Chapter 5

They were all after my kidney right now. There was no way I was walking into a trap like that.

I had been wondering why their efforts lately had been so half-hearted. It turned out they had been saving up for the big play. The second I stepped through Grandma's door, they would probably skip the meal entirely and pin me down to sign the papers.

I shook my head. "I'm not going. Senior year is brutal. I've heard of parents doing everything they can to help their kids, but I've never heard of a student taking time off to have dinner with relatives."

Mom opened her mouth to push back, but I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed for the door. "I've got tutoring lessons."

They wanted my kidney and expected me to deliver it to them in person? Not a chance.

When I came home that night and opened the door, Grandma, my aunt, and several other relatives from back home were all sitting in my living room.

I froze in the doorway. Dad was not home yet. Part of me wanted to turn around and wait outside.

Mom looked like Grandma had already given her an earful. Her face was tight. The moment she spotted me, she pulled me inside. "There you are. Were you so excited to see Grandma that you forgot how to move? Get in here."

Dad would not be back for a while. Making a scene now with Dad still out would only put me at a disadvantage, so I went in and sat down.

Grandma did not waste time with pleasantries. "Cody, you know about your uncle's condition. We can't keep putting this off. You're young. Losing one kidney is not going to ruin your life.

"We understand you've been stalling because you're scared, but your uncle doesn't have time. You can't keep being stubborn about this. Sign the papers today and stop making him wait."

I smiled. "I've already said no. You need to find another option."

Grandma frowned. "How can you be so selfish?"

I nodded. "Right. You going after someone else's kidney isn't selfish, but me not wanting mine cut out of me is. That's the logic here?"

Her expression faltered. "What kind of attitude is that? Is that any way to speak to your elders?"

Mom jumped in, frantic. "Cody, your grandmother came all the way to our home. Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Grandma dabbed at the corners of her eyes where no tears existed, then dropped to her knees in front of me with a loud thud. "Cody, I'm begging you. I have no other choice. You can't just stand by and watch your own uncle die. You two share the same blood! If you let him die, you'll be burying me right after."

She burst into loud, heaving sobs.

I flinched and scrambled out of the way. Something about the whole thing felt off.

Grandma carried on wailing for a while, then wiped her face dry and stood up as if nothing had happened. Once she was on her feet again, she looked at me. The grief was gone, and her eyes were cold and bitter. "Cody, you really won't help, huh?"

I nodded. "I've told you over and over. You can't ask me to trade my life for someone else's."

A dark smile spread across Grandma's face. "You're afraid losing a kidney will ruin your future. But what if I post the video of what just happened?

"What if the whole internet sees how cold-blooded and heartless you are to watch your own grandmother get on her knees and do nothing? What will happen to your reputation then? What kind of future will you have after that?"

That was why something had felt wrong. Given Grandma's personality, if I defied her, she would have demanded Mom discipline me. She would never humiliate herself by kneeling. Not unless it was part of a plan.

Mom, the devoted daughter who would never let her own mother suffer a moment of discomfort, had just stood there and watched her kneel without lifting a finger to stop it.

It was a setup. They had planned the whole thing.

I looked at Mom. She avoided my eyes, guilt written all over her face. She had known, yet she had gone along with it.

For a moment, my mind went somewhere else entirely. This was my mom, the woman who used to carry me to the park, buy me clothes, and bribe me with chocolate when I would not take my medicine.

Now that I had come into conflict with her 'real' family, she had chosen to sacrifice me without a second thought.

The comments were just as stunned.

[That old woman is vicious.]

[The main character's mom is disgusting. Nothing hurts worse than getting stabbed in the back by your own parents.]

[Please tell me the main character won't cave because of this. If he loses that kidney, his life is over.]

While I was still lost in my own head, Mom's gaze shifted toward me.

"Cody."