《When Perfect Meets Crazy》


 Chapter 1: 01 - What he had in muscles he lacked in brain

    Chapter 1: 01 - What he had in muscles hecked in brain


    For my sister, my editor and every girl who has ever thought, "He''s so stupid. I''d never fall for him."


    ? ? ?


    I gritted my teeth, total displeasure coating my face as I leaned in further than I liked so my words could


    be heard over the roaring of the crowd. Even then, I still had to shout.


    "I think we should go!"


    My sister barely spared me an irritated nce before returning her attention to the small ring containing


    one immature man and an idiotic boy who clearly did not know that overdoing steroids could be life


    threatening as well as unattractive.


    Or was I the only one who wasn''t into overly buff guys?


    I knew my sister well enough to understand that she was already regretting her decision to let me tag


    along on her little jailbreak expedition. Our current surroundings had very little on a jail cell. We were


    packed tighter than sardines which I would''ve hated even without the worrisome thought that some of


    the people I was mushed in with had questionable hygiene.


    It was a miracle Olly was able to enjoy herself at all. I could hardly breathe without fighting the urge to


    throw up thanks to the unique and entirely nauseatingbination of musk, sweat, grease and cigar


    permeating the air.


    Not to be overly dramatic but I was breathing as little as I could.


    Never again was I stepping foot in this dump.


    My gaze involuntarily went to the filthy, once white but now brown ceiling as I sent up a short fervent


    prayer that my sister and I make it back home before either of my parents did and all hell broke loose.


    They would dly kill me for letting this expeditione to life, conveniently forgetting that it wasn''t my


    idea nor did I even want to be here. It was part of the curse of being the older kid.


    In my next life, if such things existed, I was definitely not going to be an older sister. I would be thest


    kid. The baby of the house. There was less stress involved.


    Three weeks ago, when Olly suddenly -much to my consternation- became interested in boxing, I


    knew, in my heart of hearts, I knew it wasn''t going to end well.


    Thest time she had picked up one such obsessions, it had been drag racing. It started out the same


    way; with her watching shows on TV, then unto constantly streaming them on YouTube until finally, she


    had to see it up close and personal in real life.


    Needless to say, that ended less than spectacrly and she came out the other side with a mild


    concussion which I took the me for when I covered for her.


    I told our parents I almost got involved in a car ident, a near-miss. That I had mmed my foot on


    the brake at thest minute and the momentum caused her to hit her head on the dashboard. As


    punishment, I had my car privileges revoked for a month. There had even been talk about not letting


    me take the driver''s test. I had only a learner''s permit at the time. I was on cooking duty for two more


    months and even now, a full yearter, my mom still carries out regr inspections of my car to be sure


    I¡¯m not ¡®driving recklessly.¡¯


    So when Olly got to the streaming stage of her current obsession, I knew it was only a matter of time


    before she went and did something simrly stupid. This time, however, I was determined to not let it


    get to the stage where I needed to take the me.


    A nce at my wristwatch informed me that I had only about thirty minutes to make that happen. My


    house was roughly twenty minutes away so my odds weren''t great. Especially not since Olly was


    insistent on staying till thest punch was thrown. Clearly, she had rightfully assumed that I was never


    letting her set foot in this hellhole ever again and wrongfully assumed that we had already been found


    out by our parents so she might as well enjoy herst few minutes of freedom.


    Our mom had basically ordered us to be home early today -disobedience was not an option- because


    for the first time in two weeks, she was getting off early from work and she wanted to have a family


    dinner. With most of the family anyway since my dad was not at all going to leave work any earlier than


    ten p.m. unless the house was on fire.


    To be honest, even then I wasn''t so sure. In all my years, I''d never once known him to be home early.


    He is a workaholic like that.


    He even goes in on holidays.


    Anyway, if our mom got home before us, we would be in big big trouble. The kind that would involve a


    lot of grilling about what held us up -we would obviously lie- followed by a lot of yelling about how


    irresponsible I was and would eventually end in some creative punishment specifically designed to


    make my life miserable. Olly would get off easy.


    It paid to be the younger sister and the mother''s favourite.


    So I did the only thing I knew would hurry my entitled little sister up.


    "I''m going to wait in the car. If you''re not there in five minutes, I''m leaving without you," I sternly


    informed her.


    All cards on the table, I would wait all night if that''s how long it took her to show up.


    Fortunately, she didn''t know that.


    I turned on my heel and stomped off.


    She had to buy my angry act or I might as well say good bye to car privileges for the rest of my life. I


    could already hear our mom saying I was the one with the car and the older sibling and clearly, that


    made everything my fault.


    I rolled my eyes.


    I had to elbow my way through cheering fans and almost pped one guy who just couldn''t wait the


    three seconds it would''ve taken me to walk past before yelling out the name of his preferred fighter and


    in the process, awarding me with a hair full of peanut crumbs and saliva. Ew!


    I shuddered violently, took in a deep breath -that I instantly regretted- and called on all the willpower I


    could muster to walk away without strangling the life out of him. And also, to not vomit.


    The only reason I had evene to this moss pit was because my sister, who couldn''t be like every


    other fourteen year old out there, had made the questionable decision to fall in love with this weird


    cross between boxing and street fighting. And as if the prospect of brainless oversized men beating the


    crap out of each other and shedding off unnecessary amounts of pheromones wasn''t bad enough, it


    just so happened to be illegal which, of course, added a nice bow on top of it.


    Not only was I risking my life by being here because our parents would definitely kill me if they ever


    found out and that¡¯s aside what the cops would do but I also had peanuts, disgusting half-chewed


    peanuts in my hair for all my troubles.


    Olly was damn lucky to have me for a sister.


    I came to the realization that I was a great big sister around the same time I also realized my little self


    was very much lost in the maze of hallways. The people I had been following had somehow


    disappeared when I wasn''t paying attention.


    Per-freaking-fect.


    "Hey! Anyone here?" I called out, walking on with the hope of catching up with them ahead.


    Instead, I had the pleasure of hearing my voice echo down an empty hallway. I poked around, calling


    out for help every minute or so. It was hard to believe that there was no one around to help me. The


    people I''d been following had to be around somewhere and all the athletes, if you could even call them


    that, had to be close by seeing as their dressing rooms lined the corridor.


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    My irritation and impatience rose to dangerous levels as I poked my head into all the open rooms I


    could find. Most were locked and I could just tell there were people inside them.


    Eventually I found one with a half dressed boy who had to have been fed growth hormones since he hit


    puberty.


    He was in the process of slipping off a mask which said volumes about his IQ. No matter what anybody


    had to say on the matter, wearing a mask was definitely not cool unless you happened to be a talented


    musician whose mask was a visual representation of his name.


    Yes, I was talking about Marshmello and even then, his was less mask and more headdress.


    Still, I breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Finally."


    It had definitely been over five minutes. I was in no position to be picky about who would help me. Olly


    was probably searching for me by now.


    "Hi. I need to find the way out of here," I said just as the mask came loose and slid off the boy''s face.


    He turned to face me, eyes wide with horror.


    He had full thick eyebrows that had to have been threaded by a professional, a tiny scar at the corner


    of his mouth that didn''t exactly surprise me and pale pink lips that did. His features were ruggedly


    handsome if one was into that kind of stuff.


    I definitely wasn''t.


    Who wanted to be in any type of rtionship with a boy whose muscle mass was not only twice their


    weight but one who also happened to have the face of a petty criminal? Not me, that was for sure.


    The boy in question gaped at me, eyes widening even more as he opened, closed and once again


    opened his mouth, confirming my belief that what he had in muscles, hecked in brain.


    "Ex-it?" I asked, drawing the word out slowly as though I was speaking to a retarded child which wasn''t


    so far from the case.


    The look of shock and horror remained on his face as he answered my question as though on autopilot


    by pointing in what I hoped was the direction of the exit.


    "Thanks." I spun on my heel and dashed out of his dressing room.


    I couldn''t bring myself to look at my watch and find out just how much time I had wasted because I


    hadn''t been paying attention to where I was going. If I got my car rights revoked, I had only myself to


    me.


    Well... technically, it wasn''t entirely my fault. I mean, the people I was following were partly to be


    med. If they hadn''t suddenly disappeared none of this would''ve happened. If you really thought


    about it, this was actually all their fault.


    A few secondster, the boy appeared behind me sans the mask but with an unnecessarilyrge face


    cap and shades, yelling for me to stop.


    I did no such thing.


    I continued running.


    I ran all the way to the car after I managed to loose him in the throng of people exiting the building. All


    the matches were over which meant I had even less time to get home than I previously thought. I was


    more concerned with getting home in time and thereby saving mine and my sister''s asses than finding


    out what the troubled guy with poor essorising skills wanted.


    "Where the hell were you? We were supposed to leave over five minutes ago," Olly burst out as soon


    as I was within ear reach.


    I ignored her outburst and refrained from pointing out that I was the one who had been worried about


    the time we had to leave and not her.


    "Just get in the car," I growled, mming the door shut behind me as I did the same.


    It made me feel better for all of two seconds until I remembered that my mother would have my head if


    the car got even an itty bitty scratch because I decided to take my anger out on my car.


    She would probably think it was another lucky near-miss. If we didn''t make it home in time, thest


    thing I needed was to give her more reason to yell at me.


    The drive back home was a race against time that caused me to have some respect for Cindere''s


    struggle to get home before midnight. Prior to this, I always thought it was stupid. How exactly did she


    loose track of time when she knew that everything depended on it? When she knew the


    consequences?


    I finally understand your struggle. I will never make sarcastic jabs about you again if you help me get


    home on time. I could use your fairy godmother''s help right now.


    I floored it, breaking speed limits and cutting other cars off as if my dad owned the road while praying


    that I wouldn''t get pulled over. If that happened, then I was a dead man walking. There was no way my


    dad wouldn''t find out about it.


    Fortunately, we arrived at home before either of my parents.


    Cue my very audible sigh of relief.


    Unfortunately, our bbermouth neighbor saw me drive in -I made Olly crouch in the backseat so she


    wouldn''t be seen- which meant my mom would one hundred percent know that I went out and exactly


    what time, right down to the minute, I got home.


    Honestly, was it too much to ask that my lousy neighbor and her family be forced to relocate to


    Nebraska? Kazakhstan? ska? I really wasn''t picky about the location. Anywhere far from me would


    do.


    "Sorry," Olly whispered as we retired to our separate rooms to wait for the mini grenade that would go


    off once our mother heard of my escapades.


    If nothing else, at least I had managed to keep Olly out of it.

 Chapter 2: 02 - How to bring your child to tears in ten seconds tested and trusted

    Chapter 2: 02 - How to bring your child to tears in ten seconds tested and trusted


    Dinner ended up being ten minuteste. A whole six hundred secondster than it was supposed to be.


    I was toast. Dead meat. A sitting duck. A dead man walking. It was my day to cook and with dinner


    beingte, my mom had a legitimate reason to shout at me.


    Not that she needed one to begin with.


    My eyelids drifted shut as I exhaled noisily through my mouth. This was bad. Very bad. If it had been


    any other night, I might have gotten away with it but definitely not tonight. Not after she specifically


    requested that wee straight home after school. Not after our neighbor informed her of the time I


    arrived, a mere half hour before she herself did.


    She wasn''t going to see that I still arrived before she did. What she''d see was the fact that school let


    out hours ago and contrary to her order, I hadn''te straight home. Shit. Shit. Shit.


    My mother, the Jessica Johnson, was going to be less than pleased.


    The contents of my stomach plummeted. I could more or less smell her anger.


    I shivered.


    After working a huge case, getting home atte hours of the night and early hours of the morning, for


    the past two weeks -four, if you counted getting home by nine p.m.te-, the one day she got off early, I


    couldn''t have dinner ready on time.


    She wasn''t just going to let that slide.


    I drew in a deep breath, wriggled my shoulders and bent my neck one side, then the other like


    someone getting ready for a fight would.


    Then, I called out, "Dinner''s ready!"


    A fun family dinner where we''d ask about her breakthrough on the case was nowhere to be found.


    Dinner was a tense strained affair where, as expected, my mother awarded me a beautifully worded


    let''s conveniently forget that you ask this every time you get held up working a big case- and cook


    while simultaneously -and ironically- enjoying the spaghetti I, the ¡®irresponsible and wilful¡¯ daughter had


    prepared.


    If I was so irresponsible, I definitely wouldn''t have bothered cooking anything.


    I kept that thought to myself though. I quite liked living and wasn''t ready to say goodbye to it just yet.


    I couldn¡¯t anyway. I was too busy trying not to cry. Like an idiot.


    "I''m sorry," I mumbled quietly, hating the tightness in my throat and the way my eyes were undoubtedly


    glistening with unshed tears. "I had to make a quick stop at the library."


    "And it couldn''t wait one day?" Her tone, the arc of her brows and her aura had me shrinking in my


    seat.


    "I''m sorry." I squirmed.


    I''ve always thought it was entirely unfair that parents have the ability to bring their kids to tears with


    only a few words or a mean look. It was even more unfair that my mom had mastered the art.


    Seriously, the woman could write a book; How To Bring Your Child To Tears In Ten Seconds. Tested


    and trusted. I wasn''t a crier. Not by any stretch of imagination. I could count on one hand the things that


    could make me cry and still have spare fingers but at times like this, it felt like I was more sensitive to


    my parents because I wasn''t to anything else. Like that somehow increased my sensitivity to parental


    disapproval.


    Olly would never cry over simply being yelled at. She would hardly even blink but, unlike me, -and


    though she hated it- she was the type to cry over a sad movie, a dead pet, a sad goodbye. She cried a


    bucket over Five Feet Apart, Titanic and The Fault In Our Stars. I smiled at the first andughed at the


    other two because I actually thought they were funny and stupid but now, with my eyes misting with


    tears, I''d have given anything to be the one who cried over movies and weathered through being yelled


    at.


    I couldn''t deal with negative emotions directed at me. I hated that. It always made me look like such a


    cry baby. I of all people.


    "Honestly," my mother continued, "it was one simple thing. And you couldn''t do even that."


    I swallowed hard and forced myself to continue eating.


    Olly shrank further in her chair with every scathing sentence that left our mom''s mouth. Even my


    whispered "it''s fine" and convincing albeit fake smile didn''t seem to make her feel better.


    Thankfully, the entire ordeal was short lived. I was finally on my way back to my room after hurriedly


    clearing the dishes. I had managed not to actually let tears fall throughout the dinner but if I had to


    listen to Olly apologize one more time, I knew withplete certainty I''d end up bursting into tears.


    That could absolutely not happen. It would only make Olly feel worse because she would know that our


    mom''s words had gotten to me and if she felt bad then I would feel even worse than I already did. And I


    felt bad enough as it was.


    There should really be a rule never to say sorry to a person struggling not to cry. When in history has it


    ever worked? It always just ends up making said person cry harder.


    Unsurprisingly, the first fat drop slid down my face just as I was pulling my door open, betraying the


    fa?ade of hauty indifference I had maintained throughout dinner. Luckily, Olly had already slipped into


    her room, just a few steps away. I was saved from feeling even worse than I already felt.


    I angrily wiped the tear away, reminding myself that not only had I protected my sister, I also had


    nothing to be sorry for.


    But when has that ever worked?


    I crossed length of my beige themed room to my favourite part of the entire house; my window-seat.


    When I was younger, I hated the color of my room. I wanted it to be less grownup. I wanted bright


    colours like all my friends but my parents never came around to the idea. It all worked out though


    because now that I was older, I kind of liked it.


    I made myselffortable, pulling my knees up to my chin and wrapping my arms around my legs as I


    rested my chin on my kneecaps.


    An annoyed growl escaped my lips as I wiped away another tear. And then another. And another until I


    had two matching tear trails running down my cheeks despite my efforts.


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    "You''re better than this, Avy," I whispered, drawing in a shaky breath. "Why are you even crying?"


    Unable to answer my own question, I leaned out the window for a clearer view of the starry night sky.


    And thank God for that because I happened to catch sight of Masked Idiot in the process.


    I immediately ducked into my room, backing away from the window as if it had suddenly caught fire.


    What the hell is he doing here?


    It was dark and from my perch, I couldn''t clearly make out his features but I was sure it was him. My


    mother had already harshly chewed me out foring homete from ''an impromptu visit to the


    library''. I couldn''t bring myself to imagine the hell and holy fire she would bring if she found out where I


    had truly been.


    I would have to kiss my right to life goodbye.


    Because I thought it would somehow help me conceal my identity, I flicked the lights off and made my


    way to the bathroom I shared with my sister. It served as the demarcation between her room and mine,


    and also as a passage to sneak into each other''s rooms when we were much younger as we both had


    doors leading into the tiny bathroom.


    I indulged myself in a long bath. It started out warm but soon turned cold because Olly had used up


    most of the hot water. Nothing is really going my way today. I was a lover of hot baths. Under normal


    circumstances, I would''vee out as soon as the water ran cold but I hadn''t been able to get a


    handle on my emotions and was still tearing up so I stayed so I wouldn''t feel it as the tears rolled down.


    When I finally emerged from the shower, the rest of the household -with the exception of my dad who


    wasn''t home yet- had already gone to bed and my skin was well into pruny territory. I wrapped a fluffy


    white towel around myself and made my way into the room, drying my hair as I went. I was forced to


    wash it thanks to the peanut crumbs.


    Even now, hourster, the thought was still as disgusting as ever. Maybe even more so. I had to


    repress a shudder.


    If I ever saw that guy again, there was a very strong chance I would murder him.


    I flicked the light switch on and syed the hair towel on the towel hanger behind the door before


    turning around.


    The sight of Masked Idiot on my bed was jarring enough to elicit a jolt of surprise from me and a sharp


    intake of breath, the kind that sounded like a wheeze gone wrong.


    I stared at him.


    He stared right back.


    I lifted my gaze to the off-white ceiling, letting my eyes close for a second.


    I was seeing things. I had to be. A criminal hadn''t actually found my house and broken into my room. I


    couldn''t be that unlucky. I really couldn''t.


    I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders before letting my gaze drift back to the bed.


    He was still loungingfortably on it.


    I blinked.


    He blinked.


    Okay... I wasn''t seeing things. There was an actual boy on my bed. Though my head ached and my


    vision was blurry from crying too much, I definitely hadn''t conjured up the image of the boy on my bed.


    He was lying casually, his upper body propped against the head of the bed with my pillows cushioning


    his back. My pillows. He had his legs stretched out, one hanging over the other in an all too casual


    pose, like he owned the ce. Like this was his room.


    He was dressed entirely in ck. The only spot of color on him came from the considerably pricy


    genuine Rolex he had on. ck tee shirt, ck jeans and ck boots. Filthy boots that were also on


    my bed. On my easily stained cream coloured sheets. Sheets that my mom bought.


    "First, get your filthy boots off my bed." My eyes narrowed in on the offending footwear.


    Later when I think the conversation over, I''ll realize that I was acting entirely unhinged. A scream for


    help would''ve been more appropriate given the situation but at the moment all I could think about were


    his dirty boots on my bed, him on my bed, him in my room.


    It was like the universe was out to get me.


    "Second, you''re dusting my sheets when you get up. And third," I drew in a deep breath to steel myself,


    ¡°what. The. Actual. Fuck.¡±


    The look of utter surprise on his face made it clear he was having a hard time processing my response


    so I decided to rify things for him but before I could, a cool breeze came in through the window


    reminding me that I was very much underdressed. How I managed to forget that important fact showed


    just how out of it I was. I mean I was in a towel. Just a tug away from full nudity. And I had a criminal in


    the room.


    A criminal who could very well be a rapist.


    I tightened the towel around me and stiffly made my way to the closet. I picked out a PJ and one of my


    silk scarfs before returning to where I had been standing.


    I flicked off the lights, bathing the room in darkness while I hurriedly changed into my PJs without letting


    the towel slip until I was properly clothed.


    Again, it wasn''t until muchter when rationality kicked in and I analyzed my reaction that I''d realize


    that dressing up in front of aplete stranger -even though it was in the dark and I kept the towel


    secured around me- was a ridiculously stupid idea. I could have, should have screamed bloody murder


    and had my mom deal with it.


    I might have if I didn''t know for a fact that even if he''d been aplete stranger -and not one I''d met at


    a ce I wasn''t even supposed to know existed much less be at- she''d still find a way to me me. It


    would somehow be my fault that he had broken into my room seeing as he was around my age and not


    an unattractive middle aged man in a ski mask.


    One look at him and she''d believe it had been my n to sneak him into my room all along. That it just


    happened to identally go wrong. I could just picture her asking why he had specifically chosen my


    room and not hers or Olly''s or even the living room and if he started talking about my noon escapades,


    then I was beyond dead. It would be straight to hell for me. Not even the police could save me. Not that


    they wouldn''t even try thanks to my dad.


    All things considered, keeping the break-in a secret was of utmost importance. It was paramount to my


    survival.


    The lights came back on once I was done dressing up. I turned to face the intruder, nting my hands


    on my hips in a stance I coined from my mother. It always made her seem more terrifying.


    "I would scream but I have a headache from crying my eyes out in the bathroom and I''m honestly more


    afraid of what my mom would do to me if she found a boy in my room than I am of you. Whosoever you


    are," I said, my voice conveying just how drained and unimpressed I was.


    This was officially the longest and most tiring day ever and all I wanted was for it to end. I wanted,


    needed to curl up on my bed and just conk out. I was done with today. I hated today. I wanted today to


    be tomorrow already.


    Unfortunately, I had to deal with Masked Idiot first.


    "You have twenty seconds to exin why you broke into my room before I expose you to the wrath of


    my mother," I divulged, taking a seat at my dresser as I got started on my night-time hair routine.


    "And trust me." I met his gaze through the mirror in front of me. "She''s scarier than any police out


    there."


    My body was tired. My brain was tired. I really just wanted to get today over with.


    Behind me, Masked Idiot struggled to find hisposure and wipe the gaping fish look off his face.


    "You find aplete stranger who you know is trained to take down men twice his size in your bed and


    that''s the reaction you''re going with?" he asked finally.


    My eyes met his through the mirror of the dresser, holding his in a steady gaze. "Twelve seconds."

 Chapter 3: 03 - Drive me psych ward and strait jacket kind of crazy

    Chapter 3: 03 - Drive me psych ward and strait jacket kind of crazy


    This whole day had to be a product of one of two things. One was that I had hit my head, given myself


    the mother of all concussions and was sedated somewhere dreaming all this up.


    If I was, then I was really d a device that could tell whatatose patients were thinking hadn''t


    been invented yet because if I ever woke up, I definitely wasn''t looking forward to exining to my


    mom -or dad for that matter- why my subconscious chose to go -and take Olly- to an illegal fighting


    arena or to have a boy break into my room.


    I already knew what she''d say, that dreams are based off subconscious thoughts so that meant I was


    thinking of doing those things. Then I''d be in big trouble. For something that didn''t even truly happen.


    The other, much scarier, option was that the universe was out to get me, to drive me psych-ward-and-


    straitjacket kind of crazy.


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    I really wanted to believe I was in aa somewhere, fighting for my life. At least I''d get get-well-soon


    flowers -and chocte hopefully- but more than, none of this would be real. I really really wanted to


    believe that but I knew if I had dreamt everything up, then I wouldn''t have actually cried.


    I had a pretty active imagination but it was still my imagination. It couldn''t actually make me cry. Not to


    mention the things happening around me didn''t have that surreal dreamlike quality. It felt very real,


    especially the part where I was yelled at. That was more than real which could only mean one thing.


    The universe was out to get me. Karma had finally decided to show up. It was raining bad luck on me.


    I sighed wearily. Today really isn''t my day.


    After five long seconds of watching Masked Idiot repeatedly open and close his mouth like the


    never get past this. He''d probably keep it up till morning.


    "Why are you in my house? My room to be specific." I frowned, waving my index finger in a circr


    motion directed at the ceiling. Why did it really have to be my room? "In case you didn''t know, you''re


    trespassing and invading my privacy. Not to mention,mitting a felony."


    Technically breaking and entering on it''s own wasn''t a felony but with my mom as the opposing


    counsel''s attorney, it could very well be. He didn''t look all that bright so I felt the obligated to inform him,


    just in case he didn''t know that everything about what he was doing in my house was illegal.


    I mean the first time I saw him, he had a mask on. A mask in the middle of June. It was nowhere close


    to Halloween.


    "You''re one to talk," he scoffed, finally getting a hold of himself. His tone, the upward curl of his lips, the


    condescending air that surrounded him had me stiffening, readying for a fight.


    "The fuck do you mean by that?" I snapped, cringing a split secondter at my volume.


    Shit!


    I didn''t mean to be that loud. My eyes, wide with terror, shot to the door as I prayed that my voice


    hadn''t reached my mom''s room.


    After a few seconds of silence, I sighed in relief.


    She didn''t hear, thank God.


    Relief instantly turned to anger at the idiot lounging on my bed.


    My eyes hardened to stone as I red at him. "Get out," I gritted. "Before I kill you, get out."


    "Oh please," he chuckled, rolling his eyes.


    "Do I look," I spat icily, venom coating my tone, "like I''m joking?"


    I wanted him out and I wanted him out right that second.


    He may not have believed in my ability to hurt him or maybe he was confident in his skills as a fighter


    but the murderous intent in my eyes got through to him, enough to get him to change tactics at least.


    "You barged into my life. You snuck into my reserved room."


    It was all I could do not to p him and hope it would jumpstart his sleeping brain. "Snuck?" I hissed


    incredulously. "I snuck?"


    What did he think I was? A fan? For heaven''s sake, he wasn''t a celebrity. He was a criminal. A full


    blooded criminal! And clearly not even a good one seeing as he got caught.


    "I didn''t sneak," I growled, baring my teeth. "I did not sneak into your godforsaken room." My voice was


    low, full of barely leashed anger.


    It was like he actually wanted me to kill him with all the nonsense he was spouting.


    What reason on God''s green earth would I have for ''sneaking'' into his room? I didn''t know him. I wasn''t


    even a fan of boxing and if not for Olly, I never would''ve stepped foot in that cursed ce.


    "I identally found it. identally!" I hissed, folding my arms across my torso tightly to restrain the


    irrational but understandable urge to wring his neck. "And I left all of ten secondster. I strongly


    suggest you follow my precedent."


    My words visibly threw him for some reason.


    "Do you not know who I am?" he inquired in a tone that made it clear this little nugget was mind


    boggling to him.


    "And who exactly do you think you are?" My eyes narrowed to slits, viciousness oozing from my pores.


    A casual observer would''ve thought I was the criminal between the two of us in that moment.


    "ck Stripe," he answered, eyeing me warily.


    "Is that supposed to mean something to me? ck stripe? Is that your name?" I asked, thrown off by


    the two words that seemingly had no rtion to the subject of discussion. I found myself seriously


    considering whether or not he trulycked working brain cells. "Great. You couldn''t get any more


    cliched if you tried," I added under my breath.


    I was now ny percent sure he barely managed to graduate high school. ck Stripe? Really? Who


    gives themselves such a stupid name?


    "So you don''t know?" he rified, astonished.


    "I don''t know what a ck stripe has to do with anything here," I answered, carefully eyeing him for any


    signs of a psychotic break. Especially since he didn''t outright admit to it being his name or what


    relevance it had to the conversation.


    Thest thing I needed was for him to be crazy on top of everything. Not to be dramatic but I''d end up


    screaming out of frustration.


    "I have a better question for you. Why the hell did youe here and how the fuck did you find me?" I


    tried not to wince. Cursing wasn''t something I was used to but the situation, the whole day in fact,


    called for it.


    Polite words couldn''t properly epass how horrendous the day had been.


    "You know who I am. My real identity. I couldn''t just let you leave," he replied, sounding more unsure of


    his ridiculous statement with each passing moment.


    He ought to be. I knew who he was? Who exactly did he think he was, besides a boy who''d clearly


    watched one too many bad TV shows. I mean, ck Stripe? Really?


    I couldn''t care less who he was. I met him at an illegal fighting arena, that was more than enough for


    me to never want to speak of it or see him again and yet, here he was trying to make sure I didn''t. Like


    I needed the reminder. Who exactly was I going to tell? My mom, who''d kill me? Or my dad, the sheriff


    who''d be obligated to throw me in jail or have me give him directions to the arena so he could organize


    a bust, after skinning me alive first, of course. I wasn''t about to paint a target like that on my back.


    Unlike Masked Idiot, I wasn''t stupid.


    "Look around, stupid!" I sniped, gesturing to my study table filled with collegiate level textbooks and


    SAT prep material, my shelf of novels and academic trophies, the absoluteck of posters or any such


    frivolities in the room.


    Before heid on it, my bed had been made, the edges crisply tucked in. My floor was spotless, the


    polished wood practically gleaming. There was no doll in sight, no boyband posters, no paraphernalia


    of any kind. Heck, the height of colour the room featured was my brown study table and floor.


    There was not a single thing out of ce. The room was organized to the letter, even my pens were


    lined up in straight evenly spaced rows on the study table.


    "Now answer, do I honestly strike you as someone who gives a flying fuck about your little fighting


    business?"


    His eyes skimmed the room, understanding dawning.


    Idiot.


    "Just get out," I sighed wearily. I just wanted to crawl under myforter and sleep. "Leave. I don''t... I


    need to rest. Just go."


    It had been the longest of long days and I needed to rest. I needed it to be over. I needed him to not be


    in my room, my house any longer.


    He kept gaping at me like an actual confused fish and once again, I found myself doubting the


    presence of an intellectually functioning brain in his skull.


    "Go away. Shoo. Beat it. Scram. You have five seconds before I scream this ce down." He may not


    have responded to reason but I was willing to bet he''d respond to threats. He was a criminal after all,


    that was anguage he had to be well versed in. "My mother is a high powered attorney and my dad is


    the sheriff. Choose wisely." I met his gaze squarely, radiating the impression that I wasn''t bluffing.


    I was so bluffing. No way in hell was I involving my mother in this. I wasn''t so eager to be punished for


    life. Fortunately, he didn''t know that.


    His eyes narrowed conveying displeasure.


    "Three seconds," I vocalized.


    With a grunt of frustration, he was off my bed and out the window. I didn''t bother checking if he made


    the jump. If he could sneak in then he''d better be able to sneak out on his own. If he died on the ground


    by my window and my parents saw hime morning, I''d deny everything. Dead men tell no tales


    after all.


    Also, I''d resurrect him just to have the pleasure of killing the idiot myself.


    Surprisingly, and also a testament to how unstable I was at the moment, I found that I was annoyed


    that he left without fixing my bed.


    With an irritated sigh, I went about that.


    "So? You''ve taken care of it?" The tone was harsh but unsure.


    "About that..." the masked boy hedged, looking everywhere but at the frowning man standing across


    from him.


    "What about it?" The voice hardened causing him to steel his spine and meet the man''s icy gaze.


    "I''ve sort of taken care of it." The boy squirmed, wondering just how his life had gotten to this. He was


    privileged kid from the right side of life for heaven''s sake. If only he hadn''t been so stupid to poke his


    nose where it didn''t belong, he wouldn''t currently be entangled with what was probably the biggest


    crime syndicate in the state.


    He stifled a sigh.


    No sign of crack show in the man''s appearance. Rather, it hardened further with every word that left the


    boy''s mouth. "Sort of?" The man arched an eyebrow. His tone was velvety soft and full of unspoken


    threats.


    The boy flinched. "Itsplicated."


    "I''m not asking for your rtionship status. The hell do you mean ''it''splicated''?"


    The boy graciously took the jab, inclining his head as his lips turned down at the corners. "What exactly


    was I supposed to do? In case you''re unaware, I don''t have mind wiping capabilities."


    "In the first ce, you were not supposed to get caught!" the man bellowed.


    "Yeah?" The boy smiled acidly as he carelessly sat down, throwing caution to the wind as he practically


    goaded the man. "And whose fault is it that I was? Who left their post to go and almost blow the


    mission by exposing themselves and leaving me vulnerable?"


    "It was a risk I had to take," came the gruff reply.


    "And it was so rewarding." Sarcasm overflowed from his words.


    "At least tell me you put the fear of God in her," the man asked, sounding resigned. He preferred to


    work alone. Not only had the higher ups ignored that, he was forced to work with a kid. A teenager. A


    pampered rich kid who was used to be waited on, hand in foot by an army of servants. The kid even


    had a butler for heaven''s sake.


    "She doesn''t know," the boy said. A tinge of confused disbelief could be heard in his voice.


    "Know what?" the man all but snapped.


    "Who I am."


    "Right because seeing your face wasn''t enough. You''d like to give her your name. How about your


    address and entire dossier while you''re at it." Even an obtuse man could not have missed the sarcasm.


    The boy rolled his eyes. "Not that. She doesn''t know about ck Stripe."


    She had pretty much looked at him like he was insane when he indicated that she knew who he was.


    To be honest, he got the feeling she wanted to clobber his head with a shoe or something much much


    stronger.


    He couldn''t get a read on her. If she was what she seemed to be -a straight A, squeaky clean, Ivy


    league bound kid- then what was she doing at the arena anyway? And why hadn''t she called the cops


    on him. He broke into her room. She was well within her rights to scream heaven down and call 911 but


    instead she''d bargained with him like it was nothing. Like she had criminals breaking in every other day.


    That was the part he couldn''t quite get. It was the one puzzle piece that wasn''t fitting in with the rest.


    Her s¨¦ attitude was that of someone used to dealing with criminals. Only two types of people where


    used to dealing with criminals; cops and other criminals. And she definitely wasn''t a cop.


    The n had been to surprise her and cover her mouth before she could scream but when he showed


    up, she wasn''t in her room. He got bored waiting and forgot he was meant to keep her from screaming.


    It was a good thing she hadn''t but more than that, it was the reason he didn''t trust her. Not one bit. As


    impressive as her reaction was, it just didn''t fit with the preppy straight ''A'' student persona. She even


    counted down for him. She really was something.


    He needed to keep an eye on her. There was more to her than she was letting on. He was sure of it.


    "Yeah right." The man''s voice was full of skepticism.


    "I''m serious," the boy countered.


    "Sure," the man drawled condescendingly. "A girl goes to an illegal fight club to watch matches but


    somehow is oblivious of the most popr fighter? Yeah, that makes perfect sense."


    "I''m not joking. She has no clue."


    "Or she is lying."


    "I''ll obviously keep an eye on her for the mean time." The boy scowled.


    "You had better. I''m not having two stupid teenagers ruin my mission."


    "Spare me. It''s your own fault I had to be dragged onto this. If you had covered your bases that


    would''ve never happened. And it''s your fault, again mind you, for leaving me unprotected while I


    changed after a match."


    "Zip it, Tiny Tim."


    "You''re only a little bigger than me," the boy countered. ''A very little.''


    "Shut up anyways," the man sniped. "And you had better take care of this or you can start making


    preparations to visit daddy dearest in prison."+


    "Don''t go there." His tone was far more vicious than a starving panther. A lesser man would''ve faltered


    before it.


    "Then make sure you take care of it," was all the man said, bringing their conversation to a close.

 Chapter 5: 05 - One of us is a confirmed criminal and it isn’t me

    Chapter 5: 05 - One of us is a confirmed criminal and it isn¡¯t me


    There were two things I considered myself excellent at. Ridiculously excellent at. The wake-up-from-


    sleep-with-no-prior-warning-and-still-kill-it kind of excellent. They were my academics and staying out


    of trouble. I had never been in trouble before, not even once. Not unless you counted trouble at home


    which I definitely did not. Nobody could go through life without being in trouble at home at least once. It


    is impossible and anyone who said otherwise was smoking a unique idiocy-inducing kind of weed.


    School, however, was an entirely different ball game. I¡¯d never been in detention, never been yelled at,


    never been punished, never even gotten a question wrong in front of my ssmates. I was that good.


    Of course, I had a teacher who didn¡¯t like me. Honestly, I think it was born out of jealousy and his need


    to see all students fail but everyone else loved me so there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. The


    teacher was known for never giving any higher than a B and I was known for only getting straight ¡®As¡¯.


    When I finally took his ss, I broke his record. He wasn¡¯t a fan of that.


    Anyway, the point is, I had a wless record when it came to staying out of trouble outside my family


    life. The one time I had a serious argument with a teacher, it was about the correct answer to an


    equation. It ended with said teacher having to formally apologize to me because it was discovered that


    I was right. And let¡¯s not even get started on my jobs. I was neverte, never unsavoury to customers,


    never not the best employee. Needless to say, I always got promoted easily. I was that girl. The one


    who excelled in her academics. The star of the school. The one who represents the school, then


    district, then the state and so on, inpetitions. The one people in ces of power either doted on


    publicly or disliked secretly without being able to do anything about it. The girl everyone knew would


    easily go to an Ivy League school. The one who would have her pick of Ivy League schools. That was


    me. Staying out of trouble and being smart were my superpowers.


    But in that moment, as I froze in the process of re-shelving the books, my eyes trained on Masked Idiot,


    I wondered if I was truly any good at a staying out of trouble. In the space of less than a week, I¡¯d


    gotten yelled at by my mom, had a criminal somehow trace me home and break in, and to top it off, that


    same criminal was now showing up at my ce of work. I clearly wasn¡¯t half as good at staying out of


    trouble as I thought. This was trouble. Big trouble with a capital ¡®T¡¯ and not only had I not managed to


    stay out of it, I was fore front and centre in it.


    The only reason I followed Olly to that stupid arena was because I believed with me there, she wouldn¡¯t


    get in trouble. Objectively speaking, I knew I aplished that but I couldn¡¯t exactly call myself a


    master trouble evader if I never even considered the remote possibility of getting in trouble myself. First


    with my mom and now, with this idiot.


    This could not be happening to me again.


    The first feeling that ran through me when I caught sight of him was fear. Pure unadulterated fear.


    Adrenaline kicked in but luckily, so didmon sense before I gave in to the irrational urge to run. To


    high tail it out the back door and not look back. Thank God too because how exactly was I going to


    exin taking off mid shift to my boss who would undoubtedly call my mother to inform her since it was


    entirely out of character for me. That was not a conversation I at all wanted to have. Oh, you see I have


    a perfectly reasonable exnation for that. A few days ago, I went to an illegal fight club and a


    criminal followed me home from there. And today, that criminal showed up at library so, obviously I had


    to run. Yeah, no. I¡¯d rather die first than see how that would y out with my parents. My upstanding


    My flight instincts changed to fight. Never mind that I had too much to lose by fleeing, I had no reason


    to do it. This was my ce of work and on top of that, I¡¯d beening here since I was a kid. It was my


    turf. Not once in all that time had I seen the idiot here and now, a few days after breaking into my room,


    he was ¡®coincidentally¡¯ at my ce of work. I wasn¡¯t that na?ve. The idiot was actually following me.


    How. Dare. He.


    Now, I was pissed. I mmed the book in my hand into the appropriate slot on the shelf before


    stomping over. My anger was in as day.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I snarled with all the viciousness of a lone wolf.


    ¡°Teeming information.¡± He shrugged nonchntly. ¡°That¡¯s what a library is for, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t y smart with me,¡± I hissed.


    ¡°Hmmm...¡± he intoned, scrunching up his face in a disapproving half-smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I was all


    brawns and no brain? I couldn¡¯t possibly hope to y smart with you.¡±


    The idiot was actually trying to y smart. Did he think this was funny? For his information, I was


    beginning to seriously consider murdering him as an option.


    I drew in a deep breath and reminded myself there were tons of witnesses around.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t specifically say that but I¡¯m d we agree on that point.¡± My gaze, full of venom, narrowed in


    on him. ¡°Unfortunately, even a dead clock is right twice a day. Meaning I still have to be careful. Now


    what are you actually doing here?¡±


    My words wiped the smug grin off his face. ¡°Dead clock?¡± His tone was t, unimpressed and irritated.


    It was my turn to adopt an air of condescending indifference.


    ¡°Well, not at all if it¡¯s a digital clock as opposed to analog. You strike me as digital but I¡¯m giving you the


    benefit of doubt. There¡¯s no way you aren¡¯t a dead clock though. We did already agree that you were


    all brawns and no brains.¡± My gaze swept over him, lingering meaningfully on his muscr toned arms


    and athletic build.


    He scowled.


    ¡°You work here.¡± His tone made it clear he was less than impressed.


    It was all I could do not to roll my eyes. Impressing him was nowhere on my radar. I didn¡¯t give a crap


    what he thought of anything, much less my job. He could drop dead for all I cared. Actually, I¡¯d quite


    like that. At least then, I wouldn¡¯t have to deal him ever again.


    ¡°You¡¯re a genius, Sherlock,¡± I drawled in a tone heavilyced with condescension.


    If my name tag didn¡¯t give it away, then the fact that I was re-shelving should have. It wasn¡¯t exactly a


    conundrum. Anyone with half a brain could¡¯ve figured it out. As a matter of fact, there was a kid who¡¯d


    gotten a hemispherectomy -a surgery to remove half of his brain- who had figured it out in less time.


    And not only was he missing half a brain, he was only nine years old.


    ¡°I have a vague idea of why you¡¯re here,¡± I said. ¡°Scowl when I hit jackpot.¡±


    He had another thinging if he thought he could waltz in and make me feel unsafe at my ce of


    work. I wasn¡¯t the type to cower. He was going to learn that soon enough.


    ¡°You¡¯re here because you stupidly think that since I saw your face, not that you¡¯re a model or a


    celebrity whose face is worth anything, you think you need to keep an eye on me so your secret


    doesn¡¯t get out or to be sure I¡¯m not doing something against you or some other ridiculously unrealistic


    line of thought like that.¡± I arched an eyebrow, waiting for his response.


    Sure enough, he scowled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to believe that you just so happened to stumble into my changing room right


    when I was taking off my mask.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re plenty stupid so don¡¯t worry your pretty little head about just how stupid that is. Aim for the


    highest number you can think of and just know that your stupidity is much much higher.¡±


    He had to be kidding. He was possibly the stupidest person I had ever met what with not being able to


    give directions properly, warning off someone who wanted absolutely nothing to do with you and now,


    this.


    ¡°Stupid enough to irritate heaven out of me but not stupid enough that your stupidity actually works for


    me. Perfect,¡± I muttered under my breath.


    I had almost convinced myself it was all in my head but clearly, it wasn¡¯t. The universe was out to get


    me. There was no other exnation. Karma was gunning for me. The prayer of one of my many


    enemies was finally getting answered. That voodoo doll, wherever it was, was being poked all too


    liberally.


    His expression evened out as though he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to proceed.


    So I continued, ¡°Not that it matters but to be fair, it wasn¡¯t much of a mask.¡±


    I shook my head in disapproval as a mental image of the moment when I first saw him filled my mind. I


    had been so relieved, thinking I had finally found someone who could give me directions on the way


    out. If only I had known.


    ¡°It was a ck strip of cloth with eye slits. You were ying ninja dress up in June.¡± I shook my head in


    that ¡®you poor stupid thing¡¯ way. ¡°Tragic,¡± I added.


    He stared at me, anger, disbelief and confusion warring for dominance on his features.


    ¡°Just so you know,¡± I carried on, unperturbed, ¡°if anyone applies themselves, they¡¯d find out your real


    identity in a minute with that flimsy disguise. It hardly covered your face. If I actually knew you in real


    life, I¡¯d have recognized you despite the ¡®mask¡¯.¡±


    The air quotes and mocking expression might have been over the top considering he now wore a


    deadly expression.


    ¡°You...¡± was all he could manage.


    Fury rolled off him in waves. He clenched his jaw, fisting his hands as he struggled for control. If we


    were in an alley or a remotely private ce, I might have been worried for my safety. Fortunately, not


    only could I hold my own, I wasn¡¯t going to have to since he couldn¡¯t exactly throw a punch in our very


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    public surroundings unless he wanted to spend the next few hours in jail for nothing because I wasn¡¯t


    going to let him get the punch in. I had a psychotic child kidnapper to thank for my self-defence skills.


    For a while back when I was in middle school, children kept getting kidnapped and murdered so my


    dad organized self-defence sses for those interested and as the kids of the sheriff, Olly and I didn¡¯t


    have a choice. That was how we got into sparring.


    Fortunately, we both ended up enjoying it. So much so that we kept going for even more sses. Case


    in point, a few days ago when I sparred with Deputy Parker. I think Olly and I both liked knowing that


    we could take down anyone who cornered us, especially since it wasn¡¯t unheard for gang members or


    partners of a criminal to go after the kids of the cop who put them in jail. With a sheriff for a dad and a


    ruthlesswyer who almost never lost cases for a mom, we had huge targets painted on our backs so


    neither of our parents objected to our continued interest. We kept practicing with the deputies until we


    could pretty much teach sses of our own. Even now, there were days we still went in to spar -again,


    like the other day I trained with Parker- and for target practice.


    Needless to say, Masked Idiot did not scare me one bit.


    ¡°Tone it down, Tasmanian or someone is going to report to security that I¡¯m being harassed by you,¡± I


    said, pointing a finger over my shoulder to where I was sure my co-worker was seated. ¡°Also, when you


    think about it, I should be the one who¡¯s pissed. A criminal knows where I live, where I work and


    possibly, where I school. The top three ces I spend my time. And on top of that, the criminal is


    stalking me.¡±


    I dared him to deny it with my eyes. I really badly wanted to be wrong on this. He didn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    I sighed, disappointment coating my features.


    ¡°Would you like to leave on your own or should I call the cops?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± he gritted through tightly clenched jaws. If he wasn¡¯t seriously inconveniencing me, I¡¯d worry for his


    mrs. ¡°Am not going anywhere until I know for a fact that you¡¯re not a threat.¡±


    A tense silence descended.


    I red at him fiercely, trying to decide if he was bluffing or not. I would¡¯ve scoffed but it wasn¡¯t the least


    bit funny. Me? A threat? He was more of a threat to me than the other way around. One of us was a


    confirmed criminal -a mildly psychotic one- and it wasn¡¯t me. A rational thinking person would be


    bluffing because who in their right mind would risk going to jail? Unfortunately, I had established that he


    was as stupid as they came which meant I couldn¡¯t count on rationality from him. He might not be


    bluffing, not because he wasn¡¯t scared of jail but because he stupidly didn¡¯t know to be scared. Dealing


    with stupidity was so hard. I should really be nicer to teachers who had to deal with it every day.


    My gaze hardened as I came to the conclusion that calling his bluff wasn¡¯t a risk I could take. My


    mother would kill me in the most painful of ways if she found out about this and I shuddered to think


    what my father would do.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I spat, mentally wringing Olly¡¯s precious little neck for ever suggesting the ursed trip to the


    arena. Why in heaven¡¯s name did I even listen to her? I should¡¯ve shut her down, let her go on her own,


    anything but gone with her. She got off scot-free but here I was, dayster, still paying for it. And I didn¡¯t


    even enjoy one bit of the stupid escapade. The universe was really out to get me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said fine.¡± I snapped. ¡°You can follow me. Not spy and definitely not stalk, follow where I watch you


    watch me. Until you realize that I don¡¯t give a shit who you are.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he mouthed, shock at how easily I had given in evident on his features. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I cannot believe this,¡± I muttered, turning away to head back to the aisle where I had been shelving


    books.


    ¡°How long is this going to take?¡± I asked as soon as the thought urred to me. How long was I going


    to have him tagging along everywhere I went? A week? Two?


    ¡°As long as it takes,¡± he answered after a moment.


    My eyes drifted shut, anger, resentment and resignation washing over me in session.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill Olly.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± he piped up, picking up speed behind me.


    I ignored his question, swallow the rest of myints and tossed him a random book from the pile I


    was re-shelving. It was a book on the evolution of pottery. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little cated. A


    satisfied smile that took hold of my lips.


    ¡°Pull up a chair. Getfortable. My shift ends in two hours.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to look to know he was scowling. If he was going to make my life a living hell then it was


    only fair that I returned the favor.

 Chapter 6: 06 - Criminal versus Cutie

    Chapter 6: 06 - Criminal versus Cutie


    ¡°So,¡± I smirked, revelling in thepletely bored and put out expression on his face, ¡°shift¡¯s over. You


    proficient in pottery yet?¡±


    After re-shelving and updating the log, I spent the rest of my shift scrolling through my phone while


    pretending to be studying a really boring book on ancient Chinese civilisations so my coworker wouldn¡¯t


    ask about Masked Idiot. It was obvious she was dying to but for the time being, I didn¡¯t have a proper


    exnation for his presence. Oh, he¡¯s just a criminal who¡¯s stalking me, ignore him wouldn¡¯t have


    worked for obvious reasons. Until I had a workable reason, the n was to avoid any such questions.


    He grunted an unintelligible sound, snapping the book shut as hezily forced himself to his feet.


    ¡°Where to now?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°Home but first, I have to see a few friends.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    I would never admit it out loud but I was decidedly the worst person to stalk. Not in the ¡®she¡¯s so


    spontaneous it¡¯s hard to keep track of her¡¯ way but in the ¡®she¡¯s so routine it¡¯s unbelievably boring¡¯ way.


    My life was the definition of mundane. Boring. If there was an award for most boring lifestyle, I¡¯d win it.


    My after school jobsprised of tutoring, working at the library, volunteering at an elderly home -


    though I said my goodbyes to them a few days ago-, and the highlight, writing articles for a family


    owned digital magazine. The magazine was the only remotely fun job I had and even then, all I had to


    do was write my articles and send them to my aunt, the editor-in-chief.


    The magazine started out as a childhood project between my mom and her sister but it ended up


    getting a lot more popr than they expected so they expanded, and expanded, and expanded. Until it


    grew so big it became my aunt¡¯s full time job. My mom contributed for as long as she could but, as a


    high powered attorney, she wasn¡¯t exactly swimming in free time. She was no longer actively involved


    in running in the magazine thanks to her tasking job. It was, in many ways, a blessing in disguise. As


    soon as I was old enough, I got roped into writing for the younger audience and I didn¡¯t want to imagine


    how much harder that would be if my hard-to-please mother had to sign off on my articles too. Olly also


    got roped in a few years after I did but unlike when I started out, she got to choose her own topics and


    theme right off the bat. I was kind of jealous. She got to write on most of the interesting things. Tattoos.


    Biker jackets. Piercings. The grunge wave. I was stuck with the more mundane topics like hair care,


    how best to style id, wedding dos and don¡¯ts. You get the picture. Anyway, the point was, Masked


    Idiot was going to be bored out of his mind following me around. My life was as interesting as a senile


    eighty year old with five cats. He¡¯ll figure it out soon enough.


    ¡°My car is out back. Did you drive here?¡±


    ¡°Bike,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Tail me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t wait for a reply or nod of agreement. If he couldn¡¯t, that was his problem and honestly, I¡¯d prefer


    it that way. I wasn¡¯t exactly leaping with joy at the prospect of being stalked so I definitely wasn¡¯t going


    to make it easier for him. I was being stalked. Stalked. S. T. A. L. K. E. D. By a criminal. A legit criminal.


    A criminal who I knew was a criminal. The kind that under normal circumstances I would¡¯ve turned over


    to the cops. The kind I normally would never be associated with. Not that I would normally be


    associated with any type of criminal. I was the poster child for all things good. The ace of good kids all


    over the world. Well, I used to be. Now, I was covering for a criminal. Harboring one. There was


    something really wrong somewhere. This was not how my senior year was supposed to end. This was


    nowhere close to how it was meant to go. It was meant to be smooth sailing with no surprises


    whatsoever. I hated surprises. Olly and I were supposed to go to the arena, watch a couple of matches,


    get boxing out of Olly¡¯s system and move on. Never look back. Never be reminded of the escapade. I


    was not supposed get lost, get homete and to top it off, get my own personal criminal/stalker.


    With a wave at the guy taking over from me, I exited through the backroom.


    It wasn¡¯t until I was in my ¡®respectable¡¯ sedan that I realized how wound up I was.


    I didn¡¯t need this. I couldn¡¯t afford Masked Idiot and all the trouble he came with. I didn¡¯t sign up for this.


    This was not part of any n whatsoever. If my mom, with her millions of spies that a select group of


    mothers seem to have, found out...


    I shuddered, cutting off that line of thought.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I hissed quietly, pping my palm against the steering wheel. ¡°Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!¡±


    Each word that left my lips was apanied by a p on the steering wheel. Needless to say, my


    hands were now smarting.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I exhaled optimally. ¡°Stop it.¡±


    I steeled my spine and straightened my shoulders. Time to move on. Then, as though three seconds


    ago I wasn¡¯t exhibiting less than sane behaviour, I started the engine and backed out of the parking lot.


    I could do this. I could totally do this. I had to. There was no other choice. I had to roll with the situation


    and hopefully, find my way around it in time. Bring an end to it. I could do it. I was me after all. I was


    smart, a fixer. I would fix this soon enough. For now, I just had to breathe. And think. Think, Avy. What


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    now?


    Leverage! I needed leverage. Something to hold over his head. Something strong enough to get him to


    back off because if it wasn¡¯t good enough, a failed ckmail attempt would only make him more


    suspicious and more determined to stick with me. Until I had something of that calibre, the only thing I


    could do was keep my n under wraps and let him have his way. Show him I was in no way a threat.


    That thest thing I wanted was to be involved in anything even remotely sketchy. Let him think he was


    in control.


    I hated my options. Option ckmail didn¡¯t suck so much but I had nothing on him besides the fact that


    he was a criminal. I couldn¡¯t use that without implicating myself. Besides, that particr info had


    already proved to be useless on the ckmailing front when I tried to get him to leave with the threat of


    calling the cops. I needed better, more concrete material before going down that road again. Option


    two, on the other hand, sucked for all the obvious reasons. It involved me opening my life to a criminal,


    basically weing him with open arms.  Giving him way too much sensitive information about me.


    While I didn¡¯t think he was a murderer, one could never really tell. He beat people up for a living. Killing


    them was only a step away.


    I sighed wearily.


    Nothing was going my way these days. I needed to y it safe for the meantime and subtly fish for any


    information I could use against him. I had no other choice.


    I was meeting two friends at a diner to finalize our ns for an uing debate. I was to be the main


    speaker, obviously. Unfortunately, Masked Idiot managed to follow me despite the traffic and my sharp


    turns. I watched as he parked, eyeing his bike with both curiosity and disdain. Daredevils and


    delinquents rode bikes. The exact opposite of the type of people my parents would approve of. He


    really was tailor made to ruin my life.


    I sighed, wiping my face clean of the disapproving expression as he walked up to me. Without a word, I


    spun on my heel and walked into the establishment where the two girls were already waiting at a table.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I slid into the only free seat at the table and gestured for Masked Idiot to pull up a chair.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right on time.¡±


    ¡°Is it ready?¡± I asked, getting straight to business.


    Even though I was asking, in my mind it was a forgone conclusion that it was ready. Sure, I only made


    the corrections earlier today and gave it back but it had been a few hours since then. More than


    enough time for them to rework it. I¡¯d have them reced if it wasn¡¯t ready. They knew that.


    With a curious appraising nce directed at Masked Idiot, the two girls wordlessly slid two printouts to


    me. In my mind¡¯s eye, I pictured what they were seeing; his tousled ¡®I styled it at some point but it won¡¯t


    stay put¡¯ hair, the expensive looking jacket, the in white tee shirt he had on underneath, the not


    aesthetically unpleasing face and his light shadow of a beard. It was clear when their expectant gazes


    turned to me, practically salivating for an introduction, that where I saw ¡®criminal¡¯ in big bold block


    letters, they saw a rtively cute boy with passable fashion sense. Yes, I was that petty.


    I ignored their gazes, pointedly scanning the words on the printout while they tensely waited.


    ¡°Better.¡± I gave my verdict, sliding the printouts back to the respective owners. ¡°Based on what I¡¯ve


    read, Emily should go second. Martha, you¡¯rest.¡±


    They shared a look that was both relieved and worried.


    ¡°I¡¯m usuallyst,¡± Emily ventured tentatively.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡± I nodded. The ¡®so?¡¯ was wordlessly but loudly implied.


    ¡°We¡¯re... It¡¯s our... system. It¡¯s the way we work,¡± she voiced, an unsure smile on her face.


    I rarely ever participated in internal debates. Everyone in the club liked to joke that it was because I


    was proud and it probably was true but also, I didn¡¯t really see the point. I was only taking part in this


    one as a favor to the teacher in charge of the team. It was to be thest debate for the session and he


    imed really wanted to see me in action onest time before I jetted off to college. Emily and Martha,


    on the other hand, most likely only ever got to see the light of day during internal debates so they have


    a ¡®system¡¯.


    ¡°Worked,¡± I corrected. ¡°Past tense. Eric is gunning for us. It¡¯s ttering. He¡¯s never beaten me before


    but now that he has Ralph on his team, he¡¯s convinced it¡¯s his chance.¡± I met their gazes squarely.


    ¡°We¡¯re better off with my arrangement.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± Martha acquiesced, struggling to wipe the dissatisfaction off her face.


    ¡°Okay. If you say so.¡± Emily nodded slowly.


    I allowed myself a small smirk. There was one reason they didn¡¯t contest my judgment. One reason


    they didn¡¯t argue to vote despite outnumbering me. One reason everyone always deferred to me.


    Because I was always right. I always won. I was Avyanna Johnson. I was just that good. At least, I still


    had that going for me now that my other superpower had failed.


    I shed a scowl in Masked Idiot¡¯s direction. Asshole.


    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± Martha asked, smiling coyly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± My eyebrows furrowed reflexively as I tried to smoothen out the scowl that thinking of Masked


    Idiot had put on my face.


    She shed me a quizzical frown.


    ¡°Right!¡± I pasted on a smile, nodding emphatically to cover up my blunder. Of course, she was referring


    to the source of all my current headaches who was, at the moment, sporting an amused smirk that I


    somehow knew had nothing to do with the request for an introduction and everything to do with the


    conversation prior to it. If we didn¡¯t have an audience, I¡¯d be seriously tempted to p the look off his


    face. Heck, I might still give in to the temptation, audience or not.


    ¡°These are friends from the debate team, Martha and Emily,¡± I said, gesturing to one then the other.


    ¡°And this is...¡± I trailed off, a frown marring my face as I realized I didn¡¯t know his name.


    I more or less agreed to let him stalk me but I never thought to ask his name. Wow. That was a dumb


    move for me. You¡¯re losing your touch, Avy. I wondered apathetically, in a distant part of my mind, if his


    stupid was rubbing off on me. The thought made me shudder. That was thest thing I needed.


    Anything rted to him, besides his sudden -and preferably violent- death, was thest thing I needed.


    ¡°Ian,¡± he supplied, leaning forward as he shed an all-epassing smile that was so obviously


    supposed to charm the pants off them.


    It worked. I couldn¡¯t not roll my eyes. It was so typical, so clich¨¦d I could barf.


    ¡°Ian,¡± I echoed, with a smile on my face as though I¡¯d known all along. Now all I need was hisst name


    so I could start investigating. I had a female friend who could track down just anybody on social media


    tforms.


    ¡°Very, very nice to meet you.¡± He beamed,ying the charm on really thick.


    I tried not to let my face scrunch up in repulsion. Was the second ¡®very¡¯ really necessary?


    ¡°I have to run,¡± I said with the smile still firmly in ce. ¡°Memorize your debate.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said to Ian as I rose to my feet.


    The second we were out of the restaurant and more importantly, out of their line of sight, I stop and


    faced Masked Idiot.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°What was what?¡± he parroted warily, sporting a startled look.


    I wasn¡¯t buying the act.


    ¡°You clearly have something in your head about Martha and Emily. Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think so?¡± He leaned back on his heels, thumbs tucked into the pockets of his jeans


    as he tried and failed to seem causal and uninterested. To goad me. Like I was that easy.


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°It was all over your face. Speak now or forever hold your peace.¡± I hissed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold my peace.¡± He red.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I matched his re. ¡°I¡¯m heading home to study. For my finals. Or do you n oning along


    for that too?¡± I sneered. ¡°Should I add possible child molester to your already very colorful rap sheet?¡±


    It was a trick that hadn¡¯t failed me yet. It wasn¡¯t fool proof but it worked on most people. I¡¯d drive the


    person up a wall and just when they¡¯re about to decide they¡¯d had enough of me, I¡¯d imply that staying


    was something that they would not only find boring but would also paint them in a bad light. It made


    them feel like it was their idea to leave all along because all they remember at the end of the day is the


    anger when they stalked off and the option of staying being on the table. It¡¯s a trick I picked up from my


    dad. I fell prey to it a number of times andter gotten in trouble for leaving or doing whatever it is I had


    been manipted into doing. It took me a while to figure it out and know what signs to guard against


    but since then, it hade in handy a lot. It was a very effective way of making people believe they


    came to certain decisions on their own even though I actively manipted them into it.


    ¡°I do n on following you home,¡± he said.


    If I had been eating, I would have choked. Heck, if I had been talking, I might have still choked on air.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he asserted calmly, holding my gaze.


    If we weren¡¯t in a public ce, I would¡¯ve killed him. Or at the very least, maimed him. Broken his nose


    a little. Dislocated a joint or two. Bruised up his face just a bit. Unfortunately, I had to settle for a well-


    aimed kick to the shin. Thankfully, my shoes had wooden tforms that made it all the more painful.


    His face scrunched up in pain as he crouched, hugging his leg.


    ¡°What the hell!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I smiled innocently, all cherubic. ¡°You know the drill, tail me.¡±


    I took two steps towards my car before realization dawned me.


    ¡°You already know my address.¡±


    Despite the smile on my face, I found myself suppressing a shudder. A criminal knew my address. I


    wasn¡¯t mentally prepared to handle any of this. He was a criminal for heaven¡¯s sake. One who wanted


    to follow me around for heaven knew how long. It was suddenly a little harder to breathe.


    As I drove the familiar path home, I told myself to react better, healthier.


    Objectively speaking, I knew how I had gotten into this mess but how did I get into this mess? I¡¯d lived


    my whole life as the good kid. The good student. The good employee. The good everything. How did


    this happen? I had an actual criminal stalking me and I agreed to let him. Clearly, I was losing my mind.


    A violent shudder ran down my spine shaking my hands off the steering wheel for a second. They went


    back on immediately. I couldn¡¯t imagine what my parents would say if I had an ident. I would never


    hear the end of it. My entire driving career, I¡¯ve had one near-miss and even now, over a yearter I


    was still bearing the punishment. I didn¡¯t want to think about what would happen if I actually


    embarrassed them by legitimately being in an ident.


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± I whispered in the silent car. ¡°Adapt, Avyanna.¡±


    I had to ept it and keep him away from anyone who could tell my parents about it until our


    agreement was over. If I could manage that, this whole arrangement wouldn¡¯t blow up in my face. I just


    needed to keep him from my parents and family friends so no following me to the Davidsons¡¯ or any of


    the other tutoring gigs Inded through my parents and no going t-- Oh shit!


    As I came to the chilling realization that I hadn¡¯t given him instructions to hide himself from my nosey


    neighbor, fear squeezed my heart so tightly that I wondered if I was having a heart attack. It wasn¡¯t so


    farfetched given everything else that had happened so far. The odds of identally bringing home a


    known criminal who would then proceed stalk me were astronomically lower than that of a heart attack


    but it happened anyway. While I was all for beating the odds, it was definitely not these kinds of odds.


    I pulled into my neighborhood and parked along the sidewalk, taking deep breaths to calm myself as I


    waited for him to pull up next to me. He did soon enough. He alighted from his bike and rapped a single


    knuckle on my window. I drew in one more deep breath to steady myself before pressing the button to


    roll the window down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone see you. You snuck in sessfullyst night. Do it again. My neighbors can¡¯t see you


    or that bike,¡± I said in a tone that sounded hollow even to my ears.


    I wondered in a distant part of my mind if this was how people passively became aplices to


    crimes. Objectively speaking, at this point, I qualified as one. If he got busted, he could name me as an


    aplice and I¡¯d get locked up too. Think happy thoughts. Or at least, less depressing ones. Without


    waiting for a reply, I pressed the button once more, on autopilot and restarted the engine.


    ¡®Home sweet home¡¯ was the farthest thing from my mind when I arrived.

 Chapter 7: 07 - I like your panties. Very sexy.

    Chapter 7: 07 - I like your panties. Very sexy.


    I entered the house, confident in the knowledge that only Olly was home and she wouldn¡¯t care


    whether I looked haggard or not. She would ask but she wouldn¡¯t pry or berate me the way my parents


    would. And most importantly, unlike my parents, she¡¯d think having a criminal stalk me was ¡®cool¡¯ and


    not a reason to end my life. Honestly sometimes, her thought process worried me. A lot.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she called out with her head in the fridge as I locked the door behind me. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Should we


    order?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I replied with a nce in her direction.


    I could only imagine what she would do if she was the one being stalked. Knowing her and her


    affection for the dark side, it was a good thing I was the one who ran into Masked Idiot. She¡¯d make


    him her best friend if she could.


    She shut the fridge and turned to me.


    ¡°Pizza or burgers?¡±


    ¡°Any.¡± I shrugged half-heartedly.


    ¡°You looked spooked. Drained,¡± shemented.


    My expressionmunicated the ¡®so?¡¯ very loudly.


    ¡°You good? It¡¯s not like you. You¡¯re always put together. Perfect,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Perfect my foot.¡± I scoffed and threw in an eye roll for good measure. ¡®Perfect¡¯ wouldn¡¯t have an


    unwanted stalker on her tail. ¡®Perfect¡¯ wouldn¡¯t sort of be an aplice to a criminal.


    She frowned, eyeing me suspiciously.


    ¡°I¡¯m good though.¡± I smiled. My facial muscles stifflyplied and while my heart wasn¡¯t in it, it was


    enough to fool her. I could win first ce for best fake smile in the world. I perfected my technique a


    long time ago. No one could tell the difference between my real and fake smile. Not even me


    sometimes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®my foot¡¯ me,¡± she countered.


    I could just tell she was rolling her eyes so I rolled mine right back.


    ¡°You¡¯re always neat and put together. My sister, the perfect... everything. Even the SATs didn¡¯t spook


    you.¡±


    I frowned at ¡®perfect everything¡¯ even though arge part of me understood why she said it.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t scary. It¡¯s actually designed to help you pass,¡± I replied, my big sister streak kicking in.


    I had passed the SATs with flying colors and I did it effortlessly. The whole point was so Olly knew it


    was nothing to be afraid of. Fear and nerves were what threw most people off. I purposely didn¡¯t study


    half as much as most of my peers so she would understand it was like any other exam. So when her


    turn came, she wouldn¡¯t be gued with nerves. Olly and nerves didn¡¯t work well -probably because


    she was so self-confident the other ny percent of the time- and she almost always got nervous


    about exams.


    She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.


    ¡°Riiiight. Save the speech for someone who doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re a borderline genius.¡±


    The way she drawled the words made it perfectly clear she didn¡¯t believe a word I¡¯d said. My efforts


    were lost on her.


    ¡°Is this about the debate?¡± she pressed, eyeing me suspiciously. ¡°Are you going to lose for like the first


    time in your life?¡± She rolled her eyes, reaching for her phone across the table.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I muttered, wondering just how much was a joke and how much was actual resentment.


    She was my sister and I¡¯d do anything for her but that didn¡¯t change the fact that growing up with


    someone who was the ¡®perfect everything¡¯ had to have been hard. Especially since she was always


    gettingpared to me.


    I sighed, shaking my head to rid it of the unsavory thoughts. I had bigger problems at the moment -


    namely the criminal who was probably sneaking into my room right this instant- and I knew she didn¡¯t


    hate me so there was little point going down that road.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Sure, losing camete in life for you but I¡¯ll coach you through it. It¡¯s the one thing


    I¡¯m better than you at.¡±


    Again with the wondering just how much was a joke and how much was actual resentment.


    ¡°Zip it. You sing like an angel,¡± I countered.


    Needless to say, my singing skills were less than ster. I couldn¡¯t hold a tune to save my life and to be


    honest, I was half convinced I was tone deaf.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading up,¡± I added.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when the food gets here.¡± She threw in a smile, the momentary antagonism more or


    less forgotten.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    My skirt came off and sweatpants went on. The button-down shirt was also reced with one of my


    favourite sweaters, an oversized beige number. I needed that feeling after the day I¡¯d had. I was


    actually beginning to consider doing one of those ¡®forgive me if I have ever wronged you¡¯ social media


    cleanses because this was more than simply bad karma. Someone definitely had a voodoo doll of me


    somewhere and was sticking pins in it and cing new curses every three days.


