He chuckles, and he actually sounds amused and it’s easy on the ears. Not like his usual sadistic laughs that are a manifestation of his devil side. “I can’t manipulate my way into med school.”
“You can cheat.”
“Not really. It’ll eventually catch up to me. Besides, I skipped two years. God level is hard to achieve.”
“Your arrogance is staggering.”
“Thanks.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“My genius neurons and I choose to take it as one.”
I stop myself before I roll my eyes again and make him start an annoying lecture. “Is it really hard to be a genius?”
“It’s effortless, actually. I don’t have to think before acting. Everything comes naturally to me.”
“Then why did you say God level is hard to achieve?”
“People usually relate better to hardships and they certainly react well to smokescreens, half-truths, and well-crafted lies.”
“Not everyone.”
“That’s what you say now. Try being hit with a hard truth and see if you don’t wish you never knew about it.”
“I’d still seek the truth. Yes, it might hurt, but I’d find a way to come to terms with it. Being sad and struggling for a while is infinitely better than living a fake life.”
“Words. Words.”
“I mean every one of them.”
“Hmm.”
“What is ‘hmm’ supposed to mean?”
“Just hmm.”
“Wow, thanks for the clarification.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Were you born this annoying or did it come with time?”
“A little bit of both. Though my dad has annoying traits, so I might have the gene.”
“Why am I not surprised that you bad-mouth your father?”
“I’m not bad-mouthing him. I’m just relaying a fact.”
I stare at his unchanging expression. He doesn’t seem bothered by talking about his father, and it’s the first time he’s spoken openly about his parents.
“I gather you have a strained relationship with your father?”
“And how, pray tell, did you gather that?”
“Earlier, you said Gareth is Daddy’s golden boy, so that means you aren’t. You also said he has annoying traits. Oh, and you never posted a picture of just the two of you on your Instagram.”
“Stalker alert. Didn’t know you went through all my posts, baby.”