The Last Time We Met - #Completed

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I really—emphasis on really—hate this man. There's no way I’ll get this job if he's the one hiring and to tell you the truth, I'm not even sure if I still want it. From the time I was in my mother's womb until my 12th birthday, King Thomas, the terror from hell, has made my life a complete mess.

Our neighborhood was small growing up for living in the Twin Cities and Kingsley made it his duty to become the "king" of all the kids on our block and the ones around it. I have never bowed down to him--ever--because I've always been a realist and imaginary concepts such as a pretend monarchy just didn't interest me any. It was all a waste of time when there are real, bigger and better things to do in the world. It's because I've never succumbed to his will that him and all of his "loyal, royal followers" would constantly stalk me to and from school and any other time they could to pull tricks.

The last time I saw King before his family moved away was my twelfth birthday. That day he pulled a prank that I'll never forget. How could I, seeing as it ended in my parents’ divorce. And because of that I can never forgive him. He's the reason why I spent six painful years in Colorado before I was able to move back to Minnesota. It's his fault my parents wouldn’t even look at each other, and now that my mother passed away, they never will.

Sitting in his small cramped and cluttered office on his hard, uncomfortable chair, I could no longer hide my feelings behind a smile. I hate this man so much my fingers were shaking with rage. After all of these years I just wanted to really kick him where it hurts but the last time I tried ended up with mud in my eyes. (I've never been a graceful girl).

Damn him, I think as he sits down in the chair opposite me behind his lousy excuse for a desk. How can he smile so genuinely when he knows how I feel about him? How can he look at me as if the years we spent as neighbors were just some big happy hayride? He ruined my childhood! God, I felt like I was going to be sick all over his desk.

I have to get out of this hellhole! I want to scream but instead I open my mouth slowly, careful not to let the insulting words that were fighting to escape the tip of my tongue.

"You know," I begin, my voice strained, "I, uh, I think I'll just leave, okay?" I don't look up into his face because it's always so mocking so I teased the sleeve of my blouse with nervous fingers.

He knew who I was on the application. What if he has something planned. The King I know would never miss an opportunity to get one over on me when it comes to the art of humiliation. There's no way he could have changed in so little time. Someone that determined to ruin my life can never change.

"Don't you want the job?" he looked confused, his gray-blue eyes squinting like the sun was in them, but his mouth was slowly forming a smile. He has really nice teeth, I notice, but then again they've always been perfect.

My anger was beginning to seep through the cracks of my carefully painted on mask. Sliding my chair back roughly I stood up and slammed my hands, palms down, on his desk. My face was completely emotionless but my body was burning up with anger. I wanted to punch him right in his big, cocky mouth so bad I could hardly think of anything else, but I made myself focus. I looked at everything on his desk from a small blue vase holding pencils to the stack of papers that nearly came up to my elbow. I'd hate to see what it looks like on a bad day.

"No," I said, my voice dripping with venom. "I don't want any job that has anything to do with you, Mr. Thomas, thank-you-very-much. I'll let myself out."

"Really?" I wasn't sure which part he was referring to—me not wanting to work with him or the part about letting myself out—but he cleared it up sure enough. "Because you don't have much job experience but your artwork is quite remarkable.”