    I was about to finish setting up for a study session when Masked Idiot nimbly climbed in through the


    window. For the first time in my life, I found myself grateful for the tree in front of the window that hid


    him from view of anyone on the street. My friends had always said I was lucky to have a tree there to


    help with sneaking out and whatnot but I wasn¡¯t that kid. If I needed to be outte, I could very well


    As long as I was home before midnight and they hadn¡¯t specifically requested that I be home earlier,


    they were fine with it. Anyway, most days, I came home straight after work so it gave them less reason


    to doubt me. It gave them some sort of sense of safety especially since, given their jobs, they both


    knew what kids could get up to. Justst month my mom had to represent a kid for drunk driving and


    theft. The theft charges mysteriously disappeared after money changed hands. Lucky for him, his


    parents owned a techpany my mom was representing so they could pull such a favor. It was a


    paid favor but still. Their son got off with barely even a tap much less p on the wrist for the drunk


    driving. Anyway, the point was, seeing as I had never gotten into that kind of trouble, they believed I


    knew better so they were a lot more generous with the reins. That and they were hardly home anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m all set up,¡± I announced, eyeing him contemtively as I tried to decide what he¡¯d do while I


    studied.


    ¡°Here.¡± I handed him a spare notepad and a textbook I was done with. ¡°Sit...¡± I trailed off, realizing I had


    only one chair in my room.


    I was definitely not going to let him take my chair and study table. It was my reading ce in my room.


    Plus, I was under no obligation to be a gracious hostess. I didn¡¯t even want him here in the first ce.


    Unconsciously nibbling on my lower lip, my gaze roamed the room. The only other option was my bed


    which definitely wasn¡¯t going to happen. Sure, he¡¯d been on it before but that was expressly without my


    permission. I wasn¡¯t about to let him at it again.


    My gaze zeroed in on the beige rug at the foot of my bed.


    ¡°Shoes off,¡± I ordered, passing him a pair of indoor slippers.


    Lucky for him, I liked the really oversized ones. I watched silently as he toed off his shoes, setting them


    neatly by the window he snuck in through. I made a mental note to leave a pair of slippers there for him


    henceforth.


    ¡°Sit. Study,¡± Imanded, gesturing to the rug. ¡°Most importantly, don¡¯t distract or interrupt me.¡±


    He eyed the books I held out to him warily.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not in high school?¡± I frowned, painting a good picture of a confused person. I was fishing for


    information primarily but I had pegged him for a high school senior. Granted, he could actually be in


    college although he certainly hadn¡¯t disyed cognition worthy of collegiate level.


    A beat of silence passed.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    I bit back a smile.


    He was clearly lying. And not doing a good job of it. I had two things to go on now; his first name and


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    that he was done with high school. It was only matter of time before I found out exactly who he was.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not a senior?¡± I pressed, my confused frown still in ce. I really could make it big as an


    actress ifw didn¡¯t pan out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll write it next year,¡± he said by way of exnation, pushing the books back toward me.


    I stifled the urge to roll my eyes. How was he even a criminal? He could barely lie straight.


    ying along, I frowned and cocked my head to the side, shook it and then settled for an even more


    confused look. ¡°Exin.¡±


    And the actress of the year award goes to...


    ¡°I¡¯m busy. I¡¯ve got a lot on my te at the moment. It¡¯s better to just take my examster when I¡¯ve


    wrapped things up,¡± he managed, stumbling over too many words for even an obtuse seven year old to


    believe him. And the worst criminal of the year award goes to...


    ¡°Clearly you¡¯re busy.¡± I cooed, my tone drenched in sarcasm. ¡°I mean, in between stalking an innocent


    girl,mitting multiple felonies and exchanging fists for no eptable reason, where will you find the


    time?¡±


    He raised his eyes heavenward, choosing sensibly -the first sensible thing he¡¯s done so far- to remain


    silent.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I pushed the books back towards him, testing just how far he¡¯d take his -frankly,


    disappointing- lie. I could¡¯ve lied better when I was five. Seriously. ¡°I think you should take the finals


    regardless. So you screw up the first time.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already spoke to your school...?¡±


    I let the sentence hang, hoping he¡¯d jump in and supply the name of said school. It could easily lead


    me to his real identity. He might not still be schooling there but chances were that he did at some point.


    All I needed to do was to get my hands on their yearbooks for thest few years.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t conveniently jump in with the name so I continued, ¡°This school must know


    about your... extenuating circumstances. They probably wouldn¡¯t mind seeing as they¡¯re willing to put it


    off at all.¡± I couldn¡¯t mask the heavy sarcasm dripping from my tone as I added that.


    No high school I knew of was that lenient, especially not with a senior. Definitely not enough to let them


    take time off. That was more a college thing. Was he perhaps going to themunity college?


    ¡°Taking it twice improves your chances.¡± I smoothed my face into an amiable smile.


    Seriously, ifw didn¡¯t work out, I could have great career in the acting business.


    ¡°You already think you¡¯re going to fail. It¡¯s not like anyone is going to penalize you for it so why not just


    fail and at least get an insight on how to do better next time rather than not take it and get nothing at


    all.¡± I pressed the books into his chest in a very ¡®this is for you own good¡¯ manner.


    He frowned.


    I didn¡¯t need a mind reader to know that line of thought had never urred to him. He might be an


    actual criminal but I was more of a criminal mastermind than he was.


    ¡°Besides,¡± I continued, ¡°even if you don¡¯t take it, it¡¯s never too early to begin studying.¡±


    It was too early. Way too early. I personally would never do it but he didn¡¯t know that. And unlike him, I


    was kind of a genius so I could cover much in a short amount of time. Studying was more a habit


    cultivated to please my mom than a necessity.


    He eyed me suspiciously as though he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to react to my act of ¡®kindness.¡¯ It was


    time to end this. I clearly wasn¡¯t going to get any more information going down this path.


    ¡°I have to be honest here, I highly doubt you¡¯re smart enough to get it right on one try. No offense.¡± I


    added thest part reflexively, then frowned as I thought it over.


    I normally didn¡¯t say my meaner thoughts out loud because, more often than not, people couldn¡¯t


    handle them and it was ¡®impolite¡¯. My parents would not have approved. Whenever it managed to


    escape though, I always pinned on a ¡®no offense¡¯ to keep things clean. This was Masked Idiot,


    however. Apletely different case. Our situation was not normal so I was under no obligation to


    follow normal societal rules. I could just be the unfiltered me without having to apologize for it. I didn¡¯t


    have to be nice to him like everyone else. He wasn¡¯t in anyway connected to my parents nor was he a


    friends or ssmate whose fragile emotion I had to be considerate of.


    ¡°Actually, you can take offense if you please. I don¡¯t care.¡± I shrugged.


    He clenched his fists, anger rolling off him in waves. The grateful but suspicious half frown was gone


    from his face.


    Through a tightly clenched jaw, he bit out, ¡°I am not stupid.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I hedged, tilting my head, ¡°that¡¯s seriously debatable and a lot in the opposing teams favor. I


    haven¡¯t seen you do one remotely intelligent thing since we met so... Forgive me if I¡¯m a little skeptical.¡±


    If looks could kill, I¡¯d have been shot, buried, exhumed and then shot again for good measure.


    ¡°Or don¡¯t.¡± I turned away and made myselffortable at the study table. ¡°Sit and start studying,¡± I


    ordered over my shoulder.


    I heard him take a deep breath and mutter ¡°not worth it¡± before taking position on the floor. I shrugged


    and flipped my book open, losing myself in studying.


    I resurfaced twice. The first time was to get food which I generously shared with him since he was


    studying or at least doing a good job of pretending to. The creases on his forehead made it look like he


    was actually stumped by the material and I wasn¡¯t unkind enough to let someone study on an empty


    stomach. The second time was for a bathroom break.


    After the food arrived, Masked Idiot closed his books and spent the ensuing forty-five minutes on his


    phone. After he got bored of that, and probably because he felt a guilty being unproductive while I


    studied, he reluctantly went back to it, staring longingly out the window every few minutes. It was a little


    past dusk when he finally gave up all pretense of studying.


    ¡°It¡¯s been hours. Aren¡¯t you done yet? Sheesh,¡± he grunted.


    I smiled reluctantly, scanning thest few sentences in the chapter before calling it a day. I¡¯d never


    admit it out loud but I was mildly impressed he managed to stay quiet and at least try to study.


    I heard more than saw him rise to his feet. He walked over to my set of drawers and randomly pulled


    open the second one. I flew off the chair before my brain fully registered what was going on -in my


    haste, I tipped the chair over- and hurried to him, mming the drawer shut. Unfortunately, I was too


    before I even saw evidence of it is his hand.


    ¡°Nice underwear,¡± he drawled. ¡°Great taste.¡±


    An emerald coloredce panty hung from his index finger like a g. The smirk on his face made me


    want to be erased from existence. Cue instant embarrassment and a deep flush that my dark colouring


    -thank God- hid. I immediately reached for my unmentionable but he moved faster, holding it out of my


    reach.


    ¡°Now, this is interesting.¡± His smirk widened. ¡°A boring straight ¡®A¡¯ student with a drawer full of pretty


    interesting underwear. Very sexy. I approve.¡±


    I could die. If it was possible, in that moment, I would. There was nothing more embarrassing than a


    not entirely ugly criminal within your age bracket having your raunchy panty in his hand. Trust me on


    this one.


    ¡°I said straight A, not boring,¡± I corrected through cotton mouth and I desperately grabbed for my item


    of clothing. Damn it, give it back!


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing to get your panties in a twist over,¡± he practically sang. To illustrate his point, he twisted


    my you-know-what in the air. Okay, kill me now. Right at this moment.


    I jumped to no avail. Damn him and his excessive height. Some of us hadn¡¯t been fed steroids since


    puberty.


    ¡°Give it back, now,¡± I hissed, making another grab for it. Sess! I caught one end of it and had to tug-


    of-war for it.


    I was wrong before. This was infinitely more embarrassing than him twirling it in the air. Why did he


    even open the second one? Why not the first like a normal person?


    ¡°Let go,¡± I snarled.


    ¡°Let me in your dirty little secret. I won¡¯t tell.¡± He wore a wicked grin.  ¡°Who do you wear these for?¡±


    Whoever you are with that voodoo doll, now would be a good time to yank the head off. Just kill me.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s not that.¡± I coloured fiercely. Enough that even my dark skin couldn¡¯t hide


    it. ¡°I just like them.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t lying. I really just liked them. Most girls my age wore them. I did too. It was just embarrassing


    for someone, especially one of the opposite sex, to see.


    In our struggle for my you-know-what, we ended up ripping it. At which point, he awarded me a sly


    leery smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say a word.¡± I hissed, snatching both pieces of it to dispose ofter.


    I tried not to let the loss reflect on my face. Those things weren¡¯t exactly cheap. I distracted myself with


    thought on how to dispose of it. Thest thing I needed was for my mom or dad to see the ripped


    panties. Heaven knew they¡¯d never believe it didn¡¯t involve sex which I explicitly wasn¡¯t supposed to be


    having yet. Not that the real story was any better. Oh, it got torn when I was ying tug-of-war with a


    criminal I let into the house. Any further questions?  Yeah, that was not going to fly.


    My expression after I returned from hiding the pieces in the bathroom must have warned Masked Idiot I


    wasn¡¯t in the mood because he wisely sobered up and kept the rest of his innuendos to himself.


    ¡°Olly, that¡¯s my sister, is on cooking duty today so for now, I¡¯m free. My mom should be home soon


    though so you might want to be leaving.¡±


    He shook his head stubbornly.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I acquiesced.


    It was a shot in the dark anyway. I hadn¡¯t expected him to skip out now after putting up with all my


    hours of study time. He was determined, if nothing else. I knew I could manipte him into leaving with


    the ripped panty incident but that would involve actually mentioning the incident. No. Nope. Never. I¡¯d


    much rather pretend it never happened. I¡¯d carry it to my grave. Or at least to a drunk college party


    where no one would remember a thing the next morning.


    I would have to put up with him till he was ready to leave.


    ¡°Normally, I read a novel or...¡± I trailed off, eyes darting to myptop as I debated whether to reveal that


    nugget of information.


    He wasn¡¯t in my social circle. It was unlikely that it woulde back to bite me but with the way my


    luck was runningtely, it wasn¡¯t entirely improbable that it would so I shouldn¡¯t be taking such a


    chance. I worried my lower lip, eyeing him up as I contemted my options. I had a match scheduled.


    One I really didn¡¯t want to miss. And he didn¡¯t look like he had any intentions of leaving soon. Not to


    mention, he had already seen the flickered nce at myptop.


    I sighed wearily.


    I had to tell him otherwise he¡¯d think I was municating with someone about his secret.¡¯ I could feel


    it already in the way he was looking at me. Honestly, the idiot thought everyone was in some way


    interested in his identity. If he was a bigwig celebrity I might see why but he was just a stupid idiot who


    yed dress-up on days that weren¡¯t Halloween. Or Comic Con. Only pre-pubescentic geeks did


    that for heaven¡¯s sake.


    ¡°What?¡± His gaze hardened as he nced meaningfully at theptop.


    I sighed again.


    I was right. He clearly thought I almost slipped up about some shady business involving him. He


    couldn¡¯t be any more self-involved if he tried.


    ¡°You have to promise not to tell anyone.¡± I bit my lip.


    ¡°If it has nothing to do with me, then I won¡¯t be telling anyone because I won¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better not. Otherwise, I¡¯ll tell my dad, you know, the sheriff, about your little illegal fight club.¡± My


    eyes televised that I wasn¡¯t bluffing.


    He bared his teeth in a menacing snarl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± I hissed. ¡°Or I¡¯ll pull your teeth out and boil it.¡±


    I was amodating him enough already. I wasn¡¯t going to let him pull threats on me. I had been


    more than generous already by letting him follow me around. I didn¡¯t have much of a choice but still,


    very generous.


    My creative threat caused a frown to mar his features.


    ¡°What?¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Your teeth,¡± I said slowly, pointing at mine the way one would when exining something to a child.


    ¡°Yank it out. I have pliers for that.¡± I made a yanking motion. ¡°Then boil it. Soup.¡± I stirred an imaginary


    pot.


    Granted, it was an odd threat but it couldn¡¯t be that hard to understand. His eyes narrowed as he tilted


    his head to the side, trying to figure out whether or not I was joking.


    I shed him my creepy ¡®possessed doll¡¯ smile before turning away. I set up myptop on the study


    table and sat back down. After a beat, he sidled up to me, watching greedily over my shoulder like


    someone about to discover a juicy secret which he was because even Olly didn¡¯t know about this and


    she knew me better than anyone else on the. She still believed all my money came from my


    multiple jobs and the asional mized academicpetitions.


    I booted up theptop, opened a hidden folder and double clicked on the icon in it. The screen went


    dark for a few seconds before being taken over by the opening image of a PC game.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He frowned.


    ¡°A game.¡± He really wasn¡¯t the brightest bulb in box. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone I y.¡±


    ¡°Your big secret...,¡± he frowned, suspicion coating his tone, ¡°is a game?¡±


    I did my best to ignore the stab of embarrassment that stemmed from his remark.


    ¡°In case you hadn¡¯t noticed, I¡¯m an honors student. A ck honors student from a primarily academic


    oriented family. It may be a stereotype but it doesn¡¯t make it any less true. My parents would be


    mortified if they ever found out I yed these games. Especially given how good I am,¡± I lectured,


    wondering detachedly why I felt the need to do so.


    I took out my earphones, plugged them in and logged into the virtual world where I was scheduled to


    battle the Crone of the Underworld with a virtual friend.


    ¡°I know this game!¡± he eximed, leaning in to get a better look. ¡°Hang on, you¡¯re... Are you...¡±


    Wide, surprised eyes swung to me.


    ¡°How are you that high up in levels?¡± he inquired, astonishment coating his tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m good at everything I do.¡± I smirked, unable to help myself.


    Since I took painstaking efforts to hide it, I¡¯d never received apliment on my gaming skills from a


    person I actually knew. The ones I usually got where from virtual acquaintances I had battled with or


    sold my ounts to so I wasn¡¯t immune or desensitized to it yet. Now that I finally got one, I couldn¡¯t


    not revel in it.


    ¡°So humble,¡± he drawled.


    My lips stretched into azy grin.


    ¡°You bet, Underwear Thief.¡±

 Chapter 8: 08 - I’ll take my heart attack cold and loud, thank you

    Chapter 8: 08 - I¡¯ll take my heart attack cold and loud, thank you


    He didn¡¯t show up the following day. Or the day after. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure where etiquette stood on


    stalkers but since we didn¡¯t exchange phone numbers, I couldn¡¯t exactly call to find out why. To be


    honest, it was a good thing for him because I went to my tutoring job and while I didn¡¯t know his specific


    tastes, I was willing to bet he wouldn¡¯t be a fan of standing in the sun for ny minutes since I wasn¡¯t


    going to take him into the house with me. Not in a million years, not ever. News that I brought an


    unknown boy to the Davidsons¡¯ home could very easily reach my parents since they were part of my


    parents¡¯ close knit circle. He didn¡¯t know it but he chose to perfect days to not show up. Or maybe he


    did and that was the point. I couldn¡¯t know for sure. Unfortunately, the one thing I was sure of was that


    his absence wasn¡¯t a sign he had given up. I definitely hoped to God it was but I wasn¡¯t big on lying to


    myself. I needed my facts straight in any given situation. It was one of the lessons my mom had


    drummed into my head growing up. He was probably just upied with more pressing matters. As a


    criminal and heaven knew what else, there was no way he was short on those.


    Despite that theory, I couldn¡¯t help looking over my shoulder every time I stepped out. I couldn¡¯t shake


    the feeling I was being watched and it only got worse as the day progressed. I was beyond relieved as I


    stepped into my house, safe from the malicious gaze that had followed me around. If it turned out to be


    Masked Idiot, he was going to get it from me. I had been jumpy all day. Me, cool, calm and collected


    Avy.


    Unfortunately, I got held up finalizing ns for the debate and working out the kinks for an interschool


    quiz. Anotherst hurrah before graduation. The quiz was between my school and our long-time rival,


    Westler High. For some reason, both schools had been rivals since the beginning of time.


    Unfortunately for Westler, since my sophomore year when I started representing my school, we¡¯ve


    continuously been beating them. The quiz was ast ditch attempt to salvage their dignity following the


    three-year thrashing they had received. Not that it would amount to anything more than another


    thrashing since as I wasn¡¯t going to lose.


    My mother was less than pleased with myteness. It had been tense between us since the fighting


    arena turnedte dinner escapade and with the whole listicle elope-with-your-boyfriend thing but since I


    had a rock solid reason, she settled for a scowl as opposed to pulling out a trick from her patented


    Bring Your Child To Tears handbook.


    A tense atmosphere descended during dinner and I focused on not making any blunders. It was the


    kind of silence that told you loud and clear that the other person was looking for any excuse to pick a


    fight. I was determined not to give her one. Luckily, Olly stepped into the diffuse the tension with a


    recount of her ser match. I wisely kept my opinions to myself, remaining silent till the end of the


    affair. I definitely wasn¡¯t going to give my mom a bone to pick. I even politely offered to take care of the


    tes although it wasn¡¯t my day.


    With a sigh of relief at having avoided a confrontation, I trudged upstairs with my mother trailing behind


    me. We parted ways at the head of the stairs.


    ¡°Good night, Mom.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Good night.¡±  She waved me away with a dismissive flick of her wrist. Avy, one. Mom, zero.


    I shut my room door behind me and fell back, propping myself against it.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m good,¡± I muttered softly, releasing my breath on a sigh before straightening up and reaching


    for the light switch. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad. I just have to be on time for the rest of the week. I can do that.¡±


    I flicked the switch, flooding the room with light. I automatically squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust


    to the--


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± A terrified scream burst out of my mouth as I violently jumped back.


    There wasn¡¯t much jumping room behind me so I ended up smacking my elbow against the door.


    ¡°Ouch! Shit!¡± I cussed quietly, rubbing my elbow.


    My eyes, however, remained fastened on the figure lounging on my bed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mom called out in a voice tinged with just the littlest bit of apprehension and irritation.


    My eyes widened in horror as my brain nked out for a full second. Oh sweet baby Jesus.


    The absolutest thing I needed right now was for her toe investigate. I had a boy in my room. On


    my bed. That wasn¡¯t going to go down well. Thankfully, my brain kicked back in with a lie.


    ¡°Nothing! Cockroach!¡± I yelled back, fervently praying she missed the quiver in my voice. ¡°Flying


    cockroach,¡± I embellished. Please don¡¯te here. Please don¡¯te here. Please don¡¯t.


    I strained my ears for any indication that she wasing to confirm for herself. All I heard was a hiss


    followed by, ¡°Grow up, Avyanna. Jesus Christ, it¡¯s just a roach. Act your age, will you!¡±


    The contents of my stomach plummeted in despair.


    ¡°Sorry, Mom,¡± I called out. ¡°Good night!¡±


    The greeting went unanswered for obvious reasons. She wasn¡¯t pleased with me at the moment. At


    least she wasn¡¯ting to check things out for herself.


    Despair quickly turned to anger as my gaze once again found the boy lounging casually on my bed.


    ¡°I. Will. Kill. You.¡±


    ¡°That threat¡¯s pretty old. Uninspired. Lazy. Recycled. You can do better. Spice it up,¡± he said,zily


    brushing lint off his clothes. And onto my bed. Did he just imply I was an uncreative giarizer?


    I arched an eyebrow, staring pointedly at the movement of his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll crush you in a trashpactor and make soup out of your remains,¡± I adjusted. ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Much.¡± He sneered, lips curling back to reveal a smile with too much teeth to be anything but


    threatening. ¡°And what is with you and making soup out of things?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing here thiste?¡± I bit back. ¡°Besides trying to give me a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°Heart attack?¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Being a little dramatic, aren¡¯t we? Besides,st I checked, heart


    attacks involved less screaming and more... quiet dying.¡±


    ¡°Really, doc? I had no idea. Thank you for the lesson.¡±


    ¡°Is that sarcasm I hear?¡± His lips tugged into a wry grin. Like he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Let¡¯s not forget


    who the scary big bad is here, shall we? You might want to be a bit more polite.¡±


    ¡°Scary big bad?¡± I arched a brow. ¡°And I¡¯m supposedly the uncreative one who recycles outdated


    phrases.¡±


    Even my grandma wouldn¡¯t say something as dated as ¡®scary big bad.¡¯


    He scowled.


    I rolled my eyes dismissively and flew into action. In three seconds, I was by the bed, pping his feet


    off, then the rest of him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not make a habit of this,¡± I warned, staring pointedly at the bed.


    ¡°What would ¡®this¡¯ be exactly?¡± He fixed his shirt and straightened to his full height. ¡°The heart attack bit


    orying on your bed?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± I snapped. ¡°Now get to work.¡± I inclined my head in the direction of the bed.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, wide eyed with confusion.


    ¡°Fix it,¡± I expanded.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± was his less than brillianteback.


    ¡°Not even a little.¡±


    He arched one incredulous brow. I stared back tly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± He scoffed.


    I steadily met his gaze.


    The first time he was in my room, he did the exact same thing and I had to fix my bed afterwards. I


    wasn¡¯t doing that again. He made the mess, he should to clean it up. I didn¡¯t even like the idea of him


    sitting on my bed, much less lying on it. Thest thing I was going to do was encourage his behaviour


    by cleaning up after him. Besides, our stalking agreement clearly needed ground rules. The first of


    which would be no snitching and no sneaking up on me. The bed rule coulde in second.


    ¡°Come on,¡± he sputtered. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    I arched an eyebrow, maintaining my unyielding position. I was Avyanna Johnson. I wasn¡¯t going to


    lose a stare-off.


    ¡°No,¡± he dered, eyeing me as though I had lost my mind.


    ¡°No,¡± he repeated, though it seemed like it was more to convince himself than me this time.


    I, for one, didn¡¯t see what was so abnormal about having the person who scattered something fix it. In


    fact, as far as I knew, that was how the world worked.


    ¡°It was perfect before you came in andid on it. It¡¯s only fair that you fix it,¡± I countered.


    ¡°Wh... wha... no. No. No, I...¡± he sputtered, shaking his head in denial.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll get right on that?¡± I supplied, a sharine smile on my face.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t,¡± he refuted vehemently. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m not doing that. I¡¯m...¡±


    I arched one perfect eyebrow, tilting my head to the side as I waited for something remotely intelligent


    toe out of his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m the bad guy here.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t not roll my eyes. He couldn¡¯t havee up with a dumber response if he tried.


    ¡°Really? I thought you were the tooth fairy. She breaks into people¡¯s rooms and usually heads straight


    for their beds too, you know?¡± My voice wasden with enough sarcasm to drown a small vige.


    ¡°I¡¯m... a criminal.¡± He stumbled over thest word, like it was hard for him tobel himself as one which


    was mind boggling given all that he had done so far. Between the illegal fight club, stalking an innocent


    girl and breaking and entering, he was racking up quite the rap sheet.


    He wore an expression that made it clear he thought ¡®I¡¯m a criminal¡¯ was reason enough to not fix my


    bed. Unfortunately for him, I didn¡¯t see what one thing had to do with the other.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the reminder. Trust me, I couldn¡¯t forget that even if I tried. Now, get toying the bed.¡± I


    nodded at the bed, an unyielding look on my face.


    ¡°What kind of girl are you?¡± he hissed, exasperation coloring his tone.


    ¡°The kind whose bed you¡¯re about to fix.¡±


    He scoffed. I stared him down.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he huffed, finally understanding that I wasn¡¯t going to budge.


    After making sure he was doing exactly what I wanted, I turned away.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a bath. Feel free to not be here when I get back.¡±


    He shed me an acidic smile, radiating total displeasure. With my back to him, I smothered a reluctant


    smile. He wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ¡°You¡¯re still here,¡± I needlessly announced on returning to the room.


    To be honest, I hadn¡¯t expected him to leave. If he decided to show up today despite knowing howte


    it was, then there was no way he¡¯d leave so quickly. It was why I had taken my PJs with me and


    dressed up in the bathroom.


    ¡°Where you watching me from afar today?¡± I asked as casually as I could, taking seat at my dresser.


    My eyestched on his image in mirror, watching him like a hawk for any slip-ups. ¡°That wasn¡¯t part of


    our agreement.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± His denial was simple, straightforward, sure.


    I nced over my shoulder so he could properly see my exaggerated eye roll before going back to my


    night-time hair routine. ¡°Oh please, I felt stalked. It had to be you.¡±


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t,¡± he staunchly refuted. ¡°What are you doing anyway?¡± he asked, curiously eyeing me.


    He didn¡¯t seem to be lying but if it wasn¡¯t him, who else could possibly be stalking me? I shuddered to


    think I had unwittingly picked up another stalker.


    ¡°Night-time hair routine.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡±


    I exasperatedly rolled my eyes even though he couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°ck hair isn¡¯t like white hair. African-Americans have to take care of their hair carefully or it¡¯ll go wild


    on us. Also, ck hair doesn¡¯t grow as long as white does. Ours needs the encouragement. And


    thanks to the curliness, we can¡¯t be careless with their hair down. It tangles horribly. Apart from a lucky


    few obviously.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± He nodded slowly in a way that made it clear he didn¡¯t understand it at all.


    Cue another of my infamous eye rolls.


    ¡°What next?¡± he inquired, curiosity coating his expression.


    I heaved a sigh, debating whether or not to answer. It couldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just finished spritzing it with a water based hair strengthener thatbats breakage and split


    ends. Now, I¡¯m going to apply some oil on it to lock it in,¡± I expanded, shaking said bottle of oil in air.


    What I didn¡¯t mention was that I was also sampling the product for a review I had to write for the


    magazine. He wasn¡¯t a girl. Chances he¡¯d be interested in that nugget were slim to none.


    ¡°Weird,¡± he concluded, proving my point.


    Cue yet another eye roll from yours truly.


    I hurriedly finished with my hair and booted up myptop. The game soon took over the screen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡± He frowned, hovering over my shoulder, eyes trained on theptop screen as I began


    battling a game character.


    ¡°I¡¯m aplex being and your understanding is decidedly below average. It is to be expected,¡± I replied


    offhandedly, my gaze never flickering from the screen.


    My fingers flew steadily across the keyboard, pressing the keys as fast as most experienced pro-


    gamers. I had my mom to thank for that. She inadvertently helped me get a high w.p.m. by having me


    type some of her office documents when I was much younger. She¡¯d die if she found out this was how I


    was using the skill.


    ¡°You¡¯re the most...¡± He clenched his jaw in anger, swallowing the rest of his statement between teeth


    clenched so tight it couldn¡¯t not have hurt.


    ¡°If it makes you feel better,¡± I graciously threw him a bone, ¡°you¡¯re also a contradiction.¡±


    I could feel his gaze on my neck.


    ¡°You¡¯re stupid but not totally senseless. Slow but not dumb. A criminal but not a brute,¡± I borated and


    shrugged, taking my gaze off the screen for a moment to nce at him.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    I rolled my eyes and returned my attention to the game.


    ¡°You have rtively okay manners for a hardened criminal,¡± I added.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a hardened criminal,¡± he refuted.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I shook my head, ¡°you have okay manners for a regr criminal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not...¡±


    ¡°A criminal?¡± I cut him off. ¡°Because that ship has sailed, bud. Need I remind you that not only are you


    stalking me which is a crime, you broke into my house, another crime. You also have a job that is


    illegal. If I can even call it a job. Basically, you¡¯re a poster child for criminal.¡±


    He scowled.


    ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t need to be reminded of it,¡± he muttered petntly.


    ¡°You brought it up.¡± I shrugged, driving my opponent in the game to the ground with one of my patented


    attackbos.


    ¡°Anyway¡± I carried on, ¡°as I was saying, you seem almost normal if I overlook the unprecedented levels


    of idiocy but you indulge in a predominantly male hormone-driven inclination to exert dominance


    through violence more than most normal people.¡±


    ¡°That was bothpliment and insult rolled into one.¡± His tone made it clear he was stumped.


    ¡°Walking contradiction,¡± I summed, as my opponent copsed on the screen and then disappeared


    leaving behind a hovering box. ¡°Once you overlook the idiocy,¡± I added, unable to let the opportunity to


    take shot at him slide.


    I clicked on the box, smiling brightly at the content before I logged out and shutdown theptop.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there was apliment in there. Somewhere.¡± He frowned.


    ¡°Whatever makes you feel better.¡± I smiled, meeting his gaze.


    He perched on the edge of the table as soon as I put myptop away. I eyed him up contemtively. I


    hadid enough groundwork. It was time to do some proper fishing.


    ¡°You¡¯re a rich kid, aren¡¯t you? Old money rich,¡± I asked in an uninterested tone, like I was only asking


    for the sake of making conversation. I had been nning this since he left after the panty incident but it


    wasn¡¯t going to work if I came off as too eager.


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡± he countered immediately, a suspicious light entering his eyes.


    So he wasn¡¯t as stupid as I assumed but no matter how good he was, I was better. I didn¡¯t ask the


    question out of the blue. There were indications that led to it and whether or not he wanted it, I was


    going to get the confirmation I needed.


    ¡°Because it shows.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± His frown deepened. Ah ha!


    He was a rich kid. If he wasn¡¯t, he would haveughed in my face or said something with a simr


    implication.


    ¡°You have good manners. I¡¯ve been less than... polite to you on multiple asions and you haven¡¯t


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    once raised your voice or even tried to hit me which honestly, would¡¯ve surprised me less given what


    you do for a living.¡± I gave a half shrug and let my gaze stray to his fists.


    He scowled.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t though,¡± I continued. ¡°Not because you don¡¯t want to. I know you do because sometimes


    you start to reply, to say something insulting only to stop before you actually follow through. That tells


    me that someone taught you to have impable manners. Only old money does that.¡±


    My eyes narrowed, watching him like a hawk.


    I could tell I was right. He was a rich kid. It certainly narrowed my search but... what the hell was a rich


    kid doing at a grimy illegal fight club?


    ¡°I could just be a decent human being.¡±


    ¡°A decent being who is also criminal, that¡¯s original,¡± I mocked. ¡°Let me guess, you also didn¡¯tmit


    any of those crimes. Or wait, you did it but you¡¯re a criminal with a heart of gold. You did it because you


    didn¡¯t have any other choice.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so smart, don¡¯t you? And funny too?¡± He sneered.


    ¡°I do. To both. I also quite enjoy having thest word,¡± I answered candidly. ¡°Anyway, what really gave


    you away is that Patek. It¡¯s an old one. My guess is, family heirloom. Last time, it was a Swiss. Before


    that, it was a Rolex. No matter how much your... ¡®business¡¯ pays, it¡¯s not enough to afford this.¡± I tapped


    the wristwatch as I got to my feet.


    He scowled. I took it to mean I was spot on.


    ¡°Now, I just have one question.¡± I turned to face him, meeting his gaze squarely. ¡°Why is a rich kid


    involved with an underground fighting circuit? As a fighter?¡±


    He averted his gaze, looking everywhere but at me.


    Well, well, well, look who¡¯s hiding something.

 Chapter 9: 09 - Till death do us part

    Chapter 9: 09 - Till death do us part


    It was a miracle no one else had figured out Masked Idiot¡¯s identity. Whatever it was. If he really didn¡¯t


    want me to know he was rich then he should haveid off thebelled sneakers and the expensive


    watches that could pay my tuition. And that was saying a lot because ire Anne High was one of the


    most expensive private schools in the state.


    He ran off all of two minutes after denying my usations in the most unconvincing manner. To be


    honest, he didn¡¯t feel much like a criminal. He was so bad at it. He just felt like an everyday stupid boy


    to me. Maybe if he was a little older or smarter, it would¡¯ve helped. Unfortunately, he looked early


    twenties at best and was clearly not half as bright. He was way too young for me to take him seriously,


    especially given how idiotic he seemed. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I found out that he was cognitively


    impaired.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± I muttered, shaking my head in disapproval as I rolled over.


    After he left, I turned off the lights and got in bed. It was barely ten o¡¯clock on a Friday night and I was


    already tucked in. How boring. I couldn¡¯t help thinking about the party I had chosen not to attend so I


    could get back on my mom¡¯s good side. If her reaction to my ¡®flying cockroach¡¯ was any indication, it


    hadn¡¯t worked. I should¡¯ve just gone to the party. For all their faults, my parents weren¡¯t against parties.


    They weren¡¯t strict in the normal way. They were strict in the you-know-your-duties-do-it way. Provided


    Olly and I did what we were supposed to do -which included having boring after-school jobs that would


    look good on college applications and getting perfect grades-, they didn¡¯t interfere. Provided we stayed


    out of trouble, we got free reins till eleven p.m. Well, nine-thirty for Olly. She was only a freshman after


    all. Eleven on weekends. I didn¡¯t have an official curfew on weekends.


    I sighed heavily, rolling onto my other side.


    Life wasn¡¯t going my way a lot these days. For the life of me, I still couldn¡¯t understand why Masked


    Idiot felt the need to stalk me. I couldn¡¯t be more normal. More upstanding. More uninclined to break


    thew. For heaven¡¯s sake, my mom was awyer and my dad was a cop. Not just any cop, the sheriff.


    I lived in a house that could¡¯vee straight out of a magazine. As a matter of fact, the house had


    been featured in Aunt Diane¡¯s magazine. It was that house. The one people saw and automatically


    knew a sessful high-achieving family lived in. The house where people would ask the wife how she


    kept the rug and sofa so white. A healthy dose of responsibility mixed with an unhealthy dose of fear.


    That¡¯s the big secret to the ever white rug, Mrs. Brown. It was that house with an intimidating disy of


    awards and trophies honouring each family member. The house where music was never yed too


    loud, if ever. The house where the kids were always perfectly behaved and cultured. The house that all


    other houses gotpared to. Literally everything about me screamed that I wasn¡¯t interested in


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Masked Idiot¡¯s little illegal business. I was the poster child for good kids all over the world.


    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly harmless,¡± I grumbled aloud, tossing and turning to the other side as I waited impatiently


    for sleep toe.


    If anything I was the one who was meant to be suspicious, not the other way around. His story was not


    at all adding up. I knew I was right about him being rich. There was no doubt about that. The problem


    was, that alone blew his story out of the water. No matter how I looked at it, it didn¡¯t fit with the I¡¯m-so-


    broke-I-need-tomit-crimes-for-money vibe most criminals had going on. No rich kid would go to an


    underground arena to fight for money he already had. But what other motive could he have? A need to


    work out aggression? If he was a rich as he seemed to be, he could very well employ a personal


    sparring partner. Or enroll at a proper boxing gym. More so, it couldn¡¯t be aggression since not once in


    our time together had he lost his calm and I hadn¡¯t exactly been nice to him. The situation was far too


    secrets I didn¡¯t want to get tangled in lying behind it. Things like this were best left alone. The less I


    knew about it, the better but how, for the love of chocte and ice cream, could I get him away from


    me? Think, Avy. Think.


    I could hear my mom¡¯s voice in my head telling me to approach the problem calmly, methodically. To


    look over the facts. The only problem was there were no facts. I didn¡¯t trust him. He didn¡¯t trust me. And


    both us wanted nothing to do with each other. His biggest problem was that I would spill his secret,


    except I didn¡¯t know his secret. Not really anyway. I could pick him out in a crowd but I didn¡¯t know his


    name or address or anything concrete so it wasn¡¯t like I could send the cops after him. Granted, I could


    work with a sketch artist but as I had tried to convey to him, I couldn¡¯t do that without ratting myself out.


    Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t explicitly exin that to him without giving away that he had all the cards and


    the one card I had, I couldn¡¯t y. That would be giving him all the power and as the kid of an attorney,


    I knew better than to negotiate from a ce of weakness. If my opponent was blissfully unaware of the


    power he possessed, far be it for me to turn my nose up at such a gift. His other quite ridiculous worry


    was that I was some sort of spy. Me, spy? On him?


    I scoffed.


    That made absolutely no sense no matter which way I looked at it. There was nothing in it for me. No


    incentive. Nothing to gain. Just a waste of my time and effort.


    I sighed heavily.


    At the end of the day, all our problems boiled down to both of us not trusting the other to keep the


    secret of our unfortunate first meeting. Unlike him however, I had every right to be distrustful. He was a


    criminal. A real one. Probably with a criminal gang backing him and now that I figured out that he


    wasn¡¯t your run-off-the-mill kid from the wrong side of the tracks, I was even more distrustful. Whatever


    reason he had for doing what he did was far more sinister than survival and ack of better options. I


    shuddered to think what it might be. What we both needed was assurance that neither would rat the


    other out but--


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± I gasped, flinging the covers off me.


    I got to my feet and I hurried to my study table. I booted up myptop and opened a word document.


    This was it. How I hadn¡¯t seen it before was beyond me. It could actually work. It was exactly what we


    needed.


    ¡°Oh God, please let it work,¡± I whispered in the dark room as I hammered out a non-disclosure


    agreement tailored for us.


    This was what we needed. A contract. A promise that we would both keep our goddamm mouths shut.


    A contract that would protect me from every eventuality. It wasn¡¯t fool proof. Masked Idiot could slip


    identally but if nothing else, the contract would allow me sleep better at night because it would


    render any such slips inadmissible as evidence. Ohhh, the beauty of an irond NDA. I found myself


    grinning as I typed, tweaking and rereading well into the early hours of the morning. I went to bed only


    after I waspletely sure that no matter how things yed out, provided the contract was signed,


    even if things blew up, I¡¯de out rtively unscathed. Fingers crossed.


    ? ? ?


    I printed it out at the first seemingly mundane and untraceable chance I got. I would¡¯ve done it at home


    but 3:47 a.m. was decidedly an odd time to indulge a sudden urge to print a document. It would¡¯ve had


    my mom sniffing at my heels. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to lie that it was ast-minute assignment


    since she very well knew I was the embodiment of organized and I wouldn¡¯t have left an assignment till


    thest minute. That and it was Saturday morning. No school. I didn¡¯t get a chance during the day


    either. I was due to put in a few hours at herw firm and I just didn¡¯t feel safe printing it in the same


    building she was in. Any little mishap could spell trouble. So I waited throughout the weekend, smiling


    and pushing papers at her firm like the perfect little daughter she wanted her partners to see. I wasn¡¯t


    willing to risk printing it at school on Monday either. With my luck, a mishap that would leave a half-


    printed page jammed in the printer wasn¡¯t so far-fetched. There weren¡¯t enough people who could write


    a proper contract, much less one as detail oriented as this. If it got stuck and someone happened upon


    it, they¡¯d instantly guess it was mine. I was the first one people thought of when the seemingly


    impossible became possible in school. So I waited. And waited. And waited. The knowledge of what I


    had on my phone made me excessively self-aware and jumpy but still, I waited some more.


    The perfect opportunity finally presented itself after school, at the library. My co-worker was far away


    enough, busy with the books that needed to be re-shelved. I had the printer all to myself. The library


    was the perfect ce. All sorts of people came and went here. No one would find it any more than a


    little intriguing if they found such a document jammed in the printer nor would they even bother trying to


    find who it belonged to. Heck, it¡¯d rank lower than the kids I caught making out behind the history


    shelves, dirty talking in some made-upnguage that, from what I could tell, was partly Japanese.


    So I printed the contract oh so casually and stashed it in my bag. I kept my gaze trained on the door,


    hoping to catch Masked Idiot¡¯s entrance. He didn¡¯t show up the entire weekend so I figured he would


    show up today. I needed him to show up today. I needed his signature. Yesterday.


    For the first time in two weeks, God answered my prayer. Masked Idiot showed up. I must have jumped


    in my seat because my co-worker shed me a questioning frown. I pretended not to notice.


    ¡°Can you hold things down here? I¡¯ll be back in ten?¡±


    She scowled.


    ¡°You know what, I¡¯ll finish with the reshelving,¡± I offered, to butter up the deal, swinging my bag over my


    shoulder as I rose to my feet.


    April raised an eyebrow at the bag but didn¡¯t question it. It wasn¡¯t like me to ditch and she knew it.


    ¡°Have at it,¡± she agreed with a flick of her wrist, losing interest instantly.


    She hated anything that meant she had to get up. It was a peculiar kind ofzy but I was used to her


    quirks by now. I nodded at Masked Idiot, indicating that he should follow me as I headed to to where


    April left off with the books.


    ¡°This is weird,¡± he dered when we finally came to a stop upstairs, cocooned between shelves with


    books on economics.


    I arched a brow, wordlessly asking what was weird.


    ¡°You seem almost happy to see me,¡± he answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± I conceded. Given my history of aggressively confrontational wees where he was


    concerned, I could see why he would find my current reaction weird. ¡°I am though. Happy to see you.¡±


    Surprise coloured his features making it clear that even though he said it, he didn¡¯t actually believe I


    could be happy to see him.


    ¡°Did you hit your head?¡±


    ¡°I just need your signature then we can go back to dreading each other¡¯s presence like the gue and


    hopefully never seeing each other again. Till death do us part.¡±


    His expression could only be described as; fair enough.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this thing that¡¯s supposed to do that?¡± he inquired.


    I held up a finger, indicating that he wait while I fished out the contract from my bag. My fingers closed


    around it and I brandished it with flourish, holding it just a little reverently.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± He collected the stapled document, leafing through it with a confused frown on his face.


    ¡°A contract.¡± I breathed.


    ¡°A contract?¡± He sounded unimpressed.


    ¡°The contract,¡± I amended.


    He arched a skeptical brow.


    ¡°So your big solution is... words? Ink on a paper.¡±


    I nodded eagerly despite the skepticism coating his tone.


    ¡°Well, look who¡¯s been watching too much bad TV now.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at the jab.


    ¡°Not just words, dummy. A contract. A legal and binding document that ensures that neither of us can


    disclose anything about the other person without facing serious consequences.¡±


    ¡°Right. Fancy words on a paper.¡±


    My expression warned him to tread carefully.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He nodded. ¡°I guess I¡¯m supposed to trust you to uphold your end of the deal?¡± His tone wasn¡¯t


    just skeptical, it was patronizingly insulting.


    It was all I could do not to p him up the back of his head.


    ¡°No, idiot. That¡¯s the whole point of a contract,¡± I bit out. ¡°We don¡¯t need trust. The consequences are


    written there and they are consequences neither of us can afford.¡±


    If my parents ever got wind of this and asked about it, I could shut them down saying I was


    contractually bound to keep my mouth zipped and if they never knew the details, then maybe they


    wouldn¡¯t know just how much I had messed up. My mom was awyer after all. She knew what


    breaking a contract could lead to so I was really hoping this would work. It was my holy grail.


    ¡°Just read it,¡± I said impatiently. ¡°Read it and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He rolled up the brilliantly worded contract I had stayed up all night working on and tucked it


    under his arm. Seriously?


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, taking note of my irritated frown.


    I snatched the contract, smoothened it out and presented it back to him.


    ¡°I said read, not roll up and put away.¡±


    ¡°You meant now?¡± His tone made it clear he hadn¡¯t even considered that as a possibility.


    ¡°Here?¡±


    I raised my eyes heaven-ward, pinching the bridge of my nose as I sent up a quick prayer for patience.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a library, where people go to read. I think here is a good ce as any to read it.¡±


    ¡°But... now?¡±


    ¡°What difference does it make whether you read it now orter?¡± I hissed. ¡°I want it signed before end


    of day so yes, now.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Mywyer has to look over anything I...¡± he trailed off, eyes widening as he realized he had


    said too much.


    ¡°You have awyer,¡± I echoed, tucking that piece of information away. It fit with the rich kid image, a


    familywyer to clean up any messes he got himself into. The petty criminal image, not so much. ¡°What


    firm?¡±


    ¡°Like I¡¯d tell you,¡± he bit back angrily.


    I pressed my lips to a thin line to keep from smiling. I hadn¡¯t even set him up for that one. He fell into it


    on his own. He was within his rights to be pissed at himself but I couldn¡¯t afford to give away how much


    the slip-up meant to me. Hopefully, he would interpret mypressed lips as displeasure at not having


    my follow-up question answered. Oh, Masked Idiot. Stupid Masked Idiot. When are you going to realize


    you are no match for me? Sure, I didn¡¯t know the firm hiswyer was with but thanks to his reply, I now


    knew hiswyer worked at a firm. No small time one-room-with-a-tiny-windowwyer for Masked Idiot.


    Whoever hiswyer was, he was part of a firm somewhere. Again, it fit with the rich boy image but just


    how that all fit with the criminal image was still eluding me. If he was as rich as he appeared to be, why,


    for heaven¡¯s sake, was he fighting at a cheap grimy arena that reeked almost as bad as a clogged up


    public toilet?


    ¡°Fine.¡± I heaved a sigh, shaking my head to dispel the thoughts. ¡°Take it to yourwyer but here¡¯s what


    he¡¯ll tell you, ¡®it¡¯s a good deal, sign it¡¯.¡±


    I met his gaze squarely, wondering just who he was under everything.


    ¡°I expect the contract back by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully confident,¡± he countered. ¡°There could be mistakes, you know?¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be. I wrote it myself.¡±


    He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I think there will be because you wrote it yourself. You¡¯re just a high school kid.¡±


    And yet I¡¯m smarter than you¡¯ll ever be.


    ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll let yourwyer be the judge of that.¡±

 Chapter 10: 10 - Inclined towards sophisticated wit

    Chapter 10: 10 - Inclined towards sophisticated wit


    ¡°How did you learn to type so fast?¡±


    I jolted, my heart jumping to my throat. The book I had been about to ce on the shelf ttered to the


    ground.


    ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± I hissed, mentally willing my pounding heart to calm down. ¡°Do not sneak up on me like


    that.¡±


    As the heat of the moment passed, a twinge of panic born of the knowledge that I hadn¡¯t heard him


    arrive, much less creep up on me settled in my chest. If he wanted, he could have hurt me before I


    even got a chance to react. How is he even quiet with those unnecessarily long limbs?


    I still had a few minutes before the end of my shift and although, I was gradually getting used to him


    randomly showing up, it still set me on edge.


    ¡°First things first,¡± I said, forcing myself to take calming breaths. ¡°Where¡¯s the contract?¡±


    ¡°How did you get so fast with your fingers?¡± he reiterated, closing the small gap between us. ¡°I asked


    first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that came out dirtier than you meant it to,¡± I replied, stepping back to put much needed space


    between us again. ¡°And technically, I asked first. Two days ago. When I gave you the contract.¡±


    ¡°Technically.¡± He drawled the word out condescendingly. ¡°I get precedence because I don¡¯t trust you


    which I made very clear a long time ago.¡±


    I shed him an unimpressed look before bending to pick up the fallen book.


    ¡°Are you really trying to outsmart me right now?¡± My tone conveyed incredulous amusement. ¡°Haven¡¯t


    we already established that even drained, crying and with a headache, I can still outwit you? Seriously,


    don¡¯t embarrass yourself.¡±


    If eyes could shoot, I¡¯d be riddled with bullet holes.


    ¡°ring like that isn¡¯t going to change anything,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Which reminds me, what did your


    I didn¡¯t think it was possible but his scowl darkened dramatically. It went from ¡®I want to kill you¡¯ to ¡®I will


    decimate you and everything you care about.¡¯


    ¡°I take it he was impressed,¡± I deduced.


    ¡°It was okay,¡± he bit out.


    ¡°Okay?¡± I scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re looking at me like you¡¯d like to teach me a lesson or two in a dark alley. You


    don¡¯t do that for just ¡®okay¡¯. Come on, just admit it was spectacr.¡±


    His nostrils red.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t have any mistakes. You win,¡± he gritted out, his gaze trained on the opposite shelf above my


    head.


    I knew he definitely wasn¡¯t interested in horticulture so it had to be something else. Some other reason


    why he couldn¡¯t meet my gaze.


    ¡°I more than win, don¡¯t I? He loved me, didn¡¯t he? What did he say? I want his exact words.¡±


    Mother of all shockers, I found out he wasn¡¯t at scowling capacity yet because his scowl darkened even


    further. Enough that I was starting to debate the wisdom of goading him in a remote aisle.


    I took a step back reflexively.


    ¡°He offered you a job.¡± The words were forced out of jaws so tightly clenched it was a surprise they


    were audible at all.


    His revtion was followed by a sharp bark ofughter from yours truly. In my defence, I couldn¡¯t help


    myself. What was I supposed to do? Notugh? It was too precious.


    ¡°That had to have burned,¡± I goaded.


    ¡°Can we get back to the question about your typing now?¡± His gaze remained fixed just above my head


    as an embarrassed blush made its way up his neck.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I acquiesced. ¡°But you signed it, right?¡±


    There was no point if it wasn¡¯t signed.


    He nodded reluctantly.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I trust you to honor it. I just signed it as an extrayer of protection since it nullifies your


    testimony and stuff. For the record, I¡¯m still going to follow you around. The problem isn¡¯t you talking to


    the cops, it¡¯s you talking to... other people.¡±


    ¡®Other people¡¯? Seriously?


    I held out my hand for the contract, stifling the urge to roll my eyes. At least he signed it. I could work


    with that. Take that, voodoo doll witch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed that you keep skirting my question.¡± The chill in his voice could¡¯ve


    I stiffened at his tone a light shiver running down my spine as I looked up from the contract.


    ¡°Feeling threatened by my superior gaming skills?¡± My tone was light and forced. A failed attempt to


    lighten the mood.


    He ignored my generous olive branch.


    ¡°Your skills are good but your hands are very fast. And for someone who¡¯s bent on keeping it a secret,


    you¡¯re irritatingly proud of your gaming skills,¡± he said in a snippy tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what one thing has to do with the other,¡± I answered congenially.


    I was being kind, magnanimous even, with this second bone but that had more to do with the fact that


    we were slightly secluded from the rest of the library and for the first time ever, he actually seemed like


    a criminal.


    ¡°A hacker is fast. Like you,¡± he insinuated, letting the sentence hang usatory between us.


    I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly. Oh please. The story there wasn¡¯t even that interesting.


    ¡°I used to help my mom with her work when I was much younger. Like when I was in elementary


    school,¡± I began.


    My list of crimes could very easily be counted on one hand with fingers to spare; Olly and drag racing,


    Olly and the underground fighting syndicate and that other thing I was going take to my grave. Not the


    underwear incident. This was a different to-my-grave secret. One that no amount of alcohol at any


    college rave would get out of me. That was all. All my crimes. I would never try hacking. If I got caught


    hacking, my parents would kill me. If they lost face in front of their friends because of me, I would be


    finished.


    ¡°She¡¯d bring home case files she was done with and assign us tasks. My sister and I. It was supposed


    to be educative and probably get us interested inw. She started off giving us fun tasks like


    highlighting all call logs to a specific phone number and things like that.¡±


    Since the contract had been signed and delivered, I had no issue with satisfying his curiosity. That and


    I had no choice.


    I ced the next book in its appropriate spot then moved on to the next aisle, pushing the cart ahead of


    me. Masked Idiot trailed closely behind.


    ¡°It was fun at the beginning. Like ying a work version of dress-up.¡± My lips curved up in a wistful grin.


    In my periphery, I caught him rolling his eyes.


    ¡°A little whileter, thepany hit a rough patch. Thepany itself was facing awsuit. Cases


    weren¡¯ting in as much and a lot of their clients were jumping ship so they had to let some


    employees go. My mom wasn¡¯t high up on the chain back then so her secretary had to go too. Her


    workload increased so she started giving us real work. Cases she was still working on. It was probably


    a breach of confidentiality but...¡± I shrugged unapologetically.


    He nodded slowly, almost carefully in a way that had me doubting if he truly understood.


    ¡°At first, she used to crosscheck but she was usually too busy typing up her reports to spend time


    worrying about us. Especially since there were almost never any mistakes. I didn¡¯t make any and I


    used to correct Olly¡¯s before we gave them to her. Though in Olly¡¯s defence, she only made very, very


    few mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing the connection to the question I asked,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting there.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Back then, we were too young to cook so I started helping her


    type up her notes whenever she was busy in the kitchen or taking a bath, stuff like that.¡±


    She never explicitly told me to do it but I could tell she was swamped and I wanted to lighten her load.


    It was my cursed caregiver instincts acting up, even at that age.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I carried on, pausing to slip another book into its appropriate slot. ¡°She used to crosscheck


    that too at first but she soon realized I wasn¡¯t the type to make mistakes. I was a bit slow. I mean, I was


    a child so yeah, I was slow.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the instinctual urge to defend myself even though rationally, I knew I had no reason to do


    so, especially to a criminal who had shown an above average inclination for idiocy but it had been


    hammered into my head since I was a kid. I had to be excellent at everything. Always. Defending


    young me who didn¡¯t instantly be an expert at typing wasn¡¯t an urge I could curb.


    ¡°But I never made mistakes so she let me. Started asking me to do it even.¡±


    I never made mistakes. I wasn¡¯t that girl. I was the girl who people would look at and say, ¡®how is she


    so perfect all the damn time?¡¯ I always did everything perfectly. It¡¯s all I knew. My mom had drummed


    into my head how crucial perfection was that I constantly felt like I couldn¡¯t afford to be any less.


    I sighed wearily. Mission failed, mum. I made the worst mistake ever.


    ¡°What?¡± he questioned, suspicion coating his tone as he took in my forlorn expression.


    ¡°You,¡± I answered tiredly. ¡°You¡¯re the one speck of imperfection in my perfect little life.¡±


    He frowned.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I pasted a smile on my face and forged on, ¡°that¡¯s how I started typing and now, I¡¯m fast at


    it.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you seem like you¡¯re just aw abiding straight ¡®A¡¯ student.¡±


    ¡°I am just aw abiding straight ¡®A¡¯ student.¡± It came out more hopeless that I intended so I added, ¡°I


    don¡¯t like being defined by it but yes, I¡¯ve been a straight ¡®A¡¯ student since birth.¡±


    Yes, I was deflecting and yes, it was a textbook defence mechanism. Sue me. Humor, bringing joy and


    masking hurt since 128B.C.


    ¡°Your humility is a model to us all.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re practically a saint.¡±


    ¡°Happy to be of help.¡± I bowed.


    ¡°You know,¡± he began, ¡°for someone who doesn¡¯t want to be defined by her academic sess, you¡¯re


    quite the smartass and super fucking proud too.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am proud of it. People work really hard to get good grades.¡±


    ¡°People?¡± He arched one bushy eyebrow. ¡°Admitting that you study hard is not such a smear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I answered candidly. ¡°Schooles easy to me. I didn¡¯t even always know that school was


    supposed to be hard.¡±


    His face scrunched up in a confused frown.


    ¡°What do you mean you didn¡¯t always know?¡±


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged. ¡°As crazy as that sounds. I thought...¡±


    I nced at the ceiling, then back to him, absently wondering why I was humoring him by answering.


    Yet, I still felt the need to do it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought everybody was like me or just pretending because they wanted to. Because


    they werezy. Anyway,¡± I shook my head, regaining control of myself, ¡°it¡¯s not important. What I was


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    trying to say is that I don¡¯t see what that has to do with not wanting to be defined by it. This is why


    people feel the need to have safe spaces. Because I don¡¯t want to be defined by something doesn¡¯t


    mean I should have to hide it or be humble about it.¡±


    He remained silent, eyeing me with distrust.


    ¡°And for the smart ass bit, I prefer the term ¡®heavily inclined towards sophisticated wit¡¯.¡±


    He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. ¡°Of course you do.¡±


    I pressed my lips into a thin line to hold back a smile.


    ¡°Here,¡± I shoved a stack of books into his arms, ¡°go arrange those.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to--¡±


    ¡°The longer it takes me to finish this, the longer we stay here.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he huffed.


    ¡°Finally!¡± he exaggerated, stretching his arms above his head.


    I rolled my eyes. If he was so bored, here was an idea; stop fricking following me around.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, my tutoring job is today and I¡¯m not taking you in with me.¡±


    His eyes narrowed, suspicion filling his gaze.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    I rolled my eyes in exasperation. If I really had something to hide, I wouldn¡¯t stupidly give it away by


    telling him. I was much much smarter than that. If I wanted to fool him, I damn well could and he


    wouldn¡¯t suspect a thing. He needed to calm the heck down.


    ¡°Because his parents are friends with mine and they could tell my parents about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming with,¡± he stubbornly insisted, eyes shing.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee to do that but just know that you¡¯ll be standing outside until I¡¯m done. And when you


    can look into who stays thereter, you¡¯ll find out that it¡¯s a harmless upstanding family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡± He grunted.


    ¡°Have at it. Feel free to lose track of me on the way.¡±


    ¡°You wish.¡±


    He must¡¯ve thought I was joking about having him stand outside. I certainly didn¡¯t give him any reason


    to think so but when we got there and I waved him away, he nched.


    ¡°Go,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°But nothing. Your presence here can make it to my parents¡¯ ears. I¡¯m taking that risk. Go away.


    Disappear.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to stand out in the sun for an hour?¡± he inquired incredulously, switching tactics.


    ¡°An hour and a half,¡± I corrected, arms folded across my chest. ¡°Give or take. And I don¡¯t care what you


    do. Feel free to stand, sit or lounge if you so please.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°What exactly is giving you joke time?¡± I asked, genuinely curious.


    ¡°The idea,¡± he exploded, throwing his hands in the air, ¡°is aplete joke.¡±


    ¡°Which part?¡± I calmly questioned. ¡°Because I¡¯m not seeing it.¡±


    ¡°The part where I stand outside.¡±


    ¡°You can sit. Lie down. Do whatever you like.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to debate the point. Go. Now. You can exin yourselfter.¡±


    ¡°After standing outside for ny minutes?¡± he countered incredulously.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to do it even if we debate it now,¡± I bit back harshly. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to lose an


    argument to you.¡±


    He must have not processed thest part well because he actually went on to try to argue the point


    with me. Idiot. I scoffed inwardly.


    ¡°I¡¯m investigating you. I¡¯m meant to follow you everywhere until I¡¯m satisfied you¡¯re not some secret


    spy. The fact that you¡¯re so bent on keeping me out of there is very suspicious.¡±


    Suspicious? I literally just told you why.


    He must have mistaken my temporary silence for concession because he was already drumming up his


    victory smirk. Cue my infamous eye roll. Had he been not listening? I¡¯d never lose to him. Or anyone


    but my mom and even that was only a matter of time. By the time I was done at Harvard, even Harvey


    Specter would have nothing on me. Although he was only a fictionalwyer.


    ¡°First,¡± I cut him off, closing the distance between us until I could see the tiny flecks of gold in his coffee


    coloured eyes. The smell of his expensive cologne surrounded me. A distant part of my mind noticed


    that the green of his shirt really brought out his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me. Ever.¡±


    He blinked.


    ¡°Second, if there¡¯s a second thing we¡¯ve established so far, the first being that you have a high


    propensity for idiocy, it¡¯s that your investigative people-reading skills are absolute rubbish. When I left


    the arena that day, never seeing you for the rest of my life would¡¯ve been too soon. You¡¯re investigating


    a straight ¡®A¡¯ student who wants nothing to do with you, yet you think you¡¯re Sherlock.¡± My tone was


    biting. ¡°If he was anything like you, none of his books would¡¯ve sold half as much. Except as maybe


    humor. And not the ttering kind.¡±


    He opened his mouth to respond. I held up my index finger, stopping him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet. Third, if we hadn¡¯t struck that deal, you wouldn¡¯t be privy to listen in on my


    conversations. The only reason I¡¯m letting you is because I think it¡¯ll help you figure out faster that I


    have and want nothing to do with your world. Now, I¡¯m temporarily retracting that privilege but if you


    keep this up, it¡¯s going to be permanent.¡±


    He scowled, looking the very definition of irritated.


    ¡°Is this how you win your debates? No wonder, that guy was gunning for you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± My smile was ugly and vicious. ¡°When I debate, I actually put in some work.¡±


    With that parting remark and some choice words from him as background music, I strutted up to the


    house.


    ¡°For the record, I still crushed Eric,¡± I called over my shoulder with all the sweetness of a girl¡¯s scout.


    ¡°See you in ny minutes.¡±


    I rapped my knuckles on the door smartly, tapping my foot impatiently while waiting for it to be opened.


    The door swung open.


    ¡°Hey.¡± The person on the other side beamed.


    ¡°You failed four out of thest assignment I gave you.¡±


    The boy in question rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Hey to you too. How¡¯re you doing?¡± he remarked snidely.


    I smirked.


    ¡°Hey to you too. How¡¯re you doing?¡±

 Chapter 11: 11 - Einstein and a scary badass chick

    Chapter 11: 11 - Einstein and a scary badass chick


    I wasn¡¯t surprised to not find him when I finished tutoring. Even I wouldn¡¯t have waited ny minutes,


    no matter the circumstance. Well, unless my mum explicitly asked me to.


    My lips curved up in a small smile as I walked to my car. Looks like I win this round, Idiot.


    I swung by a local diner to pick up Olly. She needed a ride home from her violin lesson. Apparently


    after practice, she decided to get ate lunch at a diner in the area and wanted me to drop her off at


    home. I would never understand what she had against calling her driver but I had long given up on


    trying to get her to see reason. She was only two years away from license anyways. And more


    importantly, in a few months I¡¯d be away at Harvard where it wouldn¡¯t be my problem.


    ¡°How was practice?¡± I inquired as she copsed into the front seat.


    ¡°Do you think mum will let me drop it? Or at least switch to guitar?¡±


    ¡°Not even if your life depended on it.¡± I scoffed, shooting her a t look. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no guitar in an


    orchestra.¡±


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s not so bad when I¡¯m learning new pieces and prepping for a show but still, it¡¯s so boring


    and uptight. Geez.¡± She huffed, roughly pulling the seat belt.


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s the point. ¡®Boring and uptight¡¯ gives her bragging rights,¡± I exined, backing unto


    the road. ¡°¡®Boring and uptight¡¯ in this case trantes into ¡®respectable and cultured¡¯.¡±


    Being the mummy¡¯s pet that she was, Olly got off easy. I was forced to master the piano and the cello


    when I was her age. There was talk of getting me on a harp but thankfully, it didn¡¯t work out. School got


    busy, I ¡®graduated¡¯ music lessons and the idea was dropped but of course, my entitled little sister would


    ¡°Sheesh.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°None of my friends do this stuff. It¡¯s some.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fourteen. She¡¯ll let you drop it soon enough. Just pick a really tough piece, perform it, then tell


    her you¡¯ve mastered the violin,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Really? It¡¯ll work?¡± Excitement blossomed on her face. I could practically hear her mentally nning a


    million and one hangouts with the new found free time.


    ¡°It¡¯s what I did but don¡¯t get your hopes up because as soon as you drop that, she¡¯ll get on you to start


    working on your college portfolio.¡±


    Her smile copsed.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be swamped with more after-school jobs than a single mum with only a high school diploma.¡±


    She shed me a frustrated look and leaned back in her seat. ¡°Ugh.¡±


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ? ? ?


    Dinner had been cooked, eaten and the tes were now being cleared. Olly, true to form, was already


    upstairs pretending to have gone to bed to get out of having to do any extra house chore. Our mom


    wasn¡¯t home yet but that wasn¡¯t out of the norm for us even though it was going on ten p.m.


    Unfortunately, our dad was. I smelled him before I saw him. I had my earphones in so I didn¡¯t hear him


    arrive while I was taking care of the tes but he quickly took care of that by greeting me with an


    unexpected resounding p on my back. A very painful one. Shockwaves reverberated through me,


    sending the te I had been washing into sink, soap suds sshing all over my clothes. Even as tiny


    beads of tears sprang to my eyes, I sent up a quick prayer of thanks that the te didn¡¯t break. Clearly,


    my dad was in one of his moods. I didn¡¯t need my mum against me too for unexinably breaking one


    of her fancy dinner tes.


    I haphazardly wiped my hands on my clothes and hurriedly pulled out my earphones, stashing them in


    my pocket.


    I turned to face him.


    ¡°Wee home.¡± Despite my effort, my voice wobbled, betraying my terror.


    Warning lights were already shing in my head. I could smell enough alcohol on him to know it wasn¡¯t


    going to be a pleasant encounter. The knowledge didn''t help matters. My heart was racing in my


    ribcage.


    Before I could blink, his palm came crashing down, getting me on the lower half of my face, between


    my jaw and neck. It hurt. A lot. Tears filled my eyes as I waited for the wave of pain to subside,


    wondering in a distant part of my mind if it was going to leave a bruise.


    ¡°Are you deaf!¡± he thundered, neck veins bulging.


    It wouldn¡¯t, I decided. It was bad but my skin had seen worse. There would be no bruise from this.


    Besides, drunk or not, he knew better than to leave visible evidence that would be hard to hide.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± My voice was scratchy and shaky with fear and unshed tears. ¡°I had my earphones in.¡±


    The exnation only made him angrier. His nostrils red, eyes shing red as the smell of alcohol


    invaded my nostrils. It was suddenly all I could smell.


    I shivered.


    ¡°So if somebody broke in, that would be it? Your excuse. ¡®I had my earphones in¡¯?¡±


    The way he sneered the words had me shrinking, trying to make myself smaller, less noticeable. A


    distant part of my mind informed me that things weren¡¯t looking good.


    I gulped, managing to shield my face in time as his hand came crashing down again. And again. And


    again. And again. Until I lost count. When he was finally satisfied I had learned my lesson, he


    staggered upstairs.


    I sank to the floor, pressing my hands hard against my mouth to muffle my sobs. Shut up, Avy. Shut up.


    You know how he feels about dramatics. Or worse, Olly will hear. Shut the fuck up. I drew in a shaky


    breath, pressed my hands harder against my mouth and focused as hard as I could on the feeling of


    the cold marble against my back to distract myself. Anything to stay quiet.


    ? ? ?


    I could pinpoint the exact moment he figured out something was wrong. He had scaled in through the


    window I hadn¡¯t gotten around to closing. Too busy crying my eyes out and whatnot. He dusted himself


    off and straightened to his full height.


    ¡°I looked into who stays in that house and just so you know, I don¡¯t believe they are entirely harmless.


    It¡¯s the seemingly harmless ones you should be cautious of,¡± he said conversationally.


    I huddled tighter in the corner between my bed and wall, trying to make myself smaller as I tried -and


    failed- to stop the tears. It wasn¡¯t such a bad episode and I wasn¡¯t usually such a cry-baby about it but


    today, I couldn¡¯t seem to stop. The tears waned enough for me to finish doing the dishes and crawl to


    my room but after getting here, with nothing else to do but mentally rey the episode and berate


    myself, the water works started anew. Damn it, Avy. Stop fucking crying and pull yourself together.


    Someone¡¯s here.


    It was exactly at this moment Masked Idiot realized something was wrong. For the first time since he


    crept in, he really looked me, taking in the matching tear tracks, the wobbly smile that just wouldn¡¯t hold


    and the puffy red eyes.


    He froze mid-step.


    I drew up a mental image of what he was seeing. Me, curled up in a corner with my arms around my


    legs, trying to make myself as small as possible. It was the clich¨¦d girl-crying-in-a-corner image. Fuck.


    Shit. A part of me couldn¡¯t believe I kept my secret this long, only for him to identally walk in on it.


