First to the Altar Wins (Wattpad Reading List choice)

20. Kendall: The Things We Hide

Kendall hid behind one of the columns on the front porch of the Hurtmore house, looking out into the gardens. Her brother and Logan were out there, arguing, and she had snuck out to watch.

"I don't even know who you are anymore," Brandon was saying, pacing across the grass with his hands on his hips. "Ever since you returned to Coser, it's like you're a whole other person."

"That is not true."

"What was the point of this, really? Was it to show off your newfound wealth? Is that it?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you, of all people."

"Oh, excuse me. Did I just hold a ball while pretending to be someone else, just for the fun of it?"

"No, but showing off? No one does it better than you."

Brandon turned, giving him a deadly stare.

But Logan was unfazed. "Come on, Brandon. We both know you love attention."

"Well, I don't go seeking it out the way you just did."

"Really? Every tournament you win - isn't that seeking it out?"

"I don't do it to impress anyone. You, on the other hand .... "

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to build wealth," Logan asserted.

"I don't care how much wealth you have. But when you start flaunting it, I am going to say something about it."

"All I wanted was to make something of myself."

"So you could throw it in the Harpers' face?"

Logan squinted at him. "Since when do you care so much what they think?"

"I don't. I just .... "

"What?"

"I just felt sorry for them."

"For them? Or for her?"

"Look. She may have disappointed you all those years ago, but it was privately done, nothing like this."

"Privately done?" Logan let out a hollow laugh. "Nothing is private in a town like ours. Everyone hears of news like that by the next morning. You weren't here. You don't know how unbearable it was - the way people looked at me, like I was a fool to be pitied. That's why I had to leave. She did that to me. They did that to me. But looking back, I'm glad for it. If I hadn't left, none of this would have happened. I would not have found success. I would not be Lord M."

"You think that by moving away and becoming rich, you've gotten over what happened? If anything, you've gone backwards. All this has done is proven how much you still care what the Harpers think of you. And not to mention made you look childish and petty."

Logan shrugged. "You think that, if you like."

"Do your parents know about all this?"

"They know."

"They refused to come, didn't they? That's because they knew this was just an act of vanity."

"You know what I think? I think you're upset because for the first time in your life, you are not the center of attention."

Brandon's jaw dropped an inch. "What?"

"You were always Coser's favorite, but not anymore. Now, you've been beaten at your own game, and you can't stand it."

"I couldn't care less about any of that!"

"Are you sure? I bet if I said your name to Rosemary Beck right now, she would go, 'Brandon who?'"