Badass in Disguise Chapter 92

Linda Morgan paced around the kitchen, phone pressed to her ear, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Don't worry, sweetie. Your brother already agreed," she said, glancing nervously toward the hallway. "In a few days, once he figures out that physics problem, I'll make Max send it to you."

She opened the refrigerator, mindlessly rearranging items while continuing her conversation with Emily.

"That dead-weight Jade cares about Max. She'll definitely help him. And from now on, whenever you have physics problems, I'll make sure Max gets them solved. You don't need to worry about a thing."

Linda's voice suddenly shifted from scheming to excited. "Did you know Jade's been making connections with rich and powerful people at school? I'm thinking of visiting Princeton soon to see her—and to meet these wealthy boys she knows."

She laughed, the sound brittle and false. "You need to be nicer to Jade, Emily. We might need her connections in the future. I know you're angry, but what good will that do? Just play nice."

A floorboard creaked behind her.

Linda whirled around, nearly dropping her phone when she spotted Max standing in the doorway, his face a mask of confusion. How long had he been there?

"Mom? Who's making Emily do physics problems?" Max asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

Linda's face flushed. "No one, honey. I was just—"

"I heard you," Max interrupted, his eyes narrowing. "You said I agreed to something. What exactly did I agree to?"

Linda fumbled with her phone, quickly ending the call. "It's nothing, Max. Emily just needs some help with—"

"With what?" Max pressed, taking a step forward. "What physics problem?"

Linda's nervous laugh echoed in the kitchen. "Just some homework, sweetie. Nothing important."

Max's eyes hardened. "Emily stole my notebook, didn't she? She stole that physics problem Jade worked out."

The color drained from Linda's face.

"That's why my draft notebook went missing last month," Max continued, his voice rising. "She's been pretending to be Jade, hasn't she? She lied to Princeton, to Edward Sheldon, to Principal Thornton—to everyone!"

Linda grabbed Max's arm, her fingers digging into his skin. "Keep your voice down! Neighbors might hear you."

"Good! They should hear this!" Max yanked his arm away. "Do you even understand what Emily did? She committed identity theft and fraud!"

"It's not like that," Linda hissed. "Emily just needed a chance."

Max turned and limped quickly toward the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Linda called after him.

"To call Jade. She deserves to know the truth."

Linda lunged forward, grabbing Max's phone from his hand with surprising strength. "You can't do that! You'll ruin everything!"

"And what about Jade?" Max shouted, his face reddening with anger. "How are you and Emily any different from those criminals who steal identities to get into college?"

Linda's eyes filled with tears—whether genuine or manufactured, it was hard to tell. "Please, Max. Don't tell Jade. Emily is your sister too."

"A sister who stole from the only person in this family who ever actually cared about me," Max shot back. "And you still call Jade 'that dead-weight' behind her back. You're stealing her accomplishments and still treating her like garbage."

Frank Morgan chose that moment to walk through the front door, his work boots tracking mud onto the linoleum. He froze, taking in the scene: his wife clutching a phone, tears streaming down her face, his son trembling with rage.

"What's going on?" he asked, setting down his lunch box.

Linda rushed to him. "Max wants to destroy Emily's life! He's threatening to tell Jade about the scholarship!"

Frank looked bewildered. "I don't understand—"

"Max wants to ruin this family," Linda wailed, clutching Frank's arm. "After everything we've done for him!"

"What you've done?" Max laughed bitterly. "You mean besides treating Jade like crap her entire life? Besides stealing her future?"

"Son," Frank began hesitantly, "maybe we should all calm down and—"

"No, Dad. You don't get it." Max shook his head in disgust. "Emily stole Jade's identity. She's pretending to be her at Princeton. She's committed actual crimes."

Frank's eyes widened as the implications sank in.

Linda sank to her knees outside Max's bedroom door, where he had retreated after their argument. "Max, please! Your mother is begging you. I'm on my knees! Isn't that enough?"

Frank stood awkwardly beside her, looking down at the floor. "Son, listen to your mother. Family has to stick together."

From inside the room, Max's voice was muffled but determined. "This kind of thing never stays hidden. You know that, right?"

Linda pressed her forehead against the door. "Just promise you won't tell her! Emily's on the phone—she wants to talk to you."

Inside his room, Max stared at his laptop screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. His mother had taken his phone, but she'd forgotten about his computer.

"This kind of secret will come out eventually," he called through the door, even as he logged into his social media account. "It always does."

He clicked on Jade's profile and began typing a message.

The next morning, Linda called Max's school to report him sick with the flu. She hovered anxiously as he ate his breakfast, barely touching her own food.

"So I'm a prisoner now?" Max asked, pushing away his half-eaten toast. "You know that's illegal, right? Keeping me from school?"

"I'm protecting my children," Linda snapped. "That's what mothers do."

"By committing felonies?" Max shook his head in disbelief. "Great parenting, Mom."

Frank stood by the counter, coffee mug in hand, eyes fixed firmly on the floor tiles. He hadn't spoken a word all morning.

"Dad," Max appealed to his father. "Are you really okay with this?"

Frank took a long sip of coffee but remained silent.

At Princeton University, Emily Morgan sat through her morning class in a daze, her mind racing with fear and anxiety. The professor's words barely registered as she checked her phone every few minutes, dreading what might happen next.

When class finally ended, she gathered her books with shaking hands and headed for the exit. Just outside the classroom door, she froze.

Jade stood there, arms crossed, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Max tells me you have a physics problem you need help with?" Jade said casually.

Emily nearly jumped out of her skin, her textbooks tumbling from her arms. "J-Jade! What are you doing here?"

Students streamed past them, some glancing curiously at the two women who looked nothing alike yet seemed locked in some intense standoff.

"I heard my little sister needs help," Jade continued, her voice eerily calm. "Something about quantum mechanics? Must be for a very important... scholarship."

Emily's face drained of color. She glanced around frantically, as if looking for an escape route. "Did... did Max tell you?"

"About what?" Jade asked, stepping closer. "About the problem? Or about something else?"

Emily swallowed hard, a flicker of hope in her eyes. Maybe Max hadn't told her everything.

"The physics problem," Emily stammered. "It's really difficult, and I thought maybe—"

"I'll help you," Jade interrupted, "on one condition."

"Anything," Emily replied desperately.

"All your scholarship money—every single dollar—belongs to me now."

Emily nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. Whatever you want."

Jade pulled out a pen. "Show me the problem."

Emily fumbled through her bag, hope rising in her chest. Maybe Max hadn't revealed the full extent of her deception. Maybe she could still salvage this situation.

"How long will it take you to solve it?" Emily asked nervously.

Jade's cold smile widened. "Oh, not long at all."