CONSUME

[18] lies

***

After somehow managing to escape Axel's room, I'd eventually made it back home in his clothes with messy hair and a sweaty appearance. I walked through the front door, to see my mother sitting at the kitchen counter.

"Look who decided to join us," Mom spoke, her legs crossed and a mug of tea in her hands. She eyed me up and down as I slid off my shoes and set them by the door.

"Morning," I said, trying to avoid her eyes and ultimately, any questions I knew she was about to ask me. I cleared my throat and walked past her hastily, attempting to make my way up the stairs.

"Where on earth are you going?" She rolled her eyes at me and swiveled in her chair to face me. I stopped in my tracks with a sigh of defeat and turned around to look at her.

"Umm, upstairs?"

"That's really funny," she said, eyes glued to my outfit, "Who were you out all night with?"

"I wasn't out all night," I tried to lie. I'd say I'm a good liar, but when it came to my mother, she always could read right through me. It was impossible to deny the truth to this woman, because somehow she always knew.

"Really?" She asked me, making sure to let me know that my excuse wasn't a very good one.

"Okay, fine, I was out with Noa—"

"Don't even try that Kameron. I know you weren't with Noah, I called her mom."

I pursed my lips, not knowing what to say next. Was I really about to be caught? Was this already the end of Axel's and my secret? I opened my mouth to speak but clamped it shut. I ran my hands through my hair and tried to flatten it and make it look a bit neater.

"Okay, fine. You caught me. I wasn't with Noah."

"I know. So who was it?"

I looked around the room and felt my neck begin to sweat anxiously.

"It was... a boy," I spoke quickly and shortly.
Another thing about me is when I begin to lie about something, I don't know where exactly I'm going with my false story until the words are already leaving my mouth.

"A boy?!" My mother frowned and raised an eyebrow, "Kameron, what the hell are you thinking? Leaving the house in the middle of the night secretively, and that too to stay overnight with a boy? Seriously, I can't believe—"

"See! This is why I didn't tell you! Look at your reaction!" I huffed, putting a hand on my hip.
A silence fell over us and I could see my mothers gears turning behind her eyes, and eventually her demeanor changed from furious, to... a little less furious.

"Okay," she sighed and gritted her teeth together, "You're right. Then why don't you explain so I understand? Who is he, and why exactly did you think it was okay to go to him in the middle of the night? And most importantly, what were you doing with him."

I could tell she was trying to speak as calmly and slowly as possible, and I'm lucky she's at least attempting to hear me out. But mostly, I'm lucky my father isn't home for this.

"I'm..." I thought of an excuse but I know I definitely can NOT tell her about Axel. It would just mess everything up, and I wouldn't be keeping our agreement in tact if I spilled the beans. "I'm dating someone."