27 #2
The guard studied him closely, as if trying to catch a hint of guilt, but Sky remained unfazed.
He knew how to deal with matters like these.
He was a trained gangster after all. After a quick search, the other guard pulled Sky’s wallet from his back pocket.
Sky stayed silent, waiting for him to finish, forcing down the urge to throw a punch at the man’s wrinkled, irritating face.
One hit would probably be enough to knock him out cold.
Sky glanced around at the other security personnel, but his accomplice was nowhere in sight.
“Why do you have a picture of Jude Finn?” a resident, a loyal guard, asked suddenly, grabbing the picture from his wallet.
“Mind your own fucking business, Pedro,” Sky growled, snatching his wallet back before pushing past them and walking through the entrance.
Inside were only condoms, IDs, bank cards, some cash, and a photo of Jude Finn, nothing unusual that would raise concern. Fortunately, he had already used up the one pack of methamphetamine he kept in his wallet days earlier.
Sky could not help but think about the school’s involvement in drugs. He knew it was likely connected to Parker’s death. Sky had only been gone for a day, yet everything had already escalated like this. They clearly needed to hold a meeting at the warehouse tonight.
It was not surprising to see so many students crowding the locker area, considering it was already quarter to one and lunch break was nearly over.
Soon enough, the bell rang, signaling the start of the first period in the afternoon.
Students hurried off to their respective classrooms, leaving the locker area nearly empty.
Sky did not care in the slightest, even if he ended up late.
He opened his locker to grab a piece of chewing gum for class, nothing else. However, his brows furrowed when he noticed something was off. It was slightly disorganized, unlike how he remembered leaving it.
“The school security raided all the lockers for possible drugs.” Kevin’s voice suddenly chimed in from behind Sky’s locker as he appeared out of nowhere. “Lucky us that we still don’t have our supplies yet. Good call for meeting with the suppliers.”
“Fuck…” Sky cursed as he exhaled in relief, realizing he had narrowly avoided trouble, especially since he had not kept any drugs in his locker for the past week.
“Tell me what happened,” Sky said as he shut his locker.
Sky turned to look at Kevin, who seemed unusually downcast.
“What the fuck is going on? Is everything okay?” Sky asked, his brows knitting together.
“Nothing…” Kevin replied quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground. “I was just thinking…” he trailed off. “What if we quit doing drugs, Sky?”
Sky paused. He stared at Kevin, waiting until Kevin finally met his gaze.
“There’s still no news about Julius, and now the school and the Parkers are already getting involved in our business,” Kevin said quietly. “Graduation’s coming up, and I just want to finish senior high, man, at least. I’m scared the school might find out about the kil—”
Before he could finish, Sky grabbed him by the collar of his long-sleeved shirt and slammed him against the locker, catching him completely off guard. Kevin winced in pain as Sky leaned in, his expression hard and furious.
“You can leave if you want, you coward,” Sky hissed. “The school won’t find out about Parker if none of us talk.”
Kevin’s breathing hitched. Sky was his longtime best friend, but he could not deny that he was scared of him.
“Only we know about it, Kev,” said Sky.
With that, he let go of him abruptly, leaving Kevin gasping for air. Sky turned his back and took a couple of steps before stopping, as if remembering something important.
“Just keep your mouth shut. And if you’re going to keep complaining about Julius, then stop reaching out to him. Let me handle it. Tell the others we’re having an urgent meeting tonight. Anyone absent will face serious consequences.” Sky commanded.
Without waiting for a response, Sky walked off toward his class, relieved that he and Kevin were not sharing the same period.
As expected, Sky arrived late to Practical Research.
Leizel was already mid-lecture, rambling on about research topics that only made Sky’s head ache.
Her voice grated on his ears, irritating him further.
Sky paid her no attention and simply walked into the classroom, casually taking his seat. Almost immediately, her lecture stopped. She seemed shocked by his lack of reaction, as if she had expected something different.
“Wow! Just like that?!” she exclaimed, raising her voice in disbelief. “Who permitted you to just walk in without greeting your teacher? Where are your manners, Mister Granger?! And why are you late?!” she continued, practically on the verge of a meltdown.
Sky completely ignored her, not even looking at her once as she went on babbling about whatever manners and ethical behavior.
“I couldn’t believe that Jasper is your brother. How come Jasper is way different from you?”
Several pairs of eyes landed on Sky. Leaning back against his chair, he casually tapped the table with his fingers. He ignored every word that came out of her mouth as she kept going on and on. She was already crossing the line, but Sky did not have the time or energy to deal with her.
Instead, his gaze drifted toward Jude’s empty seat.
His brows furrowed as he bit the inside of his cheek.
Where the fucking hell is he?
Sky’s eyes stayed fixed on the vacant chair, so focused that he failed to notice Leizel had already stopped ranting. Sky could not stop the heavy worry settling in his chest for Jude.
What if his foster parents had hurt him?
What if he had nowhere to stay last night?
Where was he now?
Why wasn’t he coming to school?
He fucking promised me to come to school. I fucking warned him, and when I do warn, he never misses conforming to it.
Lost in those thoughts, Sky abruptly stood up from his seat in the middle of Leizel’s tedious discussion and walked straight out of the classroom without a second thought.
He vaguely heard Leizel calling his name, but he did not bother listening to whatever she was saying.
Sky hurried out of the school building and effortlessly slid into his Chevy.
The tires screeched against the concrete as he pulled away from the curb.
His eyes stayed firmly locked on the road, but his thoughts were consumed entirely by Jude.
Why do you always make me worry this much? Who the fuck do you think you are? Sky thought.
Frustration clawed at him as he pressed harder on the accelerator, speeding past a massive dump truck.
He ignored the speed limit completely, even running through a red light without slowing down.
Before long, Sky brought the car to a screeching halt in front of Finn’s house.
He climbed out impatiently, shoving his clenched hands into his pockets as he strode toward the house.
Leaning against the doorframe, he knocked hard enough for anyone inside to hear, yet no one answered.
Sky’s irritation only grew.
Sky pounded on the door even louder this time, almost wanting to break it, until it finally swung open, revealing a man in his mid-forties with a deep scowl etched across his face.
Jude’s foster father.