the glutton’s actions were already seemingly dire.
“So…” Antoinette broke the silence, all
while offering cookie dough ice cream to her insufferable companion. “Do you always take random strangers to your house?”
“Only when their pet demons consume my
college application,” I stated dryly. Though I had
to agree, it was rather odd on my behalf to drag
such an insignificant being all the way to my father’s mansion. On a list of pros and cons, the latter definitely outweighed any probable positive
outcomes. Antoinette could have very well been
lying when she claimed she didn’t recognize me
or my father. What if she was an obsessed fan,
come to deceive us into giving her money? Or
even worse, what if she was an undercover assassin, here to rid the world of both Axle and Theodore Hallows? Of course, the list of scenarios
were endless, as for every word I lacked to produce, at least one new idea sprouted in my brain.
“Oh, you’re going to college?” Antoinette
chirped in genuine surprise. “You made such a
big deal before about being famous, I thought for
sure you already made a career out of it.”
My jaw tightened from where I sat in my
limited edition recliner carved and painted in the
image of Pluto. “Well,” I breathed with slight agitation, “according to the plan, I will end up famous. That is, even more so than I already am.” I
paused to take in the overall galactic theme of my
spacious room, bordered with star patterns and
lined in astronaut action figures. “It’s a composing major I’m applying for,” I explained automatically. “I was working on a song that’s due tomorrow, and the only parts of it I have left are on
that flash drive.”
Antoinette’s eyes focused on me with an
authentic interest. The intensity in her gaze held
something beyond a drive for entertainment, a
foreign concept that I failed to recognize. She
placed the carton of ice-cream in front of her
where she stay on the carpet, slouched against the
frame of my bed. “You know, Theo,” she started
with a newfound wisdom, “You say this project
of yours is pretty important, but for someone who
just lost the key to their future, you sure do seem
pretty calm.”
I snorted. “What exactly are you implying,
Freckles? Have you ever thought that maybe I’m
just an indifferent person? Besides,” I continued,
“if I really didn’t care, I never would have
brought you here in the first place, now would I?”
She shrugged coyly. “Or maybe this was
just the perfect excuse.”
I gave a forceful laugh, not sure if I should
be appalled or amused by her accusations. “And
exactly what might this excuse be referring to?”
As Antoinette’s mouth opened to respond,
I noted how uncomfortably warm my chest grew,
almost as if I was anticipating her answer. Which
was absurd, of course. But before her words
could form completely, the bedroom door flung
open, revealing a sunbaked man. Thankfully he
was fully dressed, tailored in quite a revealing
top, along with outdated studded jeans that probably screamed internally about the age of their
host. Of course, I definitely preferred this outfit
over what he had sported at the beach, but at this
point, I was far from relieved. For his sunken in
eyes radiated a disappointed rage, causing all previous warmth in my bones to crisp to burning
anxiety. My eyes darted to Antoinette to analyze
her reaction, but her permanent beam made it
clear that the façade of my father’s grin fooled
her just like it did the rest of society. “I didn’t realize you were having a guest over,” my father
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