    Even Olly had never seen me cry before. It was the second secret I was supposed to take to my grave.


    I was such a failure these days.


    A stolen nce confirmed my thoughts that he was, in fact, sporting a bbergasted look.


    ¡°Are you...¡± He trailed off, cleared his throat and tried again. ¡°Are you crying?¡±


    No, Einstein. My tear ducts are simply leaking because they feel like.


    ¡°Go away,¡± I replied, hating myself for the way my voice came out taut, high pitched and -as if that


    wasn¡¯t already bad enough- broke on ¡®away¡¯. Really, Avy? Really? You couldn¡¯t manage to pull it


    together for five seconds?


    I sighed, my eyelids momentarily drifting shut in shame. How pathetic can you get? And for what?


    Sympathy?  From a stranger? A criminal at that? I was the definition of pathetic.


    ¡°You¡¯re crying,¡± he repeated.


    His voice had a faraway quality that made it clear he didn¡¯t quite believe what was happening right


    before his eyes. You¡¯re a regr Einstein, aren¡¯t you?


    My subconscious was not sparing either of us. I had long sincee to ept it as one of my defense


    mechanisms. By subconsciously being unsavoury to myself whenever I cried, I increased the


    unpleasantness of the whole scenario thereby reducing my inclination to indulge in it. That was the


    theory I was going with anyway. It was that or ept that I was fundamentally damaged.


    ¡°Just go away, Asshat.¡± I infused as much venom as I could find -and it was a lot- into those four words.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he bared his teeth, ¡°I just wanted to make sure you were okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine. Now get out.¡±


    Instead, he crossed the distance between us,ing to a stop in front of me.


    ¡°Are you deaf? I said, go away.¡±


    The instant I heard myself, I regretted it. The agitation in my voice was in as day. It would have


    taken a miracle for him not to figure out that my true purpose of driving him away was so I could cry in


    solitude and miracles weren¡¯t exactly lining up at my door these days. What is wrong with me today?


    ¡°Look, I just...¡± he said tentatively, crouching to my level. He stretched out a hand to me cautiously, like


    I was a spooked animal.


    ¡°Go! Just get out! Are you deaf on top of everything else?¡± I burst out. ¡°Or just too stupid to understand


    the words?¡±


    I might have pulled it off if two more tear drops hadn¡¯t chosen that inopportune moment to slide down


    my cheek. Arrghh!


    ¡°Listen here, you little brat.¡± He hissed, his lips peeling back in a snarl. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here any


    more than you want me to be.¡±


    ¡°Then go,¡± I managed through a sniffle. I really didn¡¯t want to considering it was a pivotal moment and I


    knew the effect it would have but it was either sniffle or let snort run down my face. I couldn¡¯t hold it off


    any longer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± His tone made it clear he really wanted to though. ¡°I don¡¯t like you as much as you don¡¯t like


    me but you¡¯re crying and unfortunately I have sisters. I can¡¯t just leave you.¡± He rolled his eyes


    heavenward. ¡°Ugh, this sucks.¡±


    My eyes drifted shut, a wave of embarrassment and self-loathing washing over me.


    ¡°Please.¡± I tried onest time. ¡°Just go. Please.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± His tone made it clear he didn¡¯t get why it was so important to me. ¡°You clearly need someone


    right now.¡±


    ¡°Because!¡± I cried out, losing what was left of my cool momentarily.


    ¡°Because,¡± I tried again, drawing in a deep breath. ¡°Because I shouldn¡¯t... No, because I can¡¯t be crying


    in front of you.¡±


    He paused, thinking it over while chewing on his lower lip. I kept my gaze trained on that and gave


    breathing exercises another try. Maybe if I tried hard enough, it would work.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He nodded slowly, finallying to a decision.


    I let out the tiniest sigh of relief. At least I¡¯d get to save some of my dignity.


    ¡°Just tell me who to call and I¡¯ll leave when they get here.¡±


    My brain nked out.


    ¡°What?¡± I shook my head violently, wondering if I had heard him wrong. Thest thing I needed was for


    another person to see me like this. ¡°What? No... no. You don¡¯t understand. Nobody can see me cry.


    Can see me... like this.¡± I gestured to my pitiful self.


    ¡°Why not? What¡¯s so wrong with crying? I mean, it¡¯s vulnerable and h, h, h but everybody


    does it. So calm down, the world won¡¯t end because someone saw you cry.¡±


    ¡°It might,¡± I whispered, my insides deting with despair. ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Then, help me get it. Everybody cries.¡± His tone was curt and irritated. ¡°Take off your prom queen


    crown for a second and stop being so full of yourself. Prom queen or not, you''re a human being too.¡±


    ¡°I wish that was it.¡± I sighed, burying my face in my hands and pulling at the strands of hair that slid in


    between my fingers.


    You¡¯re reallyying the piteous victim role on thick, aren¡¯t you, Avy? If only you were half as good at


    doing what you should do, you wouldn¡¯t be this mess, my subconscious chided.


    ¡°You¡¯re not making sense,¡± he dered.


    I raised my head, dragging my gaze to his face. He had on a confused frown and was waiting for an


    exnation. He did not understand it at all.


    I heaved a sigh.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s...¡± I swallowed, the words getting stuck in my throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s...¡± I tried again, my eyes rapidly feeling up.


    God, I hate emotions.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s weak,¡± I managed, rushing over the words out in a rush.


    ¡°And what¡¯s so wrong with being weak now and then? The other ny nine percent of the time


    you¡¯re... a smart, scary... badass chick.¡±


    I could tell from his frown he wasn¡¯t just saying it to make me feel better. He really didn¡¯t understand my


    logic. He wasn¡¯t seeing the problem.


    ¡°I mean, the first time I broke into your room, you didn¡¯t shout for help. You just stood there, issued an


    ultimatum and counted down. Like a boss.¡±


    He was missing the point. If I was weak, then I wasn¡¯t that ''smart scary badass chick¡¯. If I was weak, I


    was a weakling. End of story.


    ¡°Weak is... wrong. Imperfect. My parents won¡¯t... It¡¯s not right. I shouldn¡¯t be weak,¡± I expounded.


    My parents wouldn¡¯t approve. It wouldn¡¯t fit their perfect daughter image.


    ¡°Perfection is in the imperfections.¡±


    ¡°Not for me.¡± I shook my head, wiping my tears away. ¡°For me, it¡¯s... it¡¯splicated.¡±


    ¡°Simplify it.¡±


    Annoyed, I raised my gazer to ceiling. Did he really think it was that easy to exin? To put into words?


    ¡°When I say perfect, I mean perfect.¡± I gritted. ¡°Perfect perfect. Suburban perfect. Trophy daughter


    perfect. Perfect on paper kind of perfect.¡±


    He tilted his head to the side, reached out slowly and lightly ced his hand on my shoulder, giving me


    a gentle squeeze. My face scrunched up in confused irritation, and I shrugged off his hand.


    ¡°Avyanna, you¡¯re perfect on paper.¡± He held my gaze, the brown of his eyes glittering thanks to the


    sheen of tears in mine. ¡°You can¡¯t not know that.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± I scrunched up my nose in distaste, ruining whatever heartfelt effect he was going for.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Ever again. Don¡¯t call my full name.¡±


    He rolled his eyes exasperatedly and retracted his hand.


    All that exining and he still didn¡¯t get it. He really was slow. Did he not, at least, watch movies?


    There were tons of movies with girls like me in them. We weren¡¯t the main characters but we were


    usually significant to the plot. The girls who weren¡¯t waiting to be saved. The ones who knew that was a


    fantasy and that we would have to live with our demons. The ones with cameo appearances that the


    audience sometimes fell in love with. The ones who epted losses but strove for wins and were


    always brutally honest whenever they weren¡¯t obligated to pretend otherwise. Did I really need to dumb


    it down further for him?


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that right now, I¡¯m not perfect. I¡¯m crying. I¡¯m a blubbering mess and you¡¯re


    here to see it. If I have a problem, I¡¯m supposed to do so quietly. Discreetly. By myself. Understood?¡± It


    came out more aggressively than I had intended but in my defense, the concept wasn¡¯t so hard to


    understand that I needed to repeatedly exin it.


    He pursed his lips, wearing a contemtive frown.


    ¡°Well,¡± he began, ¡°if it¡¯s anyfort, you cry prettier than most people.¡±


    He shrugged helplessly, signifying that he still didn''t get it and was only trying to shut me up.


    Jesus Christ! Was it that hard to understand? I drew in a deep breath to calm myself and turned my


    face away, mentally telling myself to just let it go. The sight of him was beginning to get on my nerves.


    It was exasperating.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just know that nobody is ever supposed to see me less than perfect. Forget the rest.


    You clearly can¡¯t get it.¡± I huffed.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t people see you less than perfect?¡±


    My gaze cut to him, eyes shing with irritation. I had the pleasure of watching him realize I was being


    serious. Seething silently, I wondered what exactly had given him the impression I wasn¡¯t serious in the


    first ce.


    ¡°Like ever?¡± He sounded downright shocked. Like it was such a farfetched idea. It wasn¡¯t. What world


    was he even living in?


    ¡°It¡¯s not...¡± I began to answer, only to stop when I realized he probably wouldn¡¯t understand that either.


    There was no point. ¡°It¡¯s what I was taught. It¡¯s who I am,¡± I summed, giving up on the exnation.


    I broke our gaze and rose to my feet, moving away before he could gue me with any more


    questions. It wasn¡¯t until I got to my dresser I realized what had happened. What he had done. How ¨C


    as much as it hurt my pride to admit it- he had tricked me. Distracted me so I no longer felt like bawling


    my eyes out. Shit. Masked Idiot had actually managed to pull one over me with his confused act and


    annoying questions. Never thought I''d see the day that would happen.


    With the realization, camemon sense and a reality check. Fuck. What had I done? What had I


    said? Shit. Shit. Fucking shit!


    ¡°Is there any way you can delete thest fifteen minutes from your memory?¡± Desperation coloured my


    tone. I was miles past thirsty.


    He shook his head slowly, a satisfied smile creeping onto his face as he sat on my bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to settle for you never mentioning it again?¡± I ventured, unconsciously sping my hands in


    the universal prayer sign.


    My desperation must have gotten to him because his features softened. He rose and crossed over to


    me.


    He raised a hand, covered my sped hands and gently forced them down.


    ¡°How about we keep it between us? What¡¯s one more secret, yeah?¡±


    Trantion: he would bring it up but only to me. Repeatedly.


    I could handle that. I deserved that. That was what I got for being vulnerable in front of him in the first


    ce, for doing something so uneptable. Thanks to that, he had one more thing on me.


    ¡°Between us. Promise.¡± I pressed.


    ¡°I promise.¡± He held out his pinkie.


    I noted with mild irritation that he was still staring at me like I was a spooked animal.


    ¡°Not another soul hears about this,¡± I reiterated.


    ¡°Whatever the damsel in distress wants.¡±

 Chapter 12: 12 - Pull up a chair, Lucifer and take notes from a pro

    Chapter 12: 12 - Pull up a chair, Lucifer and take notes from a pro


    I liked school. How could I not? I had the best grades in my year. Teachers loved me. I never got in


    trouble and although I was freakishly smart, I still sat at the top of the social pyramid. I was an all-


    rounder like I was raised to be. There was little to not like. On days like today, however, I found myself


    nursing a strong dislike for the establishment that forced me to know the walking headache that was


    ire Evans. Royal pain in the ass did note close to embodying her.


    Under normal circumstances, I could tolerate her. I had learned to. Our friendship circles ovepped


    enough to ensure that and unlike most people, I knew she wasn¡¯t all hearts-and-flowers like she


    pretended to be. I had experienced it first-hand but confronting her would¡¯ve been dirty and ugly. She


    would¡¯ve painted herself as the helpless victim while I woulde off as the wicked stepsister who


    didn¡¯t want her at the ball. It was just easier to do the right thing; pretend to put our grievances behind


    me.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, we should totally...¡±


    She shed a wide all-epassing smile that had me immediately tuning her out. My gaze wandered


    about the coffee shop and I found myself wondering just how I had gotten stuck in prommittee.


    Ah... yes, the awards.


    I sighed.


    ire Anne High had a tradition of hosting an award ceremony before prom. It was supposed to take


    the edge off. The stress. The expectations. The finality. Like most schools, we give the normal


    yearbook awards but unlike most schools, ire Anne High makes a big deal of it. The fact that there


    was a semi-formal ceremony dedicated to handing out fancy trophies to the title holders said it all. It


    was all in good fun though. The only problem was, almost every year, the prommittee would create


    a new award for someone who had been outstanding in remarkable way that just didn¡¯t fit into any of


    the pre-established categories.


    Last year, we had only one new category; Best Supporting Actress. She was pretty and funny with


    shiny voluminous hair that everyone envied. ire imed it was thanks to her Iranian heritage. Cue


    my eye roll. She also happened to be best friends with the girl who won Most Admirable. The reason


    she got Best Supporting Actress was because of that and because she was everybody¡¯s friend. She


    was the approachable kind of person everyone got along with but also knew to never mess with. Like


    an entric aunt with the scathing tongue of a hardened sailor. Personally, I liked her. It also helped


    that she couldn¡¯t stand ire.


    This year unfortunately, I qualified for the unknown category. The nicknames the rest of the school had


    for me but thought I didn¡¯t know of alone made it very clear; Have-it-all Avy, The Fixer, Madam


    President, Romanoff. ire already bagged Most Admirable which meant I had no contenders. No one


    to distract them with. Every other person fit in a category in ways that I didn¡¯t. That was the reason I


    signed up to be part of themittee. So I could shut down any talk of honoring me, nip it in the


    proverbial bud seeing as my mom was definitely not going to approve of an award for something


    entirely non-academically oriented. Being at the top of the social pyramid was fine but getting awarded


    for it was uneptable.


    ¡°...so really, that¡¯s why we shouldn¡¯t have a band,¡± she concluded, sitting back like she just delivered an


    all-important lecture.


    Cue one of my infamous eye rolls. Choosing a DJ over a band did not, by any stretch of imagination,


    warrant this emergency meeting nor her five-minute monologue. Definitely not when every other person


    had already agreed on band.


    ¡°So what do you suggest we have instead, ire?¡± the Chair of themittee, Louise, asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying.¡± She shrugged her dainty shoulders, utilizing the full force of her wide innocent looking


    eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing the same thing for years. We should switch it up. Get innovative.¡±


    I¡¯d die first before admitting defeat to ire Evans so I pasted a smile on my face and pretended I


    wasn¡¯t fantasizing about pping her so hard her teeth woulde loose.


    ¡°You¡¯ve said that already,¡± I pointed out. ¡°We heard you the first time. The question is do you have any


    actual ideas?¡±


    It was only for a fraction of a second but her eyes narrowed in irritation.


    ¡°A few, yes but I don¡¯t think I should make the choice for everyone. You should all get to air your views


    too,¡± she replied, smiling with all the innocence of a week old baby.


    It was all I could do not to scoff. Pull up a chair, Lucifer. Takes notes from a real pro. This was really all


    just because we made the decision without her. Never mind that it wasn¡¯t our fault she was out sick the


    day we voted. It was just one vote anyway and the votes for band had been almost unanimous. We


    were having a DJ for prom anyways, so it was only fair.


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re so concerned about our opinions I feel like I should remind you that we already


    made a choice. Band.¡± My voice was liberally coated with sharine.


    I was in no mood for her ploys.


    Her smile wobbled as she surreptitiously bared her teeth at me. If she wasn¡¯t absolutely serious about


    bing a surgeon, I¡¯d have rmended she try a career in acting. She was that good.


    ¡°Okay, ire. Do you have a DJ in mind?¡± Louise stepped in catively. Her gaze met mine in silent


    price range.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but snicker. ire came from money. A lot of it and she never let us forget it. Ever. I had


    nothing against her parents¡¯ wealth but there was a limit to how much name dropping you could do


    before it started to get annoying. Everyone at ire Anne was wealthy by normal standards but, of


    course, there would always be the much wealthier ones.


    It was time to step in. The meeting had gone on for long enough and I had a party to prepare for. While


    ire could run circles around Louise with her double-edged words and innocent smile, she couldn¡¯t


    around me.


    ¡°ire,¡± I began. I sped my hands on the table top and met her gaze. ¡°We voted on this already. You


    weren¡¯t there to vote. We understand that so you get till midnight toe up with an option. Like


    Louise said, one that¡¯s within the budget. You¡¯re going to Greg¡¯s party, right? You can tell Emily and


    Louise by then,¡± I proffered. Avy to the rescue, as always. ¡°Whoever youe up with though, keep in


    mind that we¡¯ll still have to vote.¡±


    Louise shed me a look of gratitude. She had to pick her brother up from his ballet ss and she was


    already runningte thanks to the ire¡¯s antics.


    ire nodded amicably, pasting the most angelic of smiles on her face. She didn¡¯t look like someone


    who could hurt even an insect. On the inside however, I knew she was most likely murdering me in the


    most gruesome way possible. The girl deserved a Grammy.


    The party soon disbanded, everyone heading off in separate directions. To be honest, I knew how


    ire¡¯s tantrum was going to end. We all did. She was going to get her way. She was ire Evans


    after all, master maniptor. I was just happy to be done with her for the day. I had a lot on my te


    and band versus DJ just wasn¡¯t of any importance to me. My very embarrassing crying bout, on the


    other hand, was. Masked Idiot conveniently hadn¡¯t shown up since that night. At first, I thought it was a


    blessing but I was starting to realize that the more time passed, the more awkward it was going to be


    whenever we finally meet. Ugh. Why did I have to cry that day?


    I slowed the car to a halt, waiting for the light to change. In the meantime, I mentally ran through outfit


    options for the party. I settled on a sleeveless top and high waist shorts that made my butt and legs


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    look great. I shifted gears from neutral just as the lights changed to green but before the car began


    moving, a sleek bike shot across the road, running the light that had to have changed on that side. A


    sleek bike I recognized. A bike I wished I had never seen before and would never see again. Masked


    Idiot.


    Before I fully processed what I was doing, I flicked on my turn signal and went after him. Two could y


    the stalking game. I needed ckmail material if I was going to get rid of him fast enough and thanks to


    my most recent blunder, I wasn¡¯t even sure I could face him ever again. He had seen me with swollen,


    red, puffy eyes. No. Just no.


    His bike was easy to track. It was the shiniest and there was only one other bike on the road. The fact


    that the rider seemed to be wearing a suit however, had me second guessing myself because where


    exactly would a criminal wear a suit to? I recognized the helmet too though. It couldn¡¯t be a


    coincidence. It had to be him. Where is he going? Apart from Calthorpe hotel -the most expensive hotel


    in town- which he definitely couldn¡¯t be going to, the only other things on the street he was headed


    towards were office buildings and restaurants. Was he meeting hiswyer maybe?


    I wasn¡¯t aware of anyw firms in the area but to be fair, I only knew big namew firms. Competitors of


    my mom¡¯s firm.


    I eased my foot off the pedal as we pulled onto the street. There weren¡¯t as many cars and I didn¡¯t want


    him to spot me before I found something useful.


    What the...?


    I slowed to a stop along the curb as he pulled up at Calthorpe and handed his keys to a valet. Without


    the helmet on, I could see his face clearly otherwise I would¡¯ve believed I had followed the wrong


    person. The suit he was wearing now made sense but how was he going to get in? Calthorpe was


    famous for being ultra-snobby.


    I watched, my shock level rising, as a small girl in a white tuxedo eagerly waved him over. The fact that


    she had a bodyguard trying and failing to blend in behind her was even more disconcerting. Criminal? I


    instantly found myself wondering. A friend from the darker side? She didn¡¯t look like a criminal. She


    barely looked ten years old. What the hell was going on? My assessment of him did indicate he was a


    rich kid. It was the only thing I was sure of with regards to Masked Idiot but no matter how I looked at it,


    a rich kid who engaged in that particr type of illegal activity just didn¡¯t check out. A criminal who


    could afford Calthorpe didn¡¯t either. It wasn¡¯t just any hotel. It was the snobbiest of snobby rich people


    hotels. What was I missing?


    The bodyguard didn¡¯t so much as react as Masked Idiot strolled over to the girl, bestowing on her a


    fond smile. Was she a friend? A rtive? Were they part of the same country club or whatever other


    rich people haunt? Calthorpe was respectable hotel. They wouldn¡¯t house a criminal. Right?


    Huffing out a sigh, I fished out my phone and made a beeline for them. It was now or never. I needed


    answers and if they went into the hotel, I would lose them. I wouldn¡¯t get past the front desk. Not


    without a valid reason. As soon as I was close enough to hear the subject of their conversation, the


    bodyguard made a move for his gun.


    ¡°...and the auction starts in a little while. We need one more girl toplete our line-up. Or we won¡¯t


    raise enough money,¡± the girl was saying. ¡°We need to make enough money, Ian. We need to auction


    more girls.¡±


    The bodyguard held up a hand to warn me off while his other hand found a resting ce on the handle


    of his gun. It was unnecessary because I was already frozen to the spot. My body had effectively


    stopped takingmands.


    Auction girls? As in human trafficking? Human freaking trafficking? Fuck. My. Fucking. Life. Thest


    thing I needed was to be in anotherpromising situation with Masked Idiot. To witness more of his


    illegal activities. To give him more reason to be a pain in my ass. That was if I even managed to make it


    out alive because the gun the bodyguard was pulling out made it very clear that my chances were


    underwhelming. I downgraded him from bodyguard to armed muscle and possible gang member.


    If Masked Idiot was truly just a criminal, one involved in human trafficking, it would exin how he


    could afford those watches. The name sneakers. The designer clothes. It would exin why he reeked


    of money. It wouldn¡¯t exin his manners but I could pin that down to a strong, possibly religious,


    maternal figure in his life. A grandmother perhaps.


    Dread washed over me.


    That would mean the little girl was a human trafficking kingpin. Why is life being so shitty to me for


    heaven¡¯s sake? What normal person randomly walks into a human trafficking conversation in broad


    daylight? Human trafficking for heaven¡¯s sake. Real life human trafficking. In our suburban town. It was


    even worse than dealing drugs. In some ways, worse than murder.


    I sighed in despair. There¡¯s no other exnation. I was clearly cursed.


    I was dead if this got out of hand. If Masked Idiot didn¡¯t kill me himself, the bodyguard would and if the


    bodyguard somehow didn¡¯t, my parents would definitely do the honors. I was a dead man walking. I


    was living on borrowed time. My hourss of life was clearly going to run out very soon. Illegal fighting


    syndicate was bad enough. Human trafficking, however, was a whole new level. The universe was


    undeniably out to get me. There was no other exnation. Karma wanted to drive me insane. Not just


    regr insane but insane insane. The one where they dose you up on so much drugs all you can do is


    breath but they still keep your hands in constraints because you¡¯re just that far gone.


    The sound of the safety lock of the gun trained on my chest being taken off brought me back to reality.


    Reality had never looked bleaker. Well, not until the bodyguard drew their attention my way. Masked


    Idiot, the deceitfully innocent looking child and another paid armed muscle I hadn¡¯t noticed before all


    turned to me. I now had two guns trained on my chest area. Nothing to panic about.


    Hrious.


    Cue instant tachycardia, sweaty palms and fear choking breathlessness. Two loaded guns pointed at


    your heart and the knowledge that you had stumbled on something that could warrant death -or witness


    protection if you got lucky- could do that to a girl.


    Running was likely to only get me shot if they were powerful enough to not care about an open street


    shooting or tackled to the ground if they weren¡¯t. A nce at my above-the-knee skirt informed me that


    my outfit wasn¡¯t offering enough protection to risk being tackled on rough hard tar. That and even if, by


    some miracle, I managed to escape, Masked Idiot knew my address. I had no choice. I had to face this


    So I said the only thing I could say, ¡°Fancy running into you here.¡±

 Chapter 13: 13 - Danger, danger, danger

    Chapter 13: 13 - Danger, danger, danger


    So I said the only thing I could say, ¡°Fancy running into you here.¡±


    Shock did not begin to cover the look on Masked Idiot¡¯s face. He was astonished. bbergasted.


    Bewildered. Stupefied. Then, he was angry. Pissed. Furious. Enraged.


    I gulped. Olly, if I die because of this, I will haunt you till you¡¯re forty.


    ¡°What,¡± he bit out through a jaw clenched so tight it had to hurt, ¡°the hell are you doing here?¡±


    Not only did he visibly want to kill me, it was also abundantly clear his less than friendly reaction wasn¡¯t


    doing me any favors with the gun packing bodyguards. The second one also proceeded to take his gun


    off safety. One small mistake, an ill-timed twitch or a muscle spasm in their trigger finger and I¡¯d be a


    goner. Deceased. Dead. Lost to this world. Starting another journey. In a deep eternal rest. On another


    in.


    ¡°I was...¡± My voice came out tiny and croaky. Even to my ears, I sounded terrified. ¡°I just... I happened


    to be in the neighborhood.¡±


    ¡°I know your routine.¡± His tone was icy sharp. ¡°You did not,¡± his cold gaze met mine, ¡°happen to be in


    the neighborhood.¡±


    I shivered, my heart pounding a little harder. No otherbination of words had ever sounded as


    menacing. And to think just a few days ago, he was offering mefort while I cried.


    ¡°I was. I... Uhm... I...¡± I gulped, discreetly wiping my sweaty palms on my skirt. Think, Avy! ¡°I had an


    emergency meeting.¡± Itched on to the excuse, then pinned on the lie, ¡°Around here.¡±


    ¡°At the Calthorpe? You had a meeting here?¡± Cynicism coated his tone.


    I shivered and tried not to dwell on how the child criminal was now looking from me to him and back


    again with a spective glint. Nothing to see here.


    ¡°No, I... no... not the Calthorpe exactly. Just... just in the area?¡±


    Dear Lord, pretty pretty please help me. Not once since we¡¯ve had our arrangement had I given as


    much thought and importance to Masked Idiot¡¯s opinion as I did at the moment. Those times I didn¡¯t


    have a gun pointed at me, loaded and ready to be fired.


    ¡°You know, I was actually just leaving. I¡¯m gonna go so... you know, don¡¯t...¡± I swallowed hard. ¡°Don¡¯t


    shoot me.¡±


    Never had I sounded more imploring, more solicitous. If any of my ssmates heard that, chances


    were, they¡¯d do a double take just to be sure it was me. I was Avy Johnson. Avy Johnson demanded,


    threatened, issued ultimatums and on good days, reasoned with her opponents. She did not implore,


    cajole or beg. Desperate times...


    ¡°You know,¡± the girl spoke up, a dazzling smile on her face. ¡°She could work. She¡¯ll just take Tammy¡¯s


    ce in the auction. No harm done.¡±


    She who? She me? No harm done? No harm to who? Was that a joke? Did she think I hadn¡¯t heard


    what they were talking about? Human trafficking and whatnot?


    Out loud however, I went with, ¡°You know, I can¡¯t. My father is waiting for me. If I¡¯m not home soon, he¡¯ll


    send a cop after me to find out why. He¡¯s the sheriff.¡±


    Yes, I was tantly lying and name dropping but if being crass saved my life, I was willing to run, fly,


    soar, teleport even, with it.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not,¡± Masked Idiot countered tly, barely flickering a nce in my direction.


    Fuck. Of course he¡¯d know it was a lie. He had been stalking me for weeks. I should¡¯ve known that he¡¯d


    have figured out by now that my parents were scarcely involved in my life. Shit. Immediately, I began to


    prepare a fake reason why my dad absolutely urgently needed me today.


    ¡°She won¡¯t work, Ellie.¡± He faced to the cute girl with the heart of a demon, Ellie.


    Even her name was misleading. How could she look so cute and angelic yet talk about selling me off


    so casually like I was meat? I had really underestimated Masked Idiot. I pegged him for a fool and


    decided he wasn¡¯t worth the trouble because the signs weren¡¯t obvious. I should¡¯ve known better. The


    best criminals were those who didn¡¯t seem like good criminals. He was with a human trafficker for


    heaven¡¯s sake and I had pegged him down as a rich kid going through a phase.


    From the look of things, I was going to pay dearly for my mistake.


    ¡°Well, the only other option is ¡®Chel.¡± The girl shrugged her tiny satin covered shoulders. ¡°Do we really


    want to put this on her? He¡¯s here, you know? He¡¯ll buy her to prove a point.¡±


    Yes! Put this on her. Let¡¯s sacrifice ¡®Chel instead, whoever she is. I vote ¡®Chel.


    It registered in a not-so-distant part of my mind that the bodyguards were slowly putting their guns


    away -thank sweet baby Jesus- and that I was willing to sacrifice an unknown girl to save my ass. I


    didn¡¯t want to think about thetter but in my defence, it was a me-or-her situation. Saving us both


    wasn¡¯t on the table and I couldn¡¯t exactly choose a stranger over myself. That would be stupid, the


    idiotic kind of self-sacrificing stunt actors pulled in movies. I¡¯m not a hero. Judge me all you want.


    I immediately started inching away to freedom. No thank you, I was not going to be sold to a middle


    aged man with a pot-belly and foul breath. The fact that Masked Idiot and Ellie were talking over me


    was most likely what led the paid muscles to conclude I wasn¡¯t a threat. Never mind that Masked Idiot


    was a trained fighter well over six feet while I barely cleared five ft. six and was dressed like a paper


    pusher. It was likeparing a manicured Chihuahua to a Rottweiler and deciding the Chihuahua was


    a threat.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We can¡¯t put ¡®Chel in that situation. Avy will have to work,¡± Masked Idiot reluctantly


    conceded, nodding his head slowly.


    They both turned to face me. I figured it was time to make a run for it. So I spun on my heel and ran as


    fast as my shaky legs could take me. Bye. Sayonara. Au revoir. Adios.


    Well, I tried to.


    Masked Idiot must¡¯ve read my intentions on my face or maybe it was just the standard reaction to being


    sold off because he reacted even faster than I anticipated. His hand shot out and mped on my arm,


    holding me in ce before I could even take the second step.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± was all he said.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    I gulped. Doomed. I was irrevocably, undeniably doomed.


    ¡°Go inside, Ellie. Tell them she¡¯s on her way. Get clothes in her size and everything she will need. We¡¯ll


    be right there,¡± he ordered.


    Shit. Shit. Shit. Did I mention shit? Because, shit! I was going to be sold off. Auctioned away like an


    inanimate object to live the rest of my life in misery. I knew how these things turned out. I¡¯d heard


    stories, watched movies.


    A chill invaded my limbs.


    Ellie barely spared me a nce, nodding her understanding to Masked Idiot before she turned on her


    heel and walked into the swanky hotel, her bodyguards trailing in behind her.


    ¡°I know you followed me,¡± was his first statement as soon as Ellie was out of earshot.


    My brain nked out for a full second, ¡®he knows¡¯ shing in bright neon letters in my head.


    ¡°What?¡± Iughed. It came out pitchy and mangled. ¡°I would... No. I... I didn¡¯t. I... I would never.¡±


    Hearing myself stutter, I cringed. It was hard to believe that was even me. I used to consider being a


    great liar one of my talents.


    ¡°You¡¯re usually a better liar,¡± was his reply.


    I usually don¡¯t have my life on the line. By the way, did he read a book about how to make ambiguous


    statements sound threatening because he was excelling at that.


    ¡°You followed me. Stalked me. Do you still expect me to believe you¡¯re just an innocent high school


    senior?¡±


    He was truly nailing the threatening in an ambiguous way thingy. I was quaking in my boots. Me,


    Avyanna Johnson. The girl who didn¡¯t even scream when a criminal broke into her room. Calm,


    rational, level headed me was quaking. It made me angry. Irritated. Pissed. He had no right to talk


    about not being what one seemed to be. He had more colors than a chameleon. First, he was an


    underground fighter. Then, he was a breaking-and-entering criminal. Then, a stalker. Later on, he was


    an educationally challenged rich kid. And now, he was a human trafficker. He¡¯d had more personality


    changes than me on my period.


    ¡°You know too much about me. Wanting to level the ying field doesn¡¯t make me a sketchy person.¡± I


    gritted.


    ¡°And you thought what? Stalking a criminal was a smart decision?¡± His tone radiated condescension


    and bemused disapproval. Like how I always imagined the wolf when he finally caught up to little red


    riding hood.


    I squirmed.


    ¡°Uhm..., well... Now, I know better so... I¡¯m just gonna... I¡¯m gonna go... now... bye.¡±


    ¡°You heard Ellie. You can¡¯t go.¡± He thinned the space between us. I gulped.


    ¡°We need you,¡± he added.


    I could barely hear him over my pounding heart. Danger, danger, danger, it beat in stato. My head


    turned sideways, my eyes scanning the few passers-by on the street, none of whom seemed the least


    bit interested in Masked Idiot and me. That and they were too far to be of any help.


    So I fell back on the one weapon women have used since time immemorial.


    ¡°I will scream,¡± I announced. ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go, I will scream.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the harm? Why are you being so dramatic?¡± he inquired, irritation coloring his features.


    ¡°I¡¯m being dramatic?¡± If my life wasn¡¯t on the line, I might haveughed. He really was unbelievable. He


    wanted to sell me off and I was being dramatic? ¡°If that¡¯s your way of trying to convince me, a, you¡¯re


    failing drastically. And b, there was never a chance. I know what you¡¯re really trying to do.¡±


    ¡°Ohe on.¡± He rolled his eyes exasperatedly. ¡°It¡¯s just an auction. For charity. Aren¡¯t you supposed


    to be the perfect girl for this kind of stuff, with your straight A¡¯s and volunteer work? It should be right up


    your alley.¡±


    ¡°Charity?¡± I scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s rich. What charity? The charity of masked fighting criminals? No, thank


    you. I¡¯m not going to be sold and carted out of the country for that. Or any reason whatsoever for that


    matter.¡±


    The bodyguards and more importantly, their guns had gone with Ellie the devil. With them gone, it was


    just Masked Idiot. There wasn¡¯t even a conscious decision to lower my guard. It just happened.


    ¡°The charity is for autistic kids. I¡¯m sorry, what are you talking about?¡± Confusion marred his face. ¡°Are


    you going out of the country?¡±


    ¡°Autistic kids, huh? Nice cover. I heard you and little Miss Heart-of-a-demon. I know what--¡± I bit back


    acidly, dropping off abruptly when he shoved an embossed invitation in my face. An invitation to a


    charity ball. For autism.


    Then he went ahead to point out the banner for the event standing in the lobby, just behind the double


    doors.


    What...? Color me confused.


    ¡°But...¡± I frowned, turning the invitation over as though I¡¯d find some hidden message on the back.


    ¡°But... you said you were going to sell me. You... You clearly said that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, auction a dance. From you. They do that even at park fairs,¡± he paused, eyeing me skeptically.


    ¡°Have you really never heard of such? It¡¯s a popr concept.¡±


    My frown deepened, furrows appearing between my eyebrows.


    ¡°But the little girl is a criminal.¡± It was weak but it was my only argument. ¡°She had armed muscle with


    her.¡±


    I was no longer following. What exactly was happening? I was lost.


    ¡°Yeah, her bodyguards.¡± He was looking at me like I wasn¡¯t quite alright in the head. ¡°Hang on, you


    thought we were going to sell you? Like human trafficking?¡±


    He frowned. His tone made it clear he was not a fan of the thought.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°In broad daylight?¡±


    The more he said, the dumber I felt. I nodded in shame.


    ¡°Why would you even think that at all?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! What was I supposed to think?¡± I threw my hands up in frustration. ¡°You guys were


    talking all weird and there were body guards and... they were going to shoot me. I didn¡¯t... It... I don¡¯t


    know. It made sense.¡±


    If I wasn¡¯t so wound up, I might¡¯veughed. Never had I been happier to be wrong.


    ¡°So I can walk away from here? Nothing¡¯s going to happen?¡± I rified.


    ¡°Duh.¡±


    I deserved that.


    ¡°But wait,¡± I held up a finger, ¡°how did you get invited then?¡± I had been put through enough of an


    emotional rollercoaster. I might as well get all the information I could to make it worthwhile.


    ¡°They want money. My family has money.¡±


    Family of criminals? Or just rich kid family?


    I let out a long weary sigh. I didn¡¯t have the bandwidth for that is-he-isn¡¯t-he slide.


    ¡°Okay, let me just get one thing straight here. Are you a rich kid gone stupid or are you from a criminal


    syndicate family?¡±


    He scowled.


    ¡°My family members aren¡¯t criminals if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you have so much money?¡± I pressed.


    ¡°We do this and that.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is ¡®this and that¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Things. We dabble.¡±


    ¡°Things like...?¡±


    ¡°Just stuff.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just brimming with information, aren¡¯t you?¡± I gritted through a forced smile.


    He smiled back. Asshole.


    Mentally, I weighed the pros versus the cons as I carefully scanned the invitation again. I knew the


    organization the donation was supposedly going to. My mom¡¯s firm did some legal work for them at the


    beginning of the year so the ball couldn¡¯t entirely be a lie. I could also call Parker with specific


    instructions toe check it out if anything seemed fishy. Leaving now would mean I got the scare of


    my life for absolutely nothing in return. I couldn¡¯t do that. It was a matter of pride. I had to attend the


    ball.


    No, I didn¡¯t not care about my life. I had been through the mother of all wringers and the main thing I


    got out of the experience was that I could not afford to have a criminal, no matter how seemingly


    harmless, in my life who knew everything about me while I had nothing to hold against them. Nothing to


    insure my safety. My family¡¯s safety. I needed reassurance in the form of ckmail material that I would


    always be safe and I wasn¡¯t going to get it by seeing him only on his terms, when he intruded into my


    life. He wasn¡¯t going to just let information like that slip out. I needed to go to his life. To his people. He


    might not slip up but chances were someone else would.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°The auction?¡± Surprise coloured his tone.


    I¡¯m doing it for me, buddy. For my own interests.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I affirmed, mentally praying I wouldn¡¯t end up regretting my decision. ¡°But before I step into that


    hotel, I¡¯m going to make a call to my father. The sheriff.¡±


    I was only partly lying. I would call a cop, just not my father. He would ask too many questions. Or not


    even pick up at all. I¡¯d call Deputy Parker.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t check in with him, every thirty minutes, he¡¯ll send a unit after me so don¡¯t try anything funny.¡±


    Masked Idiot shrugged nonchntly. He was either really good at faking or he truly didn¡¯t care which


    would mean the ball, was as I suspected, not a front for illegal human trafficking. I cringed inwardly at


    the memory of how far my mind had jumped.


    ¡°And I have to be hometest, eleven.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t n on staying long either. I¡¯m not a fan of these things. Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    Just as a shiny white limo was pulling up, he dragged me into the building, pulling me all the way to the


    elevators where we stood in oppressive silence as we began our ascent.


    ¡°You really thought Ellie and I were going to traffick you?¡± he asked.


    Heat med my cheeks. The idea seemed so stupid and farfetched now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I let my imagination get ahead of me but in my defense, you¡¯re a criminal and your guards


    were going to shoot me. How could I not jump to such conclusions with that as myunch pad?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re bodyguards. That¡¯s what they do. They don¡¯t know you and you act suspicious, they react.¡±


    ¡°And you guys were also talking cryptically about selling girls. What was I supposed to think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, that we meant a dance auction?¡± he snapped caustically.


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it under advisement.¡±

 Chapter 14: 14 - Cinderella and a missing prince

    Chapter 14: 14 - Cindere and a missing prince


    I knew I was signing up for a proper g. I had been to a few of those thanks to my parents but I


    wasn¡¯t prepared for just how proper. There were no shing cameras and pens with notepads poised to


    take statements outside the hotel so I figured it would be a low key event where they¡¯d rake in a


    hundred thousand or so at the end of the night. I was off. Way off. The second I stepped into the suite


    Ellie procured for dressing me up -a presidential suite- I knew I was having my very own debut as


    Cindere, a not so poor kid moonlighting as royalty for a night. Icing on the cake, this was all for a


    dance and like the fairytale, I had to be home before midnight. All that was missing were blonde hair


    and ss slippers. Ellie could probably arrange for ss slippers if I asked but as for the hair, I was too


    attached to my nappy curls to consider anything else.


    ¡°Sit,¡± she ordered, delicately lowering herself into the plush leather chair opposite mine.


    I obeyed. This was uncharted territory for me. Not ruffling her feathers was especially important since I


    needed her willing and pliable for when I pumped her for information.


    With a wave of her hand, the swarm of people standing to the side, armed with clothes, t irons and


    what I figured were boxes of makeup surrounded me. Damn. My jaw fell open, eyes widening with


    surprise until my mom¡¯s voice filled my head, reminding me to act dignified, to not slouch or stare too


    long. To close my mouth and smile politely like it was no more than I expected. To not make mistakes.


    I started to sit up straighter and smile before it registered that she wasn¡¯t physically present to assess


    my behaviour and hiss corrections as soon as the people she wanted me to impress turned away. I let


    out a deep breath. Get it together. You have work to do.


    ¡°So,¡± I leaned forward as much as the man working on undoing my hairdo allowed and pasted a smile


    on my face, ¡°how do you know Mask... uhm...¡± I faltered, forcing a tautugh as I tried to recall his real


    name. ¡°Bl... uh... Ian! Ian. How do you know Ian?¡±


    I really needed to stop calling him Masked Idiot. That was fucking close.


    A woman with a makeup brush and palette slid between us, obstructing my view of Ellie¡¯s face and by


    extension, her reaction. I shed the woman a scowl she didn¡¯t so much as bat ash at as she


    proceeded to wipe my face clean with a makeup wipe, then work her way up to powdering my face.


    Reactions and bodynguage were very important in reading people. In knowing what made them tick


    and when you were getting warmer. Both my parents swore by it so clearly, it worked. My mom was


    senior partner and my dad, the sheriff. Plus, it helped me to not be just another socially irrelevant nerd


    at school. My people handling and troubleshooting skills were what made me, and I quote, ¡®the fixer, a


    real life HBIC.¡¯


    Unfortunately, with the unrepentant makeup artist obstructing my view of Ellie, I couldn¡¯t read her to


    know what was a lie, what wasn¡¯t, when I was getting warmer orpletely shooting a nk. Move,


    damn it.


    Despite my efforts to manoeuvre her to the side, the artist staunchly refused to budge. Asshole.


    I knew how these gs went. There was a very high probability I wouldn¡¯t see Ellie again for the rest of


    the night if I didn¡¯t ask her the questions now.


    ¡°Ellie, how long have you known Ian?¡± My tone was conversational, tentative and just in case she could


    see me, I pasted a smile on my face.


    ¡°You know he has a girlfriend, right?¡± she countered in a tone that was just centimetres away from


    hostile.


    It took all my willpower to refrain from rolling my eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± I managed.


    Information about a girlfriend was useless to me and if I was interpreting her tone correctly, Ellie had


    me pegged for a boyfriend thief, never mind that she actually couldn¡¯t pay me her entire worth to


    date Masked Idiot. His criminality aside on the list of reasons why I wouldn¡¯t go near him with a six foot


    pole, he wasn¡¯t even that cute. He was normal white boy cute. I had dated guys like him before and it


    was nothing particrly special.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t... We are nothing like that. I would never,¡± I expanded, in a bid to get her on my side. Babe,


    the only thing I want from Masked Idiot is his permanent disappearance from my life.


    ¡°He loves her just so you know,¡± she informed.


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡± My tone was apathetic, dismissive. It said, I couldn¡¯t care less and you¡¯re boring me


    to tears. ¡°How long have you known him?¡±


    ¡°My whole life.¡± It sounded like she was smiling but with the makeup artist obstructing my field of vision,


    I couldn¡¯t confirm it.


    ¡°You must know him well,¡± I said. It was a sentence that usually got people talking. For some reason,


    most people see it as an invitation to prove just how well they knew the subject.


    ¡°I do know him well.¡±


    Her polite, almost curt reply threw me off. In a way, it reminded me of the day Masked Idiot started


    officially stalking me, after I met with Martha and Emily, when I failed at using one of my tricks on him.


    Was someone teaching rich people how to sidestep these tricks?


    The makeup artist moved away to the table where her equipment was and I finally had an unhindered


    view of the girl who was rapidly proving to be as helpful as a dead possum. As soon as I met her gaze,


    she turned her head to side, nodding to one of the seemingly endless army of helpers. Where


    Cindere needed mice, lizards and a pumpkin, I apparently needed a small army of makeup artists,


    hair stylists and everything in between.


    The group of three Ellie nodded at stepped forward, rolling a clothes rack with them. Some of the


    clothes on it were still in their garment bags. Their designerbelled garment bags. My brows furrowed


    as my gaze involuntarily shot to the girl who brought me into this dimension. ¡®Are the clothes for me?¡¯


    my eyes asked.


    ¡°I narrowed it down to a top three,¡± she revealed.


    The cloth bearers proceeded to hold out the top three for my inspection. The makeup artist returned at


    that moment but while I hadn¡¯t been able to so much as get her to budge an inch, a flickered nce


    from Ellie had her standing to the side as she continued her work on my face.


    In other words, I had no power here.


    With a flick of Ellie¡¯s wrist, the cloth bearers presented the dresses to me. She had great taste. I knew


    that the second Iid eyes on her. Her silvery obviously couture satin suit practically screamed it but as


    Iid eyes on the dresses, I found myself being impressed all over again.


    An inaudible gasp escaped my lips. I instantly regretted it because my mom¡¯s disapproving frown


    immediately followed in my mind¡¯s eye, berating the uncouth act. In most aspects of my life like school,


    my jobs and my social life, I seeded in separating my parents and their preferences from my actions


    but in these parts of my life, the parts that were more theirs than mine, parts where I was hardly ever


    without them because how else would a teenager get invited to such an event, I couldn¡¯t control the


    switch from normal me to perfect daughter mode.


    I sighed heavily. The dresses didn¡¯t seem all that spectacr anymore.


    The first one was a beautiful red satin number that changed shade as light yed on it. It boasted a


    plunging neckline that ended at a clinched waist. Upon closer inspection, I discovered a flowery pattern


    on the dress that had me questioning whether it really was satin or some expensive new material that


    wasn¡¯tmonce yet. The front fell in three transverse folds, the first mid-thigh, the second just


    below the knee and thest formed the end of the gown. The back on the other hand was apletely


    different design. It fell in ovepping longitudinal folds, like a curtain. I was almost certain I had seen


    this gown on the Golden Globes¡¯ red carpet.


    The second dress was simpler. It was a nude floor length gown with a low neckline and tiny fluffy


    sleeves. It ented a tiny waist with thin gold embellishments and fell in graceful folds to the ground.


    The-like material boasted glittering sea green embroidery that my practical mind discerned must


    have catapulted the cost from fancy to one percentile. I could already imagine the saleswoman


    snobbishly boasting, ¡°It¡¯s all hand stitched with the rarest materials shipped in from Egypt¡± or some


    other fancy traditional country. The dress, despite its simplicity, was undeniably beautiful.


    The third and most sophisticated of the three was a heavily studded ck dress. The neckline was


    crafted singrly of ck precious stones that sparkled with all the colours of the rainbow when light


    hit it just right. The rest of the dress, with the exception of the sleeves -which like the neckline was also


    made solely of small precious stones that probably cost more than my tuition- was covered with


    glittering rhomboid shaped stones. It looked like something you¡¯d need a bodyguard to be able to wear.


    ¡°That one,¡± I decided.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Ellie questioned.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded firmly with my finger pointed at the nude gown.


    It was more my style.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll get you into it soon enough,¡± she acquiesced, rising to her feet.


    And with her went my chance to probe for answers to the endless list of questions I had about Masked


    Idiot.


    For the record, I think the tradition of auctioning dances, dates and whatnot is entirely sexist. More


    often than not, it¡¯s females being paraded for the viewing pleasure of the males and whenever the


    cases were reversed, as opposed to several males being paraded, it would be just one. One self-


    assured handsome guy that we were all expected to fall in love it. To top it off, I hated being judged. If it


    were a debate, an assignment, a quiz, a job I had done or anything along those lines, I could stand it.


    That, I thrived on. Being judged on my appearance, my makeup, a dress that wasn¡¯t even mine, not so


    much. It was nerve racking. I had no idea how models withstood it. Seriously, they deserved awards.


    Unfortunately, not only did I have to stand it, I actually had to entice some bigwig to ¡®buy me¡¯. I could


    only imagine how embarrassing it would be if no one donated money when my turn came around. It


    would be mortifying.


    I drew in a fortifying breath. I knew what my mom would say if she was present. She¡¯d berate me for


    dwelling on the problems like a loser and hiss through a smile that I should find a solution already. So


    that¡¯s what I did.


    I let my eyes roam across tables of well-dressed men, scanning for one I could entice into getting out


    his chequebook when I was called under the spotlight because judging from the girls who had been


    auctioned so far, it was family members, close friends and significant others forking out money. None of


    which I had in this crowd. It didn¡¯t help that Masked Idiot who had promised to buy my dance was


    nowhere to be seen.


    My breathing picked up speed as my selection of men grew smaller and smaller. Too old to actually do


    it. Married. Girlfriend sitting next to him. Engagement ring. Too old. Definitely racist. Too old. Came with


    a date. The contents of my stomach sank with every discarded option and that was before my eyes


    into a leery grin that had goose bumps sprouting all over my skin. I knew his type. I could read him at


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    nce. He was a spoiled self-absorbed brat used to getting what he wanted and was born into the


    wrong generation for the condescending ¡®they are y things¡¯ view he had on women. He was the kind


    you instantly knew would treat everyone who wasn¡¯t as rich as him like trash. The kind who probably


    had a round-the-clock attorney to clean up his messes. The kind that used daddy¡¯s money to cover his


    crimes and imed it was other people¡¯s fault they weren¡¯t rich enough to deserve better than the way


    he treated them. I was definitely not that desperate. Even my mother¡¯s voice telling me to use what I


    had to get what I wanted couldn¡¯t sway me.


    I averted my gaze hurriedly and hoped to God it was fast enough to not draw Bratty Man-child in.


    ¡°Now, we have the stunning Es-telaaa Flo-resss.¡± With the way he drawled the name, it took me a


    second to realize he was saying Este Flores. ¡°You will want to get your chequebooks out for this one,


    the mundane everyday kind. She is the kind men travel miles to behold. A one-in-a-generation kind of


    beautiful. And Este is not only beautiful but also multi-talented. She is fluent in Spanish, French and


    German along with English. She excels at pianoforte and sings well enough to make a nightingale


    jealous,¡± the auctioneer cooed, his voice undting every two sybles.


    Cue my infamous eye roll. Exaggerate much? Yes, the girl was pretty, intimidatingly so in her


    translucent ivory gown and I was starting to resent that I was to go after her because thanks to her


    dazzle, I woulde off as nd and anticlimactic but singing well enough to make a nightingale


    jealous was just too much cream. He had better not go that far when it was my turn. I tried to recall


    what I had written on the little note about my talents. Nothing particrly cringe worthy jumped out at


    me but I was almost sure he¡¯d find a way to spin it regardless.


    I watched, dread mounting as the bidding for her first dance began at the highest for the night. A


    whooping twenty thousand dors. My heart sank. There was no topping that. I still hadn¡¯t even found


    someone in the crowd I could count on to bid on me. It was going to be the embarrassment of the


    century when my turn came around. I could feel it.


    Este eventually went for a hundred and fifteen thousand. In case I was holding out any hope of not


    being a total flop, this cemented the dread that no matter what, going right after her would paint me as


    less. Way less. I suddenly really hated the organizers and the people in charge of our line-up. They


    should¡¯ve let me go after the first girl who went for thirty-eight thousand. Unfortunately, as ast minute


    addition, I was stuck as thest on the list. The closer.


    I was not a fan. Everybody knew firsts andsts were always a big deal. There was a level of


    importance attached to it. They¡¯re supposed to be more impressive and whatnot. Yet, here I was, in


    borrowed clothes, makeup and shoes. That was decidedly not the least bit impressive. Sure, the


    stylists had done a great job and I looked amazing but the other girls were also equally, and in Este¡¯s


    case, more beautiful.


    I should never have agreed to this. Not only had I not gotten a single tidbit of useful information, I was


    about to royally embarrass myself. This was all a very very bad idea. I could kill Masked Idiot.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± the auctioneer crooned, an excited flush colouring his cheeks, a result of how


    high hisst sale was, ¡°thest auction of the night! Your absolutest chance to win a dance from a


    spectacr beauty!¡±


    A drum roll followed.


    I did not want a drum roll. Spectacr beauty? Really? I was pretty. Very pretty but a spectacr


    beauty, I was not. I immediately wished instant death on the drummer and auctioneer. Where was


    Masked Idiot anyway? Ellie I had spotted ages ago seated at the centre table in the front row with a


    young couple and an older woman who was most likely her mother. They had simr colouring and


    features. That was not of any importance at the moment though. The most important thing was the


    chair to Ellie¡¯s right. It was still empty. Masked Idiot¡¯s chair.


    Involuntarily, my gaze flickered to Bratty Man-child. He had on ascivious grin as he looked me over,


    his gaze lingering a little too long on my cleavage. He raised his gaze back to my face finally only to


    shoot me a wink. God, no.


    I shuddered.


    ¡°Finally,¡± the auctioneer¡¯s voice rang with glee, ¡°we have the enthralling, the breathtaking,¡± an unseen


    hand shoved my frozen body in the right direction, ¡°the exquisite, the mysterious,¡± he paused for effect,


    shing the crowd a winsome smile, ¡°A-vee-yannaaaa!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure how I managed it but I was suddenly under the spotlight. A distant part of my brain


    was d I had wisely chosen to withhold myst name. Thest thing I needed was for someone to


    make the connection and casually mention it in a conversation to my mom.


    ¡°She is brilliant, talented and absolutely skilled! She fluently speaks English, French, German, Spanish,


    Mandarin, and a shocking Arabic. Not only can she converse her way through a room of foreign


    diplomats, she ys the piano, the cello...¡± As he went on listing my fine points, I mentally thanked my


    mom for making me learn all those rarely useful things that were now making me sound quite


    aplished. Even if I sold for a much lower price than Este, I at least did not sound any less


    aplished.


    I was so engrossed in my gratitude that I missed the opening bid from a lone man sitting at the edge of


    the room. Man-child was quick to chip in after him. If I weren¡¯t under the spotlight and hadn¡¯t been


    brought up to be poised and in control at all times, I would¡¯ve scowled.


    The guy seated next to Man-child, a friend I presumed, drove the bid up good naturedly though it was


    clear he wasn¡¯t particrly invested in buying a dance from me. Man-child, being the entitled brat that


    he was, refused to be one-upped and kept rising to the challenge despite my fervent prayers.


    After four excruciating minutes of back and forth bidding and bantering, and fervent prayers that


    Masked Idiot would show up or someone else would out bid Man-child, his friend finally conceded,


    shaking his headughingly as the auctioneer tried to cajole him into another bid.


    I winced.


    It wasn¡¯t as high as Este¡¯s but at least I hadn¡¯t royally embarrassed myself. I must have looked better


    than I thought because I was the third most expensive bid of the night. That was good enough for me.


    The only problem was the bidder, Man-child, who was now openly leering, mentally undressing and


    raping me because I couldn¡¯t imagine being willing to go along with it even in his imagination.


    ¡°Last chance,dies and gentlemen. Go-innnng,¡± the auctioneer drawled gleefully. His voice was really


    starting to get on my nerves. ¡°Go-innnng...¡± he warned again.


    It seemed I was the only one desperate to not hear the ¡®gone.¡¯ Masked Idiot, where are you? I really


    was going to kill him if I had to dance with Bratty Man-child.


    Never, in as long as I had known of his existence had I wished more fervently for Masked Idiot to


    appear.

 Chapter 15: 15 - Our first date

    Chapter 15: 15 - Our first date


    We ignored the inquisitive looks we were getting. We both knew what we were signing up for when we


    decided to grab a bite at a nearby diner, me in my very expensive dinner gown and him in a full-on tux.


    People were going to stare.


    ¡°Never do that to me again.¡± I hissed, leaning forward to steal his fries.


    I would¡¯ve ordered my own but recently, my mom has been against eatingte at the night. She picked


    it up from an article I wrote for the magazine on healthy eating habits. Of course she would.


    Unfortunately, despite being the one to write the article, I was not a fan and neither was Olly but our


    mom wasn¡¯t to be trifled with -her word wasw- so while Masked Idiot got a milkshake and fries, I


    settled for iced soda and food theft.


    ¡°Need anything else?¡± the waitress inquired as she passed by.


    We both shook our heads, returning to our conversation as soon as she nodded.


    ¡°I got caught up... working on something. The organizing team needed me,¡± he exined, shrugging


    unapologetically.


    I rolled my eyes, unamused.


    ¡°I still made it in time at least,¡± he offered. ¡°Miss Most-expensive-dance-of-the-night,¡± he added with a


    cheeky smile.


    I tried to not be amused. In the heat of the moment, I had been properly furious at him but now, over an


    hourter, my anger had abated substantially. At the end of the day, I was just d he showed up in


    the nick of time. That was what counted.


    ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã shback ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, this is your final chance to win a dance. Go-innnng.¡± The auctioneer was


    clearly having the time of his life whereas I was quickly beginning to regret my decision to go along with


    this charade alongside every other decision I had made since meeting Masked Idiot.


    ¡°Go-innnng,¡± the auctioneer teased, drawing the word out theatrically.


    My gaze, unbidden,nded on Man-child. He was now leering at me andughing with his friend in a


    way that made my skin crawl. Masked Idiot, where in heaven¡¯s name are you?


    Never, in as long as I had known of his existence, had I prayed more fervently for him to show up.


    None of the other men in the audience seemed interested in rescuing me from the clutches of Man-


    child and considering what it would cost,, I couldn¡¯t me them. It was just one dance and if I were in


    their shoes, chances were I would also keep my chequebook firmly shut. Masked Idiot really was my


    only hope of rescue.


    ¡°And that¡¯s a wrap,dies and gentlemen.¡±


    The voice of the auctioneer rang with unmasked glee. He even went so far as to wink at me. Can you


    imagine the audacity? The man was really testing the limits of my patience and in case I gave in to the


    urge to kill him, the record should kindly show I was provoked to it, that it was a crime of passion.


    Passion for his death.


    He shed me a winsome grin, raising his hands dramatically before proiming, ¡°Gon--¡±


    ¡°Two hundred.¡±


    The voice carried easily across the room to the stage. It was calm, unhurried, genuinely unperturbed.


    My head snapped, turning so sharply to the direction it hade from. I was almost sold to a proper


    asshole and there Masked Idiot was, casually strolling toward the stage like he had all the time in the


    world. Ass-bloody-fucking-hat.


    It didn¡¯t register in my mind then that with his bid, my dance was now almost twice as expensive as the


    previously most expensive dance. Nor did it register that the audience didn¡¯t seem particrly


    surprised by his outrageous bid. They took one look at him and smiled like it was to be expected of


    him. Specifically.


    The one thing that did register in my mind as the auctioneer announced that my dance was going to the


    ¡®charming young man with pockets deeper than an oil well¡¯ -the audience, of course,ughed- was the


    scowl on Este¡¯s face as I took my ce behind her, waiting for our cue to find our various partners for


    the  first dance.


    Envy was an emotion I was familiar with. I was Avyanna Johnson, daughter of Steve and Jessica


    Johnson, straight ¡®A¡¯ student, perfect employee and all-round perfect everything. Pretty much everyone


    I knew envied at least one thing about my life. It looked too good on the outside. I did too good a job of


    looking like I had it all together for them not be jealous. The voice was back in my head again, telling


    me to own it, to hold my head higher and smile. It was mix of my mom¡¯s voice and the one I was forced


    to cultivate thanks to the harsh reality of how perfect little harmless smart kids are treated.


    I wouldn¡¯t exchange anything -not even Masked Idiot¡¯splete and total erasure from my life- to go


    back to the days when I was a quiet, harmless pushover. When you get good grades, are quiet and not


    disruptive, nobody pays attention. Teachers expect you to keep being a quiet perfect little student.


    Parents expect perfect grades and for you to smile and be polite to their friends. Even ssmates


    expect you to be a teacher¡¯s pet and an easy target. You be invisible until you need to fulfil


    someone¡¯s expectations regardless of whether you agreed with it or not. Growing my ws and finding


    my voice hadn¡¯t been easy. Bing this version of myself, one capable of having her own back,


    wasn''t the least bit simple. There was nothing in the world worth giving it up for.


    So I listened to it and shed Este a haughty smile, turning away just as the first few notes from the


    orchestra filled the air. It was our cue to go meet our partners.


    ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã


    ¡°Why did you over bid on me?¡± I inquired, popping a fry into my mouth. ¡°You practically ran while others


    were walking.¡±


    He need not have gone so high with his bid. Unlike Este, I wasn¡¯t close to a hundred thousand. I


    wasn¡¯tining or anything, I quite enjoyed the feeling. I was just curious.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how much you were going for. I didn¡¯t hear thest bid but the dances rarely go for over


    one-fifty.¡± He gave a nomittal shrug.


    ¡°There¡¯s a rtively wide gap between 150 and 200,¡± I responded.


    ¡°To let you in on a little secret, the only reason the dances ever went that high was because one year,


    themittee decided to have wives do it instead of daughters and girlfriends. Husbands had no


    choice.¡± He grinned boyishly, shing his pearly whites. ¡°It turned into a pissing contest.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need an expert to tell me he was recalling some fond memory. Cue one of my infamous eye


    rolls.


    ¡°I repeat,¡± I intoned, absently tracing patterns on the table top. ¡°There¡¯s a pretty significant distance


    between 150 and 200.¡±


    He shrugged.


    ¡°You looked good on stage. Really... pretty. Definitely worth a hundred and fifty grand.¡±


    I blinked and looked away for some reason. Who says things like that? And with such a straight face?


    ¡°So I went for two hundred. I figured it¡¯d be safer,¡± he finished.


    He wasn¡¯t smiling or sporting an embarrassed blush. He said it like he was reading the news; t,


    dismissive and factual. I think it was precisely because of that I found myself feeling awkward.


    I swallowed.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I muttered as tly as I could manage, still unable to meet his gaze. ¡°¡®Kay.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± he drawled conversationally before taking a swig of his milkshake. ¡°How was it? Did you have


    fun?¡±


    The way he phrased the question, sat back, then gave me his full attention had me frowning.  It threw


    me off. It was unconscious and seamless, like we were close friends vegging out or something. It was


    just odd.


    ¡°It was interesting,¡± I warily answered.


    ¡°Interesting?¡± he echoed. ¡°Interesting how?¡±


    Subconsciously, my lower lip slid between my teeth as I debated whether or not to tell him what I truly


    thought of the escapade. He wasn¡¯t anyone important which meant I didn¡¯t have to give only the


    socially and politically correct answer. The recycled titudes people always give. The ones my


    parents expected me to reply with whenever I was asked such a question. My parents weren¡¯t here. No


    one was going to fault me for giving it a bad review. No one important anyways.


    He must have correctly interpreted the indecision on my face because his following statement was,


    ¡°Just say it. When have you ever bothered sugar-coating things when ites to me?¡±


    Fair point.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I concurred.


    I had pretty much called him a brainless idiot to his face before. There was no point being courteous


    now.


    ¡°It was over the top, you know?¡± I began. ¡°A little too much of everything. Don¡¯t get me wrong, the event


    was nice and elegant. The decor was amazing and whatnot. It just... It¡¯s just not my scene I guess.¡±


    I shrugged. He nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Being paraded for someone¡¯s viewing pleasure. All the money being thrown around and the strong


    misogynistic undertones.¡± I shook my head in disapproval even though I was, to an extent, lying


    through my teeth. I was used to being paraded. My own mom hardly bothered with me -I wasn¡¯t


    her firm and show the other senior partners what a perfect little daughter she raised or at a fundraiser


    to impress clients. My dad was rarely home and whenever he was I was expected to be on my best


    behaviour, predicting his every want like a shaman.


    I got enough of being paraded from my parents. There was just no room for it from anyone else. But I


    definitely wasn¡¯t going to tell Masked Idiot that so I changed the topic.


    ¡°By the way, Ellie thinks I¡¯m a boyfriend thief.¡±


    A beat of silence passed before he slowly nodded, raising his cup to his lips a second toote to hide


    the smile forming. Boys and their stupid ego.


    ¡°Oh please.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not that cute and you¡¯re a criminal. A bike riding miscreant. No,


    thank you. I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    Admittedly, he looked a lot more than cute in his tux but everyone knows some outfits have the ability


    to make people exponentially more attractive. Like my burgundy dress. I always looked five times


    hotter in it.


    ¡°I¡¯m plenty cute.¡± He scowled.


    I scoffed.


    ¡°Is that what your rich boy mirror tells you?¡± Never had a sentence sounded more patronizingly


    condescending.


    ¡°Your friends must have really thick skin,¡± he gritted through a very fake smile. It had too much teeth.


    A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. He was such a child.


    ¡°That aside, she has great taste.¡± I gestured to the work of art I still had on. ¡°I¡¯ll have the dress dry


    cleaned as soon as I can so you can return it to her.¡±


    ¡°Oh, keep it,¡± he said with a dismissive flick of his wrist.


    My head reared back, surprise coloring my features. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Keep it. She doesn¡¯t want it. It became yours the moment you put it on,¡± he replied, popping some fries


    into his mouth.


    ¡°Okay, friendo, you might not know this but this dress is worth three, maybe four figures. She¡¯ll want it


    back. Trust me.¡±


    ¡°Four at least,¡± he corrected, leisurely tossing fry after fry into his mouth. ¡°But she won¡¯t. What will she


    do with it? It¡¯s nowhere near her size. She had them brought up for you. It¡¯s already paid for.¡±


    I blinked once. A second time. Then a third.


    ¡°That is some major rich people cruise.¡±


    He smiled, a small irritatingly cute smile that drew attention to his lips


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I carried on a few octaves higher than normal, hurriedly averting my gaze. ¡°I met a few girls


    who weren¡¯t so bad but there was this one girl, Este. She was auctioned off just before me. You


    missed it. She was so snobby. You need to see how she sneered at me when they made mest in line


    instead of her.¡±


    ¡°You... get used to Este. She¡¯s an acquired taste.¡±


    ¡°You know her?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why it was shocking to me. That was clearly his crowd. It made sense that he¡¯d know her.


    I was just having a hard time reconciling the criminal I knew with the rich kid they knew. The two


    personalities were just too contrasting.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, you know? This,¡± I gestured between us, ¡°is all insane. I¡¯m having dinner at a cheap diner


    in a four figure dress with a boy who is both my stalker and a criminal but one rich enough to write a


    cheque for two hundred thousand.¡± I shook my head, heaving a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s crazy right? It¡¯s not just in


    my head?¡±


    He smiled. It was tight, polite and forced. I sighed.


    ¡°Are you going to tell me how you got involved in,¡± I paused, leaning forward before whispering thest


    part, ¡°you know what?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I let out a listless sigh and sat back. It was worth a shot.


    ¡°Not today,¡± I amended because whether he knew it or not yet, I was going to get the full story out of


    him someday.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I carried on before he could voice his objections, going back to our previous topic. ¡°Este


    reminds me of this girl at my school, ire. Same bitchiness. Same ¡®I look like an angel but I¡¯m actually


    the devil herself¡¯ vibe. And that was before you over-bid on me. I swear, for a second, I felt like she


    could actually manage to wish me out of existence.¡±


    He let out a deep bellyugh that had a few heads turning our way. I forced myself to smile, mentally


    willing them to go back to their respective meals. A little part of me wanted to hide behind the menu but


    I stiffened my spine and met their gaze. If my mother was here, she¡¯d berate Masked Idiot for being


    loud and uncultured.


    ¡°Funny, she reminds me a little of you,¡± he said. ¡°You from another perspective.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I hissed.


    ¡°You both like to be in control. Be the best and act like you have your shit together.¡±


    ¡°Not the same thing.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Says you.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± I waved off the idea with a flick of my wrist.


    The corner of his lips lifted in an indulgent lopsided smile.


    ¡°What else?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°Well, there was this guy. The one who was going to win the bid before you stepped in.¡± I shuddered


    theatrically, earning a quiet chuckle from him.


    ¡°He was a perv. With a capital ¡®P¡¯. You should¡¯ve seen him.¡± My shudder was real and entirely


    involuntary this time. ¡°He was practically undressing me with his eyes. It was disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, there are a few of those in that crowd.¡± He nodded soberly, taking it far more seriously


    than my teasing tone intended.


    ¡°There are a few of those in every crowd,¡± I corrected. ¡°It was just weird being in that position with one.¡±


    He frowned, his brows furrowing in a way that made it clear he was having trouble following.


    ¡°You know, the position where you, you know, sort of need them. Kind of in a... submissive way. I did


    not... It was ufortable.¡± I grimaced.


