Chapter 2
Rayne leaned back in her chair, and listened to the professor as he spoke about English Lit. She really enjoyed that class, because it helped her write, not only stories, but some music as well. She glanced over at Zeke, who sat two seats down, with Stokely between them. He was whispering to a student next to him, and she saw Zeke slide a pen over to him, and the boy slid a five over. Rayne shook her head, a little smile on her lips.
The professor wrote down the assignment on the big black board in the front of the room, and Rayne looked back over at Zeke. This time, a boy behind him handed him a tiny, folded slip of paper. Zeke opened it, and ran his eyes over the words, then started to look over at her. She dropped her eyes back to her notebook, occasionally looking up to see the homework as she jotted it down.
As she headed down the walk back to her jeep, Rayne was trying to get her book down into her bag, sometimes looking to make sure she wasn't about to hit someone. Zeke jogged up behind her.
"So, Rayne, what's this I hear about you receiving a check worth a hundred and forty million bucks?" he asked. She dropped her bag behind her, pulling it up on her shoulder, and looked up at him.
"My aunt left it to me, but the lawyer sent me the check yesterday. That's why I took you guys to dinner. Why?" she asked, opening the back door and tossing in her bag.
"Davy's roommate Scott told me." Rayne smacked her forehead.
"Billie.you idiot."
"What?"
"I told Billie I got the check, and she told Davy.who must've told Scott.and now the whole campus is gonna know, damnit!" she exclaimed.
"Why don't you talk to Billie? Tell her not to say anymore, and if someone asks her, it was really only fourteen hundred bucks.I'll see what I can do to discard the rumor." She smiled.
"Thanks, Zeke. I'll see you later," she said, kissed his cheek, got in her jeep, and took off.
Rayne pushed open the front door, and looked around. Billie was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to finish something, her pen tapping against the tile.
"Hey, Billie.why'd you tell Davy?"
"About what?"
"My check," she said, setting her bag on a chair and pulling open the cupboard above the sink.
"I'm sorry.it slipped.Why?"
"Because he told Scott.Zeke's helpin' out, trying to make it seem a lie, and that it was only for fourteen hundred, and if anyone asks you, you tell 'em, too, alright?" she asked.
"Okay." Rayne took a bite out of the granola bar, and checked her watch.
"Listen, I'm going out. If I'm not back by the time you leave for class, put the house key under the front mat, okay?"
"Where're yours?" she asked.
"I'm not sure what I did with them last night. I've gotta go. I'll see you." She turned, and walked out to her jeep, pulled out of the driveway, and drove down to the girls' dorms.
Rayne knocked on Stokes' door. Stokes opened it.
"Hey, you busy?"
"Uh, no.why?"
"Wanna come with me?"
"Where?"
"I'm getting another car." Stokes nodded.
"Sure.lemme just get my jacket."
They headed outside, and drove downtown, to the dealership.
Rayne and Stokes pulled up at Rayne's place, with two cars: the jeep, and her new Kia.
"Thanks for coming with me, Stokes," she said.
"Your welcome. I'll see you in class later, okay?"
"Alright.hey, do you wanna ride?"
"Nah. I need the exercise. But, thanks, though," she said, and took off. Rayne smiled, and hopped onto the porch. She placed her hand on the knob, and turned, but it didn't turn. Sighing, Rayne reached underneath the carpet.but there was no key. Rayne slammed her fist into the door.
"Billie! I needed that key!" she exclaimed, and looked around. "And my lock-picking tools are in my room.maybe Zeke has a set." She jogged down, getting back into her jeep, and headed to the guy dorms. Luckily for her, Zeke was outside, tossing a football around with Casey and Stan.
"Hey, Zeke!" He looked over, and she jogged up.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Listen, Billie locked the door when she left, and I can't find my key, and she didn't leave hers out for me.do you have a pick or something I could use to get inside?" He thought for a second.
"Yea, come on." He tossed the ball to Stan, and led her inside. She jammed her hands into her pockets, feeling ashamed of losing her keys.
Zeke ruffled through his drawers, and finally pulled out a piece of cloth. He unfolded it, and there lay all these tools used to pick locks. She smiled. Taking a quick count, he nodded, folded it, and handed it to her.
"You can bring it back tomorrow, during class. Now, I have thirteen tools in there, cause some are broken and I'm tryin' to fix them. If you return with any missing, I'm comin' after you," he said. She laughed.
