Havelock Buttermere
“You’re an idiot. I’m an idiot. We’re co-presidents of Club Idiot.”
“I don’t give a damn.” “You give so many damns they are visible from space!”
Havelock’s parents are from two very different social classes, leading Havelock to grow up in a lower status after his Father passed away unexpectedly. He had no will so his Father’s family tried to kick Havelock’s other parent and Havelock out on the proverbial street. Lawsuits after lawsuits were made and fought, with both sides losing. Havelock’s living parent did manage to secure Havelock a future at least. Enough money to go to college and to scrape by. And something else. A secret. Havelock would have his own guard someday because at he was a Buttermere. He had no idea, after all, he had grown up on the fringes, poor, in housing developments, waiting on when he could go to a nice college and get a good education so he could take care of his parent. Who had sacrificed so much to make sure that Havelock would have that chance. Havelock wouldn’t let them down.
So Havelock went to college. He had to get good grades and he wasn’t naturally smart and he worked his ass off. He didn’t sleep, he dropped weight – before he’d been a fairly fat kid, by the time college was over, he was just chubby. His relationship with food had changed as well, he didn’t have to worry about food in college, it was provided. There was no scraping to get by. He was even supplied with money for extras. It was a giant change between how he’d grown up after his Dad had died.
There wasn’t a lot of money in geology really, but if you applied it just right, it could be useful to various mining companies around the universe. Though, honestly Havelock just wanted to go out into the field, on an alien planet and touch all the rocks. Volcanoes and plate tectonics were a particular interest of his and he read files on nearby planets with relish.
“Havelock~”
“What do you want, Devlyn?”
“Don’t be rude, Havie~ I was wondering if you wanted to go to a party tonight.”
“No.”
“That’s okay, you weren’t invited anyway but I was going to sneak you in if you wanted to go.”
“…I don’t care.”
“Oooh. You care a lot! You thinking about coming with me now?”
“No!”
“Come on~ It’ll be fun.”
“I don’t like fun.”
“Isn’t that the bloody truth. Okay. I’ll leave you be with your rocks. But don’t say I never offered you nothing~.”
“Go away.”
“Yessir.”
Havelock watched the tall, lanky, delicately boned Devlyn Gates wander away, back through the hissing airlock and out into the hall of the space station. He pushed his glasses up on his head and rubbed his eyes. Not invited! Who wanted to be invited? Not him! … Devlyn ran in rich circles, definitely upper class. Like his own father had been. No doubt that was why they didn’t want him. He wasn’t rich enough for them. Havelock picked up and then put down the tablet he’d been reading before his distractions.
Then he messaged Devlyn.
Where’s the party? I’ll come.