    His frown deepened, a noticeable crease appearing on his forehead.


    ¡°Needing people or being submissive to them?¡± he inquired, tilting his head to the side.


    My lips turned down at the corners, my lower lip jutting out in what had to be an unattractive look.


    ¡°Both, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Neither seems like you.¡± He chipped in his two cents.


    I rolled my eyes heavily.


    Wepsed into silence, an ufortable, awkward one. I focused on stirring what was left of my drink


    with the straw while he diligently memorized the tile pattern.


    ¡°Hey.¡± His tone was tentative, soft.


    I looked up, my eyes narrowed with suspicion.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The other day,¡± he continued, brows furrowing, ¡°the day I saw you... crying and stuff.¡±


    I stiffened.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    Why was he bringing it up in that tone? Why now? Did he know something? My heart galloped, my


    mouth instantly going dry.


    ¡°Why were you..., you know..., crying?¡±


    His gaze was trained unnaturally above my head as he self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°I¡¯m only asking because it¡¯s a little suspicious and you don¡¯t seem like a crier.¡±


    I forced augh. It sounded fake and shrill even to my ears.


    ¡°What do you think? That I had a falling out with the person I¡¯m spying on you for?¡± I forced another


    nervousugh, hoping he¡¯d buy my bullshit. ¡°That I was crying because my life was danger or


    something?¡±


    His expression faltered. Realization dawned on me and with it, came relief. He actually thought I had a


    falling out with whatever criminal organization I was in contact with and was scared for my life. Oh


    thank you, God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.


    ¡°Ohe on.¡± I scoffed, confident now because he was nowhere close to my real secret. ¡°I¡¯m not a


    crier. Only two things have the ability to make me cry and endangering my life is not one of them.¡±


    Two people, I amended mentally. His gaze slowly, reluctantly met mine.


    ¡°Because I would never put myself in a situation where my life is in danger,¡± I exined further.


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not something you should worry about. I¡¯mpletely certain it¡¯s not what you think. Let¡¯s


    just say I had a crying.¡±


    He frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very vague reply.¡±


    I shrugged unapologetically. That night and every other night like it were secrets I would take to my


    grave unless I had to reveal it to protect Olly. I had pictures saved away just in case. I¡¯d be heading off


    to college soon so he might turn to her. I was only seven when it started so it¡¯s out of the realm of


    possibility that with me gone, he would drag fourteen year old Olly down that road.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a deal,¡± he said. ¡°You tell me why and I back offpletely before the end of the month.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    Surely I hadn¡¯t heard that right.


    ¡°Tell me and I back off,¡± he repeated. ¡°It¡¯s the only suspicious thing about you so far. Tell me why and I¡¯ll


    leave you alone. I was getting ready to. I was going to stop but now... I need to know what that was


    about before I can. You don¡¯t cry that hard for just any reason. You were gasping for breath. And I know


    it wasn¡¯t some tragic heartbreak. You¡¯re not seeing anyone.¡±


    I swallowed, my heart pounding in my chest. No. No, no, no, no. God, no. Please no. No. This could


    not be happening. No.


    ¡°And don¡¯t even think about lying. You¡¯re a good liar but I¡¯ve figured out your tell.¡±


    Something about the way he said the words made it clear now was not the time to test him. That there


    would be consequences. Did I really have a tell?


    Any other condition, literally anything but this and I would¡¯ve dly agreed. I would¡¯ve jumped at the


    chance. His disappearance was all I wanted. It was everything I needed.


    I sighed, a long heavy sigh.


    This sucked. I finally had the chance to close this chapter of my life that would royally embarrass my


    parents if it ever got out but I couldn¡¯t take it because, of course, in return it would cost me information


    that would not only embarrass my family even more but could also ruin us. My eyes drifted


    shut, despair washing over me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    The change was palpable. He went from friendly to hostile in the blink of an eye. His gaze hardened,


    his aura turned frosty and his expression made it clear that to him, I was the enemy.


    ¡°We should start heading back,¡± I suggested, rising to my feet.


    We¡¯re done here. Sorry Ian but I can¡¯t and won¡¯t betray my father like that or give you any information


    that could hurt my family. As a family, we may not have an ideal rtionship but... family is forever.

 Chapter 16: 16 - It’s tough being me

    Chapter 16: 16 - It¡¯s tough being me


    ¡°What are you trying to say, Olivianne?¡± Mom asked, delicately setting down her coffee mug.


    Olly grimaced.


    I pressed my lips to a thin line to keep from smiling. She would always be Olivianne to our mom just


    like I would always be Avyanna. Mom absolutely abhorred nicknames.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. I can y Chopin in my sleep.¡± Olly persevered.


    I quietly munched on my cereal.


    She should¡¯ve waited till after Mom was fully caffeinated to emancipate herself from violin lessons.


    Caffeinated Mom was much more agreeable than decaf Mom.


    ¡°You think so?¡± Mom¡¯s tone made it clear she definitely didn¡¯t.


    Olly shed me a ¡®help me¡¯ look. I shovelled in what was left of my breakfast and escaped to the sink.


    Sorry, babe.


    ¡°Any Tom, Dick and Harry with a background in violin can y Chopin in their sleep,¡± Mom continued.


    ¡°But Mom,¡± Olly whined. ¡°I can really y.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. Whining definitely wasn¡¯t going to work on our mother. She was awyer for heaven¡¯s


    sake and while, yes, she had a soft spot for Olly, this was not one of those times she¡¯d just let it slide


    because it was her favorite child asking.


    ¡°You know the rules, Olivianne. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re ready and since you can¡¯t convince me otherwise, I


    expect you to be there every other week.¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± she protested, whining in typical Olly fashion. ¡°I know I¡¯m ready. Avy stopped when she was


    my age.¡±


    ¡°Past precedent does not apply here. Avyanna mastered two instruments. Would you like to take on a


    second instrument?¡± Mom countered.


    I could feel Olly¡¯s eyes shoot poisonous darts at my back. I rolled my eyes again. It wasn¡¯t like I


    enjoyed learning them.


    ¡°Give me a piece. Any piece,¡± she begged.


    I could only drag on rinsing out one bowl for so long. I had to give up my cover soon enough. I ced


    the bowl on the rack to dry and slunk back to my seat.


    ¡°Any piece?¡± Mom¡¯s tone warned that it was a dangerous road to take. It made it clear she was going to


    find a piece even a first chair Vienna music hall violinist would have trouble ying.


    Olly nced at me, begging me with her eyes to jump in. I scowled. Damn younger sisters.


    ¡°She¡¯s starting sophomore year next session. She will have to build up her extra-curricrs and her


    academic load will increase. A lot. She might not have enough time for all of it,¡± I chipped in. ¡°It¡¯s worth


    considering.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If she passes, she can at least get a head start studying with the new free


    time.¡±


    Olly red at me, wirelesslymunicating, ¡®Are you really helping me or trying to kill my social life?¡¯


    My eyes answered, ¡®Zip it, you dragged me into this.¡¯


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Mom drawled. ¡°That¡¯s a fair point. We¡¯ll talk about it when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Back?¡± I echoed, a frown marring my features. Normally, she¡¯d sayter. It was unlike her to use the


    phrase like that unless--


    ¡°You¡¯re travelling?¡± Olly inquired, barely managing to mask her glee.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mom answered before turning her attention to me. ¡°The oil case, you worked on it over the


    weekend, needs me there for the hearing and to go over sensitive documents they refuse to fax over.¡±


    I nodded. I had done paralegal work on that over the weekend while stressing over Masked Idiot¡¯s


    NDA.


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to Texas. For how long?¡±


    ¡°A month if things work out ording to schedule. Longer if not.¡±


    With each word that left her mouth, Olly¡¯s grin widened while my dread heightened. It wasn¡¯t surprising


    or anything. She was due to travel any time soon. She had been home for over three months now. It


    was rare for her to go longer than that without an out-of-state case but no matter how prepared I tried


    to be, I never seemed to be ready for the reality of it. Of being left alone with my dad, without the


    passive safety she provided. Especially not during this period when he was in a perpetual bad


    mood with the force taking a lot of heat for not having caught perpetrators of the downtown robberies.


    It¡¯s just four weeks, Avyanna. Four weeks. Seven days, four times. I can do that. I can handle that. I¡¯ll


    just be extra careful. It¡¯s seven days, four times. It¡¯ll go by fast.


    ¡°Mrs Robbins mentioned that you took the day off from work,¡± Mom stated, levelling me with a


    questioning look as she sipped her coffee.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I looked up, distracted by my thoughts. ¡°Yeah, I--¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± she interrupted.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I corrected. ¡°Sorry. Yes, I want to visit Elderly Acres. Some of the residents are organizing a sort


    of send-off for me.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your goodbyesst month when you quit?¡± Her tone made it clear she didn¡¯t see what


    the fuss was about and more than that, she didn¡¯t approve.


    ¡°Yes but they want to make it a little more formal I guess.¡±


    She wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disapproval. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You girls should get to school.


    It¡¯s gettingte.¡±


    I nodded and waited for Olly to finish her meal and get her bag so we could leave.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°Hey, did you hear?¡± Emily said, sliding in next to me.


    sses so far had passed by in a blur. Honestly, it felt like they didn¡¯t have things to teach us anymore.


    Like they were stalling for time, for graduation. I was starting to get bored by school again but I couldn¡¯t,


    wouldn¡¯t tell my mom that. She would say I brought it on myself, that I should¡¯ve agreed to speed up my


    schedule and gone to college in my junior year like she asked. Like the adviser from the state


    education board offered. I¡¯d much rather suck it up. I had less than a month to go anyways.


    I figured lunchtime would get me out of the funk but so far, it wasn¡¯t working. I was off my game. School


    was boring again for the first time in four years. Masked Idiot and I were on outs and my mom was


    leaving town. It was like the universe was out to get me all over again.


    ¡°Hear...?¡± I prompted, shifting my tray so she had enough space to set hers down.


    ¡°Ashley dumped Chad.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I mouthed, taking a bite out of my sandwich.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? Noment?¡±


    Cara chuckled on my other side. ¡°She probably saw iting,¡± she chipped in in a tone I recognized all


    too well. It was a tone that said, ¡®Wonder girl strikes again.¡¯


    Bailey and Tony exchanged knowing looks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°We all saw iting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but nobody... I mean, we still hoped,¡± she defended.


    ¡°Justst week you said you couldn¡¯t wait for them to break up because you wanted to ask him to


    prom.¡± My tone was nd, unusatory and uninterested.


    ¡°Well...¡± she blushed, stalling for time by rearranging the food on her tray.


    ¡°Avy!¡±


    We all turned in the direction the voice came from.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°ire said to tell you. Emergency prommittee meeting in the AV room,¡± Mae ryed.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± I rolled my eyes and let out a huff.


    I packed up my tray, returned it and marched to the AV room. For amittee I was only in to thwart


    myself from receiving awards, it was taking up too much of my free time.  It was moremitment than


    I signed up for.


    I sighed.


    ¡°Where are you heading?¡± Zach, one of my closest friends inquired as he walked towards me, heading


    to the cafeteria most likely.


    ¡°Prommittee,¡± I said by way of exnation.


    ¡°Yikes.¡± He held up his hand for a high five just before walking past.


    I pped my palm against his as we moved past each other.


    ¡°I have some ys to run by you!¡± he called out behind me like he only just remembered.


    ¡°Tomorrow!¡± I replied, pushing open the door to the AV room. ¡°Or at Greg¡¯s thing tonight!¡±


    I nced over my shoulder, catching his nod just before he turned on a corner.


    The already assembled members of themittee turned to me, irritation coating their faces.


    ¡°I just heard about the meeting.¡± I shrugged, holding my hands up in the universal sign of surrender.


    ¡°We were waiting for you. It¡¯s time to vote on ire¡¯s choice,¡± Louise supplied.


    I scowled, managing to refrain from rolling my eyes.


    ¡°Any reason why we couldn¡¯t just text in our votes?¡±


    Her lips pressed into a thin line, frustration in for all to see. While I wasn¡¯t trying to make her life


    harder, my life wasn¡¯t exactly hearts and flowers at the moment so I wasn¡¯t feeling particrly inclined


    to be understanding.


    ¡°And like I just told everyone else, there was a slight hup with the Luna Lovegood special award,¡±


    she added after a beat.


    The Luna Lovegood award was actually my idea but everyone had voted in favor of it. It was an award


    for the most lovable weirdo in school. She was only a junior but her ssmates had very little


    imagination. Chances they¡¯d honor her next year were very slim so I proposed we do it instead.


    ¡°An issue that couldn¡¯t be discussed over text?¡± My tone was sharp and snippy. It made it clear that


    even though it was my idea, I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in the technicalities. I didn¡¯t even care much


    for it. It was just an idea that randomly popped into my head and I shared. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to even


    pretend I cared. My head was starting to pound a little.


    ¡°The design we want isn¡¯t avable,¡± she answered. ¡°We have to vote on the two they have at the


    moment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s one real emergency right there.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    To her credit, she maintained herposure despite the snickers that erupted from themittee


    members.


    ¡°All in favor of band?¡± she persevered, pasting a tight smile on her face despite the angry red coloring


    her cheeks.


    My gaze found ire¡¯s over her shoulder and I raised my hand.


    ? ? ?


    Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have expected Masked Idiot to show up. He had shown up four times in thest


    week already. Based on his pattern, that meant he would go AWOL for a day or two but after the way


    things endedst night, I couldn¡¯t help ncing in my rear-view mirror, looking for his bike every time I


    turned a corner, when I pulled up at Elderly Acres and even when I arrived at home. I felt stalked.


    Again. I could feel the weight of the gaze. I knew someone was watching me but no matter how hard I


    tried, I couldn¡¯t spot him. It creeped me out. A lot.


    The rational part of me understood I had brought it on myself but there was no other choice. I couldn¡¯t


    out my dad to a criminal. That would be unforgivable. This was my only viable option. The smart thing


    to do was to make my peace with what the situation now was. He gave me options, I made my decision


    and this was his. I should ept it and adjust like I had been telling myself all day but even now as I


    was getting dressed to go to a friend¡¯s party, I still found myself expecting and hoping he would pop in


    through the window and head for my bed like he always did. The familiarity of that was a million times


    better than this troubling unfamiliar situation.


    I could swear he was watching me from afar and after the way he had looked at mest night like he


    was Adolf Hitler and I was a Jew, I was decidedly less thanfortable with that idea.


    I sighed heavily and shut my closet.


    ¡°Olly!¡± I yelled, marching across to her room.


    The dress I nned on wearing wasn¡¯t in my closet where I put it which could only mean one thing.


    Olly had taken it. How she even managed to wear it was beyond me. Although she was quickly


    catching up, my boobs were still a size bigger than hers. Plus, she didn¡¯t even ask for it. Not that she


    always does to be honest.


    ¡°Olly!¡± I bellowed, throwing open the door to her room.


    She was sprawled across the bed, lying on her stomach with her headphones on. Shezily raised her


    head, eyeing me disinterestedly.


    ¡°What?¡± She pushed one of the ears back.


    ¡°My dress. The burgundy one.¡±


    She rolled her eyes, turning away from me in disinterest as she pointed in the direction of her study


    chair piled with clothes. Olly was the opposite of me when it came to organization. Where I neatly


    stacked my books and evenly spaced my pens on my study table, Olly used her chair as a clothes


    holder and her desk as misceneous surface. Where I color coded, she ¡®followed her heart.¡¯


    Trantion: her room was a mess.


    I inched toward the chair, rifled through the other twenty or so clothes on it -which included three other


    clothes she ¡®borrowed¡¯ from my closet- before I found the one I was looking for.


    ¡°For thest time, return my clothes after they¡¯re washed.¡± I heaved exasperatedly.


    She didn¡¯t so much as twitch.


    ¡°I was going to. Later. When I¡¯m less busy.¡±


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°And how long ago was that?¡±


    In response, she reced her headphones and turned her back to me. Sisters.


    ¡°By the way,¡± she called out just as I was about to shut her door. ¡°Mom called. She went to the airport


    from the office. She should arrive sometime around midnight. She said to tell you to drop off dad¡¯s


    jacket and some of his fancy coffee. The jacket should be in the basement. He¡¯s pulling an all-nighter.¡±


    I stopped, a scowl taking hold of my features as I nced over my shoulder at my lounging sister. ¡°And


    when did she tell you all this?¡±


    ¡°Chill, jeez.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Like five minutes ago. I was getting ready toe tell you when you


    barged in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m literally less than twenty steps away.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    I closed my eyes, counting to five to ride out the wave of annoyance. Seriously, how hard was it to walk


    twenty steps?


    ¡°Anything else?¡± I bit out.


    She wagged her finger left then right. I somehow managed to shut the door without mming it.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°Hey.¡± I shed an all-epassing smile at all the officers present, discreetly eyeing the door that led


    to my dad¡¯s office.


    ¡°Here with supplies?¡± Parker asked, returning my smile.


    He was the only one standing, armed with some files. He was either returning from my dad¡¯s office or


    forensics. The remaining officers returned my greeting, stopping long enough to throw in a smile for the


    sheriff¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Yup.¡± I held up the thermos and a bag of snacks. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Buried in work.¡±


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Hi Tim,¡± I called out to officer grumpily stomping in.


    His gaze flitted over to me. He mustered a smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we saw your face around


    here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tough being a working girl,¡± I replied solemnly, dusting invisible specks off my shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah right.¡± Tim snickered. ¡°Night out?¡± he questioned, nodding at my outfit.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°Just dropping off sustenance for my dad first.¡±


    If Olly were here, she¡¯d have them all eating out of her palm in seconds with a joke or two. She was so


    much better at dealing with people than I was. She made friends easily and what baffled me about it


    was how genuine and carefree she was about it. Her people skills were why, despite getting better


    grades and being an all-round perfect kid, I always fell short in our mom¡¯s eyes. Olly was a people


    person, I was a people handler. I could handle hostile situations in my sleep but Olly excelled more at


    day-to-day people-ing and in the long run, there was more of that than hostile situations. She could


    have our mom¡¯s client¡¯s kids thinking she was their long lost best friend in minutes.


    ¡°That reminds me. Lisa was asking for you. Something about teacups I think,¡± Parker said, nudging me


    out of the way as he continued on to his desk, armed with three thick files.


    ¡°That was fast,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°Teacups?¡± Tim frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, she was going to help me find out the cost of this antique tea set I was... bequeathed?¡± I


    answered.


    ¡°Someone you know died?¡± Parker frowned, looking up from his files.


    ¡°No. Not yet. It¡¯s from a friend at Elderly Aces but that was kind of the sentiment behind it. I stopped


    volunteering there.¡±


    ¡°Ahh.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in to drop these off. See you guys some other time.¡± I waved, crossing over to the ss door


    My stomach squirmed, dread mounting with every step I took.


    After two smart raps on the door, I pushed it open and poked my head into the room.


    ¡°Hey dad.¡±


    He looked up from hisputer, eyes settling on me for a second. He grunted.


    ¡°I brought coffee and your jacket.¡±


    He heaved a sigh, pushing away from the desk as he stretched his limbs. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I smiled, pouring him a cup after I set down the goodies.


    ¡°Stressful case?¡±


    ¡°Little bit,¡± he answered, massaging the back of his neck. ¡°How was school?¡±


    Relief washed over me. He was in a good mood.


    ¡°It was okay. Prommittee is taking up a lot of my time though.¡±


    He paused in his actions, levelling me with a frown. I blinked. Shit. I had said the wrong thing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you joined that stupidmittee.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I nodded, managing to swallow despite the tightness in my throat.


    What was wrong with me? He had barely said anything and my throat was already closing up. I really


    was pathetic sometimes.


    ¡°Here.¡± I pasted on a smile as I handed him the coffee.


    He grunted as he took it.


    ¡°Make sure you lock up well. Don¡¯t stay out toote. Don¡¯t open up for anyone you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Got it, dad.¡±


    He dismissed me with a flick of his wrist. I scurried out before I could say the wrong thing again.

 Chapter 17: 17 - Have you perhaps lost your mind?

    Chapter 17: 17 - Have you perhaps lost your mind?


    School was over. People were rushing out and although I hated to admit it, I was rushing out with them.


    I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I was this eager to get out of school. Oh, the things a bad day can do


    to a person.


    I had woken up feeling tired. More so than when I went to bed. It was a rtively normal urrence for


    me every few months or so. It was nothing new but it still sucked. What was the point of sleeping if I


    was only going to wake up feeling even more tired than I did before going to bed? That, added to the


    cameo of daddy dearest¡¯s alter egost night, was doing a great job of making sure I was having a bad


    day. More urately, I was having a shitty day. The shittiest.


    My mom couldn¡¯t have picked a worse time to travel. My dad was nowhere in the ballpark of a good


    mood with the city council exerting pressure on him to catch the culprit of the downtown robberies. I


    was constantly walking on eggshells around him. No matter how drained I was, I had to be extra careful


    and pay extra attention to him.


    On top of that, I had school to worry about. I was bing increasingly bored by it which, for me, was


    big and bad. ording to the education board adviser, people with my IQ needed to always be


    challenged academically or things could go really bad for us. Thest time I found school boring was


    back in elementary school and truly, that hadn¡¯t ended well. I had tried to drop out. Granted, I was a kid


    then but who knew what rationalizations I would feed myself this time.


    I needed less on my te so I could concentrate on figuring out a solution to the school issue. It was a


    bad time for my mom to not be around to curb my dad¡¯s tendencies although, granted, she was


    unaware of them. I tried hinting once that she should keep her cases within state and it blew up in my


    face. She took it so personal that I got lectured on how women should support women and how I was


    no longer a child and if Olly who was younger was fine with it, then I should be as well.


    I ended up crying. That was how bad she made me feel for even suggesting it. I didn¡¯t have the guts to


    exin that missing her wasn¡¯t the problem. I hardly saw her when she was in town anyways, asides


    from mandatory family dinners and the asional breakfast. I couldn¡¯t exin that unlike Olly, I


    wouldn¡¯t be overlooked by our father. I¡¯d be evaluated, appraised critically and found wanting no matter


    what. It would be that I didn¡¯t put the keys in the right ce. Or heat the food up to his perfect taste. Or


    most recently, that I had my earphones in. There would always be something that I hadn¡¯t done well


    enough.


    I couldn¡¯t tell her that though. What good would it do? Neither of them believed in divorce. I¡¯d only make


    things worse for myself. Like when she told him what I said about not taking out-of-state cases, to ask


    his opinion on the subject. During her next trip, I paid dearly for that.


    I sighed wearily, forcing a smile for the benefit of the seemingly endless horde of acquaintances who


    needed to wave me goodbye. They all thought I was so cool. Freakishly smart yet social and


    fashionable. Have-it-all Avy.


    I snickered under my breath.


    ¡°Bye, Avy.¡± A junior whose name I didn¡¯t even know called out.


    ¡°Bye,¡± I replied, smoothing my features into a bright smile.


    The smile featured too much teeth. Anyone who really looked at me would¡¯ve easily figured out that it


    was fake. Luckily, no one paid attention to things like that anymore. Even if I had tears in my eyes and


    said I was fine, I was almost sure everyone would believe it. After all, I was Avyanna Johnson, the


    ¡®perfect everything.¡¯ What problems could I possibly have?


    I scoffed inwardly.


    Ranting, needing people, wallowing and indulging in bouts of self-pity were for the weak, the voice in


    my head chastised.


    I finally made it outside, passing through the wide open double doors that led to the exterior of the


    school building.


    ¡°What the actual f--¡± I swallowed the rest of my statement, forcing a more believable smile unto my face


    as the curious eyes of a group of juniors turned my way.


    You picked the wrong day, Masked Idiot.


    I drew in a deep breath and sent up a quick prayer for patience and self-control before marching over


    to the idiot leaning casually, basically draped against my car. In a parking lot full of people who could


    carelessly mention it to my parents. The only redeeming bit about the image in front of me was that his


    bike was nowhere in sight or he might as well as have just gone directly to my parents and said, ¡°Look


    me up, there¡¯s something suspicious and bad about me.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even bring myself to care that this was the first time he was showing up post our dinner


    turned deration of war. I came to a stop a foot away from him.


    ¡°Sometime between right now and when Ist saw you, did you perhaps lose your damn mind?¡±


    My voice was hard, gravelly and low because I couldn¡¯t risk having my not-so-subtly lingering


    ssmates overhear the subject of our conversation. The venom generouslycing my tone, however,


    made it unmistakably clear that if we had been in a ce with less prying eyes and twitching ears, I


    wouldn¡¯t have shown half as much restraint.


    ¡°Good to see you too,¡± he muttered drily, straightening up.


    Clearly, he was here to test my limits.


    ¡°Good? When, pray tell, did I give you that impression?¡± Before he could manage a response, I


    continued, ¡°If you were to fade from existence right this second, I¡¯d be all the happier for it.¡±


    After our charity ball escapade, he disappeared for a full week. Not a single word. He didn¡¯t so much as


    drop by the library or sneak into my room which he used to be oh so fond of. The fact that his


    disappearance coincided with the reappearance of the malicious gaze wasn¡¯t doing him any favors


    either.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my bike.¡± He said it like that was supposed to make it okay. Like I was supposed to be


    grateful.


    ¡°Good. For. You.¡± Each word was apanied by a sharp poke from my finger.


    He had a sturdy chest which really shouldn¡¯t havee as a surprise since he was, after all, an


    underground fighting champion but my brain wasn¡¯t at its finest so it did. My finger hurt as I lowered the


    hand. I swallowed the pain in favor of protecting my pride.


    ¡°Good for me?¡± Annoyed incredulity coated his tone. His expression made it clear that from where he


    was standing, he¡¯d done me a favor and I was being ungrateful. Cue my infamous eye roll. Favor my


    ck ass.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I ground out, holding his gaze. ¡°Good for you because otherwise, I¡¯d have killed you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing pleases you, does it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing you do,¡± I snarled. ¡°But by all means, seize to exist. That should do the trick.¡±


    He started to snap back a reply, his mouth already open to do so but he inexplicably stopped, slowly,


    almostically, closing his mouth. A deep crease appeared between his brows as they furrowed.


    ¡°That was harsh. Over the top. Even for you.¡±


    Apletely irrational impulse to avert my gaze filled my mind as his eyes seared into mine. The


    resemnce between the color of his irises and a cup of ck coffee was uncanny. I loved my coffee


    ck and suddenly wanted some.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± he said. ¡°What is it?¡±


    If this was the universe¡¯s answer to my craving for someone who could instantly read my moods, then I


    take theint back. No thanks, I¡¯d rather go through life alone than with Masked Idiot for a


    confidant.


    ¡°Noth...¡± I didn¡¯t get toplete my denial. The word died on my lips as three girls closed in on us.


    My already ridiculously shitty day was about to take another hit.


    ¡°ire, do you need something?¡± I demanded as nicely as I could manage.


    It was not very nice.


    ¡°Not particrly. I just figured we should take care of the problem now before it gets any worse.¡± She


    smiled sweetly.


    The statement, as well as her winsome smile, was directed entirely at Masked Idiot, never mind that I


    was the one the words were actually intended for.


    I was great at not getting in trouble but the creature before me was great at getting everybody to


    believe she had their best interest at heart so that they all loved her even when they didn¡¯t like her. I


    would¡¯ve admired her for it if it all wasn¡¯t an act.


    ¡°Very predicative of you.¡± I rolled my eyes before pasting an absolutely charming smile on my face.


    I could act too.


    She shed me her patented ¡®I have your best interest at heart¡¯ smile.


    ¡°Emily,¡± was all she said.


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°You know what,¡± she hissed.


    My smile wobbled for a second, a testament to how horrid the day had been thus far and worse,


    Masked Idiot caught it. I practically saw his line of thought go from ¡®oh, they¡¯re friends¡¯ to ¡®ahhh, I see


    what¡¯s going on here.¡¯ My hands fisted at my sides. My facial muscles conjured up the most amicable


    smile in history.


    ¡°Call her over.¡±


    Even my tone was all hearts and flowers.


    I ignored the churning sensation in my stomach as ire waved the girl over. Personally, I had nothing


    against Emily. We were acquaintances at best, mainly from our connection to the debate club. She had


    done nothing to deserve what was happening to her, what I was about to do. It was just unfortunate


    that Aidan picked her over ire and although all her ¡®misdemeanours¡¯ were petty things that had been


    orchestrated by ire, I was going cut her off anyway. Rules needed to be followed no matter what. I


    hadn¡¯t missed a single meeting or leaked any award categories despite all the shit I had been going


    through so even though it wasn¡¯t her fault, it was her fault.


    I was the one thing that let ire get away with deceiving everyone with her ¡®Mother Theresa¡¯ act.


    Since everyone knew I never let emotions get in my way, it was almost always up to me to handle any


    such messy situations because apparently ¡®thanks to my clinical approach to things, I would be fair and


    just.¡¯ It was my job to enforce the rules. I wasn¡¯t the judge, just the executioner and at the end of the


    day, the executioner is the only bad guy, especially since it was almost always a closed trial where the


    judge wouldn¡¯t be made public. ire was very good at capitalising on my unbending principles and


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    reputation to take out whoever she felt like.


    If only anyone was brave enough to bring a case against her, I¡¯d be more than happy to execute her


    too but people automatically considered her untouchable. The princess of the school.


    I heaved a sigh.


    ¡°Hey guys.¡± Emily smiled brightly. ¡°You know I appreciate your hel--¡±


    ¡°Em,¡± I cut her off, the contents of my stomach taking a nosedive. If my guess was right and it pretty


    much always was, she was about to thank us for a problem we -and by ¡®we¡¯ I meant ire- created.


    ¡°You¡¯re off prommittee. You shouldn¡¯t have tattled to your boyfriend about his award category or


    missed so many meetings without notice. And do yourself a favor, don¡¯t sit anywhere near us


    tomorrow.¡±


    In other words,y low until this blows over but I could tell from the way her eyes widened, rapidly


    turning ssy that she took my advice as a sentence. One important thing about ire Anne High


    social hierarchy was where you sat for lunch. Like all private schools, we had our quirks and seating


    arrangements was one of them. Everyone knew that. Just like everyone knew that being demoted from


    the popr kid¡¯s table was a huge smear. A scarlet mark. A ck stain.


    ¡°What?¡± She blinked wide doe eyes.


    You have to set standards and stick to them, Avy or people will undermine you, my mom¡¯s voice


    reminded me.


    ¡°You heard me. Have a nice life.¡± In other words, stay out of my orbit.


    Swift and cold. I was in my car and peeling out of the lot before she could pick her jaw off the ground.


    Masked Idiot had enough sense to jump in before I zoomed off.


    My rear-view mirror showed ire giving Emily aforting squeeze while wearing a vindictive smile


    thetter never saw. My stomach churned.


    I floored it.


    I have known ire since she transferred to ire Anne in middle school and she has hated me since


    the minute I scored higher than her on her first quiz at ire Anne merely a weekter. The feeling has


    only intensified since then because I kept doing it. Beating her. ire came from money and was


    smart. She was used to having her pick of whatever she wanted. Being the best in our year was one of


    the few things she longed for but didn¡¯t have under her belt.


    ¡°I think you hate that girl. You don¡¯t hate me that much even though you think I¡¯m a criminal and I don¡¯t


    think she likes you either. But you just did her dirty work,¡± Masked Idiotmented unsurprisingly. The


    surprising part was that he managed to keep his mouth shut until I pulled onto the highway. ¡°I¡¯m


    confused,¡± he finished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for your analysis or thementary on my life. You are neither my therapist nor my friend


    so can it.¡± I hissed, eyes trained on the road.


    My mother¡¯s voice hummed her approval.


    ¡°You have a therapist?¡±


    I shot him a t look. Like my parents would ever go for that. How was that even the only thing he


    picked up?


    ¡°You were pissed. Really pissed. Even before Charlie¡¯s Angels showed up.¡± Frown lines creased his


    forehead.


    ¡°Charlie¡¯s Angels?¡± I arched a brow


    For some reason, it sounded ridiculously funny and I found myself tamping down a sardonic smile. In


    my defense, my brain wasn¡¯t exactly at its best.


    My shoulders rxed unconsciously.


    ¡®They have the right hair.¡± He shrugged unabashedly.


    A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. They did have the right hair colours, if nothing else.


    ¡°Bad day?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I know a ce. Take the next left.¡±


    I nced at him, sizing him up, then nodded.


    ¡°Fine, but if you take me anywhere illegal, say an underground fighting arena, you¡¯re a dead man


    walking. I will personally murder you.¡±


    I felt, more than saw, him roll his eyes. My lips tugged into a grin.

 Chapter 18: 18 - Did you roofie me?

    Chapter 18: 18 - Did you roofie me?


    ¡°Why¡¯d you do it?¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡± I countered innocently.


    He tilted his head, awarding me an unimpressed look. ¡°You¡¯re better than that. Answer the question.¡±


    I heaved a sigh, drew in a deep breath, straightened my spine and forced myself to meet his gaze,


    holding it steady as I tried to stare him out of countenance. He sat back, stretched out his legs andid


    his sped hands on the table top as he stared back, unwaveringly. I scowled.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed, averting my gaze. He was like a brick wall, unyielding. ¡°Fine,¡± I repeated, stalling for


    time as I tried toe up with a distraction.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± I drawled conversationally, stalling even more as I came to the realization that the


    quaint almost empty ice-cream parlor had nothing to offer by way of a distraction.


    ¡°Go on,¡± he urged as though he knew what I was thinking.


    I pressed my lips together, forcing them into the semnce of a smile.


    ¡°Well, I...¡± I picked up the long aesthetically pleasing but not particrly practical spoon that came with


    my ice-cream and waved it in a circr all-epassing motion with all the authority of a college


    professor. ¡°I was wondering. How did you find this ce? It¡¯s so... it has a nice... aura. ¡°


    That had to be the worst diversion tactic out there. While I was a bit curious about the answer, I couldn¡¯t


    help cringing at how obvious the attempt was. This corner-of-an-alley struggling ice-cream parlor did


    not fit either of his personas, not the rich kid and definitely not the hardened criminal but such an


    obvious poorly constructed diversion technic didn¡¯t suit me either. It was all I could do to not hide my


    face in shame.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as offhandedly as I could manage even though inwardly, my embarrassment quotient


    boiled over. ¡®Can¡¯t I win one battle today?¡¯ a part of me wanted to scream.


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious. No matter how I look at it, it doesn¡¯t fit.¡± My voice sounded just a little high pitched to


    my ears and despite my efforts, my eyes kept darting away.


    It was embarrassing. Humiliating, even. I normally prided myself on being an excellent liar with no tells


    but here I was, acting like an amateur. It wasn¡¯t my day and even on a good day, something about


    Masked Idiot threw me off my game. From the very first day he showed up at the library. There were at


    least ten better ways to have handled that besides agreeing to let him publicly stalk me. There was just


    something about him that made me keep doing these stupid things.


    I set my spoon down, an annoyed scowl making its way onto my face.


    ¡°Because... It¡¯s what I do. It¡¯s what I¡¯m supposed to do,¡± I answered brusquely, hoping to put him off


    with the attitude.


    He shook his head, a confused smile on his face.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡± My tone didn¡¯t soften.


    ¡°Doing that girl¡¯s dirty work is what you¡¯re supposed to do?¡± he questioned in a mocking tone. ¡°That


    makes perfect sense.¡±


    His eye narrowed, not with suspicion but disbelief. Like he considered the idea a ridiculous notion. I


    shrugged, rubbing my hands together to warm up my cold fingers.


    ¡°You hate her. She hates you. There¡¯s no reason for you to do her dirty work,¡± he oversimplified. Like


    life is ever that simple.


    ¡°Look,¡± I refrained from rolling my eyes, ¡°it¡¯splicated.¡±


    I picked up the spoon again, absently pushing it around in my ice-cream bowl while waiting for him to


    follow up with another of his infamous annoying questions.


    ¡°Simplify it because I¡¯m not following.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and dumped a spoonful of the ice-cream in my mouth. He was so predictable.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to plead the fifth,¡± I stated. ¡°Not that I owe you an exnation.¡±


    ¡°Your right to not incriminate yourself,¡± he vocalized offhandedly. ¡°Wonderful. You might as well have


    just said you wanted me to be more suspicious of you. Also, we¡¯re not in court.¡±


    ¡°You know what the pleading the fifth means?¡± Surprise coloured my tone. Interest followed in its wake


    as soon as he guiltily averted his gaze.


    As awyer¡¯s kid, I knew all sorts about thew, decidedly more than the average person but judging


    from the way his eyes were darting everywhere but at me, he hade into his knowledge by some


    means he couldn¡¯t casually share.


    A light bulb went on in my head. He had been in a trial before. Probably for his criminal activities. It truly


    was wonder no one else had discovered his secret identity given how horrible he was at keeping any


    sort of secret.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just a pretty face,¡± he joked, a second toote for it to be believable. It also didn¡¯t help that his


    face was colored with irritation.


    ¡°You¡¯re not even a pretty face,¡± I corrected, managing to withhold my scoff. ¡°And don¡¯t even try


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    convincing me there¡¯s a brain somewhere behind that face. You have neither brains nor beauty.¡±


    I withdrew my hands from the table top and tucked them under myps to warm them up.


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart ass.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not even a pretty face,¡± I countered ndly.


    His eyes narrowed in irritation but I couldn¡¯t care less. He couldn¡¯t have looked any less threatening


    than he did at the monent in this quaint out-of-a-¡¯70s-movies ice-cream parlor. I shivered, pulling my


    hands out from under me to rub them up and down my arms. The parlor was much cooler than I had


    expected.


    ¡°Is today the day you tell me who you¡¯re working for?¡± I arched an eyebrow, pressing my palms against


    both of my ears to warm them up.


    ¡°Not even close,¡± he replied tly.


    ¡°Ohe on,¡± I cajoled. ¡°Save me the trouble.¡±


    Absently, I wiped the light sheen of sweat off my mmy forehead.


    ¡°You know I¡¯ll get it out of you eventually. I¡¯ll figure it out so you might as well,¡± I paused to draw in a


    breath, inattentively wondering why I felt breathless at all, ¡°just tell me now.¡±


    ¡°Not a cha...¡± He paused, brows furrowing.


    I arched an eyebrow, wordlessly asking what was wrong.


    ¡°You look weird,¡± he announced a few beatster.


    ¡°What a gentleman,¡± I automatically countered sarcastically, stretching the ends of my sleeves to cover


    my cold fingers. It really was too cold in the parlor. I was beginning to consider asking for the air con to


    be turned down.


    I shovelled another spoonful of ice-cream into my mouth and nced at Masked Idiot, waiting for his


    spoon down. My gaze honed in on him. He wasn¡¯t shivering like I was nor did he seem the least bit


    affected by the cold despite only having on a light tee shirt. What I had on was a lot thicker and I was


    actually starting to feel cold in my bones. It should¡¯ve been the other way around.


    ¡°You¡¯re not cold.¡± It was supposed to be a question but it ended uping out as an usation.


    Thoughts raced through my mind in session. Why wasn¡¯t he not cold? I was shivering. He should


    have at least seemed cold. Had he put something in my ice-cream? Was that it? I definitely hadn¡¯t left


    him alone with it at any point but he was the one who suggested this ce. The waiter could be an


    aplice of his.


    My gaze shot to the softly snoring scrawny underweight waiter. Or maybe not.


    ¡°Okay, I get that I¡¯m involved in some sketchy stuff but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to be cold,¡± he


    answered, annoyance coating his tone.


    He waspletely off point but I saw how he could have arrived there thanks to my usatory tone.


    ¡°Sketchy is one word for it,¡± I muttered, wincing as my teeth chattered while voicing the words.


    Something was truly wrong.


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡± He scowled.


    I refrained from rolling my eyes.


    ¡°Calm down, Emotional Emily.¡± I winced at the reminder that came with the name. ¡°I meant temperature


    wise, you don¡¯t feel cold?¡± I rified.


    ¡°Oh.¡± He had enough sense to look sheepish. ¡°No. Why?¡±


    I wiped my sweaty forehead once more. ¡°Weird.¡±


    ¡°You feel cold?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°Little bit.¡± I downyed.


    I was almost sure my teeth would start chattering soon regardless of whether I was talking or not.


    ¡°Are you sick?¡± he asked, suddenly reaching across the table to touch my forehead.


    Sick? The idea sounded almost foreign. I hadn¡¯t been sick in years.


    His hand made contact with my head for a few seconds beforemon sense kicked in and I leaned


    away. His question was all but forgotten as I red at the offending hand.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I bit out.


    ¡°You¡¯re sick,¡± he diagnosed. ¡°You have a fever. And your skin is mmy.¡±


    He wiped his hand dry with a napkin.


    I arched a brow, irritation coating my features.


    ¡°Did you get an MB between yesterday and now?¡±


    ¡°Thest time you saw me was almost a week ago,¡± he said. ¡°Now I know you¡¯re not feeling well for


    sure. Normal you would never make such a mistake.¡±


    I scowled.


    There was truth to that even though I had said it without thinking. Just a while ago I had been pissed at


    him for ghosting me for a week so unthinkingly or not, I should not have made such a silly mistake. Not


    unless something was wrong somewhere. I had been feeling off all day. I had chalked it up to residual


    feelings fromst night¡¯s sh with my dad but maybe it was more. Maybe I wasing down with


    something.


    It would exin the queasy feeling in my stomach -it wasn¡¯t about Emily after all- and the chills -not the


    ice-cream parlor¡¯s fault after all- and the headache that I thought was just an aftereffect of crying


    throughout the night and the consequent bad day.


    I sighed resignedly, lifting one trembling hand to my forehead. It was a lot warmer than it should have


    been. Not to mention the hand tremors. If it was that cold in the building, there was no way I¡¯d be at


    tremor stage while, judging from the looks of Masked Idiot and the snoring waiter, everyone else would


    be just fine.


    ¡°You might be right.¡± I reluctantly acquiesced.


    ¡°Hmm? What was that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push it.¡±


    ? ? ?


    I parked slowly, carefully, conscious of the way my hands shook. My jaw was clenched so tight it hurt


    but the alternative was letting my teeth chatter uncontrobly. Showing such weakness with Masked


    Idiot in the car was a big fat shing neon ¡®no¡¯ for me.


    Slowly, I got out of the car, carefully walking up to the door before I realized Masked Idiot was still in the


    car. I turned around.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    The look on his face answered my question.


    ¡°I may be ill and out of sorts but I haven¡¯t lost my mind.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    He arched a brow as though to say, ¡®haven¡¯t you?¡¯


    I scowled, releasing my breath in one noisy whoosh.


    ¡°No one is home. My mom travelled a while back for an out-of-state hearing and my dad is never home


    this early. Olly has violin practice that¡¯llst till muchter,¡± I ground out. ¡°I haven¡¯t lost my mind.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± I cussed under my breath, then called out, ¡°You can keep sitting in the car though, dummy.¡±


    He grunted an unintelligible sound before getting out of the car. I pressed the lock button on the key fob


    and spun on my heel. The action made me lightheaded. I had to wait a few seconds before continuing


    to the door.


    Inserting the key of the front door into the keyhole proved to be a much tougher task than I was used


    to. My trembling hands connived with blurry double vision to work against me. I growled exasperatedly


    as I missed the keyhole for the umpteenth time, identally stabbing the key out of my hands. I


    heaved a sigh, my eyelids drifting shut for a second. I bent, picked it up and settled for feeling for the


    keyhole with my fingers the way a blind person would. I was inwardly thankful Masked Idiot hadn¡¯t


    reached the door yet to see my clumsy fumbling.


    ¡°How the mighty have fallen,¡± I muttered dejectedly when the key finally went it.


    ¡°You¡¯re shivering,¡± hemented, finally catching up to me.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the observer, Sherlock.¡± I sniped, staggering into the house.


    He trailed in behind me, shutting the door in his wake.


    ¡°Can it with the Sherlock jibes.¡± His expression made it clear he had had enough of it on the ride back


    home.


    In my defence, he was being unnecessarily annoying with his observations about my state of health


    and whether or not I should be the one behind the wheel on the drive back. He had been asking for all


    those jabs in my opinion.


    I made it to the stairs before the shaking in my legs and dizziness became unbearable. I propped


    myself up against the wall, taking deep breaths as I willed strength into my legs. How it hadn¡¯t urred


    to me that I could be sick until Masked Idiot pointed it out despite things being this bad was beyond me.


    I knew I wasn¡¯t particrly attentive to my body but this was an extreme for me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He appeared at my elbow suddenly when he was done gawking at the living room.


    It urred to me in a distant part of my mind that this was the first time he was seeing any part of the


    house besides my room. Even with my eyes closed, I could see what he was seeing; the abstract


    polished wood sculpture, the mantle filled with fancy awards and framed certificates, the three blown up


    family photos just before the stairway, and the cream coloured furniture and brown panelling. I¡¯d only


    had a handful of friends over a few times but one thing they all had inmon was the fact that they


    were intimidated by what Olly and I had dubbed our ¡®mantle of honor.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he repeated. ¡°Why are you standing like that? And... are you whimpering?¡±


    ¡°No. Nothing is wrong.¡± I forced myself into an upright position. ¡°I was just waiting for you to finish


    gawking,¡± I lied.


    No way was I sacrificing my dignity to this boy.


    He shed me an obviously fake smile. I responded with one of my own before continuing up the stairs,


    slowly dragging one foot in front of the other. He followed leisurely behind me, taking in the sights.


    ¡°Sit,¡± I ordered, shutting my room door behind us.


    I took out a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants before disappearing into the bathroom. My bath was quick,


    short and scalding but that had more to do with the fact that I had to prop myself up against the wall


    every few minutes to catch my breath than the fact that Masked Idiot was more or less alone in my


    home, free to explore everywhere and everything. Dressing up, on the other hand, was time consuming


    and slow. My muscles felt like putty. They were weak and everywhere ached but eventually, I managed.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Worse,¡± I answered, closing the bathroom door behind me.


    ¡°Should I get you something to eat?¡± he asked, concern coloring his features. He angled the chair in my


    direction to get a better look at me as I crossed over to my bed. ¡°Have you taken any meds?¡±


    ¡°We just had ice-cream.¡± I answered,zily throwing my hair into a bun. I sank under the covers. ¡°And


    yes, it¡¯s probably just the flu so I took some from the medicine cab.¡±


    ¡°You only took a few spoons of your ice-cream.¡±


    I shrugged under the covers even though he probably couldn¡¯t tell. Luckily, he had enough sense to not


    open my curtains and I didn¡¯t turn on the light before hopping into the shower so the room was


    rtively dark. Regardless, I pulled the covers over my head.


    ¡°What did you have before that?¡± he probed.


    ¡°Before what?¡±


    ¡°The ice-cream.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I frowned, thinking back. ¡°An apple.¡±


    ¡°All day?¡± I could hear the incredulity in his tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s barely four o¡¯clock. Calm down.¡± I yawned loudly, my words slurring. ¡°I obviously haven¡¯t had much


    of an appetite.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting you something to eat,¡± he dered.


    I started to protest but it came out as a yawn so I gave up. I didn¡¯t have it in me to argue at the


    moment.


    ¡°If you get caught, I¡¯m going to deny knowing you and im you¡¯re an intruder.¡±


    The warning would¡¯ve probablye off sterner if it didn¡¯t get interrupted by a big yawn that had my


    shoulders quivering.


    ¡°An intruder cooking for you? I highly doubt anyone will believe that but point taken, I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    I must¡¯ve fallen asleep because I didn¡¯t hear what he said next or the door close when he left my


    room.

 Chapter 19: 19 - I think I could like him

    Chapter 19: 19 - I think I could like him


    I turned away from the incessant tapping, pulling the covers over my head as an act of defiance. My


    mind refused to even consider who it could be. The blissful nothingness of sleep was too pleasant for


    me to so much as consider waking up.


    ¡°Wake up.¡± The tapping continued.


    I rolled away, curled into foetal position and tried to burrow deeper into restful nothingness. It was just


    one of those days when sleep was sweeter, more restful. I hadn¡¯t had one of those in a while so I was


    determined to enjoy this one for as long as possible. Whoever was trying to wake me up clearly hadn¡¯t


    gotten the memo. I half buried my face in my pillow, humming blissfully as I waited to fall deeper into


    sleep only to find that my sleep rhythm had been disrupted. I could feel myself slowly waking up much


    to my annoyance. No. Please, no.


    A tug on the coverspleted the wake up process.


    ¡°What!¡± I hissed, throwing the covers down. ¡°What? What? What!¡±


    My eyes found the culprit and for a second my brain nked out. Huh? I couldn¡¯t for the life of me


    remember why Masked Idiot was in my room or why he seemed to think it was okay to interrupt my


    sleep. No, seriously. Why did he think interrupting my sleep would be okay? Did I seem that amicable


    to him? That harmless and forgiving?


    In a way, the fact that it didn¡¯t make sense made sense. For starters, Masked Idiot being in my room


    while I was asleep was just a little crazy, not to mention creepy. And to top it off, he was waking me up.


    That was even crazier. It had been years since anyone had to wake me up. I wasn¡¯t the type to bete


    which is what happens when one sleeps in so I never sleep in. I was always up and ready on time in


    the mornings and sleeping during the day wasn¡¯t something I indulged in either so there was never a


    need to wake me up. Even groggy and disoriented, I knew that being woken up, especially by Masked


    Idiot, meant something was seriously off. But what?


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping for hours. You need to eat,¡± he announced.


    My gazended on the royal blue tee shirt he had on. The shade was so vibrant I almost couldn¡¯t bring


    myself to look directly at him. I squinted, brows furrowing as memories of the ice cream parlor and drive


    back home flooded my mind. Okay. I see but--


    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± I mused out loud unknowingly. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± I adjusted.


    ¡°You¡¯re sick. I couldn¡¯t exactly leave you by yourself.¡± He shrugged self-consciously.


    ¡°I had a fever. I was hardly dying,¡± I replied tly.


    ¡°Well, you look better now,¡± he dered, reaching over to palm my forehead.


    Thanks to the sleep induced disorientation, it didn¡¯t even ur to me to move away. I just sat there,


    eyes wide open like a child as he reached over and felt my temperature. His scent enveloped me, filling


    my nostrils. It smelled warm and expensive.


    I swallowed.


    ¡°You feel fine,¡± he disclosed.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± I seconded, pushing his hand away.


    I was also very hungry but I kept that little nugget to myself. Thest thing I was going to do,


    disoriented or not, was admit to hunger after our little spat about me only eating an apple and ice-


    cream all day. I was finally getting back in tune with reality post-sleep induced disorientation.


    ¡°Hang on.¡±


    He disappeared through the door before I could formte a reply. I was left frowning and speechless


    on my bed, wondering just why he feltfortable enough to tell me -the person who actually lived in


    the house- to ¡®hang on¡¯ while he -a creepy criminal with one too many skeletons in his closet- went


    gallivanting around my house. Fortunately for him, he came back before I got far enough to really feel


    insulted and he came with pizza. Delicious sweet smelling pizza. Needless to say, all was instantly


    forgotten.


    ¡°Pizza?¡± I intoned, eagerly reaching for the box.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to make soup and you didn¡¯t have any canned ones I could heat up,¡± he supplied


    apologetically. ¡°The pizza ce¡¯s number was on the breakfast counter so I figured it would be okay.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± I mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.


    Between pizza and soup, I definitely would have chosen pizza so noints there. In fact, I was


    quietly grateful my mom believed in fresh homemade soups as opposed to the canned almost ready-to-


    eat ones. Not a single part of me mourned theck of soup. I was too busy stuffing my face with food I


    actually enjoyed.


    My phone vibrated on the bedside table, demanding my attention. Masked Idiot gestured for me to


    carry on with introducing the pizza to my mouth. He reached over to take the phone, then passed it to


    me. I wiped my fingers on the one piece of tissue he brought before collecting the phone. Our fingers


    lightly grazed as he handed it over. I snatched my hand back and barely remembered to nod my


    gratitude before unlocking the phone. I read the new text and groaned.


    ¡°What?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°Olly staying at a friend¡¯s tonight.¡± I sighed.


    She had been taking too many unnecessary riskstely. It was like she was stocking up on all the


    things she wouldn¡¯t have gotten away with if our mom had been home and while I understood that, itThis is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    also meant I was constantly covering for her and cleaning her messes which I decidedly wasn¡¯t a fan


    of.


    ¡°So who¡¯s going to take care of you?¡± Masked Idiot frowned.


    ¡°I repeat, I had a fever. I¡¯m neither dying nor magically an invalid.¡± I rolled my eyes, suppressing the


    irrational urge to smile.


    ¡°Sick people shouldn¡¯t be left on their own,¡± he refuted.


    ¡°I have... no, I had a fever, friendo.¡± I had no idea why but I couldn¡¯t contain the urge anymore, a smile


    graced my lips. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, a fever isn¡¯t really an illness. No one goes to the doctor because of a


    fever.¡±


    For a criminal, he really was a softie. I just couldn¡¯t fully get a read on him. Ny percent of the time,


    he acted like a normal person. A kind hearted one. The other ten percent was what I had a problem


    with. The breaking and entering, the showing up with bruised knuckles, the threatening tone and


    creepy stalking.


    I sighed.


    Sometimes I got the feeling I could have liked him. That we could almost have been friends if only we


    met under different circumstances.


    ¡°Then why did you ask her toe stay with you?¡± he argued, folding his arms across his torso.


    I frowned, confusion evident in the wrinkle of my brows.


    ¡°Ask who to do what?¡±


    ¡°Your sister.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°If you¡¯re so sure you¡¯re okay, why did you ask her toe home?¡±


    Was I missing something?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask her toe home. I was sleeping. When would I have done that?¡± I replied, furrows


    appearing on my forehead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not following. What¡¯s the connection?¡±


    Clearly unconvinced for some reason, he raised an eyebrow, shing me a look that could only be


    interpreted as ¡®lie better next time.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sure whether tough or be insulted. The idiot who couldn¡¯t


    keep a secret or tell one proper lie was implying that I, who¡¯d never been caught in a lie before, was a


    bad liar. Ironic didn¡¯t even begin to cover it. But that aside, what was he referring to? I wasn¡¯t seeing the


    logic.


    ¡°I¡¯m not following your thought process. What is this about?¡± I inquired, sitting up straighter and trying to


    look as put together as I normally was.


    It was a tall task so I didn¡¯t feel too bad about failing. Sitting in bed inhaling half a box of pizza, clothed


    infy sweats with sleep wrinkles on my face and my hair barely hanging on in a messy bun was just


    too far from normal tucked in shirts, wrinkle-free clothes and not-a-hair-out-of-ce me. I didn¡¯t even


    want to picture how I looked from his perspective.


    ¡°Why did your sister text you that she wasn¡¯ting home then?¡± he asked vindictively.


    ¡°Because,¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°she needs me to cover for her. My parents would never agree to a


    sleepover. It¡¯s not allowed. We¡¯re not that kind of family.¡±


    ¡°You mean a normal family?¡± he countered thoughtlessly.


    I bristled.


    ¡°You could say that.¡±


    As though he only just realized how scathing his tone was, he donned an apologetic smile.


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t... mean it like that. I didn¡¯t think--¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    I definitely didn¡¯t like hearing his thoughtless remark but it didn¡¯t change the fact that he hadn¡¯t done


    anything wrong. To be fair, he was right. My family wasn¡¯t normal and even though he meant it in a


    negative sense, as a member of that family, I knew better than anyone that while we were not normal, it


    was both in positive and negative ways. There was nothing wrong with that even though some days,


    more than anything, I wanted us to be normal.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t she go?¡± he whispered tentatively. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a sleepover?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®over¡¯ part.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s where the problem is.¡±


    He nodded slowly.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I drawled, changing gears quickly before he could follow up with a question that would


    eventually lead to a ¡®you poor thing¡¯ smile. It just wasn¡¯t a smile I ever found nice. It was a smile I


    despised and I could just tell it would look ugly on him. ¡°She needs me to cover for her tomorrow. Like I


    said, my dad will be home sometime after dark which means I can just pretend she¡¯s asleep. My mom


    isn¡¯t in town. It¡¯s the only reason she can do this. My dad can be fooled but definitely not my mom.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, I just have to greet my dad early. Whenever my mom¡¯s away, I¡¯m usually the first one up


    anyways so it won¡¯t seem odd. Then I¡¯ll go again a littleter when he¡¯s taking his bath and pretend to


    be Olly. I¡¯ll greet him and say I need to rush off to school for something or the other. The bathroom door


    should muffle my voice so he won¡¯t notice the difference.¡±


    He took a step back, a bemused smile spreading across his lips.


    ¡°You have it all nned out. Have you done this before?¡±


    ¡°Well, obviously.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± He folded his arms across his chest, biceps straining against the material of his shirt as


    his gaze, sparkling with something I couldn¡¯t ce my finger on, met mine. ¡°Though I know you didn¡¯t


    That was all it took to end the non-existent moment. My smile copsed, giving way to a look that could


    only be described as, ¡®You just had to ruin it.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know,¡± I lectured in a tone liberally spiced with irritation, ¡°that I came up with the idea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah right.¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°I did.¡± I scowled, resisting the urge to hurl my pillow at his face. ¡°When Olly was younger, she was


    always having to cry off of sleepovers and apparently, it was putting a strain on her friendships.¡±


    He rolled his eyes, disbelieving.


    ¡°While I don¡¯t think a friendship that is dependent on something as stupid as whether or not you attend


    a sleepover is worth retaining, she was just a kid. I felt bad for her so I came up with the n. Our mom


    travels a lot and she¡¯s the only hands-on parent in the family so it wasn¡¯t hard. Fooling our dad was


    easy. He hardly pays attention so I worked it out for her,¡± I informed him. ¡°Though, if I¡¯d known she¡¯d


    still be using it till now, I might¡¯ve thought twice about it.¡±


    ¡°That is... slightly more believable.¡± He nodded.  ¡°You may be a rule follower but... I guess being an


    older siblinges before that.¡±


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, it¡¯s smarter to know the rules so when you break them, you can do it without getting


    caught. Which is what I do. And being a rule follower means people never suspect me. It¡¯s an added


    bonus. My way is smarter.¡±


    He rolled his eyes to heaven and back so I added, ¡°Of course, that¡¯s probably too much to ask of you.


    You know, given your IQ.¡±


    He scowled.


    ¡°My IQ is just fine.¡±


    ¡°Debatable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really annoying, you know that right?¡± he asked, holding my gaze steady as though if he tried


    hard enough, he would be able to visually convey just how annoying. I stifled a smile.


    ¡°Simpletons always think that about geniuses.¡± I shrugged innocently, biting my lip to keep from smiling.


    ¡°At least you know you¡¯re following your stereotype to the letter.¡±


    ¡°You need help.¡± He red.


    ¡°And you need a little more than a bit ofmon sense,¡± I countered jauntily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡± He raked a hand through his hair, messing it up. ¡°You frustrate me.¡±


    ¡°Simple minded people can rarely stand geniuses too,¡± I goaded, smiling secretly when he snatched


    the box of pizza out my hands in annoyance. There was only half a slice left anyway.


    ¡°I dislike this version of you even more than normal you.¡± His brows furrowed, nose crinkling in distaste.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the meds making you act all proud and annoying in a kind of cue... c-c-cu...¡± He heaved a


    sigh and gave up. ¡°You know what, forget it.¡±


    ¡°Cute?¡± I frowned, brows furrowing in confusion.


    ¡°I said, forget it.¡±


    He rose to his feet and moved away, sitting backwards on my study chair.


    ¡°Just get well fast. This version of you is weird. I don¡¯t like it. Also, shut up until you¡¯re back to normal.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need a mind reader to know that he was feeling very awkward and self-conscious. For some


    reason, it made me want to smile.


    So, I scowled.


    I was definitely loopy on meds.

 Chapter 20: 19.5 - Through his eyes (Bonus)

    Chapter 20: 19.5 - Through his eyes (Bonus)


    She was drowsy and very much out of it. It showed in the way her smile drooped, in the way her words


    slurred and most importantly, in the way she was being far too honest and just the tinniest bit


    vulnerable. He was getting another peek at the little girl inside just like the day he caught her bawling


    her eyes out. Thanks to the meds, she wasn¡¯t her normal calm and collected self. She wasn¡¯t trying to


    be perfect Avy Johnson, borderline genius and all-round trophy child. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but think she


    had never seemed more endearing, more perfect. Perfect should¡¯ve tried to be her if you asked him.


    ¡°So why did you do it?¡± he continued.


    ¡°Because.¡± She smiledzily.


    It was the goofiest expression he had ever seen on her and if he wasn¡¯t currently seeing it with his own


    eyes, he would¡¯ve sworn she was incapable of such.


    ¡°Because,¡± she repeated, giggling to herself as though something about the word was hrious. ¡°If I


    don¡¯t, someone else will have to. And by someone, I mean Olly.¡± A wide smile stretched across her


    face. ¡°But I love her too much. Aren¡¯t I an amazing older sister?¡±


    The smile on her upturned face reminded him of his own younger sister. It was full of child-like


    innocence and a longing for validation.


    Something in his chest tightened.


    ¡°Olly will have to do that girl¡¯s dirty work? No offense but Olly seems like she can handle a bully just


    fine,¡± he replied, forcing himself to focus on the conversation.


    ¡°No.¡±


    She waved her hand enthusiastically, almost stabbing a finger in his eye.


    ¡°No. No. No,¡± she repeated, pulling the covers up to her chin as though to hide her face. ¡°No. It¡¯s not


    ire. Nobody cares about ire. You¡¯re not getting it...¡± Her eyeszily drifted shut as she trailed off.


    She was already halfway into dreand. He was losing this opportunity. Thanks to it, he now knew


    why she went to the arena -because Olly wanted to-, why she didn¡¯t scream when she found him in her


    room -she didn¡¯t think she woulde out unscathed if her mom caught him in her room since he


    wasn¡¯t middle aged and unattractive-, what she would do if she could do anything for a day -skydive,


    fall in love and spend what was left of the day at an amusement park ¡®like in the movies¡¯, he couldn¡¯t


    help but shudder at that one- andstly, why she acted the way she did like her life was constantly


    being evaluated.


    By God, he really hoped she would conveniently forget the entire conversatione morning because


    he couldn¡¯t picture a version of reality where she wouldn¡¯t be super pissed at him for having taken


    advantage of herpse in judgement and bad reaction to the meds.


    ¡°What am I not getting, Avy?¡± he asked, lightly shaking her awake.


    He was going to pump out all the information he could while he still had the chance. The n was to


    finally figure out if there was more to her or if she really was just a harmless civilian who stumbled on


    the wrong secret.


    Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and for the first time, he noticed that she had thick clumpy eyshes.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± She blinked, her disoriented gaze gradually settling on him.


    ¡°Your face is so close,¡± she mumbled, pushing his face away and almost blinding him in the process. ¡°I


    like your werewolf brows. Have I ever told you?¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued before he could reply. He was too busy rubbing at the eye she had almost


    poked out anyway. ¡°It¡¯s not about ire. It¡¯s about my mom. My family.¡± She yawned.


    ¡°What about your family?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I enjoy never having a free weekend?¡± she slurred. ¡°Or having three after-school


    jobs?¡±


    He shrugged. To be honest, he got the feeling she did.


    ¡°No.¡± She scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t. Well...¡± she trailed off, brows furrowing in concentration as she struggled to


    keep her eyelids open.


    The image was too endearing. He found himself averting his gaze.


    ¡°I kind of do now... but!¡± Her voice rose suddenly, drawing his gaze back to her. He found her


    excessively wagging a finger at him like a drunk. ¡°I didn¡¯t before because it was tiring. I do now


    because it has grown on me. My mommy needs a child to mold to perfection and my dad needs a child


    to terrorize and take his frustrations out on.¡±


    Her mouth opened in a wide unttering yawn.


    ¡°Sometimes I think he might be... not okay.¡± Her eyes closed as she pressed a finger her temples,


    turning it in circr motions that indicated insanity.


    ¡°You know?¡± she went on,zily forcing her eyelids open as if the motion alone took too much effort. ¡°I


    feel like he might be bipr or something but... oh well.¡± She blinked idly. ¡°What was I saying again?¡±


    Her gaze couldn¡¯t seem to focus on him. If he had to guess, he would¡¯ve said she was seeing doubles


    again.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded groggily, ¡°the perfect child for my parents. They need that and if it¡¯s not me, it¡¯ll be


    Olly.¡±


    Sheid back on the bed and snuggled into the covers, eyelids at half-mast.


    ¡°So it has to be me. I can handle it. I¡¯m better equipped to.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    She yawned again, turning away from him.


    ¡°Olly is a free spirit. She¡¯ll be miserable,¡± she slurred.


    In the silence that followed, her breathing deepened and evened. She curled into foetal position,


    tucking her hands under her head.


    ¡°I can handle it,¡± she whispered softly in her sleep.


    As he fixed the covers so her feet were no longer hanging outside, he knew he was very much in


    trouble. She was far more dangerous than he initially thought but for very, very different reasons.


    Yes, she was what he thought in that she was a girl with secrets and that she could and was used to


    ying dragons but contrary to what he formerly thought, he wasn¡¯t one of her dragons. She wasn¡¯t out


    to get him. She wasn¡¯t rolling with criminal kingpins and drug-lords. He had been wrong on that ount


    but more than that, he could tell she was tired. That she was just hanging on till she could get out. She


    was living half a life, burying her impulses and ignoring any desires that didn¡¯t fit into what was


    expected of her.


    He used to think that was just how she was but now, he knew it wasn¡¯t. She wanted toy down her


    arms and have her dragons yed for her for a minute. Or even just be acknowledged for all the work


    she put in. She wanted to be seen.


    He wasn¡¯t, not by any stretch of imagination, a caretaker or a lover and fixer of the broken. She wasn¡¯t


    even his type. Not the least bit close but something warned him to tread carefully regardless. That she


    could easily be anyone¡¯s type if they paid a little too much attention.


    With his heart pounding just a little harder, he snuck out the window.


    The man already said she was cleared. The deep dive into her, her family and associates had not


    turned up anything. He no longer needed to follow her around. That was why he stayed away all week.


    He had no reason for showing up today either. He just wanted to. That was enough of a red g to


    know he should fall back.


    Maybe it was for the best that she had been cleared. It was time to put some distance between them.


    He saw her more than he saw his girlfriend. That alone was a disaster waiting to hatch.


    ¡°Good bye, Avy,¡± he whispered with onest look over his shoulder before he crept away.

 Chapter 21: 20 - You arrested who now?

    Chapter 21: 20 - You arrested who now?


    ¡°You¡¯re unusually aggressive today.¡± He panted, retreating under the force of my blows.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling aggressive today,¡± I ground out, catching him in the side with perfectly aimed kick.


    He stumbled backwards, clutching his side even as a smile spread across his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re also unusually careless today,¡± he pointed out.


    To illustrate his point, he dropped into a crouch and swept my feet out from under me in one smooth


    calcted move. I fell with an audible thud, air escaping my lungs in one swift whoosh.


    ¡°Ahh.¡± I grimaced, rolling onto my side, waiting for the pain to subside.


    I filled up my lungs with a deep breath and braced myself for the pain that woulde with getting up.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Parker asked, offering me a hand up.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I pped the hand away, forced myself to my feet and fell into position. ¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡±


    He blinked, one part surprise and two parts amusement blossoming on his face. ¡°Really?¡±


    I responded with three quick consecutive blows. All of which, infuriatingly enough, he managed to


    dodge.


    ¡°Something is definitely up.¡± He grinned, dancing just out of my reach. How I had never noticed how


    annoying he could be was beyond me. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you this keyed up.¡±


    ¡°Well, enjoy your front row ticket.¡± I hissed,unching myself at him.


    How infuriating. I was on the mat again in less than two minutes.


    ¡°You¡¯re being sloppy,¡± he stated, helping me to my feet.


    I gritted my teeth.


    ¡°And for the love of God, your footwork is better than that. Stop giving yourself away and stage your


    attacks better,¡± he added, falling to sparring stance again.


    ¡°I did note for a sparring lesson. I came to vent so thank you, but kindlyy off the advice,¡± I


    snapped, baring my teeth in a snarl.


    As soon as the words were out, as soon as my brain properly processed what I said, I gasped, pping


    a boxing gloved hand across my face.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± I raised my face skyward, roughly brushing away the tendrils that had escaped my bun as I


    drew in a deep centering breath. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t--¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, lips curing upwards in a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not offended. Chill out.¡±


    I looked at him. Really looked at him. At his short blond hair, his electric blue eyes, his pretty boy jaw


    and the fond, open smile on his lips. There wasn¡¯t a single hint of malice on him. I breathed a sigh of


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    relief and smiled back, the tension in my shoulders easing just a little.


