.
We hugged. “If you promise to me to enjoy this summer, I will allow you to keep the gift your mother got you.”
I perked up. “What gift?”
“Bianca, babe! Willow is ready for her gift!” Dad grinned.
“You’re letting her keep it?” Mom hurried over to us.
“Yes, she can keep it.”
“Oh come on sweetie!”
Mom pulled me down the stairs, into the garage. I gasped seeing a shiny red Aston Martin waiting for me.
“Mom! Oh my god I’ve always wanted one!”
“That’s for your good grades. Keep it up and there’s more where that came from.”
“How did we afford this?” I asked.
“Great question,” Dad looked over at Mom.
“I may have asked your sister for a loan,”
“Bianca,” Dad raised his eyebrows.
“Okay I guilted her into it, sue me!” Mom exclaimed. “I just really wanted to do something to show you that I’m proud of you.
“That’s not cool…but I love this car, so thanks Mom!” I hugged her.
“You’re welcome. Now, pack some shorter and tighter clothing, please.”
--
When I pulled up the summer mansion, I felt immaculate.
I was in a brand new car, the sun was shining and the cherry on top….Nathaniel looked furious.
“Where the hell did you get that?” He demanded.
“A present for getting the highest GPA,” I smirked. “What did you get for your four point zero, Nathaniel? Let me guess….nothing?”
His eyes lit up with fury.
“Enjoy that car while you can. It’s gonna be the only good thing that happens to you this summer. I was going to take it easy on you, but no. You don’t deserve it.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No, it’s a promise Monroe. I’m going to ruin your life this summer. You’re not going to know what hit you.”
“Oh, Nathaniel…your mere presence ruins my life. Mission accomplished. Now while you worry about taking me down, I’m gonna be winning that internship.” I strutted away and into the house.
I was so ready for this summer.
*Willow*“Um, who are you trying to seduce with those clothes?” Joy asked. “Powerful men,” I laughed as I grabbed different colors. “Guess that was a Bianca Monroe idea.”“You’d be right.”“Mom said that?” Scarlett asked. “That woman is certifiable, I swear! When I was your age she thought I was a total slut.”“Well you did get pregnant by two men at the same time, Mom.” Joy pointed out. “And now you’re here, you should be grateful I was a slut.”“Look, Nathaniel said he’s hitting heavy this summer, so I have to use everything I can. Even my body.”“Don’t you want to get far on hardwork and merit?” Joy asked. “Hm…take forever to get somewhere because I’m a woman and let Nathaniel win…or fast track that by being super hot and in the process beat Nathaniel. Hard choice but I gotta go with the latter.” I shrugged. “Well, Mom you were alive long enough to witness the death of feminism, how does it feel?”“Historic.” Scarlett laughed. “We gotta hurry girls, we’re gonna be late for din
*Willow*Today was finally the day!The internship was starting. I had my new car, my tight outfits and my mind in the right place. Nathaniel Watson was going down. “Woah, Willow, you look great!” Levi smiled as I waited for my coffee to be done. “Thank you, Levi. I got a lot of new clothes just for the internship.”“They’re working for you.”“Morning all,” Joy entered the kitchen. “Lookin good, Auntie Willow.”“I have asked you on many occasions not to call me that! It makes me sound old.”“Is that why you have those wrinkles?” Nathaniel asked. “Wow, that would hurt my feelings if it came from someone with a higher GPA and a new Aston Martin, but…you don’t have those do you?” I smirked. “You look really trampy in that outfit.”“Oh no, I hope I don’t catch the attention of any powerful men.”“You’ve stooped that low?” Nathaniel asked.“When you go low, I take you to hell. You’ll feel comfortable there, it’s where you’re from.” I smiled, bringing the coffee mug to my lips.“No way
*Nathaniel*“What?” I asked. “B-but we just chose our partners.”“True, but the first lesson you’ll learn is to expect the unexpected,” Jude grinned. “Sometimes you have to quickly change gears and work with people you never have before.”Joy and Julian didn’t look too upset. They got to work together. Lucky for them.“Go ahead and move next to your partners.”Willow and I were in a standoff. “Are you going to come over here?” She asked. “No you come over here.”“Nathaniel, really?”I crossed my arms. Willow forced a smile on her face and got up. She plopped down in the seat next to me and glared at me. “I have to tell you something,” She whispered. “What?” I asked. “Your cologne is offensive and my nostrils burn.” “And you still look like a tramp.” Jude passed us all folders. “This is your first assignment. You have to find the bug in the system and eliminate it. You have until Friday.”“Don’t software testers usually do that?” Orlando asked. “Yes, but if you want to make it
