Grand. - Episode 1

 

Present Day 

February 10th 2017

Friday.

This is huge.

My eyes are trailing on the grand staircase leading upstairs. The smell of lavender is wafting around filling my nostrils to the point of chocking me. Everything about this place is just huge, grand and exquisite . My eyes are popping out of trying to swallow the every detail of this house. I ogle, i gawk. I just love it. Standing at the center of this masterpiece.

Truth is, it is my first time inside the David Erickson's mansion. The detail work on the red draping curtains wows me. The elegance of the furniture makes me shiver a bit. This place is huge for my house and that of Miss Cherry to fit in twice. I stand at the center taking everything in. It takes a while then i shift my attention to the other person in the room. 

"I need to get going." I manage to say in a cracked voice.

He lifts his eyebrows lazily almost in dismissal. My eyes flush in embarrassment thinking of the show i have just given him. Feasting over with my eyes the things money could buy like i was looking at a well cooked meal after starving for a week.  He does not say a thing

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/grand

. His sweater is lying carelessly by his school bag. His school shirt is unbuttoned halfway revealing his chest. I can't let my eyes linger. This is the kind of territory you don't tresspass into. Well... unless you are Sarah Molly. Yes, Sarah Molly is allowed to have everything. I interrupt my train of thought before they put me in a trance.

"I need to go." I say then turn sharply. 

"Wait!" He speaks abruptly.

He stands up from where he has been sprawled carelessly like he owns the place. Sure he owns it. He is the only child of Mr. David Erickson. The multi billionaire who practically owns everything in this town.

"Would you stay a while."  His tone is inviting but i can easily grasp the courtesy call underlining it. People like us don't get invited into places like this. Unless you saved his behind from bieng expelled from school.

Big deal huh.

A month ago

Jan 9th 2017

Monday

I hated new shools. I hated the sudden shift of environment. Having to cope up or slow down to catch up with the school program. I was a loner so i did not worry about making friends. I would always find the other loner in school and that would make up the new geek squad.

Lionsdale high was not your typical highschool.

It was full of rich kids. In my previous school i was used to cars only being driven by teachers. Ninety percent rode to school in the school bus. Our school amenities were enough but it was still an average school compared to what they had in lionsdale. A school i would describe as being for the privileged. Don't get me wrong, am not rich. Technically speaking my father is not rich. I just happen to have a dad who believe that he should give his only child a chance to be with the best.

The first thing that struck me was the massiveness of the car park.  All sorts of car were parked in neat lines. It struck me because these cars were not for the teachers. They belonged to  the students.

After being admitted i was introduced to a tall girl, Lacey, who had her hair plaited in thick corn rows that complimented her oval face so well. She smiled at me pretentiously as she led through the massive hall way. She showed me the music room, computer lab,G.C( guidance and councelling), arts room, library and a lot of other rooms then finally to class. As i made my first step into the class that i would have to cope with for the rest of the year i was immidiately intimidated.

Lacey who had been by my side all this while left me standing infront of the nineteen pair of eyes and settled on her desk. I resented rich kids. They looked at me as if they could sense i was not from their social circle. I swallowed hard and clutched my bag pack nervoursly adjusting my glasses which now felt two times bigger.

"Let's welcome the new girl.. please let us know your name and the school you are from."

"I'm Penelope."

"Welcome Penelope." A few of them muttered half heartedly. I could not bring myself to look at them or matter a thank you to the welcome statement. I felt like i was on the highway to hell.

"So which school are you from?"

"Am from Pe Hill high."

"Is that like where they teach dogs to paint? A boy whose name i later learnt was Jace threw a comment. It was lame but the whole class erupted.

"Jace!" The teacher called and the laughter stopped abruptly.

"Welcome Penelope, its nice to have you here."

I looked at her face. Her smile was genuine. For some unknown reasons it powerd my legs which had been threatening to let go, to walk towards the only empty seat in the room. I got the corner seat. My deskmate was Jane. I preferd to call her Janey. I raised my eyebrow at her and she winked.

