He Turned My Exam Into a Joke, I Turned the Page Chapter 07

He Turned My Exam Into a Joke, I Turned the Page Chapter 07

When I woke up, I was already in the hospital.

The sky had deepened into twilight blue.

Luke sat on the sofa across from me, still in his school clothes, working carefully through a

stack of practice tests.

I coughed.

My throat was dry and hoarse.

“You’re awake?” Luke hurried to his feet and poured me a glass of water. “How do you feel

now?”

The water eased the burning in my stomach.

I pushed myself up and leaned weakly against the headboard.

“You passed out because of a side effect from the medication,” he said.

“You were doing fine for six or seven years. Why have you been having episodes again these

past few days?”

I said nothing and set the glass on the bedside table.

Luke walked back to the sofa and pulled several practice tests from his backpack. “These

were handed out at school today. I marked all the key points for you.”

“Honestly, it doesn’t even matter whether you look at them,” he said with a small smile. “Their

predicted SAT question types still aren’t as good as your own predictions.”

“AU is basically a lock for you.”

“Where’s my mom?” I asked.

Luke smacked his forehead. “I forgot to tell you.”

“Mrs. Parker said she had to handle some immigration paperwork and couldn’t make it back

to stay with you.”

I nodded.

He licked his lips, and his expression suddenly grew tense.

“You’re not moving abroad too, are you?”

The air fell silent.

I lifted my eyes and threw the question back at him.

“Do you want me to leave?”

Luke shook his head.

“You think I’m troublesome. You think I’m difficult and closed-off. You think I’m a clingy little leech.”

Every word made my heart hurt a little more.

It felt as if an old wound had been cut open again and exposed to the air, raw and bleeding.

“Luke, you said being around me would drive you crazy. You said I push everyone who cares

about me farther away.”

“If I leave, won’t everyone be happy?”

Luke smiled.

Clearly, he did not take my words seriously.

“You actually believed something I said when I was angry?” He lightly rapped his knuckles

against my forehead. “Stop overthinking. Just focus on the exam.”

“The SAT is next week.”

“Sienna, I’ll see you at AU.”

After that, everyone rushed through the final stretch of exam prep.

Luke spent most of his time studying. When he had a little free time, he spent it goofing

around with Zoey.

Of course, he never noticed that I had changed my college decision.

He also never noticed that the papers I had casually tucked into my backpack were my

immigration documents.

The SAT went smoothly.

When the last section ended, I walked out of the testing center and saw Luke with his arms

around Zoey’s waist, lifting her straight into the air as he cheered.

“Woo-hoo! We’re free!”

I picked up my phone from the security desk.

The screen showed that my flight would take off in five hours.

“Sienna!” Luke walked up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “What are you

looking at?”

I turned off the screen.

“Nothing.”

“We’re going to the usual barbecue place tonight,” he said with a smile. “Everyone’s coming.

We’ll celebrate. Don’t ditch us.”

“I have to take Zoey shopping for clothes first, so you go home ahead of me.”

“I’ll get you a cab.”

Luke led me to the curb.

He hailed a cab, gave the driver my home address, and then waved at me.

“Be safe. Text me when you get home.”

The car pulled away.

The person in the rearview mirror grew smaller and smaller.

I tightened my grip on my phone before I finally spoke.

“Sir, I need to go to the airport.”