Page 38 of Science Project

I swallowed hard and glanced over at Akio, who was the reason why I was here. He had been out with Imani Abara yesterday, and I so desperately wanted to be the one who he laughed with like that.

“We are working on a project together,” Akio said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t text you,” I said. “I fell asleep.”

Dad smiled sweetly, the way he always did to trick people into thinking he was just a worried father who loved and cared about his daughter. But if he cared about me, he wouldn’t hurt me every single day of my life.

“What happened to your face?” Dad asked.

“That’s my fault,” Akio said without skipping a beat. “I had some project supplies out in my car. Nicole was helping me bring them in the dark, and she tripped over a rock on the front stairway and hit her head on the gravel.”

Damn, how’d he come up with that on the fly?

Akio had no trouble lying right through his teeth.

“Akio,” his mother snapped, grabbing his elbow, “what’s wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry,” Akio said to Dad.

“Is that true, Nicole?” Dad asked.

Mouth scorched, I nodded. “Y-yes.”

If he found out the truth, I feared what he’d do to me.

Dad placed a hand on my upper back, then slid it to my opposite shoulder and squeezed. “We should get you home to clean up before school. Don’t want anyone to see those gashes on your face.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

After nudging me toward the door, Dad held a hand out to Akio for him to shake. “Thanks for taking care of my daughter.” He flashed Akio’s mother one of his fake smiles. “Yui, you raised a good one.”

I wanted to shiver in disgust at how incredibly fake he was, but I held it together and exited the house without looking back at Akio once. I didn’t want him to see the fear in my eyes, the agony written in my skin.

A few moments later, the door shut behind us, and Dad caught up with me.

“What’re you really doing over here?” he asked, walking way too close to me.

“Getting you information,” I whispered.

Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.

I didn’t have anything on Akio and hadn’t even tried to grab anything from his parents’ room last night or any other night that I had been over here with him. I really didn’t want to hurt him in the process. He had cleaned up my wounds, for fuck’s sake.

And had left me to sleep alone—though I wished he’d slept with me.

“Good girl,” he murmured. “What’d you get?”

“Nothing yet.” I crossed the street and thanked the Redwood gods that we were out in public because he wouldn’t do anything to me right in front of Akio’s house, right? I stopped in front of my car. “Akio is different. I’m just planting seeds right now.”

A low growl left his throat. “Well, plant them fucking faster.”

After I nodded, Dad finally left my side and walked back to his police car. I glanced across the street at Akio’s house and spotted him in the living room window, watching me. My heart fluttered, and I smiled softly at him.

He waved awkwardly, like he usually did, then disappeared into the room.

I slipped into the car and locked the doors, resting my head back against the headrest and giggling. I’d slept over at a guy’s house last night, and for the first time, I hadn’t had to have sex with him. Warmth exploded through my chest. And he’d held me so tightly.

Tighter than anyone ever had.

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