I had found my fellow geek.

I survived my first day at school which brings me down to a month later. When i save Lloyd. He is in senior high school. Pretty cliche if you asked me. We only had four years of highschool. Why did they have to split it into junior and senior? So anyway it was a month later after joining school and getting used to the rich and their craziness. I was leaning on a wall talking to Janey. This was our hideout. Just as i had geussed, Janey was an outcast because she was plus sized. Personally i think people hated her because her face was drop dead gorgeous and her body shape was fantastic. She was something different. A streak of gene mutation that presented something different. A new kind of beauty apart from the skinny, flat belly and parts puffed up with injections. She had an allure they could not resist so they hated on it. It was made worse by the fact that she totally ignored them and even managed to roll back the comments they threw at her.

I loved her gut.

"What's up for the weekend?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing??"

"You know..the usual. Daddy time and movie time."

We continued in silence. From a distance i could see couch Francis on the football pitch. There were a group of players with him. Those were the kind of guys we were not to go near.

"So what are you going to do about Jimmy?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing, the guy practically passes notes to you everyday in class. He likes you i can tell." Janey just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

"What..."

I did not finish that statement. A booklet landed on my head with a thud. I could hear desks screeching as if they were being pulled on the top floor. We did not wait. Clutching on the booklet that had just fallen, i took to my heels and Janey closely followed. We managed to sneak into the ladies room without raising any suspicion.

"What is this?" I asked Janey breathlessly. It was quite fortunate and unusual that there was no one in the ladies room.

"Uum a booklet."

"Of course i know its a booklet." I jabbed at her playfully. "What i mean to ask is, what is the meaning of this?"

"We need to destroy it."

"Destroy it...why...how?" I was not following anything.

"It's evidence."

"Evidence of what?" She was not making any sense and it was killing me. Then i heard it. Sarah Molly's footsteps and her crew as they headed for the ladies. Janey grabbed the booklet and shoved it under her sweater then crossed her arms across his chest.

Sarah pushed the door. Chewing her gum loudly.

"Clear the room. I need space." Her comment was not directed at me.

"What do you need a room for? You could easily fit through the hinge of the door." 

I stiffled my laughter. Janey grabbed my hand and we headed out. It was hard keeping up with her speed. She was moving fast for someone her size. We came to a halt before the chemistry lab.

She pushed the door open.

"Isn't this illegal?.. No lab without teacher's supervision?"

"Not if you are an A student."

"You are a genius in chemistry?" I asked sneaking a peak outside not really wanting to know."

"No...but you are."

"Me... how did you know?"

I did not show my previous test paper to anyone. I had gained Mr. Collince attention and respect though. I was able to answer every question thrown my way by him.

Read " Imagine Mountains " by the same author ( DORSILA ANYANGO )

. Thats right, i could never raise my hand in class. It was hard being the geek squad. Walking over them in question would just earn me tougher days at school.

"Don't worry, we wont get caught."

She grabbed a fire extinguisher from its hold and then removed a lighter from her pocket.

"You smoke?" I asked shocked. The only people who walked around with lighters were smokers and arsonists.

"No...i just take my mum's lighters everyday."

"Why?"

"Its a cold war against her smoking habit."

I just nodded. She proceeded to remove the booklet from under her sweater and teared it page by page. 

"If it gets out of control we use the fire extinguisher." 

I nodded again.

It took about ten minutes to burn the entire booklet. I took a rug from the corner of the lab and wiped the ash that was on the floor. It was a good thing nobody came around. Jane replaced the extinguisher to its spot. 

We heard voices on the hallway headed to our direction.  Without thinking we both dived under the concrete slab.

"Now what?.

"Now we shush and wait."

*****

Author's note. 

Hello dear reader. Am back with a brand new one. 

Relax and enjoy. Don't forget to show some love.

Toda,

Lehitraot.