This story is not for the faint of heart. This is a story where the villain prevails because the hero was broken. The hero is broken.

He will make choices you do not agree with, say things that might disgust you, and make you uncomfortable with the hell he unleashes. He is not the man you swoon over, or wish you had, or brag about to your friends. He is the man that will make you question why you're reading his story to begin with.

You will hate him before you love him. You might even loathe him. But that's the choice you made.

This is a story about REAL FUCKING LIFE. Every dark thought we have, every bad decision we make, every hurtful word we say — it's all in here. Because life hurts us and makes us bleed and nobody gets to say shit about how we choose to repair ourselves. Even if we hurt others because that's inevitable. No one's a hero. No one's perfect. We've all hurt before.

So when he hurts, when he hurts others,  just remember we're no better than him. That's life. Real. Fucking. Life.

Don't say you weren't warned.

***

"Luc!"

I take the joint out of my mouth, blowing hot smoke into the cool winter air. Fucking Boston. The winters get so goddamn cold you could take a piss outside and that shit will turn into an icicle before it hits the ground. I have no choice but to be smoking out here. The dean has been riding my ass about my dorm smelling like weed so I had to leave my own fucking party just to get high. Jackass.

"Luc!"

"Jesus," I growl, annoyed as fuck. Nothing I hate more than being disrupted when I'm balling up. I turn to where my voice was called and see Zack jogging towards me. "The fuck do you want?"

"That any way to talk to your best friend?" He smirks when he reaches me. Before I can even blink the joint is snatched out of my hand and sitting comfortably in his mouth. His cheeks become hollow as he sucks in before blowing out a generous amount of smoke. Never mind what I said earlier. Nothing I hate more than someone hijacking my joint. My hand twitches with the urge to punch his pretty boy face in.

"I repeat — the fuck do you want?"

He snorts, head lolling back to lean against the building. "Hastings twins were looking for you. They want to hook up."

"Both of them?"

"One for me, one for you. You couldn't handle both of them."

"You clearly don't know your best friend, then." I snatch back my joint and take another puff. Warm smoke fills my mouth and I hold it in for a few moments, pursing my lips and blowing out when I can't take it anymore. "Too late. I don't fuck when I'm high."

"You're turning down a fuck?" His eyebrows rise skeptically. "Are you forgetting what the Hastings twins look like? Huge racks, legs for days, and bendy. You must be coming down with something."

"My dick," I deadpan. "Getting high makes the junior a little too relaxed. Too late for Jessica and Kylie."

"Jennifer and Kayla."

"Same shit."

Zack chuckles, this time holding his hand out and probably sensing I'm in a shit mood. Reluctantly I hand my joint over because he's one of the few people I can tolerate. That's probably because we grew up together so I know he doesn't have ulterior motives to getting close to me and no doubt he feels the same way.

See, both our fathers are former professional boxers. I'm the son of Jaxon Cage and he's the adopted son of Nate Hunter. I'm just a little higher on the royalty scale because my grandfather is Greg Resnick — the man who sculpted legends in the gym he ran when he retired from the sport, Fighter's Den. The world knew us before we knew what the fucking world even was. All our lives we've grown up with cameras shoved in our faces and our names written in articles and paparazzi following us like lost fucking puppies. It's not just that we have millionaire parents but it's the circle we run in. All of our uncles are legends of boxing, put the sport on the fucking map, so naturally their kids have grown up as if our shit is made out of gold.

My "cousins" and I never grew up normally, whatever the fuck that means. We all grew up in mansions, are sitting on a comfortable pile of cash whether we make something out of ourselves or not, and there isn't a thing on this miserable planet that we couldn't buy our way out of. We grew up spoiled rotten, but loved nonetheless. Our parents fought tooth and nail out of their fucked up lives to give us much better ones and they succeeded. Now that I'm older I've heard about all the shit they went through — not just my parents but all of the grown ups. Jesus fuck, did they turn their lives around. They put in all the hard work to make our lives easy so we wouldn't have to do jack shit. I recognize that. Appreciate it. But that doesn't mean we can be saved from everything and I was about to find that out for myself.

