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Fine? What the…

Kota said “fine.” She and Guy are “fine.” According to the new femaletologist on my left here, that means the opposite.

But I already know they’re not fine. How could they be? She’s a liar and he lets other people, including me, treat her like shit. Their sex life isn’t that great either. Kota couldn’t tell me apart from her longtime boyfriend, and said longtime boyfriend is jerking it to porn the second his girl leaves the room. Trouble’s brewing in that paradise, all right.

I don’t need to put a wedge in their relationship to break them up. A little nudge to the one that’s already there should do the trick.

“I’m sure he’s real busy,” I say.

Kota’s eyes throw a few more daggers my way that have me smirking.

“It’s a good thing since you’ve got Mount Everest on your forehead. Did you try those new pimple patches I ordered you?”

Despite lowering her voice, I still make out Kota telling her mom, “Yes, I slept with one on.”

“You should have one on now.”

“I didn’t think it was that noticeable.”

“It is.”

I watch the girls like a tennis match, just waiting for Kota to tell Sera off. Whatever is on Kota’s forehead, it’s small. So small I can’t even make it out from where I’m sitting. As usual, Sera’s overreacting and embarrassing her daughter for no reason.

I have no idea how my dad can stand being around her vindictive ass. I mean, other than the obvious.

Stepsis only says, “Sorry.”

I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that Kota apologized for having a goddamn pimple or that Sera accepted it.

This fuck-ass family.

The rest of dinner is relatively quiet, only broken up by my dad peppering Kota with questions whenever the silence gets to be too much. At least he’s trying. Sera has yet to ask me a single personal question. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful she hasn’t. I have no intention of talking about myself, especially not to her. But it’s obvious how little my stepmom cares about me. Or anyone. She doesn’t even try with her own daughter.

Only my dad. He must’ve had to pull some flowers-out-of-his-ass magic trick to get her to notice him in the first place. A nightly routine he has to keep up just to maintain her interest no doubt. His neck’s gotta be killing him eating that much pussy.

Bending my head side to side, I realize how loose mine feels. What I wouldn’t give for a kink in that shit right now.

My gaze rests on Kota, my imagination running through all the positions I could get a neck cramp in with her.

“Kota.”

I sigh loudly. Here we fucking go again. The little bit Sera does talk to others, I really wish she didn’t. I was in the middle of something pleasant.

“One hundred. Before bed.”

Now my stepmom has my attention. Why does she want a hundred bucks from Kota? She’s rich.

Did one of Kota’s friends break something?

A hundred dollars doesn’t seem like enough to cover anything in this mansion. The napkins alone probably cost more than that.

Kota only mashes her lips together, not giving me any hint as to what Sera’s referring to.

Another depression on my shoe, this one heavier.

I just kick my dad’s foot off this time. I know what I have to do. I don’t need him micromanaging me.

When Kota gets up from her seat, I follow suit.