The Geek Revolution ✓

55 | hypocrisy

ALL MY THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN helplessly scrambled since meeting Carter Murdoch.

Ironic, considering the purpose of the guided tour was to relieve some fear about my future. Learning that he's Madison's brother reversed all the feelings of preparedness I previously felt. On top of the stress caused by the Monarchy, the fast-approaching exams and general trepidation towards growing up, I'm not sure I can survive the week without unravelling.

"Whoa. What's got you wound up so tightly?" Leah asks me after I accidentally slammed my locker with excessive force.

I sigh. "Sorry. Just have a lot on my mind. I went on a tour to Halston on Saturday, and I met this tour guide. Carter."

"Yeah? What about him?

Glancing around discreetly, I drop my voice, "He's Madison's brother."

"Small world."

"Okay, but— he was super nice, and he's deaf. I just can't reconcile someone so considerate being related to Madison. Does he even know how vile Madison is to the student body? He seemed oblivious to his sweet little being a bully. And no-one even seems to know about his existence, which I find so odd because he was a student here."

"Why don't you just ask Madison?"

"Yeah, right, and have her bite my head off? I think not."

Leah nods, sucking her cheeks into the hollows of her jaw as she ponders the situation. "Maybe it wouldn't be so terrible. I mean, you don't have Carter's details or anything, but Madison probably doesn't know that. She might play nice if you make it seem like you could contact Carter and tell him everything about the Monarchy, which then would get her in major trouble at home."

"Goddamn it. This is going to ruin my day."

Talking to Monarchs doesn't usually bother me this much, but Madison is so behaviourally similar to Brittany that I'm feeling a little unnerved. Each time I've encountered her in the past, I've left with anger brimming and an urge to fix myself in a mirror. They are both so porcelain perfect I often feel inadequate in comparison.

"Well, if there's anyone ballsy enough to send on reconnaissance, it's you." Leah points down the corridor, "She's over there right now. Go get 'em. I'll make an excuse for you being late to Mr. Quesnel."

Speak of the devil. I pout annoyedly, Leah prodding my reluctant self along the corridor to make sure I don't miss Madison. Somehow, as soon as I am in Madison's path, Leah vanishes. She's nowhere to be seen, even when I pick the crowd for her face.

Fuck. I step into Madison's way, forcing the words out before I can talk myself out of it.

"I met your brother." In case she has more than one brother, I add, "Carter."

Like I just slapped her, Madison halts in her tracks. Her eyes widen in shock and slight anger, mouth open in a small gape. How still she's become is almost comical. I'm tempted to tell her to smile lest the wind changes. Then, she snaps back into action, gripping my forearm tightly and dragging me over to a drinking fountain, where the traffic is not so heavy.

In relative privacy, she drops my wrist. "How did you meet him?"

I'm taken aback by the tone of her voice. Had someone told me they know Luke, I wouldn't care at all. Why does this affect her so? "Uh... he was a tour guide when I visited Halston University."

"And, did he, ahem, tell you?" Madison asks mutedly. I think she's referring to Carter's hearing impairment.

However, I can't verify it as she is busy turning her shoulders away and covering her lips with her glossy fingernails. Her attempts at trying to appear uninvolved with me are blatant, making me wonder what she is trying to hide. "Yes. He did. Are you okay? You seem tense."