by Mya West
Marta turns to me with a smile. “That’s the tour Noelle. Do you have any questions?”
I smile. “No, thank you though. This place is... amazing. You should have seen where I was a few days ago.” Marta humbly nods her head. “Call me Elle by the way.”
“Mr. Cain wanted me to let you know that school starts the day after tomorrow. Mr. Winters will be driving you to meet the principal tomorrow as well.”
“Oh, okay. Sure. Thanks.” I’m pretty sure the only time people met the principal at my last school was when they were in shit.
I thank Marta again before she leaves. When she does, I have no clue what to do with myself. It’s only mid-afternoon, and there are so many options on the Cain property that it’s making me dizzy.
I walk back into my room and immediately jump on the mattress. It’s even softer than I imagined, and I sink into it like I’m lying on a cloud. I turn my head and notice my duffle bag on the dresser. I open my bag and grab my journal and flop right back into the bed with a smile.
I think about how quickly my life has changed in the past few hours. From skunk motel room to a mansion. From the ghetto, to rich suburbs.
For some reason I was put off by what felt like a cold first impression from Arthur Cain. Although, I can’t exactly be upset. Looking around the guest house confirms that.
Then there’s Lance Cain. Not exactly a great first impression either. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from him before meeting but confirmed my suspicion of him having fed with a silver spoon disease.
Too bad.
All the looks, but just the wrong attitude. Images of his sweaty body, moving in the ring today intrusively break through into daydreams. Yes, he was hot. Super hot. I forget where I was going with my train of thought and take out my journal to better conceptualize it all.
I start with the titles: Moving on Up. I smile to myself before continuing to write.
Chapter 6
I wake up in the morning around nine. When I open my bedroom door, Marta is sitting in the dining area, waiting for me with a silver tray on the table beside her. She lifts the cover, revealing a mini tower of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and grilled vegetables.
“Good morning.” Marta says with a smile. “How was your first night?”
“Excellent. I had a nightmare that I woke up in my actual home.” I smile back.
Marta stands up from the table and invites me to sit. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Sure, what do you have?” Marta looks at me funny. I suppose the possibilities were endless. “Orange juice?”
“Of course.” She pours me a cup and reminds me that Mr. Winters would be here soon to drive me to the Principal’s home for a new student interview. Apparently, all new students must meet him before school starts.
I’m nervous to meet the principal, Mr. Davis Aldridge. I looked up some information on him last night but couldn’t find more then a faculty picture of him and short bio from the school. I have this idea that if I sit down with him, even for just a few moments, he will realize I’m a fake and don’t belong at Ryland Academy.
The thought makes me feel completely full, despite barely eating much. I stand up and bring my dish to the sink. Marta tries to intervene saying she can do this for me, but I prefer her not to. I somehow manage to spill some scrambled eggs along the way.
A knock on the door startles me and I almost drop the whole plate on the floor. Marta answers the door and Mr. Winters walks in.
“Hello again.” I say cheerfully.
He nods his head at me and smiles. “Are your ready to leave Elle?” I nod my head back.
Winters takes a few steps inside the guest house right into the scrambled eggs on the floor. Suddenly the smile on his face fades. With the expression on his face it seems like I just said something offensive to him. He lifts his shoe and sees the scrambled eggs mashed on the bottom.
“Sorry about that.” Marta says. “I was just about to clean that Mr. Winters.”
He ignores her, takes out a pair of leather gloves from his jacket and puts them on. He takes off his shoe and goes to the sink cleaning the bottom furiously with water, and a paper towel. When he seems convinced there is no trace of eggs, he manages a small smile at me.
“I’ll wait for you in the car.” He says, and promptly leaves.
I look at Marta, unsure how to respond.
Marta just shrugs her shoulders. “He’s a very particular man, but very nice.”
I finish getting ready. This time I’m not wearing a white tank top. I put on the only blue blouse I packed which suits my body nicely without coming on too strong. It is probably the only nice-looking article of clothing I have left.