    ¡°Clearly, I¡¯m not having a good day so tell me, what¡¯s been going on with you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The downtown robbery cases have the whole station on edge but the mood has improved a little


    recently.¡±


    ¡°Big bust?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, members of an illegal gambling circuit. Apparently, they bet on unsanctioned boxing matches


    but, other than that, it¡¯s been pretty quiet at the station,¡± he answered. ¡°Want to go again? Maybe tell


    me what¡¯s bothering you while we¡¯re at it?¡±


    My brainpletely stopped processing his words after ¡®they bet on unsanctioned boxing matches.¡¯ A


    sudden chill took hold of me.


    ¡°Unsanctioned boxing matches?¡± My voice sounded hollow and far away, even to my ears.


    I prayed he wouldn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He nodded and gestured for me toe at him.


    I swallowed, frozen in ce.


    ¡°Boxing matches?¡± I stupidly repeated. ¡°Like illegal boxing?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, cocking his head to the side as he regarded me curiously. ¡°What?¡±


    I blinked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I stiffly fell into position, pasting a smile on my lips even as my imagination mentally ran


    away with mymon sense.


    Masked Idiot. It had been over a week now since Ist saw him. He just disappeared. Him and the


    creepy gaze I always felt following me on the days he wasn¡¯t physically within my sights. I had


    assumed it was because he finally got the message; that I wasn¡¯t some spy. He definitely could¡¯ve


    informed me of the revtion before wilfully disappearing but what if he wasn¡¯t gone because he


    believed me? What if it was because he got caught? Because he was in jail? What if that was why he


    had been MIA?


    I swallowed.


    For some reason, the idea offered very littlefort or relief. I, oddly, was moreforted that he


    hadn¡¯t stayed away of his volition than I was by the fact that his incarceration would mean he was no


    longer a problem for me.


    I needed a good blow to the head. Clearly some screws up there weren¡¯t properly keyed in.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± I said as casually as I could manage. ¡°How old were they?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t give up much but the ones we got hold of have all done time before. All in their early 30s.


    e 20s. 28,¡± he divulged.


    My breath left me in a soundless sigh and relief spread through me like sinking into a hot bath after a


    long day. I could breathe properly again. There was no way Masked Idiot was up to 28 years of age.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I intoned, hitting my gloved hands together to signify that I was ready.


    Parker nodded and gestured for me to make the first move. I immediately went in.


    ¡°Are you really not going to tell me what¡¯s up with you?¡± he questioned, smoothly parrying my blows.


    It would¡¯ve been far more annoying how easy it was for him to dodge my attacks if I didn¡¯t know for a


    fact that he was possibly the most skilled cop at the station and that I was being a little sloppy with my


    attacks. Even I could spot the amateur mistakes I was making with my footwork and form. Masked


    Idiot¡¯s absence, as much as I hated to admit it, was messing with my focus. A lot.


    It wasn¡¯t like I wanted him to stay but he should¡¯ve at least told me if he was never going to show up


    again. It was simple courtesy. Disappearing without a word was such a rude thing to do. Thest thing I


    remembered was eating pizza and telling him Olly was out for a sleepover. He should¡¯ve at least


    showed up the following day to check if I was feeling better. That was just the normal and the polite


    way to do things. I wasn¡¯t being irrational. Logically, that was what was expected of him.


    I cursed under my breath, narrowly avoiding taking a blow to the face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± I gave in.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°Are you really kicking back with us tonight?¡± Zach asked skeptically.


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°I said I was.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re always off with the girls these days and your 19 different jobs. We¡¯ve hardly hung out


    Aaron nodded on his right, passing the joint to the boy on his other side.


    I frowned.


    ¡°Well,¡± I leaned forward, ¡°I¡¯m all about the boys tonight so go ahead. Get me high through passive


    smoking.¡±


    Zach smirked. It was soft and kind in a way that smirks rarely ever were. It informed me that he really


    had missed mypany. I smiled back, my nose scrunching up as a warm fuzzy feeling filled my


    chest. My friends, my real friends, were really important to me even though they didn¡¯t know it. If you


    asked them, they would probably say I didn¡¯t care as much. That they cared more. I wasn¡¯t big on


    showing it but they mattered a lot. They made meugh every now and then when we got to really kick


    back. It meant a lot.


    ¡°So,¡± Zach slung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in to his side, ¡°want to hear the new y


    I came up with?¡±


    I bit my lip to keep from smiling as the guys in our small circle let out a collective groan.


    ¡°Do I have to?¡± I moaned, ying along.


    While the ¡®girls¡¯ as Zach put it and most of the other partygoers were inside Lim¡¯s house chatting and


    drinking, Zach, Aaron, the other people willing to gamble with their lungs and I were out on the patio


    either actively or passively smoking.


    It was a mid-week party which I normally would not have gone to but I didn¡¯t really feel like being home


    alone tonight. Olly was working hard on her violin piece all the time these days, our dad was still


    workingte thanks to the unsolved robbery case and our mom still hadn¡¯t returned from her trip. Turns


    out, things weren¡¯t going so great over there.


    Anyway, staying home would¡¯ve meant more time agonizing over Masked Idiot¡¯s disappearance. I just


    didn¡¯t get it. It didn¡¯t make sense unless he had gotten caught and was in jail. The least he could¡¯ve


    done was let me know in advance if he was going to pull a disappearing act. He should have officially


    terminated our stalking agreement. We even signed a contract and everything. He should¡¯ve informed


    me if it was over. The possibility that he disappeared because something bad happened to him was


    eating at me. What was I supposed to do if that was the case? Call the cops and reveal everything? Or


    not call them and save my ass? What if he really was in danger?


    I muttered a curse under my breath and downed what was left of my beer. Damn you, Masked Idiot.


    ¡°What¡¯s been up with you anyway?¡± Zach asked, gently nudging my elbow.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± I looked up, distracted. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been offtely. What¡¯s going on?¡± he expanded.


    I frowned, nibbling on my lower lip as I contemted how much to not reveal.


    ¡°I... made a bad decision.¡±


    ¡°Yes! You don¡¯t do enough of that,¡± Aaron chipped in, pupils a little too dted.


    I shook my head exasperatedly even as a smile spread across my lips.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Zach asked more seriously, leaning into me as he reached over to pass the joint to


    the guy on my other side.


    His perfume engulfed me and I got a peek through the neckline of his shirt. My breath hitched. He


    definitely was an athlete. What I saw was toned and defined. Coach must be proud.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± he repeated as he moved out of my personal space.


    The urge to pettily pinch him for invading my space gripped me. I drew in a much needed breath to


    steady myself.


    I clenched my fists at my sides. Calm down.


    I nced around the circle, taking in the curious gazes directed my way. I could more or less hear the


    ¡®what bad decision could Avy Johnson possibly have made?¡¯


    ¡°I went somewhere,¡± I disclosed in a stage whisper. ¡°Somewhere I shouldn¡¯t have gone.¡±


    I threw in an exaggerated wink and smiled inwardly as I watched their imaginations immediately jump


    to nightclub and scenarios involving fake IDs. Bodynguage was the master of all lying techniques. It


    was like deceiving with the truth and I was a master of the art.

 Chapter 22: 21 - The lying game

    Chapter 22: 21 - The lying game


    It was him. I was certain of it. That tousled hairstyle that screamed, ¡®Touch me, I¡¯m as soft as I look¡¯ had


    to be his. I knew those dark locks, just like I knew that physique. That tall and built but not excessively


    so in such a way that was off putting physique. And the tuxedo. No one else could feel out a tux like


    that. It was him. It had to be, which could mean one thing; the sneaky little bastard was avoiding me


    and spying on me from afar. I was absolutely sure of it.


    I had caught a glimpse of him two days ago at a caf¨¦ downtown during another entirely unnecessary


    prommittee meeting and again before that when I was picking Olly up from her violin lesson. Both


    times, as soon as I caught sight of him, he¡¯d be gone. He disappeared that fast. By the time I turned


    back for a closer look to be sure my eyes weren¡¯t deceiving me, he was nowhere to be found so I wrote


    both times off as my mind ying tricks on me but, clearly, it wasn¡¯t that. The asshole was spying on


    me and avoiding actual contact. Can you imagine the audacity?


    Sure, it could¡¯ve been that he didn¡¯t notice me but believing that felt a lot like lying to myself. He had


    actively stalked me for over a month, following me everywhere but the toilet and now, he could overlook


    me in a crowd? That made no sense.


    I was going to get to the bottom of his strange behaviour. Who exactly did he think he was? If he


    thought he could just pop in, stalk me for weeks and then pop out with no warning, he was mad. inly


    insane. How dare he even?


    I kept my gaze trained on the dark locks covering his scalp, tracking his movement through the crowd


    as I brusquely brushed past people in a bid to catch him before he bolted again.


    How he thought he could avoid me in this crowd was beyond me and to an extent, it pissed me off. This


    was my turf. I had beening here for years and this year, I was part of the organizing team for the


    show. Thank you, private elitist schools for your fancy events meant to ¡®create opportunities and nurture


    the talents of your students.¡¯


    ire Anne High, like a lot of private schools of its kind, believed in fancy events and affiliations that


    promote and strengthen its position as both advanced and elitist. In this case, that meant showing the


    works of some of her artistically gifted students alongside the works of locally renowned pros at the


    most acimed art gallery in town under the guise of a charity event. To be fair though, some of the


    students¡¯ works were really good and with the hefty fees our parents paid the school, it was safe to say


    this was covered as well.


    Masked Idiot must not have properly done his homework on this one because, opening night or not, he


    definitely was not going to escape me here.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I yanked him back, nting myself in his path.


    His eyes widened, settling on me.


    ¡°Avyanna,¡± he breathed.


    ¡°Avyanna?¡± I hissed. ¡°Really? Avyanna? That¡¯s all you¡¯ve got?¡±


    ¡°Hi?¡± He frowned.


    ¡°Hi?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Hi?¡±


    He tilted his head, wordlessly asking what my problem was.


    I rolled my eyes heavenward and let out a sarcastic bark ofughter. His eyes narrowed, darting left


    then right before settling back on me. Confusion filled his gaze.


    ¡°Hi?¡± I repeated, my annoyanceing to a head. ¡°Are you crazy? Where the hell have you been, you


    psycho!¡±


    ¡°I wa--¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?¡± I cut him off, eyes shing with anger.


    ¡°Well, I--¡±


    ¡°Why the hell have you been avoiding me?¡±


    ¡°Are yo--¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are?¡± My face distorted distastefully. ¡°What the hell were you trying to


    do just now? Run away? Again?¡±


    He pursed his lips and released his breath in a huff. ¡°Are you going to let me answer?¡±


    I bared my teeth and took threatening step forward. My expression made it clear it was not a good time


    to get cheeky. He took a step back, putting his hands up in the universal sign of surrender.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± he said.


    My eyes narrowed, anger sparking in their depths.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he quickly added.


    Mildly abated, I folded my arms across my torso and ordered, ¡°Exin yourself.¡±


    ¡°Well, I...¡± he trailed off.


    ¡°You...?¡± I prompted, tightly gripping my opposing arms to keep from giving into the urge to smack him.


    ¡°What? Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°You know what?¡± He red up suddenly. ¡°This is all your fault so drop the act.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± My tone was low, levelled and venomous.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    He shook his head, scoffed condescendingly and tried to go around me. I nted myself in his path


    again.


    ¡°The fuck are you going on about?¡±


    ¡°You! You¡¯re the problem! It¡¯s all you!¡± he exploded, throwing his hands up.


    I bristled.


    ¡°Did you just yell at me?¡± My eyebrow arched. ¡°Don¡¯t. Ever again.¡±


    He drew in a fortifying breath, closed his eyes, and then let out the breath on a sigh.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± he bit out through tightly clenched jaws, absently raking a hand through his hair.


    Thanks to his outburst, a few heads had turned our way. I gritted my teeth, irritation filling me up as I


    waited impatiently for their gazes to turn away. When it didn¡¯t fast enough, I grabbed him by the sleeve


    and dragged him out.


    ¡°What is going on? What am I missing?¡± I asked. ¡°Why are you acting weird and why did you ghost me


    like that?¡±


    ? ? ?


    Third person POV


    ? ? ?


    He had miscalcted. It was a big mistake on his path. He should have known she would be at the


    gallery opening. He should¡¯ve seen iting.


    He scowled.


    He really should¡¯ve known. Her school¡¯s logo was emzoned on the cover of the brochure for the love


    of God. He should have immediately guessed that she would be involved. She was, well, herself after


    all. Avyanna Johnson, do-it-all extraordinaire.


    Unfortunately, his brain hadn¡¯t immediately made the connection. Not until their eyes met across the


    room and thanks to being unable to bolt fast enough, he was now cornered.


    He had only himself to me. He knew that very well but as she led him outside, into the chilly night


    air, he couldn¡¯t help but want to me everyone else involved; his handler for not being able to figure


    out just what Avy was truly up to beneath all her fa?ades, his mom for being so keen on the arts and


    making him to scout for pieces to add to her already massive collection, his dad for agreeing to the


    request, the organisers for not putting Avy¡¯s name -preferably inrge neon print on the front page- on


    the brochure so he instantly knew to stay away, the couple who didn¡¯t move out of his way fast enough


    so he could escape, the waiter who thought he was in desperate need of the bathroom and slowed him


    down trying to offer directions. Not a single one of them escaped a barbed insult in his head.


    She finally came to a stop a significant distance from those loitering around the entrance. She spun on


    her heel, pinned him with a sharp unyielding gaze and said, ¡°What is going on? What am I missing?


    Why are you acting weird and why did you ghost me like that?¡±


    His mouth was dry. All the champagne in his system, giving him a pleasant buzz, instantly fizzled away.


    Just like that, he was sober and ingrained in the moment. He did not want that one bit.


    Arge part of him wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her to her senses. Another part


    wanted to shove her and her lying ass as far away from him as possible. He should¡¯ve have known


    something fishy was going on the second she didn¡¯t scream on finding him in her room that very first


    night. Well, to be fair, he did know. He just stupidly forgot thanks to her superb acting. She almost had


    him fooled.


    Never again, he swore silently.


    Thank God he went back that night. And to think he only went back because he felt bad about leaving


    her all alone, sick and dosed up on meds. How stupid of him.


    He sneered inwardly.


    At least now he knew better. Thanks to that stupid impulse, he got to hear her sleep induced


    babbling. He knew what torture PTSD looked like. He had seen some cases among the guys at the


    arena; the whimpering, the begging for it to stop, the bargaining with their tormentor, the sweating and


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    shaking, the ragged breathing. She exhibited every single sign that night before finally babbling about


    doing better, getting another chance, keeping her mouth shut and taking ¡®it¡¯ down.


    He smiled scornfully. Taking him down, he corrected.


    She really was a great actress. He had totally believed her ¡®honor roll, perfect suburban kid¡¯ act but


    every single thing had been a lie. He hadpletely bought everything she said when she was doped


    up on meds, even going as far as to feel guilty for pumping it out of her. She probably hadn¡¯t even been


    loopy at all. It most likely had all been a ploy to get him out of the house faster because the meds were


    making her drowsy and she knew what she could identally reveal in her sleep.


    His smile was bitter and tinged with self-mockery as he replied, ¡°Sorry. Things... things got a little...


    problematic at the club. There was a leak to the cops and some other hups to take care of.¡±


    For the first time ever, he lied smoothly to her. Nothing hade up at the club. The one the cops


    raided was a different club but he figured she would have at least heard of the raid but not all the


    details. He might as well throw her and her cohorts off his trail with the lie.


    He had been spying on her the whole time, hoping to catch her slip up but she was too good. Not even


    once had she done anything suspicious. He had even looked into her gaming. Apparently her


    pseudonym was very popr in the gamingmunity. A lot of professional teams had tried -and


    failed- to recruit her. ording to his findings, she would pick a video game, y it for a few years,


    build a strong ount and then sell it to pro-gamers and rich gaming enthusiasts for sizeable amounts


    of money. Of which, not a significant amount was missing from in the ount he traced it to.


    Every single thing about her checked out. Whoever was covering her tracks was pretty damn good at it.


    There was no single loose thread to unravel her web of lies. If she hadn¡¯t slipped up that night, he


    definitely would¡¯ve been fooled.


    As she stared up at him, her seemingly guileless doe eyes reflecting the streetlight, he made his


    decision. His heart slowed, pounding steadily but forcefully. He knew what he had to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s all settled now. Don¡¯t worry about it. I just thought for a second that you were the one who sent the


    cops our way but judging from your reaction, I guess it wasn¡¯t you.¡±


    He pasted a smile on his face. Two could y the lying game.

 Chapter 23: 22 - I strongly suggest you start talking

    Chapter 23: 22 - I strongly suggest you start talking


    ¡°You are literally the worst person to stalk. You know that, right?¡± he whined. ¡°You do the exact same


    boring things every single day. You¡¯re every parent¡¯s dream child. Live a little, will you?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s an idea,¡± I snarled. ¡°If I¡¯m so boring, don¡¯t stalk me. Problem solved.¡±


    My reaction was excessive. I could feel it as soon as the words were out. It was especially hostile. It


    wasn¡¯t like himining about my routine was new. He did it all the time. I was used to hearing it


    even. I wasn¡¯t even pissed. Not really. Something had just been off about him the past few days and it


    was starting to really irk me.


    He rolled his eyes, dismissing the suggestion off with a flick of his wrist.


    ¡°You have the worst part-time job,¡± he dered, looking very much bored out of his mind. ¡°You know


    that, yeah? I mean, how much do you get paid to waste away in this ce?¡±


    I paused in the process of returning a book on birdwatching to the appropriate shelf.


    ¡°Worst job?¡± I arched a brow, unamused. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Mr Illegal Fighter.¡±


    ¡°Shhhh!¡± He hissed, eyes widening.


    He shiftily nced left then right. Like anyone would be in the bird section on a hot Tuesday afternoon.


    I rolled my eyes and pushed the book into the proper slot.


    ¡°No one heard me. There¡¯s hardly anyone in the library to begin with.¡±


    My words didn¡¯t provide any relief to him. He kept looking around, worriedly chewing on his lower lip. I


    rolled my eyes exasperatedly.


    If he was so worried about giving his secret away, he should work on his own secret keeping abilities


    before worrying about the possibility of me, the queen of keeping her mouth shut, slipping up.


    He sighed in relief a few beatster, finally satisfied that no one was going to materialise to arrest him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a slow day,¡± I needlessly pointed out, pushing the now empty cart out of the way to make room for


    me to sit on the floor. ¡°Why are you even here? You ghosted me for weeks without any guilt. Why are


    you religiously showing up every day now?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow, eyeing me dubiously as I patted the space opposite me, gesturing for him to sit


    too. With a grunt conveying displeasure, he settled down with his legs stretched out to the side,


    pointedly sneering at my folded legs. I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°My co-worker wants your number,¡± I stated.


    He smirked, looking every inch an arrogant drunk-on-his-own-appeal teenage boy.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking about me?¡± he voiced.


    I considered it my duty to humanity to bring him back down to earth.


    ¡°You hang around me five out of seven days in a week. Of course, she¡¯d ask questions.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem convinced but I knew the more I tried, the less convincing I would be so I let it go. Who


    cared what he thought anyway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I told her nothing of your dirty secret. I led her to believe you¡¯re one of the students I tutor.


    One that needs special help.¡±


    He scowled, an eyebrow arching of its own ord.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t havee up with something else?¡±


    ¡°This was the most believable.¡± I shrugged innocently.


    ¡°Liar,¡± he used.


    I gave an unperturbed single shoulder jerk.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You have a girlfriend, remember?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± His brows furrowed, a suspicious frown taking hold of his face.


    ¡°Exactly. So you couldn¡¯t have gone after April either way.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to. I just--¡±


    ¡°You just what? Wanted to keep your options open?¡± I cut him off.


    ¡°No.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just... notfortable with the idea of you telling people I¡¯m stupid.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I shrugged, ¡°you kind of are.¡±


    I was expecting him to take the jab good-naturedly but instead, his expression darkened dramatically


    like I had crossed some imaginary line.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered half-heartedly. What¡¯s his problem today?


    He arched a brow, unappeased.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I conceded. ¡°I am not sorry but I¡¯m willing to pretend I am. It should make you feel better.¡±


    He rolled his eyes and ignored me. I scoffed, my mouth opening in disbelief. Why was he being petty? I


    had said worse before.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± I waved the issue off. ¡°You¡¯ve been tailing me for a while now, yeah? You know a lot about


    me.¡±


    I raised my brows waiting for him to agree.


    ¡°Ohh-kay..?¡± he drawled, eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    ¡°I barely know anything about you,¡± I continued. ¡°Start talking.¡±


    He frowned.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t tell you about--¡±


    I held up a hand, cutting him off.


    ¡°I know you can¡¯t tell me about the fighting thingy and who you¡¯re working for but you can talk about


    your real life,¡± I expanded. ¡°For now, that¡¯s all I¡¯m asking.¡±


    ¡°For now?¡± He raised his brows, his toneced with distrust.


    ¡°You¡¯ll cross that bridge when you get there.¡±


    Suspicion hardened his gaze.


    ¡°Oh,e on.¡± I rolled my eyes. What was with him and being suspicious of everything these days. ¡°At


    this point, you basically know I¡¯m harmless. There isn¡¯t more to me. Besides, what am I going to do with


    stories about your family? If I was that interested in them, don¡¯t you think I would have found it out by


    now? Instagram? Twitter? Literally any social media tform? Or even pried it out of someone at the


    charity g?¡±


    I wisely kept it to myself that I had actually tried thest option. He silently contemted my offer.


    ¡°Fine.¡± His gaze met mine. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    I allowed myself a small smile of victory.


    ¡°How many siblings do you have?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I have siblings?¡± he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Two little things known asmon sense and deductive reasoning. I know you don¡¯t understand how


    it works so don¡¯t hurt your pretty little head thinking about it.¡±


    He pursed his lips, anger coating his features.


    ¡°What the opposite of misogyny?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± My brows furrowed.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s what you are,¡± he answered. ¡°The female version of misogyny.¡±


    I smiled, my eyes crinkling at the corners.


    ¡°A, That¡¯s defamation. And b, it¡¯s personal. Against one male. Namely, you. Not against the entire


    gender so you can¡¯t really say it¡¯s misogyny with the gender roles reversed,¡± I corrected.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean other men aren¡¯t capable of worrisome levels of stupidity by the way,¡± I added.


    ¡°They are for the record.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more condescending and self-absorbed than my father. And he always thinks he¡¯s the smartest


    in the room.¡±


    ¡°Condescending, maybe. Self-absorbed, hardly,¡± I replied. ¡°Now about your siblings...?¡±


    I wasn''t going to let him change the topic so easily.


    He stayed silent, eyeing me suspiciously. I met his gaze, unwavering.


    ¡°Two siblings. An older sister and a younger one,¡± he answered curtly.


    ¡°Ages?¡±


    ¡°26 and 9.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with your parents?¡± Imented thoughtlessly.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± he hissed.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I pped my palm against my mouth. ¡°Sorry. For real this time,¡± I added following his


    disbelieving frown. ¡°What I meant is the age gap is unusually wide,¡± I rephrased.


    ¡°My mom had problems conceiving.¡± He shrugged stiffly.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°My older sister is married now,¡± he continued. ¡°To a nice guy, thank God.¡±


    ¡°You say that like you didn¡¯t expect her to marry a nice guy.¡±


    I subconsciously leaned toward him.


    ¡°My dad wanted her to marry a business partner¡¯s son,¡± he exined. ¡°You know, a proper conceited


    asshole.¡±


    ¡°You must be really rich.¡± I mused aloud.


    Only ¡®one percent-ers¡¯ try to marry their children off to business partners. It was wholly a filthy rich


    people thing.


    He shrugged.


    I knew he was stupid rich because normal rich don¡¯t just randomly donate two hundred grand on a


    whim but even so, a part of me was still surprised to be confronted with more evidence of his worth.


    It didn¡¯t help that he was moonlighting as a broke down-on-his-luck criminal.


    ¡°And your younger sister?¡± I forged on.


    ¡°She¡¯s still a kid.¡± He smilingly shrugged.


    Trantion: he loved her to pieces.


    I filed the information away in to pore over itter.


    ¡°And your parents?¡± I prodded. ¡°You know enough about mine.¡±


    ¡°My mom is...¡± he trailed off, raising his face ceiling.


    ¡°Is...?¡± I urged.


    He sighed, shoulders heaving.


    ¡°She¡¯s a good person. She has a big heart. A very kind one which would¡¯ve been a good thing if she


    wasn¡¯t married to my dad.¡± He gave an awkward one shoulder shrug. ¡°I think they love each other. Or


    at least they used to at some point. It¡¯s just old now. And faded. She doesn¡¯t have the heart to stand up


    to him.¡±


    ¡°He hits her?¡± I asked, my stomach clenching nervously.


    He shook his head. I breathed a sigh of relief, the knots in my stomach undoing themselves.


    ¡°What is it then?¡± I asked.


    He remained silent.


    What else was there? Another woman? I couldn¡¯t exactlyfortably ask that.


    ¡°Misogyny?¡± I ventured eventually, as soon as it urred to me.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He nodded. ¡°And worse.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about holding out on me.¡± I scowled, subconsciously baring my teeth. ¡°You know


    enough of my dirty secrets.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± he bit out sharply, eyes shing. ¡°You¡¯re smart. And strong. And great at everything. Good for


    you. Not everyone is like that. Respect my family¡¯s privacy andy the fuck off.¡±


    Disbelief and anger warred for dominance on my face.


    ¡°Privacy?¡± I snarled. ¡°Your family? Don¡¯t you dare try to y that card with me.¡±


    I let out a bitter chuckle. He stilled, eyes watching me like a hawk. Like he was waiting for something. I


    just wish I knew what.


    ¡°How do you think I felt having you there to hear my mom yell at me? Or when I told you that my


    parents are so strict my sister literally has to sneak out of the house to go to a sleepover? Need I


    remind you that youughed in my face and outright said my family was dysfunctional?¡±


    He subtly clenched his fists at his sides but I noticed anyway. The veins on his arms strained against


    skin. He had been off like that a lottely, suddenly getting angry over petty things and sometimes, for


    no reason at all. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t figure out why but I was over tiptoeing around him and


    trying to anticipate his mood swings. I was actually beginning to feel unsafe around him.


    I could feel myself beginning to resent him for making me feel that way. Like he was a less vtile


    version of my dad. Another person to second guess and be scared of.


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± I continued, forcing my gaze away from his clenched fists. ¡°An


    overachieving kid with parents who have his/her life nned out to the letter might but not you, a rich


    with kid who is just going to takeover daddy¡¯spany and probably run it to the ground. Youughed


    in my face when it was your turn and I took it so I strongly suggest you start spilling. Unlike you, I won¡¯t


    The fire in my eyes must¡¯ve warned him that it wasn¡¯t time to argue.


    ¡°My dad is a misogynist who looks down on everyone who has less money. He loves my mom but has


    had affairs from here to the Caribbean. He throws money at every problem and will sell anybody out to


    save himself. Happy?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like him,¡± I deduced.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he stated. ¡°He was horrible to my older sister. Still is actually. It¡¯s just not as bad now that


    she¡¯s married to an equally rich guy. He¡¯s horrible to my mom and he thinks Ellie is best seen and not


    heard. And seen only at the appropriate times, say family events.¡±


    He let out a dark chuckle that made it clear he had, for the most part, forgotten I was listening. He was


    in rant mode.


    ¡°And he¡¯s always on me.¡± He scoffed. ¡°He wants me to be just like him. Like it¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    I nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Tough,¡± I muttered eventually.


    Then it urred to me.


    ¡°Ellie?¡± I vocalized. ¡°Ellie was your sister? I mean, is your sister?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Wow.¡± I blinked. ¡°I did not see thating.¡±


    ¡°Can you believe I still felt the need to protect my dad from your judgement?¡± he mused


    absentmindedly.


    I shrugged but then realized things would get very awkward if I didn¡¯t say something.


    ¡°He¡¯s family,¡± I managed, offering almost nofort.


    I was an expert on family mind warping and I¡¯d like to think I wore it well. Judging from his story, just


    like me, he was the centrepiece in his family which meant he¡¯d have to toughen up. I might have


    offered a bit morefort if he wasn¡¯t.


    Getting a hold of himself, he pasted on a smile that felt very much like a mask.


    ¡°Where are you going for college?¡± I switched topics to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Harvard. It¡¯s tradition.¡± He shrugged.


    The smile I was trying to drum up immediately copsed.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I hissed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to Harvard,¡± I revealed. ¡°We can¡¯t both go to Harvard. I¡¯m going. You can¡¯t go. We cannot


    both be there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going where?¡± He snarled, grasping gravity of the situation.


    ¡°My sentiments exactly.¡±


    ¡°You have to go somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± I scoffed. ¡°You go somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tradition!¡± he countered.


    ¡°A, I don¡¯t care,¡± I began, counting the points off on my fingers. ¡°B, I read somewhere that tradition is


    peer pressure from dead people. And C, I am not changing for you. Harvard is my goal. It¡¯s the only


    ce I have ever considered going to so feel free to go literally anywhere else on the. Can you


    even get into Harvard? Harvard business, right? Wake up, dreamer boy.¡±


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re just indulging your pride and sense of superiority.¡± He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think I¡¯m indulging. I¡¯m still not moving over for you. You move.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just bullying,¡± he dered.


    ¡°Really? And if I give in to you, what stops that from being bullying, Mr Peer Pressure.¡± I sniped. ¡°Oh


    sorry, ¡®tradition¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re incorrigible.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what that word means?¡±


    His lips disappeared into a thin line.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered.


    I arched one unconvinced eyebrow.


    ¡°I think so,¡± he added a little less confrontationally. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought I did but you¡¯re looking at me


    like it means something different from what I think it means.¡±


    It was uncalled for and entirely inappropriate but I couldn¡¯t help it. I burst intoughter.

 Chapter 24: 23 - Fool me once

    Chapter 24: 23 - Fool me once


    ¡°Real funny,¡± Masked Idiot grumbled, falling into step with me as I walked along the curb, making the


    short trek to our vehicles.


    ¡°I thought it was.¡± I shrugged.


    The tutoring session had gone well, my student was improving by leaps and to top it off, I made


    Masked Idiot hang outside, reacquainting himself with the great outdoors for a whole hour and a half


    which he had to have hated. All things considered, I was feeling pretty good about myself.


    I stole a nce at his profile, silently debating whether or not to follow through with my n. I had


    stewed over it the entire time I was tutoring. He knew too much about me. Sure, I didn¡¯t think he would


    do anything to hurt me but something had been off about him for a while now. I couldn¡¯t shake the


    feeling something bad was about to happen. I needed to find a soft spot to press, just in case it did.


    I sneakily took a picture of him while I was in the Davidsons¡¯ house. It involved a lot of zooming in and


    improvisation but I managed it. Exining why I was standing at the window with my phone up wasn¡¯t a


    pleasant experience but I got the picture so it was worth it. As soon as I got the chance, I was going to


    ask Parker to look into him for me. Hopefully, he won¡¯t ask too many questions about why.


    Now it was time for phase two.


    ¡°I have a theory I want to run by you,¡± I informed him.


    His brows rose, confused surprise coloring his features.


    ¡°Ohh-kay.¡± He slowed his pace. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I will know when I get warm. Your expression will tell me.¡±


    ¡°My expression?¡± He frowned, stopping in his tracks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I have that part covered.¡± I shed him an innocent smile. ¡°It¡¯s something I learnt


    from my dad. It¡¯s part of the theory I want to try out.¡±


    He nodded reluctantly and gestured for me to get on with it. I stopped, drew in a deep breath, schooled


    my face into expressionless mask and faced him.


    A rich kid as an underground fighter didn¡¯t make sense for so many reasons and I definitely wasn¡¯t


    mistaken about him being rich. His watches that I had seen so far included Muellers, a Rolex, Hublots


    and a few Richard Milles. And those were just the ones I recognized. Then, there was his two hundred


    thousand dor donation at the g which pretty much cemented the rich kid theory. No illegal job paid


    that much.


    Well, drug trade and armed robbery aside.


    Fortunately, I was willing to bet I was a better shot than he was so that cancelled out high stakes armed


    robber. That and I had never seen a gun on his person. It was doubtful he had one or he would¡¯ve


    pulled it out on me already, to put the fear of God in me and whatnot.


    On the other hand, he didn¡¯t have the looks of a drug dealer. His nose was too straight and his eyes too


    known. I may or may not, sort of, have a contact in the drugwork. A friend of a friend situation. It


    wasn¡¯t a rtionship I was proud of or one that I formed knowingly but yes, I had a few skeletons in my


    closet before Masked Idiot rolled around.


    Anyway, the only usible exnation left was that there was some obscure convoluted reason for his


    illegal activities. One that didn¡¯t involve money. Money was the only universal motivator. My dad had


    hammered it into my head since I was a kid to be wary of people who didn¡¯t follow established patterns


    of greed. Anything outside the norm, especially emotional motivations, was touchy. Outliers could


    easily spell betrayal.


    I eyed him up, suspicion coating my gaze.


    I needed to trick him into revealing his motive, whatever it was because, thanks to his attitudetely, I


    was now hyper aware of the fact that I only ever felt the creepy stalker-like gaze when he was


    conveniently absent. Always only when he was unounted for.


    Sometimes you need to say things out loud to realize what you¡¯re missing. A flickered gaze, a twitch of


    the fingers, dted pupils. It¡¯s the small details you have to watch closely for. That¡¯s where you¡¯ll find


    the full story, my dad¡¯s voice reminded me.


    That was phase two. It was a trick both Olly and I had picked up from him. Well, I actually wasn¡¯t sure if


    Olly picked it up too. He always used to tell us when we were younger that sometimes we¡¯d be too


    hung up on one line of thought or on the big things that we¡¯d fail to see how the small dots connected.


    That we¡¯d ¡®be too busy trying to avoid the truck, we¡¯d end up running over the pedestrian.¡¯


    He would say we should say it out loud, think out loud. That it would help us pick up on the small clues


    and to do it in front of the suspect if possible and watch their reaction to each word. It was a trick he


    used when interrogating. He used to repeat it all the time. It pissed Olly and I off so much back then.


    We¡¯d surreptitiously roll our eyes but nod diligently whenever he was looking.


    It was time to see how well it would work on Masked Idiot.


    I nced behind, noting that we were far enough from the Davidsons¡¯ home that I wasn¡¯t going to be


    seen arguing with an unknown boy on the curb.


    ¡°What is your big theory then?¡± he inquired with an exaggerated eye roll.


    Time to get the show on the road.


    ¡°Your off days,¡± I began, pausing to prop one hand on my hip. ¡°By that I mean the days you¡¯re not


    visibly following me around.¡±


    He nodded impatiently, urging me to get to the point.


    ¡°On some of those days, you not so covertly stalk me from afar like a proper psycho, yes?¡±


    He frowned, visibly tensing. My stomach sank with despair and unexpected disappointment. It was then


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I realized how much I had been hoping it was just in my head.


    ¡°On the remaining asional days,¡± I persevered, ignoring the chill that had washed over me. ¡°You


    don¡¯t, so I¡¯m inferring it¡¯s on those days that you actually catch up on your real life. Correct?¡±


    Ease him into it, slowly and gently. You don¡¯t want him to be on guard, my dad¡¯s voice warned.


    Masked Idiot straightened his features into an unreadable mask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said.


    That was practically an admission. My stomach sank further, clenching with an unidentified feeling.


    ¡°Sure, you do.¡± My tone was conversational, teasing even. On the inside however, I was a ming


    cocktail of emotions. ¡°Now, yesterday you were away but I didn¡¯t feel that creepy gaze. The day before


    that though, you were also away and I felt it.¡±


    His expression morphed into a frown.


    ¡°Warmer?¡± I asked tersely, unable to help myself.


    I had done everything to make himfortable, to make things easier for him, to help him see that I


    had no ties to anything illegal and wanted none. How many teenage girls would have amodated


    him -a criminal, for heaven¡¯s sake- the way I had? Yet, to repay me, he was going behind my back. I


    was very quickly edging into pissed territory.


    Keep your cool, the logical part of my subconscious warned. I ignored it.


    ¡°Wow. I actually cannot believe you.¡± I took a step closer, my lips spread in a vicious smile. ¡°You have


    guts. I¡¯ll give you that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His frown deepened, portrayingck ofprehension.


    He really was staying true to his slow human act. Was I supposed to buy that? My anger


    exponentiated.


    Fine, my subconscious caved. If you¡¯re going down this road, make sure to drive him to the edge until


    he lets something slip.


    This advice I weed heartily.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Iughed darkly. ¡°I mean, wow. You actually deserve an award, you know?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°I have you made, asshole!¡± I hissed. ¡°How dare you? How...?¡± I stopped, the words getting choked by


    my anger.


    I released my breath in a huff, fisting my hands at my sides as I forced myself to take two deep breaths.


    Breathe, Avy. Calm down.


    I forced a smile unto my face, met his gaze and said, ¡°You yed it so well. I¡¯m highly impressed.¡±


    He frowned, shaking his head in a confused manner.


    ¡°To my face, you pretend you¡¯re almost kind.¡± My smile was all teeth and sharp edges. Even an obtuse


    baby wouldn¡¯t have mistaken it for a kind smile. ¡°That you¡¯re normal. That all you want from me is to


    make sure I don¡¯t say or do anything that could get you in trouble.¡± Iughed sardonically. ¡°Nicely


    done.¡±


    He nodded slowly, tentatively.


    He was either a very talented actor or he was truly confused. Obviously, it was the former. I wasn¡¯t


    going to let him fool me with that again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I hissed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare. You don¡¯t get to pretend to be clueless anymore. I know already. I


    have figured you out. On those ¡®off days¡¯ of yours, when you don¡¯t show up, I can feel you watching me.


    I just never said anything because I wanted to catch you at it. You¡¯re good though. I haven¡¯t been able


    to actually spot you doing it but I can feel it. I can tell I¡¯m being watched so just give it up.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± His brows furrowed, his forehead creasing up.


    ¡°Do you know what gave you away?¡± I continued.


    My tone was far more poisonous than an adder.


    His eyes darted left then right before settling back on me as though to be sure I was actually talking to


    him. He opened his mouth to reply but the lie he nned on spouting must not have been fully cooked


    yet because he ended up closing it a few secondster.


    My eyes narrowed to slits.


    ¡°It was your eyes, genius,¡± I revealed. ¡°The gaze I feel watching me. It¡¯s malicious. Spiteful. It¡¯s not a


    gaze that just wants to ¡®make sure I¡¯m not talking to the wrong people.¡¯ I¡¯ve had people look at me the


    way you do.¡±


    I shook my head in disbelief.


    ¡°My dad is a cop. The sheriff at that. A few times over the years, when I drop by at the station, there¡¯s a


    criminal in cuffs looking like he¡¯d love to get me alone in a dark alley. I recognize the look. I know it. I¡¯d


    recognize it anywhere. You deserve props though. You had me fooled for a minute there.¡±


    The look of utter confusion on his face unexpectedly had me faltering in my anger and conviction. His


    eyes were wide and guileless in a way that one just couldn¡¯t fake without at least being a multiple


    Oscar winner.


    Suddenly, I wasn¡¯t so sure where the lies ended and the truth began.

 Chapter 25: 24 - Burnt blackened toast

    Chapter 25: 24 - Burnt ckened toast


    ¡°My dad is a cop. The sheriff at that. I¡¯ve been on the receiving end of that gaze a lot over the years.


    Sometimes, when I stop by at the station, there¡¯s a criminal in cuffs looking like he¡¯d love to get me


    alone in a dark alley. I recognize that gaze. I know it. I¡¯d recognize it anywhere. You deserve credit


    though.¡± Iughed. It was bitter and full of self-loathing. ¡°You had me fooled for a minute there.¡±


    The look of utter confusion on his face had me faltering for a second. His eyes were wide and guileless


    in a way that one just couldn¡¯t fake without being an Oscar winner.


    I frowned.


    The main reason I let him stalk me up close and personal -other than the fact that I didn''t have much of


    a choice seeing as he would have just done it from afar- was because he wore his emotions on his


    face. The trait led me to believe that he wasn¡¯t truly a rotten criminal.


    The creepy gaze, however, was malicious in a way that would put even an ex-marine on guard. No


    rookie criminal could pull it off. It was malicious in a way that screamed hardened trigger-happy


    criminal. In a way that the eyes staring back at me at the moment just did not seem capable of.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t you,¡± I whispered.


    The words were out of my mouth before my brain even finished processing the thought but the way he


    instantly averted his gaze, clenching, then unclenching his fist made it obvious I was spot on. Oh, thank


    God. Relief engulfed me like sinking into a warm bath after a long day. I could breathe again.


    ¡°How could I have missed this?¡± I mused quietly, my eyes widening as the pieces all came together.


    I could smack myself. I deserved to be smacked. How had I missed it? How had I not even considered


    it at all? It had been staring me in the face the whole time for fuck¡¯s sake.


    ¡°It all makes sense now. Taking a day or two out of the week to catch up on all your real life


    responsibilities?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Given your intellectual capacity, it doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s not


    even usible. You¡¯re an idiot. You can¡¯t possibly fit all that work into two days. You are not smart


    enough to be that efficient.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± he cut in, a disgruntled frown on his face.


    ¡°Challenged. Whatever. You know what I mean,¡± I amended inattentively.


    It wasn¡¯t him but judging from his reaction, it was clearly someone he knew. Someone he knew well


    enough to know which days said person was watching me.


    ¡°A partner.¡± The word left my lips in a whisper. ¡°You have a partner.¡±


    It was alling together.


    ¡°Whoever he is, he¡¯s the brain behind this operation.¡± I nodded a little too eagerly. ¡°It makes sense. You


    couldn¡¯t have possibly figured all this out on your own. You¡¯re an idiot which means he¡¯s the smart one.


    And he¡¯s... not fond of the fact that I know about you.¡±


    Thest part didn¡¯te out as smoothly as I intended but admitting someone somewhere wanted to


    do bodily harm to your person wasn¡¯t exactly easy when the threat was very much real. This partner


    could be an actual murderer for all I knew.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be condescending,¡± he muttered.


    He wore a disgruntled scowl. I frowned, mentally reying my statement to figure out what he was


    referring to.


    ¡°Ahhh,¡± I mouthed. ¡°You mean about your inferior cognitive capacity?¡±


    He pursed his lips, unimpressed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to,¡± I agreed. ¡°I want to. It¡¯s second nature at this point and it''s fun.¡±


    He was trustworthy after all. It was a wee relief. The knots in my stomach slowly came undone. He


    had, in some ways, grown on me and I had been carrying the can-I-really-trust-this-guy chip on my


    shoulders since the night he broke into my room. It was draining. It felt good to finally know for sure.


    Unfortunately, while I hade for answers, this just brought up more questions. Who was this


    partner? What was their rtionship? How did all that fit into the rich kid image?


    It was time to try another trick. Needless to say, I was never going to roll my eyes or sneer at my dad


    ever again for bragging about his investigative prowess. Well, not for the rest of year at least.


    ¡°Just so you know, another thing you¡¯re bad at, besides keeping secrets, thinking on your feet and


    keeping your mouth shut, is changing the subject,¡± I switched gears, my eyes glued to him like hawk


    with its prey.


    My brain was in overdrive. A partner was something I hadn¡¯t anticipated. I had even more dots to


    connect now.


    I cast my mind back to the day we met. To everything that had happened at the arena. There had to be


    a clue I had overlooked. From the idiot who spat in my hair to the people I had been following who I


    miraculously lost sight of--


    I frowned.


    I wasn¡¯t being that absentminded. It made no sense how they were there and then suddenly, weren¡¯t. I


    shouldn¡¯t have lost sight of them that easily. Unless they were actively trying to ditch me.


    My brows furrowed, the beginnings of a headache stirring behind them.


    I couldn¡¯t exactly ask Masked Idiot about it in case it turned out to be something I wasn¡¯t supposed to


    know about. One stalker was more than enough but something about their disappearance suddenly


    seemed immensely fishy.


    I filed my suspicions away to pore overter, forced myself to drop the line of thought and focus on my


    current problem. Masked Idiot and whatever clues I might have missed during our unfortunate first


    encounter. From how his mask slid off his face that day, revealing a shocked expression. To how he


    had directed me out on autopilot. How I ran away trying to make up for the time I had lost while looking


    for a way out. How he unexpectedly appeared behind me, yelling for me to stop. How I luckily lost him


    in the mass of people exiting the building. How he magically showed up on my streetter that night.


    How he broke int-- Hang on.


    My eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Did you know who I was before that day at the arena? Had we met somewhere else?¡±


    He shook his head.


    I had no idea why it didn¡¯t ur to me before but he got my details way too fast. All he had to go on


    was a mental image of what I looked like and I knew for a fact that he didn¡¯t tail me back home. I lost


    him in the crowd, I was sure of that. It should¡¯ve taken him at least a week to track me down. Heck, he


    shouldn¡¯t have been able to track me down at all. His criminal contacts should not have turned up


    anything. It wasn¡¯t my crowd. No one could¡¯ve known anyone who could¡¯ve pointed in my direction. Not


    even my drug contact would¡¯ve thought of me. Not in a million years. I had no ties whatsoever to that


    lifestyle.


    Only a cop should¡¯ve been able to find me. Or at least, someone going through the legal process. The


    person would have had to work with a sketch artist, have my profile drawn, then run me against the


    national database if they had contacts in the force or publicized the picture on news channels and


    missing person posters if they didn¡¯t. That was the only way.


    Sure he could¡¯ve gotten someone to hack into the DMV for him but petty criminals generally wouldn¡¯t


    think along those lines. They werew enforcement steps.


    My brows furrowed, a spective glint filling my eyes as I eyed him up. Could he really...?


    ¡°You got my details fast. Very fast,¡± I stated.


    He shrugged. The movement was jerky, stiff.


    He could?


    Surprise filled me. It made no sense. It was preposterous even. The odds were unbelievably low,


    practically non-existent but he actually could be what I was thinking. It made sense in a way.


    ¡°Given how fast you got my details,¡± I began, deciding to test out the theory. It was worth a shot. ¡°I


    mean that same day, barely a few hourster, I¡¯d say you had someone who has ess to that


    information get it for you.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t expecting much of a reaction. Or any reaction at all. It was a shot in the dark. Less than one-in-


    a-million probability of being true but as he froze, every inch of him stiffening to a still, I knew I had hit


    bullseye.


    I smiled inwardly.


    So he did go through the official channels. The question now was how? Sure it wasn¡¯t unheard of for a


    cop to help a criminal behind closed doors but the second I came up, the cop should¡¯ve, would¡¯ve


    warned Masked Idiot away. That much I was sure of. They all knew me well but more than that, theyAll rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    knew my dad. That could only mean he was working with someone higher up than the local police.


    Someone who wouldn¡¯t care that my dad was the sheriff.


    ¡°Now, I know it can¡¯t be the local police otherwise my dad would¡¯ve killed me already and you would¡¯ve


    known right off the bat that I wasn¡¯t a threat so...,¡±


    I drew in a deep breath and straightened my spine. It was now or never.


    ¡°What I¡¯m asking is,¡± I met his gaze squarely, ¡°FBI? Homnd? A branch I don¡¯t even know about?¡±


    The question might as well have been a p based on his reaction. A knockout.


    ¡°What?¡± His voice was three octaves higher.


    I frowned. Was there more to it? The reaction was exaggerated for simply just paying off a Fed. Sure it


    was illegal but a lot of criminals had done it before. What else was I not seeing?


    My brows furrowed, deep creases appearing on my forehead. He was acting like I just stumbled on a


    conspiracy as opposed to a behind-the-door once-in-a-while favor.


    My eyes narrowed.


    It couldn¡¯t possibly be. He couldn¡¯t. Right? He couldn¡¯t actually be an undercover operative, could he?


    No. I shook my head. No. that was too farfetched. It was impossible.


    Unfortunately, I could see was how it made sense. It exined everything. Rich kid being an


    underground fighter? That was tenuous at best but rich government operative going undercover? It


    made more sense. Not a lot but definitely more than the former. Either that or I was losing my mind.


    What, for the love of God, had I stumbled onto?


    ¡°What?¡± His gaze shifted nervously from one ce to the next.


    I drew in a deep breath, silently wondering if my life was turning into one of those bad crime fiction


    novels. The things happening to me were that ridiculous and absurd.


    ¡°No. No, I... No. Why would you even...¡± he floundered, voice quivering so much I found myself actually


    considering the idea that my deduction could be correct.


    There was no other reason for him to be so nervous. More importantly however, if it was true, it meant I


    didn¡¯t have a criminal stalker. I had a government operative on my tail. Which was much worse. So


    much worse.


    If it were true, then this was something that could trickle down to my parents¡¯ ears. If my name so much


    as appeared in a report, I was dead meat. Parker, with his ties to the FBI and protective streak as wide


    as the Thames, would no doubt find out and my dad with his bigwig contacts inw enforcement might


    also find out and basically, I would be toast. Burnt ckened toast. Please be working for Homnd.


    Or even Interpol. Or as unlikely as it is, the CIA. Anything but FBI.


    ¡°You really should work on your lying,¡± I advised. ¡°Now answer the question, Ian. Who are you working


    for?¡±

 Chapter 26: 25 - Blessing in disguise or plain old curse

    Chapter 26: 25 - Blessing in disguise or in old curse


    I perched at the edge on of Parker¡¯s desk, stretching my legs out in front of me as my eyes did a quick


    sweep of our surroundings. No one seemed to be listening or paying any attention to me. Not even


    Parker himself who had his attention buried in the case file in front of him.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I tapped his shoulder for good measure.


    He was known for hisser-like focus. It rivalled mine even. He once read through a fight that broke out


    between a criminal and another cop right in front of his desk and didn¡¯t know at all even though it got so


    heated a shot was almost fired. He was that good at tuning out background noise.


    I tapped him again. He raised his head up slowly, eyeing me up, then down.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Although his tone was less than friendly, I didn¡¯t mind. I understood where he wasing from. I also


    hated being pulled out of studying. Or worse, reading a novel.


    ¡°Stopped by to drop off the Sheriff¡¯s jacket,¡± I lied.


    After Masked Idiot ran off without confirming my theory, I decided if I had to wait, my brain would


    explode and engineered this trip to drop off a jacket that was in fact sitting in the basement back home,


    waiting to be washed. If anyone but my dad asked though, that was my cover story. As for my dad, I


    lied I was looking for a paper, an assignment, that might¡¯ve gotten mixed up with his documents. I


    hadn¡¯t expected him to be around since he mentioned having to meet the mayor today but, apparently,


    the meeting was a short one. I had to improvise the lie on the spot when I ran into him on the way in.


    He wasn¡¯t pleased but he allowed me to search his office. When I came up emptyhanded ¨Cas


    expected-, he curtly showed me out of his office, ordering me to ¡®be more organized next time.¡¯


    And now, I was finally at Parker¡¯s desk. The entire reason I had engineered the trip to begin with.


    Parker nodded distractedly, gathering up the papers in front of him into the file.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± He went straight to the point.


    It was one of the main things I liked about him. I wasn¡¯t one for small talk unless my mom was present


    and expected it of me. It was why I didn¡¯t have so many close female friends. Thee-over-and-


    hang-at-my-ce type. Such hangouts were usually full of small talk and it was a character trait I didn¡¯t


    seem to have been born with. Well, that and I never knew when my dad would start acting up nor could


    I trust them not to do something my mom would find ill-mannered like not hang their coats properly or


    leave their shoes lying around haphazardly were the reasons I rarely ever had friends over.


    Compartmentalizing was much safer. Keeping my school life separate from my home life was just


    better.


    ¡°This guy,¡± I showed him the picture of Masked Idiot on my phone, ¡°could you help me look into him?¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± He stopped, dropped everything and gave me his full attention.


    I stiffened, watching raptly as a frown blossomed on his face.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Nothing? Then, why do you want me looking into a Fed for you?¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡± My eyes widened. Fed? My guess was actually correct?


    ¡°I ran into him a couple of times at the... hold on a sec, how do you know him? And why the hell are


    you looking into him?¡±


    ¡°We... just met. He seemed a bit sketchy, that¡¯s all.¡± I shrugged innocently.


    His eyes narrowed, his lips pursing with disapproval.


    Parker, unfortunately, happened to be one of the two people on earth that I couldn¡¯t sessfully


    bullshit. Not without effort, at least. My mom was at the top of that very short list and that was all.


    ¡°Try again,¡± he said tly.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I huffed. Bending the truth would have to suffice. ¡°I thought he was criminal. You know, he¡¯s...


    big and brawny and he kept popping up and disappearing randomly. I just wanted to be sure I wasn¡¯t


    keeping the wrong kind ofpany.¡±


    ¡°A Fed is the wrong kind ofpany,¡± he chastised.


    ¡°You were a Fed.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°And before that...¡± I trailed off, letting the implication hang between


    us.


    Rumor had it that before bing a Fed, Parker had been part of a drug cartel or some brutal gang.


    Normally, I would¡¯ve written it off as exaggerated gossip but I believed this particr tidbit. It fit. Parker


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    didn¡¯t have any family as far as anyone knew and for someone on his second job, he was too young


    and too infamous in thew enforcement world for there not to be something fishy going on behind the


    scenes. Plus, he reeked of a dark tormented past. I once caught him having a PSTD induced panic


    attack and apparently, no one else knows he gets them.


    ¡°And now I¡¯m a cop,¡± he said tly. ¡°Feel free to befriend this guy if he decides to be one too.¡±


    I refrained from rolling my eyes.


    ¡°Are you ever going to tell me why you quit being a Fed only to still work inw enforcement? It¡¯s so


    dumb it screams ¡®there¡¯s dark twisted reason here¡¯.¡±


    Another thing I liked about Parker was that I could be blunt to the extent of being borderline rude and


    he wouldn¡¯t bat an eysh. I didn¡¯t have to watch my wording or say only the socially and politically


    correct things. I could just say whatever I wanted and it¡¯d be okay.


    ¡°Never.¡±


    ¡°Not today,¡± I amended, mentally reminding myself to stay on track.


    I came for Masked Idiot. Parker¡¯s sketchy past could wait.


    He wisely refrained from objecting, knowing fully well that it would only spur an argument. He knew me


    so well. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. He mirrored the expression, throwing in an eye roll for the sake of his


    pride.


    ¡°That all?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°I¡¯d love it if you could make a call and tell me whatever I¡¯m allowed to know about this guy.¡±


    I threw in my most innocent wide-toothed smile to seal the deal. He took it in and arched an eyebrow


    as though to say, ''Nice try.''


    ¡°Only the barest basics,¡± he said tly.


    ¡°I know.¡± I rolled my eyes, giving up on the smile. ¡°What I want is just basic information. ¡®Is he working


    on something right now? Is he trustworthy? How long has he been an agent?¡¯ That kind of stuff.¡±


    Parker¡¯s expression fullymunicated distrust. He knew me well enough to know there was more I


    wasn¡¯t telling him but it also meant he knew I¡¯d be smart about whatever was going on and wouldn''t


    reveal any sensitive information I got from him. I found it hard to disclose even trivial things like what I


    had for lunch. My first thought was always ¡®why do you want to know? What¡¯s it to you?¡¯ I wasn¡¯t a very


    trusting person. Not by nature and definitely not by nurture.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± he muttered a few beatster.


    ¡°Always.¡±


    He pushed away from the desk and got to his feet. The phone was pressed against his ear, already


    dialling before he even started walking away. He was a lifesaver.


    I sighed, relief washing over me as I waited for him to return. It felt really good to know for sure that I


    was right. That Masked Idiot wasn¡¯t a threat but one of the good guys. That I wasn¡¯t putting myself in


    danger by having him around. Knots I hadn¡¯t previously noticed loosened in my shoulders.


    Thank God for small miracles, my dad¡¯s bag of tricks, and Parker and his informative contacts.


    I took out my phone, busying myself with reading new texts, replying those that warranted replies and


    ignoring the rest. Mae, my closest friend, was going to Finch¡¯s party and wanted me toe along. To


    be a bridge between her and her current crush.


    I heaved a sigh.


    He was never going to be interested. Zach was too hung up on conditioning and keeping up with the


    division one college he had gotten into but what was reason andmon sense in the face of a


    burgeoning crush. Mae was stubbornly remaining blind to all reason where Zach was concerned.


    I had nothing better to do anyway. Masked Idiot was unlikely to show up for the rest of the day. I had


    finished the series I was readingst night and nothing really appealed to me on TV these days.


    Sure, I texted back.


    Her reply was instant; a thumbs-up emoji, the dancingdy emoji and a party face emoji. I smiled


    inwardly, pocketing my phone as Parker came striding back.


    ¡°So?¡± I urged. ¡°What did you find out?¡±


    He rolled his eyes in exasperation even as a reluctant smile spread across his lips.


    ¡°Your guy is not an actual agent. He¡¯s a civilian who got pulled onto a case by ident.¡±


    Makes sense. It exined why he was so bad at everything; keeping secrets, thinking on his feet,


    telling believable lies and everything in between.


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big case. A very dangerous one. Don¡¯t go sticking your nose into it,¡± he cautioned.


    I stifled the urge to roll my eyes. Too little toote.


    ¡°I know my limits, Park,¡± I lied smoothly, openly beaming at him. ¡°Thank you for the info.¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± he added.


    ¡°I know.¡± My tone conveyed exasperation. It was time to get out before my dad started to get


    suspicious. I absolutely did not want to deal with another one of his episodester. ¡°I¡¯ll see you...


    whenever. Party. Bye.¡±


    He rolled his eyes at my pdash skeletal exnation.


    ¡°Have fun. See you whenever.¡± His attention was back in the file before I even stood up.


    I smiled, skipping jauntily to my car. Things were finally looking up.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°She knows,¡± he breathed.


    His eyes were wide and desperate like a trapped animal. His agitated pacing further reinforced the


    trapped animal aura.


    The man paused, the fountain pen he had been writing with pressed hard against the paper, creating a


    growing ck dot. Every muscle in his body drew taut.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± His voice sent a shiver down Ian''s spine. ¡°Can you seriously not go two weeks without


    blowing your cover? Damn it, Ian!¡±


    The boy sighed, raking a hand through his hair. It was obvious to any who so much as nced at him


    that he¡¯d done that at least twenty times in thest two minutes.


    ¡°Still her. Avyanna. She figured out that I--¡±


    ¡°That you what?¡±


    The ice in the man¡¯s tone could cool an erupting volcano. The boy immediately rethought his ¡®disclose


    all¡¯ policy.


    ¡°She... she uhm... she figured out that I have a partner.¡±


    He swallowed, praying he wasn¡¯t making a mistake by keeping the rest a secret.


    ¡°Figured?¡± The voice cut through the room like a whip.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He met the man¡¯s gaze with a cold hard one of his own.


    ¡°A teenage girl just figured out all on her own without any--¡±


    ¡°Yes. I just said that.¡± The boy bit out, mes leaping into his eyes.


    His pacing ground to a halt as he faced the man squarely, shoulders rolled back in military stance.


    ¡°Forgive me if I find that hard to believe,¡± the man drawled in all condescension.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s a regr kid. She¡¯s some kind of genius, right? Borderline whatever.¡±


    The man inclined his head grudgingly. She was a borderline genius ording to her records.


    ¡°And the sheriff¡¯s daughter,¡± Ian added.


    ¡°Investigative skills and deductive reasoning aren¡¯t gically inherited,¡± the man rebutted immediately,


    even as he found himself wondering if they actually were.


    Oh well, he thought, the truth wasn¡¯t important anyway.


    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. But she was raised by him. She obviously knows how to think along that line.¡± Ian


    shrugged as nonchntly as he could manage.


    If the man wasn¡¯t so caught up in his own anger and bothered to pay even the tiniest bit of attention,


    he¡¯d have noticed the tense set of Ian¡¯s shoulders. Ian knew that so he delved into his brain for a


    distraction and found himself suppressing a wry smile at the mental image of her daring smile when


    she announced that she had a theory she needed his input on. He¡¯d nked out when she said it. She


    was one of the smartest people he knew. More so now, after she easily deduced everything. He


    couldn¡¯t imagine her needing his help with academics or anything really. Only for her to strip him of all


    his carefully kept secrets like it was tattooed in scarlet ink on his forehead. She¡¯d make a fine detective.


    She could practically read minds. ¡®Inclined towards sophisticated wit?¡¯ What the hell was that even?


    ¡°What is funny about this situation?¡± the man snapped, his eyes narrowing with disapproval.


    Ian was pulled out of his musings. He was really starting to get tired of the older man¡¯s fits.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he lied smoothly, wondering why it was never as easy to lie to her.


    Practice, he decided. He¡¯d had more practice lying to the man than to her.


    ¡°So what did you tell her?¡±


    He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    To be specific, he told her that if he were working for a government agency, he wouldn¡¯t be in a ce to


    disclose it since covert operations were to be kept covert and she didn¡¯t have the clearance. In his


    defence, he did try the nothing card on her. Sheughed in his face and told him to try again which he


    did severally -all of which she called him out on- until he came up with the covert-no-clearance answer


    following which she smiled like the Cheshire cat and simply nodded.


    Her response bothered him. A lot. Unfortunately he couldn¡¯t tell the man that. She was full of herself,


    overly sarcastic and enjoyed driving him up the wall and while he still wasn¡¯t sure she was as harmless


    as she imed to be, he couldn¡¯t bear the thought of her -or anyone really- getting hurt. The man had


    beenshing out a lottely. Ian didn¡¯t trust him, not enough to risk her safety on it. Especially not after


    she imed she felt evil intent on the days the man was on watch.


    She had been right about him needing to catch up on his real life on certain days. He had training


    matches, conditioning and to actually show up, fight and win at the real matches. He couldn¡¯t tail her


    everyday even if he wanted to. On days he had to condition and train, the man did the tailing. On the


    days he had matches, he gave himself the beginning of the day off so he did the tailing depending on


    when the match ended. The days she imed she felt evil intent were the days the man tailed her.


    Only those days. He wasn¡¯tfortable with the odds. He was doing this to right a wrong but the man


    had more at stake. Ian couldn¡¯t bring himself to dismiss the voice telling him to keep the rest a secret.


    ¡°That was all that happened but I think I should be the only one keeping an eye on her from here on


    out,¡± he said.


    His voice was steady, his expression t. The man had no reason to doubt him.


    So he continued, ¡°If anyone follows and sees us, at worst they think she¡¯s my girlfriend and we¡¯re


    sneaking around because her parents won¡¯t approve. The guys from the arena will buy it. The actual


    cops might too. I can get off with that lie. You can¡¯t. It¡¯d be suspicious. The cops will think child molester


    and the guys...¡± Ian trailed off, levelling the man with a look that said more than words could.


    If only she could have seen him, she¡¯d realize with the right motivation, he actually could be a great liar.


    ¡°Fine. Fuck,¡± the man hissed, leaning his back against the chair in a way that showed that even though


    he agreed, he hated every part of agreeing.


    Ian arched a brow, wordlessly asking; what do we do now?


    ¡°Just... You have to keep watching her. We can¡¯t...¡± The man sighed, dragging a hand over his face.


    ¡°We have to wrap this operation up as soon as possible. She¡¯s too smart for her own damn good.¡±


    You don¡¯t know the half of it, Ian mused.

 Chapter 27: 26 - Chanel in knockoffs

    Chapter 27: 26 - Chanel in knockoffs


    ¡°What could you possibly have to be sad about?¡± I couldn¡¯t not roll my eyes as I asked the question.


    Considering the fact that the girl I was talking to was on the verge of tears, my tone was less than


    friendly.


    I knew I had signed up to y point guard for Mae¡¯s crush on Zach when I agreed to go to Finch¡¯s party


    but I honestly hadn¡¯t counted on her getting irrevocably emotional-blubbering-mess drunk. Had I


    known, I would¡¯ve unapologetically declined. I had enough on my te as it was and even if I didn¡¯t, I


    just wasn¡¯t one for the full range of human emotions. It wasn¡¯t my thing. It was like asking Coco Chanel


    to wear a knock-off or Einstein to organize a fun day off. No. Just no.


    ¡°He won¡¯t even look at me.¡± She sniffled, turning the full effect of her wide teary eyes on me.


    I gritted my teeth, an inborn defense mechanism to having my barely-there heartstrings tugged.


    ¡°So? You started liking him, what? Last week?¡±


    She raised her head to meet my gaze, her smile wobbling in a way that made it clear water works


    would follow if I didn¡¯t tread carefully.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I pasted a congenial smile on my face, sighing inwardly.


    I could have been at home, battling virtual characters, reading a novel or even watching reruns.


    Anything beat sitting in a corner of Finch¡¯s kitchen, consoling a friend over another friend she started


    liking less than fourteen days ago.


    I heaved a sigh, staring longingly out the window.


    One of the guys getting high out back popped in, heading straight for the fridge. He paused briefly,


    sending a nod our way. I nodded back, my impersonal smile making it clear it was not a good time to


    approach us.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Mae wailed, throwing herself into myp.


    I drew in a fortifying breath and reminded myself that roughly pushing her off might make her throw up.


    And that under normal circumstances, I actually did like her.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t,¡± I replied a beatter, my irritation under control.


    Boys were just boys. As friends, they could be pretty great but I didn¡¯t see what was so amazing about


    crushes and boyfriends. They came and went. I definitely didn¡¯t date with thoughts of marriage or


    ¡®forever¡¯ in my head. Not many people my age did either so I just couldn¡¯t see why, despite knowing


    they¡¯d only break-up, they still took boyfriends and crushes so seriously. It was just high school. If the


    feeling wasn¡¯t mutual, it was as easy as moving on to the next crush.


    I forced a smile as Ashley, one of ire¡¯s minions ¨CCharlie¡¯s angels as Masked Idiot dubbed them-


    walked into the kitchen to refill her cup of soda.


    ¡°That¡¯s because guys always like you first.¡± Mae sighed, pushing her lips into a pout as she sat up.


    ¡°You¡¯re like catnip for them.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my drink to steady myself before replying, ¡°Catnip? Really?¡±


    I could¡¯ve been having fun right now. Seriously. I wasn¡¯t trying to be an unsympathetic friend. Anything


    but boy drama and I might¡¯ve taken it seriously. Boy drama was just something I could never get


    behind.


    ¡°And you¡¯re never invested. I don¡¯t know how you do it. Like how did you walk away from Rigo? Rigo!¡±


    Her gaze, wide and confused,tched onto my face. ¡°How did you even get him to fall that hard for


    you? He¡¯s practically a serial yer.¡±


    I rolled my eyes again.


    Rigo having a crush on me hadn¡¯t exactly been fun for me. He had always been one of the cool boys,


    the coolest really but he was never on my radar. We barely used to say hi to each other until one night


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    when we got stuck walking Mae home from a party. ording to him, they were childhood friends. It


    turned out to be true but at the time, I did not know that. Mae was stupidly drunk so I was more than a


    little suspicious of his intentions when he imed he was going to be a ¡®gentleman¡¯ and walk her home.


    Everyone at ire Anne¡¯s knew Rigo. He was the biggest yer there was and he was unrepentant


    about it. Gentleman my foot. As a great friend, I, of course, insisted on apanying them. Sisterhood


    and whatnot. That was how we started talking. How he got on my radar.


    He made his intentions clear from the beginning. No strings. No talk of defining anything. Just casual


    fun. So casual we didn¡¯t even have to be friends. Of course thanks to my eternal need to


    situation. No strings attached. No meeting the parents. No picking me up from home for dates. Nothing


    that would inform my parents of his existence. It was the perfect proposition.


    On paper, it was the one entanglement that should¡¯ve worked. All the other guys I ever tried going


    down that road with wanted real rtionships and things either ended because I wasn¡¯t a good


    girlfriend -calling everyday, asking about their days, telling them about mine etcetera- or because they


    were getting close to meeting my parents.


    My parents weren¡¯t against dating but I knew them well enough to know that they¡¯d scrutinize and


    criticize every tiny detail. They wouldin about everything and if the boy didn¡¯t meet their


    standards, they would react like I had failed an important test. For the rest of my life, they¡¯d never let


    me live it down. Things were never forgotten in my house. My house was one where every time you


    screwed up, there would be a recount of every screw up you¡¯ve ever had in your life just to make you


    feel worse.


    I wasn¡¯t ready for that. At all. Unfortunately, bodies have cravings that need to be satisfied or I would¡¯ve


    Rigo was supposed to work. It should have worked. Unfortunately, he caught feelings and ruined


    everything. It became a whole big deal when he started going after me because he was Rigo and ¡®Rigo


    doesn¡¯t do rtionships,¡¯ and I was supposed to be ttered. Just like that, I was in the situation I


    wanted to avoid in the first ce and somehow still the bad person for it.


