The slipup doesn’t faze Mom and Dad; they’re both already thrown off-balance thanks to Blake’s charm. Who just enters someone’s home? Who just barges in unannounced?

A white male, that’s who.

But Blake also carries himself with a certain charm, a charm that I guess no one is immune to. I wonder if he’s always had it. Does it come naturally to him? Did he have to learn it? Can you even learn charm? It seems like something you’re just born with.

“Nice to see that Andre is making good friends,” Mom says. That’s a dig, but I let it go. “Not that I don’t like Andre making friends, but why…?”

“Am I here? Good question,” Blake says, turning to me. “I’m surprised you didn’t tell them.”

This is when I’m supposed to ad-lib and riff off him. I’ve seen it done dozens of times in TV shows.

“I didn’t think I was allowed to have guests over,” I say slowly, still parsing through the words. “I’m grounded.”

“Well, I think your parents would make an exception for a school project, right?” Blake asks, turning to them. “Am I right, Mr. and Mrs. Cobb? Education is more important than punitive action?”

The air in the room is still, and I can’t breathe. I’m ready for them to kick him out right then and there, and for me to be in more trouble than I was before.

“A project for an online class?” Mom asks. “An online math class?”

Blake glances at me, his eyes saying so much more than his mouth ever could. I sigh. What’s one more lie going to hurt?

“Yeah, we talked in the class chat and saw that we were in the same area, so we decided to work together. Blake here isn’t that great at math and…”

“And considering that calculus is such an important skill for a doctor, you thought you’d help him?” she finishes for me.

My stomach tightens along with my jaw and I nod. “Yeah. That.”

Mom glances at both of us for a moment, searching for any scrap of a lie on our faces. She’s good at that, finding something to latch on to and exploiting it, making people cave and give her what she wants. Mom’s the type of person most people end up owing favors to.

But, after almost five seconds, she relents.

“I’ve never heard of a calculus project, but then again, schools are getting more and more competitive every day. Door open, but yes, you can work.”