I enter the back of the Escalade, and Winters opens the window between us. “Shouldn’t take us more than thirty minutes to get to Mr. Aldridge’s property.” I thank him and he rolls the window up.
I’m tempted to know more about my mysterious driver. I almost want to roll my window down and play thirty questions with him. Although he seems to have his issues, besides Marta, he has been welcoming. I wonder what his situation is like. Is he married, divorced, kids, dog, cat? I get the image of him being a lonely guy with several large loving dogs surrounding him always. Who needs a woman when you have man’s best friend beside you?
I roll down the window but have no clue how to start the conversation.
“Are you okay Elle? Do you need something?”
“No, sorry. I hit the button on accident.” He smiles and rolls the window back up.
Soon enough we enter the premises of Mr. Aldridge. His property is probably one tenth of Arthur Cain’s, but is wealthy for a principal. I have no clue what my principal made for a salary at my last school, but it was likely nowhere near what principal Aldridge brings in. Obviously being in charge of the top secondary school in the nation has a decent take home pay.
Thomas pulls up to the entrance, and a man with slicked-back white hair in a grey sport jacket is waiting for me. Beside him is a slightly younger woman with blond hair in a pretty blue dress. When the car comes to a complete stop, the man opens the car door for me.
“Hello, I’m Mr. Aldridge.” He puts out a hand and I use it to exit the vehicle.
“Elle Maven.” I say. “Pleasure to meet you Principal Aldridge.”
The woman laughs. “Please don’t do that today, Elle. He’s your principal tomorrow. Today, he’s just plain ol’ Davis.”
“I’m afraid she’s right.” Davis Aldridge says with a smile. “Please come inside. We have a little brunch set up for us.”
I follow them to an indoor patio with a greenhouse ceiling. A small table with three chairs is set up with two on one side and the third on the other. A silver tray has coffee and pastries on it. The light shines through the clear ceiling, beating down on me. If it wasn’t for Mr. Aldridge and him being so pleasant, I’d feel like I’m being interrogated.
Mrs. Aldridge offers me some tea and I accept.
The three of us sit, sipping our drinks, the silence excruciating for me to bear. Finally, Davis breaks the silence. “I always like to meet new students like this before school starts. I understand things haven’t been great for you lately, and I hope you find your experience at Ryland Academy is a turning point for you.” I look over at Mrs. Aldridge who is giving me a sympathetic face. I can tell she knows what happened to my parents, the fire, but isn’t sure if she should say something. I appreciate her silence. Too many times people try and be a shoulder to cry on, when all I want is to cry by myself and be left alone.
“I’m happy that I’ve been chosen for this scholarship by Mr. Cain.” I say. Mrs. Aldridge’s expression changes from sympathy to a small smile.
Davis looks at me funny for a moment before he continues. “Now I spoke with your last principal and understand that you’re a keener, a good student who takes her education seriously. That is exactly the type of person Ryland Academy attracts.” He continues to go over some information abou
t the school. I take mental notes of anything he says I deem important, but most seems like fluff. Look how important this school is, and all the students in it. Did I mention I’m the principal, and look how great I am as well.
He’s mid-sentence in the history of how the school was built when I stop him to ask where their bathroom is located. Mrs. Aldridge gives me instructions and I excuse myself from the table.
I walk down the large hallway and count the doors along the way to ensure I’m going in the right direction. I’m thankful when I find it. I would hate to look stupid, wandering aimlessly around a mansion when I’m about to start my senior year at an elite school. When I walk back towards the indoor patio, I notice a large room with the door open. On the sides of the room are shelves full of books. I can almost smell the musty pages from the old collection. I notice a large desk in the middle of the room, with various guns hung on the wall. Some look like they could have been from the civil war.
