Chapter 2

Mrs. Gibson fixed her gaze on me. "You're lying, aren't you? Lenny called me yesterday and said he was coming back with you in the same car. Now you're back, but where is he?"

I frowned. "Mrs. Gibson, you must be mistaken. Lenny and I did not come back toge—"

Before I could finish my sentence, a heavy slap landed on my face.

"How dare you still lie? Did you do something to Lenny? You'd better bring him out right now!"

I pressed my tongue against the inside of my numb cheek.

The good mood I'd had coming home was now completely ruined.

"I don't know if you'll believe me, but Lenny and I really did not come back together," I said coldly.

With that, I tapped open my chat log and showed her the plane ticket I'd bought to come home.

Mrs. Gibson stared at the screen, her hands beginning to tremble.

"That's impossible. He told me just yesterday that he was with you, that you were taking the car back together. He even had me transfer 20 thousand dollars to him because he said it was your birthday and he wanted to buy a gift."

My heart skipped a beat.

I had been furious at Mrs. Gibson for slapping me. But when I saw the look on her face, my anger melted away. She was only behaving like this because she was so worried about Lenny.

I quickly said, "Mrs. Gibson, Lenny and I really didn't come back together. He took an Uber back on his own. Maybe his phone is off, or he got delayed on the way. Why don't you try contacting him through the app?"

The moment those words left my mouth, Mrs. Gibson took my hand, her eyes reddening.

"Noah, you're Lenny's best friend. Please help me," she pleaded.

Suddenly, her legs gave way. She collapsed to the floor, her forehead hitting the corner of the coffee table with a dull thud.

Mom and I quickly helped her up.

"Please don't be like this. I'll try to get in touch right now," I said, logging into my Uber account.

I remembered that before he left, Lenny had sent me a photo.

I sent that very photo to Uber's customer service. Their response was that no such car existed.

Hearing this, Mrs. Gibson couldn't hold back any longer. Her face went pale, and she fainted on the spot.

I immediately called 911.

And just like that, a perfectly good Christmas Eve was ruined, and no one was in the mood for anything.

That night, I sat on the couch with Mom, talking about what had happened.

"Thank goodness you didn't take that car. Otherwise, I'd be lying in the hospital right now too," Mom said with relief.

I just frowned slightly.

I didn't understand what Lenny was trying to do. Why did he say he was coming back with me?

Something just felt off.

Mom realized it too. She took my hand and asked, "Noah, are you absolutely sure you didn't agree to ride back with him?"

Mom and I looked at each other, and I felt the blood drain from my body.

He paid for the car ride with his own money, and he was already an adult. So, why did he need to use me as a shield?

No matter how long I thought about it, I just couldn't understand why.

Mom patted my head. "If you really can't figure it out, then don't. This has nothing to do with you. It's late, and you've had a long day. Go get some rest."

The next morning, I had barely woken up when Mrs. Gibson showed up again.

The moment she saw me, her eyes reddened.

"Mrs. Gibson, I've told you many times that I came back by plane, whereas he took an Uber back early with his cat."

Before Mrs. Gibson could respond, her husband, William Gibson, stood up.

Mr. Gibson stared at me intently and said, "I don't believe a single word you're saying. You're Lenny's only friend, and you two lived in the same city. So, how could you possibly not come back together? That chat log must be fake. What did you do to Lenny?"

His suspicious gaze fell on me.

At that moment, I just wanted to laugh.

"Mr. Gibson, despite your continually bothering me, the fact that you two are Lenny's parents is why you have my sympathy. But that doesn't mean you can slander me however you please. I've already told you that I didn't come back with him, and the chat log proves it."