Eclipse
Chapter 2
By the time I returned home, it was late and mother was furious. She fretted about me and gave me a long lecture of why you shouldn't worry your mother. In the end, I apologized, as usual, and excused myself to take a shower. I found supper on my bed, no matter how angry she gets with me, mother will always be mother. I graciously ate every single drop of rice off the plate, realizing just how hungry I really was. When I was done, I took my plates downstairs and washed it up, took a bottle of water and bade my mother a good night.
"Have you finished all your homework?" Mother asked, she always forgot that I was no longer in high school but in college but then again, my life never changes so who was she to remember that I was in college when I was still on the same campus as I was in during my high school years?
"I have one more left; I will do it now before retiring to bed." I answered.
"Good, we must keep you at the top of your school if you want that scholarship to Harvard." She said.
"Yes mother. Goodnight then." Inside my room I sat absolutely still on my bed.
No mother, you want the scholarship, not me. I thought. For as long as I could remember, my mother had pushed me pointedly toward Harvard University to become a doctor or a lawyer but what I wanted to be was just a writer. She had work her hardest to put me through the best of schools and when we had nothing, she had borrowed and borrowed until we were so deeply buried in debts that we came to work for the person whose money we could not pay back even if we worked for him our entire lives. That was why mother pushed me towards being a doctor, so I could have a much easier life than her. For many years I had shut down my own desires but as I gradually approach my senior year of college, the voice inside me becomes more insistent and harder to shut up. I could not let my mother down, for all that she had done for me the least I could do was be the doctor she wanted me to be even if I had no interest in it. I managed to help my mother out by earning a full scholarship from high school to college, graduating as the valedictorian came in handy.
I took my homework out which really wasn't anything more than reading a couple of pages and began reading but I lost focus five minutes into it. That Serenity girl haunted my thoughts, I was seeing her all over again and I flushed at the image of the certain parts of her I had accidentally noticed. Suddenly an image I had not seen interrupted my thoughts. It was such a powerfully strong image that it burned my brain and I could not shake it off. The image was of her lying on a white bed naked and flushed as she stared at me with raw need and lust.
Pervert!
A tiny voice in me teased but I was far too engrossed in that picture to argue back. I pushed the book to the floor and hid under my cover, hoping it would block the image away.
I woke up feeling more tired that I had going to sleep, bags of sleep deprivation showed under my eyes. I wasn't worried; my glasses would hide the bags as well as my long bangs and messy hair. I took a quick shower and dressed for school before going down stairs for breakfast.
As always, mom was gone but on the dinning table sat fried eggs, a cup of orange juice and two circles of pancakes.
"Eat and study hard at school. And let me know the next time you stay out too late!" the letter she had left behind read. I folded it and threw it into the waste bin before sitting to eat. Looking at the time, I realized I was up way too early. I had at least forty-five minutes. I could leave but then that would mean leaving Amy behind and in the mercy of her royal majesty, Rei Hino.
It was her father that my mother had borrowed so much money from and now it was them we served, my mother was the head cook in their estate and so she had to always be there by five. The man was pleasant enough but his daughter, Rei, was a truly unpleasant character. She was a bitch in every sense of the word and often times Amy, my childhood friend whose mother also worked for Rei's family, was often used as her outlet to vent of her frustration. It was not uncommon to see a bruise here or there on Amy. It wasn't a big bruise but a bruise is still a bruise. If I stepped in to protect Amy, it would not go well for any of us and really, I lacked the courage to do it. So I do the little I could, accompany Amy to school so that she doesn't have to go with Rei.
While waiting for the time to strike 7, I took out the book I had discarded the night before in favor of thoughts of the forbidden fruit and decidedly forced myself to read it, twice. I was determined to think nothing of the cause of my not so innocent fantasy the night before but it was hard.
A knock came at my door. I looked at the time and it read 7 am.
Amy was here.
As predicted, I opened the door to the innocent face of her smiling.
"Morning." She said brightly.
"Yeah, I'm just about ready."
"About?" she asked. And I smiled.
"Yes, about." I slide the book back inside my back pack, picked up my key and went to the door where she was waiting. I locked the door behind me before welcoming the cool air of the morning.
"Ready now?" she asked teasingly.
"Always." I said and we began walking.
