Everything's an Illusion: A Dark MM Enemies to Lovers Romance

Prologue

Ash

"This is such a stupid idea," Kennedy whisper-shouts as he walks ahead of me, keeping his phone's flashlight aimed at the ground ahead of us. It's just after ten at night on a Friday. As much as I hope there won't be anyone around, I know I can't be unrealistic.

I huff a sigh as loudly as I dare. "I told you that you didn't have to come. This is my task. I'm not supposed to be getting help anyway."

"Like I'm going to let you near Arsonist House by yourself. Also, I told the guys they shouldn't be doing this stupid hazing shit anymore. The last thing we need is to be sidelined the year we finally have a team decent enough to win the Rose Bowl. Or be expelled."

I almost snort at the fact he's more worried about football than getting expelled. He's not wrong though. Coach Dawson sat us down and lectured our ears off for at least a good 45 minutes on Monday about how any hazing activities will get us kicked out of not only football, but school too. It's been a campus-wide rule at Arthurmoore University the past three years since a sorority girl died from alcohol poisoning. It doesn't stop anyone from doing it though. If anything, the seniors have been especially brutal this year. We're less than a week into the semester and this is my third task. It's the first that brought me into enemy territory though.

They've all but declared war on the Arsonists, the brotherhood of our rival school, University of Flint. It's like a fraternity but all the members are gang-affiliated in some way. That's the entirety of UF for you. It was built by criminals for criminals. Well, at least, the rich criminals.

I've been sent here tonight to represent the Knights, our school's brotherhood. We're made up of New York's most elite. Everyone from the governor's son to the heir of a Fortune 500 company. And don't get me wrong, not everyone in the Knights is squeaky clean, but at least we're not rolling in drug money.

There's never been any love lost between us, and what I'm doing right now is definitely not going to help matters.

"You should go back then. The team could survive without a rookie receiver, but we need our quarterback. And you know Dad would write a check to ensure I don't get booted from school. Hell, he could make a donation large enough to update the stadium and I'd probably stay on the team too."

If we're being honest? It wouldn't really bother me if I didn't play football anymore. Sure, I like it enough. It keeps me in shape. It's introduced me to a lot of my friends. Keeps a long line of ladies vying for my bed. I even like the dynamic of being on a team. But football was never really my dream. Kennedy plays, which means my dad wanted me to as well. It doesn't hurt that I'm decent at it, and it's nice to feel like my dad is proud of something I'm doing for once. I just wish I had the initial choice.

"Speaking of Dad," my brother begins, slowing enough to glance back at me, "He wants us there for dinner on Sunday."

I groan softly. "I haven't even been away from home a whole month and he's still trying to control me. College was supposed to be my reprieve from him."

If Dad had it his way, I wouldn't even be living in the Knights mansion. I'd still be living under his giant thumb and commuting to classes every day. Sitting down for dinner each night so he can ascertain how I've continued to besmirch his name. It's only a 10-minute drive from campus but I can't do it. I need to start living my own life.

"He's not trying to control you, Ash. It's just dinner."

"Maybe for you it is, you're the favorite child after all. But you've barely been around the past three years. You don't see what he's like with me. All he does is criticize everything I do."

"That's not true. He loves you. He just wants what's best for you."

Dad doesn't know what's best for me because he's never bothered to ask. He thinks I'm at college to play football and try to get drafted like Kennedy. I don't know what I want to do with my life yet, but now that I finally have a little wiggle room to live it, I'd like to actually try.