Curiosity gets the better of me and I take a few steps inside. I look over some of the older looking guns. I wonder how many of them were used. A title under an old revolver says Billy the Kid.
In between the revolver and an old musket is a large window facing the backyard. I notice a young man, shirtless, running in a field and throwing footballs into a tire hanging from a tree. He tosses it and it lands perfectly between the circle in the tire. He runs back to a pile of footballs, grabs another and repeats the exercise. The man has a large physique, and if it wasn’t for him throwing a football, I would assume from his build that he was an athlete. I wondered if he’s Davis Aldridge’s son. He doesn’t exactly look like either Mr. or Mrs. Aldridge though.
It takes me a moment to realize I’m plainly gawking at this shirtless hunk from the window, like some teenage stalker. I’m about to look away when the man outside looks up and sees me. He squints his eyes at me, and I quickly turn away.
I’m about to leave the room when I look at one of the bookshelves and notice the weird titles of some of the books. Torture in early seventeenth century England. The Mortician’s Guide to a Body, 1st edition. A newer book is called Torture Techniques and their Effectiveness. A light grey leather book catches my attention. I slide it out to look at the title, but there is none. On the front of the book is a dark blue emblem with what looks like an animal emblem standing in an aggressive stance, as if ready to attack. I take out the book and open it, wondering what could be inside.
“Those aren’t exactly my favourites.” A voice says from behind me. I close the book, put it back on the shelf and turn. A young man in a V-neck sweater with a collared shirt underneath, and medium length blond hair is smirking at me. “If you want to read one of my dad’s torture books though, you can borrow it. From behind, I didn’t take you as the mid-eighteenth-century torture fan type.”
I take out one of the books. “Actually, I’m more like a seventeenth century torture fan girl. How long were you checking out my behind for?”
“Not long enough apparently.” He says. He walks up to me with a smile. “I’m Chase Aldridge.” He shakes my hand and his grip is strong but endearing. He uses his forefinger to caress my wrist. Even though he has a slender physique, you can tell he’s ripped. His cologne is welcoming and not too strong. “Yes, the lame woman and man you have been spending time with are my parents. I’m sorry that you had to meet them for the boring meeting he makes everyone do. Has he told you all the fascinating things about Ryland Academy yet?”
“He was just getting to the good stuff, on how the school was built.” I say, laughing.
“I’m glad I can save you then.” I look at the walls covered in different guns. “I can only imagine what you must be thinking of my family. Gun nuts who love a good torture book in the evening.”
I smile. “I was trying to keep my opinions to myself.”
“If you think this room is bad, you should see mine. Would you like a tour?” He turns to me with a devilish smile.
I laugh to myself. “Whoa, now. Laying it down a little thick there Chase. Do you always flirt with girls this way?”
“Just the interesting ones, Elle.”
I raise an eyebrow and look at him. “I didn’t tell you my name.”
“Like I said, I take an interest when I’m... interested. I’m always attracted to the idea of a new girl at school until I meet them.”
“Are you saying you’re not interested anymore?”
He smiles at me and ignores my question. He looks at the guns on the wall. “Have you ever fired one?”
I wave my head no. “Always wanted to, but never had a chance.” I didn’t want to tell him about the one time I was putting away my father’s laundry and found a handgun in his underwear drawer.
“I’m a good teacher. I would love to show you sometime.” Chase points out the window into a large wooded area in the backyard. “Our property extends out quite a bit into the woods. We have a shooting range out there. If you’re comfortable heading into the woods alone with a handsome stranger, we can go anytime.”
“You’re something else.” I say playfully.
“Is that a date then?”
“I’m not sure I have a choice in the matter.”
“Unfortunately, I must go, but I’ll see you soon, at school.” Chase comes closer to me and shakes my hand again, this time closer to me then required. I look at his beautiful blue eyes, and don’t mind him being too close to my bubble. Again, he runs his finger across my wrist when he shakes my hand. Electricity runs through my body from his touch, and his smile almost makes me want to grab his head and animalistically make out with him.
