Chapter 2: Abandoned
1834 Words
Audrey’s phone vibrated on the table interrupting her concentration. For a second or two, she ignored it and then gasped like someone who had just realized she forgot something vital, and she had. Quickly, like a mad person she packed her books in her bag pack, ran off forgetting her phone. Froze and ran back then to pick it. There was no time to waste picking the call because she knew where she was supposed to be.
"Thank you, see you tomorrow. Bye!"
"Audrey" the librarian was too late, she was already past the door the books were on her desk.
And since she was having a bad day, the lift was full and already going down leaving her no option but to climb down the flight of excruciating stairs that were not friendly to her body size and dreadful agility. What choice did she have? She went down the stairs, missing a step or two and stopping to lean on the wall and catch her breath. Luckily, there were a few students using the stairs that day and instead of making fun of her they just ignored her existence and that sat well with her. Totally okay. She picked up the pace and rushed through the double glass doors of their state-of-the-art library towards the parking lot. When she stopped in front of a yellow Camaro with black stripes on the bonnet and the sides it was almost impossible for her to breath and torrents of sweat were rolling down her face.
“Stout piece of s**t better wipe that sweat away I don’t want your fat all over my leather seats” growled Lucas wearing disgust across his face. No-brainer, he didn’t like her even one bit. So, who was Lucas?
Her step-brother. Yes, Audrey’s family was a blended one. After her mother died of hypertension some few years back Audrey’s father remarried and the woman of his dreams came with a package in the name of Lucas Miller, a despicable human being, boastful arrogant and he didn’t like his step-sister since day one.
“Wipe that sweat off our face and get in or else you’ll walk home”
“Sorry…I…I got caught up with studying it won’t happen again” she apologized wiping her face as directed. It was a pitiful incident, maybe to you but not a bunch of other students who found it hilarious. Lucas looked like he wanted the ground to crack up and swallow him whole, the humiliation was too much.
“Who cares? Can’t you see the irony of your life? Hypocrisy actually, you want to become a cardiologist and yet your lifestyle goes against everything you stand for. Get in!” he ordered.
Even though the shotgun seat was empty she shoved herself in the back seat before he rolled up his windows. Succinctly, even her very own step-brother was ashamed of her. I might have told you something about Audrey being okay with shame and humiliation, for that I stand corrected. She didn’t like it coming from her very own family. It hurt and he knew it but instead of stopping he made it worse. Not that she wanted him to defend her in public. No. She was not that weak, a big girl approaching seventeen she could slay her own dragons. If he couldn’t say anything nice about her she would rather he kept quiet. Like Hippocrates said, make a habit of two things – to help, or at least, to do no harm.
“I’m done with this s**t. Why the f**k can’t you drive?” he asked angrily swerving on the road, stealing glances at Audrey in the back seated with her arms tucked lest she touch his leather seats with her sweaty palms and earn another hurl of abuses.
“I just panic and am not good at making those quick decisions, driving requires that”
“And you think I get paid to drive you around like a chauffeur?”
FYI he never drove her anywhere except to and from school in the morning and evenings respectively. But she couldn’t say that. He was already pissed off she didn’t pick up the call, arguing would have angered him even more, not her intention not to mention he had the temper of junkyard dog.
“Sorry”
“Don’t sorry me. And what were you even doing in the field in the first place huh?”
Oh, so it was not just about being late by a less than five minutes at the pick-up point? There was more and when he mentioned that she remembered the phone. It was time to check those hilarious memes with her face on it and the videos of her falling with a thud.
“It was an accident”
“You were just walking and the ball hit you right?”
“Exactly”
He repeated sarcastically drawing out the word and in a horrible voice. Audrey just looked away calmly maintaining her position, tucked arms.
“You don’t get knocked by the ball everyday why just today. You’re looking for attention as if you don’t have waves of annoyance rippling around you every time you walk in a room. Just don’t drag me in your mess you, ugly freak”
“I didn’t drag you in my mess. It was an accident period”
“Don’t you raise your voice on me” he pulled over by the roadside, their palatial home was a walking distance away and he had nothing to lose if she walked all the way home if only the guards weren’t going to tell his mum.
