Ch49

NOVA

"We're just... we're just cooking," I stammer, my voice pitching up my face burns hot. I hastily grab a handful of chopped peppers and shove them into the bowl, trying to look as innocent and casual as humanly possible.

Mom's eyes linger on the space between Enzo and me, a confused light dancing in her expression. She just clears her throat softly.

"Enzo, honey?" she says, offering a polite smile. "Could you give us a minute? I need to talk to Nova."

Enzo glances at me, before he gives a slow nod. "Of course. I'll... see you later, Nova."

He steps past my mother, offering a respectful nod of his own, and slips quietly down the hallway.

As soon as his footsteps fade into the background, I turn back to the counter, my heart thudding against my ribs. I refuse to look at her, pretending to wipe down the marble surface with a sponge.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, keeping my voice clipped.

Mom steps further into the kitchen, a gentle, triumphant smile playing on her lips. She leans against the counter opposite me. "You're getting along pretty well, aren't you?"

I instantly avoid her eyes, staring hard at a stray tomato seed on the cutting board as my cheeks flame all over again. "I... I apologized. And he said he doesn't hate me."

"That's putting it mildly," Mom chuckles softly. "Anyway, I have some very good news."

I frown, finally looking back up at her. "What?"

"You know how you've been asking for a change of school since you went back after the incident?" Mom beams, clasping her hands together as if she's delivering the prize of a lifetime. "Well, your dad and I talked about it extensively, and, well... he finally agreed. He's already paid your tuition at the academy across town, and you have a week to pack up your things."

The kitchen seems to tilt on its axis. The air leaves my lungs all at once.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," I blurt out, dropping the sponge with a slap against the counter. "Pack up? New school? What are you saying, Mom?"

"Baby, you're moving," she says brightly, completely misinterpreting my terror as shock. "You're getting the fresh start you wanted."

"No, I'm not," I say.

"Nova..."

"I'm not going anywhere, Mom."

Her smile falters, replaced by a look of bewilderment. She folds her arms across her chest. "What's this?"

"This is me saying no to you and Dad deciding to send me away,"

"This is what you wanted!" she protests, her voice rising. "You cried for days! You begged him to let you transfer out of that place because you couldn't stand the atmosphere!"

"At some point, yes!" I fire back, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "When I cried and begged Daddy to change schools, he said no. He told me to deal with it, that I had to stick it out and face it. And now, when I'm finally getting to adjust, when I'm finally starting to find my footing and feel okay, he casually brings this up out of nowhere? No, Mom. Absolutely not."

She stares at me. Her eyes narrow slightly. "There has to be a reason, Nova. People don't just completely change their minds about a toxic environment unless something else is going on. What is it?"

Panic flashes through me. I can't tell her about Enzo. If she knew that Enzo and I... that he was standing in this exact kitchen moments ago pressing kisses to my neck... she would literally lose her mind and freak out.

"I just..." I stammer, waving a hand frantically in the air. "I just don't want to change. I finally have a routine. I have a friend... and a boyfriend, and I... I can't just up and leave my life behind!"

Mom freezes dead in her tracks. The word boyfriend hangs in the silence of the kitchen like a ticking time bomb. Her eyes widen, her mouth parting slightly.

"A... a what?"

I realize my mistake too late. My blood is running cold as I look at her petrified face. Crap.

"A boyfriend? Nova, what on earth are you talking about? Who is he? When did you start seeing someone behind my backs?"

"I didn't... I mean, it's not..." I stutter, panic making my throat clamp shut as I desperately try to dig my way out of the massive hole I just dug. "That's not even the point! The point is you can't just uproot my life without asking!"

"It is very much the point!" Mom fires back, her voice raising a notch as anger replaces her initial shock. "You've been acting completely evasive for days, and now you suddenly refuse a school transfer that you begged us for on your hands and knees? Because of a boy? Have you lost your mind?"

"I haven't lost my mind, you and Dad are the ones being unreasonable!" I snap, slamming my hands down on the counter. "You don't get to ignore my pleas, and then decide my life for me the second I actually start feeling okay!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Nova!" Mom steps closer, her finger pointing. "We are trying to give you a clean slate, a fresh start away from whatever drama you're tangled up in, and you're throwing a tantrum like a toddler because of some schoolyard crush!"

"It's not a crush! And I'm not a toddler!" My voice cracks. "You never listen to me! You never ask what I want, you just dictate what you think is best and expect me to fall in line!"

"Enough!"

The rapid thud of footsteps echoes down the hallway before Noah enters the kitchen entrance. He glances at both of us.

"What is going on in here?" He asks, throwing his hands up as he looks between the two of us again. "I could hear you guys screaming from the living room!"

"Stay out of this, Noah!" Mom and I say in unison.

Noah holds his hands up defensively. "Jesus Christ, I was just trying to check on you guys..."

"Your sister has decided to completely derail her future over some secret high school romance," Mom cuts in, her voice shaking as she glares at me. "She's refusing to change schools after we've already paid the tuition!"

Noah’s eyes snap to me, his jaw dropping. "Wait. what crush? And don't tell me you're refusing the transfer."

"You knew about it?" I turn to Noah. "How come you knew and I didn't? You guys kept it from me when it concerned just me!"

"Nova, don't be insane? I know you've been complaining about school to Dad non-stop!"

"Things change, Noah! Okay? Things change!" I yell.

My vision blurs, hot tears spill over my eyelashes before I can even stop them. My breath hitches, a humiliating sob breaking through my lips as the walls of the kitchen seem to close in on me.

I wrap my arms tightly around myself, shaking as the tears stream down my face. "I just... I just wanted things to be okay for once," I whisper, my voice cracking. "Why can't you just leave it alone?"

Mom doesn't budge an inch. She stands tall, crossing her arms over her chest, deaf to the shaking in my voice or the tears streaming down my face.

"Don't start with the waterworks, Nova," Mom says coldly. "I am not playing this game with you. The decision is made, your father has already finalized everything, and you have a week to pack your bags. End of discussion."