Second Hand [manxboy]

Chapter 20

Nico ignored a few of the long stares. Nothing had really changed over the few days prior, so he would let them talk. He had had worse before so it didn't bother him. Amy was still talking to him and that was all that really mattered in his mind.

If only other people could have seen it the same way and minded their own business. Someone crowded him in the hall, blocking his path with a grin. "So you're ah, Nico Slavin right?"

"Nope," Nico answered. After all it was true. He still had his mother's maiden name for a reason, so he still didn't have the Slavin name.

"Don't bullshit me, come on. It's easy enough to connect the dots between our new suddenly fluent in Russian student and some of the scary Russian guys that hang around," the guy insisted.

"Well, I'm not the only one that has scary guys escorting him around school," Nico snorted. "If I remember right, there's a few foreign government kids at our school too."

"Do you really want to play this game?" the guy huffed. "I just want to know if you can get me in on some things."

"In on some things?" Nico raised in eyebrow. "I'm not actually in anything."

"But obviously you know people," he insisted.

"Yeah, but I make a point not to know what those people do. I'm not involved. I'm just my dad's kid." Nico put his hands up. "And I'm not stupid either. I wouldn't get involved in those kinds of things even if you asked me to." Nico didn't really think he could be stupid enough to be asking for anything like drugs, especially so openly.

The guy huffed angrily. "Then what's the use of you?"

"Nothing apparently," Nico replied snarkily in Russian, enjoying the look of confusion over the kid's face. "Leave me alone, alright?" Nico brushed by him and went onto his next class.

He found it more funny than anything really that anyone thought they could get something out of him. Miroslav probably wouldn't find it so amusing though, nor would his dad. At least when he told Amy about it, she at least gave him a chuckle.

He waited for the school day to end and met up with Miroslav out in the car. "How was school?" Miroslav asked as usual.

Nico just grinned to himself. "Fine, mostly normal."

"Mostly normal?" Miroslav questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Nico couldn't help not finding it funny. "Some kid I think thought I would know how to get him drugs."

"Why would he think that?" Miroslav at least seemed appalled, even though he was a good part of the reason.

"I guess someone found out why I'm so good at Russian," Nico answered vaguely. "So he wanted my connections." Nico put air quotes around the last part.

Miroslav swore under his breath. "Hey it was bound to happen sooner or later," Nico pointed out. He was more surprised it hadn't come up after everything with Diego. "And it hasn't really changed anything."

"Your dad won't be happy if it interferes with your classes," Miroslav said.

"Well it won't. Either no one cares enough or they're too scared." Nico settled back into his seat. "Now, I just want to get home and change, and then I want to take you somewhere."

"Oh really?" Miroslav smirked. "And where would that be, oh mighty teenager without much money?"

"Well it doesn't cost anything, so it wasn't a factor." Nico rolled his eyes. "And I have money... well, you have money that I could use."