"Hey, Lucas. Zack." A chick struts by wearing what could be considered lingerie. Lacy bodysuit with a skirt so indecently short I could see her ass crack. I suppress an eye roll. Like I was saying — we're royalty. Girls want to bag us and guys want to be us. It can be a lonely fucking world when nobody wants you for you, just the luck you were blessed with. Doesn't mean we don't milk that shit because what else can you do?

"Cassidy," Zack nods. He's the politer one of us, the gentleman that could be real fucking bad if you played your cards right. Me? You don't have to play any cards. I'll show my hand from the get-go and not give a fuck. Everything in my life is fake and I won't be part of that. I'm fucking real, in all my you-can't-stomach-me glory.

"What are you boys doing out in the cold?" She purrs. This time I don't hold back my snort. Funny she should be asking that when she's practically naked.

Zack glares at me out of the corner of his eye in silent warning. I'm an asshole but I'd be an even bigger one if he didn't keep me in check. Best friend duties, I suppose.

"Just waiting to see who we'd bump into," He answers and this time it's me who's glaring. Fat chance. I want to be alone.

I'm fucking exhausted of the college scene. I got over the attention from having famous family members early on in life. All the kids in the family have always went to public school so we grew up treated like celebrities. Zack and I decided to go to Boston University together when we graduated high school and the treatment here was even more kiss-ass than before. These college students? We were immortal to them. It never appealed to me because it was the same fucking thing over and over again. I couldn't wait to leave. With the winter semester ending I have just one more year until I can get the fuck out. I have no idea what I'm going to do but I'd rather be anywhere except a place of fakes.

Speaking of fake, Cassidy thrusts her chest up when she crosses her arms. Zack's eyes fall automatically and I shake my head. Fucker just fell hook, line, and sinker.

"Either of you up for company?" Her lips stretch into a well-practiced smile, the kind that makes men swallow their own tongues. "Or maybe both of you?"

Zack and I exchange glances. We weren't strangers to being involved in the same threesome but it was a rare occurrence. Most girls wanted to hop on both our dicks for bragging rights and what it would do to their status. Lucas Cage and Zack Hunter at the same time? One hundred fucking points. That's why threesomes are reserved for older women, ones who aren't ensnared by the hierarchy of public school and convince themselves it's the highlight of their fucking life.

"We're good," I answer for the both of us, letting my joint fall into the muddy snow and knocking it away. I can feel the weed kicking in to my system and this chick's voice is starting to sound like nails on a chalkboard. Zack can have her if he wants.

I leave without saying goodbye, ignoring Cassandra's (?) scoff. Fuck if I know. Don't care, either.

I open the back door once I reach it and step into the invitingly warm staircase, making my way up two at a time. When I get to the fourth floor, I step into the main hallway and walk through the sea of people. Sea because they part as soon as they see me, like they always do. A pathway is automatically made for me as I head for my dorm, whispers and stares following my every move. They never get tired of this shit, huh? Fucking pathetic.

"Yo!" Some guy I don't know throws his arm around me and I almost lose my footing from the unexpected weight. I can smell the alcohol as he laughs in my face and I hold my breath, anger making me shake. These fuckers are so goddamn eager to be seen by me that they'll do whatever they want, touch me without asking or crowding into my personal space as if it's their god-given right. "Sick party, Cage."

I grunt and shove him off of me, uncaring that he crashes into the wall opposite of us. Snickers and hoots ring out when he lands on his ass, heads shaking in pity that he was stupid enough to lay a hand on me in the first place. After that little debacle, the rest of the onlookers scram like cockroaches when I scowl and I stalk inside my dorm. I'm already regretting this party. Zack managed to convince me since it's the last day of school but this shit isn't for me. If you're under a spotlight long enough, the overhead lights start to burn you. Lately I've been fizzling and it's making me more irritated than usual.

Clouds of smoke and thumping music greet me as soon as I'm inside. The place is fucking trashed and I make a mental note to ask Dad to send over cleaners. Zack and I will already be packing as is.