"So how is her royal pain in the ass?" I asked conversationally. Amy was a shy, smart girl with a cute face which was often hidden by her glasses. She had short hair that framed her face and head and had a pleasant personality but she was so shy that no matter how long she knows a person, if someone doesn't start conversation, she won't. She was two years older than me but we were in the same grade. I had just graduated earlier from high school and she graduated as the valedictorian from her own high school, earning a scholarship for college. Like me, she plans to go to Harvard University but unlike me she has real interest in the medical field.
"Oh Rei is fine. I guess some friends of her will be coming to our school today." She said.
"Yay, more bitches to deal with." The sarcasm was extra thick in my voice and Amy laughed.
"Where did you go yesterday?" she asked suddenly.
"Ah…I just wanted to go for a walk." I answered. It was the truth; I had gone for a walk.
"Until 8?" she said skeptically. Mother had told her I guessed.
"I lost track of time." She was silent, weighing my words to see if I spoke the truth or was holding back on her. We reached the crowded bus station and I grabbed a hold of her hand as I forced our way to the front. I would have liked to stand back from the shoving and all but Amy and I were 'nerds' and if there was no open seat, no one who wasn't classified as a nerd will willing allow us to sit by them and most of the nerds tended to sit together so they had no open space for us. The faster you get in, the less of a chance of you standing up when the car was in motion. The bus arrived at its appointed time and I dragged Amy among all who struggled to get in first. Lucky for us, there was a seat at the back opened, I reached it before anyone could and waited to see who would be the unlucky people standing. There were five of them, three nerds and two normal. The 'normal' people were allowed to sit at the open spaces and even though there were three spaces left for the nerds to sit, those spaces or seats were by high class students, sitting next to them will earn you a weak of torture. It was better to stand.
"This is awful." Amy said.
"Get used to it." It wasn't mean but this is how it had always been, commenting on it would do no good and might actually get you in trouble if heard by the wrong ears. Even the bus driver couldn't say anything.
We arrived at the school fifteen minutes later and graciously we got out of the bus. The rich students were arriving in all sorts of limos, sports cars and all cars under the sun. I had seen it too many times to stare in admiration. Into the building Amy and I walked and into our sanctuary we took shelter, the library.
I loved libraries, not because I was a classified nerd but the smell of old books calmed me in the same way coffee did. It was intoxicating; most times I would sit in the library for hours in other to be comforted by the warm promise of a night spent by a fireplace. That was what the cent of old books reminded me off. Amy and I sat by a window seat, took out our personal books and silently read until the bell rang and we hurried to the classroom.
There was a sort of excitement in the room, probably cause Rei and her followers were hurdled together gossiping about possible students coming to the school. I paid little attention as I laid my head up on the table as a picture of the beautiful silver haired temptress crossed my mind. I groaned, one day and I long to see her again? I was too engrossed in my thoughts of Serenity, only this time my thoughts were about her cold attitude to her family. Obviously there was a plot I was missing and I would never know but hecks I was curious. I don't know when the teacher got everybody to shut up but I became aware of my surroundings when the teacher mentioned something about several new students. I lifted my head long enough for my jaw to drop to the floor as in a single file, the magical family I had seen yesterday filed inside. I kept looking at the door, expecting her to come in but she didn't. And two of the siblings weren't there either, the silver haired piano man and the guitar man.
"I will have them introduce themselves." Mr. Fey said.
"Hello everyone. My name is Selene Star, Please take care of me." one of the twin sisters said and looking at them closer, there was this shift about them that set them apart. Though if one wasn't seriously trying to look to find something to separate them, they wouldn't notice the small difference. It was the air they carried about themselves.
"My name is Selena Star, pleasure to make your acquaintance." The other twin said. While Selene carried an air of authority, Selena was more neutral.
"My name is Terence Star; I will be under your care." The curly haired brother introduced himself. There was silence in the room. I looked around and saw all the guys and girls in the room had hearts in their eyes. And this time they weren't playing any music to enchant anyone.
"Are we not missing another of your siblings?" Mr. Fey asked as he glanced confusedly at a paper he held.
"Yes but she will show up later." The sigh that escaped my lips was the testimony of the breath I was holding just to hear him say that. She WOULD come, just later. I could wait a little more.
Then what? A little voice inside me asked.
What do you mean then what?
She shows up. What does that have to do with you? I said nothing. One did not argue with one self, especially when I didn't have a good argument to fight back.
"Terence, Selene, Selena. It's been a while." Rei said, drawing all attention on herself as she stood up and walked to the new comers.
"Rei, wow. It is excellent to see a familiar face among the sea of strangers." Selene said as she approached Rei and the two embraced.
