Chapter 1
She smiled out the car window as she pulled up in her driveway. Rayne hopped out of the car, took her keys and bag, and locked the doors, jamming the keys into her pockets. She jogged up the steps and, checking the mailbox, walked into the house, flipping through the mail.
"What's in the mail, Ray?" a voice called.
"Bills, something from your parents, something from some other people, 'you've just won three thousand dollars,'.yea right, and a letter for me."
"From?" the girl asked, walking into the room. Rayne handed her the other envelopes.
"Hmm.that's strange."
"What is?"
"Oh.Well, Billie, it's from my Aunt's lawyer, but he said he didn't have anything more to send me." Rayne ripped open the side, and pulled out the paper. Billie flipped through the mail in her hands, and tossed most onto the hall table.
"What's it say?"
"My aunt left me all her money.and he sent me a check for all of it."
"How much?" Billie asked, walking over. Rayne took out the check, and widened her eyes.
"Ray?"
"A hundred and forty million dollars." Billie stopped.
"You're kidding." Rayne shook her head slowly. "What're you gonna do with it?" she asked. Rayne stopped. Folding the check, she slid it into her pocket, and looked up.
"I'm going to go put it into my bank, then take Stokes and Stan, and Delilah and Casey, and Zeke out to dinner. I owe them so much." Billie smiled. "Do you wanna come?" Rayne asked.
"Nah.I gotta date tonight. A study date. You go ahead." Rayne hugged her roommate, and headed out the door, unlocked the car, and took off downtown.
She jogged down the hall of the dorms, and knocked on room 48. Stokes answered the door.
"Hey, Rayne.what're you doing here?" she asked.
"Can I come in?"
"Sure." Rayne walked in, and closed the door. She turned her head and saw Stan sitting on the bed.
"Hey, Stan.listen, how would you guys like to come out to dinner with me tonight? My treat." They looked at each other.
"Sure."
"Cool. Let's get going, I still gotta go pick up Delilah, Casey, and Zeke."
"All of us?"
"I'm paying, Stan." He stood up and rushed them out the door. Rayne started laughing.
They pulled up at the guys' dorms, and Rayne looked around the jeep.
"Stay here.I'll go get Zeke."
"I'm comin' with you, Rayne.they don't let girls in unless there's a guy with them." Casey said. Rayne nodded, and the two of them headed into the dorms.
Rayne knocked on the door, and leaned against the wall. Zeke opened the door, wearing his jeans, and an overshirt, unbuttoned, without an undershirt.
"Hey, Casey." Rayne stood up. "Hi, Rayne."
"Hey, Zeke." He stepped away from the door, and headed into the closet to put on a shirt.
"What's up, you two?" Rayne smiled.
"What do you say to having dinner tonight, Zeke? You, me, Casey, Delilah, Stan, and Stokes?"
"Who pays?"
"I do," Rayne said. He looked over.
"Alright. Let's go," Zeke said, and locked the door behind them. He dropped the keys into his pocket as they headed out to the jeep.
Rayne pulled up at a buffet, and turned off the car.
"Come on," she said, getting out. Zeke hopped out, and caught up to her.
"What's your favorite part of this place?" he asked. She looked over.
"Aside from the food?" He nodded. "Hang on." she said, a smile on her lips. She stopped, grabbed the doors, and pulled them open. Zeke looked in and saw the walls, painted dark green with swords and weapons hung up on them. The floor was a lighter green carpet, and right in the middle was the buffet table.
"The way it looks," she replied. He was in awe: the place was amazing.
Rayne wiped her lip, and set the napkin on her plate. She was done eating, so she stood, and wandered over to the jukebox. Rayne rested her hands on the machine, and looked inside, continually flipping the pages, trying to find a song. Finally, she found one. She popped in her quarter, and pressed the button for Jessica Simpson's "Irresistible." After a moment of being still at the machine, she went back over to the table.
She pulled up at her place, locked up the jeep, and jogged up inside the house. The door was locked and the lights were off, so she figured Billie was probably still out. She slid the key into the knob, and turned it, then the knob, and pushed. There was a candle lit on the coffee table, and, after taking out her keys and closing the door, peeked inside. Billie was making out on the couch. Rolling her eyes, Rayne slipped into the kitchen, and opened the freezer. She placed her fingers around the carton, and pulled it out. Rayne started scooping the ice cream into a bowl.
"Rayne?" a voice asked. She jumped, and turned around.
"Zeke? What're you doin' here?"
"Billie let me in.you left this on the table at the restaurant, and I forgot to give it back to you in the car," he said, holding up a broken Celtic cross necklace. She took it, and smiled.
"Thanks, Zeke.I wouldn't have noticed." He nodded.
"Your welcome. Uh, I'll see you tomorrow." he stated, and started out the door. Then stopped.
"By the way, you might wanna tell those two to put out the candle before they knock it over." Rayne smiled.
"I will. Thanks!" she called. He waved, and headed out the door. Rayne walked into the darkened living room, picked up the candle, and blew it out.
"Hey!" Billie cried.
"Go home, Davy. You can do this while I'm in class tomorrow."
