Letters To Shay||✓

chapter five.

I pondered over the issue right till the end of the day. When the closing bell rang Duke and I fell into our routine; he carrying my bag and holing my hand. For once I let my hood down and gave the gossips something to talk about. Duke seemed to be drinking in the attention. I was too distracted -thinking- to notice. As we got to the car, Duke confronted me about it.

"What's with the thinking face?" He asked, turning the ignition on and revving the car to life. I gave him a flat look.

"This is my face every day, Duke. I don't have a thinking face." I told him, relaxing in my seat. He gave me a one-over and motioned to the seatbelt. I groaned and clicked in place. Anytime he drove me home he always made sure we were on seatbelts. I don't understand why. At the rate at which he drives, there are only two possible accidents that could occur. We could get hit by another driver. Or he 'accidently' bumps his head against the steering wheel if I 'accidentally' hit him. Get it? No?

"No. Your thinking face is different. You furrow your brows, flair your nose and the corners of your lips twitch. That, is your thinking face." Say what now? Dude, you've only known me for what, four- five weeks and you know my thinking face? I turned to look at him with widened eyes and my left brow raised. He took one glance at me and returned his eyes to the road. "Now, that, is your 'How do you know' face or 'What the fuck?' face." Okay, double say what now?

Giving up- because Duke could read me even I denied it, I told Duke what had been picking at my mind all day. "Stephanie... informed me about my mission." His face hardened for a fraction of a second, but it changed quickly before I could really catch it. "Oh." He continued to drive, not adding anything else. "But I'm not going to do it."

Duke scoffed. "You don't do a mission given to you by Stephanie, you're fucked. As in, big time fucked." He told me, taking a left turn. Then he mumbled some things under his breath I couldn't quit catch.

"How would you know?" I asked. "You just seem to roll with Stephanie and whatever she says." Duke chuckled. Like really chuckled, before tsking.

"Stephanie is my sister. Even outside school and KOD matters, she's still a manipulative bitch. I don't do what she wants; she's going to fuck me up. We all learned that the hard way." Whoa. Hold up. Satan's daughter, and Duke, are siblings? TRIPLE say what now?!

With an 'oh', I relaxed in my seat and digested what Duke had told me. Stephanie must have done something bad to scar every KOD, for her to have the upper hand. Including her brother. But something didn't add up. By what I heard from Char, Stephanie was two years older than Duke, but they were in the same grade. Hmm... I looked at Duke. With the hardened face and attitude, I could tell he was still hung up over it. I couldn't help but pry. "What did she do to you?" I asked in a quiet voice. He didn't reply; instead he kept on driving with both eyes on the road and a tight grip on the steering wheel. I kindly welcomed the silence that followed, as I stared outside the window. Wait, why was the KOD created?

"We're here." I licked my lips and reached for my backpack in the backseat. Exchanging our goodbyes, I stepped out of his car and pulled my hood over my head. I waited for Duke to drive off before walking to the front door. In the corner of my eye I saw the curtain close and my mother's retreating figure. I so did not have any energy left to argue. Not right now.

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The next day at school after the quick assembly, one of Stephanie's ladies-in-waiting stopped by my locker and gave me a folder. Before I could ask questions the girls had already dissolved into the crowd. Turning the folder open, I braced myself for the worst; but nothing. Nothing on this person except her name and school info. Her name was Ohma [weird name. Who names their kid after Physics' law?], she was a hippie-ish and was rarely seen around. Behind the paper was a print-out of the classes she had and that was it. No personal info, no dirt, no references. Nothing. There wasn't even a picture. How would I know who I was looking for?