"I was so very delighted when father said you guys might be coming to my school. Come, sit with me." She said as she gave Selena a hug. She approached Terence and I noticed something rather interesting.
"Good morning. It has been a while has it not?" Terence said, but there was no emotion in his voice.
"And you are ever so cold." She replied to him.
"I am who I am."
"So you are. Care to sit by me?"
"I have a mind to sit by an open window if you don't mind."
"Feel free to sit where you like." Rei said and turned back to the sisters who were sitting together on the double chair beside Rei's single chair. Rei had been trying to make a claim at Terence but he had not taken the bait. No matter how calm she was on the outside, Rei was fuming inside and this made me smirk. Not every guy would trip over themselves for you princess! I was starting to like Terence already.
And as he had said, he took a seat by the window, two seats in front of me. The sisters were lost in conversation with Rei and I kept looking from them to Terence who sat quietly peering outside. Eventually the teacher managed to quiet us down enough to get class started.
The activities for today was revision of homework, learn new things then for the last 20 or so minutes of the class time, we will spend on a get to know activity.
"What's that?" One of the not so bright student asked.
"Getting to know each other." Mr. Fey said.
"But didn't we do that at the beginning of the semester?" someone else said.
"Yes we did but this is different. You are to choose a partner and this person will be your partner for the remainder of the school year. Now you and that partner are going to do a project and the project must reflect both of you. This is why I will be giving you time after lessons to talk with people in class and see who you can work best with. This project will count as fifty percent of you overall grade." Our teacher explained. I groaned, I hated team work. I have never been a team player, why do you think I want to be an author? Worst of all, working with people always holds me back and also half the time I always end up doing all the work.
Everybody started talking about the project and their voices escalated until we were hushed up by Mr. Fey.
"I said at the end of our lesson! Now open to page 85 in your text book." He said and followed suit. Mr. Fey was one of the few people who did not tolerate talking in his class during lesson time so if you were to walk into our class, you would feel as if you are in a cemetery. It's dead quiet and every student is focused on taking notes, learning and just giving their all to pass the class because it was hard. And since this is a math class, it is very important to maintain an A average, for your GPA's sakes
"Close your books." Mr. Fey Finally said. I looked up at the time and it was exactly 20 minutes before we exchange classes. As I was drifting my eyes back to my paper in front of me, I paused to stare at the person standing at the door.
"I believe this is my class." She said as she walked inside with all the swagger of a queen. I could not turn my gaze away, not even to see others reaction towards her.
"And you are?"
"Serenity Star." She answered our teacher.
"Oh I see. Well, welcome Miss Star, though I must insist that from now on you start class with us." Mr. Fey said.
"If I feel like it." She answered back. I blinked. This girl was strange. I saw Mr. Fey's brow lift up and she smiled so sweetly he even blinked.
I have said it before but this girl was dangerous.
"Please take a seat wherever you may so choose." Mr. Fey said. I managed to pull my gaze away to look around to see what chair was closest to me. Everyone was staring at her. The boys were drooling and others just stared wide eyed. There was a look of cross resolve on her sisters' face and he brother was staring at her almost, sadly. I looked at her again, only then realizing why the guys were drooling. She had on a very short black skirt. It was so short it divided her lower thighs and upper things equally. And she had on a dark red tank top which left a good portion of her breasts exposed even though she had on a the skirts matching jacket. But it was a small jacket and it was left open at the front. The dark colors of the outfit made her alabaster skin stand out. I followed from the end of the skirt down her looooooong legs to the heels she was wearing. It was about five inches off the ground I was sure and it clutched up to her ankle. The heels matched the dark red tank top. I looked straight up, past her breasts to her hair which was up in the ponytail as it had been yesterday. One again I trailed my eyes back down, only to stop and blush with mortification when I realized I was caught staring.
"Like what you see?" She asked directly at me. This brought all the class attention on me and I wanted to disappear.
"Um…" Great, what a smart reply.
"Pervert." I heard one of the girls say and I wanted to die.
She chuckled and I looked up at her.
"There is nothing wrong with look. If it's meant not to be looked at, it would have been covered." She said and I turned my face away, I knew I was blushing to the roots of my being. I heard the clicks of her heels as they drew closer to me. When I looked up, she was standing next to the guy who sat in front of me.
"Pardon me." she said to the guy whose eyes were wide and staring right at her boobs. I was annoyed.
"Do you mind letting me have this seat. I easily get hot so I like to sit by windows, that way the breeze can cool me down." She said but the guy did not reply, just stared at her.
