Reborn Rupture Chapter 02
Mrs. Romano froze, then let out a harsh laugh.
“You’re going to lie to my face?”
“If it’s not yours, then whose is it? Matteo doesn’t bring any other girls home but you!”
I spoke calmly, laying out the facts.
“I get to school at seven-thirty every morning. ”
“After school, I go straight to SAT prep. ”
“At ten-thirty every night, my parents pick me up. ”
“And every single time I’ve been to your house, you were there.”
I held her gaze.
“There are security cameras at the neighborhood entrance. ”
“The school and the prep center both have attendance records. ”
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to check.”
Mrs. Romano lifted her chin defiantly. “You’ve never skipped a class?”
“My GPA is in the top three for my entire grade. You think I got that by skipping class?”
More and more people were gathering.
The security guard from the front gate hurried over to try and keep order.
Mr. Henderson, one of our neighbors, pushed through the crowd.
“All right, that’s enough,” he said.
“I work the night shift at the gate. ”
“This girl, Virginia, gets picked up by her dad every night at ten-thirty sharp. ”
“She even goes to SAT prep on the weekends. ”
“When would she have time to be fooling around with your son? ”
“If you’re going to make accusations, you’d better have some proof.”
My mom had always been on good terms with our neighbors.
As soon as he spoke, the tide of opinion began to turn.
“That’s right. I’ve watched Virginia grow up. She’s always been a good kid.”
“She helped my daughter with her calculus homework just last week.”
“You can’t just slander a young girl like that with no proof. It’s too much.”
“Besides, it takes two to tango, doesn’t it?”
“Mrs. Romano, are you sure you have the right person?”
Mrs. Romano’s face flushed crimson.
Matteo’s face was grim as he reached for her arm.
“Mom! Stop it. Let’s just go home.”
Even as Matteo dragged her away, she shot me one last, venomous glare.
I stood there, my palms slick with sweat.
But I knew this was far from over.
Because Matteo did have a girlfriend—one he didn’t dare let his mother find out about.
Sooner or later, any trouble they got into would land right back at my feet.