The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 29

JUNIPER

Knock, knock, knock.

I rushed to the door and opened it before Moira had a chance to get to it. I wanted to avoid her talking to Asher at all costs.

I threw the door open, and my heart immediately started thumping against my chest. "Axel?"

"Reporting for duty," Axel said with a wink. "You look disappointed."

"No, I just―Asher said he was going to walk me to class today, so I wasn't expecting to see you. It's not that I don't want to see you. It's good to see you actually." I took a breath to clear my head. Axel looked especially good this morning, and I couldn't put a finger on why. His sudden presence threw me off, and I felt like a mess.

His eyebrows slowly rose as I rambled on. "Ethan asked to talk to Asher this morning. He said he was going to text you about the change of plans, but I can go if you don't want me here."

"No, don't go. I was just a bit frazzled, since I didn't see the message from Asher." I pulled out my phone and sure enough there was a text from Asher explaining the exact situation. "Ah, there's the message. I hadn't checked my phone all morning." "Clearly," Axel said. "Are you ready? I know you hate to be late for class."

"Yes, let's go." I grabbed my bag and rushed out the door. My heart wouldn't stop thumping as I walked next to Axel. I hadn't seen him since the football game.

You're dating Asher. I didn't think you wanted to be more.

I couldn't get Axel's response out of my head. It seemed like if I wasn't dating Asher, Axel would actively pursue me. I went over every interaction I had had with Axel. He kissed me and then acted like the kiss didn't matter. He told Asher he wanted nothing to do with me, but then implied he was afraid to come near me because he wouldn't be able to hold back.

Then he settled on friendship, which at first I was thrilled about. However, as we walked side by side, I couldn't help thinking about what Axel's hand would feel like in my own.

I didn't like where my mind started to creep when I was with Axel. I cared about Asher. I wanted to be with Asher, and I didn't plan on doing anything to ruin that, even if every cell in my body was pulling me towards Axel. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I looked at him, realizing I hadn't said a word since we left my dorm. "Yeah, sorry. I just spaced out."

"If something is bothering you, you can tell me. We're friends, right?" His hand swung dangerously close to my own.

I grabbed the straps of my backpack to push away all temptation. "Right," I agreed, even though part of me wondered if that was true.

"Then tell me what's going on inside of that head of yours." He reached out and gently knocked on my skull.

The gesture was simple, but it stirred a deep memory inside of me. I got the distinct feeling that I used to be friends with someone who used to do that to me, but I couldn't actually remember anything about it.

I took a deep breath, debating about how to respond to Axel. "I feel strangely connected to you, and it's confusing," I admitted after a moment.

Axel paused for a moment. "Confusing how?" His playful smirk was gone, and he watched me with serious eyes.

"If I could explain that, I'm not sure if it would be confusing," I laughed, trying to break the tension.

"Try your best. Maybe I can help you make sense of it. That's what friends are for, after all." He kept calling me his friend, and I wasn't sure if he was trying to remind me or himself of that fact.

"Well, for one, I keep getting these strange sensations of deja vu when you're around. It'll be the smallest thing-like a word or a gesture-and it sparks this deep feeling inside. However, when I try to think about it harder, I can't remember why I feel that way." I glanced at him to see his reaction. I expected him to burst out laughing or say I was crazy, but his face looked more serious than normal.

"Maybe we knew each other once upon a time," Axel said.

I waited for the joke to come, but he wasn't joking.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember meeting you before. You're pretty memorable." Plus, meeting a Burrell was like meeting a celebrity. One simply didn't forget a Burrell.

"Maybe it was in a past life," Axel said, smirking this time.

"Do you believe in that kind of thing?" I asked.

Axel shrugged. "I'd like to think I was some kind of prince or warrior in a past life. Sounds fun."

"You're practically a prince now," I laughed, shaking my head. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you'd be more like the thief, not the prince."

Axel put his hand on his chest. "Excuse me. I'm just as princely as my brothers."

