The Laziest Girl Alive Chapter 07

The Laziest Girl Alive Chapter 07

My dad reacted first and lunged forward, trying to pull Ethan’s hand away from the camera lens

“What are you doing? We’re live.”

My mom snapped out of it too and rushed straight to me instead of worrying about the camera.

Her carefully maintained face instantly filled with a loving, regretful smile.

“Nora, my good girl, this is our fault. We were too blind to see how extraordinary you are. You’ve been so wronged.”

Ethan ignored my dad and simply yanked the power cord from the camera.

The entire production crew just stood there, stunned and at a loss.

“Nora, sweetie, living at the Institute must be so hard, right?”

“Tomorrow I’ll take you to see our place up in the hills on the west side of the city. It’s got a pool

and a garden. You’ll love it. And you can pick any car you like from the garage.”

They were practically tripping over each other to sound enthusiastic.

I could almost feel their spit hitting my face.

I sank deeper into the couch.

It was too loud.

Really, way too loud.

I had barely freed up a little CPU in my head, and now it was overheating again.

I didn’t want to hear them planning my future.

I didn’t want their mansion or sports cars.

I just wanted them to shut up and let me have a little quiet.

So when they got to talking about throwing a huge welcome back party for me and inviting every big name in the city, I stood up.

The living room went silent.

Every eye in the room locked on me.

My parents watched me with hopeful faces, convinced I had finally been moved by their affection

and sincerity.

I didn’t look at them.

I just pulled out my phone, dialed a number, and it was picked up almost instantly.

“Hey, Zack,” I said.

A young but steady voice came through the line.

“Dr. Reed, what can I do for you?”

“Come pick me up at the Reed house. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I hung up, slipped my phone back into my pocket, finally lifted my eyes to my so-called parents, and said, “I’m not living here anymore.”

My mom’s smile froze.

“Nora, wh-what did you say?”

“I said it’s too loud here, and it’s bad for my brain’s downtime,” I told her, tapping my temple as I seriously explained, “It needs a quiet environment to stay in low-power standby, or its processing efficiency drops.”

They clearly didn’t understand the explanation.

But they understood that I was leaving.

My dad’s expression darkened, and he slipped into the same CEO voice he used in boardrooms.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re my daughter. If you don’t live here, where else would you go?”

“Institute housing,” I said.

Those two words did more than any promise of mansions or sports cars.

My dad’s show of authority stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t get another word out for a long time.

I didn’t give them a chance to say anything else.

I grabbed the throw pillow that had kept me company the last few days and headed straight for the

door.

It was probably the only thing in this house I felt anything for.

Ethan stepped in front of me, his gaze a complicated mix of guilt, hurt, and a hint of pleading.

“Nora, c-could you give us one more chance?”

I looked at him and shook my head.

“The problem, Ethan, is that we can’t communicate.”

Then I stepped around him and opened the front door.

Outside, a black sedan from the Institute was already waiting in silence.