Koruna

The elephant in the room

“You know something.” Koruna smiled at her.

“I don’t, I was just surprised. You don’t just spring that up on someone.” Margaret took a deep breath.

“I am sorry, how else should I have said it?” Koruna laughed.

“Is that possible? How do you buy another person?” Mariam exclaimed. Koruna took note of their reactions, usually people liked to brag about the power they had over other people. She groaned in relief that these two were not that far gone yet.

She had thrown the statement in the open to see how they would react, she was sure Margaret knew something about it, this seemed like a new information to Mariam which meant Jason Bry had done a good job of keeping it quiet.

“What have you heard?” Koruna asked Margaret who had restarted the car.

“What makes you so… I overheard something at Jason’s last party, I thought it was because I was drunk. It was a scream that came from below, I only heard it because I went to the bathroom to sober up. When you mentioned him buying someone, I wondered if I did not imagine the sound.”

Margaret tightened her hands on the steering.
“How often does this Jason organize parties?” They got into the school and parked.

“Every week if he can help it.” Mariam unbuckled her seat belt.

“Can you get me into the next one?” Koruna asked.

“Sure, I can get you into any party. Whatever you are planning, I am a valuable asset and I am giving you the permission to use me.” Mariam grinned at Koruna.

“Uggghhhh, do you hear yourself?” Margaret groaned.

“I will think about it after you get me into the party.”
Koruna said to her as she dropped from the vehicle and made her way into her class, she settled into her seat and felt someone sit beside her.

She had expected him to come for her and was ready. “You do not take this class and I thought you wanted me to stay away from you.”

Oni leaned and whispered “I had a wonderful time last night and could not bear to stay away from you any longer.”

“Last night? What are you talking about?” Koruna stared at him in confusion.

“Are you serious?” He growled.

Koruna gathered as much confusion into her expression “What are you talking about? I thought you wanted me to stay away from you.”

"That is your plan?" Oni smiled faintly.

"What plan?" She blinked.

Oni looked at Koruna like she was being ridiculous “You are never going to admit it, are you?”

“Wait, don’t tell me that you yearn for me so much that you have started to imagine things or did you have sex with someone who looks like me as a way to get over your conflicted feelings for me?” She gasped out loud.

Oni folded his hands “It's alright, I didn’t think it would be easy either.”

The teacher came into the class and they got quiet.
Koruna was distracted by his presence and couldn’t wait for the class to be over so she could be separated from him.

When the class was over, she moved her things to the next class but was surprised to see Oni on her tail “You don’t take this class.”

“I do as of now and the same goes for your other classes. We are joined at the hip pet.” Oni sniggered as he sat and dragged her with him.

“What do you want?” She groaned.

“Endless possibilities but I would start from the truth. Were you at Gichaan last night?”

“I was and I don’t see how it’s your business.”

“It is my business when you chained me and left me to die at the hands of a sex trafficker.” Oni smiled wryly.

“I think you have mistaken me for someone else. I am not into chains, whips or sex traffickers and I am not sure I want to be into whatever your play is here. The last time we met, you threatened my entire existence and I assure you, you are the last person I want to see or have anything to do with so buzz off.” She glared at him.

Oni smiled at her attempt to derail him “I could have died.”

“And I would have cried at your burial now go away.” She removed his hands from her seat.

“I admire your tenacity, I do and I admit that I underestimated you. If we worked together, this would go a lot faster.” Oni offered while playing with her pencil.

“I am not even going to ask what happened to your personality.”

“You did! see, you have me excited! I wonder what other layers you have and I would love to discover each of them until there is nothing left.” He whispered.

Koruna pushed him and smiled “You know if you want to woo me, there are less desperate ways to do it.”

“Desperate?” He asked.

“Well, you are practically stalking me, what else would you call that?”

Oni chuckled and ignored her for the rest of the class as he started drawing again, just after the class he tore a page from his pad and dropped it on Koruna’s desk. She took a look at it and saw that it was a picture of her with a dagger at Gichaan, she thought it was a flattering picture with the shades and how she stood out against the shadow.

“That prick is a gifted artist, if only he had a personality to match.” She muttered and went to the cafeteria for lunch. She was already used to eating alone and had started when Muel and Emerald joined her.

“If it isn’t my favorite Ballan” Muel grinned as he dropped his food.

Emerald eyed Koruna “She isn’t mine, Kelvin is; he is always so polite and appropriate.”

“Those kind of people make the best serial killers.” Muel kissed her cheek.

“Please don’t, I am eating and would appreciate no public display of affection” Koruna whined.

“This is probably why you are single.” Emerald giggled.

“Are you single? I could set you up if you want.” Muel grinned mischievously at Koruna.

“Who needs a blind date?” Mariam sat beside them, her followers Mandy, Tola and Folake sat beside her.

“What is happening?” Koruna frowned at the growing crowd on her table.

“It is lunch and we are eating. This is what happens at lunch.” Muel winked.

“Why at this table?” Koruna asked.

“Why not?” Margaret said as she joined them. Annie and Bernie saw them from afar and joined them which infuriated Koruna further.

“It is funny how I thought alienating you might make you want to give up but it turns out that getting together with you actually makes you more annoyed.” Bernie remarked as he took a bite of her food.

“The irony, right?” Annie laughed with him.

Koruna stood up to leave when Margaret waved a card at her “Don’t you want this anymore?”

“What is that?” Koruna frowned.

“An Invite to Jason Bryn next party.” Margaret grinned at her.