Page 2 of Faux Real
Just as I try to prop myself up on my forearms, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Taking off my helmet, I reach inside my jeans and answer the call.
“What?” I bark.
“That is not how a proper young man answers the telephone, Oliver.”
“Mother,” I sigh. “Calling me from a blocked number again?”
“Seeing as you refuse to answer my phone calls, I thought I’d try a different route. Clearly, my idea was successful.”
“I’m hanging up now,” I state.
“Oliver! Stop it!” she yells. “Don’t you dare hang up on me!”
I roll my eyes, slowly sitting up. “Listen, mother, I just got run off the side of the road. For all I know I could have internal bleeding. Perhaps now is not a good time to nag.”
I hold my phone away from my ear as my mother begins shouting. “Run off the side of the road? Jesus Christ, Oliver! I told you that monstrosity was a bad idea. I’m going to kill your father for allowing you to drive that death machine!”
“It wasn’t the bike’s fault,” I grumble. “If you’re going to put the blame on anybody, it should be the wanker that was driving the other car.”
“If you were driving a car yourself, you wouldn’t be in this situation, now, would you?”
Stretching out my neck, I stand up.Fuck, I’m sore.“I’m alright by the way, thanks for asking.”
She sighs. “Does anything hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I call Bess?”
“A lot of shit hurts, mother,” I mutter, surveying my poor baby. If I remember correctly, Hilton has automotive as an elective option, which means they probably have a shop at the school, but I’ll have to roll her all the way there. Fantastic.
“Oh, don’t curse darling, it’s very unbecoming.”
I scoff. “Apologies, I’ll try not to sayshitanymore. I know how much youfuckinghate that.”
“Oliver!”
I can’t help but laugh. “Will you relax, mother? Remember what your doctor said? ‘Frowning causes wrinkles'.”
“Very funny darling! You’ll be glad to know that you are single- handedly causing me to age prematurely.” She pauses. “I swear, Oliver, I don’t know what your problem is, but your father and I have had enough! With your brother’s upcoming graduation and your sister’s engagement, we don’t need any morestress!”Right, the golden children.
Propping my phone against my ear, I lift the motorcycle up and begin walking it down the pavement like a loser. “Why are you calling me? You’ve already shipped me across the Atlantic. How muchstresscan I cause you from five thousand kilometers away?”
“We did this for your benefit, Oliver! In order for you to have a bright future, you need an education. You need to attend all your courses. You need to be focused on your goals.”
“What Ineedis to be back in London with my mates.”
“Those boys are not your friends,” she says, her tone strained. “They’re degenerates and I refuse for you to be associated with them.”
“God, you’re so fucking judgmental! Just because they’re not sons of oligarchs doesn’t mean they’redegeneratesas you so kindly put it.”
“Theyare the reason you got expelled from St. Augustine’s and why you were thrown out of every other school we sent you to! Those boys were a bad influence, Oliver. I knew as soon as you told us they were older than you that it was going to be trouble.”
“We were in a band, mother. We had to practice! You always told me that if I had a goal, I should do anything to reach it.”
“Not by skipping class! Jesus—” She sighs. “I’m not having this argument with you again. One day you’ll understand why your father and I did what we did. I just hope that Hilton Prep will be a fresh start for you.”
I scoff, crossing the street. “You do realize that American teenagers are just as bad, right? Do you really think that Hilton Prep is immune todegeneracy? God, mother you’re so daft sometimes.”
“I’m going to ignore that comment,” she states calmly. “You are well aware of what is at stake and despite your behavior, I am confident that you will heed our advice and stay out of trouble.” She pauses. “One more thing, your grandfather is hosting a fundraiser for a congressional candidate in a couple of weeks. You are expected to attend and be on yourbestbehavior, do you hear me?”
“What? Since when is granddad into politics? He’s a real estate developer for God’s sake.”
