Remembering my past misbehavior, my mom easily believed him.
"At a time like this, she's still slacking off? Is she trying to give me a heart attack?"
My stepfather pretended to stop my mom from going to the café to catch me, but he didn't try too hard. He even grabbed a clothes hanger on the way out.
They did catch someone.
But it wasn't me.
It was Emma, fully made up, being taught how to play video games by none other than Tobias.
My stepfather's veins bulged in anger as he dragged her home by her hair.
Just as they arrived, I showed up at the front door with my backpack on.
My mom looked at me suspiciously, "Where were you? Why didn't you answer your phone?"
"Oh, I was in the school's study room. Here, look, my student ID has a record of me clocking in."
Feeling a bit guilty for doubting me, my mom patted my shoulder.
"Next time, make sure you answer your phone. You never know if you might make bad friends... Emm, mom and Uncle Jeremy would worry."
My stepfather, enraged, raised the clothes hanger to hit Emma.
Emma ran around the room, trying to dodge him, shouting.
"You've never even bought me a five-dollar game skin! Who are you to tell me what to do?"
Just before Emma slammed the door, I noticed the familiar keychain on her bag.
That was the first step Tobias took in deceiving me in my previous life.
I had been excited to show it to my stepfather, and he even encouraged me.
"Love at your age is pure, and Uncle Jeremy supports you in pursuing true love. This will be our little secret."
Now, it was his own daughter on the receiving end.
Suddenly, love wasn't so pure, and true love wasn't encouraged anymore.
But it didn't matter if he didn't encourage it—I would.
