Second Chance

Chapter 2

My boss had already set up the interview for tomorrow at 9 in the morning, in the CEO's office. This was going to be great. I was going to probably accidentally run into him and explain that I'm not stalking him. As I head back home, I couldn't stop cursing myself. Why did I have to ask for an assignment? "Stupid, stupid, stupid." I said as I hit the steering wheel. The car jerked a little as I pulled into my apartment parking lot.

I went inside and locked my door. Stephanie was gone, thankfully. Luckily Matheo was still gone with Isabella. I was starving, but I was too annoyed to cook. I went to my room and threw on some shorts and a long hoodie. I got some fuzzy socks on before heading back to the living room. There was a sharp knock on the door. I peaked it open to see Matheo standing there looking down at the ground. Was I really going to tell this dude off twice? I open the door, more clearly annoyed. He looked up, and he looked nervous.

He looked me up and down and smiled. It was clear he was thinking about the other night, "where's Isabella?" He pointed to his apartment door, which was wide open. To get into our building, you needed a key, so leaving his door open wasn't a big deal. "She fell asleep on the way home from running around so much. Listen, can we talk?" I tried to hide my visible annoyance. "Sure, come on in." I opened the door more and walked over to teh island in my kitchen and slipped onto a stool. He slid into one across from me. He was never one to get violent, so I knew he would not kill me or anything.

"Listen, I never hated you in Highschool," I snorted, "sure could have fooled me." He sighed, "look Ben was the quarterback of the team and if he didn't like you, they would have kicked you off. I knew he was cheating on you and I hated it, so I tried everything I could do to break you guys up. So when I saw you finally caught him cheating on you, I was relieved. I bullied you, so you would hopefully go to him. I only bullied you when I knew he was with Missy. If he found out that I told you my football career would have been over, I mean it was over when I found out about Isabella, but that's not the point."

He took a deep breath, "I was only trying to help you, and I knew he would have found out it was me eventually because I was the one he trusted the least. I am so sorry for how I treated you, but I never hated you." I was silent as I took this all in. The entire time he was trying to help me? "Why did you get so mean with your pranks? I mean, telling everyone that I flirted with a teacher? Everyone kept calling me A plus the whole year!" He looked down. "I never meant for that to happen. Missy made everything get so out of hand. I am so sorry. Please forgive me."

He could have taken a completely different route, but he had the best of intentions. I could see the look in his eyes. He really wanted forgiveness. Why was it so important to him? "On one condition." I say and he nods. I knew from my own experiences that parents in a bad mood can fuck up a kid's life. "What?" He said, and I sighed as I stood up so I was eye level with him. "you do your very best to always keep a smile on that girl's face. You made me cry for years with your bullying, so don't you dare make that adorable little girl cry like you made me cry. Deal?"

He was frowning, and I visibly hurt him when I said he had made me cry. I was sensitive back then. "Deal. I promise you won't regret this." I gave him a soft smile. "Now go, I need to order food and prep for this interview tomorrow." I walked towards the door when I heard him slide off the stole. "What interview?" I sigh as I open the door, "I have to interview the CEO of teh construction company you work for." He smiled a little, "oh well, he's a nice guy, so have fun." As he walked out, he stopped. "I was gonna order pizza for me and Isabella. Want some?"

I gave him a soft smile. "next time? Baby steps for me, okay?" He nodded. He knew I would not be buddy, buddy with him right away. He walked back to his apartment and shut the door. I put together some question for the CEO. Like where are you from? Did you inherit this company or build it up? Do you plan to pass down the company to the next of kin? Do you have siblings? What college did you go to? How old are you? Are you married? What is your company motto? Do you know when you plan to retire? After I finished writing the last question, I picked up the phone and ordered Chinese food.