    Thankfully, it never went beyond the walls of school. At least that part of our initial agreement got


    through his skull.


    ¡°Till today, I can¡¯t tell you how it happened. I did nothing to encourage him. Not even small talk.¡±


    I barely even texted the guy. It was just the asional heated make-out session on his couch or in a


    dark corner at a party.


    She sighed heavily like she had just been told nothing else could be done, she¡¯d have to die single.


    ¡°It¡¯s your elusivity. You don¡¯t want them and even when you do, you don¡¯t want them badly. It¡¯s like; if it


    works, it works. If it doesn¡¯t, next.¡± Another heavy shoulder heaving sigh. ¡°I wish I was like that. I wish


    nothing mattered to me. That I was just fucking great at every damn thing like you.¡±


    My stomach roiled and it wasn¡¯t because of the Pepsi. I pasted a smile on my face as I stroked her hair,


    arranging it on her back.


    ¡°First, it¡¯s elusion. There¡¯s no such word as ¡®elusivity¡¯.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and tossed her empty cup aside. I graciously handed her mine even though I knew


    she¡¯d be uninterested in my lukewarm cup of soda. Pepsi.


    ¡°Second, I don¡¯t see any reason to want them badly. There are lots of boys so why stress over one?¡± I


    had enough highly demanding people to please already to bother adding one more.


    I gave a nomittal shoulder jerk, shaking my head lightly at Louise who was making a beeline for


    us. She got the message and diverted.


    ¡°Third, I did try. I wanted to work things out with Paxton, remember? He was the one who ended things.


    Andstly, I don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t do it too.¡±


    Paxton was, in some ways, the one that got away. On paper, he was the perfect candidate for a


    boyfriend. He was smart, cool and kind. He had the best smile and prettiest eyes. The fact that he had


    won the male category of ¡®take home to mama¡¯ two years in a row now said it all.


    Unfortunately, our rtionship had been ridiculously short lived. He was busy a lot with extracurricrs


    and sports, and expected me to always be the one to reach out as if I didn¡¯t have a lot going on with my


    three jobs, ¡®interning¡¯ at my mom¡¯s firm, academicpetitions and everything in between on top of the


    fact that I just wasn¡¯t a ¡®reach out¡¯ person.


    We eventually ended when his parents split -third time, for the record- and I wasn¡¯t supportive enough.


    Never mind that at the time, my mom was away and I had turned into a living breathing punching bag


    who temporarily had to take over the post of editor-in-chief of the magazine for my aunt who was


    getting treatment for her obstructive jaundice. She needed surgery and clearly entrusting a virtual


    magazine to a fourteen year old was perfectly logical.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t get how or why everyone always expected me to do it all, to make it work every time.


    A lot of time, I really just want to scream, ¡®I¡¯m a fucking kid! Give me a break!¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, after you ditched him how many times? Then only sent a text on his birthday and ghosted for a


    whole week? You didn¡¯t even go to his party that day and everyone went,¡± she recounted. ¡°You broke


    his heart.¡±


    I tried not to roll my eyes. He got hurt and yes, I wasn¡¯t the best girlfriend but he knew that before


    getting into the rtionship and it wasn¡¯t like I wanted to bail on his birthday. My dad was in one of his


    moods that day and I couldn¡¯t show up to the party bruised and crying. I was picture perfect Avyanna


    Johnson for heaven¡¯s sake.


    It hardly mattered anyway because after the altercation with daddy dearest, I cried myself to sleep only


    to wake up hourster, after the party was over. No way on God¡¯s green beautiful earth was I going to


    tell anyone that though. Being a picture perfect heartless bitch was an easier cross to bear.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± was all I said aloud.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyway.¡± Mae sighed, setting my cup down. ¡°I can¡¯t do it. I care too much. You¡¯re...


    you. No one else can be. Not the way you do it,¡± she said somberly.


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t my friend, I¡¯d so hate you,¡± she added, her words slurring a little.


    ¡°Yeah, well... good thing we¡¯re friends then.¡± I rose to my feet. That was enough heart-to-heart for one


    night. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home.¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past midnight.¡±


    She got to her feet shakily and exaggeratedly dusted herself off before locking her arm with mine. Her


    head found a resting ce between my shoulder and neck.


    I sighed and patted wisps of her hair down.


    ¡°I envy you right back, babe,¡± I whispered.


    The walk from the kitchen to my car took fifteen minutes. We kept having to stop to chat with one


    person or the other. ire included. She wrinkled her nose at my dress and snobbishly informed me


    that it wasn¡¯t my color.


    Cue my infamous eye roll.


    I heaved a sigh, quietly locking the door behind me before creeping into the house. Or at least, that


    was the n.


    ¡°Avyanna,¡± he boomed.


    His voice slurred in a way that told me the alcohol cab was missing a bottle. At least.


    I hate, hate when people call my full name. Nobody, not even teachers were allowed to. There was just


    something about other people doing it that I found disrespectful and irritating. The right to use my full


    name was entirely reserved for my parents. For when I screwed up. Or in my dad¡¯s case, when he was


    drunk or testy.


    He was currently both.


    There must have been some case that wasn¡¯t working out quite well. A ruthless criminal still atrge


    despite his efforts. Or a cold case with no leads surfacing.


    My eyelids drifted shut, resignation washing over me as my fingers reached for the light switch.


    ¡°Dad.¡± I forced a smile as the lights came on. ¡°You¡¯re still up.¡±


    He was seated at the dining table, two bottles opened in front of him. A distant part of my mind


    wondered how many, if any, had already been disposed of.


    ¡°Past midnight. A sensible respectable girl is only getting home past midnight.¡±


    The way he sneered the words had dread washing over me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean--¡±


    ¡°Then why did you?¡±


    I didn¡¯t realise I was backing away until my back hit the door. Chill after chill ran down my spine. I


    gulped, fear choking me.


    ¡°I... uh... I lost track of time.¡± Damn it, Avyanna. Grow a freaking spine.


    I didn¡¯t know why I was even trying. I had long since figured out the reason behind all these


    altercations. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t wash the cutlery well or because I didn¡¯t fold myundry -my own


    It was much simpler.


    He needed an outlet. I was there. That was all there was to it.


    ¡°And what was that today? Showing up at the station for no reason and smiling at Parker like some


    cheap flirt?¡± He undid his belt, rolling it around his hand with deliberate drawn out movements. ¡°If you


    don¡¯t have any respect for yourself, I will teach you to have some for your family.¡±


    I tried to swallow despite the painful constriction in my throat. My eyes squeezed shut, ast ditch effort


    to keep from crying.


    I¡¯ve always found it funny how most positive emotions are only felt in the brain but even the tiniest


    negative ones evoke a physical response. Churning stomach. Tight throat. Prickly eyes. Trembling


    fingers. And worst of all, tears. I pressed back into the wall, making myself smaller as he slowly


    prowled towards me, prolonging my misery. My hands fisted at my sides to hide the fear induced


    tremors.


    It would only make him angrier.


    I drew in a shaky breath, the first teardrop spilling over as his palm came crashing down. Quiet, my


    subconscious warned, don¡¯t wake Olly up or you¡¯ll drag her into this.


    So, I clenched my jaw as tightly as I could, focused on the smell of alcohol and took it. Like always.

 Chapter 28: 27 - I’m all for sex

    Chapter 28: 27 - I¡¯m all for sex


    I came out of the Davidson home to find Masked Idiot casually leaning on the hood of my car, looking


    much like a model at photoshoot. The sunshades and leather jacket worked magic for him


    I faltered mid stride, unsure of how to proceed.


    Thanks to Parker, I now knew for a fact he wasn¡¯t a criminal. Quite the opposite, a Fed. A criminal, I


    could handle. A Fed, I wasn¡¯t sure what to do it especially since he couldn¡¯t know I knew. Outing Parker


    for revealing confidential information was off the table.


    I decided to be s¨¦ and quickly sent up a prayer so it wouldn¡¯te off weird.


    ¡°What¡¯s the asion?¡± I asked, gesturing to his outfit and pose.


    It was a safe neutral conversation starter. So far so good.


    ¡°Why, hello to you too,¡± he drawled sarcastically, straightening to his full height.


    I waved it off.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure where etiquette stands on stalkers but it definitely isn¡¯t exchanging greetings like


    close friends,¡± I countered, elbowing him out of the way so I could get to the driver side door of the car.


    I was really nailing it.


    His bike was nowhere in sight. I interpreted it to mean he¡¯d be hitching a ride with me. While I wasn¡¯t in


    danger of letting it slip that I knew he was a Fed, I still didn¡¯t think spending more time than necessary


    in his presence was a good idea. In some ways, being a Fed was worse than being a criminal. A


    criminal, I could easily deny and everyone would believe me. A Fed, not so much. More so now, with


    my mom still away. If my dad got wind of this...


    I shuddered.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s grumpy,¡± he muttered under his breath, crossing over to the passenger side of the car.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked as he settled in the front seat.


    Anything to distract myself from the gruesome thought.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Where are youing from?¡± I probed.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± distrust coated his tone.


    ¡°You¡¯re dressed nicer than usual,¡± I replied, realizing that the question had probably sounded invasive


    to him even though I hadn¡¯t meant it to be. I gestured to his outfit, sparing him a cursory nce before


    returning my gaze to the rear-view mirror as I backed on to the road. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I had a date.¡±


    It was all I could do to not physically react to the reminder. In light of the new revtion that he was a


    Fed, I hadpletely forgotten the fact that he had a girlfriend. I had instantly penned him down as a


    lone wolf, like Parker the only other actual agent I knew. The idea of a date -much less a girlfriend-


    seemed preposterous now. It was stupid of me to forget that he had a one though. I was supposed to


    be constantly alert and on my toes, and not forgetting important things like a girlfriend. I could kick


    myself.


    I snuck a nce at his profile. Judging from his expression, it seemed the ¡®date¡¯ had gone awry.


    ¡°Ah.¡± I nodded emphatically, covering up my mistake. ¡°With the infamous girlfriend, yeah? What was


    her name again?¡±


    ¡°Tammy,¡± he supplied.


    ¡°Tammy,¡± I echoed, silently wondering why I didn¡¯t know any Tammys just like I didn¡¯t know any Ellies.


    Why couldn¡¯t he have been dating a girl I knew? It would¡¯ve saved both of us much from the to-trust-or-


    not-to-trust rollercoaster. I wasn¡¯t asking for much, just someone to vouch for my character and


    persuade him toy off. ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡±


    ¡°Where are we going anyway?¡± he asked, an awkward beat of silenceter.


    The question drew my attention back to the problems at hand and off him and his rtionship drama.


    ¡°Olly took our mom¡¯s car out since she¡¯s away and now it won¡¯t start,¡± I grumbled, irritation clear in my


    tone and on my face as I roughly cut off a minivan, ignoring the angry honk that came from it. ¡°I can¡¯t


    believe she did something so stupid!¡±


    ¡°Spoiling your mom¡¯s car is a bad move but she couldn¡¯t have meant to,¡± he interceded on Olly¡¯s


    behalf.


    I could feel his gaze on my profile and could pretty much hear the ¡®it was just a mistake. Why are you


    being extra?¡¯ on his lips.


    I scowled, massaging the bridge of my nose.


    ¡°My mom never signed off her touching the car. I barely get away with using mine. I mean, she still


    checks my car to make sure I¡¯m not driving recklessly. But now that the cat¡¯s away, my stupid stupid


    sister decided it was time to y.¡±


    I huffed, annoyed disbelief on my face.


    ¡°Stupidly,¡± I added, in case it wasn¡¯t already clear.


    He nodded slowly, holding his hands up in the universal sign of surrender.


    ¡°I covered for her with the sleepover and now she pulls this?¡± I hissed, impatiently honking at the car


    ahead of me. ¡°She didn¡¯t even tell me before taking the car out.¡±


    I really wanted to p some sense -and restraint while I was at it- into Olly. Did she really have no


    limits?


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Masked Idiot hummed, trying to avoid any figurativendmines.


    Fortunately, I didn¡¯t need much of a response to keep me going. I was riled up enough to go on for


    hours with just the asional ¡®hmms¡¯ and ¡®ahs¡¯.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± My eyes shed with barely leashed anger. ¡°And I¡¯m expected to just swoop in and fix it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He nodded slowly, seeming to digest the news. ¡°You definitely have a reason to be pissed.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I know! And to top it off, I was called in for an impromptu prommittee meeting. Apparently the


    caterer for the semi-formal cancelled and I have to fix it,¡± I went on passionately, seamlessly sliding into


    rant mode,pletely forgetting that I was supposed to be on my guard.


    ¡°Never mind that I¡¯m not the president, the vice or even the secretary. My position is purely honorary


    but I¡¯m supposedly ¡®a key member¡¯.¡± I scoffed. ¡°So I have to be present for important decisions. Never


    mind that I¡¯m only there to, literally, thwart any efforts to give me an award. I didn¡¯t sign up for this. I


    mean ¡®key member?¡¯ Seriously?¡±


    By the time I finished, my voice was several octaves higher and I was brimming with anger. Ian,


    fortunately, had enough sense to keep his mouth shut and his expression neutral.


    ¡°Can¡¯t people just be morepetent?¡± I pped down on my horn, aggressively overtaking the sedan


    in front of me. ¡°Depend on me less? It can¡¯t be that hard.¡±


    ¡°Hey. You can do this.¡± He shed me an encouraging smile. ¡°You¡¯ll breeze in, do your thing and have it


    all fixed in minutes. I¡¯ve seen you fix problems like they were no more than hups at the library all the


    time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± I ground out. ¡°I know I can. I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Really? Because you always gloat to me afterward.¡± He scrunched up his face, tilting his head to the


    side.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I conceded, shing him an annoyed re. ¡°I may enjoy being superwoman once in a while but


    not all the time. Not when it takes away from my downtime. I shouldn¡¯t be obligated to solve people¡¯s


    problems all the time.¡±


    Of course as soon as I realized how pitiful it sounded if you stripped way the anger backing it, I


    shrugged and pped on a cheeky smile like it was supposed to be a joke. Like I was fanning the


    mes of my pride.


    ¡°Superwoman? Really?¡± He arched a brow, thankfully ignoring thetter part.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was deliberately helping me save face or if it had actually gone over his head. His


    tone, however, screamed, ¡®You¡¯re getting ahead yourself.¡¯


    I was grateful for the life jacket regardless of where it may have originated from.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I agreed, biting my lip to keep my smile in check. ¡°I don¡¯t wear sses. Wonder woman


    is a better fit. She¡¯s from an exotic race,¡± I fluffed my curls meaningfully, ¡°doesn¡¯t wear sses or


    spandex and mostly importantly, doesn¡¯t wear masks.¡± I finished with a pointed look in his direction.


    ¡°That was not where I was heading and you know it.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°And how else would you


    suggest I keep my identity secret?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d suggest you not engage in illegal hormone-driven activities that require you to keep your identity


    secret in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Boxing isn¡¯t hormone-driven. Do you have any idea how much effort goes into training?¡±


    ¡°Semantics.¡± I waved his argument off with a flick of my wrist. ¡°How do you suppose fighting came


    about? The first person who threw a punch? Do you think it happened as a calcted purely


    intellectual act?¡±


    He scowled, folding his arms across his torso.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± I continued. ¡°Whoever it was, did it as a hormone-driven act. Pure and simple.¡±


    He shook his head with two parts exasperation and one part indignation.


    ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re condemning all hormonal acts then you¡¯re also saying you¡¯re


    against sex.¡±


    I almost smiled. That had to be worst counterargument he could have gone with. Off the top of my


    head, I coulde up with ten stronger arguments. The topic was wholly in his favor. Any proper


    debater would¡¯ve hit me with the rebuttal that pretty much everything evolved from a hormone driven


    stimuli.


    ¡°For starters,¡± I began, smiling inwardly at the knowledge that I was going to crush his defense. ¡°You¡¯re


    just trying to manipte me into acknowledging your weak point. It is uneptable, just so you know.


    Secondly, I¡¯m not denying the fact that sex is a hormone-driven exercise. The only difference is, you


    don¡¯t see people going around iming sex is an intellectual activity. If you want to deny fighting for


    what it really is, fine but don¡¯t expect me to stick my head in the sand with you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smirk as a scowl took hold of his features.


    ¡°Andstly,¡± I snickered, unable to help myself, ¡°I have nothing against sex. I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m never gonna win with you.¡± He heaved a sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you still try.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°d you¡¯re feeling better,¡± he grumbled.


    Sarcasm colored his tone.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I announced, scowling as I pulled up next to a -color me so fucking shocked- small shop


    with a neon sign advertising it as a tattoo parlor.


    Masked Idiot¡¯s head whipped towards me so fast it was a surprise he didn¡¯t sprain anything. His


    expression was full of horrified amusement. I could already hear his thoughts going, ''and I''m supposed


    to believe you''re a squeaky cleanw abiding student?''


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± I ground out, mentallying to the decision that it was high time I killed Olly. The heck


    is she doing at a tattoo parlor?

 Chapter 29: 28 - My long distance boyfriend

    Chapter 29: 28 - My long distance boyfriend


    ¡°What,¡± I spat, all but pouncing on my sister. ¡°The. Hell.¡±


    ¡°You can yell at meter,¡± she said dismissively, hurrying me towards where our mom¡¯s car was parked.


    From my peripheral vision, I noticed Masked Idiot smirk lightly but I was too preupied with Olly to


    bother with him.


    ¡°I can yell youter?¡± I hissed, disbelief at her nerve on my face. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill youter! What the


    hell were you thinking!¡±


    She flinched, shrinking away. Unfortunately, I was already on a roll. She had crossed one too many


    lines for me to even try to keep my anger in check.


    ¡°Mom¡¯s car!¡± I yelled, highlighting her transgressions. ¡°You spoilt Mom¡¯s car! At a tattoo parlor, Olly! A


    fucking tattoo parlor! Are you trying to get me killed? Have you lost your--¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± she snapped, eyes glittering with unshed tears. ¡°I know,¡± she added softly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t


    think this would happen.¡±


    She let out a sigh, sniffling quietly as she raised her head skyward to keep from crying. I swallowed the


    ¡®clearly¡¯ on the tip of my tongue and sighed. She really was born to test my limits.


    Masked Idiot who had, till now, smartly stayed out of my line of sight stepped forward, shing me a


    ¡®what¡¯s the n?¡¯ look. I sighed again, pinched the bridge of my nose and let my eyes drift shut for a


    moment while I mentally regrouped.


    I drew in a deep breath, opened my eyes and faced the problem; my mom¡¯s car.


    Olly mustered a wobbly smile. I returned it as best as I could but it came out forced and more grimace


    than smile.


    I turned away to survey the surroundings, taking note of; the purple tinge to Olly¡¯s hair tips -how I


    missed it so far was beyond me-, the two pierced boys leaning against the wall, tantly


    eavesdropping -not that I had made any efforts to be quiet in my rage- and the middle aged man


    smiling sympathetically at Olly.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Masked Idiot broke the stiff silence that had descended with a crooked smile directed at our


    audience.


    I rolled my eyes to heaven and back, stifling the urge to sigh. Olly, finally getting a hold of herself,


    stepped in to handle the introductions.


    ¡°These are Max, Trevor and Greg,¡± she said, gesturing to each one as she called out their name. ¡°And


    this is my sister and...¡±


    ¡°Ian,¡± he slid in smoothly.


    She arched a brow, throwing a curious look my way. I pretended not to notice.


    ¡°Greg,¡± I said, turning to the middle aged shop owner. ¡°What does my sister do here?¡±


    ¡°I help with the designs,¡± she piped up. ¡°I sketch them on paper,¡± she quickly added before my mind


    could go down the ¡®you tattoo people?¡¯ rabbit hole.


    I arched an eyebrow, wordlesslymunicating, ¡®Did I ask you?¡¯ to which she pouted and averted her


    gaze to the floor.


    Greg smiled.


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty good at it too,¡± he chipped in.


    I refrained from rolling my eyes. It was obvious she was good otherwise, why else would he have hired


    a seriously under-aged freshman? Besides, as her sister, I knew better than he did how artistically


    gifted she was.


    I moved on, suspiciously eyeing the two boys I ced to be somewhere in theirte teens or early


    twenties.


    ¡°And you guys...?¡±


    Trevor pushed off the wall and came to stand before me.


    ¡°I design. Like Olly. I also tat. Max tats and handles the books.¡± He stretched out a hand.


    I eyed it distrustfully and readied myself to deny the proffered hand. Before I could though, Masked


    Idiot next to me shook the proffered hand.


    I just wasn¡¯t a fan of unnecessary and avoidable skin contact.


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± he slid in smoothly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Trevor nodded, sizing him up.


    Trevor had the tall lean build of an athlete. It worked with his delicate features to create an appealing


    look. It gave him azy artsy vibe. Unfortunately, Masked Idiot moonlighted as a boxer so he was more


    built and -luckily- tall enough to escapeing off as stocky. Bottom line, Masked Idiot won but it was


    a close match. Trevor¡¯s cobalt eyes almost put him in first ce. Almost.


    I, however, barely spared either boy a nce.


    ¡°What have you done so far?¡± I faced Olly, gesturing to the car.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Smart.¡± I nodded in approval.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let us even take a look at it.¡± Trevor chipped in, closing the distance between us. ¡°We


    could¡¯ve got her started,¡± he added gesturing between himself and Max.


    I ignored hisment, catching Olly¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Good call,¡± I mouthed soundlessly.


    If they¡¯d so much a touched the inner workings of the car, our mom would know the way mothers


    always seem to know things. It was an annoying and seriously inconvenient superpower but there was


    nothing Olly or I could do about it. It was a good thing she waited for me to arrive so I could make sure


    everything was put back exactly how our mum left it when the repairs were finished.


    ¡°Open her up,¡± I ordered.


    Sheplied but not before exaggeratedly rolling her eyes me.


    ¡°You sure you can fix it?¡± My question was directed to Trevor.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied without hesitation.


    I waspletely sure he didn¡¯t take the question seriously. He had no reason to. Olly and I, on the


    other hand, had a lot riding on this. I bit my lip nervously, contemting the pros and cons of letting him


    have at it.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Masked Idiot nudged me, drawing my attention his way.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    I arched an eyebrow.


    ¡°I can help,¡± he revealed.


    The brow went higher. He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I used to rebuild old cars with my dad when I was younger. I still do actually.¡±


    ¡°Of course you did.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Rich people crazy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure normal people do that too,¡± he defended.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I acquiesced. ¡°But you said old cars and we both know what you really meant was vintage.


    Which trantes to expensive. I¡¯m sure normal people don¡¯t mean that or order fancy pricy spare parts


    from Vermont.¡±


    ¡°Vermont isn¡¯t really a car--¡±


    ¡°You get my point,¡± I interrupted, waving his rebuttal off. ¡°But, yeah, sure. Have a go at it. And please


    don¡¯t screw this up.¡±


    I took a mental picture of everything under the bo while Olly took several literal ones before we


    both stepped aside to let the boys who were wondering why we were being so fussy get to work.


    Greg and Max returned to the shop. Since there wasn¡¯t much else Olly and I could do about the car


    problem -I was really hoping it was just a disced plug or something easily fixed-, I ced both hands


    on my hips and faced my sister.


    ¡°A tint?¡± I hissed. ¡°Really?¡±


    She had enough sense to look sheepish as she fingered the ends of her hair.


    ¡°It¡¯ll wash out before she gets back and I won¡¯t let dad see. I promise.¡±


    I started to tell her how stupid a risk it was but sighed and gave up before I got the words out.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    She shrugged indifferently. That was pretty much Olly in a nutshell. My rebellious risk taking little sister


    for whose mistakes I somehow always ended up being med for. It was insane that despite that, I still


    loved her. The mind fuckery that came with having younger siblings. I shook my head.


    ¡°So, Trevor and Max, huh?¡± I shot her a pointed look.


    ¡°Oh please.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°It may be a tattoo parlor but Greg runs a respectable joint.¡±


    ¡°You say joint now.¡± I smiled sardonically ¡°Beautiful. I can¡¯t wait for mom to find out.¡±


    She rolled her eyes again but refrained frommenting.


    ¡°Max has a clich¨¦d poetry loving emo girlfriend so calm down.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried about Max. I¡¯m worried about the one under the hood trying to fix mom¡¯s car for you.¡±


    ¡°Trevor¡¯s nice like that.¡±


    ¡°Somehow I find that hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± She flicked her wrist. ¡°He¡¯s not into me.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re into him?¡± I extrapted.


    ¡°I am not,¡± she refuted firmly.


    I peered at her suspiciously, eyes narrowing until I was satisfied she was telling the truth.


    ¡°Good,¡± I dered.


    She rolled her eyes exasperatedly.


    I shot a text to the prommittee group chat that I¡¯d be a bitte while we waited for the boys to


    finish.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°Done,¡± Trevor announced, wiping his hands on his jeans before shutting the hood.


    Ian mirrored the Trevor¡¯s grin as he got out of the driver¡¯s seat, leaving the engine running.


    Olly and I exhaled audible sighs of relief before walking over to inspect their work and make sure every


    bolt, screw and cork was exactly the way our mom left it. The boys watched silently, a confused frown


    marring the face of only one. Masked Idiot knew enough about my family to be surprised only for a


    moment.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled at both of them when Olly and I were done.


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember me, do you?¡± Trevor asked, taking a step towards me.


    ¡°I take it I should?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°I was two years ahead of you in high school.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± My brows furrowed. ¡°You went to ire Anne¡¯s? I don¡¯t remember you. Did we used to talk?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°Well..., that¡¯s probably why. Anyway, thanks for today.¡± My smile was apologetic since I owed him for


    helping out with the car.


    He nodded.


    ¡°Anyway, I have to go. I have meeting that I¡¯m kind ofte to,¡± I exined apologetically before turning


    to Olly. ¡°Take the car home and leave it there.¡± My tone left no room for argument.


    ¡°I know.¡± She rolled her eyes.


    I thumped her forehead before heading off to my car. Soon enough, Ian and I were driving off in my car.


    ¡°So,¡± he drawled.


    ¡°What?¡± I nced his way.


    ¡®¡°Trevor,¡± he said by way of an exnation.


    ¡°Are we speaking in one word statements now?¡± I arched a brow.


    He rolled his eyes exasperatedly.


    ¡°He was flirting with you.¡±


    ¡°Three sentences is hardly flirting.¡±


    ¡°He was trying to get your attention the entire time we were working on the car.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going with this?¡± I raised both eyebrows.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t flirt back,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I know what I did and didn¡¯t do,¡± I drawled patronizingly.


    He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Why not?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Finally, a question.¡± I condescended, unable to help myself.


    At the dirty look he shot me, I smoothed my features into a somewhat serious expression. I owed him


    that much for chipping in with the car.


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree that he was flirting with me but to my knowledge, you don¡¯t have to flirt back every time


    someone flirts with you. If I¡¯m correct -and I am- that¡¯s called being a yer or leading people on,


    depending on the situation.¡±


    He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that. I¡¯m saying you don¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°As far as you know,¡± I corrected, even though at the moment, I actually did not have one.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been following you for months now. I¡¯d know by now if you had one.¡±


    ¡°We could be long distance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not but nice try,¡± he replied. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, despite the tattoo parlor job, he doesn¡¯t seem


    sketchy. Almost nice even.¡±


    ¡°Says the actual sketchy ass criminal.¡± I threw a pointed stare his way.


    ¡°Have it your way.¡± He shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s your sister doing at a tat ce anyway?¡±


    I nced at him, taking in his inquisitive frown that was more curious than judgemental. I might¡¯ve hit


    him if it had been the other way around.


    ¡°Rebelling.¡± I sighed wearily, wishing it was the other way around.


    I wanted an excuse to not have to answer any follow-up questions andshing out was always a


    reliable door number 3.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s true what they say about strict parents and the kids they raise.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± I nodded, turning off the highway. ¡°We are the wildest and most secretive group of kids.¡±

 Chapter 30: 29 - He’s with me

    Chapter 30: 29 - He¡¯s with me


    ¡°So,¡± I pulled out a chair to sit on at the table with the rest of the prommittee, ¡°what have you guys


    Ian dragged a chair from a nearby table and joined our small circle. A few eyebrows were raised but no


    one outright objected. An invisible ¡®he¡¯s with me¡¯ stamp was on him. I wasn¡¯t quite sure how I felt about


    being so easily associated with him but I was soon distracted by the realization that ire wasn¡¯t in


    attendance. It both annoyed and cated me. On one hand, it meant I was more valuable to the


    that really just code for she¡¯d get to enjoy her free time while I wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°We were thinking of switching to Eloise¡¯s uncle¡¯s cateringpany.¡± The secretary, ine, shrugged


    half-heartedly. ¡°They¡¯re the only ones who¡¯ll take us on such short notice.¡±


    I arched an eyebrow in disbelief, my gaze drifting from one face to the next.


    ¡°Really?¡± My tone was heavilyced with disapproval. ¡°That¡¯s the best you coulde up with?¡±


    Unexpectedly, it came out sounding so much like my mom. I shuddered involuntarily. I had been on the


    receiving end of her disapproval enough to know that it sucked a whole lot.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you do better.¡± Ralph sneered.


    I rolled my eyes, the resemnce moment instantly taking backseat. Ralph really needed to get over


    himself.


    ¡°There was a reason we didn¡¯t go for that in the first ce, remember?¡± I said, letting his jab pass


    withoutment which I knew would piss him off even more.


    They clearly did remember seeing as they all suddenly had something to pointedly stare at to avoid


    meeting my gaze. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Seriously?


    Beside me, Ian leaned forward, watching the interaction with the avid interest of a child unwrapping a


    present.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed, pulling out my phone. ¡°Give me the number of the caterers.¡±


    Ralph grudgingly supplied the number of the catering service trying to bail on our deal.


    I hit the call button and waited patiently.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hello,¡± I replied amicably, putting the call on speaker. ¡°Is this Sweetwater catering?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The voice on the other end replied.


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m calling on behalf of ire Anne high school.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡± The disappointed wariness in her tone was too heavy to be misinterpreted.


    It brought to mind the image of Louise harassing her over an angry phone call.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we had to cancel on such short notice.¡± Her tone was more passive aggressive than


    apologetic.


    My gaze shot to Louise who looked like she was barely managing to keep herself from cussing thedy


    out. I smiled inwardly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are,¡± I cooed. ¡°We understand that you need to put the needs of your business first and


    we¡¯d be more than happy to take our deposit back.¡±


    At this, everybody at the table shot me agitated looks of surprise. Ralph and ine even went as far as


    dirty looks and a hiss. All of which I ignored.


    ¡°However,¡± I continued. ¡°We think it¡¯d be in your best interest to reconsider.¡±


    The person on the other end began to reply but I cut her off.


    ¡°Just like you, we have to consider the reputation of our school first. Which means we don¡¯t have time


    to hope you change your mind. We¡¯ll be contacting a recement first thing tomorrow so we will need


    that deposit promptly. However, I feel it¡¯s only fair to warn you. This event is very important to the


    students here. I mean the student council can only do so much but since majority of the students


    already know we booked yourpany, when they find out that you cancelled on us...,¡± I paused,


    sucking in air through my teeth. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee you that we can stop them froming after you. I


    saw you linked your personal ount to your business ount on Instagram.¡±


    I let the implication sink in. Silence rang from the other end of the call. Satisfied with the reaction, I


    carried on.


    ¡°We all know what kids these days are capable of.¡± I heaved a sigh, shaking my head with false


    sympathy. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll just have to tough it out. My advice though; deactivate your personal ount.¡±


    I could practically smell her agitation.


    ¡°Just for a while,¡± I added soothingly. ¡°Till the heat of it passes. It¡¯s an elitist private school, you know?


    The students here are, of course, spoilt brats used to getting their way. Spoilt brats who know how to


    hold a grudge when they don¡¯t.¡±


    My gaze met Louise¡¯s who had her mouth hanging open. I smirked.


    ¡°But, the heat of it should¡¯ve lessened by the end of summer. With seniors jetting off to college,


    everyone will be a little distracted. The most you¡¯ll get is a few hatements by then.¡±


    I paused for effect. Silence rang back from the other end of the phone call.


    ¡°Just for a couple of weeks. In the long run it¡¯s not so horrible, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    My gaze, unbidden, swung to Ian¡¯s indecipherable one.


    ¡°Though,¡± I cleared my throat and looked away, ¡°in a town like ours where word of mouth is very


    important, business will definitely dwindle for a little while since they won¡¯t be rmending you to


    their parents or letting them hire you for any events. The kid of the Sheriff goes to our school. The


    Policemen¡¯s ball ising up, isn¡¯t it? Senator Cruise¡¯s kids as well. His kids were the ones who


    actually rmended you but I guess this is the end of the road for Sweetwater Catering and his


    family¡¯s endless stream of events. The twins are grade A grudge holders, you know?¡± I said, leisurely


    picking my nails.


    Unable to stop myself, my gaze flitted over to Masked Idiot. I nced away almost as soon as it did but


    not so fast I couldn''t take in his expression. He was still wearing the same indecipherable expression


    that made me feel like hiding my face.


    ¡°There¡¯s also Morel Corp. I hear you used to cater theirunch parties. And Greenich Global. Those are


    pretty big clients who throw frequent parties.¡±


    I exhaled noisily through my nose, mentally berating myself for looking away. I steeled my spine and


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    forced myself to meet his gaze.


    ¡°Oh well.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure you considered all that. We expect the deposit before night fall but if


    you do want to reconsider, have your final decision ready before dusk. I know you won¡¯t,¡± my tone


    turned conciliatory like I waspletely on her side and felt the offer was a nuance, ¡°but I¡¯m obligated


    to say it anyway. Have a nice day, okay? The earlier you send that deposit the better, if it¡¯s not too


    much trouble.¡±


    With that parting remark, I hung up.


    ¡°Done,¡± I announced.


    Ian blinked.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Louise exhaled.


    ¡°You¡¯re a force of nature.¡± ine beamed. ¡°Remind me to never cross you.¡±


    I turned my attention to the one person who wasn¡¯t looking at me in wonder and amazement.


    ¡°You were saying, Ralph?¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± His tone was biting. ¡°Just wow. ckmail. No surprise there.¡±


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯d have left it you, Mr Self Righteous but you couldn¡¯te up with even one idea so I suggest you


    keep your judgment to yourself.¡± I blew at my nails, flicking dirt of them. ¡°By the way, it was more


    bullying than ckmailing.¡±


    ¡°Did you have to lie about all those events at the end?¡± He hissed.


    A tiny part of me squirmed. The rest of me hardened in response to the usation.


    ¡°Ralph, you hate me.¡± I cocked my head to the side, regarding himzily, a bored expression stered


    on my face. Under the table however, my hands clenched to fists. ¡°I get it. Lucky for you, high school¡¯s


    almost over and I have better options than Stanford. So, just wait it out. You only have to put up with


    me for a little while longer.¡±


    Around us, the other members tried to keep their expressions nk. He sent me a vicious snarl that I


    waved off with a flick of my wrist.


    ¡°Also,¡± I continued nonchntly, mentally warning myself to not give my anger away by being too


    aggressive. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie. I like what they served at the tasting and I was going to rmend them for


    the Policemen¡¯s ball. Not anymore.¡±


    He opened his mouth to object but I held up a finger, silencing him as I bulldozed on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to stand in their way if my dad hears about them from


    another source. Lucky for them, I don¡¯t give a shit about prom or the award night. I¡¯m not feeling


    vengeful even though they deserve it for jumping ship simply because someone else threw more


    money their way.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± He sneered. ¡°They called it off because....¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± I cut him off. ¡°Westler High offered to pay more. You know, the school that¡¯s always


    tried to steal our caterers.¡±


    Understanding dawned on the faces of the students. Ralph¡¯s face scrunched up like he tasted


    something sour.


    ¡°How did you find out?¡± Keaton asked, not bothering to his awe.


    ¡°I saw it on Westler¡¯s Instagram. They took it down a few minutester but it was rookie move posting


    about it at all.¡±


    I shook my head and rose to my feet.


    ¡®¡°Bye.¡±


    With that, Ian and I walked out of the caf¨¦. For the record, Ian was the one who bid them goodbye, not


    me.


    ¡°That was low key bad ass,¡± he whispered close to my ear.


    My lips involuntarily curved upwards in a smile. I had to bite my lower lip to hide it.


    ¡°Of course, it was,¡± I deadpanned. ¡°It was me.¡±


    I felt, rather than saw, him exasperatedly roll his eyes.

 Chapter 31: 30 – Kill him loudly and painfully

    Chapter 31: 30 ¨C Kill him loudly and painfully


    Contrary to how crazy yesterday had been with the car scare and the prommittee debacle, today


    was shaping up to be quite peaceful. School passed by uneventfully. The prommittee even did


    some ass kissing since the caterer ended up calling with a change of heart half an hour after I left. And


    Olly, thankfully, hadn¡¯t tried to give me another heart attack so far. In fact, she had been almost angelic


    which under normal circumstances would¡¯ve been suspicious but yesterday already happened which


    meant she was also cozying up to me for having saved her ass.


    She retired to her room for the night a while ago. Our dad wasn¡¯t home yet. Everything was as I liked it,


    quiet and peaceful. I was curled up on my window seat, reading a novel on my phone with my afghan


    wrapped around me. The n was to finish the book before my dad got home, then go to bed.


    I had only a few chapters left and it seemed like the guy I wanted to get the girl was actually going to


    get the girl. I, unfortunately, had a penchant for second leads so the characters I root for rarely end up


    together but this time, it seemed like they would.


    I smiled to myself, pulling the afghan tighter around my shoulders as a cool breeze filtered in through


    the open window. I absently reached for my cup of tea while waiting for the next page to load.


    My gaze flitted out the window, taking in the clear night sky and scenic two-way street. I sighed, a quiet


    satisfaction filling up my chest.


    Well, until I spotted Ian clumsily staggering up the street.


    I almost spilled hot tea on myself in shock. What the...? He made it to my backyard before


    unexpectedly crashing to his knees.


    I frowned, gently setting the cup down when he didn¡¯t immediately get to his feet. I got to mine and


    reluctantly went down to find out what the problem was.


    ¡°Ian?¡± I called from the safety of the doorway.


    A groan was all the reply I got.


    ¡°You good? What are you doing here?¡± I tried again.


    I watched, worry beginning to gnaw at me as he slowly rose to his feet, limping the distance between


    us until like me, he was standing in the illuminated part of the doorway.


    I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth.


    His face was more red, blue and purple than his normal skin color and was liberally stained with blood.


    He was sporting a split eyebrow, an swollen shut left eye and what I hoped to God wasn¡¯t a bullet


    wound in his right arm.


    ¡°The fuck...?¡± I rushed over to him.


    He groaned.


    ¡°Are you...? What the fuck happened? You need a doctor!¡± I hissed, hooking his good arm over my


    shoulder to support his weight.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what was wrong with his left leg but a huge part of me really did not want to find out.


    ¡°Yell at me inside the house. I think I shook them off but I¡¯m not sure,¡± he managed before slipping into


    a coughing fit.


    I paused, all sense of sympathy fleeing from my mind. ''I think I shook them off...''


    ¡°You think?¡± My tone was all ice and frost. ¡°You think?¡± I repeated. ¡°Meaning, you might have led


    them...¡±


    I clenched my jaw, swallowing the rest of my statement in favor of helping him inside. He was right. If


    he had in fact led a group of criminals to my house, standing outside where we could easily get caught


    was the worst idea.


    I could just as well yell inside as I could outside. My dad wasn¡¯t home yet and Olly could sleep through


    a tornado. I could kill him as loudly and painfully as I pleased inside.


    I locked the back door behind us and helped him up to my room just in case my dad chose this


    inopportune moment to show up. A bleeding boy in the living room at midnight was just not something I


    could exin away.


    I sat him on my bed, drew my ckout curtains close, and then switched on the lights.


    I helped him take off his authentic leather boots -I couldn¡¯t help noticing, sue me- before sitting him


    down morefortably, with his back propped against my headboard, a pillow cushioning him and his


    legs stretched out on the bed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything,¡± I ordered before heading downstairs to get everything I¡¯d need to tend his


    wounds.


    I returned armed with supplies. Iid them at the foot of the bed before going back to lock my room


    door just in case. Olly could suddenly wake up and need something from me. I wasn''t willing to take


    any chances.


    I faced him, meeting his unbruised eye.


    ¡°Exin yourself,¡± I ordered.


    A part of me was impressed by how calm I sounded, especially given the fact that my heart was racing


    a mile a minute and I was lightheaded with fear.


    His eye drifted shut, a sigh leaving his lips.


    ¡°I had match this evening and then--¡±


    ¡°Not there, idiot.¡± I red. ¡°From the beginning.¡±


    A frown marred the parts of his face that weren¡¯t immovably swollen.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he acquiesced, confusion coating his tone. ¡°This morning, I got--¡±


    ¡°Not. There.¡± I ground out. ¡°The beginning beginning. Where all this started. How you got involved in all


    this. If I¡¯m going to risk my family¡¯s and my safety, I think it¡¯s only fair I have all the details. Start talking.¡±


    He sighed wearily then winced almost immediately, reminding me that he required medical attention.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix you up while you talk. Don¡¯t even think about holding out on me or I¡¯ll hand you over to the


    wolves myself.¡±


    The contents of my stomach were quickly turning into butterflies as I took in his wounds. The I-might-


    puke kind. Thankfully, he was in too much pain to notice.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he breathed.


    I gestured for him to go on as I got started on his injuries.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m a rich kid like you guessed.¡± He winced, sucking air in through his teeth as I helped him get his


    jacket and T-shirt off. ¡°Old money rich. You were right about that too.¡±


    I refrained from rolling my eyes. That part had been too obvious. I hadn¡¯t even felt that much of a sense


    of satisfaction from uncovering it.


    ¡°My family has been rich for generations. My grandmother handed the business down to my father not


    long after my older sister was born.¡±


    He paused for a deep breath, his shoulders rising and fallingboriously.


    ¡°I found outst year that not only has my dad been evading taxes for years, he¡¯s been cutting shady


    deals too. Also, we own an insurancepany which he uses to skirt thew and swindle people out


    of their money. There were a bunch of other things too but the highest on the list was that he was


    suspected of being in bed with some drugwork.¡± He stopped, hissing in pain as I prodded his chest


    for broken ribs.


    He really was lucky I used to be a devout follower of Residents and Grey¡¯s Anatomy.


    Thankfully, nothing was broken -that I knew of anyway- and what I had thought was a bullet wound was


    actually just a nasty graze from a chain-link fence apparently. The bleeding waspletely out of


    proportion and I would have told to him to have himself checked for bleeding disorders at his earliest


    convenience but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt his storytelling.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I encouraged, keeping the knowledge that his arm would need stitches to myself for the time


    being.


    ¡°It was the... drug thing that got the FBI involved.¡± He heaved, exertion worsening his pallor. ¡°I think.


    But they couldn¡¯t pin anything on him. Not a single thing. My dad doesn¡¯t just think he¡¯s the smartest in


    the room. He usually is. He came out clean. He¡¯s very good at skirting thew. There wasn¡¯t a single


    shred of evidence to pin him down but I just... knew he did it. I just knew and I couldn¡¯t...¡±


    He sighed wearily, his Adam''s apple bobbing up and down.


    ¡°Whatever. He was cleared but my grandmother found out. She¡¯s the only one who can call him out on


    stuff so she went back to being active in thepany to monitor him, thank God. But I felt like I had to


    do something at least.¡±


    He tried to shrug and quickly learnt it was a bad idea. I, on other hand, kept my thoughts on how stupid


    bing a criminal to spite his father was. It was really hard but I managed it.


    ¡°So I started sniffing around the drug thing. I even asked him one time. I know he¡¯d never incriminate


    himself. He¡¯s too smart for that but I had to try. It paid off. He told me they approached him and he


    turned them down.¡±


    He tried to smile. Keyword; tried.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I believe him.¡±


    To save him some dignity and also because I didn¡¯t have the bandwidth to so much as try tofort


    him, I pretended not to hear the desperation in his voice that made it ringly obvious he really wanted


    to believe his father.


    Something in my chest twisted. That desperation was a little too close to home.


    ¡°Anyway, he slipped up and I got the address to the arena. Lucky for me, another Carrington family


    tradition is kickboxing.¡±


    Thankfully, that little nugget slipped out right when I needed something else to focus on.


    ¡°Hang on,¡± I held up a disinfectant coated cotton bud, ¡°Carrington as in Carrington Global? As in Amina


    Corp?¡±


    My eyes felt like they would pop out of their sockets.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± I blinked.


    I knew he was rich. Really rich. But not Carrington level reach. Definitely not Carrington level. The


    Carringtons were on list of the top fifty richest families in the country. Number seven or so. They were


    obscenely rich. It was just not the kind of rich you¡¯d expect from someone you actually know personally.


    Like how you wouldn''t expect yourself to know Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. It was urban legend level rich.


    ¡°So I came down here.¡±


    I had half the mind to tell him to wait for me to finish processing the fact that I had mistaken a billionaire


    for a poor down-on-his-luck petty criminal at some point in my life. I might have if I wasn¡¯t worried it


    would make him stop talkingpletely and since I was almost done patching him up, he could decide


    he wanted to leave.


    ¡°Came from where?¡± I inquired, forcing myself to file away the shock forter.


    ¡°I lied before.¡±


    I froze, fingers stilling in the act of wiping his split brow. My mind instantly jumped from from reluctant


    but honest Fed to family dynasties built on blood and betrayal.


    My eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Lied about what?¡± My voice could¡¯ve easily cut ss.


    He flinched.

 Chapter 32: 31 - Absolutely ridiculous vs. unbelievably brilliant?

    Chapter 32: 31 - Absolutely ridiculous vs. unbelievably brilliant?


    ¡°Came from where?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°I lied before.¡±


    I froze, fingers stilling in the act of wiping his split brow. My entire being tensed.


    My eyes narrowed.


    ¡°What did you lie about?¡±


    My voice could¡¯ve easily cut ss. I was ready to feed him to the wolves.


    He flinched.


    He drew in a deep breath, mentally readying himself for the confession. All around it was a smart move


    seeing as I more than prepared to orchestrate his demise. Savouring what could possibly be hisst


    breath wasn¡¯t a bad move on his part.


    ¡°I lied about school,¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯m not in high school. I¡¯m in my first year at Harvard. I didn¡¯t lie


    about Harvard.¡±


    He pinned on thest part as though it could somehow excuse the lie he did tell.


    Relief flowed through me as I released my breath on a sigh, annoyance running through my veins. That


    build up for a lie about school? My heart almost stopped beating over a stupid lie about his level of


    education?


    I was torn between the urge to p him and the urge to throw him out the window.


    I settled for pinching the bridge of my nose while drawing in a calming breath to steady myself.


    Who the fuck cared whether or not he was high school student after everything that had happened?


    Obviously, he wasn¡¯t a high school student. From the beginning, I hadn¡¯t believed that ridiculous lie. No


    high school would have signed off on a senior taking time off. High schools weren¡¯t liberal that way,


    colleges were. It was that obvious.


    Clearly, I was wrong. Olly hadn¡¯t been sent to test my limits. He had.


    I clenched my jaw. A big part of me was already prepped for a huge betrayal and even though


    rationally, I knew I should be grateful it wasn¡¯t that, I couldn¡¯t help but be pissed. Royally pissed.


    ¡°Never again,¡± Imanded in a tone as cold as ice, ¡°lie to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he agreed, relief spreading across his features.


    I had to draw in another deep breath and look away to avoid giving in to the urge for violence.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I ground out.


    ¡°I took the semester off and came down here to investigate. One time while I was sniffing around, I


    went to watch a match and ran into Townsend.¡±


    I arched a brow, wordlessly asking who Townsend was.


    ¡°He was one of the feds who worked on my dad¡¯s case. He was working undercover at the arena and I


    almost blew his cover.¡± He grimaced. ¡°There was a lot of back and forth but, eventually, it was decided


    that the best option was for me to sign on as a contender with him as my manager and help him work


    the case from the inside. In return, my dad gets fined heavily if he is involved as opposed to jail time.¡±


    I rolled my eyes.


    I could pretty much piece together the rest of the story on my own. The partner he was working with


    was clearly this ¡®Townsend¡¯ guy and the reason he was following me around was to make sure I didn¡¯t


    blow their cover. It was practically insulting. All that trouble for nothing.


    I huffed.


    ¡°That¡¯s a sweet deal,¡± I managed, as though he didn¡¯t just confess to being an undercover agent. ¡°I had


    you pegged for someone who would bargain for more jail time though.¡±


    ¡°He is still my father,¡± was his exnation.


    I understood. After all, mine too was more sinner than saint but I still helped keep his secret regardless.


    Even from my mom.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± I nodded curtly. ¡°It¡¯s your call.¡±


    Tilting his head back for easier ess, I turned my attention to cleaning his bruised eye.


    I soon found out that the position left him with only one ce to look; me. After the heavy back story,


    his gaze on me like that was most ufortable so I did the only thing I could.


    I ced my hand over his working right eye, pretending it was more convenient for me to tilt his head


    that way. It wasn¡¯t but it got his intent gaze off me as he was forced to close the eye.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I finished with his brow, letting his head fall to its normal level. ¡°I get the gist but you need to fill


    in a few nks.¡±


    For some reason, despite the fact that I finally got what I wanted -a full exnation-, I was still


    dissatisfied. Angry even.


    He nodded.


    ¡°You said you were investigating an illegal drug trade. How did that lead you to an illegal boxing club?¡±


    ¡°The club is a front for it. We think they take advantage of the matches to meet.¡±


    ¡°An illegal trade as a front for another illegal business,¡± I mused, absently wondering if the people I


    followed the day I went to the arena thinking they were heading out were somehow connected to this. It


    would make sense how I got lost in the heart of the arena and ended up far from the exit. It also


    exined how I suddenly lost sight of them. They must¡¯ve gone through a hidden door or something. ¡°I


    can¡¯t decide if it¡¯s brilliant or absolutely ridiculous.¡±


    He gave an awkward one shoulder shrug.


    ¡°So what went wrong tonight?¡± I asked. ¡°Because this,¡± I gestured to his beat up self, ¡°looks more like a


    beat-down, an ambush than a face-off.¡±


    ¡°I finished my match early. A knockout,¡± he revealed. ¡°Townsend wanted me to follow this one guy who


    he noticed was always leaving before the end of the matches.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t this Townsend just do it himself?¡±


    ¡°The other day when you saw me changing--¡±


    ¡°Taking of your mask,¡± I amended. ¡°¡®Changing¡¯ makes it sound like I saw you naked.¡±


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    His sense of humor clearly had survived the night¡¯s altercation because he had the gall to muster a


    smile.


    ¡°Taking off my mask,¡± he echoed. ¡°Townsend was supposed to be watching my dressing room but he


    left to check something out and then you walked in. Anyway, he got caught snooping around. He was


    able to bullshit his way out of it but for the time being, he can¡¯t pull any suspicious moves so I had to go


    in his stead. And I was spotted.¡± He gestured to his face.


    ¡°So you¡¯re busted?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°I wore a ski mask and I was able to get away before they could take it off. I just have to pretend I¡¯m


    perfectly fine over the next few days and they¡¯ll overlook me. I doubt whoever it is thinks it¡¯s one of the


    fighters anyway.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re leaving it up to luck?¡± There certainly were levels to stupidity but this had to be at the top of


    the list.


    He gave a single shoulder jerk. I rolled my eyes to Mars and back. He really was an idiot. One would


    think since these people could kill him for sticking his nose in their business, he¡¯d at least havee


    up with a better n.


    ¡°Not to be a Debby Downer but you do realize you¡¯re entirely covered in bruises, right? You¡¯re not


    going to fool anyone.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll look better by morning.¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting for a while. I heal faster now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how our biology works but good luck.¡± I backed off even though I was entirely


    unconvinced. I wasn''t the one taking the risk anyway. ¡°Just onest question.¡±


    He nodded for me to go ahead.


    ¡°Whye to me?¡±


    He sighed, rubbing his good eye.


    ¡°Townsend was held up at the arena covering for me. I don¡¯t know where he lives so I couldn¡¯t go there.


    I couldn¡¯t go to my dad¡¯s ce. It¡¯s too far and he¡¯d ask questions. I couldn¡¯t go anywhere random


    since I¡¯m bleeding and people would notice. Since I started working on this, I¡¯ve been kind of living in


    an RV but it¡¯s too close to the arena. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to lose them in that distance.¡±


    His exnation made sense but I still didn¡¯t see why my house was his next option.


    ¡°You have a girlfriend.¡± I said tly. ¡°Bethany, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Tammy.¡± He winced.


    ¡°Yeah, her.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know,¡± he revealed.


    I still wasn¡¯t seeing any valid reason why my house was hisst resort. He had a girlfriend he could


    seek refuge with, yet he thought a girl he suspected might be ¡®colluding with the enemy¡¯ was a better


    choice? There were too many holes in his logic. Unless of course the reason he chose me was to


    implicate me by making it seem like I was as a double agent if, you know, I was actually colluding with


    the enemy.


    It was smart and underhanded. I was almost impressed, except he wasn''t the brightest bulb so


    chances that was the reason were low.


    ¡°Tonight would¡¯ve been a good night toe clean to her, don¡¯t you think?¡± I probed, in a bid to figure


    out the reasoning behinding to me.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Wait a second.¡± I frowned, realizing the dots weren¡¯t quite connecting. ¡°If you¡¯re all the way at Harvard,


    how is your girlfriend back here?¡±


    My eyes narrowed.


    ¡°We started dating back in high school. She doing a course at themunity college,¡± he offhandedly


    exined.


    I mulled it over for a few moments befor deciding it was an eptable exnation.


    ¡°I still think going to her should¡¯ve been higher on your list,¡± I insisted.


    ¡°She¡¯d have been hysterical. You wouldn''t. You¡¯re the most logic driven person I know. You think your


    way through everything regardless of the pressure. I needed that. There was no choice.¡±


    I pursed my lips, tilting my head to the side as I took in his guileless expression. I could tell he meant it


    as a fact and as bothpliment and insult in one neat package.


    It was time to decide whether to throw him to the wolves or not. He must have sensed it judging from


    the pleading expression he pped on.


    I sighed.


    It wasn¡¯t an entirely solid exnation but one could argue that he had been in shock in the heat of the


    moment and hadn¡¯t been thinking straight, and while it wasn¡¯t necessarily wholesome and all there, it


    was still a logical reason.


    I expelled my breath noisily through my mouth.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll ept your shitty exnation and backhanded ttery. This once. In return, I expect the truth.


    Always.¡± I packed up what was left of my first aid supplies. ¡°You can crash here tonight.¡±


    His sigh of relief was unmistakable.


    ¡°On the floor,¡± I rified, in case he was nursing any delusions of a good night¡¯s rest on myfy


    bed.

 Chapter 33: 32 - Wonder Woman and Sleeping Beauty

    Chapter 33: 32 - Wonder Woman and Sleeping Beauty


    I was the first one up. As always. Today however, I didn¡¯t get much sleep to begin with. After arranging


    for Ian to sleep on the floor, my mind couldn¡¯t get quiet. It was running a mile a minute thinking,


    overthinking and rethinking everything he had revealed.


    I wouldn¡¯t have minded if my body wasn¡¯t so exhausted it was practically begging for sleep. With


    managed to quiet my brain and get sleep on the agenda, my dad chose to show up. And to top it off, he


    chose toe in through the back door like an intruder which he only does asionally. Between


    worrying that he¡¯d find evidence like a blood stain that would lead him to find Ian in my room and a very


    realistic fear that it wasn¡¯t even him at all but rather one of the people Ian was running from, sleep


    pretty much flew out the window.


    It wasn¡¯t till sometime around 4a.m. I was finally able to drift off. Not much in the way of sleep if you did


    the calction.


    I had breakfast ready and was halfway through the dirty dishes when Olly ventured downstairs,


    yawning loudly.


    ¡°Sleep well?¡± I asked begrudgingly, my tone green with envy as I slid a te of eggs and bacon over to


    her.


    I shouldn¡¯t have bothered with breakfast. With how well tested she was, she didn¡¯t deserve it.


    She grunted an unintelligible sound.


    Olly wasn¡¯t by any stretch of imagination an early riser and if she was expected to wake up early and


    make conversation, it had to be after some form a meal.


    She devoured the contents of her te while I worked through the rest of the dishes.


    ¡°Hey, can I borrow your ck skirt? The pleated one. I want to wear it with my new boots.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I nodded absently, wiping my hands dry after putting away thest of the dishes.


    We borrowed stuff from each a lot. Her more so than me. Most times, she couldn¡¯t even be bothered to


    ask. My closet was always organized and she knew my system so it was easy for her to take things


    whenever she wanted with or without my permission. I was used to her barging into my room and


    taking whatever she wan--


    My eyes widened in horror as my thought process mmed to a stop.


    I had something to hide in my room.


    ¡°Olly! Wait!¡± I screamed, flying after her.


    She was halfway up the stairs by the time I caught up.


    ¡°What?¡± She wasn¡¯t amused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± I said as calmly as I could while panting like a seventy year old with tuberculosis.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    She eyed me suspiciously. I pasted a smile on my face. Her eyes narrowed, not buying it.


    ¡°I just organized my closet. I don¡¯t want you messing it up.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± She rolled her eyes, continuing up the stairs. ¡°I need to take my bath anyway. Just put it in


    the bathroom.¡±


    I kept the smile on my face until she entered her room. Then, I allowed myself a sigh of relief. That was


    too close. How on earth did I forget I was harbouring Ian in my room?


    I pped my hand across my face, mentally chiding myself to do better.


    I sighed, then sped off to my room.


    Ian was still sprawled at the foot of my bed, faintly snoring. One would think he¡¯d be awake by now


    given the circumstances but no, the idiot was not only sleeping in at an unsafe person¡¯s house but had


    actually slept through both my rm and my not so quiet morning rituals -taking my bath, packing my


    bag,ying out my clothes, prepping my hair-.


    I scoffed, rolling my eyes to the heavens.


    ¡°Wake up, idiot.¡± I hissed.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± He rolled over, turning his back to me.


    ¡°Get. Up.¡± I stabbed his injured arm with my index finger.


    It did the trick. With a groan of pain, his eyelids fluttered open.


    ¡°Morning, Sleeping Beauty,¡± I sniped, walking over to my closet.


    I picked out the skirt Olly wanted and headed to the bathroom door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you in a sec,¡± I informed him.


    Olly was in the shower as expected so I draped the skirt over the basin by the door leading to her room


    so she¡¯d pick it up on her way out.


    I returned to my room.


    ¡°I have school in a little while. What¡¯s your n?¡± I asked the boy who was still groggily rubbing his


    good hand over his unbruised eye.


    Surprisingly, he had been right about the quick healing thing. His face looked markedly better.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see Townsend,¡± he answered.


    It was clear he spouted the first idea that popped into his head and hadn¡¯t actually thought it through.


    I managed to refrain from rolling my eyes at his suggestion.


    ¡°Is that safe?¡± I pointed out the obvious, gesturing for him to turn around while I pulled a shirt over my


    tank top and switched out the sweatpants I had on for a corduroy wine colored skirt that stopped just


    short of my knees.


    I took hisck of reply as a negative and forged on.


    ¡°Also, won¡¯t rolling up battered and bruised raise eyebrows?¡±


    Once again, he stayed conveniently quiet.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t thought this through at all, have you?¡± I slipped on a pair of pumps.


    ¡°I just woke up. Cut me some ck.¡± He yawned, shoulders drooping a little.


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Lucky for you, I have.¡± All night long to be specific.


    His back was still to me but I knew in my bones he was rolling his eyes. I rolled mine right back.


    ¡°You can turn around now,¡± I said, taking a seat at my dresser to put up my hair.


    ¡°Thanks forst night,¡± he said quietly, shuffling from one foot to the other nervously.


    ¡°Well,¡± I met his eyes through the mirror, ¡°I am Wonder woman after all.¡±


    He instantly rxed, shing me a grateful smile.


    ¡°You can rest here for now and meet up with me after school. Or you can go back and pretend you


    spent the night at your girlfriend¡¯s.¡±


    I set down my hairbrush and picked up a scrunchie.


    ¡°To cover your bases,¡± I continued. ¡°It means you¡¯ll have to see her today. I rmend going this


    morning so your alibi looks airtight at a nce. Also, you might want to stop at a makeup store to get


    concealer in your color. Or ask Tammy to do it for you.¡±


    ¡°This is why I chose you. Your ability to rationalize your way through anything.¡± Gratitude filled his


    features. ¡°You don¡¯t even like me. Is there anything you can¡¯t do?¡±


    ¡°Ditch you, apparently,¡± I quipped without any real bite to my tone. I finished my hair and rose to my


    feet, turning to face him. ¡°You can leave out the window.¡±


    His jaw ckened as he stared, looking me over from the bun of my hair to the pumps on my feet.


    My brows furrowed.


    ¡°Problem?¡± I asked.


    He shook his head. It didn¡¯t seem like all was good but I didn¡¯t have time to get into it so I let it slide.


    ¡°Oh-kay,¡± I drawled. ¡°Just remember toe up with a lie to tell Tammy if you¡¯re still not ready to tell


    her the truth. Normally, I won¡¯t rmending clean but you¡¯re white. It¡¯s what you guys do. You


    share your life story the first good chance you get.¡±


    ¡°That was racist.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Maybe not. But you have to admit, ck people aren¡¯t as trusting as whites. The


    ¡°Technically, that¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°Technically, you¡¯re a liar who deceived me, a ck person into thinking what you wanted me to think.


    Sounds like history repeating itself, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I shot him a pointed stare.


    He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°A liar who needs toe up with a new lie to tell his girlfriend. I¡¯m guessing she isn¡¯t white either.


    What is she? Mexican? Cuban?¡±


    ? ? ?


    I was absentminded.


    I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the teacher or even to my friends who kept trying to pass me notes. I


    couldn¡¯t bring myself to get out of my head. There was too much going on. Too much to think about


    thanks to Masked Idiot. I knew it was a bad idea the second I stepped foot in that arena but I hadn¡¯t


    expected myself to get embroiled in an undercover FBI mission. No matter how I looked at it, it was


    insane. Barely believable. It made no sense.


    I sighed heavily, hooking one of the two locks of hair I had left down behind my ear.


    ¡°Avy.¡± Mae nudged me with her shoulder.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± I tuned back in to find that I was the only one who hadn¡¯t finished her meal and the other five


    girls sitting with me, staring at me hungrily. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the new guy? I heard he was at the library with you too.¡± She wriggled her brows suggestively.


    ¡°New guy?¡± I frowned, drawing a nk.


    The wriggled brows meant she was talking about a boy I liked but between the drama with Masked


    Idiot and taking care of things in my mom¡¯s absence, there wasn¡¯t any time to eve--


    I reeled back, surprise blossoming on my face. She couldn¡¯t possibly be referring to Masked Idiot,


    right?


    ¡°That guy,¡± ire chipped in, taking advantage of my silence to unt her knowledge. ¡°Is Ian


    Carrington. Yes, the Carringtons you¡¯re thinking off.¡±


    I almost face-palmed. Of course she was talking about him. After all, he was the only guy I was


    regrly with these days and she was blissfully unaware of the circumstances that brought us together.


    Of course, she¡¯d conclude I liked him.


    I shed a snarl in ire¡¯s direction. Why did she have to step in and supply his name like it was any of


    her business.


    ¡°How¡¯d you figure, ire?¡± My caustic tone was barely veiled with sharine.


    ¡°Found his Instagram,¡± she replied innocently.


    ¡°Oh my God! That Ian. I follow him. I didn¡¯t even realize it was him. Oh my God.¡± One of the ¡®Charlie¡¯s


    Angels¡¯ as Ian had dubbed gushed.


    ¡°Woah.¡± Mae breathed.


    ¡°The question is,¡± ire smiled, her clear gray eyes honing in on her prey; me, ¡°how do you know him,


    Avy?¡±


    I kept my expression nk and uninterested.


    ¡°We ran into each other.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I needed directions. He helped me out.¡±


    Based on past precedent and my disinterested attitude, they knew that was all they were going to get


    out of me so they settled for stalking his Instagram profile which had quite a number of shirtless photos


    at foreign beaches.


    Needless to say, I had enough material to tease Ian with forever if I so pleased.

 Chapter 34: 33 - All the charm of a boy band

    Chapter 34: 33 - All the charm of a boy band


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Ian was showing up unannounced at my school. While I wasn¡¯t as surprised as


    the first time, I was just as irritated. Maybe even more so considering the fact that he was drawing a lot


    more curious gazes this time as he causally lounged against my car with his jacket hanging jauntily


    over his shoulder like there was a hidden film crew secretly taping the event. That and the fact that I


    hadn¡¯t ditched my friends yet annoyed me to no end.


    He couldn¡¯t have picked a worse day to show up. I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking postst night¡¯s


    confession but in my book, he was still a dirty secret I needed to hide. Showing up unannounced at my


    school with ire out for blood was one hundred percent uneptable.


    The girls started walking in his direction before I even took a step forward.


    I scowled and quickened my pace, getting to him just a few moments before they did.


    ¡°I told you to wait at home!¡± I hissed quietly.


    ¡°You always go directly to your job. I figured I¡¯d better meet you here,¡± he whispered back just as the


    girls came to stop behind me.


    I shot him a look that made it clear I wasn¡¯t a fan of his idea before pasting an amicable smile on my


    face. I turned to face my friends so Ian and I were standing next to each other, facing them.


    ¡°Guys, this is Mask-- Ian.¡± My smile felt like more teeth than lips but with their attention firmly fixed on


    Ian, they didn¡¯t notice. They didn¡¯t even catch the blunder I almost made saying his name. ¡°Ian, my


    ssmates. Mae. ire. Tony. Bailey. Cara.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± ire led the coop, an angelic smile on her face.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Ian nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re picking Avy up?¡± she asked innocently.


    I managed to refrain from scowling but I didn¡¯t buy her act one bit.


    ¡°Uhmm,¡± he hinged, looking for me to help.


    Keeping my expression neutral became so much harder.


    I couldn¡¯tmunicate to him that it was a question that required a lie. Not with ire¡¯s hawk-like gaze


    trained on me, waiting for any slip-ups. Any tells. If I so much as nced at Ian, she would know


    something was up, that I had something to hide so, I kept my gaze on the others and prayed he would


    be smart enough -for the first time ever- toe up with an eptable response on his own.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± He shrugged when no help came from me.


    It took all my willpower not to p a hand against my forehead in exasperation. His response would


    have ire panting for more.


    ¡°Really?¡± She beamed, eyes narrowing imperceptibly.


    ¡°Yeah, I need her help with something. She¡¯s the smartest person I know,¡± he embellished, then threw


    in a shrug at the end like it was supposed to bemon knowledge.


    I exhaled a breath as quietly, the tension in my shoulders fading away. A smile was easy to drum up


    now.


    ¡°Real smart.¡± ire smiled tightly.


    I was the only one who caught the annoyed glint in her eyes.


    ¡°Well, we have to go. See you girls tomorrow.¡± I feigned disappointment, hurriedly herding Ian into the


    car.


    We couldn¡¯t get away fast enough.


    ncing at his profile, I said, ¡°Tammy did a good job with your makeup. What lie did you feed her?¡±


    He sighed, gingerly touching his expertly concealed ck eye.


    ¡°Kick boxing. Told her my dad was in a foul mood.¡¯


    ¡°We might make a liar of you yet.¡± I shed him an approving smile.


    He shrugged self-consciously, his neck turning a light shade of red. It informed me he¡¯d never be a


    good liar. How Tammy bought his lie was beyond me. Bodynguage was his biggest tell.


    ¡°What was that just now, by the way?¡± he inquired. ¡°That girl. It felt like she was fishing for something.¡±


    ¡°ire is always fishing.¡± I shrugged, keeping my face nk. ¡°You did good though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± He shed me a boyish grin that had me rolling my eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself there, Bucky.¡±


    A reluctant smile tugged at my lips as I nced at him.


    ¡°If she¡¯s your friend, why was she acting that way?¡± he asked after a beat.


    I took my eyes off the road for a second, nced at him, then sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯splicated. We¡¯re not friends but we are not exactly enemies. Well,¡± I frowned, unconsciously


    tightening my grip on the steering, ¡°I don¡¯t think of her as an enemy but I wouldn¡¯t call her a friend. An


    irritation, yes. An annoyance, yes but we¡¯re too passive for actual enemy status. It¡¯s more that we just


    have the same group of friends and are mature enough to keep our differences to ourselves.¡±


    He rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. My eyes narrowed in irritation as I wondered


    whether or not to pursue it. Eventually, I decided to let it go. It wasn¡¯t worth the effort.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I needlessly announced, pulling up at the library.


