Chapter 15

I really feel like ditching, I've done it before, my dad doesn't care as long as I graduate to be honest.

When I wake up, I tell my dad that I don't want to go to school. My throat sounds like crap since I'm a mouth breather and it was open all night.

He asks while checking my throat, "Did the air make your throat hurt? It's really red. I guess it's a good enough excuse to be absent. Just don't go outside til school ends. Honshu has a ton of truant officers. I'ma go to work. See ya in 10 hours." he said.

"You gonna visit Kailani or Ngombo?" I ask.

"Nah I'm gonna go drink with my boi Zakari from work." He replied.

"Aight just don't drink and drive."

"Duh."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I love my dad and he's chill. That's all I really wanted from him. To be chill and caring. I got that. Can't say I got that from my mom. Ugh I have to go to work at 1 pm. At least I get 4 hours to chill first. Working six hours is gonna SUCK.

"Hey~ Where are you?" Freedom asks by text.

"At home, my throat is red, it's not a cold but I didn't feel like going to school since I had an okay enough reason to avoid without it technically being 'ditching'" I reply back to her.

"I kinda wanna ditch too. My dad let's me ditch once a month as long as I have an okay enough reason to. And my mom doesn't really care as long I graduate." she replies.

"Why not? It's 7:30 am. We could text or call for 4 and a half hours if you want."

"Do you play video games? I forgot to ask yesterday." She replies.

"I play fighting games like Kyokuniku Final Gambit."

"Wanna play a few matches?"

"You gonna ditch?"

"I have a bit of a headache."

"Let's go I'ma just pull out a protein bar and diet joke for some breakfast."

"Aight I'll put together some cereal."

"Does 30 minutes for breakfast and all that stuff before we indefinitely waste but enjoy our time on the internet beating each other up with fictional cyborg characters."

"You always know how to make something sound bad."

"It's my job as a teenage boy to make stuff sound bad."

"True. Alright cya in a bit Denshi."

We both ate breakfast, got ready, and started playing video games 30 minutes later.

Modern technology is interesting. Facecams and voice calls incorporated into the game while playing a game on fighters makes it feel a little bit more in-person, thank you gen alpha.

But of course, she wrecks me.

"I'm handicapped!" I say, very butthurtly.

"Nah you're just butthurt!" she replies.

"Kinda both."

"Figures."

"That was a fun 2 hours of continuously getting smacked." I tell her.

"At least I smacked you ~" she replies.

"You said that kinda sus."

"Who said I didn't mean it to?"

"Dang, fair though."

"That was awkward." she said.

We chat a bit, and then I get a ton of @s on Uncord.

"Bro you good? We have our unit exam." Josh said.

"You kinda screwed, since you work right after class." said some girl in our class.

"Better get here early tomorrow." Josh sent.

"I'll be there tomorrow, i just didn't feel like going today." I said.

Then Freedom says to me through the video call, "wanna eat together through cringe video call?"

"Why not."

We chill. And yes filler.

Then I get a call from the same police officer...

"One sec." I tell Freedom.

"Yo. We got them. We'll send you the 5 grand through PayBud."

That was anticlimactic, no chase, no nothing.

"How long they going in for?" I ask him.

"Like 6 years. Maybe more."

"So I have 6 years to move out of Honshu. Cool."

"Yeah."

I go back to my call with Freedom.

"Guess what, I can live in this state for 6 more years before 2 very specific people try to murder me." I tell her.

"What?!" she exclaims puzzled.

"I snitched on my coworkers, they got 6 years in prison."

"Maybe to the mainland. Just in case."

"Good ol' witness protection. It's fine, Ryo is common sense incompetent and Katerina is the only one to worry about. I don't have to testify since I secretly recorded their threat. They don't even know it was me."

"Lemme guess you got a reward."

"5 grand is 5 grand."

"Fair though."

We talk for a bit and then her dad comes to the screen. This tall african dude walks in like he wants to kill me.

"Who's this? Is this your boyfriend?" he questions pissed.

"Not officially, but we like each other." she said.

"Does he treat you good? Is he a dog?"

"He treats me fine and he's more like a cat."

"Okay then but I got my eyes on you son."

"Yes sir, wouldn't have it any other way." I said both seriously and sarcastically.

"I have both a good and bad feeling about this boy." He said.

"Well I gotta go to work in a bit. Bye Freedom."

"Bye."

I get ready for work...