Chapter 227 - What happened to you?

Leo wasn't sure this was a good thing. He looked at Jeremy and his sister who were standing outside his door, obviously waiting for him to let them inside, and answer their questions. 

"Where is Mia and why isn't she answering her phone?" Jeremy asked again and tried to peek over Leo's shoulder. He was getting really impatient with Leo's silence. 

"He insisted on coming." Chloe explained when Leo's eyes moved from Jeremy to her. 

Leo seemed uninterested in whatever was happening with the two. That was the least of his problems. He had to handle Mia first before facing Jeremy and give him a proper scolding for making his sister look sad and uncool. She was looking too simple for 'Chloe' in the outfit she was wearing. 

"She isn't feeling too well and I'm not sure she would appreciate the company." He said and moved away from the door to give them a chance to walk inside. 

"And why weren't you answering your phone? Where is she? I'd like to see her." 

Leo noticed there was something about the way Jeremy was sounding so he crossed his hand in front of his chest before looking at him intensely. 

For a boy in his early 20s, Jeremy was as tall as he was and under his clothes, Leo could guess he was really fit. But since Leo was older and had spent quite some time in the gym, he knew he could easily intimidate Jeremy. Even though Jeremy wouldn't have been intimidated by Leo's physique, Leo still had an upper hand since he was Chloe's older brother and Jeremy would naturally want to be in his good grace. 

"Why... are you looking at me like that?" Jeremy asked and moved a bit closer to Chloe.

'It's working.' Leo thought excitedly. 

"What is wrong?" Chloe asked Leo, sensing how uncomfortable Jeremy was with the way Leo was staring at him. 

"Why do I feel like you are hinting at something with the way you are asking about Mia?" Leo asked Jeremy. 

"Why do I feel like you are hiding something by not telling us where she is?" Jeremy asked back but he kept moving closer to Chloe who seemed confused with both men's conversation. 

"You think I did something to Mia?" Leo asked calmly.

"I don't know. She's suddenly not taking her calls, she's not in school, Mira's number isn't going through, you didn't answer your calls either and you are not telling us where she is. Maybe you did something to her. Are you.... a serial killer?" 

Chloe immediately turned to look at him in shock. Where did he draw such conclusion from?

"What? Se--rial killer?" Leo asked in disbelief. He had only thought Jeremy's only problem was the fact that he was troublesome, he didn't think the boy had a weird way of reasoning. 

This was all thanks to the crime movie a part timer told Jeremy about yesterday.

"What are you saying... how could you call him that?" Chloe scolded in a whisper before standing in between both men. 

"He... didn't mean that." She said apologetically to Leo. 

"I meant it. It's suspicio–" Jeremy was talking from behind her but one glare from Chloe made him shut up. 

Leo touched his forehead. "How do you cope with him?" He asked Chloe, sounding really worried for his sister and her mental health. 

"At least do a proper search before you accuse people." They heard a weak feminine voice from one end and turned to see Mia standing by the door to her room. They didn't know when she came out or how long she had been standing there since Jeremy had been 'entertaining' them with his absurd accusation. 

"Mia... what's wrong with you?" Jeremy asked in surprise and hurried over to where she was standing.  

She was wearing a white Pajamas with yellow roses designed on the loose shirt and pant. She had freshened up but she still looked awful. Her eyes were swollen, plus she also had eye bags to show she didn't sleep last night. Her hair was messy even thought it was tied in a ponytail.

"What happened to you?" He held her shoulders and turned her both sides to have a good look at her face. 

"Did he... break up with you?" He asked in a voice he believed was a whisper but everyone in the room clearly heard him.

Leo scoffed, "Are you sure everything is okay with you? Do you need to go see a doctor or something?" Leo asked Jeremy who completley ignored him. His focus was on Mia. 

Mia shook her head and smiled a little. At least it wasn't forced. Jeremy's concern and Leo's reactions were both amusing to her. 

"I am fine. You should be in school. Why are you here?" Mia asked Jeremy. He couldn't afford to miss classes, especially now.

"He was worried about you. We had to come over after the first class." Chloe answered first. 

Leo looked at his sister curiously. She wasn't the type to really involve herself in other people's lives. She had stopped meddling in people's lives a long time ago unless they were sick. Maybe that was why she had come look for Mia with Jeremy. But one thing he observed was the less pleasant way she was staring at the two of them and how Jeremy was fawning over Mia like he was her mother.

"You didn't have to come over. I just wasn't feeling too well and couldn't receive calls. I'm sorry for troubling you two." Mia said sincerely to Jeremy and Chloe before looking at Jeremy. 

"You have to hurry back to school before the next class. You can't afford to miss classes again, you know for people like us, missing classes comes with consequences. You have to leave now." 

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked, looking at her seriously. 

"What?" Mia asked back. 

"You sound like you desperately want me to get away from you? Do you have a flu? Or a contagious disease?" 

"That's not it." She said but avoided looking at him.

She looked towards Leo's direction instead and noticed he was going inside his room with his sister behind him.

"If something is wrong, do not hesitate to tell me about it. I may look less tough, but trust me, I'm actually tough." He said smugly while showing off his biceps. 

Mia could not help rolling her eyes. "Tell that to Chloe. Oh! You both made up?" Mia remembered to ask. 

As expected, Jeremy blushed and touched the back of his neck. "Well, I had to take pity on her and remain friends with her." He said with a grin that made Mia scoff.