The trouble maker

Chapter - 25

Gerald was the name.

The name of the man who could pull me out of this bankruptcy which was knocking at our door, each second passed by as it knocked harder. He was a childhood friend of Vernon, a spoiled brat he said, but even if he was the spoiled brat, he still was my family's key to survival. As I had learned, Gerald lend money to people with bonus in return, or sometimes he'd want something else in return and not money, which I didn't dare imagine any further, Vernon was quick to turn favor around, by the afternoon, he got everything sorted out, while I was fighting my thoughts about if this rich brat of a man would really lend me his money or simply ignore me, I was already on the way to his house, to Gerald's house. 

"He seemed quite interested when I mentioned your name." Vernon started a conversation as he drove. I was fidgeting the whole time before Vernon came to pick me up, I'd told my mother that I had to attend Ashlynn at night regarding the trip, and she let me go willingly, little did she know I was out to put an end into our chaos. If things go well.

I guessed things didn't get much better for both my parents as the situation in our house was no better than yesterday, mother forced a smile on her face but father didn't even bothered to. He was gone after dinner and I didn't even catch a glimpse of him as I walked out from our door. My poor dad. 

"Why? Does he know me?" I asked Vernon as I let the wind brushed over my face.

He shrugged, keeping one of his arms rested on his car door as he drove with the other hand, "Not personally, I guess but he has heard of you." 

That did not made any sense, "He did?" 

"Nevertheless, he told me he want something other than money in return." He took a quick glance at me when he said that. If astonishment was what he'd hoped to find, he failed. 

I already braced every possible thoughts about what he could possibly want other than money. "Do not worry, we're seeing him tonight to negotiate." 

"You will be with me while we negotiate, yes?" I asked, under my cold breath.

He nodded, as he delivered me a faint smile, "Of course." 

"I owe you so much." It was not only my urgent situation that made me trust Vernon in high levels, from the moment he looked at me across the road the other day and how he smiled at every unfunny jokes I threw, and how effortlessly he tried to made my bad day better was all that made me trust him. He just seemed genuine to me, his smiles and his words just seemed genuine.  

As we ran around the dark night in the cold breeze, my mind wandered away again, landing me back into the exact moment when Alex gave me the most possibly dangerous look I had ever seen any human wore. Ashlynn called soon after I reached home, as she was already in the knowledge of knowing what a bizarre moment passed through lunch time today. I could not even considered telling her about my family issues, the first thing she asked when we talked over the phone was Vernon's last name. I wondered why that was important, and told her, "I don't know how's that important." But she insisted on knowing it, "Is it Kennedy?" 

"Yes, I think the teacher called him in that name, yes." I shrugged over the phone.

"Oh my God!" Her squealed was so loud that I had to distanced the phone from my ear for a second. "Do you realize how damage that is?" She yelled over the phone. 

Before I could even response to her irrelevant squealing, she continued, "Didn't you listen to any words I said to you?" 

"I did listen to you." I answered calmly, not quite interested in whatever she was about to say. "Then what about when I told you that after Morris and Simon's fight, the demi-gods and Morris and his mates are in an endless war, with Vernon included." She said, breathlessly. 

Now, I got it, it all made sense now, the little piece of something which bothered me finally came into places.  I realized how stupid I were, Ashlynn clearly told me how these two group of friends didn't like each other and there I was, for the whole day thinking why the situation spanned out like that. But I could not blame myself, the weight on my shoulders were too heavy for me to have clear and constant mind to even think things over. "I wish Toni is here with me, so we can smack your ass together." And the rest of the talked was about trips and the demi-gods.

"We're here." Vernon nudged at me and woke me up from my almost asleep condition. "You maybe tired to almost fall asleep during such a short time." He stated as he removed his seat belt. I yawned, "I barely slept last night." I didn't even bothered lying about it anymore since he already knew so much.

The first and last time I went to the kind of luxurious house I was seeing right now was when Alex fooled me into having dinner with his parents. By that time, I was thrilled and I admired every little details, and how the rich people lived, but now as we were walking up the stair of a heaven like step, I was disgusted. 

"DAMN IT!" We heard a loud wailing sound from the room upstairs, I followed Vernon behind quietly as he lead the way, and it seemed like we were going towards where the loud wailed came from. "Shit, shit, shit." Another wailed came from the same voice as a thudding sound followed. 

We halted in front of one milky white door, Vernon knocked on it but then open and walked inside before we could receive a response. The first thing I noticed inside the room was a remote control flying to a television's screen.

"You're still stuck in that stupid level?" Vernon laughed as he waltz around, the man who I thought would be Gerald groaned loudly as he plopped down into the sofa he was sitting on, "You don't know how fucking hard that was! I completely wasted thousands of dollars to get into that shit of a level!" 

Real rich spoiled brat

I rolled my eyes at the thought of wasting thousands for a mere game. 

"Just cheat your way in as you always do." Vernon suggested, "Anyway, enough for games tonight Gerald, it's business time." 

The wailing man quickly got up, "You bring the girl?" He seemed interested in me as Vernon predicted, Vernon motioned his head toward me as his eyes followed the direction and landed upon me. 

He slowly stood up while scanning me from my head to toe, his unkind eyes searching for something, he was blonde and he looked quite older than us, but not much older. And he was not any sort of a handsome man, his looks were something else. I didn't have the word for it but it wasn't positive. He stood just an inches away from me, and I could feel my breath fasten as if he was about to cut me into pieces. 

"So, you're the Andrea Denova they talk about."