"Thanks, Zeke.I'll see you in class tomorrow," she said, and left the dorms.
She pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
"Hello?" she called. No answer. This is getting strange.I leave for five minutes, and the door's unlocked. It's only one. Billie should still be in class. she thought. Rayne hesitantly walked into the kitchen to find a fish laying on the counter. She stopped, then slowly headed over, and looked at it. It had been ripped open, and the gills were gone..And a note sat on beside it: Gone Fishin'. Rayne wrapped up the fish, and left, this time taking Billie's key. It now sat in the key cup on the table. She ran to her jeep, set the fish on the floor, and took off to Zeke's. Maybe he'd know what was going on.
"Zeke!" she called, getting out with the fish. He looked away from the door, and smiled.
"Hey, Ray!" he called.
"Come here!" she called. He jogged over.
"What's up?"
"Something's goin' on."
"What do you mean?" She held out the fish.
"Oh, shit, get that away from me.what's that got to with anything?"
"My door was open when I got home. Billie wasn't there, but this was, and there was a note that said she'd gone fishing."
"And?"
"Billie thinks fishing is murder. She'd never do it in a million years, let alone bring home a fish.And to top it all off, it's a fish with its gills ripped out!" she cried. Zeke took her inside, and into the back of his room. He took the fish, and checked it out.
"Your right.The gills are gone. You sure she doesn't like fish?"
"Hates eating any type of fish unless it's shrimp at a restaurant, or tuna.And finding this on my counter worries me a bit." A knock at the door caused her to jump. Zeke dropped his goggles onto the table, and went to see who it was. He pulled open the door, and jumped a bit.
"Hi, Billie." Rayne pulled away from the doorframe, keeping from sight.
"Is Rayne here?"
"Uh, no, why?"
"My fish and my keys are missing," she hissed, turned, and stormed down the hall. Zeke closed the door, and walked back. Rayne looked at him.
"Thanks for not telling her."
"Not a problem.she's not usually that snappy is she?" Rayne sadly shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. And I'm worried about her."
"You took her key?"
"Yep. If she locks the door, I wanna be able to get back in." He nodded, and she set his picking tools on the table.
Rayne leaned back in her chair, and listened to the professor as he spoke about English Lit. She really enjoyed that class, because it helped her write, not only stories, but some music as well. She glanced over at Zeke, who sat two seats down, with Stokely between them. He was whispering to a student next to him, and she saw Zeke slide a pen over to him, and the boy slid a five over. Rayne shook her head, a little smile on her lips.
The professor wrote down the assignment on the big black board in the front of the room, and Rayne looked back over at Zeke. This time, a boy behind him handed him a tiny, folded slip of paper. Zeke opened it, and ran his eyes over the words, then started to look over at her. She dropped her eyes back to her notebook, occasionally looking up to see the homework as she jotted it down.
As she headed down the walk back to her jeep, Rayne was trying to get her book down into her bag, sometimes looking to make sure she wasn't about to hit someone. Zeke jogged up behind her.
"So, Rayne, what's this I hear about you receiving a check worth a hundred and forty million bucks?" he asked. She dropped her bag behind her, pulling it up on her shoulder, and looked up at him.
"My aunt left it to me, but the lawyer sent me the check yesterday. That's why I took you guys to dinner. Why?" she asked, opening the back door and tossing in her bag.
"Davy's roommate Scott told me." Rayne smacked her forehead.
"Billie.you idiot."
"What?"
"I told Billie I got the check, and she told Davy.who must've told Scott.and now the whole campus is gonna know, damnit!" she exclaimed.
"Why don't you talk to Billie? Tell her not to say anymore, and if someone asks her, it was really only fourteen hundred bucks.I'll see what I can do to discard the rumor." She smiled.
"Thanks, Zeke. I'll see you later," she said, kissed his cheek, got in her jeep, and took off.
Rayne pushed open the front door, and looked around. Billie was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to finish something, her pen tapping against the tile.
"Hey, Billie.why'd you tell Davy?"
"About what?"
"My check," she said, setting her bag on a chair and pulling open the cupboard above the sink.
"I'm sorry.it slipped.Why?"
"Because he told Scott.Zeke's helpin' out, trying to make it seem a lie, and that it was only for fourteen hundred, and if anyone asks you, you tell 'em, too, alright?" she asked.
