Web of lies

chapter 8

As I made my way to find Kai, I thought about how I was going to break the news to him. He was going to be so mad. The more I thought about it, the more anxious I got.

I rushed through the hallway, looking for him, and then—bam! I bumped into something solid.

"Ouch. Sorry, I wasn't looking—oh hey, it's you," I said, staring up at Kai. He looked livid.

"Where have you been? And more importantly, where's my helmet?"

"Well, that's... um, hard to say. I think I lost it."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"I'm so, so, so sorry! It wasn't my intention. I was going to give it back after school. I hid it in a place that's off-limits to students and staff, but somebody must have taken it."

"Wow. And here I thought you were one of the smart ones."

Ouch. That stung.

"I'll pay you back, I promise."

"I doubt you can. It's expensive. Just forget it."

I felt terrible—this wasn't how I meant things to go at all. Then, an idea struck me.

"What if I tutor you until I can afford to replace it?"

He gave me a skeptical look, clearly not convinced I could pay for his helmet.

"I swear I'll have the money by January. That should be more than enough time."

"And how are you planning to do that, huh?"

"I have a karate competition during winter break. The prize is $5,000."

Kai looked surprised. "Wow, that's tough. Are you sure you'll win?"

"Definitely."

"Okay, but if you lose the competition, you'll owe me a full year of tutoring."

"Deal."

With that, I left the school building.

"Hey, do you need a ride home?" Kai called after me.

I shook my head. "Nah, my mom's picking me up."

Time flew by after that day. It was the beginning of December, with only a month left before exams, and just five days until the school camping trip. All the kids in the 11th grade were heading to Greenbelt Park for a two-week trip.

I helped Kai with his studies every day after school. The tutoring was actually going better than I expected.

Three days before the camping trip.

"Mom, have you seen my Dyson? I can't find it anywhere," I called out as I started packing for the trip. I wanted to get a head start so I wouldn't be scrambling at the last minute.

"No, but it might be in the drawer in the master bathroom," my mom replied.

"Why would it be there?"

"You know your sister likes to hide your stuff. I don't know why she's out to get you, but she's been doing it for years."

True. My sister had been pulling that kind of stunt forever.

I headed upstairs to check the bathroom, but as I passed by the window, I noticed my dad talking to Josh's mom, Veronica. It wasn't weird seeing them chat—they were pretty close—but something about the way they were talking caught my attention. It looked... tense.

I stopped what I was doing and moved closer to get a better view.

My dad leaned in, whispering something in Veronica's ear. They seemed to be sharing a secret meant for them alone. My dad glanced up toward the window, and I almost got caught spying.

I quickly ducked out of sight, my heart racing. Thankfully, there was a closet partially blocking the window, so he didn't see me.

Curiosity gnawed at me, but before I could think too much about it, my mom called.

"Clara, can you pick up my clothes from the dry cleaners? I need to take your sister to a birthday party."

Ugh, great.

"Sure, Mom."

I dragged myself out of the house and shuffled to the bus stop. That's when I spotted Kai, chatting with some guys who looked like they belonged in a bad Disney Channel reboot—trying too hard to be edgy and failing miserably.

"Ugh, what a sight," I muttered under my breath.

Kai saw me and smirked. "Hey there, captain! Off to the zoo, or maybe pest control? With your hair looking like that, you could blend in anywhere but here."

What a total jerk.

"I'd suggest you chill out before I ditch our study sessions. And we both know you need them—especially now," I said, making sure his friends heard me loud and clear.

His grades weren't terrible, especially after all these weeks of tutoring, but his cocky attitude needed checking. He straightened up, realizing I wasn't someone to mess with. Instead of being mad, he laughed.

"Damn, did I go too far?" he asked, still chuckling.

"Not as far as I could've gone," I said seriously, though the bus was pulling up, so I let it slide.

I hopped on the bus and headed to the mall.

At the mall, I grabbed my mom's clothes from the dry cleaners. As I left the store, my stomach growled. I decided to find a food stall.

I wandered slowly, looking around, and then turned a corner. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some familiar faces in the distance. I turned again for a better look.

Wow. How disappointing.