"She is talking to you block head." Terence's voice was cold. It effectively snapped the guy out of his trance. He blushed in humiliation, picked up his books and bag quickly and immediately evacuated the chair.
"Thank you." She said to him and dropped her black book bag by the desk. She sat down, all of us staring at her for a full minute.
She is sitting by me. it finally dawned on me and butterflies began to dance in my stomach. I couldn't think anymore, all I saw was a mass of endless long silver hair.
"Ahem." The teacher said with a few coughs. We tore our attention from the fascinating beautiful creature to the teacher who seemed to also be suffering from hormones.
"Well like I explained earlier. Pick a partner, someone you can work well with because he or she will be your partner for the rest of the school year in everything. And the two of you must create a project that reflects both of you. We have almost twenty minutes of class time left, make the best of it. Once you have picked your partner, write you names on the piece of paper I will pass to you and return it back to me. By next week, I will expect you to have come up with what it is you and your partner plans to do." He said. He picked up four bowls on his table and gave it to the first person on each roll.
"Pick one and pass it out." he said and I saw the first person pick a white piece of paper. Four by four. The bowls were passed down the rolls until the one on my line came to me. I made to grab it but her eyes, so light stopped me.
"Hi, call me Serena. Do you want to be my partner?" She asked and I nodded dumbly.
"Good. Thank you." She said and pushed the bowl closer to me. I snapped out of it, took the bowl and took out my piece of paper before passing it back to her to pass it forward since I was the last person.
Once the teacher recollected the bowls, he turned back to us.
"You may bow begin." He said and it suddenly got noisy. From the corner of my eyes I saw a lot of guys walking toward 'Serena.' I wanted to stand up and stand in front of her exclaiming she has chosen me. But I really am not that stupid.
The first guy that reached her said, "Will you be my partner?" This was Bret, the big headshot. The quarterback. The school's proudest fool. He had a new girlfriend every week. He and Rei had an on and off relationship. Meaning sex whenever possible, but no more.
"Sorry, though you are my type, I already have a partner." Serena answered, her face a perfect reflection of remorse. I wanted to cry. If she didn't want to be my partner, she can just say so.
"Oh?" Bret said. She stood up and turned her chair around to face me. then drew the chair closer, sat down and took my hands which were on the table into her own.
"This fine gentleman is my choice. Maybe another time." She said with a smile to him. Bret looked at me and I saw all the threats he could not say out loud to me.
"Well, if you grow bored of him, you know where to find me." he said.
"Yes, inside some girl's ass." Rei answered. He turned around and glared at her. Serena chuckled.
"I will be sure to take your invitation if that came to be." She replied.
"I look forward to that." Bret answered.
"I bet you do." Rei also said.
"Will you get off my back woman!" Bret said.
"Last I heard, it was Denna who was laying you." Rei replied. I turned my attention back to my partner and found her staring at me. She smiled, with her head slightly tilted. Because she was shorter than me and she was sitting down, I had such an open view of her cleavage. I looked everywhere but there but boy was it hard.
"I'm sorry if I took you away from someone you wanted to be your partner." She said and I shook my head.
"No, there is no one…" I stopped. Amy! I turned around immediately to look at her at the other side of the room. she had been staring at me and when I looked her direction, she immediately turned away.
"Oh no." I said.
"What?" she asked.
"Amy." I said as if that is suppose to explain everything to the new comer.
"Amy?" she asked and I turned my attention to her. I was torn. Whether to go to my old and best friend or to be partnered with this girl I was seriously fantasizing about.
"My bestfriend. She is so shy that if I don't partner up with her, she won't have a partner and the teacher will have to assign her one." I explained.
"Oh I see." She said and looked at the direction I had been looking. It was hard to miss Amy, she sat by herself against the wall, looking down at her hands.
"Let me see what I can do." Serena said and stood up. She walked to her brother and the two whispered about something. I saw her brother turned to look at Amy, back at Serena for a few more words before getting up. He sighed and I saw Serena raise herself up with a triumphant smile. She walked back to me.
"My brother hates working with people outside our family. But Amy seems like the quiet type so it won't bother him that much." She said to me. I nodded. I watched as she approached her and I realized I wasn't the only one staring. He spoke softly to her and she blushed madly. She nodded, picked up her book bag and followed him back to his seat, and the seat in front of him that was vacant.
Turning back to my own goddess, I saw a dangerous look cross Rei's features. No…this was not good at all.
