The Genetic Code

Chapter 18

There I had to go and cause a scene again. What the hell is wrong with me? And what's up with Sterling? I can't bring myself to comprehend why he would do something like that, and accuse this guy of hitting me on purpose.

Again, he managed to make the situation worse and get me embroiled even deeper in drama that I'm trying desperately to avoid. Does he really just want to make me suffer?

At least I was able to get out of another one-on-one situation with him. I'd rather be alone with some person I've never met than waver under his intense stare again. He always manages to make me uncomfortable and drop my guard slightly, no matter how hard I try to haul it back up.

I hate being vulnerable.

***

The nurse leaves me with a gel cooling pack and a glass of water on the bedside table, telling me to press the red button beside the bed to summon her from her office if I need anything.

I'm left in the resting area with Peroxide, who sits on a chair beside the bed I was given. Now that my head isn't throbbing as much and I'm more alert, the awkwardness starts to sink in.

I clear my throat, and sit up on the bed.

"I'm Juliette, by the way."

"Ivan. Ivan Karmichael," Peroxide replies. "My father's James Karmichael, the senator. You probably know him."

"Ah... I see." I look down at my hands on my lap.

How informational. Perhaps my prior impression of him wasn't that far off — he is kind of prick-ish.

"You don't believe Sterling Crawford, right?"

"Huh?" I raise my eyes to meet his, which are wide and questioning.

"About me hitting you on purpose... You don't believe him, do you?"

"I don't believe everything I hear. I choose to believe what I want to. I choose to trust who I want to trust," I answer vaguely, skirting around a definite answer.

"You shouldn't trust Sterling Crawford," he warns me, "He's bad news."

I find myself becoming curious. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well first off, he's the one who did this to my face. He dared to touch this beautiful face, and mangled it, just because he was bored. People like that who fight for amusement are dangerous. I wanted to fight back, but I hate violence, and I didn't want to stoop down to his level, because I'm better than that."

I have conflicting emotions. His strange way of speaking makes me torn as to how to feel about him. He goes back and forth between righteousness and arrogance in a single sentence, so I don't know whether to rule him as a nice guy or a conceited asshole.

Also I don't know whether he can be trusted either, he's kind of dodgy. But I want to know more, so I nod intently to his words as if going along with them.

"Second, when he does things like this, and the student gets hurt badly and files a report, he just gets his father to pay off the school so he doesn't get in any trouble." He pauses. "I didn't file a report, even though my parents were really concerned. I just told them I got into an accident on my motorbike." Without me even commenting on that fact he acts like I did, "Yeah, I have a motorbike. It's not a big deal or anything, I just think we should try to live on the wild side every now and then, you know? Our youth only lasts so long."

I had to purse my lips together to stop myself from laughing at that hilariously serious remark.

"Anyway, despite what he did to me, I want to be the bigger person and try to stay on good terms with him. I mean, some people tell me that I should find justice and get him punished, but I think being the bigger person is a form of justice in itself, you know?"