When I saw it was Will, I felt relieved.
"What are you doing here, man?" Chad asked.
"Class is almost over, so I was heading home… but I saw your bike outside at this hour, so I came by," Will replied.
"Will, I told Chad everything," I said.
He sighed."And now, what do we do?"
Chad said, "Wow, Mia… only you would go along with Will's crazy ideas, like secretly recording a conversation."
Will gave Chad a playful tap on the shoulder."I'm a genius, you can admit it."
Chad looked at him with an ironic expression."How are we going to discover their secret… or secrets?" Will asked.
Chad scoffed."The genius didn't think of anything?"
Will scratched his head and fell silent.
I spoke up:"I'm going to try to get into my dad's office."
"Do it then," Chad said, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. He seemed calm.
Chad looked at Will and said,"Will, get out of here. I want to be alone with Mia before we go."
Will answered,"Got it."
Chad tossed a pillow at him. Will closed the door, leaving us alone.
He turned to me, held my hand, and said,"Mia… whatever this secret is, it doesn't matter."
I stood up and replied,"Neither does it to me."
He smiled and kissed me. Between the kisses, he said,"It would be horrible if you stayed away from me."
He pulled me closer, pressing his body against mine."Mia… your scent, your kiss… I don't know if I can hold back."
I smiled and said,"I know what you're thinking… the same thing I was thinking earlier. If we go all the way before we get caught, at least we'll have this memory."
Chad paused and stepped back.
"Chad, let's not rush things."
He took a deep breath and said,"You're right. Sorry. I'll walk you to the school gate."
We left the room. Will was in the living room, and I waved goodbye.
"Bye, sister-in-law," he said, laughing.
On the way to school, I hugged Chad tightly, wishing I could disappear with him and escape all doubts and problems.
When we got near the school, there were still twenty minutes left before class ended. We kissed again.
The bell rang, and I ran toward the exit gate. To my bad luck, Katty saw me and looked at me sarcastically.
"Mia, skipping class?" she asked.
"None of your business," I replied.
She smiled and stepped closer."I know you were with Chad… he's cute, isn't he? Maybe tomorrow I'll skip class too, just to be with him."
I pushed her away and asked what she meant. She just walked off smiling.
Adam arrived shortly after. We got into the car with the driver and headed home. Abigail had prepared a snack, and we chatted a bit. When she stepped away, I asked Adam about Emma.
"Do you think Brandon is going to help us meet up?" he asked excitedly.
I was surprised. Just then, my dad arrived.
"Hi, kids," he said, sitting down.
Abigail served him coffee, and he didn't take his eyes off her. Embarrassed, she excused herself and left.
"Mr. Luck, is my mom coming later?" Adam asked, noticing Donna Ruth wasn't there.
"Yes, she stopped by the clinic to talk to Pitter. He's doing well; they let her have a visit."
Adam smiled.
"Dad… when Uncle Alex died?" I asked.
"In 2003," he replied, surprised at my question.
I immediately messaged Chad and Will. Later, when I went up to my room, Adam followed me, and I told him everything. He was shocked. We thought about how to discover the truth.
I also told him about Katty. Adam laughed."It's obvious she's trying to provoke us. Wender was even looking at me and Emma with sarcasm. I think he was the one who told her parents about us."
I was stunned.
My dad opened the door and said,"Visitor, Adam."
It was Will.
"I came to play video games with you," he said.
Adam smiled."Let's go, I didn't think you'd come."
Later, when I went down for dinner, Donna Ruth handed me a painting that Pitter had made—my portrait. He painted so well. I was touched.
"We'll hang it in your room, sweetie," my dad said.
"When will we see him?" I asked.
"Not this Saturday, the next one," my dad replied. Then he added:"Thursday is a holiday, and Friday is a break… your grandparents want you to go to the farm."
I was thrilled."Dad, can Adam go?" I asked.
My dad looked at Ruth, who nodded in agreement."Of course," Ruth said.
I playfully hit Adam's head and laughed."You're going, and you're going to love it!"
He agreed. During dinner, my dad was on his phone."Sweetie, I bought the tickets for Wednesday night. You'll return Sunday afternoon. Ask my secretary to move up your psychologist session since you won't be here on Friday," he said.
I agreed. After dinner, I went up to my room. Before sleeping, I called Chad and we talked. Adam came into my room, and I said goodbye to Chad. He seemed serious.
"Everything okay, Adam?" I asked.
"Yes, Emma will meet us in Em Station."
I was both happy and surprised. He added:"There's just a small problem…"
"The Brandon will be there too. And Jhenna," I said.
I stared at Adam. I didn't know what to do. Chad would probably get upset, but Adam was so happy to spend more time with Emma that I couldn't ruin it.