    He was a familiar face at the library now so hardly anyone -my co-worker or the regrs- blinked when


    he trailed in behind me. I immediately got to work updating the log. He perched gingerly at the edge of


    my desk, throwing and catching a stress ball he snagged from April¡¯s desk.


    ¡°I sense a story between you and her. She''s the same one from the day you fell sick. What''s up with


    you two?¡± he asked conversationally, sparing me a side nce. ¡°We both know I was going to ask


    eventually.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s none of your business,¡± I said tly, not taking my eyes off the desktop screen.


    ¡°Ohe on,¡± he cajoled, inserting his face in the space between mine and theputer screen,


    awarding me an up-close-and-personal view of his molten brown eyes that I soon discovered contained


    flecks of golden yellow.


    I didn¡¯t need to know that.


    Entirely irrelevant to the topic of conversation, he also had pale, soft looking lips, big eyebrows that


    somehow still worked and a barely there beard which he, no doubt, constantly shaved.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you.¡± I cleared my throat awkwardly, pushing his head out of my field of vision. ¡°Don¡¯t do


    that again.¡±


    He grinned with all the roguish charm of a boy band member and for a second I understood why he


    had so many Instagram followers.


    ¡°ire,¡± I cleared my throat again, cowardly averting my gaze, ¡°is smart. Really smart and she has the


    guts -and the brains- to go after what she wants. I respect that.¡±


    He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I continued, the contents of my stomach settling down as my attention returned to the work I


    was doing. ¡°She moved to town in middle school. Before that, she was the best at everything. She had


    always been the best student, the smartest one in ss.¡±


    ¡°Until she met you,¡± he deduced.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I sighed. ¡°Until she met me.¡±


    Several people went their whole lives without such an awakening, without realizing that no matter how


    hard they tried, they could only be second best so I sort of understood her resentment but it wasn¡¯t my


    fault. I didn¡¯t ask her to move here, toe to my school. She, somehow, was blind to that.


    ¡°I think at first she told herself -and everyone else- that it was because she was new. You know,


    adjusting to the environment and the school¡¯s style of teaching.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± he prompted, tilting his head.


    ¡°But by the next semester, I was still top of the ss. And the next. And the next until it became


    obvious it wasn¡¯t going to change. So, she narrowed her sights to one subject. I think at that point, all


    she wanted was to beat me at something no matter cost.¡± I shrugged dismissively even though till now,


    the knowledge still made something inside me feel off. ¡°She colluded with this guy in my ss who also


    isn¡¯t my biggest fan. Ralph. You met him the other day. Remember?¡±


    He nodded affirmative.


    ¡°They were to each focus on one subject they could beat me at. Which is dumb because I wasn¡¯t the


    best at everything. There were a subject I was second ce at. French. Anyway, I still... I beat them


    even in the subjects they chose and I was going through a rebellious phase back then. Acting out and


    all that.¡±


    I shuddered, recalling all the dark themed outfits, the miscing my notes and refusing to study, the not


    turning in assignments. It all felt like that was an entirely different person now. I almost couldn¡¯t believe


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I had ever done that.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t studying at all and everyone knew it which made matters worse. I wasn¡¯t trying but I still beat


    them. It was a hard pill to swallow, I guess.¡± I shrugged, sparing Ian a nce as my fingers danced


    across the keyboard.


    He wore a sympathetic expression that turned my stomach. Everyone always sympathized with ire.


    It was her superpower. She could make any wrong she got caught in seem understandable.


    I never told my side of the story so it was easy for her to manipte everyone into believing hers. I had


    never been able to elicit and manipte sympathy like that and I hoped to God I never learn how to.


    Sympathy was just a shade away from pity. Sometimes, it was even just a prettier name for it. I¡¯d much


    rather suck it up than have that. So that was what I did. I sucked it up and moved on. Even when she


    got everybody to start calling me names.


    I heaved a sigh, meeting Masked Idiot¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Anyway, it pissed her off beyond belief. So the next semester, she somehow stole our exam questions.


    I still beat her though.¡± My lips curled into a vindictive smile. ¡°She eventually realized it was never going


    to happen and dropped all the ploys. Now, we¡¯re at an impasse of sorts. She acts like it never


    happened from her high horse. Like it¡¯s all forgotten,¡± I finished, slightly surprised by the bitterness in


    my voice.


    ¡°There was no apology?¡± Ian asked, staring at me intently. ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t snitch?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± My smile was ugly, vicious and dipped in self-loathing. ¡°She ended uping out as poor


    little Cindere who was just trying to get what she wanted and oh, oops if she went about it the wrong


    way.¡±


    I realized I had identally typed in the wrong entry. I punched the keys a little too hard as I


    backspaced and corrected it. Then, I fisted my hands, lowering them to myp as I drew in a calming


    breath.


    Rx, I reminded myself.


    ¡°Nobody really knew the details. I¡¯m sure ire spun somepletely different story because,


    suddenly, I was the bad guy even though I had done nothing but have higher intellectual capacity.¡± I


    forced a shrug. ¡°Anyway, it didn¡¯t matter at the time because I was going through my rebellious phase. I


    was fighting a lot. With my parents. I had a lot on my te so I just couldn¡¯t be bothered about a girl at


    school who was making people call me names simply because I scored higher on a test. It sucked


    but... life sucks sometimes. I never called her or Ralph out on it. I just... took it.¡±


    An awkward bit of silence passed and I finally looked up, meeting his gaze.


    ¡°I hate that,¡± I admitted.


    He blinked and stared, not saying anything. I forced a smile, then averted my gaze, returning my


    attention to the desk unit as the most ufortable silence ever descended between us.


    He cleared his throat noisily, drawing my gaze back to him.


    ¡°Do you know what we should do?¡± he asked.

 Chapter 35: 34 - Lucky for us, I was a great liar.

    Chapter 35: 34 - Lucky for us, I was a great liar.


    An awkward bit of silence passed and I finally looked up, meeting his gaze.


    ¡°I hate that.¡±


    He blinked and stared back, not saying anything. I forced a smile, then averted my gaze, returning my


    attention to the desk unit as the most ufortable silence ever settled between us.


    He cleared his throat, drawing my gaze back to him.


    ¡°Do you know what we should do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Screw her over,¡± he answered. ¡°Seriously. You¡¯re crazy smart. You cane up with a legit n. I can


    help you carry it out. My sister had to deal with something simr too when she was young.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just nine,¡± I said tly.


    ¡°My older sister,¡± he rified.


    That made more sense but I still wasn¡¯t interested. I understood the sentiment behind the offer and it


    was exactly why I was unwilling to ept it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pity me.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Pity you?¡± He raised his eyebrows. ¡°You?¡±


    I shrugged. It was the reason he was oh so chivalrously offering to mess with ire, wasn¡¯t it? I wasn¡¯t


    stupid nor was I interested.


    ¡°Whoever pities you ispletely stupid and contrary to what you believe, I¡¯m not. I know you¡¯re tough.


    I¡¯ve seen it. I know what you¡¯re capable of.¡± He gave a one shoulder jerk. ¡°I¡¯m not denying that it


    must¡¯ve hurt but I know you. I wasn¡¯t even going to say sorry.¡±


    I arched one eyebrow, disbelief coloring my face specifically at thest part of his statement.


    ¡°You heard right.¡± He held my gaze. ¡°You¡¯ve insulted me way too often for me not to know you have a


    tough skin. Remember all the times you outright called me dumb. Not to mention the times you implied


    it.¡±


    A gasp of surprisedughter bubbled out of me. He shrugged and I found myself smiling in genuine


    appreciation.


    ¡°I used ¡®idiot¡¯ more than any other adjectives,¡± I corrected. ¡°For uracy¡¯s sake.¡±


    He rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips. My answering smile was so wide it made my cheeks ache.


    ¡°I have a question.¡± His expression suddenly turned serious.


    My smile copsed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d ask ire myself but it feels like a touchy subject so I¡¯d just rather ask you than go behind your


    back. I¡¯ve seen you in action so I¡¯d prefer to not be a target.¡±


    ¡°What you want to know?¡± I asked reluctantly.


    ¡°ire. How did she manage to pull one on you? You have eyes in the back of your head. I want to


    know how she did it.¡±


    I released the breath I had been holding, relief flooding through me. All that anxiety for nothing. He


    really needed to stop building up to questions or confessions and just outright say whatever he had to


    say. Who builds up to random only mildly invasive questions, for the love of God? I shook my head


    exasperatedly.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± I stated.


    Suddenly, all I wanted to do wasugh. So I did. But once I started, I couldn¡¯t stop. The whole while, I


    was conscious of Ian¡¯s confused gaze on my face. Still, I keptughing.


    ¡°No seriously,¡± he pressed.


    I could see why that nugget of information would be important to him, especially since he¡¯d never


    sessfully pulled one on me himself but in the face of everything, there was something intrinsically


    hrious about the idea that an undercover special officer was avidly interested in how to pull one over


    a sixteen year old high school student.


    Somehow, I managed to quiet down for a moment.


    ¡°I was quiet in middle school. Harmless,¡± I answered, forcing myself to swallow what was left of my


    At the word ¡®harmless,¡¯ he shed me a skeptical frown. I smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± I reaffirmed. ¡°I grew up smart and when you¡¯re that smart from a young age, you naturally


    be the teacher¡¯s pet. You have peopleparing others to you. Saying how you¡¯re smart, not


    disruptive and things like that. It warps you a little bit.¡±


    I shrugged, doing my best to ignore the sudden bout of self-consciousness.


    ¡°You start feeling like you always have to be just that - smart, quiet, not disruptive- all the time.¡±


    He nodded slowly.


    ¡°So,¡± I said brightly, shaking the mncholy off as best as I could. ¡°I was quiet and not disruptive the


    way smart kids always are. It was part of what spurred my rebellious phase on.¡±


    He nodded, staring at me like I was something he couldn¡¯t quite fully understand.


    ¡°Every time I think I get you.¡± He shook his head.


    I overlooked his uncalled for internal reflection.


    ¡°I wanted to stop feeling like all I had was because I was good at school and a model kid at home. Like


    it was all conditional and would all go away the second I failed. Or the second I stopped conforming.¡±


    I heaved a sigh.


    ¡°So I started acting out.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I stopped studying. Stopped doing everything I was supposed to.¡±


    My gaze found his.


    ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± He frowned. ¡°You¡¯re pretty much every parent¡¯s dream child. A straight ¡®A¡¯ Harvard


    bound student.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°Tell me this is not what you look like rebelling.¡±


    ¡°No. Of course not.¡± Iughed heartily, shoving him lightly. ¡°I stopped because it wasn¡¯t working out the


    way I wanted.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It backfired.¡±


    ¡°How does rebelling backfire?¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°Mine did.¡± I shrugged. ¡°My parents started fighting about me. About whose fault it was. About


    everything really. They also started focusing their efforts on Olly. You know, to at least secure the other


    child before she ¡®got out of hand like me¡¯.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes. ¡°They were stifling her. She


    was miserable. Picture trying to turn Isabelle into Alec.¡±


    ¡°Isabelle?¡±


    ¡°Lightwood.¡± I rified.


    He stared back nkly.


    ¡°Isabelle Lightwood,¡± I expanded.


    ¡°The name means nothing to me.¡± He shook his head.


    My eyes widened in disbelief.


    ¡°Shadow hunters?¡± I tried again.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Mortal Instruments?¡± I was at my wits end.


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying words.¡±


    I blinked.


    ¡°No. God no. That¡¯s... no.¡± I shook my head in denial. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t know Mortal Instruments?¡±


    He shook his head. My lips parted in a silent ¡®o¡¯.


    ¡°Really?¡± My tone was drenched in disbelief.


    He shrugged nonchntly.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I shook my head, ¡°you¡¯re bingeing the series with me. Argue and I¡¯ll add the movie.¡±


    His brows furrowed.


    ¡°A movie and a series?¡± His tone made it clear he didn¡¯t think it was necessary and would much rather


    have his eyshes plucked out.


    Unfortunately for him, I couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°Prepare yourself,¡± I warned.


    ? ? ?


    As I drove back home with Ian riding shotgun, I found myself stealing nces at his profile at every


    turn.


    ¡°What?¡± he finally asked, turning his head in my direction.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    I shook my head, forcing myself to stare straight ahead. I felt, more than saw, him roll his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at me and looking away since. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering,¡± I answered in a small voice, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel.


    ¡°About?¡± he prompted.


    ¡°I told you some personal stuff today.¡± My tone was usatory. ¡°I normally wouldn¡¯t do that. It¡¯s not me.


    I mean I never even told Olly and she¡¯s the one I¡¯m most open with.¡±


    I frowned, levelling him with the full force of my usatory stare. It just wasn¡¯t adding up. There was no


    reason to tell him what really went down with ire regardless of whether or not he ask. But I did. I


    even went an extra mile, telling him about my childhood. I had no reason to do that.


    It was entirely uncalled for and out of character. Did he perhaps slip me something to make me more


    susceptible to his suggestions?


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty much Fort Knoxx, aren¡¯t you?¡± he quipped, oblivious to my inner turmoil.


    Clearly, it wasn¡¯t his attentiveness that had done the trick. He had none of that going for him. Besides


    the way I reacted, getting angry one second, then fine the nex--


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± I pped a hand across my forehead as realization dawned.


    It was PMS. It had to be. Hormonal imbnce was screwing with me. I wasn¡¯t going soft. Phew.


    ¡°What?¡± His curious gaze met mine.


    ¡°Here.¡± I tossed him my phone since I was driving and I couldn¡¯t check it myself.  ¡°Check my calendar


    and tell me what you see over the next few days.¡±


    His expression made it clear he wasn¡¯t following.


    ¡°Oh-kay,¡± he drawled, picking up the phone before the screen could go off.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    A beat of silence passed as I waited for him to open the calendar app.


    ¡°It goes red in two days,¡± he announced. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense now.¡± I sighed in relief, snatching my phone back.


    ¡°What does?¡± he asked, irritation evident in his tone.


    ¡°Why I over shared.¡±


    At his nk look, I added, ¡°About ire.¡±


    He wrinkled up his nose, exasperation coloring his features.


    ¡°I asked a question. You answered. How was that an over share?¡±


    I inclined my head, begrudgingly acknowledging his point.


    ¡°For other people, maybe not but for me, it was an over share.¡± I exined.


    Normal non-hormonal me would¡¯veughed in his face when he asked about ire, told him it wasn¡¯t


    any of his business and actually stuck with it instead of spilling my guts all of five secondster. I really


    wanted to crawl under a rock to die now that I thought it over. I had pretty much lost all sense of self


    control the second I started talking. Christ.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He shook his head slowly. ¡°What did you figure out then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hormonal right now. PMS. Which means I can¡¯t trust myself around you,¡± I answered.


    At this, he wriggled his brows suggestively, throwing me a smirk I had to roll my eyes at.


    ¡°Oh please.¡± I waved the idea away with a flick of my wrist. ¡°For that, I¡¯d have to be even remotely


    attracted to you.¡±


    Lucky for us, unlike him, I was a great liar.

 Chapter 36: 35 - Why are you still following me?

    Chapter 36: 35 - Why are you still following me?


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ian sat up, ¡°that wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought it¡¯d be. Isabelle is hot.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and moved to close theptop. We just finished watching the first season of Shadow


    Hunters and of course ¡®Isabelle is hot¡¯ was the most important part for him. Cue my infamous eye roll.


    ¡°I see what you mean though,¡± he added a few beatster. ¡°You and your sister are a bit like Alec and


    Isabelle but, you know, the watered down version.¡±


    I bit my lip, considering his opinion.


    ¡°I see how I seem like an Alec but I think I¡¯m more Isabelle than Alec. Not regr Isabelle though.


    Isabelle when she was trying to be responsible and uptight so their mom could get off Alec¡¯s back.¡±


    At his confused frown, I added, ¡°You haven¡¯t gotten there yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He nodded and moved to help clear up our mess. ¡°Why were you on me to watch it anyway? You


    kept making snarkyments about everything they did. Mocking them.¡±


    I paused, pursing my lips contemtively.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t mocking,¡± I replied, picking up what was left of the popcorn while he folded the afghan. ¡°I


    wasn¡¯t mocking. It was more like constructive criticism. I like the show. It¡¯s like..., My way of showing


    affection.¡±


    ¡°Well, your way of showing affection involves lots of insults and backhanded jabs,¡± he informed.


    I shrugged.


    ¡°Hang on a second.¡± He straightened up, eyeing me with a mischievous glint. ¡°If that¡¯s your way of


    show affection, am I to infer that you being abrasive to me is bec--¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I cut him off as soon I realized where he was heading. ¡°No. Not even a little.¡±


    ¡°You just said--¡±


    ¡°I also just said no.¡± I turned my back to him, effectively ending the conversation while I pretended I had


    things to do on this side.


    There was nothing to do.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± he chirped.


    Asshole.


    ¡°Are we done here?¡± I asked, putting away myptop.


    It was phrased like a question but it was a dictate. I was telling to him it was time to leave.


    ¡°Why?¡± His eyes narrowed suspiciously. ¡°Hot date?¡± He pinned it on jokingly to ease the usation as


    though he only just remembered he no longer needed to be suspicious of me, that we were past that


    stage.


    I faced him, cing one hand on my hip.


    ¡°Why are you even still following me around? By now, you have to have figured out that I¡¯m not going to


    blow your cover and that I¡¯m not involved in your drug trafficking syndicate.¡±


    ¡°Maybe but I¡¯m not the only one involved and you know more about it now than ever. I can¡¯t just let you


    go.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s Townsend¡¯s call, not mine. He¡¯s not going to let you off just because


    you seem harmless.¡±


    Something about the way he said it didn¡¯t seem like the full truth but I didn¡¯t have the time nor the


    inclination to pursue it.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m not under arrest.¡± I rolled my eyes, dismissively walking to my closet.


    Honestly, it¡¯d be weird not having him around. I was used to his constant presence. He had grown on


    me. A lot more than I¡¯d like to admit. It would be quiet without him and while I liked quiet, hispany


    wasn¡¯t such a bad trade-off.


    ¡°Party,¡± I divulged, pulling out a pair of barely ripped jeans that only ever see the light of day when my


    mom is away.


    One could hardly see my thighs through them unlike the one Olly got which was as ripped as ripped


    jeans went. It showcased blocks of her thighs but her argument when we bought them was ¡®go big or


    go home¡¯ since it wouldn¡¯t matter how ripped it was if our mom caught us in them. We¡¯d be in big


    trouble anyways so ording to her, we might as well embrace the wild side.


    It was a sound argument but I would still much rather dip my feet in than dive in head first.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to a party,¡± I rified. ¡°You asked if I had a hot date.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He blinked, silence descending.


    I met his gaze through the mirror, then looked away. He dramatically heaved a sigh and threw himself


    onto the bed.


    I ignored his cue.


    He sighed again like he had been bored for over a century and syed his limbs out across my bed.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I rolled my eyes, stifling the urge to giggle. ¡°Want toe with?¡±


    He grinned boyishly, eliciting another eye roll from yours truly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have practice to be at or a drugwork to unravel?¡±


    ¡°Things have been slowtely. It¡¯s been quiet after thest time.¡± He gestured to his mostly healed left


    eye. ¡°And I have only two matches around the corner and I¡¯ve beat those guys before. Anyway, it¡¯s


    Friday and my next match is next Friday. A full week away. I do whatever I want tonight.¡±


    I nced over my shoulder, taking in his outfit; a dark green id shirt worn over a blue t-shirt and


    jeans. It was an uninspired look but he wore it like a model.


    ¡°You cane.¡± I nodded my approval.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t peg you for a party person,¡± he mused.


    I didn¡¯t bother dignifying it with a response. Because I was intimidatingly smart didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t


    kick back. One doesn¡¯t be a force to be reckoned in high school by simply being smart. I dressed


    well, partied and had quite the varied bunch of friends.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower. You¡¯re going as you are, right?¡±


    He nodded.


    I showered and dressed in the bathroom, leaving Ian to entertain himself.


    Running my fingers through my hair, I mentally flipped through my styling options on the way back to


    the room. It was time for a long term protective style. My hair had been in short term styles for almost


    three weeks now.


    ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Ian jumped to his feet.


    ¡°I was barely twenty minutes,¡± I answered, hooking my towel on the hanger before I turned to face him.


    ¡°And with you here, I had to dress up in the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Twenty minutes is more than eno--¡± He dropped off abruptly, eyes widening as his gaze finally took in


    my appearance.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He cleared his throat awkwardly.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    My eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    ¡°Better be,¡± I murmured, absently taking note of how his darkened gaze was still fastened on me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He averted his gaze, partly turning his back to me. I rolled my eyes and took a seat at my dresser.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just pack my hair, then we can go. We¡¯re meeting Olly there.¡±


    ¡°Leave it.¡± His voice came out deeper than normal.


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°It looks good down. You never wear it down.¡±


    Something about the way he said rubbed me wrong but I couldn¡¯t pinpoint what exactly. It was a


    harmless observation for the most part.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I half-heartedly agreed, giving myself ast once-over in the mirror.


    Luckily, my curls were still defined enough to let my hair down.


    I turned away from him to straighten the camisole I was wearing underneath the sequined sheer top I


    had chosen. Then I slipped on earrings and a wristwatch, and looked myself over again. It wasn''t


    ¡®there¡¯ yet.


    I frowned at the image, tilting my head sideways. I pursed my lips, my browsing together as I tried


    to figure out what was missing. Why the look wasn¡¯t quiteing together. What is it?


    I expelled a breath noisily through my mouth, chewed on my lower lip, and then tried tucking in the front


    ends of the top.


    ¡°Better,¡± I dered, ncing at Ian through the mirror for affirmation.


    I found him already staring at me, an indecipherable expression his features.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I looked good. I knew I did. So why was he staring at me like I had unexpectedly grown two heads?


    He swallowed self consciously, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down.


    ¡°You said... you said we were meeting Olly?¡± He still didn''t meet my gaze even as he asked.


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Stay with me, Carrington.¡± I snapped my fingers and moved away to get my ck boots.


    ¡°Carrington?¡± He arched a brow.


    ¡°It¡¯s your name, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said innocently, meeting his gaze as I slipped on my boots. ¡°It¡¯s supposedly a


    friend of Max who¡¯s throwing it,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°Tat parlor guy?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see his face but the tone of his voice made it clear he was surprised and not at all on board


    with the development.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± he said sourly. ¡°Trevor invited you?¡±


    Surprised at his tone, I nced at him over my shoulder, shing him a frown.


    ¡°Last time, you were on me about not flirting back and now you have a problem with him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± He shrugged stiffly.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a horrible liar.¡± I shook my head, directing my attention tocing up my boots. ¡°Also, not that


    it¡¯s any of your business but Olly invited me. She wants me to see that they¡¯re -to put it nicely- not


    delinquents.¡±


    I finished with my boots and got to my feet.


    ¡°Unlike you,¡± I added because I couldn¡¯t not.


    He scowled darkly. It surprised me. He was usually better at taking my jabs. This was out of character


    for him.


    ¡°Oh-kayyy,¡± I drawled, eyeing him suspiciously. ¡°Are you hormonal now? Because I don¡¯t think it


    happens to guys.¡±


    He shed me an unimpressed look that bordered on hostile.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I held up my hands in the universal sign of surrender and even took a step back for good


    measure. ¡°Backing off.¡±


    I had no idea what his problem was but I wasn¡¯t about to be target practice for a verbal sparring. It was


    just easier to avoid the altercation even though there was no way I¡¯d lose to him.


    Besides, I could just ditch him once we got to the party if he kept the attitude up.

 Chapter 37: 36 - I kissed him

    Chapter 37: 36 - I kissed him


    I found Olly half an hour after we arrived. She wasn¡¯t replying any of my texts so Ian and I ended up


    wandering around, half-assedly searching for her until he got embroiled in a game of beer pong.


    Typical.


    He won. Even more typical.


    Anyway, we eventually ran into her on the way to the kitchen to get a fresh can of beer.


    ¡°You came!¡± She beamed.


    ¡°You called in a sister favor. I had to,¡± I said tly.


    ¡°He¡¯s so going to owe me for this.¡±


    Her grin was full of mischief.  A part of me almost felt bad for whoever she made a deal with.


    ¡°So you did this for someone?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m d our sister favors have a price.¡±


    ¡°Plee-ease.¡± She rolled her eyes, waving my usation away. ¡°You¡¯d have done the same.¡±


    ¡°I would gotten a better deal,¡± I objected.


    ¡°Oh please,¡± she called over her shoulder, leading us to the basement. ¡°If things work out, he¡¯s going to


    owe me at least twenty favors in return. Tough ones.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Surprise colored my features. ¡°You are shaping up to be quite despicable. Bargaining on me like


    I¡¯m meat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She beamed with all the innocence of a saint.


    In my peripheral vision, I noticed Ian¡¯s head rear back, surprise coating his face. I turned to him, a


    questioning look on mine.


    ¡°I heard an insult,¡± he said. ¡°That was an insult but she thanked you? Is everyone in your family


    abnormal?¡±


    Olly shook her head, shooting me a look that tranted to: where did you find him?


    ¡°What she really meant,¡± she tranted, sporting an amused look, ¡°is that I¡¯m shaping up to be the best


    business woman the world has ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s...¡± He trailed off, shaking his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s want I meant,¡± I informed him. ¡°My way involves lots of insults, remember?¡±


    I threw a wink over my shoulder, then followed Olly down the stairs.


    ¡°Madness.¡±


    I heard him give up behind me, then follow us down. I was sporting a smirk and even though I couldn¡¯t


    see her face, I was sure Olly was sporting one as well.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I shed Trevor a smile as our trio settled down.


    He was the only familiar face in the basement.


    ¡°We¡¯re ying truth or dare,¡± Olly said brightly, making me wonder just how many drinks she¡¯d had.


    ¡°Join us.¡±


    My eyes narrowed in suspicion. As far I knew she hated truth or dare and yet, here she was, nappily


    asking us to join. She hadn¡¯t seemed drunk in the kitchen. Not even tipsy. That left only one option.


    ¡°What¡¯s in it for you?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°You join and I get to sit out. That¡¯s why I went upstairs. To find someone to take my ce.¡± Then, she


    leaned into me and whispered, a light shudder running down her back, ¡°That guy has being giving me


    looks.¡±


    My gaze hardened as I looked the guy over. He was brawny, pierced, and, at the moment, leering at


    both of us in a way that made my skin crawl. Something about him just screamed predator.


    It was my turn to shudder.


    The words ¡®no way in hell¡¯ shed through my head in neon. Unfortunately, if he was making fearless


    bluffer extraordinaire Olly shudder then as her older sister, I had no choice but to take his attention off


    her and fix it on someone else.


    Unfortunately ¡®someone else¡¯ was also me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll y.¡± I forced a smile.


    ¡°Great.¡± A girl with long pretty dreads smiled before taking a swig of her beer.


    She briskly rose to her feet, lifted her top up, shing all nine of us in the basement her scarlet bra,


    then pulled her top back down. It all took only a few seconds. By the time I blinked, she was already


    sitting down, her top back in its rightful position but I hadn¡¯t been expecting it at all. It was like suddenly


    being thrown into the heat of things so it took me a little longer than everyone else to get past it.


    The two other guys in the circle did some catcalling and wolf whistling. The girl tried her best to not


    show how ufortable it made her but I could tell and I was sure Olly and the other two girls could


    tell too. The blonde sitting close to her shot her an encouraging smile and a covert thumbs up.


    My gaze drifted to Olly who shed me a look that could only be described as you see why I hate this


    game?


    ¡°Okay, Mandy¡¯s turn,¡± The girl on dreadlocks announced, shifting the attention to her blonde friend. ¡°I


    dare you to kiss Jack.¡±


    Clearly, they hadn¡¯t nned this beforehand because the blonde who had smiled guileless, taking a sip


    of her drink when her friend announced her name was now choking.


    Between coughs, she managed to spit out an aggrieved, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me,¡± Dreadlocks replied, ncing between her friend and the guy next to her friend.


    I assumed that was Jack.


    Mandy made a point of not looking at Jack. Jack, on the other hand, was sporting a thin smile and


    stealing nces at Mandy. It was all I could do to not roll my eyes.


    The matchmaker in me sided with Dreadlocks. My matchmaking skill was one of the reasons I was so


    popr among girls at school. Most boys were blissfully unaware of it but among those in the know, I


    was somewhat of a matchmaker with a golden touch. I had matched some of my friends with the guys


    they liked and for those who proceeded to rtionship stage, only one had burned so far and in my


    defense that had more to do with the fact that the guy was moving away. t out leaving the country.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. We have... We have... We have... like a dynamic.¡± Mandy stuttered, nervousughter bubbling


    out of her as she nced at Jack with hopeful eyes that, of course,pletely went over his head.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to ruin that,¡± she continued, disappointment coloring her tone.


    I found myself talking before I even made the conscious decision to intervene. ¡°And we can all see


    that¡¯s code for too scared to take the next step.¡±


    Dreadlocks shot me a grateful smile. Ian and Trevor tried -and failed- to hide matching grins. The guy


    Olly warned me about however shed me a spective smirk that made me want to bare my teeth.


    ¡°But...¡± Mandy protested half-heartedly.


    ¡°No buts. The game is truth or dare. I shed everyone my bra. You and Jack can make it through one


    kiss,¡± Dreadlocks stated firmly.


    I smiled, looking away as Stuttering Princess and Shy Prince leaned into each other, nervous smiles on


    both their faces. Honestly, I had no idea who they thought they were fooling because it definitely wasn¡¯t


    the rest of us.


    ¡°My turn.¡± Mandy beamed a beat after the kiss was over.


    Her lips held a dreamy smile. I stifled the urge to scoff.


    ¡°Truth or dare.¡± She faced me.


    I would normally have called truth since I didn¡¯t know her. But given that I had just helped her get with


    her crush and based on her grateful smile that epassed Dreadlocks and myself, I felt rtively


    safe saying, ¡°Dare.¡±


    Bottom line; she owed me. She wouldn¡¯t dare me to do anything insane.


    ¡°I dare you,¡± she pointed at me, ¡°to kiss your friend.¡± She pointed at Ian.


    What. A. Backstabber.


    The shock of it had my mouth hanging open. I now understood what had her choking because I would


    have choked too had I been drinking anything. Fortunately, my beer was resting safely between my


    thighs.


    ¡°Why...? We...¡± I shook my head vigorously, trying and failing to properly articte how ridiculous the


    dare was.


    I winced internally as soon as how much like her I sounded registered in my brain. It must have been


    why she dared me to kiss him. From her point of view, Ian and I probably looked like that. I heaved


    sigh, pping my palm across my face.


    ¡°No. Just no,¡± I stated firmly.


    To worsen the situation, she started smiling at me sympathetically in a way that made it look like I was


    objecting for the same reasons she had. She actually thought she was doing me a favor. Was she blind


    or something? Where did she get the idea Ian and I were anything like that?


    ¡°No,¡± I hissed, exchanging agitated nces with Ian who looked just as bothered by the development


    as I was.


    ¡°We¡¯re not like that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯re barely even friends. I don¡¯t like him. He doesn¡¯t like me


    and he has a girlfriend he very happy with.¡±


    Mandy bit her lip, sporting a worried frown that revealed shepletely believed Ian and I were in the


    same boat as her and Jack. I was half tempted to jumpstart her senses with a p.


    ¡°Seriously,¡± I pressed in a bid to convince her. ¡°I¡¯d kiss anybody else.¡± I added, wondering what to make


    of the relieved look on Trevor¡¯s face.


    ¡°Fine.¡± She slowly nodded, ncing at Dreadlocks who imperceptibly conveyed her approval. ¡°Pick


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    someone else.¡±


    I nodded slowly, ncing between my options. Ian and the leering guy Ollyined about were out


    of the question. Jack was too, which left me with Trevor.


    I pasted a smile on my face and met his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s your lucky day.¡±


    ¡°It must be.¡± He smiled back in a way that instantly set me at ease.


    I kept the humorous atmosphere going. The morefortable we both were, the better.


    ¡°I¡¯d advise you to buy a lottery ticket but...¡±


    We slowly started leaning toward each other.


    ¡°But you¡¯re the prize?¡± He raised one eyebrow,pleting my sentence.


    I chuckled, ignoring the weight of Ian¡¯s gaze on the side of my face and the leering guy¡¯s, well, leer. He


    really was off in a deeply rooted way.


    ¡°I was going to say a kiss from me is worth more than that.¡±


    ¡°That too,¡± he agreed.


    We were now mere centimetres from each other.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a girlfriend, do you?¡± I asked, to be sure.


    ¡°Position¡¯s open.¡±


    Our breaths intermingled.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Then I kissed him.

 Chapter 38: 37 - Verdict: Masked Idiot doesn’t like me.

    Chapter 38: 37 - Verdict: Masked Idiot doesn¡¯t like me.


    Trevor took it well. The kiss. I attributed it to the fact that he was older, in college. College guys were


    supposedly more mature. Ian was a testament to that fact. Not many high schoolers could handle my


    constant insults and unfiltered abrasiveness but Ian, despite the rest of his faults, took it admirably well.


    He had never once yelled at me even though he had to deal with the undiluted and unfiltered version of


    me. I had to water myself down for everybody else and they still whined about it.


    Trevor also was a good kisser. Another thing I decided to attribute to him being in college where he


    could easily amass a plethora of experience. He kissed so well I was sure I had on a dreamy smile


    afterwards.


    ¡°Nicely done,¡± Iplimented, pulling back.


    ¡°I could say the same,¡± he replied, his voice noticeably huskier.


    I smile inwardly, taking in his darkened gaze and heavy breathing. I wasn¡¯t such an amateur myself.


    ¡°My turn,¡± I said, returning to my seat next to Ian who slightly scooted away as soon as I sat down.


    And for a second there, I was penning his name down on my matured boys list. I rolled my eyes,


    ignoring him as I turned to face thest girl in the circle, a devious smile on my face.


    ¡°Truth or dare.¡±


    ¡°I feel so unsafe right now,¡± the girl announced.


    After one more round, the truth-or-dare group broke up, with Jack and Mandy heading out to begin


    what I hoped -for their sake- would be a beautiful rtionship, Dreadlocks -whose name Iter


    discovered was Leah- left with thest girl. From the looks they had been giving each other, my guess


    was they were off to find a private ce to themselves. Trevor, Ian, Olly and I headed outside for some


    fresh air.


    For some reason, Ian was sulking. I could just feel it. I tried talking to him but he met me with forced


    awfully polite titudes. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t find any fault in them and the conversation eventually


    came to a natural end. At which point, he turned away and struck up conversation with Olly.


    I didn¡¯t like the idea of him talking to her since she wasn¡¯t aware of the details of our ¡®situation.¡¯ There


    wasn¡¯t much he didn¡¯t already know about me but I still couldn¡¯t help feeling ufortable about him


    and Olly together, alone. So I hung around them, making small talk with Trevor.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember him. He was nice. Very funny too.¡± I smiled. ¡°He used to dance like crazy.¡±


    ¡°He still does, I think. I¡¯m surprised you know that. He used to be so secretive about it.¡±


    I smiled, letting my eyes drift shut as I inhaled deeply.


    ¡°He was,¡± I agreed, gazing up at the stars.


    I could feel Trevor¡¯s gaze on my face but after identifying the constetion I had been looking for, my


    eyes drifted to Ian whose gaze also happened to flicker to me, an unreadable expression on his face.


    He shed a smile my way and turned his attention back to Olly who was animatedlymunicating


    some story or the other with wild gestictions.


    I sighed in relief, a knot in my stomach undoing itself. We were fine.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty,¡± Olly announced loudly a whileter, drawing Trevor and I¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with,¡± I called over my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m a little thirsty too.¡±


    So we left the boys in the little corner we had carved out for ourselves on the porch and trudged to the


    kitchen.


    ¡°So,¡± Olly began, shing me a spective side nce. ¡°Ian. This is the second time I¡¯m seeing you


    with him.¡±


    I got the implication and rolled my eyes.


    ¡°It is and you also heard me say he has a girlfriend. Tammy, I think. Or Tonya. It¡¯s a T name. I always


    forget which. Or maybe it''s Bethany.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she sang, eyes twinkling with delight. ¡°I think he might maybe like you.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t. I¡¯m not nice to him. Not even a little.¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t seem to matter. I think he likes you. He just hasn¡¯t figured it out yet,¡± she said, passing


    me what was left of her bottle of water.


    ¡°No.¡± Iughed.


    It came out awkward, even to my own ears. I cleared my throat and gulped down the water, irritated by


    my reaction.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like me,¡± I corrected when I finished. ¡°He¡¯s just not used to seeing me hangout with other


    people. Just the other day, he was shipping Trevor and I.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Just seemed a little jealous to me. Especially when you kissed Trey. His


    face... I don¡¯t know. It wasn¡¯t jealous jealous but... there was something off about it.¡± She shrugged


    again. ¡°It was clear he wasn¡¯t a fan.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that. Trust me.¡±


    She rolled her eyes as we started to head back.


    ¡°No offense,¡± she began, ¡°but you have a horrible track record when ites to figuring out if a guy


    likes you. It¡¯s one of your blind spots.¡±


    ¡°I have no blind spots,¡± I refuted on reflex.


    Olly clearly expected it because she merely jerked a shoulder, wordlessly insinuating, if you say so. I


    scowled. Sure my past experiences showed that I was a bit slow to catch on when guys liked me


    despite my hawk-like precision at catching it when it came to other people but this was Ian we were


    talking about. Masked Idiot. I knew him well. There was no way.


    He knew me too well to like me. Attraction was a different matter but to actually like me, he couldn¡¯t.


    Besides even if -and that was an enormous if- he did, I would know. I would¡¯ve figured it out with all the


    time we spent together.


    He definitely did not like me.


    ¡°Nah.¡± I shook my head. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like me,¡± I concluded as we stepped onto the porch.


    I started to go up to the boys who were speaking in hushed tones but Olly drew me back into the


    shadows, cing a finger against her lips in the universal shush sign.


    She gestured to her ear, then to the boys. The implication was clear. She wanted us to eavesdrop. I


    wasn¡¯t a fan but if there was something she wanted to hear, I wasn¡¯t going to blow her cover.


    ¡°She¡¯s... I don¡¯t know. I like her,¡± Trevor said, stiffly jerking his shoulders up as though to say, ¡®what can


    I do about it.¡¯


    My gaze cut to Olly, narrowing in usation. Not so long ago, she had sworn up and down that there


    was nothing of such going on between her and Trevor.


    She rolled her eyes at my usatory look.


    ¡°Not me, you.¡± She hissed quietly.


    Her tone reeked of the words, ¡®see what I mean? You¡¯re slow to catch on.¡¯ I ignored her expression and


    the revtion by pretending to pay attention to their conversation.


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful, you know?¡± Trevor said. ¡°Really pretty and there¡¯s something about her, you know?¡±


    I saw Ian slowly nod.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed. ¡°But don¡¯t say that to her face.¡±


    At what I assumed was a confused look from Trevor - from our vantage point all I saw was Trevor


    sharply turn his head to look at Ian- Ian added, ¡°I mean you can if you want but it won¡¯t impress her.¡±


    I ignored the appreciative smile growing on Olly face, instead listening intently to the conversation since


    Ian couldn¡¯t be bothered to speak loudly enough for his words to easily float to where Olly and I were


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    hiding. It wasn¡¯t like that was too much to ask. In the first ce, he -specifically him- shouldn¡¯t have


    been talking about me to anyone. I had every right to listen in if I wanted.


    ¡°She¡¯s just much more,¡± Ian continued. ¡°Smart. Too smart even. I¡¯ve seen her think her way out of


    things that I didn¡¯t think anyone could get out of. Fierce. Scary sometimes. She can be mean too but, I


    guess you could say it¡¯s part of her charm.¡± He shrugged.


    His voice was light and feathery like he was either drunk and reminiscing, or lost in thought with his


    mind miles away. Neither option made sense. He had nursed less than two cans of beer the entire


    night. He couldn¡¯t be drunk nor could he be reminiscing because nothing that thought provoking


    could¡¯ve happened in the six minutes it had taken Olly and I to get water. Which could only mean he


    was absent minded.


    The question now was; why talk about me in such a pink tone.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t focus on her face. You can go for the obvious but be original.¡± He shrugged again. ¡°Beautiful


    just seems like... I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t fully describe what she really is.¡±


    ¡°She menrioned that you have a girlfriend.¡± Trevor¡¯s tone was suspicious, cool.


    I turned to shoot Olly an exasperated ¡®boys and their jealousy¡¯ eye roll only to find her sporting a


    triumphant smirk.


    ¡°Can it,¡± I whispered tly, smoothly stepping into the light as though we only just arrived.


    That was enough eavesdropping for one night.


    ¡°Are you guys ready to leave?¡± Olly called out, following fluidly behind me.


    I didn¡¯t need to look at her face to know she was still smirking.


    So Ian gave Trevor some tips, big deal. If anything, it just showed that he really wanted Trevor and I to


    work out which could only mean he definitely didn¡¯t like me. Her uncalled for smiles and suggestive


    I vehemently crushed her theory before it took roots. I didn¡¯t need the idea in my head, influencing my


    actions, especially since the rational side of me knew it couldn¡¯t true. No way was I letting any part of


    me get carried away. Not to mention, he had a girlfriend he actually liked.


    Verdict: Masked Idiot didn¡¯t like me.


    Case closed.

 Chapter 39: 38 - Now is not the time to protect your dignity

    Chapter 39: 38 - Now is not the time to protect your dignity


    With my chin resting in the palm of my hand, I stared, listless, letting out a sigh of boredom every now


    and then. Ian was right. The library was pretty boring. Especially on a hot Sunday afternoon.


    I had finished updating the log on my desk unit over an hour ago. Normally, after that, I would busy


    myself with re-stacking used books and wrongly ced ones but today, there were no books to


    reorganize since not a single person hade in all day. Not even one of the regrs. It was an


    incredibly slow day. So slow, April couldn¡¯t even be bothered to hide the fact that she was napping on


    the job.


    There was no one to attend to so, in a way, she wasn¡¯t really in the wrong. I found myself envying her


    ability to fall asleep wherever, whenever. For some reason, I could only ever fall asleep at home.


    Normally, I considered it a blessing but today however, I was so bored I¡¯d have given anything to trade


    ces with her.


    If only I had Ian foric relief.


    I expelled a breath noisily through my mouth, absently tapping out a beat on the table top. I reached for


    my phone again, hoping something interesting had happened in thest three minutes. Nothing had.


    I heaved a sigh and returned my phone.


    Shockingly enough, the double doors burst open causing me to reflexively sit up straighter as the first


    patron of the day walked in. A tall muscr build filled the doorway. Dark brown locks glittering in the


    halo of sunlight streaming in from behind him. I recognized him before I even got a look at his face. It


    was Ian.


    I sent up a quick prayer of gratitude. At least now, I wouldn¡¯t die of boredom.


    He had on a wide smile as sauntered over, to my desk.


    ¡°What?¡± I wore a confused smile.


    ¡°Practice is over. I killed it.¡± His smile didn¡¯t diminish.


    ¡°Fighting?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°I was just thinking about you,¡± I revealed.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± He wriggled his eyebrows, leaning over the desk till his face was merely inches from mine.


    ¡°I was,¡± I answered, pushing his head back a few much needed inches with my index finger. ¡°It¡¯s a slow


    day,¡± I added by way of an exnation before changing the subject. ¡°You¡¯re unusually happy today.


    What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just in a good mood.¡± He shrugged.


    I stared back tly.


    ¡°My sister¡¯s birthday ising up and I just got her the perfect present. She¡¯s going to have a tea


    party.¡± At this, he wrinkled his nose in derision. Fond derision, if that was a thing. ¡°I have to go with a


    date. Tammy.¡±


    ¡°Have fun.¡± Somehow, I managed not to snicker.


    ¡°At a nine year old¡¯s tea party?¡±


    ¡°You never know.¡± I shrugged innocently.


    He eyed me suspiciously, tilting his head to the side. ¡°You¡¯re mocking me.¡±


    ¡°Little bit.¡± I nodded, unable to keep from smiling any longer.


    He scowled.


    ¡°How¡¯s Trevor?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Just good?¡± he asked skeptically.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been texting.¡± I jerked one shoulder. ¡°He seems cool.¡±


    Trevor¡¯s texts were the only reason I hadn¡¯t died of boredom yet. We had the most cringe-worthy game


    going between us but it¡¯s was fun. We were texting in song lyrics, and at the moment, I was winning.


    Speaking of which, I took out my phone and shot him a text.


    Given up yet?


    I ignored the curious look Ian shed my way.


    ¡°You were right about him by the way,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°Yeah, well.¡± He shrugged and turned away dismissively. Not the polite kind of dismissive.


    I stifled the urge to roll my eyes. His hot-and-cold attitude was starting to get on my nerves. He was the


    first one to get on the Trevor train. Then, there wasst night with him practically feeding Trevor lines to


    feed me.


    ¡°What is it? One second you¡¯re team Trevor and the next, you can¡¯t stand the mention of his name.¡± I


    met his gaze. ¡°Pick a side and stick with it.¡±


    He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Sure. Whatever,¡± he said dismissively. The normal dismissive this time.


    Oddly enough, all of three secondster, he seemed to actually ponder it.


    Then, he said, ¡°I guess I have been acting been weird. Trevor seems like a good guy until I actually see


    you two together and then something feels off. It¡¯s weird. I know.¡± He shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°Very weird,¡± I seconded.


    ¡°Maybe your hormones rubbed off on me.¡±


    ¡°That was over a week ago.¡± I pursed my lips, shooting him an unimpressed look. ¡°I¡¯m not hormonal


    anymore. Not that it was contagious to begin with.¡±


    He jerked his shoulders, shing me an apologetic smile.


    ¡°How¡¯s Tammy by the way?¡± I switched topics to what I felt was safer ground.


    He scowled.


    ¡°What?¡± I snickered. ¡°Trouble in Paradise?¡±


    ¡°She said she wants to ¡®talk¡¯,¡± He mumbled, shing me a look of child-like innocence that made


    something in my stomach flip.


    ¡°Nothing good ever follows those words,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I know. Why do you think I¡¯m here?¡±


    His scowl darkened. He pushed aside my bag and perched gingerly at the edge of my desk.


    ¡°You¡¯re avoiding her?¡± I surmised, eyes widening in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s an even riskier move.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He heaved a sigh, that shockingly enough, had April jolting awake.


    She normally wasn¡¯t such a light sleeper.


    ¡°I just... Don¡¯t know what else to do.¡±


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    He cradled his head in his hands, releasing yet another sigh. I shed an apologetic smile at April who


    was shooting Ian dirty looks he couldn¡¯t see. She looked around, came to the realization that the library


    was still practically empty, then dozed off again.


    I was in awe of her ability to smoothly fall back asleep.


    ¡°Look, just go talk to her. It might not be a bad as you think...¡± I paused, indecisively nibbling on my lip.


    ¡°Or it will be. It could be worse to be honest.¡±


    He raised his head and shot me an incredulous look. I shrugged. Comforting people wasn¡¯t exactly my


    specialty. He should be grateful I was even trying.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I bulldozed on, ¡°my point is whatever is going to happen will happen but if she does figure


    out that you¡¯re avoiding her, and she will soon enough, it¡¯ll be worse. Girls don¡¯t like being put on hold.¡±


    He sighed wearily.


    ¡°You think I should go to her?¡±


    The sound of therge double doors being opened filled the hall.


    ¡°Yeah, I do. Go now.¡± I said, ncing at our very first customer of the day from the corner of my eye. ¡°I


    even have a customer. It¡¯s practically a sign you should go.¡±


    He raised his head and nced at the approaching customer, only for a look of utter panic to coat his


    face. He looked like he¡¯d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.


    My brows furrowed in confusion as I took in the usatory re on the girl¡¯s face as she made a


    beeline for my desk. It only took a second to connect the pieces.


    ¡°That¡¯s Tammy, isn¡¯t it?¡± I confirmed, a mere moment before she arrived at my desk.


    Ian nodded, eyes wide with fear. He was practically screaming guilty with his eyes.


    ¡°You know when some random girl dm-ed me that you were hanging out with a high school chic at the


    library, Iughed,¡± she hissed, forgoing any semnce of a greeting.


    ¡®Someone¡¯ dm-ed her? My eyes widened in surprise but I wisely stayed silent. Her anger wasn¡¯t exactly


    unjustified. Any normal girl would be angry if her boyfriend was spending more time with a younger girl.


    It was a tale as old as time.


    Correcting her on what kind of rtionship I had with Ian at this juncture would¡¯ve done more harm


    than good.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if ¡®someone¡¯ was ire. Knowing her, she wouldn¡¯t have done it directly but


    it had to have been her. No one else wanted to screw me as badly as she did.


    ¡°She insisted. Even sent me a picture of you with her at her school but you know what, I chose to trust


    you.¡± She snarled. ¡°Stupid. Fucking. Decision.¡±


    The girlfriend ¨CI suddenly couldn¡¯t remember her name again- had shiny, unnaturally straight blonde


    hair that went all the way down to her waist. She was pretty too. Very pretty and curvy wiyh perfect


    skin. It was almost unfair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I came down here.¡± She shook her head. ¡°She just seemed so sure of herself, I


    decided to humor her but here you are. After you told me you were going to be busy all day with


    practice and Emily.¡±


    The fire in her eyes had Ian shrinking away.


    ¡°Have you even seen Emily today?¡± She hissed, eyes narrowing to slits.


    It was all I could do not to snicker. A scoff did escape me though, drawing her attention to me. I


    immediately pped on a contrite expression.


    ¡°Ian isn¡¯t cheating on you.¡± I piped up, on his behalf since I was now on her radar. ¡°He may have lied


    but he¡¯s definitely not cheating. At least, not with me. The only reason he¡¯s here is because he¡¯s scared


    of what ¡®talking¡¯ to you means.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t scared--¡± he protested.


    My gaze cut to him, warning him now was not the time to protect his dignity.


    ¡°You were terrified because she said she wanted to talk.¡± The words ¡®someone dm-ed her¡¯ shed


    through my mind again and I added, ¡±I don¡¯t appreciate being used as a wrench to throw between you


    two so you guys are going to go over there and have that ¡®talk¡¯.¡±


    I pointed in the direction of the history shelves.


    A distant part of my mind was aware that the polite thing to do would be to walk away, leaving them


    alone to talk it out but it was my desk at my workce. There was no reason to move seeing as they


    both possessed fully functioning legs.


    ¡°Go,¡± I shooed.


    I had important things to think about like this anonymous ¡®someone¡¯ who sent Tammy a picture of Ian


    and I, and even went as far as to tell her where we¡¯d be. What. The. Actual. Fuck.


    I was sure ire was behind it. I waspletely certain it was her. She wasn¡¯t stupid so there was no


    way she would¡¯ve done it herself, not since there was a possibility it would get resolved and I¡¯d find the


    perpetrator. It wouldn¡¯t even be one of her henchmen. She was a proper veteran in the art of covering


    your tracks. If I followed the trail, I knew it would only lead to some remote uninvolved person. Probably


    an underssman.


    ¡°Bitch,¡± I hissed under my breath.

 Chapter 40: 39 - Boy, you belong to me

    Chapter 40: 39 - Boy, you belong to me


    ¡°Are you guys good now? Or do I need to teach ire a lesson?¡±


    Those were the first words out of my mouth when the couple returned. They were both wearing cid


    expressions that gave me no clue as to how the conversation had gone but I was leaning towards still


    together seeing as there was no hostility or crying and to top it off, they were walking back together.


    ¡°We broke up,¡± Ian announced.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What?¡± I blinked.


    He nodded.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head in denial. ¡°No. ire doesn¡¯t get to have this. I should¡¯ve known she would do


    something like this. Look, Tammy, Ian and I? We¡¯re no--¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She gave a one shoulder shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I know him. We dated for almost two years.


    He¡¯s not the type to cheat. He detests it.¡±


    ¡°So... why?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t following her logic. If that wasn¡¯t it, then what was the problem? There shouldn¡¯t have been


    any.


    ¡°It¡¯s not you and him. It¡¯s him and apparently something he can¡¯t tell me.¡± At this, she shed him an


    usatory re, then sighed. ¡°The long distance thing wasn¡¯t really working anyway. I guess it¡¯s just


    time.¡±


    All I could do was blink.


    She adjusted the strap of her purse, shed him a forced smile, then walked away.


    ¡°Take care of him. He was good to me,¡± she called over her shoulder on her way out.


    My eyes narrowed, the incredulous look finally falling off my face.


    ¡°Did you,¡± I faced Ian, ¡°just use me as an excuse to break up with your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Ex,¡± he corrected.


    ¡°Clearly.¡± I hissed. ¡°Did you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I eyed him up, distrust tant in my gaze. It definitely felt like it from where I was standing. But on


    another hand, that had to be the cleanest, friendliest breakup in history. If he had used me as an


    excuse, it shouldn¡¯t have gone down so smoothly. I wasn¡¯t sure what to believe.


    ¡°So why did you break up?¡±


    ¡°We... I don¡¯t want to tell her. I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t know.¡± He heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his


    nose. ¡°Like she said, the long distance thing wasn¡¯t working. There was no point anyway.¡±


    I decided to ask the obvious. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell her?¡±


    He shrugged.


    ¡°You told me,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°You found out,¡± he corrected.


    ¡°She is your girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Was.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ¡®cause you wouldn¡¯t tell her.¡± I hissed.


    We were literally just going round in circles.


    ¡°Can we just drop it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your rtionship.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Oh sorry, was.¡± I sniped. ¡°Now, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I went in on Monday ready to let ire know her ploy, whatever it was, had failed. I spent the rest of


    Sunday trying to figure out what her goal was. It was unlikely but it could¡¯ve been for Tammy to issue


    an ultimatum for Ian to stop hanging out with me. News that I was friends with one of the Carringtons


    had rocked the school and with him actually showing up to -sort of- pick me up twice, it could be that


    ire felt threatened by my growing poprity. After all, it was the only ce she excelled beyond me.


    Or her endgame could¡¯ve been for Tammy and Ian to break up with meing out as the rtionship


    wrecker. If that was her n, then Tammy had pretty much put a stop to it when she followed my


    ountst night and liked some of my hairstyle pictures. For some reason, some white girls tended to


    love the ck afro and protective styles.


    Anyway, I wasn¡¯t even following Ian so ire had little to go on if she wanted to go down the


    rtionship wrecker route.


    I might not have been able to trace the plot back to her but I wasn¡¯t going to spare her any dignity when


    it came to rubbing the soiled n in her face and lunch in the cafeteria, surrounded by all our mutual


    friends and a fair amount of eavesdroppers was the perfect setting.


    ¡°Mae, do you remember Ian?¡± I called out.


    Luckily, she was seated on the opposite side, at the extreme end of the table. I was seated in the


    middle with ire just two seats down on the same side as Mae. My voice rang out clear, interrupting -


    and putting an end to- ny percent of the side conversations. My rtionship with a Carrington was


    that much of a hot topic. Any bit of information about it was decidedly juicy. Conversations at


    neighbouring tables also died down in favor of eavesdropping.


    I smiled inwardly.


    ¡°Like I could forget,¡± Mae replied, a surprised look on her face.


    I couldn¡¯t me her. I wasn¡¯t one to venture information unasked. Randomly bringing it up had to be a


    surprise.


    ¡°He broke up with his girlfriend suddenly. Apparently some jealous idiot sent her a picture of him the


    day he came here.¡±


    It took all my willpower to keep my gaze from straying to ire and to keep from using more colourful


    words.


    ¡°I mean, wow. How desperate do you need to be, yeah? That¡¯s... that¡¯s just inexcusable. Trying to


    sneakily break up a rtionship like that,¡± I added.


    ¡°Oh my God.¡± Mae blinked. ¡°Are you se... Wow. That¡¯s... Wow. I mean... Wow. I can¡¯t. That¡¯s insane.


    That¡¯s too low. Some people are insane.¡±


    Her face was full of incredulous disbelief. Quite unlike myself, she was one of those people who liked to


    believe in the good in humanity so this had to be a hard pill to swallow.


    From my periphery, I noticed ire¡¯s annoyed frown. Well, she wouldn¡¯t be ire if that was all it took


    to stump her.


    ¡°I know. The worrying part is that she goes here.¡± I faked a shudder and stared straight at ire,


    wordlessly challenging her.


    ¡°Wow,¡± she cooed, pping on a sympathetic expression. ¡°How¡¯s the girlfriend taking it? I mean, you


    do have to take a little responsibility here. If you¡¯re weren¡¯t with him all the time...¡±


    She let the sentence hang unfinished, shooting a pointed look my way to sway our audience. I scoffed


    inwardly and prepared for my innocent girl act.


    ¡°Why does everyone think we¡¯re alway--¡± I let the rest of my sentence drop off abruptly, contracting my


    facial muscles into a frown. ¡°Hang on. What makes you think I¡¯m with him all the time, ire?¡±


    I cocked my head to the side.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only seen us together twice. The girl who dm-ed Tammy -Tammy is his girlfriend- said the exact


    same thing. That Ian and I are always together.¡±


    It took all the will power in the world to keep from smirking as everyone¡¯s gaze swung to ire,


    suspicion clear on their faces.


    ¡°Well, I... Mandy said it the other day. That he was always at the library with you,¡± she fibbed, staring


    back with innocence that, for once, not everyone bought.


    ¡°No, she didn¡¯t,¡± Mae refuted, her eyes narrowing with distrust. ¡°She said she heard he was there.


    Once. Does he always go with you?¡±


    She directed thest part to me.


    Trust Mae to perfectly recall every conversation about a cute boy. At this point, even boys were paying


    attention.


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t,¡± I answered, directing an usatory look at ire. ¡°Were you the one who did that?


    Sent Tammy the picture and everything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She bared her teeth at me. ¡°I don¡¯t even know them.¡±


    ¡°You know their Instagram handles,¡± I countered.


    ¡°So does everyone at this table,¡± she hissed.


    Seriously, when was everyone going to learn that they could never win against me with words. I was a


    master debater on her way to being the bestwyer in the country. Making people believe what I


    wanted them to was going to be my job.


    ¡°Everyone at this table doesn¡¯t know what the girl said in Tammy¡¯s dm.¡± I shook my head, wearing a


    look of disappointment for the sake of our audience. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you.¡±


    Honestly, I had no morally upright expectations of ire but if pretending I did was going to put another


    nail in her coffin, I was all for it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost my appetite,¡± I announced, eyeing her with unveiled disgust.


    I got to my feet, smirking internally when Mae, Zach and Aaron our resident musician, followed suit. It


    wasn¡¯t the epic takedown I had wanted but since she wasn¡¯t entirely the reason they broke up, I was


    willing to settle for this. Besides, I hadn¡¯t expected her to slip up and give herself away the way she did.


    It made the victory even sweeter, knowing that without her slip-up I had nothing concrete on her. It felt


    good. Really good.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to tell Ian. He¡¯d be so proud.


    My phone vibrated in my bag. I plucked it out. It was Trevor with new lyrics.


    guess how many nights I¡¯ve been thinking of you?


    I chuckled and shot a text back.


    That wasn¡¯t even remotely hard.


    Zero, Chris Brown.


    My turn.


    I read his text again, pondering just what the perfect reply would be.


    ¡®Guess how many nights I¡¯ve been thinking of you?¡¯ I echoed mentally over and over and over again.


    ¡°Got it.¡± I grinned broadly.


    I typed out my response and hit send.


    It¡¯s a spell that can¡¯t be broken. It¡¯ll keep you up all night. Boy, you belong to me.


    I went to math ss smiling widely.

 Chapter 41: 40 - Join the convent

    Chapter 41: 40 - Join the convent


    News about ire spread faster than I anticipated. By the next block, the whole school seemed to be


    in the know. ire Anne¡¯s rumor mill at its finest. Even I couldn¡¯t have predicted it. Turns out I wasn¡¯t


    the only one who wanted ire in the mud. Realistically, I knew I couldn¡¯t be the only one but I hadn¡¯t


    expected any form of help from anyone else. ire could be quite terrifying even when she was


    ying nice so I figured everyone else would be cowards about it. I underestimated how much


    resentment could fester behind faked smiles.


    People were whispering things behind her back before the end of day and not in the concealed way. In


    the obvious I-want-you-to-know-I¡¯m-talking-about-you-what-the-hell-are-you-going-to-do-about-it way.


    As expected, she was in the foulest of moods and out for blood. My blood. So it¡¯s wasn¡¯t a surprise


    when she cornered me on my way out after school let out. Unfortunately for her, I hadpany.


    I was with Mae, Tony and Zach. It had been a while since Zach and I really kicked back and talked. He


    was one of my closest friends and in a little while, we¡¯d all be shipping off to various colleges. Though


    we¡¯d never admit it, we both wanted to get in all the hangout time we could even if it meant walking


    together to the parking lot which we normally never did.


    Mae, on the other hand, was still nursing a crush on Zach. She dragged Tony along to make herself


    less obvious.


    Zach was telling us -mostly me- about a new y he worked out for the team. A part of me knew we


    would probably never get to do it again. A tradition we had upheld since ninth grade wasing to an


    end.


    I would never admit it out loud but the nostalgia of graduation was starting to get to me. A lot more than


    I had expected. It wasn¡¯t saying a lot since I hadn¡¯t expected it at all but still, it was something.


    My phone buzzed in my hand, drawing me from my thoughts. I hurriedly checked the message and


    shot back a reply before ire descended on us. It was a new text from Trevor.


    I¡¯m sure you thought I wouldn¡¯t get that one. Unfortunately for you, I once dated a girl who was a huge


    fan.


    I bit my lip to keep from smiling and shot back a text just as ire finally reached us.


    Talking about your exes now... Bold.


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done?¡± She hissed.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be more specific,¡± I replied offhandedly.


    Her lips curled back, revealing perfect little white teeth. Zach started to step forward, to diffuse the


    hostile atmosphere but I waved him away.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°You made everyone think I broke them up,¡± she snapped.


    Mae sighed wearily, a put out expression that had me suppressingughter took hold of her features as


    students started loitering, tantly watching the showdown.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you?¡± I arched a brow. ¡°You seem to forget. I didn¡¯t use you. I was talking to Mae and you


    chipped in with details you couldn¡¯t have known unless...¡±


    I shrugged nonchntly, my expression daring her to try to weasel her way out of it.


    ¡°Oh please. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re sorry their rtionship ended. You¡¯ve been texting and smiling at your


    phone all day.¡±


    Tony eyed both of us warily. It was clear she and the rest of our audience were shocked by this


    discovery and didn¡¯t quite know who to believe anymore.


    I smirked inwardly.


    ire might as well just have shot herself in the foot. Having that whispered in the rumor mill would


    have been better than confronting me with it.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been texting all day,¡± I agreed.


    I could feel everyone¡¯s rounded gaze focus on me. Their shock was palpable.


    ire didn¡¯t know it yet but she had hammered in thest nail in her coffin by herself. After this, no one


    would have any reason to doubt me since, thanks to her, they would now know I had nothing to gain


    from the breakup and unlike her, I had a guy I was talking to.


    ¡°I just haven¡¯t been texting Ian.¡± I expanded. ¡°I don¡¯t even have his number.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you don¡¯t.¡± She scoffed.


    ¡°See for yourself.¡± I opened my messages and passed the phone to her.


    For the benefit of Zach, Mae, Tony and all the not so subtly eavesdropping ears around, I added, ¡°I¡¯ve


    been texting Trevor. You should know him Zach. He went here two years ago. He was on the team.¡±


    ¡°Trevor Montgomery?¡± Tony was the one to immediately ce him.


    ¡°He won Best Eyes in his year,¡± Mae chipped in, never one to becking in knowledge about a cute


    male. ¡°Really, him?¡±


    I nodded.


    ire¡¯s eyes drifted shut, disappointment ying over her features. I snickered inwardly.


    ¡°How did you meet?¡± She was grasping at straws now.


    ¡°Car trouble. He helped me fix it.¡± I shrugged.


    I was well aware I was leaving out quite a bit but that was pretty much my style.


    ¡°How do you keep meeting all these hot guys!¡± Mae threw her hands up in exasperation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just as baffled as you.¡± I couldn¡¯t help my smirk as I shrugged.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± She rolled her eyes, only to smile a secondter.


    Mae was my closest female friend. She wasn¡¯t the type to hold grudges. She forgave almost


    everything. It wasn¡¯t a policy I¡¯d ever adopt but I liked it about her. She was straightforward. She either


    liked you or didn¡¯t. No hidden agendas.


    My phone buzzed again, drawing our attention back to the fuming ire. I snatched it from her hand


    and read the new message, letting Mae and Tony who immediately crowded around me read it too.


    ck magic, little mix. My turn.


    I scrolled up so the girls could see thest lyric I sent him so they¡¯d understand.


    It¡¯s a spell that can¡¯t be broken. It¡¯ll keep you up all night. Boy, you belong to me.


    Then I scrolled down to histest message.


    I can¡¯t sleep. Girl, you¡¯re keeping me up. I just can¡¯t get enough.


    I froze. I no idea where those lyrics were from. They were too vague, indistinctive. I shot the girls a look


    of wide eyed helplessness.


    Since we started, he¡¯d lost four times. I hadn¡¯t been stumped even once and true to form, I had gloated


    so much. If I lost, I¡¯d never hear the end of it. But for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t figure out what song those


    lyrics where from. They were unbelievably generic. Shit.


    Mae cocked her head to the side, pursing her lips. ¡°I hate you.¡±


    Her tone carried about as much malice as a teddy bear.


    ¡°Come on, this is too cute,¡± Tony seconded. ¡°You both deserve to be shot for this.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what song that is,¡± I announced, imploring both of them to help with my eyes.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°It¡¯s too cute. I literally just want to hug him,¡± Mae cooed, ignoring my supplication.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t know this song.¡± I reiterated. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose, you guys.¡±


    My gaze swung from one girl to the other in silent supplication.


    ¡°I feel like I know it,¡± Tony said. ¡°It sounds familiar.¡±


    I stared at her, my eyes imploring her to remember.


    ¡°I know it. Just give me a sec.¡±


    She gritted her teeth, silently humming what I assumed was the tune. I waited.


    ¡°I know it,¡± she repeated, shaking her head lightly. ¡°Something... I can¡¯t sleep. Girl, you¡¯re keeping me


    up... arghh! Sheesh!¡±


    She stomped her foot in annoyance. I heaved a sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose. It was over. I was


    going to have to bear losing my winning streak and all the taunting that would follow.


    ¡°Got it!¡± she eximed suddenly. ¡°It¡¯s called Insomnia.¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡± I asked.


    She nodded.


    I sighed in relief, thanking her with my eyes as I shot back a text.


    Thought you had me, huh?


    It¡¯s Insomnia.


    His reply was instantaneous.


    How did you figure it out?


    I really thought I had you.


    I allowed myself a small triumphant smile. Mae was right, he really was too cute.


    I caught my lower lip between my teeth, contemting my next move. Then, I typed and hit send.


    I got a warning for you. Don¡¯t y me at this. I¡¯ll never lose.


    I smiled inwardly, then shot him a new text in case he got confused.


    That was both my reply and song.


    ¡°I want one,¡± Mae whined, sneaking a nce at Zach who, confronted with girl drama, was left with


    nothing to do but stare at the ceiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die single.¡± She sighed.


    Tony and I who caught the exchange burst into gales ofughter, leaving a confused Zach and sulking


    Mae.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have us,¡± I teased betweenughs.


    ¡°I¡¯d much rather join a convent,¡± she deadpanned, sending Tony and I into a fresh bout ofughter.


    Zach unknowingly added to it by asking, ¡°Did I miss something?¡±

 Chapter 42: 41 - His cover had been blown and he was in trouble

    Chapter 42: 41 - His cover had been blown and he was in trouble


    I warned Ian not to show up at my school today to avoid fueling any doubts about my side of the story


    but I expected him to meet me at the library afterwards. I assumed he would. It was routine at this point


    and I was dying to tell him about the ire drama.


    But he didn¡¯t show. All day long.


    I wasn¡¯t proud of it but I looked up, every time the library doors opened, half expecting, half hoping it


    would be him.


    It never was.


    He didn¡¯t creep in through my window when I got back home either.


    Objectively, I knew I was due for an ¡®off¡¯ day from him considering all the stalking time he had put in


    recently. It had been about two weeks without him bailing even once so, yeah, he was entitled to some


    time off. For some reason though, I felt iplete without him around. I was already so used to his


    constant presence that his absencepletely threw me off.