I settle for saying goodbye instead.
Before he leaves, Chase turns around with a playful smile. “Just so you know, flirting with the principal’s son doesn’t give you better grades.”
“I wouldn’t need your help for that anyways. Maybe you can help me in other ways.”
He leaves with a satisfied smile. When he is out of sight, I hit my forehead with my palm. Did I just say that? To the principal’s son?
I quickly go back to the indoor patio and sit down. After Davis jokingly asks if I managed to fall into the toilet or get lost, he continues his story about the origins of the school. I’m sure Ryland Academy’s history is interesting to know, but all I have are thoughts of Chase in my mind.
“Do you have any questions?” Davis asks when he’s finished.
I’m pretty sure I didn’t really hear much since I had sat down with him, and naturally didn’t have any questions. The only ones I had seemed a bit inappropriate.
Is your son single?
What kind of girls does your son like?
Are you sure he’s single?
Davis Aldridge stands from his chair, followed by his wife. I put two and two together and figure our little interview is over.
“Thank you for coming today.” Principal Aldridge says.
His wife hangs on his shoulder. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“I’m excited to start school tomorrow.” I say anxiously.
I look over at them and notice the guy who was throwing footballs is coming towards us.
Davis notices my attention is elsewhere and turns around. “Ah, this is Jaxson Darrell. He is staying at our home and was also given a scholarship to Ryland. He’s from the city as well.”
The principal continues to blab, but all I see is Jaxson strolling up to us as if he’s in slow motion. Unfortunately, he put on a white t-shirt, but you still manage to make out his physique underneath easily.
Are all the men that attend Rylan Academy smoking hot? I truly hope so.
Jaxson stands beside the principal but continues to look at me as if I’m the only one that matters. “Are you the new girl?” He asks.
I continue to look at him. There’s an awkward moment where I realize I’m supposed to answer. “Yes, I’m Elle.”
“Jaxson.”
“Principal Aldridge says you’re from the city also.”
�
��I am. I was lucky enough to get an athletic scholarship. What about you?”
Principal Aldridge looks at him funny, and I ignore the question.
Principal Aldridge turns to me. “You should meet my son as well before you leave. He’s going to be in his senior year as well.”
I smile. “Chase. Yeah, I met him when I went inside your home.”
Mrs. Aldridge smiles. “I guess that explains why you took so long.” I almost felt like I was blushing.
Principal Aldridge smiles even wider. “Maybe Chase can show you around the school tomorrow. You’ll need a trusted guide.”
Before I can answer, Jaxon speaks up. “I’d actually love to show you around, if you like.”
All eyes are on me for a response. The Aldridges are hanging on for me to say something, while Jaxson scans my body with his eyes. I notice him taking his time around my hips and breasts.
I smile at Jaxson. “Sure. You seem like a pro... at tours.”
The principal looks almost disappointed. “Well, your driver is ready for you now.”
Jaxson pats Aldridge’s shoulder. “I’m also pretty good at showing people out as well.”
I thank the Aldridge’s for their time. Instead of leading me through the house, Jaxson opens the back door. Let’s go around through the yard. It’s more scenic.”
“You’re the tour guide,” I remind him.
He leads me along a narrow path. A flower garden encroaches on the sides of the path making it seem even tighter, bringing me closer to Jaxson. The smell of different flowers no clue here my nose.
“How do you like it here so far?” Jaxson asks.
“It’s not what I’m used to.” I say laughing.
He smiles. “Yeah. I used to think my parents were wealthy until I came out here. You’re staying with Arthur Cain, right? That must be even weirder.”
“I’m not sure I can ever get used to it.” I say.
“I said the same when I first came. Now, I order BLT sandwiches at midnight from the maid with no shame.”
“Did you get the same deal I have? Arthur Cain says he will pay a scholarship to any post secondary school I choose.”