All the furniture has been moved to the side and left the middle of the living room open. Our place is on the bigger side, a fluke design at the end of the hall that was accidentally made as one apartment instead of two, and with a few extra bills Zack and I snagged it. Big as it is, it seems like the whole school is here and there isn't even enough to room to pass gas. I shove my way through bodies, shrugging off the hands that try to grab my leather jacket and pull me into a group I have no intention of acknowledging. Again with the fucking touching.

My patience is already razor thin. It doesn't help that when I open the door to my room, my sanctuary, I find a couple of girls making out on my bed. They both jump in surprise and start giggling when they see me. Already I know this was a devised plan.

"Sorry, Lucas," The redhead apologizes breathlessly. She makes no move to cover herself, her shirt pushed up to her neck and her naked tits in the air.

The brunette on top of her has her hand between the redhead's legs and strokes her as she eyes my body, her teeth latching on to her lower lip. "You could always join us. We don't mind."

Threesomes seem to be a theme today. It's the last day of school and the senior girls are desperate for a royal fuck before they graduate and leave for good, before they miss their chance. This isn't me being cocky or thinking highly of myself. I've been here long enough to know how this shit works so I'm simply stating a fact. It's old news and I'm not interested.

"Out," My jaw clenches with impatience.

The brunette pouts, stroking her friend faster. "You sure? We'll make it good for you. You don't even have to do any of the work."

The redhead nods enthusiastically, squeezing her own tits together. I meant what I told Zack — getting high makes my dick too relaxed. Even this isn't turning me on. Not a single fucking twitch. Okay — maybe a little jump buts that's all.

"Out," I enunciate in a deadly low voice. "If you chose a smarter place then I'd give both of you the privilege to ride me but this is my fucking space. You don't come near my fucking space. Now get out."

"We didn't know," The brunette pleads as they both scramble and get to their feet. They flank me in another blink, hands roaming and bodies pressed against me. "Let's just pretend we weren't in here. We'll find someplace else."

"You look tense," The redhead observes, sucking my neck. "We'll relax you, Lucas."

My eyes fall shut in annoyance. This has been a shit day and honestly, I'd fuck the shit out of them to unwind especially if they're so goddamn desperate. But then they'd think it would be okay to get in my space. They'd tell the school that I let it pass, that I fucked them even if they crossed a line. That's the thing when you're me and you let one thing slide — motherfuckers start ice skating.

I push both of them off of me and out the door before I have a chance to give in. My door slams in their shocked faces and behind them, a crowd of people are craning their necks to get a look at what's going on. No fucking chance of that.

"You're a dick, Lucas Cage!" One of them shrieks.

I chuckle, bracing my palms against the door and speaking loud enough for them to hear me. "And yet, you'd still kneel for mine."

I'm met with silence because I'm right. If I opened this door right now, I wouldn't have to say a goddamn word before they were on me. No apology, no niceties, even if I'm an asshole. Funny how that one works. They come into my room without permission when I've made it clear no one is allowed in here, I locked the door so they figured out a way to break in, and they touched me unprovoked when I told them to leave. But somehow I'm the asshole, right? Always the fucking bad guy. But who cares? I wear it with motherfucking pride.

I go to my mini-fridge, using the key to open the lock before pulling it open. I grab myself a can of beer and pop it open, taking a sip before flopping back on my bed. One glance at my phone tells me it's nearly one in the morning. I also have two missed calls from my father. Dad isn't the type to pester me too much so two missed calls probably means I should call him back. I may hate the world but I love my family and they're the only ones who deserve my respect.

I click on the notification and my phone dials him up. I press it to my ear and listen to the ringing sound for a few moments.

"Lucas," Dad greets when he picks up.

"What up, old man? Missing me?" I smirk even though he can't see it. He can probably hear it in my tone though. I get my asshole genes from him. My father is probably the biggest dick on the planet and I fucking love him.

"Such a dick," He mutters but I can hear the smirk in his voice too. We're eerily similar like that. Mom always says I'm like a carbon copy of him, right down to my attitude. She's sweet as hell and it's a wonder she snagged him at all. "Would it kill you to keep in touch with your parents?"

