Chapter 3

Drake wasn't lying.

The new apartment was right next to my school, just a ten-minute walk away.

The entire balcony faced south. When the afternoon sun flooded through the glass, it made me squint.

I stood out on the balcony for ten whole minutes.

I just stood there, doing nothing, letting the sunlight bake into my skin.

It wasn't until a tear slipped down my cheek and hit the back of my hand that I realized I was crying.

I didn't know why. I just felt a fierce, burning ache deep inside my chest, desperate to break free.

I cried for a little while, wiped my face, and walked back inside.

A brand-new row of books sat neatly on the study desk. Ash had dropped them off the night before.

Law textbooks, school workbooks, all lined up in a crisp, perfect row.

I leaned down and sniffed the pages. They smelled amazing.

When Drake pushed the door open carrying breakfast, I was sitting at the desk, completely lost in thought as I stared at the books.

He glanced at me, said nothing, and set the food down before heading to the kitchen for utensils.

I watched him clumsily pour milk into a glass, spill a few drops on the table, and swipe it away with a rag.

"Stop staring. Eat."

I sat down at the table and bit into a sandwich.

I took another bite.

My table manners were terrible.

Nobody had ever taught me how to eat properly.

Food was just a survival tool.

I always shoved it down as fast as I could because I never knew when my next meal was coming.

Once, my mother cooked a massive spread. I was starving, ate too fast, and choked.

I coughed violently, my face turning bright purple.

My mother took one look at me and sneered. "Acting like a starving ghost. So embarrassing."

I had to run to the kitchen myself, wrench the faucet open, and gulp down handfuls of water just to clear my throat.

Drake caught a glimpse of my face, a strange, unreadable shadow crossing his eyes.

"Counselor, do you hate your folks?"

I thought about it.

I had been forced to grow up too fast.

I didn't have Tiana's sweet mouth. I couldn't flutter my eyelashes and chirp "Mom, Dad."

I loved to read.

When all those complex ideas and rules bored into my head, I used to think something was wrong with me.

When I tried to talk to my parents about it, they looked at me like I was a freak.

"What kind of garbage books are you reading? You're going to rot your brain."

"Quit staring at paper and go wash the dishes."

To them, studying was the most useless thing on earth.

When I scored first in my class and brought home a certificate of achievement, my mother was busy braiding Tiana's hair.

She didn't even look up. "Just leave it on the table."

I set it down, praying she would glance at it just once.

The next day, I found it crumpled into a tight paper ball at the bottom of the trash can, buried under potato peelings.

I fished it out, smoothed the creases flat with my palms, and hid it deep under my pillow.

"What is hate?"

Drake sat in silence for a long moment, then peeled a boiled egg and slid it onto my plate.

"None of that matters anymore. Counselor, you just focus on your books. Go to the best university, get the highest scores.

“From now on, you do whatever you want. You never have to look at another person's expression to know if you're welcome.

"And when you become a real attorney, I'll be your personal bodyguard."

Hanks wasted no time. He got me enrolled in the top private middle school in the city.

Tuition was fifty thousand a year, not even counting lab fees and uniform costs.

I had no idea how many debts Drake and his crew had to shake down just to clear fifty grand.

On my first day, he shoved a thick wad of cash straight into my jacket pocket.

"Don't worry about the money. Just study. Once you're a pro, you can handle all our legal battles."

He grunted the words out like an order.

I nodded, standing at the school gates, and looked back at him.

It reminded me of the old days, when the school asked for fees for learning materials.

My mother always handed me half the amount, complaining how broke we were.

Eventually, I learned. I started skipping my own lunches to save up the difference for the materials.

That way, my mother wouldn't spend all day whining about how expensive I was.

The afternoon sun glinted off Drake's collar, revealing a tiny flash of the dragon tattoo creeping up his neck.

My homeroom teacher led me into the classroom and gestured for me to introduce myself.

I stayed quiet for a second before speaking. "My name is Sylvia Miller. I like to read."

I didn't know what else to say.

At my old school, even the teachers fawned over Tiana because of her sweet smile.

Teachers never called on me. Classmates never spoke to me.

I was practically invisible.

The teacher smiled encouragingly. "What kind of books do you like to read, Sylvia?"

I thought about it for a second and decided to tell the truth. "Law books."

The classroom went dead silent for a single second before erupting into roaring laughter.

"Law? Ha! What a nerd!"

"Is she trying out to be a judge?"

"Reading law books at her age? Who is she trying to fool?"

The teacher slammed a hand on the podium. "Quiet! Quiet down! Everyone has different hobbies. We need to respect each other."

The laughter died down, but the whispering never stopped.

I kept my chin up, marched to the very last row, and took my seat.

I dropped my head and forced my focus onto the textbook.

The print blurred, cleared up, blurred, and cleared up again.

I didn't cry.

I wasn't allowed to cry.

And just like that, my life finally seemed to settle onto the right track.

Every day, I listened closely in class and read during the breaks.

At night, I went home and recited legal principles to Drake.

Even though he usually just dug into his ear and fell fast asleep halfway through.

I loved this life.

When the first round of midterm mock exams came out, I ranked first in the whole grade.

I pulled my report card out, carefully slipped it inside my backpack, and rushed home, eager to show Drake.

I only stepped away to use the washroom. When I came back, my backpack had been dumped upside down on the floor.

Everything inside was scattered across the dirty tiles.

A few boys were standing over my books, grinding their sneakers right into the paper.

"First place the second she transfers in? Total cheater."

"Hey, guys, let's rip her little law books to shreds. Let's see how she's supposed to cheat on the next test.”