Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 14

"What?" I ask. Did I hear that right?

"Is that your child?" he repeats. "As in did you two produce that child?"

I look at Michael. I look back at Carson. My jaw drops. "Together?" I point between Michael and I.

He nods. "Yes, both of you."

Is he serious? I'm sixteen. And...

Michael gags. "She's my sister!"

"So you don't have a mat... I mean, boyfriend?" he keeps going.

Black hoodie smacks his forehead. Grey hoodie shakes his head slowly, looking so done. Carson looks between the two and scoffs. "Oh come on, like you guys weren't wondering it."

Michael moves me and the kids away from them, glaring. "I'm going to say this once so listen closely. Stay. Away. From my sister. Find some other new girl to mess with." And on that note he turns around.

I don't know how to feel about the situation. Michael stands behind me protectively, and when I look back, I can see that those three guys don't look happy about it at all. The people in the line have similar expressions, but less anger. More shock. Everything Michael does shocks them. But the brothers aren't doing anything to retaliate, so I turn back around glad that the situation has finally been put itself to rest. We go through the checkout line pretty quickly and head to our minivan. Michael has a talk with me about boys and what I deserve on the car ride home.

"Do you hear me, Mia? Are you listening? No. No to all three of them. Bad idea. Bad news. Absolutely not. End of discussion," he whips the car into the driveway nearly taking out a squirrel.

I shake my head.

Charlie asks, "What is bad news?"

Michael answers before I get the chance to. "When three guys are trying to talk to you at the same time in a creepy town. That's bad news."

Megan rubs her chin, meaning that's definitely going down in her field journal. "Well then between you, dad, and Charlie, it's always bad news at home."

"I'm sorry young lady," my counselor sips her tea gently. I can smell it from over here, chamomile. I hate chamomile. I'm a peppermint and green tea woman who does not take gym. "All students here are required to take physical education throughout their high school career. It's just as important to us as math or reading."

I stare into her cold, dead, amber eyes and watch the steam rise onto her glasses. How can she do this to me? After thanking her for her help (or lack of it), I walk out of the room and sigh. I wait for Michael in the lobby area outside of her office. His counselor's door has "Mr. Finkley" in big red letters, and after a while, it opens. Michael walks out clutching his schedule as though it were physically causing him pain to touch it.

"What happened?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "It's a requirement."

"On top of calculus?"

"Yup. I can't believe this is the place I'll graduate from."

I can't believe he's leaving me after this year, but I don't say that. I don't say anything, because I don't know how to tell him that constantly moving from school to school after this will be so much harder without him. I don't want to think about it. That's next year's problem.