Caught

Chapter 17 - My oh My, Secrets and Lies

I sneak into my house as quietly as possible. The effort it takes to push open the thick, wooden door is enough to make me short of breath. I'm exhausted. Last time I checked my phone it was nearly two in the morning – and that was twenty minutes ago. To make matters worse, tomorrow may be one of the most stressful days of my life.

Waking up at seven in the morning? Fine.

Waking up at seven in the morning to go to school? Less fine.

Waking up at seven in the morning to go to school and tell the principal that your brother is the scum of the earth? The literal opposite of fine.

But Felix and I promised each other. Before I dropped him off at his house, we agreed that first thing tomorrow, we'd make our way to the office and ask for a meeting with Ms. Argent. No hesitation. No mercy.

Except the part where I'm filled with hesitation. Seeing Alex with Addie tonight made me rethink everything. Does my hatred for my brother and my obsession with revenge really outweigh all else? Do I truly have no moral compass?

It's late and I'm tired and I don't fucking know.

Worst of all, Felix wants to do this even less. I'm practically forcing the guy to be my witness. If he didn't like me as much as he does, and if we didn't recently touch lips in a public bathroom, would he even be coming with me?

Probably not.

At this point, all I care about is lying down in my soft bed and falling asleep for the next five hours, until I inevitably have to face the shithole that is Berkley High. That's it – that's my plan.

As I tip-toe towards the stairs to head towards my second-floor bedroom, something stops me. Movement in the corner of my eye. I turn towards my dad's study and notice the slight glow coming from inside. He must be awake.

My mind instantly goes to the worst-case scenario. I can already guess what he's working on, and something tells me my father is getting close to bringing Interim Accounting down.

I need to know what his next move is. I need to know how much time I have until Felix's family loses any good reputation they ever had – not to mention all their money. Giving myself one last nod, I open the door to his study and step inside.

He sees me before I even have time to second guess. Looking away from the stacks of pages that cover his desk, my dad's expression remains completely blank.

"Alexandra." He says softly.

"Hey. I um... saw your light on."

He ponders this response for a second. "Is that the only reason why you came in? Because of the light?"

His direct question takes me off guard and I find myself silent.

It's been weeks since I've had an actual conversation with him. Weeks. Once in a while we exchange a few words while crossing paths in the kitchen, or at an awkward family dinner, but other than that we've been near strangers. I feel like I've forgotten how to talk to my dad completely. Even his voice sounds foreign and strange.

"I won't torture you. David told me everything. Or at least as much as David knows." His eyes flicker down in thought. "That pool is surely limited though."

"Are you mad at me?"

Standing in front of him, small and scared, I feel like a child again. Not that my father was ever especially scary. Not purposefully. Maybe it's the silence that I find scary – there's nothing worse than people who don't fear silence.