My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198 Two Men Outside The Diner

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The harsh smell of industrial bleach masked the lingering scent of fried onions and burnt coffee. I dug my fingers into the damp white rag, scraping dried ketchup off the cracked vinyl of booth number four. My shoulders ached. My lower back throbbed with a dull, steady

rhythm.

I spent Wednesday wiping down tables, carrying heavy ceramic plates, and pouring black coffee for exhausted delivery drivers. The Crestview Prep administration banned me from the campus. They expected me to sit in my dark bedroom and drown in the shame of my indefinite suspension. I refused to give them the satisfaction. I put on a spare pink uniform and took a shift at Pete’s Diner.

Physical labor offered a distraction. It kept my mind tethered to the present moment.

If I stopped moving, the massive weight of the week threatened to crush my lungs. I thought about the folded college-ruled paper sitting on the principal’s desk right now. Mr. Harrison signed his name on the line yesterday afternoon. I mailed the formal petition for the Academic Tribunal this morning. The waiting felt heavy. The school board possessed forty-eight hours to review the document and issue a

response.

I also thought about the B-wing. I pictured Hugo standing in the dark stairwell, his hands shaking as Trent Lawson threatened to revoke his math grant. The elite forced Hugo to choose between his conscience and his future. The united front shattered under the immense pressure of extreme wealth. I did not blame Hugo for stepping back. I blamed the toxic system that handed Trent the weapon.

“Leave the booths alone, Raisa,” my mother instructed.

She stood behind the main counter. She wiped the stainless steel espresso machine with a clean towel. Deep, dark circles framed her brown eyes. She worked a double shift yesterday. She worked another double shift today. The indefinite suspension terrified her, but she masked the fear with relentless motion.

“The grease settles into the vinyl if I leave it overnight,” I replied. I moved to the next table. “I can finish this row.”

“You need to rest your mind,” my mother countered. She threw the towel into a plastic laundry bin. “If the board approves the tribunal, you must face the entire science department on a stage. You need your focus sharp. You do not need sore arms from scrubbing Pete’s

tables.

‘I cannot study until they approve the test.” I dropped the damp rag into a red bucket on the floor. “I need to do something useful. The medical scholarship is gone. We need the extra shift pay.”

My mother stopped moving. She rested her calloused hands on the counter. She looked at me across the empty diner. The neon glow from the front window cast long shadows across her tired face.

“We will survive without the scholarship,” she stated. Her voice carried iron resilience. “We survived before the Crestview acceptance letter arrived. We will survive after they expel you. You are brilliant. Another university will see your worth. We just have to keep walking.”

I nodded. A tight knot formed in my throat. She carried the burden of my ruined record without a single word of resentment.

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13:57 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 198 Two Men Outside The Diner

The wall clock above the kitchen doors ticked past ten.

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Pete pushed through the swinging doors. He wore a stained white apron over his clothes. He carried a heavy ring of brass keys.

“Locking up, Pete announced. He walked to the front entrance and flipped the neon sign from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed. The bright red glow vanished, plunging the street outside into darkness. “Good shift, Petrova. I left your envelope in the office.”

“Thank you, Pete, my mother said. She untied her faded pink apron. “I need five minutes to count the register.”

“Take your time. Pete turned to me. “Raisa, grab those two black trash bags near the swinging doors. Toss them in the front bins on your way out. The alley dumpster is full.”

I got them, I confirmed.

I walked to the kitchen doors. I grabbed the thick plastic drawstrings of the heavy trash bags. I hauled them off the linoleum floor. The bags smelled like coffee grounds and discarded food.

“Wait for me on the bench out front, my mother called out. She punched a code into the cash register. “We will walk home together.”

“I will be right outside, I promised.

I pushed my shoulder against the glass front door. The cold spring air rushed into the diner, cutting through the stifling heat of the kitchen. I stepped out onto the concrete sidewalk. I let the heavy glass door click shut behind me.

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