The Incubus System
chapter-148

The Incubus System Chapter 148. Bitter Past

We sat in silence at one of the tables in the Cafeteria. Emma and Olivia ate quietly next to me as they realized how mad I was. Meanwhile, I spooned my fried rice into my mouth, my eyes looked at Larry who was sitting across from me with a murderous gaze. As for Larry, he ate awkwardly with his head down without even daring to look at me. After he succeeded in making everyone misunderstand me even including Olivia, I had no other choice but to show them both sides of my waist to prove that both my kidneys were still intact.

After a long silence, Larry finally opened his voice. His eyes took a glance at me.

"You know --- You should stop looking at me like that. People will think you are in love with me," he said in hesitation with a weird awkward smile.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed in annoyance.

"I'm sure everyone will think I'm crazy about you," I added in a sarcastic tone. Anyone who saw me knew that I was angry with him.

"We-Well --- I was really worried about you. I mean --- Who knows, you were that desperate so you sold your kidney for money." Despite he tried to defend himself, he said it in a regret tone.

"Didn't I tell you I was kidding?" I reminded him. My eyes kept looking at him with the same angry gaze.

"Uh ... I just wanted to check it out. Just in case you really did," he tried to defend himself once again.

I let out a short chuckle and smiled in annoyance.

"Sure. That's why I must thank you for this, because you've managed to get me to put on a good show for everyone," I scoffed again. Previously, Larry and Olivia almost took me to the infirmary for a check-up, though Emma had tried to calm them down and said that I was fine. That's why, I decided to show them my waist on the spot because I wanted to solve this misunderstanding quickly. Though I only showed it a little, I could see the students around us were holding back their laughter upon seeing me.

"Uh ..." Larry lowered his head and popped another spoon of his Chicken Fajitas into his mouth awkwardly since it had been more than 15 minutes since I stared at him with this murderous gaze.

"At least he has received the compensation money." Even though Larry grumbled in a low voice, faintly, I could hear him. But luckily, Emma and Olivia didn't hear it.

'As expected he knows about dad ...' But I was sure he didn't know the association's decision regarding using me and Celia as bait. I guessed what he knew was the same as what Emma knew. That's why, previously, he asked if my mother gave the money to me and finally concluded that the association was the one who gave me the compensation money because I said it was from the government. I took a deep breath to shake off my remaining anger.

"Don't repeat it again." I decided to end our useless cold war. Besides, I was the one who made him misunderstand my joke.

After hearing my words, he tilted his head to look at me with a happy smile.

"Buddy! I know you will forgive me!" he said in a full mouth. Some pieces of the food gushed from his mouth.

"Seriously?! Stop it! That's disgusting!" I complained as my hands took at my plate away in reflex, saving it from whatever came out of his mouth.

Meanwhile, Emma and Olivia moved away from him in reflex and also saved their food from Larry's bursts.

"Ew!" they shuddered in disgust.

"Ah, sorry." He took a nearby napkin and cleaned his mouth before resuming to eat again.

'He such a simpleton,' I thought as I put my plate back on the table and continued with my lunch.

"Since money is no longer a problem, I think we should hang out more." Larry opened his voice again.

"Sure, just ---"

Before I finished my sentence, Olivia interrupted me.

"What do you mean?" asked Olivia with a frown to Larry. She looked confused.

"About what?" asked Larry in the same confusion as Olivia's.

"About what you just said. Has Ethan had financial difficulties before? I thought it was only a joke," Olivia said impatiently. I guessed she asked Larry because she thought I covered up this problem from her. While Emma exhaled in bitterness since she had known it from me a few days ago.

I never told that I had financial difficulties to anyone, including Larry. But Larry found it out by himself because I always ate jam sandwiches every day before. Sometimes I even didn't bring lunch if the bakery near my house wasn't on sale and it was Larry who usually bought me lunch with his ultimate excuse 'I bought too much food, so help me finish it.' That's why even though his attitude was annoying and childish, I knew he was a rare, loyal friend. That was also my reason why I always helped him and nagged him a lot like an old man.

"I did have financial difficulties before, especially after my dad died. But I have solved it after I started working a week ago. Besides, the government also just sent me money, maybe it was compensation money or something," I explained calmly.

After hearing my words, Emma turned her head to look at me. Soon a relieved smile appeared on her lips, just like Larry before. It seems she realized that the association had paid my father compensation money.

"What about your mom? Isn't she still alive? She should have looked after you," said Olivia with a frown.

I smiled bitterly.

"I don't even know where she is now. The last time I saw her was at my dad's funeral. After that, she moved to another city and we only got in touch by message and phone call."

Olivia was silent for a moment, I could see her sadness on her face.

"Does that mean your mom also doesn't look after you and your sister anymore?" she said in a calmer tone. I caught a trace of sadness in her voice.

"She was still sending me the money a few months ago. But it has been two months since she stopped it," I tried to answer as calmly as I could despite the bitterness still biting my heart every time I said it.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Olivia apologetically.

"It's fine. My problem is over now. Besides, Celia and I can live well without her," I tried to ease her guilt.

"Ethan, have you ever tried to find out where your mom is?" Finally, Emma opened her voice. Looked like Emma and Larry were curious about my mother's whereabouts since they knew she was the one who took my father's compensation money. Actually, I was also curious about it but with all the events that happened in my life, her existence was the last thing I think about. Besides ... With my anger and disappointment with her, I didn't know what I would do to her after meeting her later.

"I have and couldn't find her," I replied.

"You said you still keep in touch with her by phone call and message, right? I can help you find out where she is from there," said Emma.

"Really?" I said as I held back my heart that started to beat fast and my turbulent feelings. Of course, I wanted to know where my mother was now.

"Yes, as long as I have the number I can detect where the cellphone is." Emma cleared her throat and swept her gaze across all of us.

"But I hope you can keep this a secret." Then she turned to Larry and gave him a serious gaze.

"Especially you." Tracking someone's location by her phone number could only be done with a special device. We also needed special permission from the police.

'Is she has a good connection with the police?'

Larry moved his hand in front of his mouth horizontally, mimicking a zipper closing motion before raising his thumb, which indicated he was going to shut his mouth about this.

Olivia sighed and turned to me.

"Ethan, if you need someone to talk to, you can come to me."

"At least I'm sure I can listen better than him," she added as she tilted her head at Larry briefly before turning her gaze back to me.

"Hey! I'm a good listener ya know !" complained Larry.

Olivia gave him a scornful smile.

"You look more like a good annoying friend than a good listener."

"That's not true!" he retorted. Then he turned to me.

"Ethan, tell her about our touching friendship journey."

"Larry, there's no touching story in our friendship," I said.

"What do you mean? Of course we have it. Do you remember when I tried to help your dying character when we played online games two years ago? Then finally our characters died together side by side?"

"That's stupid. Not touching." I remembered how boldly or rather stupidly we attacked a high-level boss monster and we ended up dead together.

"Well, at least we try." Just as those words left his mouth, call ringtones came.

*Ring! * * Ring! * * Ring! *

Olivia opened her bag since she recognized the ringtones as hers. Then her eyes widened in surprise and her face turned pale as she saw her cellphone screen.