"Okay." Rayne took a bite out of the granola bar, and checked her watch.
"Listen, I'm going out. If I'm not back by the time you leave for class, put the house key under the front mat, okay?"
"Where're yours?" she asked.
"I'm not sure what I did with them last night. I've gotta go. I'll see you." She turned, and walked out to her jeep, pulled out of the driveway, and drove down to the girls' dorms.
Rayne knocked on Stokes' door. Stokes opened it.
"Hey, you busy?"
"Uh, no.why?"
"Wanna come with me?"
"Where?"
"I'm getting another car." Stokes nodded.
"Sure.lemme just get my jacket."
They headed outside, and drove downtown, to the dealership.
Rayne and Stokes pulled up at Rayne's place, with two cars: the jeep, and her new Kia.
"Thanks for coming with me, Stokes," she said.
"Your welcome. I'll see you in class later, okay?"
"Alright.hey, do you wanna ride?"
"Nah. I need the exercise. But, thanks, though," she said, and took off. Rayne smiled, and hopped onto the porch. She placed her hand on the knob, and turned, but it didn't turn. Sighing, Rayne reached underneath the carpet.but there was no key. Rayne slammed her fist into the door.
"Billie! I needed that key!" she exclaimed, and looked around. "And my lock-picking tools are in my room.maybe Zeke has a set." She jogged down, getting back into her jeep, and headed to the guy dorms. Luckily for her, Zeke was outside, tossing a football around with Casey and Stan.
"Hey, Zeke!" He looked over, and she jogged up.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Listen, Billie locked the door when she left, and I can't find my key, and she didn't leave hers out for me.do you have a pick or something I could use to get inside?" He thought for a second.
"Yea, come on." He tossed the ball to Stan, and led her inside. She jammed her hands into her pockets, feeling ashamed of losing her keys.
Zeke ruffled through his drawers, and finally pulled out a piece of cloth. He unfolded it, and there lay all these tools used to pick locks. She smiled. Taking a quick count, he nodded, folded it, and handed it to her.
"You can bring it back tomorrow, during class. Now, I have thirteen tools in there, cause some are broken and I'm tryin' to fix them. If you return with any missing, I'm comin' after you," he said. She laughed.
"Thanks, Zeke.I'll see you in class tomorrow," she said, and left the dorms.
She pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
"Hello?" she called. No answer. This is getting strange.I leave for five minutes, and the door's unlocked. It's only one. Billie should still be in class. she thought. Rayne hesitantly walked into the kitchen to find a fish laying on the counter. She stopped, then slowly headed over, and looked at it. It had been ripped open, and the gills were gone..And a note sat on beside it: Gone Fishin'. Rayne wrapped up the fish, and left, this time taking Billie's key. It now sat in the key cup on the table. She ran to her jeep, set the fish on the floor, and took off to Zeke's. Maybe he'd know what was going on.
"Zeke!" she called, getting out with the fish. He looked away from the door, and smiled.
"Hey, Ray!" he called.
"Come here!" she called. He jogged over.
"What's up?"
"Something's goin' on."
"What do you mean?" She held out the fish.
"Oh, shit, get that away from me.what's that got to with anything?"
"My door was open when I got home. Billie wasn't there, but this was, and there was a note that said she'd gone fishing."
"And?"
"Billie thinks fishing is murder. She'd never do it in a million years, let alone bring home a fish.And to top it all off, it's a fish with its gills ripped out!" she cried. Zeke took her inside, and into the back of his room. He took the fish, and checked it out.
"Your right.The gills are gone. You sure she doesn't like fish?"
"Hates eating any type of fish unless it's shrimp at a restaurant, or tuna.And finding this on my counter worries me a bit." A knock at the door caused her to jump. Zeke dropped his goggles onto the table, and went to see who it was. He pulled open the door, and jumped a bit.
"Hi, Billie." Rayne pulled away from the doorframe, keeping from sight.
"Is Rayne here?"
"Uh, no, why?"
"My fish and my keys are missing," she hissed, turned, and stormed down the hall. Zeke closed the door, and walked back. Rayne looked at him.
"Thanks for not telling her."
"Not a problem.she's not usually that snappy is she?" Rayne sadly shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. And I'm worried about her."
"You took her key?"
"Yep. If she locks the door, I wanna be able to get back in." He nodded, and she set his picking tools on the table.
