"Hello Jamie." I recognize that voice, Emerald's father Mr.Annigan otherwise known as the CEO of A&G Incorporated. He's sitting at the dining room table with both of my parents and Emerald.
I don't even have to look over there to know this. I keep walking towards the stairway.
"Sweetie can you come eat with us, we have company." My mother practically pleads with me.
"No."
In my room I throw my book bag onto my bed. This is the first time they've actually waited for me, usually they just reschedule. They're persistent I'll give them that.
A knock at my door grabs my attention. I answer it and my father almost surprises me again.
"Come down stairs, we waited two hours for you." Telling me the time isn't going to make me care. I try to close the door but he places his foot in the way. He's too old for this.
His fist collides with my stomach and I stumble back in pain. He's really too old for this. I'm about to tell him when he slams the door loud enough for everyone downstairs to hear. Good luck explaining that to your guests. He'll probably be able to get away with saying I'm not feeling well but that's only because Mr.Annigan is desperate enough to believe anything.
I double over and stumble over to my mirror. Raising my shirt I see a new bruise forming over the old one. He always makes sure to hit me somewhere no one will be able to see.
It's my second time being attacked this evening. First by that crazy girl and now by my father. I still don't regret avoiding my schedule. I'd rather be beaten than have to sit through a dinner discussing my arranged marriage plans with Emerald. My dad is going to have to beat me everyday because I'm not marrying someone just to increase stocks, even if it's for the benefit of my future. Just thinking about it disgusts me.
I send Noah a quick text: He's having a business dinner right now Jule said she's making tacos tomorrow so come over then.
He replies immediately: :( who's he meeting with?
I don't want to tell him it's the Annigan's. He hates them almost as much as I do. Instead I turn off my phone. If I were to answer this question he'd just ask me another, and then another and I don't feel like talking to anyone right now.
I raise my shirt over my head and throw it aside. Right now I desperately want to fall asleep. Dreaming is the only way I can escape my thoughts. It's either that or they'll become even more real as I sleep, and engulf me.
I'm half asleep when Robin appears. He sits on my bed with a sad look.
"Is it bad that I pity my own mother." He asks placing a warm hand on my sore abdomen.
"No, no it's not."
**6 years ago**
"1...
2...
3! Ready or not here I come!" I hear Leo scream.
Too bad I haven't found a hiding spot yet. The nearest room is my dad's and he'll kill me if he finds me in there.
Leo's little feet begin running up the stairs.
Oh well, I'll be out before he knows it.
I burst through the door and close it as slowly and as silently as possible. Leo's footsteps are getting closer. Where to go, where to go, the closet! It's a short run and before I know it I'm peeking through it's shutters expecting Leo to come in at any minute. He doesn't. Instead my father does and he's with a woman. Not just any woman Mrs. Caspian, Mark's mom.
Maybe they won't notice me. I look around for something to hide in before realizing I'm not alone, Mark. I'm about to tell him to get out and find a new hiding place when he puts his hand over my mouth. He's taller and sometimes smarter than me. It takes me a minute to remember our parents are in here and if we're caught we'll be in big trouble.
I nod and he moves his hand back before peering through the closet. A sudden commotion makes me follow his gaze.
No...
My dad and his mom. They're both married already how could they do this. I want to look away. I want to scream. I want to cry.
She suddenly stops him and I close my eyes tight hoping that they don't continue. I want her to leave. I want them both to leave, so that I can leave and run to the bathroom and go puke. "The kids are still here." Did she see us?
"It's okay I locked the door." He pants.
The noise comes back. I open my eyes and see Mark has his fists balled. His face hard as stone making him look like the most mature 12 year old ever. I don't know how he does it.
I cover my ears and close my eyes tighter this time but the noises still reign in my head. It won't stop, they won't stop. It feels like forever but after a while Mark taps my shoulder making me shiver. I don't want anyone to touch me ever again.
"They're gone." He whispers, but neither one of us leave the closet we stay there frozen, scarred for life.
**Present Day**
"Jamie can you take this to your aunt- I mean the Headmaster." Ms.Avery hands me a letter.
I open it after I get into the hallway. I have to stop myself from running all the way to my aunt's office. I wet my lips and take my time while all I can think about is how this has to be joke.
"You look very handsome today." She tells me once I enter.
