Theft of a Life

Ch17

"If either of you ever, ever pull anything like that again you're not leaving this apartment till you're 25!" May shouts at Peter and I, hands on her hips, and finally takes a breath. "Now head to bed. It's late, and you've got school in the morning," She softens and points down the hall. Straight from scolding to making sure we'll be as functional as possible for school. Making every effort to be a good parent. It's odd, in some way.

Peter and I both hang our heads and go to his room- him jumping up and grabbing the ceiling and me porting to his mostly-empty top bunk. I wrap my arms around my knees as Peter shuts the door.

"She probably meant to go to your room," He sighs, collapsing into his bed. May apparently took today off work and set up a room for me while we were at school. Still very makeshift- a mattress she's borrowing from some friends, some plastic drawers as a dresser, but there's a bookshelf and it's all mine. That's a weird idea, too. My room.

"May yelled at us," I continue, ignoring him.

"Yep,"

"She's mad at both of us,"

"Yep,"

There's a long gap in the talking, but I hate silence, so-

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble,"

"Don't worry about it too much. She's not that mad, she's just...worried, I guess," I hear Peter roll over underneath me, bedding rustling under him.

"Did you tell her before you left?"

"Worried about both of us. You disappeared too,"

"She hasn't even known me a week, Peter, why would she care?" I roll my eyes. "I'm going to bed," I mutter, porting to my room. I overestimated the height of the bed- or, well, mattress- and drop several inches onto it. I don't make any move to get up and turn on the lights, I just sit there in the dark.

Worried about both of us

She tolerates me. She's not worried about me. I don't want to be here, and she's only keeping me because I can't go to CPS. May knows what would happen. She's read the news. She's admitting the bare minimum- kids shouldn't be science projects.

__

"Ms Mainard, please focus on the lesson!" My teacher says, glaring at me. This is Beginner Biomedical Sciences, aka the one class I don't have with Peter. Also the only one I already could test out of.

"The patient probably has a monosomy on number 23, Ms Mensen," I sigh, flipping to the next page of the library book I still haven't had a chance to sit down and read.

"We haven't mentioned anything about karyotypes yet," Another girl points out with an eye roll.

"It's only a confirming diagnosis at this point, though!" I shut the book annoyedly. "She's well-below the average height for a twelve year old, her blood pressure is too high, and she's shown no signs of puberty yet. Ms Mensen, tell me I'm wrong?" I fold my hands over the book and glare at everyone. Equal opportunity glaring.

"Ms Mainard is correct," She admits after a moment, staring at me skeptically. "A monosomy on chromosome 23, also known as Turner Syndrome."

"How'd you know that?" Someone asks quietly, slightly in awe. I whip around and see MJ in the corner. A little embarrassed I haven't noticed her on my second day in the class, it takes me a moment to gather my thoughts.

"Oh- I, I used to read a lot about...like, obscure medical conditions, karyotypes were fun," I shrug. MJ blends in really well.

"Researching for yourself," She nods seriously. "Someone sick?"

I bite my tongue and shrug again, opening my book. Ms Mensen goes on about instructing the rest of the class on our useless theoretical diagnostic process- useless, because I already gave the answer- and the bell rings a few minutes later.

As we all practically sprint out of class, I slip my hand into someone's unzipped bag and come back up with a granola bar and a tampon. I frown and toss the tampon into the trash, but open the granola bar.

"Did you just steal that?" MJ deadpans, seemingly materializing next to me. I jump, and a flash of panic runs through me when I realize I might have glitched. Not good! I keep myself calm and take a bite.

"What? I'm hungry," I say with my mouth half full. "Besides, it's not like I'll get caught," I mutter under my breath. Everyone on their phones, with earbuds in, crammed into the hallway so tight that you couldn't turn around. No one would notice a thing. No one does notice a thing.

"Why are you following me?" I ask as I round another corner, as MJ is still right next to me. She's a little taller than me, which is odd- I'm not used to being shorter than people.

"Why are you following me?" She raises an eyebrow, glancing up from her book. She grins after a moment. "Just kidding,"

"I hang out at your...not-aunt's on Fridays. My mom works late," MJ shrugs. I nod, glancing around the hallway. So many people I could steal from! I practically cackle to myself, reaching for someone who left their whole wallet in an outer pocket of their bag, but someone else snatches my hand out of thin air. I groan, tilting my head back.

"Sonder!" Peter accuses, holding onto my wrist in his signature unbreakable grip.

"Come on!" I whine.

"No. No stealing, we talked about this," He whispers next to my shoulder, steering me through the halls to one of the doors.

"I didn't know that was a concern," MJ mumbles, staring at Peter and I.

"I'm a rescue, I'm not socialized," I roll my eyes and sneer at Peter, genuinely annoyed.

"Sonder has some bad habits that she hasn't ditched yet," Peter grumbles, letting go of my arm as the crowd thins out.

"Like her snack?" MJ nods to the granola bar in my other hand. Peter and I both look at it at the same moment, and I quickly put it behind my back, smiling innocently at him. He groans again, but it sounds more like a strangled scream.

"What's his policy on strangling people?" I tilt my head backwards to look at MJ.

"Only if you insult ugly cats," She replies without looking up.

"His face was shmushed, MJ, he's not ugly!" Peter shouts back at her, and MJ snorts.

"She won't miss one little granola bar," I whisper, taking another bite.

"She might miss the tampon," MJ sing-songs.

"That was an accident!"

"Okay, come on, we're going home," Peter mutters, grabbing my shoulder again.

"You sure you still want me to come over?" MJ asks, gently closing her book. Peter glances between me and her, clearly trying to decide. Interesting.

"I can just lock myself in my room or something, it's not a big deal," I attempt to shrug off Peter's hand, but stupid Spiderboy is insistent that he has to keep a grip on me.

"May seems like she might be busy. New kid and all that," MJ shrugs, ignoring me.

"No, no, don't worry about it. It's not a big deal," Peter assures her in a quiet voice.

"So...like, do you want me to come or not?"

"Oh, yeah, no, of course I want you to come over," He laughs awkwardly. His grip is digging into my shoulder and I twist a little bit away from him.

"Peter. Shoulder. Ow," I mutter.

"Oh, crap, sorry," He immediately lets go. "Sometimes I...forget that I'm stronger, y'know? I mean, you- you wouldn't know, but you know what I-"

"Yeah, why don't you stop talking now, Peter," MJ pats him on the shoulder and pushes out one of the crash doors. Peter sighs before nodding and moving to catch up with her.