    He was nowhere to be seen the following day either. I couldn¡¯t stand it. Two ¡®off¡¯ days in a row wasn¡¯t


    abnormal based on past precedent, especially at the beginning when he first started following me


    around. I wouldn¡¯t have batted an eysh then, but now, I was antsy. On edge. Reeling, even. I was


    used having him around all the time. Even when I didn¡¯t want him. His sudden unexined absence left


    me unsettled.


    He was a no-show the day after as well. And the day after that too.


    Anxiety had its ws deep in me. It didn¡¯t help that I couldn¡¯t shake the niggling fear the he had been


    made. That his cover had been blown and he was in trouble. My date with Trevor went awry because


    of it. I didn¡¯t have Ian¡¯s phone number but I figured he had mine so every time my phone buzzed, I


    hoped, prayed it¡¯d be him.


    It never was.


    Trevor couldn¡¯t stand the fact that I was so distracted over another guy on our first date even though I


    exined that I was only worried because Ian was probably in trouble.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure his girlfriend will make sure he¡¯s fine,¡± Trevor said.


    ¡°They broke up,¡± I informed him, anxiously checking my phone as it buzzed again after thest


    message from my stupid service provider. ¡°Anyway, she doesn¡¯t know what I know,¡± I added absently.


    This time, it was a text from Olly informing me that our mom would be home in two weeks. The case


    was apparently finally wrapping up.


    At my addition, Trevor frowned. He cocked his head to the side.


    ¡°You know more about him than his girlfriend?¡± His tone was less than ecstatic.


    I nced at him, taking in his usatory stare.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. He didn¡¯t tell me. I figured it out. Sort of identally walked into it,¡± I exined.


    ¡°And now they¡¯re broken up.¡± He fixed me with a meaningful stare.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. It¡¯s not like that. I didn¡¯t get between them.¡± I forced augh. ¡°Their


    rtionship was supposedly already falling apart.¡±


    ¡°Because he likes you,¡± he surmised tly.


    ¡°No, because they are... were long distance. I don¡¯t know. It¡¯splicated.¡± I gave a one shoulder


    shrug, my eyes narrowing in irritation. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like me. That¡¯s what¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Look, I like you, Avy. But I don¡¯t want plicated.¡¯ Simplify it or let¡¯s call it before we go too far.¡±


    My eyes narrowed, annoyance clear on my features.


    I wasn¡¯t the type to take ultimatums well and while I realized that he wasn¡¯t asking much, I couldn¡¯t help


    my instinctive need to push back. I didn¡¯t like having my decisions weighed in on, much less forced.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll call it.¡± I met his gaze squarely. ¡°Just for the record, we¡¯re not ending this because of Ian. I


    like you too. I don¡¯t feel that way about him and he doesn¡¯t feel that way about me. I, however, don¡¯t like


    being ordered or given ultimatums. And a boy I only just met who thinks he¡¯s in a ce to do that just...


    feels like a boy I don¡¯t want in my life.¡±


    ¡°I see the way he looks at you.¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°Then you need to get your eyes checked.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear him that day after the party, going on about you like that.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You


    don¡¯t talk about a friend like that.¡±


    I sighed heavily, shaking my head to clear it of thoughts of my breakup that wasn¡¯t even really a


    breakup.


    Ian was really going to get it from me when his stupid self finally showed up. Not only did a potential


    boyfriend -one so cute he exchanged song lyrics with me- fall through the cracks because I was


    worried about him, I was actually distracted from studying because of him.


    With a quiet growl, I plugged in my earphones and stubbornly forced my attention back to the book


    open in front of me. It had been four days. If by Saturday, he didn¡¯t show up then I was done. I¡¯d cut


    him off myself.


    The door to my room swung open and Olly strutted in, making herselffortable on my bed.


    I heaved a sigh, raised my gaze to the off white ceiling and prayed for patience. Then I took off my


    earphones, closed the books and gave up on studying.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I turned to face her.


    ¡°I heard about you and Trevor,¡± she said without preamble. ¡°Why?¡±


    I rolled my eyes at her bossy tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t respond to threats or ultimatums. I make them,¡± I answered. ¡°You know that.¡±


    ¡°He threatened you?¡± Surprise blossomed on her face.


    ¡°No. Ultimatum,¡± I corrected.


    ¡°Really?¡± Her brows creased in a frown as she chewed on her lip. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well he did it and now we¡¯re done.¡± I gave a half shrug.


    ¡°What was it about?¡± she asked, leaning forward. ¡°The ultimatum. What did he want?¡±


    ¡°He basically asked me to choose between him and Ian.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. Even now, the thought of his request still annoyed me to pieces. More than it did the


    first time at that. It made me want to drive to that damn tattoo parlor and hit him over the head with a


    tattoo gun.


    ¡°And you chose Ian.¡± Olly¡¯s eyes twinkled, a knowing smile ying across her lips.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± I gritted, eyes hardening. ¡°I don¡¯t respond to ultimatums. I kicked him to the curb for


    issuing one.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t,¡± she repeated, eyes gleaming.


    ¡°Then what would you call it?¡± I pursed my lips, exasperated.


    ¡°Oh,e on.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re Avyanna Johnson. You could¡¯ve thought of at least seven


    better ways out of that.¡±


    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t.¡± I hissed.


    ¡°Yeah, you could.¡± She smirked. ¡°I¡¯m literally counting them right now and if I cane up with seven...


    Eight now. You cane up with at least twenty.¡±


    Her gaze met mine.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Maybe I wasn¡¯t thinking then.¡± I scowled. ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t feel like.¡±


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, please. You think even in your sleep,¡± she countered.


    ¡°I...¡± I drew in a fortifying breath. ¡°You won¡¯t understand.¡±


    I sighed. I couldn¡¯t exactly tell her my brain was too busy worrying for Ian¡¯s life. That would be breaking


    his trust, our contract and also putting her in danger given her inclination for the dark and dangerous,


    and her devil-may-care attitude.


    ¡°Please.¡± She scoffed, a perfected dismissive eye roll following in its wake. ¡°I understand perfectly. You


    like Ian. Even if it was only subconsciously, you wanted to end things with Trevor to free yourself up for


    Ian.¡±


    Her all-knowing smirk rubbed me in ways that made me want to practice darts on her face.


    ¡°Things with Trevor barely started.¡± I hissed. ¡°And for your information, I was preupied with serious


    thoughts, not freeing myself up or whatever other nonsense you think.¡±


    Exaggeratedly rolling her eyes, she got to her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you in action. You¡¯re a multitasking goddess. It only takes you a few seconds to figure out


    the perfect solution to something like this. I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t want to admit it to me.¡± She


    shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to. So just admit it to yourself. You let Trevor go for Ian. You like Ian.¡±


    Her gaze was knowing in a way the made me ufortable.


    ¡°That way,¡± she continued, ¡°when Ianes after you, -and he will- you¡¯ll be ready.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± I rolled eyes heavily.


    ¡°Remember how he talked about you that night at the party? It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡±


    With that parting shot, she left my room.


    ¡°Why does everybody keep referencing that night?¡± I hissed to my empty room. ¡°Why did she even


    I was annoyed. No, pissed. I was royally pissed. Whenever Ian finally deigned to show up, it had better


    be with the best fucking excuse ever.


    Huffing, I stomped downstairs to prepare dinner.

 Chapter 43: 42 - I was a bull. He was red.

    Chapter 43: 42 - I was a bull. He was red.


    It had been five days and still no sign of Masked Idiot. Tomorrow was his deadline. The day I¡¯d cut him


    off and he was still a no show. The thought turned my stomach.


    After the third day, I gave in and hit him up on Instagram. He didn¡¯t reply.


    Last night, I hit my lowest and asked Tammy of his whereabouts like a proper unsympathetic sociopath,


    asking about her ex just days after the breakup.


    It was a wasted effort at the end. She had no news on him.


    I heaved a sigh and threw the novel I had been reading -mostly failing at- onto my bed in frustration. I


    had been on the same page for almost an hour. Gaming wasn¡¯t even an option seeing as I couldn¡¯t


    bring myself to concentrate on anything. I would get my ass handed to me and lose points, and since I


    nned on selling the ount soon, I couldn¡¯t afford that.


    It was a miracle I had managed to keep my distress from those around me. Actually, it wasn¡¯t. Nobody


    was paying attention. Keeping it from them was easy.


    Growling quietly, I decided to take a shower to cool off.


    I was really going to kill him if he wasn¡¯t already dead. My stomach couldn¡¯t take any more knots of


    worry. It felt like I was walking around with a boulder on my chest. Like I couldn¡¯t get in enough air,


    couldn¡¯t breathe deeply enough. How he ever managed living like this, with a constant worry at the


    back of his mind, was beyond me. I couldn¡¯t stand it. I hated it. I had brought it on myself and that made


    me hate it even more. It was all me. Me and my wilful caretaker tendencies. He was a grown man, he


    didn¡¯t need me worrying about him but of course, it was my nature and I couldn¡¯t help it. Now I was


    paying for it.


    ¡°I swear this is all my fault.¡± I growled, slipping on pajama shorts and a tank top with my hair wrapped in


    an old cotton t-shirt.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve called my dad on him when I had the chance,¡± I mutteerd under my breath.


    Roughly pulling open the door to my room, I continued viciously, ¡°Or thrown him out the day he showed


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    up beaten and half dead.¡±


    I flicked on the lights, bathing the room with a golden glow.


    ¡°I should never have eve--¡±


    I jumped back reflexively, eyes widening in shock as I took in the figure reclining on my bed.


    My eyes narrowed to slits.


    ¡°You.¡± I bared my teeth, enmity radiating from my pores as I took calcted predatory steps towards


    the boy on my bed.


    Sensing evil intent, he rose to his feet and for a split second, his eyes drifted to the window he had


    crawled in through. I could tell he was contemting running away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I hissed, taking another predatory step forward. ¡°Even think about it.¡±


    His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.


    ¡°Hi.¡± His voice was infused with a forced cheerfulness that was out of ce given the current mood.


    ¡°You are going to die.¡± I said it with a quiet deadliness that made it clear I wasn¡¯t joking in the least. ¡°But


    first, you¡¯ll exin.¡±


    He nodded, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down.


    ¡°Do you have any idea,¡± I snarled, eyes glowing with anger, ¡°what you put me through? Do you?¡±


    He took a step back, putting his hands up to ward me off.


    ¡°Nothing can save you.¡± I chuckled darkly. ¡°I was so worried. I thought you got caught. That you were


    dead. Or worse. You¡¯ll pay for that.¡±


    I stopped a step away from him, well within swinging distance for a punch.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he ventured.


    ¡°Sorry isn¡¯t going to cut it.¡± I snarled.


    I was a bull. He was red.


    ¡°I really am. I didn¡¯t think yo--¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think!¡± I snapped, cutting him off. It was apanied by a blow he didn¡¯t seeing.


    He doubled over, clutching his abdomen.


    ¡°No matter what you think,¡± I thumped his head that was at level with my stomach, ¡°your brain isn¡¯t


    decoration.¡±


    ¡°If you will just hang on.¡± He wheezed, straightening up.


    ¡°Hang on?¡± I hissed. ¡°I¡¯ve been hanging on. Barely! For the past five days. You don¡¯t get to say that to


    me.¡±


    To drive home my point, I followed it with a sharp kick to his side. He winced, eyes sparking with


    annoyance.


    ¡°Will you stop hitting me?!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I answered, giving in to the urge to pound my fists against his chest.


    He had no right to stroll in like it was every other day after what he had done. Like what I went through


    was nothing.


    He caught both my hands in one grip, holding them against his chest to stop the pounding. My eyes,


    shining with anger, shot to his face. He held them in ce, looking down at me with a calm expression


    that irked me to no end.


    I thrashed, jerking back and forth in a bid to get free. The t-shirt wrapped around my head came loose


    and slid to the ground. My hair fell around my shoulders, some locks falling across my face.


    ¡°Let go,¡± I gritted out, my gaze trained on the hand pinning down both of mine.


    ¡°Avy.¡±


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    ¡°Avy,¡± he repeated, steel in his tone.


    ¡°Let. Me. Go.¡±


    ¡°Avyanna!¡± He burst out, amanding tone in his voice.


    It was the first time I had ever heard him shout. My gaze flew to his, wide and glittering with unshed


    tears. I half died of mortification.


    ¡°I was so scared,¡± I admitted quietly.


    He held my gaze steady, apology pouring from his depths.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know. I truly am.¡±


    A sudden wave of weariness took hold of me. I sighed.


    ¡°I was terrified.¡± I heaved a sigh, my head falling against his chest.


    The wind had left my sails and suddenly all I was, was tired. His arms came around me, holding me up


    before I could even start to fall.


    ¡°I thought...¡± I swallowed the aching lump in my throat. ¡°I thought the worst. It was... I thought... I


    thought you were gone.¡± Tears coated myshes as I blinked in a bid to stop them from falling.


    I hated myself a little for it and the way my voice came out croaky and brittle.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t. I... it was...¡±


    I released my breath on a sigh and gave up on articting my thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he murmured. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    My eyes drifted shut as I drew in a deep breath, steeling myself. Two breakdowns in the space of two


    weeks was a record for me. It was a weakness I couldn¡¯t allow to continue. A part of me was already


    cringing at the fact that I actually admitted to being worried. I already couldn¡¯t believe I did it and I was


    still living the moment.


    I was going to beat myself up for this for forever.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it again,¡± I said, picking up what was left of my dignity. My voice was hard as ice, driving away


    -at least I hoped- the image of me falling into his arms.


    What had I been thinking falling against him like that?

 Chapter 44: 42.5 - He was in deep trouble (Bonus)

    Chapter 44: 42.5 - He was in deep trouble (Bonus)


    Ian wasn¡¯t sure why he stayed away. No, scratch that. He knew exactly why he stayed away. He just


    wasn¡¯t ready to ept it. For heaven¡¯s sake, she wasn¡¯t his type.


    Not even remotely.


    She was average height, overly opinionated and condescending. She wasn¡¯t nice, sunny or voluptuous.


    She was curvy, sure but he liked curvier. He favored vibrant blue eyes that brought to mind images of


    sparkling oceans. Her dark molten pools were nothing close yet seeing them light up and twinkle on


    asion when she found something truly funny or when she was goading him to his wit¡¯s end made


    something in his chest cavity unfurl. It was like a present she was bestowing on the world.


    Shit.


    Shit, shit, shit.


    Fucking shit.


    She hardly even smiled. She wasn¡¯t his type at all. He liked nice girls who smiled loads. She was


    nowhere close to his type so how the fuck did he manage to fall for her and not even realize it until she


    found another guy?


    Until he pushed her to one. How the actual fuck did that happen?


    It was her heatedment about him blowing hot and cold on Trevor that started the soul searching


    that led to the realization that he liked her. A lot.


    Up until that Sunday when he broke up with Tammy, he¡¯d believed they were nothing more than friends.


    Heck, they were barely even friends.


    He didn¡¯t see iting at all. After the night when she was loopy on meds passed, they fell back into


    their normal rhythm. So he wrote that night off as a one-off thing but now, everything was falling apart.


    The mission wasn¡¯t heading anywhere. Townsend was angry all the time. His time off from school was


    that off, he¡¯d gone and stupidly fallen for a girl who didn¡¯t have the slightest inclination to return his


    feelings.


    And the award for biggest idiot ever goes to me, he thought bitterly.


    He heaved a sigh and hefted himself over her window.


    He had stayed away for a full week. It was time he faced her again. Avoiding her hadn¡¯t helped one bit


    so hopefully, this would.


    It had to. He wasn¡¯t sure how much longer he could stand having her cloud his thoughts. It really had to


    stop before Townsend figured it out. He wasn¡¯t sure what the agent would do but he didn¡¯t trust him


    with her one bit. Not since the time sheined about feeling stalked by a psychopath.


    Heaving another sigh, he copsed onto her bed, waiting for her return. He was sure she was home.


    Her car was in the driveway. She was probably taking her bath. She did that a lot.


    He¡¯d wait.


    ?


    Less than ten minutester, his waiting was rewarded.


    She entered the room, wearing a pair of shorts he had never seen her in. He was willing to bet she only


    wore it because she thought he wasn¡¯t going to show. She liked to act all tough but she really was just


    a cautious innocent girl. He had noticed how she never so much as wore revealing clothes whenever


    he was in her room.


    She was always in sweats. Her tough brash girl act was just that, an act.


    He watched, heart beating just a little harder as her gaze honed in on him, turning hard, predatory


    even.


    ¡°You.¡± She snarled, lips curling to reveal a vicious expression that had him wondering if he should bolt.


    As though she knew what he was thinking, she hissed, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    He swallowed.


    He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was in deep trouble even though he had done nothing wrong.


    Forcing cheer he didn¡¯t feel into his voice, he said, ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die.¡± Her voice was quiet, calm. Almost deadly.


    It was all he could do to suppress a shudder. He knew what she was capable off. His intuition warned


    him to tread very carefully.


    ¡°But first, you¡¯ll exin.¡±


    He nodded, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed.


    He¡¯d never been this terrified of a person. The girl in front of him rivalled his father in underhanded


    tricks and unlike his father, she was under no familial obligation to protect him.


    Also, she knew enough about him to deal a lethal blow.


    ¡°Do you have any idea,¡± the eyes he liked so much came alive, glowing with anger directed at him,


    ¡°what you put me through? Do you?¡±


    He took a step back, subconsciously putting his hands up in surrender.


    What had she gone through while he was away? Did they trace him to her?


    His heart pounded, unsure whether the fear choking him was for her safety or his.


    ¡°Nothing can save you.¡± A dark chuckle escaped her small mouth. It wasn¡¯t like her otherughs. Those


    ones that usually sounded carefree, almost surprised by itself. This one sounded very mafia-like, very


    deadly.


    ¡°I was so worried about you. I thought you got caught. That you were dead. Or worse. I have a very


    active imagination.¡± She stopped moving when she was a foot away.


    A distant part of his mind wondered what she¡¯d do next. Tammy liked to get up in his face and scream


    whenever they got in fights. She¡¯d poked his chest too. Sometimes cry.


    He didn¡¯t like that option. He simply couldn''t picture her tearing up nor did he want to.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He found himself shivering under the full force of her icy gaze.


    ¡°Sorry isn¡¯t going to cut it,¡± she spat, baring her all too straight teeth.


    ¡°I really am. I didn¡¯t think--¡± he tried again.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think!¡± she snapped, cutting him off.


    Before she finished the sentence, shended a well thrown punch on his stomach.


    He didn¡¯t seeing. He should have given all he knew about her. There was no way screaming in his


    face and poking him would¡¯ve satisfied her. She was fire in all it¡¯s glory. And damn, it was a hard punch.


    He doubled over, wondering if her dad was the one who taught her to punch like that and just what else


    he might have taught her. He prayed to God how to shoot wasn¡¯t on that list.


    Unfortunately, in his heart of hearts, he just knew she¡¯d know how to do that too so, instead, he settled


    for praying she didn¡¯t have a gun handy.


    ¡°No matter what you think,¡± she thumped his head, ¡°your brain isn¡¯t decoration.¡±


    ¡°If you will just hang on...¡± he cated, straightening up in the wake of the blow.


    ¡°Hang on?¡± Her tone was velvety soft. He immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say. ¡°I¡¯ve been


    hanging on. Barely! For the past five days! Don¡¯t you dare say that to me.¡±


    To drive her point home, she kicked him,nding the kick just under his ribs, where he was most


    vulnerable.


    She was angry. He understood that but the least she could do was let him exin. If the roles had been


    reversed, he¡¯d have beenbelled a bully among other things for even trying to hit a girl.


    At the very least, he deserved to be heard.


    ¡°Will you stop hitting me?¡± He hissed, unable to help himself.


    ¡°No.¡± Her reply was instantaneous. The crack in her voice had him bristling.


    Was she going to cry? Was it really so bad that the strongest girl he¡¯d ever met felt the need to cry?


    What had he done?This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He was pulled out of his self-reflection when she began hitting his chest with her clenched fists. They


    weren¡¯t punches but they were painful enough.


    Gazing down at her, he felt a tight squeeze in his chest.


    He should¡¯ve at least texted. Kept in contact somehow just in case. To make sure she was fine. He was


    the one who put her in harm¡¯s way by showing up at her house that night he got caught. He just didn¡¯t


    know where else to go at the time.


    He didn¡¯t even think of anyone else that night.


    Stifling a weary sigh, he caught both her hands against his chest, gently holding them together in one


    grip.


    ¡°Avy,¡± he said softly.


    She didn¡¯t seem to hear as she jerked back and forth violently, trying to get her hands free.


    The oversized tee shirt wrapped around her head like a towel came loose, falling to the ground. Her


    hair tumbled down in one damp curly mass.


    ¡°Let go.¡± Her voice shook.


    ¡°Avy.¡± He tried again.


    ¡°Let go!¡± Her volume rose.


    ¡°Avy.¡± His voice took on amanding edge.


    ¡°Let me go.¡±


    ¡°Avyanna!¡± he bellowed, wincing at the sound of his voice. At how much like his father¡¯s voice it was.


    It got through to her though. She stopped, raising her wide panic stricken eyes to him.


    His chest contracted painfully. He struggled to draw in a filling breath.


    She had never looked prettier than at that moment, with her hair falling whichever way it pleased, her


    molten pools staring up at him with all the innocence of a doe and her lips slightly parted. Up close he


    could see her dark circles, the individual strands of her thick eyebrows and the tiny birthmark on the


    side of her nose.


    She was beautiful through and through.


    His heart could barely stand it. His chest filled up with contrition.


    His hands started toe around her before she even fell against him. He couldn¡¯t rein in the need to


    hold her. To just hold her and breathe her in. To be close to her.


    He held her steady, repentance oozing from his depths. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    He hoped she could forgive him because he suddenly wasn¡¯t so sure he could do it himself.


    ¡°I was so scared,¡± she confessed quietly, all the energy visibly leaving her body. ¡°I thought...¡± He felt her


    gulp against him.


    He tightened his hold on her.


    ¡°I thought the worst,¡± she continued. ¡°It was... I thought I¡¯d never see you again. I couldn¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he choked out. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Gently, reverently, he stroked her hair, breathing in her lemony scent.


    He felt it. The second she started to pull away. He felt it and was helpless to stop it as she began to


    retreat behind her walls. Walls that anyone who even remotely knew her knew were extremely tall,


    spiked on all sides and rigged with explosives.


    He didn¡¯t know how to make her stay.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it again.¡± She pulled away from his embrace.


    She might have as well mmed the door in his face.

 Chapter 45: 43 - Mission accomplished

    Chapter 45: 43 - Mission aplished


    It had been less than twenty four hours since my epically embarrassing moment and thankfully, Ian and


    I were pretending it hadn¡¯t happened. It wasn¡¯t much in the way offort but I was desperate enough


    to take anything I could get. It was that mortifying.


    I was also being extra snarky to cover it up. I couldn¡¯t help it. Knowing what I had done, how cringe


    worthy my reaction was, I couldn¡¯t not do everything to erase the mental image. He had only himself to


    me anyways.


    ¡°So...,¡± he drawled, eyeing me cautiously as we re-shelved the books.


    ¡°What?¡± My tone was less than friendly.


    ¡°My sister¡¯s tea party is tomorrow.¡±


    I bristled, thanking God for my ck mnin endowed blush resistant skin. Did my outburstst night


    make him feel like he now had to report his every move to me? It certainly couldn¡¯t get any more


    embarrassing than this.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I drawled as casually as I could manage, then arched a brow.


    The ¡®why are you telling me this¡¯ was loudly implied.


    ¡°I was supposed to take Tammy and... well, obviously that¡¯s not happening anymore. Apparently, I can¡¯t


    not show up without a date. It¡¯s ¡®just not done.¡¯ It¡¯ll supposedly ruin everything.¡± He rolled his eyes


    exasperatedly.


    It was craftily done but I could tell. He was avoiding my gaze.


    ¡°Okay?¡± I frowned, eyes narrowing with suspicion.


    ¡°Would you...¡± He swallowed, nervous interlinking and unlinking his fingers. ¡°A lot of people don¡¯t know


    I¡¯m home. I can¡¯t tell anyone else without them asking questions about why I took time off.¡±


    I nodded slowly. I understood that, what I didn¡¯t understand was his sheepish attitude.


    ¡°I uhh... What I¡¯m asking is...¡± He swallowed, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down conspicuously.


    ¡°What? Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°Would you... go with me? Not like a date. I know you have Trevor. Just uhm..., to not ruin the party.¡±


    I frowned. It was a rtively harmless request. At least it seemed so from where I was standing. I


    wasn¡¯t seeing the need for his shy act.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I asked, suspicion coloring my tone.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded a little too enthusiastically.


    I mulled the idea over. If he owed me one, getting over this current awkwardness would probably be


    easier. Or hopefully, something embarrassing would happen to him too there and we''d be equal.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I was still very much suspicious. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He sighed in relief.


    My frown deepened. Was I really so scary that he had to go through a whole anxiety cycle just to ask


    me for a favour? I knew I wasn¡¯t the approachable type but I figured our friendship ¨Cif I could really call


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    it that- was past that stage. That he had me figured out already. It was both relieving and aggrieving to


    find out that he hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°So how¡¯s the mission going?¡± I asked, to distract myself from wayward thoughts.


    ¡°Not good.¡± He sighed. His shoulders drooped with disappointment. ¡°I have to go back to school soon


    and we still haven¡¯t figured anything out. I¡¯m just... tired. I¡¯m tired of fighting. Of acting. And Townsend.


    It¡¯s getting to him even more. He has lot riding on this. It¡¯s just so frustrating that we have absolutely


    nothing.¡±


    My mind was cast back to my first and only time at the arena. To our shocking encounter. To those


    people who misled me.


    I bit my lip.


    If I was right about them -the people who misled me- and they were, in fact, connected to the supposed


    drugwork, there was no way Ian would¡¯ve known about them since they left about two-thirds


    through the matches. Like I had that day. He was probably looking for people leaving towards the end


    or midway since that was moremon.


    He would have been fighting or in his changing room prepping for a fight at the two-third point.


    Townsend, on the other hand, might have been able to catch them but, to be fair, they were right in


    front of me that day and I still lost them. Maybe they just were that good.


    I made the decision before I even realized I was opening my mouth to speak.


    ¡°Your next match is today right?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯lle with.¡±


    I was going to figure this out once and for all.


    ¡°What?¡± Confusion colored his features. ¡°Why? You hate... You don¡¯t... You think going to that ce is


    the worst decision you ever made. You said you¡¯d kill me if I ever took you back there.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± I waved his argument away with a flick of my wrist. ¡°I said I¡¯d kill you if you took me


    there or anywhere illegal. It was a limited promise. Just for that day. But you took me to get ice cream.


    Hence why you¡¯re still alive.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, gazing down at me with an amused light in his eyes, ¡°you make threats so


    casually.¡±


    I smiled, rose to my feet and walked away. I could feel his gaze on me as I did. I couldn¡¯t help but


    smirk.


    I called over my shoulder as I left, ¡°I carry them out casually too.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± he asked, for the umpteenth time.


    It was all I could do not to sigh.


    Another girl might have found it cute that he was so worried but I was irked. I made the decision to


    twelve times. I knew what I was doing quite unlike him.


    If anything, I should¡¯ve been the one asking him that. Since I was willing to respect his seriously


    questionable decisions, the least he could do was pretend to trust mine.


    ¡°If you ask me that one more time, I will punch you,¡± I stated, turning my head so he could see my


    serious expression.


    The arena was rapidly starting to fill up. We were seated in my car, watching people go in. His match


    was the second to thest so he was free to sit with me.


    ¡°You should go.¡± I said, nodding to the almost empty parking lot. ¡°Find me here after. Or at home if I¡¯m


    not here.¡±


    He nodded and we parted ways. Both of us going through different entrances.


    The smell of the arena instantly assaulted my nose. It was even worse than I remembered. I wrinkled


    my nose in distaste, picking my way over to a good vantage point from which I could keep an eye on


    both exits. My surveince post wasn¡¯t as good as I would¡¯ve like but I wasn¡¯t in a ce to make


    demands.


    If my theory was correct -and I really hoped it was- then this could all end nicely by weekend.


    I watched the first half of Ian¡¯s match, flinching and silently cussing every time a punch or kick got past


    his defences. He was good. Really good but his opponent was good too. Fortunately, unlike Ian, his


    bulk got in the way of his speed. He wasn¡¯t able tond as many blows but each one he did counted. I


    couldn¡¯t help wincing every time it happened.


    Ian, unsurprisingly, had a lot of fans. More, it seemed, than the other yers. The second he stepped


    into the ring, the cheers went wild. He stepped in, faced the crowd, scanning for something. Someone.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was me or whoever he and Townsend were hoping to catch. Despite that, it still took


    all my willpower not to grin back when his eyes found me in the crowd and his lips stretched into a


    purely male egotistic smile. Idiot.


    I smiled at his figure one more time even though he was too busy with the match to notice. Then, I


    quietly slipped out of room, my feet taking me in the same direction I had gone thest time.


    I hadn¡¯t seen anyone suspicious slip out while I was on watch but as I trudged on, I heard footsteps


    ahead. Sending up a quick prayer of thanks that I had worn padded sandals as opposed to heeled


    boots, I crept along.


    I vaguely recognized the area I had lost sight of themst time as we neared it. I increased my pace till


    I had them in my sights. I sent up another prayer of gratitude that the arena was set with circr


    corridors that allowed me to follow from a close distance while still keeping out of their sight.


    I watched carefully, my phone tightly gripped in my hand so I could pretend I was texting in case I got


    caught.


    One man in the group, a man I recognised fromst time, stepped forward and pressed both of his


    hands to two spots on the wall that were too odd to be random. I filed the information away in my brain,


    all but forgetting about my texting act. I watched like a hawk as his left hand moved away to reveal a


    dial.


    A distant part of my mind prayed it wasn¡¯t a biometric scanner he had initially pressed his hands


    against.


    From where I stood, I couldn¡¯t see what numbers he turned the dial to but regardless, I memorized the


    directions which his wrist moved to. Eight o¡¯clock. Ten or eleven o¡¯clock. Four o¡¯clock and two o¡¯clock.


    A doorway opened in the seemingly seamless wall and my targets disappeared through it. I let out a


    sigh of relief and smiled to myself. Mission aplished.


    It was so easy, so smooth, a part of me almost couldn¡¯t believe this was it. My heart was pounding


    though, a gentle reminder that it was, in fact, real.


    I turned back, ready to return to the audience when a dark figure filled my field of vision, a hand


    mping down on my mouth before I could scream.

 Chapter 46: 44 - Tell us what you know

    Chapter 46: 44 - Tell us what you know


    I turned back, ready to return to the audience when a dark figure filled my field of vision, a hand


    mping down on my mouth before I could scream. Fear like never before exploded in my chest. Even


    worse than when my dad was in one of his moods.


    Unthinkingly, I swung my fist out, aiming for the throat. Never had I been dder for muscle memory


    and adrenaline induced clear headedness. Even as terror choked me, I found myself objectively


    itemizing perceived weaknesses and attack points.


    My hand curved in a perfect arc heading for his throat. He released me in favor of blocking the blow. It


    was expected but a part of me was still shocked it had worked.


    Before my hand even connected with his raised forearms, I began executing my next move. My leg


    swung out, catching his side less than a secondter. Parker would¡¯ve been so proud of me.


    The assant cursed under his breath and made another grab for me.


    I was ready this time. I jabbed my elbow in his armpit. It wasn¡¯t a calcted move and as soon as I did


    it, I wanted to p myself. Parker would not have approved of such a clumsy tactic.


    It had barely been a second since my elbow made contact but my mind was on an adrenaline high and


    processing things a mile a second. I readied myself to take whatever hit woulde next.


    But nothing came.


    My terror abated a little when his grimace finally registered in my brain. I saw, more than heard, the


    pained grunts escaping from his lips. My ears were filled with white noise. I couldn¡¯t hear anything over


    it. Not even sounds of impact from our scuffle.


    I finally noticed he was awkwardly cradling the arm of the armpit I had hit to his torso, shooting me a


    look that promised pain in my immediate future if he got his way.


    I must¡¯ve hit a funny bone.


    I sent up a quick prayer of gratitude for the lucky ident. There was no conscious decision. No


    weighing my options. My brain wasn¡¯t even processing options. Only one thing popped into my head;


    run.


    My fist made contact with his nose while he was still distracted by the effects of the armpit hit. It didn¡¯t


    break but I was willing to bet it still hurt immensely. I turned on my heel ready to bolt regardless of the


    direction.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he cursed softly behind me. ¡°Little bitch. Ian conveniently did not mention that.¡±


    I stopped on my tracks. Froze was more like it.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I fell into a defensive stance as I turned around.


    ¡°Did your dad teach you that move?¡± He grunted, slowly righting himself.


    The way he said it sent shivers down my spine. It wasn¡¯t particrly malicious but the thought that he


    knew my dad was chilling.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I swallowed.


    He inclined his head as though taunting me; guess. I drew in a shaky breath, my hands clenching into


    fists as a warning.


    ¡°Give it your best shot.¡± His expression was condescending even as his eyes hardened to ciers.


    He knew me. Knew Ian. Knew my dad was the sheriff and was confident enough to not care.


    ¡°Town?¡± I asked, suspicion coloring my tone.


    I refrained from saying his full name in case I was wrong and it wasn¡¯t Agent Townsend. If it was him,


    that should be enough of a hint for him to know that I knew and if it wasn¡¯t him, whoever it was wouldn¡¯t


    be able to im the identity and pretend to be him.


    ¡°That little bastard.¡± He hissed, eyes narrowing in distaste. ¡°He told you about me too.¡±


    Relief spread through my lungs. It was him.


    ¡°I figured it out.¡± I hissed back, still maintaining my defensive stance. ¡°What were you trying to do just


    now?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wa--¡± He frowned, abruptly stopping.


    His gaze met mine, distrust mirroring in both.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± His tone was just as suspicious as mine. ¡°ording to Ian, you¡¯d never


    voluntarily step foot in this ce.¡±


    ¡°I would not,¡± I agreed and straightened up. Something about his response set me at ease. Reminded


    me he was one of the good guys. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be here. We should talk somewhere else.¡±


    He nodded, understanding filled his gaze as it flitted down the corridor. It was too open and


    conspicuous. Anyone, precisely the people I had been following, could walk back any second.


    ¡°Fine. Follow me.¡±


    He led me in the opposite direction, down a series of corridors I didn¡¯t recognize. Distrustfully eyeing


    the back of his head, I palmed the taser in my pocket, silently reassuring myself of its presence.


    He kept going, deeper and deeper into the heart of the building. Just as I began seriously


    contemting whether or not to tase him and make a run for it, we finally turned into a hallway I


    recognized. It was the one that led me to Ian¡¯s dressing roomst time.


    I sighed in relief, grateful that I wouldn¡¯t have to resort to attacking a federal agent. Well, any more than


    I already had.


    With two sharp raps of his knuckle, the door swung open to reveal an anxious Ian.


    ¡°Were you able to loose Con?¡± he asked immediately, not noticing me behind Townsend¡¯s bulky frame.


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t make it back in time though,¡± Townsend answered. ¡°Next time.¡±


    It was a promise that had me shivering lightly. Ian heaved a sigh, disappointment clear on his features.


    He pushed the door open wide and walked back into the room, to sit down.


    I interpreted what I had heard and decided they was referring to the men I followed in some way. It


    would exin why Townsend was in that corridor. If this Con was the lookout, then it exined why I


    didn¡¯t get caught. Con must have been preupied keeping Townsend away. Hence why I was able to


    slip through. No wonder it seemed too easy.


    Townsend shuffled inside and I followed behind him, shutting the door in our wake.


    ¡°Avy.¡± Ian gasped, eyes widening with horror.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I pasted on a smile and awkwardly waved.


    He stiffened, eyes honing in on Townsend. He seemed to finally take note of Townsend¡¯s bruised nose


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    and the awkward angle he was holding his left hand at. Or maybe he only cared now since I, a civilian


    and whatnot, was involved.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    His tone could easily rival the seventh circle of hell. Gone was the funny carefree boy I was used to


    seeing. In his ce was a serious, angry person I had only ever glimpsed once before.


    Townsend rolled his eyes dismissively.


    ¡°She attacked me,¡± he supplied sourly, gingerly flexing his left arm. The armpit arm.


    Ian¡¯s questioning gaze swung to me.


    ¡°I did,¡± I confessed as he looked me over, scrutinizing me from my hairdo to my sandals. ¡°But in my


    defense, he came at me first.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t hurt right?¡± His voice sounded just the tiniest bit scared.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± To lighten the mood, I added, ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with a family tradition involving


    violence.¡±


    He nodded and released the breath he was holding. I frowned. Was he really that worried? Did he


    seriously think I couldn¡¯t take care of myself? I bit my lip, unsure how that made me feel.


    ¡°These people you were following,¡± I began, snapping into business mode in the face of unfamiliar


    emotions. ¡°They went down the corridor you found me at right?¡±


    At my knowing tone, Townsend shot Ian an exasperated nce.


    ¡°You told her that too? Does the word ¡®confidential¡¯ mean anything to you?¡±


    This was so much better. I stifled augh as I took in Ian¡¯s disgruntled frown.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me.¡± I came to his aid. ¡°I figured it out. Thest time I was here, I ran into them. I followed


    them. I thought they were heading out back then but I lost track of them and ended up finding Ian so...


    recently, I put two and two together and figured things out. I¡¯m smart like that.¡±


    Townsend raised an eyebrow, awarding us an unconvinced look.


    ¡°You expect me to believe that a girl who only just turned sixteen figured out all on her own that this


    was an undercover operation and that those people w--¡±


    I tilted my head to the side, eyeing him spectively. His reply was too condescending. Insulting even.


    I wasn¡¯t willing to fight the urge to be just as rude.


    ¡°I know the concept is new to you but I¡¯ve been this way my whole life.¡± My gaze met his, wordlessly


    challenging him as I cut him off. ¡°It¡¯s called brilliance. I¡¯m a genius and as someone who isn¡¯t, I don¡¯t


    expect you to understand what I¡¯m capable of.¡±


    ¡°Hang on.¡± Shock and disbelief dominated Ian¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re sixteen?¡±


    Townsend and I frowned, both our gazes turning Ian¡¯s way. He looked me up, did he not? How did he


    miss my age?


    It was clear Townsend was thinking the same thing.


    ¡°But you¡¯re in your final year,¡± Ian refuted, shaking his head in denial.


    Townsend and I exchanged an exasperated look.


    ¡°I¡¯ve mentioned this before, I¡¯m pretty sure. I¡¯m really smart. I was ahead of all the other kids as child so


    I skipped two sses. At separate points. My excellentwyer of a mom strong armed the school into


    creating a special sybus for me after consulting with a handler for geniuses.¡± I paused, a frown


    marring my face. ¡°That¡¯s what Olly and I call her. I don¡¯t know what her proper job title is.¡±


    I shrugged unrepentantly.


    ¡°Anyway, thanks to her, I was able to skip two sses ahead.¡± I took in the disbelieving look in his eyes


    and way he was still shaking his head like he couldn¡¯t quite process this bit of information. ¡°I thought


    you knew all this.¡±


    ¡°Did you not read her file?¡± Townsend chipped in, shing me an exasperated look.


    ¡°Christ.¡± I sighed, shaking my head lightly. ¡°Let¡¯s give him a moment to process this. He¡¯s a bit slow, if


    you haven¡¯t noticed.¡±


    That snapped Ian out of his stupor. He scowled.


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully mouthy for a sixteen year old,¡± he snarled.


    I cocked my head to the side, arching a brow in my most condescending ¡®oh really¡¯ look.


    ¡°I¡¯d agree with you but age has nothing to do with it. After all,¡± I folded my arms across my chest,


    ¡°you¡¯re both older but it took me only two trips to this hell hole to figure all this out,¡± I gestured to the


    ceiling in a circr all-epassing motion, ¡°while you two still haven¡¯t figured anything out in... how


    long have you been here again?¡±


    Townsend bared his teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯ve earned the right to be mouthy, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    That shut them both up. I allowed myself a victorious smile.


    ¡°Now, do you want to know exactly what it is I figured out or do you want to keepmenting about my


    age,¡± my gaze flicked to Ian, ¡°or indirectly threatening me?¡± It flitted to Townsend.


    They both scowled.


    ¡°Just tell us what you know.¡±

 Chapter 47: 45 - The end of an era

    Chapter 47: 45 - The end of an era


    We decided to walk and talk. We were heading to the trapdoor. Townsend wanted to make the bust


    immediately provided it ended up being what we hoped it was. He wanted to verify now while the


    matches for the day were still going on, thene backter with his men if it checked out. Hopefully,


    there would be documented information implicating all the yers involved wherever that trapdoor led.


    ording to Townsend, that was how these things supposedly worked. Apparently, it was custom to


    keep ckmail material in case anyone tried to turn against the rest.


    ¡°Last time I was here, I was in a hurry to leave and I got lost following this group of guys. I thought they


    were heading out but I ended up losing sight of them. That¡¯s how I eventually found you that day.¡± I


    pointed to Ian.


    He nodded, listening with unwavering attention.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think there was more to it obviously. If anything I wanted to put the whole experience behind


    me so I didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of it being something sketchy. I already had a stalker on me.


    I wasn¡¯t going to go look for more trouble. Until I found out the whole story. Then, I looked back and


    started considering the theory but... I wasn¡¯t really invested.¡± I shrugged deprecatingly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my


    business and I didn¡¯t know I could trust you so I kept the theory to myself.¡±


    Ian muttered something along the lines of you and your theories. The look Townsend shot him in


    response could only be described as ¡®shut the hell up.¡¯


    ¡°Anyway, I got know you over time.¡± I shrugged, shooting Ian a small smile. ¡°You said you were having


    trouble so I decided to... test the theory. That¡¯s why I came today.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell me? I could¡¯ve done it. You didn¡¯t have to put yourself in danger,¡± he chastised,


    looking at me like no matter how hard he tried, he¡¯d never have me pegged.


    I liked the idea a little more than I should have.


    ¡°If the theory proved to be true, good but if it didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t want to send you on a wild goose chase.


    You know, give you false hope and all that. Especially when you were already feeling so low,¡± I


    answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re smart,¡± Townsend grudgingly admitted.


    ¡°Here,¡± I announced, stopping in front of the trapdoor.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Townsend asked skeptically.


    I rolled my eyes. They really never learn. Sighing, I awkwardly ced my hands where the man had


    ced his. It wasn¡¯t overly obvious from my pose that I was trying to do something. I had to admit,


    whoever came up with it was quite smart. If someone came around at that moment, I¡¯d look like I had


    my hands against the wall, trying to catch my breath or steady myself. Not at all like I was trying to


    open the door to a room that housed a drug trade headquarters.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ian inquired. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Townsend seconded.


    Soon enough, a small patch slid open and the dial was revealed.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Townsend hissed, taking a step back.


    Ian, for all he was worth, had his mouth hanging open. I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Maybe if you did a little less talking and a little more watching, you¡¯d figure it out,¡± I countered, turning


    the dial the way I had seen it done earlier with my hand covered by my cloth.


    I¡¯d seen a few crime scenes and I didn¡¯t want my prints there when the FBI did its sweep. Eight o¡¯clock.


    Ten o¡¯clock. Four o¡¯clock. Two o¡¯clock. Nothing happened. I could practically feel Townsend¡¯s


    smugness permeating the air.


    So I tried the other code. Eight o¡¯clock. Eleven o¡¯clock. Four o¡¯clock. Two o¡¯clock. For a second, nothing


    happened and my spirit sank. I hadn¡¯t caught the code correctly.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    I heaved a sigh, disappointment spreading through me.


    Suddenly, with a low mechanical whirring, the wall panels pulled apart, revealing a rectangr


    doorway. I breathed a sigh of relief, my eyes drifting shut. Oh, thank God.


    I let Townsend lead the way in case an ambush was waiting ahead. Thankfully, none was.


    The room was more or less a jackpot. It had everything. Piles of documents on transactions involving


    certain corporations that shocked even me, as well as sh drives that I hoped contained more.


    Townsend stepped out to call it in.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± I addressed him as soon as he returned. ¡°But I¡¯m out of here. Whatever happens,


    my parents cannot find out about this little escapade. I mean it. I don¡¯t care what you have to do but...


    keep my name out of the reports. You owe me that much.¡±


    He dismissively agreed.


    With that parting shot and a nce at Ian thatmunicated that I¡¯d be seeing him when he finished


    here, I left the arena, smiling like a Cheshire cat.


    I could see whyw enforcement agents chose the field. The high was thrilling. The knowledge that I


    had more or less single handedly brought down a drug trade filled me with a certain level of pride.


    The whole drive home, I found myself smiling foolishly. I was grateful Ian wasn¡¯t there to witness it.


    I couldn¡¯t sit still long enough to continue the novel I had been reading nor to try my hand at studying. It


    was a miracle I was able to manage cooking dinner without absent mindedly burning it. I was brimming


    with that much excitement.


    Eventually, I settled for ying the game while I waited for Ian to show up. There was a tournament


    going on and since I had little else to do, I decided to participate.


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± I called over my shoulder on spotting Ian¡¯s reflection on myptop screen.


    He hefted himself into the room,nding less than gracefully. I pressed my lips to a thin line to contain


    my smile. I hurriedly finished off the battle and turned to him.


    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡±


    He turned on the full force of his sunny beam.


    ¡°Great. They found everything they could possibly need. Video tapes even and my dad isn¡¯t in a single


    one.¡±


    In his excitement, he bound across the room, wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me out of


    my chair, twirling me in the air. I stiffened, eyes going wide. Logically speaking, I knew he was unlikely


    to drop me. He was somewhat of a trained fighter after all but I couldn¡¯t shake my irrational fear. I


    wanted my feet firmly on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. Put me down.¡± I smiled at the first part and scowled at the second, pointing at the floor in


    urgency.


    ¡°Right.¡± He nodded, getting a hold of himself.


    Gently, he set me set down, slowly sliding me down his body. Very unnecessary and very annoying.


    Regardless, I pasted a sunny smile on my face and took a step back before making the mistake of


    looking in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m d it all worked out,¡± I said stiffly, officially.


    ¡°Thanks to you.¡± He smiled softly.


    ¡°Yeah, well.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°I have no idea how you put it together so fast. It¡¯s like the universe wanted you to. It took Townsend


    and I a month to find out about the people leaving mid game but you waltzed in and figured it out


    immediately.¡±


    ¡°Some of us are gifted like that,¡± I joked.


    Everything had wrapped up quite nicely and it was all thanks to me. I had earned gloating rights by


    every standard but for some reason, I didn¡¯t particrly feel like it. I frowned, unsure where the sudden


    wave of mncholy wasing from.


    Everything had wrapped up. The mission was over. It was the end of an era. There was no longer a


    need for Ian to follow me. He could, would go back to school.


    ¡°I won¡¯t see you again, will I?¡± I tilted my head to the side, masking conflicting emotions behind a smile.


    He seemed toe to the same conclusion judging from the frown that blossomed on his face.


    ¡°I have two weeks before I¡¯m due back,¡± he offered. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ll be so busy with your new


    rtionship, you won¡¯t even notice I¡¯m gone. Honeymoon phase.¡±


    I frowned, awarding him a confused look.


    ¡°What rtionship?¡±


    ¡°Trevor.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I mouthed. ¡°We broke up. Well..., technically, we called it quits, not really broke up. I didn¡¯t tell


    you?¡±


    His eyes widened.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t mention that.¡± His gaze met mine. ¡°When? Why?¡±


    If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d have said he was happy about the development.


    ¡°While you were MIA. We... got into an argument,¡± I hedged.


    ¡°About?¡± he pressed.


    I sighed, then shrugged as I made the decision to tell him the full truth.


    ¡°I was worried about you. It was kind of my fault. I kept checking my phone for an update about you


    during our date. He felt threatened. Asked me to choose.¡± I shrugged, not meeting his gaze. ¡°He¡¯s gone


    now. I don¡¯t like being pressured. Anyway, technically, our falling out was your fault so don''t go feeling


    guilty or special.¡±


    He didn¡¯t so much as try to hide his grin. I rolled my eyes exasperatedly. Lucky for him, I wasn¡¯t that


    invested in Trevor or I¡¯d have made him pay.


    ¡°Anyway, I miss texting him. It was really cute. Possibly the cutest thing ever.¡± I shrugged, smiling at the


    memory.


    ¡°Pray tell, how so?¡± He rolled his eyes.


    I drew in a deep breath, then smiled.


    ¡°We had this thing going where we texted in song lyrics. We tried movies quotes but it was way too


    hard so we just settled for song lyrics. It was fun. Made me smile.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll text you in song lyrics if you want,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way. It was ¡®our¡¯ thing. Trevor and I. I shouldn¡¯t just rece him like that,¡± I refuted,


    shaking my head. ¡°Besides I don¡¯t even have your number. Not to mention, now that the mission is


    over, you have no reason to text me.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± He said it in a way that made it seem like I had said something wrong. ¡°I should go. Home


    home. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Pick you up at noon. For the tea party. The colors are turquoise, pearl and


    something that means pink.¡±


    He scrunched up his nose at thest color he couldn¡¯t remember.


    It felt like he was making a fast getaway but I couldn¡¯t exactly tell him to wait. It was night-time. He had


    finally wrapped up his mission. He had earned the right to go home to his family.


    ¡°Good night,¡± I said quietly.


    He didn¡¯t reply.


    I sighed, closing my window a full minute after he was gone. I stifled the urge to watch him as he crept


    down the street. It was unnecessary. I pulled my blinds forcibly.


    I shut down myptop, then crawled under the covers. On my bedside table, my phone buzzed. I


    ignored it, snuggling deeper into bed. I was suddenly tired, drained. The excitement of the day was


    nowhere to be seen anymore.


    My phone buzzed again.


    I sighed, reached over and unlocked it. It was a message from an unknown number.


    Good night.


    Followed by;


    See, I have a reason to text.


    I smiled reluctantly. He really was an idiot.

 Chapter 48: 46 - Shades of relationship wrecker

    Chapter 48: 46 - Shades of rtionship wrecker


    I chewed on my lower lip, reading and rereading the message I had typed, debating whether or not to


    send it. I was dressed and ready, waiting for Ian for toe pick me up but in the meantime I was


    debating the wisdom of my more immediate decision. To be fair, while wested, he was great. It had


    been fun. He deserved more than to be so smoothly cut off but again, what if all the message did was


    bring back things he was trying to forget. He worked with Olly though, which meant he had a constant


    living reminder of me.


    I puffed out a breath noisily and hit send. Onest song lyric. It read;


    I leaned into love but forgot to fall.


    Sorry.


    Turning my phone off, I gave myself a final once-over. My pastel gown with blue and pink flowers


    against a pearly white background seemed appropriate for a tea party. I got it for one of my mom¡¯s


    work functions. My makeupprised of the same things I wore every day. A mascara and a nude lip


    stick which I swapped out lip gloss for.


    I looked prissy, tea party worthy.


    I all but had a heart attack when Ian showed up. When he said he¡¯d pick me up, I didn¡¯t really think he


    meant driving me there. I figured he¡¯d show up on his bike and I¡¯d be the one tailing him in my car. So


    you can imagine my shock when he showed up with a driver in a sleek ck Bentley that drew one too


    many curious gazes on the street. Shit, shit, shit.


    I immediately started drawing up lies to tell my parents for when one of our neighbours bbed but


    Olly, being her usual fearless self, burst out of the house as if she was the one the car came for.


    ¡°Ian.¡± I heard her gasp in surprise as I rushed up to them.


    Ian, for what he was worth, was standing all decked out in a baby blue tuxedo that had to be the cutest


    thing ever made and was standing next to the open passenger side door like a gentleman from an


    eighties movies. It was almost too much for my insides to take.


    ¡°You¡¯re rich!¡± Olly¡¯s excited outburst snapped me out of it and I crossed the remaining distance to them.


    ¡°Olly, Ian is Ian Carrington of Carringt--¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± Her lips parted in a slight ¡®o,¡¯ her gaze found mine. ¡°Woah.¡±


    ¡°We have to go now.¡± I herded him into the waiting car before she could get past the initial shock and


    explode with questions.


    ¡°You owe me details,¡± she shouted as we drove away.


    ¡°I like your sister.¡± Ian smiled, angled his body so he was facing me. ¡°She¡¯s a lot more open than you


    are.¡±


    ¡°You came in a fancy car,¡± I countered. ¡°You conveniently forgot to mention that earlier.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯d pick you up.¡± He shrugged unapologetically.


    ¡°Yeah, you conveniently left out that it would be in a Bentley!¡± I hissed.


    ¡°Yeah, well Ellie¡¯s a stickler for rules about things like tea parties. Apparently we have to arrive


    appropriately.¡±


    ¡°And you thought a Bentley in a suburban neighborhood wouldn¡¯t have stood out?¡± I rolled my eyes,


    muttering under my breath, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure my Prius would¡¯ve made the cut it.¡±


    Ian¡¯s house was exactly what I pictured it to be. A sprawling ptial mansion with an unnecessarily


    long driveway. It even boasted scenic trees arching over the driveway, small sculptures at regr


    intervals, each slightly different from thest and a huge fountain at the entrance to the main house.


    The chauffeur drove past all of it, stopping at what I figured must be the tea party venue. It was a small


    clearing overlooking a garden and an artificial pond. Cutesy white chairs were arranged round a small


    round table. It boasted three empty seats that informed me we were one of thest ones to arrive. I


    palmed the wrapped gift I had brought along, mentally hoping it¡¯d meet Carrington standards.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ian beamed, helping me down.


    I pasted on a smile, doing my best to ignore the unwanted wave of nerves that hit. On shaky legs, I


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    crossed over to the party. I didn¡¯t realize I had been nervously squeezing Ian¡¯s sleeves with the hand


    he had tucked in the crook of his arm -he was really nailing the gentleman act- until he patted the hand


    down and shed me bold smile.


    ¡°They¡¯ll love you,¡± he said.


    I refrained from informing him that nobody ever just loved me. It wasn¡¯t a thing. I wasn¡¯t Olly. I was


    tolerated, found polite and pleasing or liked if I tried hard enough. I¡¯d die before letting him in on it.


    Servants showed us to our seats, leaving onest unupied chair which I assumed was for his father


    who was the only one that was nowhere in sight. Ellie was on one side of me and Ian on the other. Her


    mother was seated next to her with an empty seat for her husband on her other side. His older sister¡¯s


    husband sat next, followed by the wife.


    ¡°Guys, this is Avyanna.¡± Ian smoothly handled the introductions as we took our seats. ¡°Avy, Ellie, my


    mom, Mike and Rachel.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± I smiled politely.


    Years of attending my mom¡¯s work functions, Policemen¡¯s balls and family events had prepared me for


    this. Olly and I knew exactly how to act at parties. Formal parties.


    ¡°Avy?¡± Rachel wrinkled her nose. ¡°Ivy?¡±


    I forced my features into a cid expression despite the impulse to scowl. I usually got that a lot


    whenever I introduced myself. Whenever I went with Avy, I¡¯d have people correcting me, saying Ivy as


    if I wouldn¡¯t know my own name. And when I went Avyanna, I¡¯d get Adrianna or Ariana. It was quite


    infuriating.


    ¡°No, Avyanna. It¡¯s not amon name.¡± I corrected. ¡°Avy.¡±


    ¡°Right. Sorry. You probably get that a lot. I¡¯m sure it must annoy you.¡± She nodded apologetically.


    I smiled back for a second before turning my attention to the girl beside me.


    ¡°Happy birthday Ellie.¡±


    Ellie beamed angelically in that way that only children could. I smiled back.


    A servant stepped forward, pouring tea for Ian and I, and refilling the cups of the others.


    ¡°So you¡¯re my son¡¯s...?¡± His mother trailed off, shooting me a curious look.


    ¡°Friend,¡± Ipleted.


    ¡°I thought you were bringing Tammy,¡± Rachel chipped in.


    ¡°We broke up.¡± Ian shrugged. ¡°Last week.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She blinked.


    It was clearly news to everyone at the table because his mother pierced him with a sharp look, Ellie


    choked on her tea and Rachel was now eyeing me spectively. Mike was the only one on the team


    who shot me a sympathetic smile.


    ¡°Why?¡± His mom asked.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t working,¡± he answered.


    I almost pped a palm across my forehead. That pretty much painted me in at least nine shades of


    rtionship wrecker.


    ¡°And a weekter you found Avy?¡± His mom was clearly thinking along the same lines.


    ¡°I actually know Tammy. She was the one who did the breaking up,¡± I chipped before he could go


    ahead and seal my fate as a rtionship wrecker by admitting he¡¯d known me prior to the breakup.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    My response calmed everyone as the questioning instantly died down. As a reward, I helped myself to


    a cupcake. Never trust a boy to handle sensitive topics.


    Conversation flowed smoothly, hopping from everything from the snacks down to stocks, until Mr


    Carrington showed up. It was clear he wasn¡¯t a loving father from how all the conversation instantly


    died. His gaze dismissively flicked over everyone, lingering on me for only a split second.


    ¡°Happy birthday sweetie.¡± He dropped a kiss on Ellie¡¯s head as he passed to his seat.


    ¡°Mike.¡± He nodded begrudgingly at the man who wore a forced smile back.


    I mentally plotted how to make myself scarce without it seeming like I was running away.


    ¡°And who is the new girl? What happened to the old one?¡± He posed, his gaze finallying to rest on


    me.


    It could all of my willpower to not arch my brow and mutter, ¡®Really? The old one?¡¯


    ¡°Dad.¡± Ian seemed to be battling the same urge too. ¡°This is Avy.¡±


    ¡°I need to use the restroom, then I¡¯ll open my gifts. Thanks for the money, dad,¡± Ellie said, pushing to


    her feet.


    As a sixteen year old, I¡¯d love getting money as a gift but for a ten year old, it was clear from the way


    she said it, she didn¡¯t feel the same way.


    I hastily rose to my feet too.


    ¡°I also need to freshen up. The heat,¡± I added by way of exnation. ¡°I think I should put my hair up.¡±


    ¡°It looks better down,¡± Mr Carrington said, leaning back in his chair to properly condescend.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I smiled, shing clenched teeth.


    As soon as my back was to him, I rolled my eyes. It was probably just an irrational pet peeve but


    whenever boys tell a girl they prefer her without makeup or that she looks better without it or how to


    dress or not dress, it always pisses me off. It was an insult no matter how I looked at it. An insult to her


    makeup skills and an irritating form of patriarchy. It just rubbed me wrong. And that was when it came


    from a ce of ignorance but good intentions as opposed to the condescending rich white male


    privilege era Mr Carrington hade from.


    I had no ns of tying my hair up before. It was just an excuse to avoid seeming like I was running


    away but now, I was going to put it up no matter what.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Ian¡¯s friend?¡± Ellie said, peering up at me.


    ¡°I am.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°I liked Tammy,¡± she informed me.


    ¡°Same here.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°I think I can like you too. You get one chance.¡±


    I arched a brow.


    ¡°I like that you came and dressed properly. I know I¡¯m old too for these things but...¡± she shrugged,


    staring at her pink ts.


    I sighed, stifling the urge to roll my eyes. She was cute but Olly had taught me all I needed to know


    about the mind fuckery of having younger siblings. I so was not going to fall down that hole again.


    ¡°You¡¯re never too old for anything you want to do,¡± I informed her, slightly shrinking away from her small


    frame that was practically begging me to care, to want to protect her. ¡°Don¡¯t let the patriarchy get you


    down. Or anything really. You want to do something, do it. As long as you¡¯re not hurting someone...¡±


    I frowned, letting the sentence hang unfinished as she stared up at me with wide innocent eyes.


    ¡°Actually, scratch thatst bit. People can be crazy. As long as you¡¯re not hurting your morals, you¡¯re


    good. Also, you don¡¯t need to like me or give me a chance, we¡¯re probably never going to see each


    other again.¡±


    Sheughed, a light carefree sound.


    We entered the restroom. It was huge and I wanted to take it home. It was that perfect.


    ¡°Here.¡± She handed me ab. ¡°For your hair.¡±


    I had gone for a half-up half-down hairstyle and I could tell she was expecting me to leave it as it was


    or even take it all down following her father¡¯sment.


    I smiled inwardly. Like I¡¯d ever let anyone boss me around like that.


    The look of pure surprise on her face when she saw what I had done with my hair aftering out of


    the walled off toilet brought a smirk to my lips. I couldn¡¯t wait for him to see it.


    ¡°He used to do it to Tammy too, you know¡± Ellie revealed as we walked back. ¡°He¡¯d find something he


    didn¡¯t like and dropments till she felt obligated to change it. I usually helped her. ¡®Chel too. I still


    have one of her jackets that she was forced to take off because he didn¡¯t like it. She forgot to take it


    when she left that day.¡±


    I shook my head in disbelief. There was overindulged rich white male-only-country-club privilege and


    then there was this.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not Tammy.¡± My tone was full of promise.

 Chapter 49: 47 – And now, we wait

    Chapter 49: 47 ¨C And now, we wait


    They reactions we got were almostical. I got the feeling they had ced bets on how my hair


    would look when we returned.


    ¡°You put your hair up.¡± Rachel gaped.


    I nodded, taking my seat. ¡°I said I was going to.¡±


    ¡°I told you it was better down.¡± Mr Carrington¡¯s tone was the farthest thing from friendly.


    ¡°I heard.¡± I smiled back politely. ¡°I don¡¯t agree and it¡¯s too hot.¡±


    Rachel choked backughter, shooting me a look that implied awe and respect along with a covert


    thumbs up.


    Ian leaned over and whispered, ¡°He does that for new people all the time. His way of asserting


    dominance. I bet one grand that you wouldn¡¯t budge.¡±


    I grinned discreetly.


    ¡°Time to unwrap my presents,¡± Ellie announced, picking up the nearest one.


    It was from her mother. A beige cashmere pashmina and matching jewelry that I didn¡¯t need to be told


    held actual precious stones. Her mom got a hug in return. Ian apparently did better, getting her a snow


    globe of what looked like an ancient ruin to me.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Ellie squealed, wide hopeful eyes trained on Ian.


    ¡°Yeah. You loved it there so I had it custom made.¡± He shrugged, smiling widely at her.


    He was such a softie. I couldn¡¯t not roll my eyes. Mr Carrington was the only one at the table who didn¡¯t


    copy the action.


    ¡°I have to go, Princess. Enjoy the rest of your day.¡± He excused himself.


    I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes. He showed up for five minutes, tried to strong-arm me and then left


    before she could even open five presents. Father of the year. No one seemed particrly sad to see


    him go.


    ¡°I guess worst gift goes to me this year.¡± Rachel pouted, barely flickering a nce at his retreating


    figure.


    Mike smiled down adoringly at her, forcing me to look away.


    Her present turned out to be a custom made perfume oil that she made herself. Mike got Ellie a new


    charm for a charm bracelet. Mike and Ian apparently coordinated because the charm was a tiny


    diator.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you.¡± Rachel gasped theatrically, awarding her husband a punch. ¡°You told me you


    didn¡¯t have any bright ideas. That you were going to get her yourtest product.¡±


    ¡°I lied.¡± Mike grinned unrepentantly.


    ¡°I helped him,¡± Ian chipped in, sporting a smirk.


    It was finally my turn and after seeing their gifts, I felt slightly less secure about mine.


    ¡°Here.¡± I handed it over.


    Ellie mirrored my tentative smile as she unwrapped the gift. I barely noticed Ian¡¯s hand slipping


    between my tightly clenched ones. I didn¡¯t even realize I had clenched them. He pried my hands apart


    and held one in hisp.


    ¡°Sweet baby Jesus, is that...¡± Her voice came out breathy and excited.


    ¡°A vintage tea set,¡± I answered, smiling with ease now that I had seen her reaction. ¡°It was gifted to me


    by ady I met while volunteering at a home for the elderly. She loved having them. Apparently, she got


    them from her grandmother. It was a family heirloom but none of her kids had an appreciation for it so


    she gave it to me with express instructions to give it to someone who did,¡± I exined, basking in the


    appreciative, almost jealous nces the rest of the family gave me.


    ¡°Sweet.¡± She beamed, reverently caressing the teapot.


    ¡°Like I said before,¡± I shrugged, ¡°never too old to do anything you really want.¡±


    ¡°They loved you,¡± Ian gushed. ¡°Even more than I thought they would.¡±


    ¡°Not your dad. He hates me.¡± I smiled the content smile of a girl who had just conquered, and burrowed


    into the cushy car seat.


    ¡°Maybe but he respects you. He¡¯d never admit it though.¡± He said.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t but nice try.¡±


    He chuckled, shoulders shaking.


    ¡°I was almost sure he was going to march me back to the restroom and lock me in till I put my hair


    down.¡±


    ¡°Hate to say it but, he could.¡± Ianughed heartily.


    Iughed along.


    Afortable silence descended as ourughter died down.


    ¡°You¡¯reing to Harvard next year, right?¡± he said, catching me off guard.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Hit me up when you do, so I know when to slide into your dm.¡±


    I was quite aware of the fact that I was gaping like a fish but in my defense, this was thest road I


    expected our conversation to take.


    ¡°What?¡± I managed after a long period silence during which his hopeful expression tightened and then


    began to crumple.


    ¡°You¡¯re mean,¡± he began. ¡°And rude. And bratty. And brilliant. And beautiful. And I think I like you so


    give me a heads up when you get there.¡±


    ¡°You ''think''?¡± I couldn¡¯t help raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°I like you,¡± he amended, meeting my gaze straight on. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to. I didn¡¯t even think I could fall


    for you given our circumstances and your attitude but I did. You¡¯re magnificent. Fierce, strong, bold and


    brave.¡±


    I blinked.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, I probably never stood a chance.¡±


    ¡°Why not just ask me out now then?¡± I asked the obvious, confusion coloring my tone.


    ¡°You¡¯re not just under-aged, you¡¯re still in high schoo--¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re only in your second year of college,¡± I countered.


    ¡°I can wait. Enjoy what¡¯s left of your high school life and know you have someone who ns on making


    college even better for you.¡±


    My eyes narrowed, an unimpressed expression taking hold of my features.


    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± I said tly. ¡°What¡¯s really going on? We both know you¡¯re not that altruistic.¡±


    A reluctant smile tugged at his lips. He nced out the window, then back at me, a fond look on his


    features.


    ¡°Well?¡± I prompted impatiently.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not that altruistic. In fact, it¡¯s selfish.¡±


    ¡°So what is the selfish reason? A side chick at Harvard?¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head, smiling despite my usation. ¡°It¡¯s just that I know you.¡±


    I frowned. He wasn¡¯t making sense. What did knowing me have to do with wanting to wait a few


    months before dating me?


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this, but you¡¯re not making sense.¡±


    ¡°If we start dating now, what guarantee do I have that when I leave in two weeks, you¡¯ll stay


    interested?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on. You know what you¡¯re like. You¡¯re pro at beingfortable in any situation. At finding a


    way through regardless. At living up to expectations and fulfilling your obligations. The second I leave,


    you¡¯re going to put me in that category. An obligation. A boyfriend you have to asionally text or call.


    It¡¯s not going to be exciting or fun anymore. It¡¯s going to be another thing you have to do. And soon


    enough, you¡¯re going to decide I¡¯m not worth it.¡±


    I scowled. I could see his point now and in a way, it was cute but I didn¡¯t like it. Something about it


    made me feel less covered.


    ¡°So your solution is making me wait?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Till we¡¯re geographically closer. So I can make you like me as much


    as I like you.¡±


    A slow smile blossomed across my face, reluctant but deliberate. I still felt naked but I didn''t feel


    judged. Rather, I felt understood and warm.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to wait for me. Do everything you want in the meantime. I¡¯ll wait. You know me well


    enough but more than that, I know you. I know you don¡¯t like the feeling of hair on the back of your


    neck. I know you think the color yellow is the screamer of colors. I know you think you¡¯re always the


    smartest in the room and I know you¡¯re going to take over the world someday. Even if it¡¯s just a chapter


    in your biography, I want to be part of it.¡±


    Thanks to my experience with Rigo, I knew how creative and unbelievably romantic boys could get and


    despite this being grossly understatedpared to my other experiences, it still topped my list.


    I tilted my head, mentally thanking Olly for sort of preparing me for this moment. I knew what I had to


    say.


    ¡°No secrets. No more hidden agendas and when you¡¯re not into me anymore, tell me first.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± I drew in a deep breath, steeling myself for themitment. For what I was about to do


    next.


    I leaned over, my fingers sliding into his hair, pulling his face closer.


    Our lips met midway.


    ? ? ? THE END ? ? ?


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