"I don't think it's a good idea for Amy to work with your brother." I said to her but she only cock her head to the side, like a bird.
"Why?" she asked, clearly confused.
"Because…" I said, staring at Rei who was glaring at Amy.
"Oh don't worry about her. For as long as we've known her, she has always liked him. He cares nothing for her though." Serena explained.
"Maybe so, but Amy and I both work for her family. It's bad enough the way he treats Amy, this might make it worse."I told her.
"She is still a bitch isn't she? Don't worry, I will take care of your friend." She said.
"But…" I began to protest.
"Don't you trust me?" she said, staring deep into my eyes. God, I felt she was looking into my soul. I felt helpless against her.
"I will protect her. Trust me." she said again and I found myself nodding. I trusted her, stupid yes, but I just couldn't find the mind to not trust her.
"Good. Now, tell me about yourself." She said. I thought about it, what was there to tell? Other than the fact that I had graduated as valedictorian, very smart and heading for Harvard, there was nothing I could tell her that wouldn't make me look pathetic. And telling her I was smart would seem like I was boasting.
"My name is Darien Shields. I really don't know what to say. There really isn't anything to say." I said, running my hand through my hair.
"Nothing at all?" she asked.
I shrugged. I really had nothing to say. She was quiet for a long time.
"I easily get bored with people. Especially those with nothing to say. But since I was the one who picked you to be my partner, I will have to see it through to the end. But I am telling you straight up, I am not the typical teenage girl. I party hard and I will screw anyone to get what I want. I live as I please and do things at my own time. You are cute, I thought so yesterday. Just cut your bangs, put you in some fine clothes and get rid of your glasses and you will be a knock out. Seeing all this possibilities is why I find myself talking to you or else I will be on Bret's lap by now." She said all this in a matter of fact way I knew she was not lying. She leaned in closer to me.
"I can already tell you are smart, you pretty much fit the word nerd. And that's a good thing but if you are going to get me to work hard, you will have to entertain more than just my mind. My body needs a constant companion. Virgins don't do me any good but I'm willing to educate you in the pleasures of the body." She said and drew back. I hadn't realized I was holding in my breath until it escaped out of me in a sigh. She smiled innocently at me as if she hadn't just said some very disturbing but heart throbbing words to me.
"Other than that, I am often busy with my affairs. I do not at all appreciate people who likes to dig into others business. Also while I'm here, you will be my errand boy. Come when I say so and go when I say so or it might not go so well for you. But if you obey me like a good little boy," she said as she rubbed my cheek. "Then I promise you will have just as much fun." She said and sat back up.
"Let me know what you decide to do for the project." She said and turned around back to face the front.
What?!
What the heck is going on?! Now I was her boy toy?! When had I agreed to this?! And why can't I say anything back at her in my defense. I am pathetic. I looked to where Amy and Terence were working and blinked. She was smiling and giggling and there was this look of wonder on her face I had to blink again. I really hoped Amy wasn't falling in love with him. As much as I was beginning to like Terence, there is the threat from Rei and his sister is whack.
"Seems they are getting along." She said and I turned my attention to her and turned away immediately. I nodded at her comment.
"Hopefully we get along great too." She said and she winked as soon as I looked at her and she turned back to face the front. I sighed, I knew I was going to be doing this assignment all by myself.
And what could I make that expressed a nerd boy and a slutty teenage girl? Photo album? Write a story? Poem? What?
I reviewed other ideas in my head but nothing seemed to fit her and I. We were like magnets, total opposite.
"Every one, put you and your partner's name on both papers chosen by you and your partner. Send one of the papers forward and come take one of these three ring binders. That is where all assignments in regards to this project will go to. I will have you turn in the binder at the end of every week to evaluate your works and ideas for the week. Now the other paper, you will tape it to the binder so I know what group each binder belongs to. You have five minutes till the bell rings. I need this done. Hand in the binder as you walk out of class. If you finish, you may leave even before the bell rings." Mr. Fey said.
I took out a pen, but I couldn't seem to make myself right her name on it. I saw her get up, walk to the teacher and handed him her paper. Then she went to where the binders were and picked out one. Others followed her example. When she reached her desk, she sat down, turned around and dropped the black binder on my table.
"I've done my part, now it's your turn. I will see you around, partner." She put such emphasis on the word that I was almost scared. I watched her stand up and walk past the teacher and out the door. Bret followed her immediately. I sighed.
What had I gotten myself into?
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