*Willow*“You look incredible, Willow.” Orlando said as we sat down for dinner.I had on a tight blue silk dress. It looked a lot more expensive than it actually was. “You look handsome. So what is this sudden interest in me?”“I’ve always been interested in you. I just finally feel like you’re interested in me too.”“You’re not horrible to look at,” I grinned. “And neither are you.” Orlando winked. “So…what do I need to know?”“About what?”“About you? I mean all I know are the basics about Willow Monroe, but I want to go deeper.”I wasn’t sure if he meant sexually or mentally. I was open to both.“I wanna create my own company one day,” I said. “That I’m the CEO of. I want to show people what I can do. That I’m more than Scarlett’s sister. Or a vessel for my mom to win some crazy rivalry.”“I see. I feel the same way actually. Everyone just thinks of me as Emmanuel Ruiz’s grandson.”“What do you want to do with your life?” I asked. “Honestly? I have no idea.”I was kind of shocke
*Nathaniel*Willow wouldn’t even breathe in my direction for the next couple of days.She was beyond pissed with me and I loved it. We were given new bugs to find in our system since Jude didn’t want us ahead of the others. Willow always got to work in the computer lab first so she could take the lead. I didn’t mind. I was more focused on winning the next challenge.Today she was muttering under her breath the way she always did when she got hyped up. I was throwing this girl off just like I wanted to. “Psst!” I swiveled around to see Shauna. “What are you doing tonight?”“Why? You wanna wine and dine me?” I grinned. I was surprised when she nodded. “Yeah, actually…unless you’re not allowed out at night.”“I think I can make it happen.”“We’ll talk at lunch.” Shauna winked at me.Willow snorted. “What?” I asked. “She’s playing you.”“How do you figure?” “Look at her…then look at you. Look at her again. She’s the daughter of a supermodel, she can have any man she wants…why would
*Nathaniel*I checked my reflection a million times. I think I looked pretty damn hot, if I did say so myself. Shauna was going to want to devour me. As I went to close my balcony doors I noticed Willow on hers. She was staring into space I think. She was probably thinking of that night. Most of the time I forget it. I mean it didn’t happen to me, so why would I care and think about it so much? I didn’t need to. I had a date.--Shauna answered the door to her condo in a sexy red dress that was leaving nothing up to the imagination. I swear my mouth was watering.“Come in,” She smiled.“Smells amazing,” I commented. “Thanks. So…what did you tell Willow you’re doing tonight?”“Drinks with Julian. She didn’t suspect a thing.” Shauna bit her lip. “I bet. Want a drink?”“Got any whiskey?” I questioned. “Only the best. Take a seat.”I settled on the couch and waited for my drink. “So you and Willow sure did solve that bug problem quickly. How did you do that?”I was going to brag ab
*Willow*“Um, what are you doing here?” Gerald asked. “Getting a drink. What are you doing working here? You’re supposed to have some paid medical internship right?”“Well the thing about that is…I don’t.”“Meaning?”“Look, I dropped out of med school and now I have no idea what I’m doing. This was the best job I could find. It pays shockingly well.” He admitted. “Gerald, why did you drop out?” I whispered. “I thought you were so excited to be a doctor.”He sighed. “I’m not. Look, my shift is about to end. Just go in and I’ll have a drink with you. I’m waiting for someone anyways.I nodded before going in. I ordered a vodka cranberry and waited at the table. Girls were dancing on the stage. They were all very pretty.Gerald joined a few minutes later. “I thought you were supposed to be at the comedy club.”“I’ll go back in a few. Show doesn’t start for like half an hour. Just needed some air.” I shrugged. “You okay?”“I hate when people ask me that, you know? No one used to ask me
*Nathaniel*“I didn’t know you could draw,” I commented. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know.” Willow responded. “God you’re an asshole.”“Takes one to know one”“Mature. How did Orlando take you canceling?” I asked. “He got all moody. The man is insatiable.”“Disgusting. You’re not gonna be his girlfriend right?”“What the fuck do you care?” Willow questioned. “God, I'm just making conversation!”“Well mind your own fucking business! I don’t ask you about Shauna. She’s weird by the way.”“How?” I questioned as though I didn’t know she was straight out of her mind.“She seems to think we’re friends or something, it’s very odd.”“Yeah that is weird.” I muttered. I would never mention to Willow that Shauna thought we were dating. Then I might have to admit that everytime I cum with Shauna she makes me say Willow’s name. It’s so fucking strange how quickly I got used to it. “Nathaniel?” Scarlett popped her head in the computer room. “Have you seen Gerald?”“Um, he has his medic