As Told By Nerdy

Chapter 4 - HELP!!!

Moira muttered under her breath as we went through the floors and kept on it until the elevator reached the penthouse. The elevator finally opened and she led me again, putting a gentle arm on my shoulder to the last door at the end of the incandescent corridor.

“Arthur, won’t you open it?” Moira glared at him when she saw the man with the dark hair spacing out.

Arthur reproduced the plastic key card and opened the door. A carpeted flight of stairs stretched before us. As we reached the top, I smelled something cooking in the oven. The penthouse’s interiors were mostly made of fine-looking dark wood. Golden lamps and paintings of gardens and still life hung everywhere. The red velvet couches were lined with frames of thick wrought bronze, a marble table centering the room. Moira seated me in front of the fireplace that looked like granite with angel-like creatures carved on it.

The two adult men sat in front of me, face hardened, apprehension rising. Leon just stood in a corner, arms crossed in front of him, gazing blankly at the floor as if examining it. Moira went straight ahead to the kitchen giving the boys a fix this look as she did.

“So… What are we supposed to talk about?” I grunted dryly when I decided to finally break the silence that occupied the room for a couple of minutes.

Arthur cleared his throat. “It’s about Leon,” he said rather nervously, then nudged Gerald who seemed to have been woken from his deep thoughts.

“Since we know you know about Leon’s true identity, we are ready to bargain for your silence,” Gerald replied straightforwardly folding his hands under his chin.

“I don’t want anything from you people! I’ve told him that! Why don’t you ask him?” I retorted, feeling awkward about mentioning Leon’s name.

The men exchanged looks then stared at Leon who shuffled uneasily where he was standing. Gerald looked surprised but skeptical at the same time. “Then why were you spying on us that evening?”

I sighed exasperatedly. “For the nth time, I was not spying. I was merely there because your precious little celebrity got me a golden ticket straight to detention. And I don’t care who he really is. All I know right now is that really hate him.” My temper flared. Once I get angry, I can’t stop my mouth from blabbering and broadcasting anything and everything that is in my mind, which is utterly and exceptionally stupid.

“Well, I tried to shut her up with some concert tickets, but she’s a hard one,” Leon said in a matter-of-fact tone.

His words just added more firewood to my beacon. My temples started to throb but instead of hurling a figurine at him, I drew a deep breath and counted to ten inside my head. But before I reached six he spoke again.

“If this comes to worst case scenario, we could always consider stuffing her inside a bowling bag and throw her into a lake or something,” he said thoughtfully rather than with arrogance.

Leon puzzles and infuriates me at the same time. I didn’t know if he was naturally conceited or simply congenitally dense. Either which way, I figured that it must be a trend for child stars to somehow be deluded to some extent. With that thought, my anger which boiled menacingly reduced to sympathy.

“So, you did not have any intention of divulging who he really is?” Arthur replied hesitantly.

I nodded firmly.

“Are you sure you don’t want those tickets? They’re front row,” he smiled convincingly.

“Yes, I am positive.” Arthur seemed like a perfectly reasonable man to me but with Gerald, I wasn’t entirely sure. “Now can I go home?” I demanded calmly.