I was sitting at my desk, typing out an essay our EN50 teacher had assigned us. It was the usual "get to know you" deal. All I had to do to seem inconspicuous was to avoid the topic of family. After all, if I was going to climb the ladder to the top, I couldn't show any weakness. Some people might have found it sad, but I didn't. To me, it was just another thing I had to do. 

I finished up the essay in under an hour and moved on to brushing up on Physics. I went out, had dinner, and returned to the dorm to continue studying. At about eight-thirty, my roommate Jason walked into the room. "'Sup, dude?" he said, giving me a high five before walking to a drawer that contained all the snacks he stole from the dining hall. "You studying already? Come on dude, it's your first day here, live a little!" he shook my shoulders, spinning me around in my chair to face him. 

This motherfu- 

"Hey, did you hear? Grayson Hall's throwing an orientation party thing. We are going," Jason grinned before throwing on a hoodie. "Sounds cool, let's go," I said, smiling. Honestly, I didn't feel like partying, but whatever. It would be a good opportunity to expand my network. I bet these kids have some pretty wealthy connections. The party would be held at one of the seniors' rooms, since theirs were the biggest. "Room 45...46...47. This is it," Jason said as we arrived at the door. I knocked twice on the door, and someone came to answer immediately. "Hey man, welcome to the party," a senior greeted us as soon as we stepped in. The music was a little loud, which didn't matter since we were quite a distance from other dorms. It was pretty cool since the seniors had a sliding door connecting Room 46 to 47 to make a larger party space. 

There were a mix of freshman and seniors, and even people that didn't even stay in our building. The air was full of music, chatter, and laughter, everybody enjoying themselves. Jason immediately abandoned me to go hang out with some people he recognized from his classes. I stood there, calculating which group to approach first when the senior that had welcomed us in came up to me. He hung his arm around my neck, and I could smell a hint of alcohol on him. "Aren't you that genius kid that got the scholarship here?" he asked. "Well, I did get a scholarship, but I don't think I'm a genius. I mean, I managed to overcook instant noodles this morning. Like, how???" I chuckled, and so did a few of the students who had gathered around me. "You have got to give us your notes. Any study hacks? Did you sell your soul to the devil, maybe?" a senior girl chortled. 

That was when I saw him. The boy from earlier that morning, the idiot that had gotten offended by my little joke. He wore an oversized white hoodie and jeans. He sat on the floor, in the middle of a circle of students, like some kind of sacrificial lamb. That was when I realized they were cheering him on, getting him to down shot after shot of alcohol. His head leaned forward, his fluffy blonde curls messy thanks to the girls that kept ruffling them. "What are you looking- Oh," one of the seniors said as she caught me glancing at him. "Have you heard?" she whispered to my group, as everybody leaned towards her to listen "Okay, so, his name's...Alistair William Beaumont," she spat out after a long moment of suspense. Our little group went berserk. "Wait, seriously?" 

"There is no way that's true," 

"Are you sure it's him?" 

The boy that had first talked to me whipped out his phone to do a Google search on this guy. I was still completely clueless. Who the hell is Alistair William Beaumont anyway? It sounds like a girl's name. 

"There!" the guy pointed to his screen. We huddled around him, trying to catch a glimpse of the screen. An article lit up the screen, entitled: "Son of PM is Enrolled at Graham University", accompanied with a picture of what was without a doubt the boy who was sat on the floor, taking shots of vodka. His face was mostly captured, hidden by a scarf and the shadow of a baseball hat. It showed him climbing into the back of a sleek black car as a well-built man in a suit held the door for him. I'm very good at reading people, so trust me when I say that the thought on everyone's mind was-

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK???" a girl screeched, falling over in surprise.