Page 39 of Science Project

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

AKIO

“Would you like to tell me why Nicole slept over last night?” Mom asked as soon as I pulled my gaze away from the window. She stood with her arms crossed and that devious grimace on her face, strands of black hair on her face. “Hmm?”

I walked past her and headed for the stairs. “I was doing as you’d asked.”

She snatched my wrist. “If you were doing as I’d asked, you would’ve been back here last night before I left for work. I had something that I needed you to take care of, and you completely blew me off to see Nicole.”

Before she could dig her claws any further into me, I ripped her wrist away, tearing my skin, and headed up the steps. “You asked me to get closer to Nicole because you don’t trust her father, so that’s what I’m doing for you.”

Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.

Big fat lie.

I wouldn’t even think about involving Nicole in my mother’s business, even if my life depended on it. But now that Mom had seen Nicole at our house, I would have to play along and drag this out for as long as possible.

Because I didn’t want anyone knowing that I liked Nicole. I had already let that one slip out around Imani, and I doubted that she would ever let me live that down. Everyone at Redwood seemed to hate her. And I understood their reasoning …

Everyone else thought Nicole was a bitch, but she was sweet to me.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Mom growled, storming up after me.

“To school,” I said blankly and entered my room.

After inhaling Nicole’s scent that seemed to linger on everything, I swallowed hard and stopped in front of my dresser. Her bandages from last night lay on the oak wood. I glanced in the mirror and back at Mom, hoping that she’d leave.

“Would you like to tell me how she really got those cuts on her face?” Mom asked.

“No.” I really wouldn’t like to tell you anything, so stop asking.

“Akio, you?—”

“What?!” I exclaimed, gritting my teeth. “I’m finally doing as you asked. I murdered someone. I’m sleeping with Nicole to get information out of her for you. So, you should be happy that your son is finally following in your shitty footsteps.”

She slapped me across the face and then grabbed my chin. “Don’t talk back to me.”

“I wouldn’t talk back to you if you just listened to me.”

After glaring at me for another moment, she shoved me away. “We have business to take care of after school. You’d better fucking be there to replace Joe or else I will let Rick do whatever he cares to do to you.”

“I have work.”

“Then, you’d better skip it,” she shouted.

She stormed out of the room, and then the front door slammed shut.

I blew out a ragged breath, snatched the bandages from the dresser, and hurled them into the garbage can in the corner of my room.

After pulling on My Hero Academia T-shirt and some jeans, I grumbled all the way to my car.

If I could skip town with Nicole and not have to see Mom ever again, I would.

In a fucking heartbeat.

But Nicole would never want to leave Redwood Academy, where she reigned as the most popular, most beautiful, and most powerful cheer squad captain in the halls. She had built too much of a life here for herself.

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