CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 2: SCHOOL

Knock! Knock!

"Crypto, it's time to get up for school!" my uncle said through the door. "You don't want to be late!"

I looked at my clock. I was already late, but I didn't care.

"Come on, Crypto. Don't make me come in there," Uncle Blade said.

"I'm not going!" I told him.

"Come on... You're so close to graduating. You can do this. Just a few more days left... How about if I make you breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry."

"You've gotta be hungry. You didn't eat any dinner," he said. "That's it. I'm coming in." Uncle Blade opened the door and turned the light on.

I covered my face with my blanket.

"It's not gonna do you any good lying around in bed in the dark for days and starving yourself," he told me. "Come on. Get up. You only have a few classes to finish."

"What's the point?" I asked.

"Um, to get a good job and not end up homeless or working a sucky job."

"You didn't graduate."

"Yeah, and I have a sucky job. You don't want to end up like me, do you?"

"You seem happy enough."

"You have way more potential than I did. You're too smart to end up like me. Now, get up. I'm gonna make you breakfast." He left to go to the kitchen, but I didn't plan on getting up.

A few minutes later, Uncle Blade came back with a plate of toast. He set the plate on my bed.

"Look, Crypto. I even buttered it for you. Can you get up now, or at least eat?"

"I told you, I'm not hungry!" I snapped, tossing the plate off my bed. The toast landed butter side down.

My uncle looked shocked.

I got out of bed. "Fine. I'll go. Only to get away from you!" I grabbed my backpack, snatched my car keys, yanked the front door open, and slammed it shut.

I felt bad for losing it which only made me feel worse about myself. After all, my uncle was just trying his best to take care of me.

I got to my first class half an hour late, but the teacher paid me no mind. The next class, I had with my friends so I had to pretend I was okay. I knew if I stayed quiet, they would know something was up.

"Hey, Crypto!" Bingo practically shouted from across the classroom as he waved me over. He was with Neil and their future wives. The girls didn't have this class but the class hadn't started yet so they were just hanging out to pass the time.

I forced a smile and walked over.

"We were just discussing the bonfire," Adi, Neil's girlfriend, told me. Adi was a super sweet and beautiful golden retriever. She became friends with us before she and Neil hooked up. I used to have a crush on her, but I never told anyone. She ended up with Neil, probably because he was super smart and planned on becoming an astronaut.

"Can you bring the drinks?" Neil asked me.

"Sure. Should I just bring water or..."

"Whatever works. I don't think it really matters," he said.

"We decided we're gonna have dinner together after the ceremony," Adi said. "Bingo's bringing hotdogs."

"Sounds good," I said.

"I'm bringing the marshmallows," Jassi, Bingo's fiance, said.

"I know. I saw the texts," I told her. My tone was harsher than I meant it to be.

"Woah," Bingo said. "What's wrong? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Whenever I wake up on the wrong side, I'm not really myself. It's so confusing."

"No. Sorry. I didn't mean it to come out like that," I said.

"You could've just said you wanted to bring the marshmallows," Jassi joked.

"No. It's fine. I'm just... not a morning person."

"It's almost noon," Neil pointed out.

"I didn't sleep well."

"You okay?" Adi asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," I assured her.

"We should get to class," Jassi told Adi.