"Focus, Quinn. That's all you have to do. Focus. And take off that nail polish before you set foot on campus."
Quinn stared down at his thighs, at the glossy navy-blue polish on his nails, feeling his throat tighten. He swallowed hard. "Yes, Mom."
"I think you should wear your contacts too," his stepfather, Mathieu Dupont, added from the driver's seat. "You know, just to avoid getting bullied. And maybe consider dyeing your hair?"
Quinn let out a low, irritated grumble.
"Sure," he muttered. "And maybe a full facial reconstruction while we're at it. It's not my fault I have two different-colored eyes and two different-colored streaks in my hair. Why is that pissing everyone off?"
His voice stayed soft, breathy. Loud enough for them to hear, but not enough to trigger another lecture.
He didn't want them to drive him to the university in the first place. They thought of it as family bonding. Quinn thought of it as slow, suffocating torture. They hadn't stopped listing rules since they left the driveway.
And it wasn't even the usual warnings about parties or drugs or accidentally ruining his GPA.
No. Of course not.
For Quinn, it was always about image, about his stepbrother, about not embarrassing the family name.
"You know how popular your brother is," Nina, his own biological mother, reminded him for what felt like the hundredth time. "And you know he likes his personal space. So do not bother him. Just stay on your side of the dorm. He's already upset he has to share a room with you."
Quinn rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Mom, I don't even talk to him on a normal day. Why would I go out of my way to bug the golden boy?"
He pressed his forehead against the window, resisting the urge to yank the door open and roll into traffic.
Anything felt better than another lecture about the perfect, untouchable Sebastian Dupont and how Quinn should shrink himself accordingly.
In no time, they arrived at Crestwood University, passing through the gates and checking in for the necessary ID requirements before rolling deeper into the campus.
It was massive, more like a small town than a university with mini castles and sprawling mansions scattered between lush green lawns, with students moving like a river of busy bodies, each headed in their own direction.
Quinn's eyes darted from building to building, trying to absorb it all, but his mind kept drifting back to his parents who were still telling him the step by step procedure of building a temple for Sebastian.
He didn't even get a chance to settle into the moment.
As soon as the car slowed to a stop, Quinn swung the door open and grabbed his luggage before they could make another round of instructions or reminders.
True to form, his parents didn't bother getting out of the car to wish him luck or even give him a proper goodbye. Their 20-year-old son had finally made it to the university of his dreams, a moment of supposed triumph. But to them, it was less about his success and more about the burden he might be to their 21-year-old golden child's life.
Quinn could always feel it in the air. Sebastian Dupont was their focus. He was the crown jewel. Quinn? Just a shadow.
He knew, with painful certainty, that if he so much as sneezed beside Sebastian, it would cause a world-ending catastrophe.
Their parents had never understood the pressure they put on him, or the emotional neglect that came with it.
And why? Because one of his eyes was green, the other molten gold, and his hair? Burning ginger mixed with white strands. He was so out of place in a world obsessed with perfection.
"Don't forget to call," Mathieu called over his shoulder as the car idled, waving with a mechanical, detached smile.
Nina, as always, had her attention firmly locked on her phone, scrolling through something, utterly indifferent to her son's departure.
Quinn waved half-heartedly back at his stepfather, his fingers feeling stiff as they moved. He stood there in silence as the car slowly pulled away, staring after it long after it had disappeared from sight.
The moment the car was gone, so was any semblance of connection.
Crestwood was the only thing he had now. He had goals. And he was going to enjoy his life while going for those goals.
But in his chest, a deep, gnawing feeling that maybe this, too, was going to be another place where he was invisible.
After all, this was just another of Sebastian Dupont's domains.
With the help of security, Quinn managed to get his luggage onto a large wheeled cart and made his way through the winding campus to the dorm area. His key card, freshly handed to him, felt heavier than it should.
He followed the signs to the VIP section for the elites, where each dorm was housed in its own single building, and the place reeked of wealth and exclusivity, everything Quinn could never escape, even here.
It wasn't long before he found Long Reach Street and the door to Sebastian's dorm. His heart skipped, though he couldn't say why. He wasn't looking forward to sharing a room with the guy, but there it was.
He pushed on the door, only to find it locked. With a deep sigh, he pulled the key car from his pocket and unlocked it with a slide, stepping into the room.
The space was clean, almost too clean. There were two beds. One was empty, starkly untouched, and the other… Well, it looked like Sebastian had just left. The walls were plastered with cars, racing photos, beach scenes, and posters of Loki that made Quinn frown.
The gaming area was well organized, a brown leather jacket draped over a blue gaming chair.
Quinn dropped his bag with a small groan. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this."
Shaking off his frustration, he set about unpacking. His clothes went into the closet, shoes neatly placed beside them. His toolbox, the one he always took with him, slid under the bed with a satisfying thud. The bed was made, pillows fluffed, the bare minimum to make the place his own.
When he made his way to the fridge, he was met with energy drinks. The entire fridge was packed with them. He grimaced.
"I hate my life," he muttered, slamming the fridge door shut. Sebastian's idea of a well-stocked fridge was something he'd never understand.
Quinn turned away, heading to the kitchen area. He grabbed a cup, filled it with sink water, and drank it without a second thought. The cool liquid tasted bland, nothing like the bottled water he would've preferred, but he didn't care. The bitterness of the water matched the one in his throat.
Once done, he dropped the cup on the counter and shuffled back to his bed. He pulled out his tablet, unlocking it to check the email he had received earlier that week from Crestwood Motorsport Club.
His heart picked up as his fingers hovered over the message, reading it again. He needed the reminder. He needed to feel the weight of what he had just accomplished.
The email read.
Hello, Quinn Dupont. We have seen your work and your plans, and we have hereby chosen you to join our club as one of its lead mechanics. We believe you'll help us drive into greatness. See you soon at Crestwood.
A smile tugged at the corners of Quinn's lips. He had done it. This was the one thing that would finally give him purpose outside of being "just another Dupont" or the family's afterthought.
"I'm gonna shine," he whispered to himself, the words tasting sweet as they left his lips.
He wasn't here to be Sebastian's shadow. He was here to carve out his own path, and now he was going to prove it.