"Aren't we speaking right now?" I smart.

Dad sighs deeply and I chew the inside of my cheek to suppress a smile. Mom also says that Dad's karma for all those years he was an ass is a son that's even worse than he was at this age. Taste of his own medicine and all that jazz.

"Seriously, what's good?" I ask remembering the missed calls. "Unless you really are missing me because that's fucking adorable."

"Jesus," He laughs, as rare of an occurrence it is to him as it is to me. Cage men don't do laughs or smiles of any sort. Even my sixteen-year-old brother Landon is a little scowling shit. "You're too goddamn full of it, son."

"Learned from the best. You gonna keep stalling or what?"

"It's nothing," He says after a short beat. "Just making sure you'll be home tomorrow. You don't visit as much. That shit hurts your mother, you know."

My chest twists with guilt. There's isn't a fucking thing I wouldn't do for my mom. "I know. That's my bad."

"Now who's stalling? You're coming home, right?"

"Yeah. Might be in a little late, though. Zack and I haven't even started packing. Which reminds me, could you send over cleaners to our dorm?"

"Party?"

"Zack's idea. Place is fucking trashed."

"As long as you don't make me a grandfather anytime soon."

I snort. "You're about to be one, anyways."

My older sister, half-sister technically but that shit is irrelevant, just found out that her and her husband are pregnant. After years of trying, just when Lizzie thought it wouldn't happen for her, the news came along.

"Exactly," Dad says now. "One at a time."

"Don't jinx yourself. It could be Landon instead of me."

"What the fuck? Did he already lose his virginity?"

"Our little man had his cherry popped," I confirm even though Landon's going to kick my ass for ratting him out. Dad would have found out anyways because he knows us like that. I'm just speeding up the process. "They grow up so fast."

"Just what we need," Dad mutters. "Two Cage men dipping their dicks and increasing the stakes. Make sure you're using protection. I mean that shit."

"You kiss Mom with that mouth?" I joke.

This time his laugh is all too different. "I do a lot of things to your mother with this mouth."

"Jesus fuck, Dad," My face wrinkles. My parents are sickeningly in love like they have been all their lives. Of course they fight and raise hell occasionally but their love hasn't stopped burning since the day they met. "You're demented."

"I also haven't seen my son since Christmas," He scolds, all traces of humour gone. "Be home tomorrow. And when you return for your last year, make sure you don't visit once a semester. Come the fuck on, Lucas."

"Okay, okay," I concede. "What's the big deal about tomorrow anyways? Some kind of holiday I'm forgetting?"

There's another pause. "No. Just wanna see our boy."

"Yeah, sure," My brows come together. I know my dad loves me but he isn't normally so soft about it. I guess I really do need to come around more often.

"Okay," He clears his throat. "See you tomorrow. I'll book the cleaners and text you the information."

"Thanks, old man. Later."

"Bye, son." He ends the call.

I throw my phone haphazardly, hearing the soft thud of its fall on the carpeted floor somewhere. There's a very good reason I avoid home as much as possible. I may love the fuck out of my family but home is where she is.

And if I never see her again, it'll be too fucking soon.

***

But that was the least of my worries. Fuck life.

___________________________

A/N

And so we begin and man, is this a totally different vibe from anything I've written.

The beginning of the chapter, that little monologue, is basically my way of saying this character isn't for everyone. You can see by now that Lucas is an ass but he's about to get a lot worse. Not everyone in books are perfect. Some MC's are just plain horrible because they go through shit to learn. That being said, you don't have to like him but please refrain from negative commentary. It's your choice to be here and read this story and if you think it's not for you, then don't continue. There's no need for rude remarks. Just wanted to add this disclaimer because all of my books have their fair share of really rude readers that act judgemental and snobby and after almost five years on Wattpad I'm officially out of patience, lol. Hope that's understandable.

I'm so ready to give you a story I hope you'll love. This one is going to rip you apart if you see it through but you'll never forget it. Buckle in.

Please VOTE, comment and share if you liked this chapter!

Happy Reading :)