“Sorry, but I will not be accused of something I didn’t do” she looked away with her puffed up cheeks. Lucas realized she was dead serious about it.
“Good then, this is the last time you’ll be gracing my car with your fatty acids” he picked up the pace, “From this day onwards am not driving you to school. I’m out”
Now that one had Audrey rethinking about her words and the tone she used, they echoed in her head. There was nothing wrong with the words nor the tone. Lucas of all people knew even though she had a beautiful voice she couldn’t shout and risk running out of breath. Anyway, it was over. Nothing she was going to say would have changed his mind. For a long time he had been looking for a way to get rid of her and a chance of a lifetime had presented itself. No way he was going to let that one slide. When he pulled over at the parking lot, Lucas jumped out of the car and signaled one of the employees. He came running, most of them knew how much their young master despised them and how he had the power to hire and fire, also, to ruin one’s just perfectly fine day.
“Good evening young master”
“There is nothing good about this evening you looser. Grab a pail and some soap, I want this car washed thoroughly, give extra attention to the back seat I was ferrying a swine…”
The servant looked at Audrey leaving the car with pity in his eyes. She seemed unhurt by his words, if they were meant to hurt her…they did. But what could she do rather than smile and shed a tear? Was it her fault that she was fat and ugly? Probably. So far, she didn’t have the power to change that or she just didn’t know that destiny was a living breathing statue and she was the sculpter, the power to change her life was within her.
“Look at me when am talking to you!”
“Yes sir, consider it done”
“Now get your smelly self out of my way” he went passed them matching to the house, in a black polo T-shirt, blue khakis and white rubber shoes.
Once Lucas was gone Audrey saw an opportunity to check on him.
“Hello, Tom, right?”
“Yes, Sorry about him”
“It’s nothing, you better get started cleaning up. See you around”
“You too mum”
“Call me Audrey” she said walking through the mahogany double doors.
Although she looked fine, deep down she was scared of another confrontation and embarrassment at the dinner table. And also, how she was going to go to school and back. Yet her father was among the richest men in fort canon city.
*******
On the other side, Mason was having a time of his life behind the leather wrapped steering wheel of his black Mercedes G-wagon. His seat was adjusted to perfection and driving shotgun with him was a young beautiful lady, sleeping on her palm and her hair being blown off by the wind making it hard to see her face clearly. Mason kept stealing those furtive glances at her and smiling with contentment. The things talent and fame handed him on a silver platter.
At the back of his mind, the task at hand. Audrey freaking Miller, a girl he couldn’t even look at twice, there was nothing nice about her but he was clinging to hope that there is and will always be something special about everyone and also, let’s not forget he had his eyes on the prize. It was not going to take long wasn’t it? He was Mason Klein, he was doing a huge favor to whomever he got into a relationship with. His face lit up and we all know what that means, you’ve seen it in movies. He had an idea.
“I have an idea about that bet I was telling you about”
“As long as it doesn’t involve sleeping with that shapeless girl count me in” his companion said still in sleeping position, she was really enjoying the splash of air across her face.
“Would you sit up and listen to me? Why are you this sleepy anyway?”
“None of our business Mason you have my ears why do you need my face?”
“It pains me that you are right…anyway here’s the plan”
He forgot he was already at the ring road and he couldn’t multitask, talk and drive at the same time. Fort canon was a busy city the biggest and most developed in the country, traffic was always a bother especially at the ring road that acted as an epicenter to all road in and out of the city. From there onwards, those who went to the posh estates would enjoy the drive with a few classy cars on the road. That’s where the effluent in the city lived, even a guard could be seen in a Porsche or an Audi R8, doing a test drive.
“I’ll tell you when we get home”
I guess we will never know Luca’s grand idea.
- Writer
