Chapter 49 - Beg Me, Sister
The wind was strong. The cigarette smell on Leo was quickly blown away.
He'd trained in boxing for years, sparred with people in the ring, and had a world champion as a coach. His grip strength was no joke.
Xander, who had no formal training, who'd learned everything from street fights, was no match.
His face went green. He struggled for a long time and found Leo hadn't budged an inch.
Leo said, "Talk all you want. No hands."
His face went from green to purple. "I won't."
Only then did Leo let go.
Xander stared at Ryder. "My mom being a mistress is wrong. You can trash her all you want. But you don't get to say it to my face. Because she's my mom. If you say it to my face, then I have to fight."
Ryder asked, dark-faced, "If you know she's wrong, why don't you talk her out of it?"
With a trained fighter standing right there, Xander wasn't about to get himself hurt. He leaned back casually. "If I could talk her out of it, I would."
Since he was little, Xander had known Lily brought home a different man every month.
Some were nice and brought him snacks. Some got annoyed just looking at him.
Back then, Xander didn't understand. He just knew to call them "uncle."
As he grew up, he slowly figured it out. They were his mom's new boyfriends.
The older he got, the more he understood. Like, maybe his mom wasn't a good person. Maybe she'd wrecked a lot of families. Maybe she'd hurt a lot of people.
Xander was helpless.
Because no matter how much he tried to talk her out of it, Lily wouldn't listen.
Most importantly, Lily was good to him. She saved the best things for him.
At least as a mother, she was beyond reproach.
"Hey, kid." The shaved-head guy finally made his presence known. "I'm the one who called you out today."
Xander crossed his arms and gave him a lazy glance. "Bro, I don't think I know you. What do you want?"
The guy looked at him coldly. "Then do you know Joelle Grant?"
Xander thought about it. "Hmm... you mean the girl who sits in front of me?"
"That's her." The guy said. "She's my sister. I heard you made her cry yesterday."
Xander spread his hands helplessly. "Bro, she gave me a love letter. As a modern high schooler, academics come first. I couldn't accept it. So she cried. How is that my problem?"
"You..." The guy's face went awkward. Clearly he hadn't gotten the full story and had acted on impulse, picking a fight for nothing.
Leo could read it from his expression. He put a fresh cigarette in his mouth, unlit. "Boring. I'm out."
Ryder shot Xander two vicious glares, then followed.
-
During the afternoon break.
Luna was buried in the workbook Jax had compiled for her when a shadow fell over her desk.
She thought Hayes had come back. Without looking up, she worked out the answer and jotted it down.
"Luna."
It wasn't Hayes's voice. Luna looked up in surprise. Derek was smiling at her.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"So, for this sports meet, each class can send two referees. You interested?" Derek asked.
Luna didn't hesitate much. "Sure."
Derek nodded. "Great, I'll put your name down."
Luna nodded.
It wasn't until after school that Luna learned why Derek had come to her.
Mila clung to her arm. "Derek lost a bet before. He promised me one of the referee spots. But then I signed up for the three thousand, so it has to go to you."
"Okay, okay." Luna didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The familiar car was parked across the street. Luna was about to say goodbye to Mila when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She usually kept it on silent at school.
Luna pulled out her phone. It was Leo.
"Hello?"
Leo cleared his throat. "Sis, are you out of school yet?"
It was the first time Luna had heard him call her "sis" so seriously.
Her eyebrow twitched. "You little brat. You need a favor, don't you?"
Leo's tone was utterly sincere. "Our homeroom teacher wants to see you."
Luna clicked her tongue. "Just say you got called in for a parent meeting. No need to be so roundabout."
"..." He ground his teeth. "So are you coming or not?"
"Beg me, and I'll come."
How could Luna pass up such a golden opportunity?
The other end went quiet for a full half minute. "Please, sis."
Luna was satisfied. "Fine. Your sister's on her way."
After the call ended, Mila asked curiously, "Your real brother?"
"Yeah." Luna nodded.
Mila couldn't help herself. "Can I come with you? I've never met your brother."
Luna paused. "I don't know how long this'll take. How about next time? Next time just come over to my place."
"Okay, okay." Mila's eyes curved happily.
"Bye then."
"Bye."
Luna found the family car, opened the back door, and tossed her bag in.
Dean paused. "Miss, you're not going home?"
"I'm going out with a friend for a bit." Luna smiled. "I'll grab a cab later. Dean, you go on ahead."
Dean nodded quickly. "Sure, sure."
After the door closed, the smile on his face faded. He watched through the window for a long time as the slim figure in the school uniform walked toward the intersection.
His brow furrowed. He opened his contacts and dialed a number with no name saved.
"What is it?"
The voice on the phone was ice cold. Clearly a middle-aged man.
"Mr. Harrington." Dean said. "I think the miss has been avoiding me lately."
The man paused. "Did you expose yourself? Slip up?"
"No." Dean said. "I'm extremely careful."
"Then that shouldn't be happening." The man said. "Luna is as dumb as her father. On her own, she definitely can't see anything off."
Dean stayed silent.
The man thought for a moment. "Lay low for a few days. Don't contact me."
Dean replied, "Understood."
-
Luna took a cab to Lincoln High.
She'd never been there before. Luckily, Lincoln High wasn't as big as Kingsley Prep. The admin building was easy to spot among the classrooms.
Leo had texted her. Third floor, last office at the end.
Lincoln High's architecture was on the staid side, painted a bright yellow, floors spotless.
She'd just stepped out of the elevator, about to head for the office at the end of the hall.
A woman in her thirties walked out of the break room beside her.
She wore a comfortable fitted sweater, holding a clear glass cup of green tea. Her black hair was pinned up casually with a claw clip. When she saw Luna, she called out, "Hey, student."
She raised an eyebrow. "What brings you here...?"
Luna glanced at her own school uniform. She'd tossed her name badge into her bag earlier, but she hadn't had a change of clothes.
"I'm here to pick up my brother."