She smiled out the car window as she pulled up in her driveway. Rayne hopped out of the car, took her keys and bag, and locked the doors, jamming the keys into her pockets. She jogged up the steps and, checking the mailbox, walked into the house, flipping through the mail.
"What's in the mail, Ray?" a voice called.
"Bills, something from your parents, something from some other people, 'you've just won three thousand dollars,'.yea right, and a letter for me."
"From?" the girl asked, walking into the room. Rayne handed her the other envelopes.
"Hmm.that's strange."
"What is?"
"Oh.Well, Billie, it's from my Aunt's lawyer, but he said he didn't have anything more to send me." Rayne ripped open the side, and pulled out the paper. Billie flipped through the mail in her hands, and tossed most onto the hall table.
"What's it say?"
"My aunt left me all her money.and he sent me a check for all of it."
"How much?" Billie asked, walking over. Rayne took out the check, and widened her eyes.
"Ray?"
"A hundred and forty million dollars." Billie stopped.
"You're kidding." Rayne shook her head slowly. "What're you gonna do with it?" she asked. Rayne stopped. Folding the check, she slid it into her pocket, and looked up.
"I'm going to go put it into my bank, then take Stokes and Stan, and Delilah and Casey, and Zeke out to dinner. I owe them so much." Billie smiled. "Do you wanna come?" Rayne asked.
"Nah.I gotta date tonight. A study date. You go ahead." Rayne hugged her roommate, and headed out the door, unlocked the car, and took off downtown.
She jogged down the hall of the dorms, and knocked on room 48. Stokes answered the door.
"Hey, Rayne.what're you doing here?" she asked.
"Can I come in?"
"Sure." Rayne walked in, and closed the door. She turned her head and saw Stan sitting on the bed.
"Hey, Stan.listen, how would you guys like to come out to dinner with me tonight? My treat." They looked at each other.
"Sure."
"Cool. Let's get going, I still gotta go pick up Delilah, Casey, and Zeke."
"All of us?"
"I'm paying, Stan." He stood up and rushed them out the door. Rayne started laughing.
They pulled up at the guys' dorms, and Rayne looked around the jeep.
"Stay here.I'll go get Zeke."
"I'm comin' with you, Rayne.they don't let girls in unless there's a guy with them." Casey said. Rayne nodded, and the two of them headed into the dorms.
Rayne knocked on the door, and leaned against the wall. Zeke opened the door, wearing his jeans, and an overshirt, unbuttoned, without an undershirt.
"Hey, Casey." Rayne stood up. "Hi, Rayne."
"Hey, Zeke." He stepped away from the door, and headed into the closet to put on a shirt.
"What's up, you two?" Rayne smiled.
"What do you say to having dinner tonight, Zeke? You, me, Casey, Delilah, Stan, and Stokes?"
"Who pays?"
"I do," Rayne said. He looked over.
"Alright. Let's go," Zeke said, and locked the door behind them. He dropped the keys into his pocket as they headed out to the jeep.
Rayne pulled up at a buffet, and turned off the car.
"Come on," she said, getting out. Zeke hopped out, and caught up to her.
"What's your favorite part of this place?" he asked. She looked over.
"Aside from the food?" He nodded. "Hang on." she said, a smile on her lips. She stopped, grabbed the doors, and pulled them open. Zeke looked in and saw the walls, painted dark green with swords and weapons hung up on them. The floor was a lighter green carpet, and right in the middle was the buffet table.
"The way it looks," she replied. He was in awe: the place was amazing.
Rayne wiped her lip, and set the napkin on her plate. She was done eating, so she stood, and wandered over to the jukebox. Rayne rested her hands on the machine, and looked inside, continually flipping the pages, trying to find a song. Finally, she found one. She popped in her quarter, and pressed the button for Jessica Simpson's "Irresistible." After a moment of being still at the machine, she went back over to the table.
She pulled up at her place, locked up the jeep, and jogged up inside the house. The door was locked and the lights were off, so she figured Billie was probably still out. She slid the key into the knob, and turned it, then the knob, and pushed. There was a candle lit on the coffee table, and, after taking out her keys and closing the door, peeked inside. Billie was making out on the couch. Rolling her eyes, Rayne slipped into the kitchen, and opened the freezer. She placed her fingers around the carton, and pulled it out. Rayne started scooping the ice cream into a bowl.
"Rayne?" a voice asked. She jumped, and turned around.
"Zeke? What're you doin' here?"
"Billie let me in.you left this on the table at the restaurant, and I forgot to give it back to you in the car," he said, holding up a broken Celtic cross necklace. She took it, and smiled.
"Thanks, Zeke.I wouldn't have noticed." He nodded.
"Your welcome. Uh, I'll see you tomorrow." he stated, and started out the door. Then stopped.
"By the way, you might wanna tell those two to put out the candle before they knock it over." Rayne smiled.
"I will. Thanks!" she called. He waved, and headed out the door. Rayne walked into the darkened living room, picked up the candle, and blew it out.
"Hey!" Billie cried.
"Go home, Davy. You can do this while I'm in class tomorrow."
