Roots

Roots - Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Just Trust Me

If I thought the last week was the longest week of my life; then words couldn’t describe the way time and my life felt over the next two weeks. Not to mention that if anyone was awkward between Mr. Poloski and I, it was me.  Somehow, Mr. Poloski had managed to keep his cool, to treat me like normal even after knowing the truth about me.  However, I just couldn’t.  I couldn’t get over the fact that he was not only related to the man who history books say betrayed and killed my great-great grandparents and family, but who was also Royalty, a Count of Russia.  My awkwardness had become so bad that he asked for me to stay after class one Wednesday after class.

“Miss Peterson, will you please stay for a few moments before you head off to lunch.” Mr. Poloski said loudly before dismissing the class before the lunch bell rang.  Everyone turned to look at me for a brief moment before smiling at other people.  A few people voicing, “Ooos” and “Lisa’s in trouble…” However, it was Eric that gave me the weirdest look of all.

“Lisa, do you know what he wants? You’ve been acting really strange all week towards him.  Did you get caught skipping class again or something?” Eric said as he slowly got up from his desk, slinging his book bag over his shoulder before brushing his dark hair from out of his eyes.

“Um, no not at all, he probably just wants to talk about my assignment.  I haven’t really been able to turn in anything about my Russian side of the family yet.” I said honestly.  I had no clue what William, Mr. Poloski wanted, for all I know it could’ve been about my assignment or something to do with my great grandmamma, who he visited and spoke to every single day since meeting her almost two weeks ago.

“Oh, okay, well, do you want me to wait for you then?” Eric asked casually as he started to head for the door, distracting me from my personal thoughts.

I had almost forgotten that he was still in the room, lately I’ve been getting lost within my thoughts, daydreaming, thinking, and sometimes even plotting on how to get my family to agree on me going to Russia alone.  However, that situation I knew was a lost cause.  I had managed to get only Mr. Poloski to agree, but I don’t think he would’ve said no, even if he could.  Somehow my Nunna had gotten him to become a watchdog over me, which like I said before, became very awkward.  Within in two weeks of confirming who my Nunna and I were, he had managed to find a house and move all the way across town to where my mom and I lived, just to be closer to us.  It may just be me, but I call that a little obsessive and dramatic in my opinion, it wasn’t as if someone was going to come up to attempt to kill me.  Until a month ago, I had no idea who I even was, not to mention anyone else, but my Nunna knew.  To think that someone would even try to harm me in that way would be ridiculous.

“No, thanks anyways Eric, but you don’t have too.  Tell Mandy hey for me.” I said softly, as I looked at him, it was hard to believe that in less than three months I wouldn’t ever see him again, unless on breaks.  He had been accepted to Harvard, MIT, South Carolina, and Clemson, all with full ride scholarships for their engineering programs, either way he wouldn’t be on the opposite side of the country with me, which made me sad.  He and I always seemed to push each other more when it came to our academics.  Then again, maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t going to be going to Cali.  I still planned on moving and going to college there in less than three months and forgetting everything about the East Coast.