"Princes don't typically wear leather." I touched his arm, and a jolt ran through my fingers. I immediately pulled back.

"I didn't think you were the type to judge someone based on appearance. I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed in you, J.J." Axel emphasized his tones, making it clear he was teasing.

"I don't think princes usually skip class," I said, rolling my eyes.

"For the rec ord, I have incredible grades, just like Asher. So what if I miss a class or two? If I can still get A's on my tests, what does it matter?"

"You could be missing important information in lectures! Don't you just crave knowledge?" I knew school wasn't everyone's priority, but sometimes it was hard for me to imagine why people didn't like class.

"If you mean boring lectures, then yeah. I might be missing some of them. Don't give me that look." He laughed and ruffled my hair. "Don't tell me you've never struggled to stay awake in some classes."

I pursed my lips, hating that he was right. "Fine. You got me there. Some subjects are just plain boring."

"Exactly! So I'm the real winner. I don't get bored to death, and I still get good grades," Axel defended.

"So you're secretly a scholar-just a lazy one," I concluded. Knowing that Axel cared about grades made me only like him more. I thought he was just a bad student the way everyone talked about him.

"Did you think this school would let me transfer if I was flunking? No matter what my family status is, this is still a prestigious school. In fact, my grades are way better than even Nathan's. People just assume I'm the bad apple because I don't listen to everything my father says."

"Is that why Nathan has a grudge against you?" I asked suddenly. I didn't even think before I spoke. I bit my inner cheek, hoping I didn't upset Axel.

"Ah, so you picked up on that," Axel said. His smile faded, but he didn't seem upset. "That is a fairly complicated subject and will need much more time to talk about than we have. We're nearly at your school."

"I just hate seeing you guys that way. It's clear you care about your brothers, but they don't seem to see what I see. I wish they could see you the way I do."

Axel had a rough exterior, and he seemed like a playboy on the outside. However, he was constantly monitoring himself to protect his family. I could see through his facade, and maybe that was why I felt so drawn to him. I wanted him to know that someone saw the real him.

Axel stopped walking as we neared the lecture hall for my class. "Just as long as you see me as the real me, then it doesn't matter how my brothers see me."

My chest tightened as I looked at him. I had the sudden urge to hug him, but I held back out of fear. That much contact with Axel could be dangerous. "Thanks for walking me to class," I said, taking a step back to ensure I didn't do anything stupid. "Anytime, J.J."

ASHER

"How bad is it?" I asked as I entered Ethan's apartment. We hadn't spoken since I walked out on my father, and I had been waiting for the backlash all weekend.

"Please come in," Ethan said, motioning for me to move deeper into his apartment. He wouldn't be Ethan if he didn't uphold his manners, even when I was the only one around.

"Just tell me," I said, refusing to sit down. I had too much pent up energy to sit still.

Ethan shut the door and watched me pace for a moment. "He's upset, especially because I didn't tell him the whole truth. I think it's okay for now. I got him to back off for now, but I'm telling you that it's going to get much worse before it gets better."

"I still don't understand why he hates Juniper so much. There's no reason to target her. Why does he even care about her? It's not like she's the reason James died. He needs to go to therapy or something." I used to admire my father, but ever since Juniper came back into our lives, my admiration was quickly turning to hate.

All of these years, I was only able to stay away from Juniper by convincing myself that she had done something wrong. After seeing her again, I knew that wasn't true.

"Asher." Ethan grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to stop talking. "I need you to listen very carefully. There are things you don't know about the day that James died, but I'm done keeping Father's secrets."

"What are you talking about?" I looked at Ethan, and he didn't look like himself. He looked less composed and more serious at the same time. Something about his tone made me give him my full attention.

"I need you to understand that what I'm about to tell you could be really dangerous if Juniper finds out, but that's why I need to tell you. I'm tired of keeping these secrets, and if we want to keep Juniper safe, then it's time I looped you in."