FAUX REAL

1

"Jennie! Get your ass down here right now! You're going to be late!"

For Christ's sake! That woman's voice could shatter all the glass in this overly pompous and far too futuristic-looking house. I aggressively stuff my notebook into my backpack, not caring that the pages are being bent and ripped, and head downstairs.

"For such a small woman, you sure are shrill," I say, meeting my auntie's narrowed and pissed off eyes. "Are you attempting to communicate with your dog?" I look down at her stupid Maltese that's wearing a damn bow. "Your mommy's loud, isn't she?" The dog barks and I look back up at her. "It seems as though Poki agrees."

Aunt Anna crosses her arms and taps her foot against the marble-tiled floor of the foyer. "You mustn't speak to me like that, jennie. I am not in the mood to deal with your shitty little attitude right now."

"Well, good thing I'm moving out of here then today, yeah?" I walk over to the console table near the front door and grab my motorcycle helmet. "You and Dony can have the house all to yourselves now that school's starting up."

My aunt's boyfriend is such a twat. When he's not cooped up in the tanning bed, he's constantly droning on about his organic protein powder business and how he's going to revolutionize the healthcare industry. Seeing as his body weight is that of a fourteen-year-old boy, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that his future is as bright as a starless sky.

"God, I don't know why I agreed to be your guardian!" She huffs, flapping her hands to her side. "This is precisely why I never wanted to have children."

I swing my backpack over my shoulder, rolling my eyes. "I think my father's money has something to do with it, no? Tell me again, how much is he paying you to be my babysitter?"

My aunt is probably the poorest woman in Mycroft County despite living in the largest house. My uncle, may he rest in peace, was seventy-two fucking years old when she married him; she thought she hit the geriatric jackpot but what she didn't account for was his stupidly long and complex prenup.

Either she didn't read the damn thing or she's just as idiotic as she looks because when he died, Uncle Kyle's lawyer informed her that all his money would go to his kids, the only thing she would get to keep is the house; a house which she can't sell; otherwise, the profit goes to said children. It's almost laughable. But now that my father has offered her a substantial monthly allowance for watching me while I'm in America, she's been nothing but a bloody nuisance. But honestly, I'd rather live with her than my grandparents. Those people are fucking psychotic.

"They are not paying me nearly enough," She scoffs, a smug smile on her botoxed face.

"Well, I guess your ass implants will have to wait until next year then," I retort with a smirk, twirling my helmet around my index finger. "How sad."

"Jennie!" she exclaims, her whole body tensing. "Why is everything that comes out of your mouth an insult? Can't you act like a normal human being just this once?"

"Hmm..." I purse my lips, my gaze flickering around the lavish front entrance. "No, I don't think I can. Sorry."

"Charming as always," She mutters, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Your father wanted me to remind you of your agreement. You managed to stay out of trouble all summer, God only knows how. But remember, if you get kicked out of Hilton Prep he is going to withhold your inheritance until you turn thirty, is that clear?"