"What? Wellsworth Academy is known as the most prestigious school in the entire country. How could you degrade it like this?" I throw the letter onto her desk.
"It is also known as the most stuck up and hated school in the country. I'm just trying to let the public know that we're a lot more accepting and down to earth than they think."
"Isn't that why you started giving out scholarships?"
"Yes, and you were against that move too."
"That's because it was pointless. Letting in a couple of intelligent kids didn't stop the resentment so how is letting in an entire school full of dumb ones going to? If anything it will decrease the value of our academy."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take considering these kids have no where else to go. The nearest high school is two cities away and we're only a couple of miles away."
"Just donate money to keep the school from closing down then."
"I can't, my brother is building a new mall there and you know how he is when it comes to expanding the family name."
"Then just build another school for them."
"Where?"
I don't answer her.
She sighs. "Jamie, even if I could find a reasonable location I'd never be able to equally manage both schools, so the public would think of it as an act of segregation."
"That's ridiculous."
"Yes it is, so why don't you get back to class. Wellsworth Academy is my responsibility not my brother's. You're not the next in line to take it over, therefore, this doesn't concern you."
She's right. Since she's ten years younger than my dad she wasn't given the company name and the majority of the stocks like he was. Instead she received a consolation prize, an old building my grandfather bought but never found a use for, as well as a few billion dollars. She turned it into an Elementary school due to her love of children but inability to have any of her own.
Over time it expanded, relocated and garnered attention, due to the Wellsworth family name. All of the richest people in the country wanted their children to attend this school. So many that it was forced to become a charter school and all of the regular kids either left on their own or were paid to by a rich parent wanting their child to be here. Up until two years ago it was rich kids only, but last year she came up with the idea for scholarships, and this year she wants to go back to the basics.
At fifty years old most people would be planning retirement but my aunt wants to start all over.
"Shouldn't you be in first period right now?" She says eyeing the clock on her back wall.
I turn around preparing to leave.
"Don't worry Jamie, Lee is a small school, only a hundred students will be joining us."
That's one hundred too many.
I avoid telling the guys about it for the majority of the day. At lunch Cameron forces my attacker to sit with us again and Lexi ostracizes her.
"Jamie." She calls me garnering the attention of no one.
I'm pretty sure she's trying to make Cameron as jealous as she is but I know it's not going to work.
Cameron never gets jealous especially not over a side chick like her. The only reason she's still sitting with us now is because Mark hasn't bullied her away yet. I give it until the end of this week.
•••
"Why the hell is my mom preparing to make two hundred new sets of uniforms?" Mark asks looking up at me from his phone.
He knows I know.
I managed to hold off from telling them all day at school but now it's after school. Telling him wouldn't make things any better they'd probably just make them worse, but he's going to find out eventually any way. I could stall or I could just wait for it.
"She told you that?" Yeah, just keep asking dumb questions Cameron.
"She asked where my uniforms were because she needs a recent model. I asked her why and she said she needs to make two hundred." He answers Cameron but keeps eye contact with me.
"The Lee high school students are coming here since their school is closing down." I tell them.
"What?"
"Ew."
"When?"
"Next week probably." I answer.
Sensing Rosaline's reaction, I turn towards her. Her eyes are wide and her face has lost the little color that it had. It's weird because she seems more scared than anything. More kids to bully her I guess.
I pull a note out of the box and hope it doesn't say to kiss anyone.
'Donate money to charity.'
I wrote this one so I'm satisfied. I reach into my pocket grabbing my phone and call my assistant. She greets me.
"Hello...fine and yourself."
"He so cool when he gets like this." I hear Noah say causing Leo to scoff.
I miss what my assistant says and go for a simple response.
"Yes," I forget her name. I think it starts with an 'A'. She doesn't catch on and tell me.
"Can you do me a favor and donate half of the money in my bank account to the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis foundation...yes...thank you." I hang up.
I'm sure someone has challenged me to do the Ice Bucket Challenge anyway.
It's Cameron's turn to pick. "I hope I get the same one Rose got last time because you are so hot right now." He winks at me and I punch his shoulder wondering if Lexi would get jealous of this too. After wincing he pulls out a note and shows it to us. Whatever it is it isn't enough to get my attention.
•••
I walk to the front of the school where I'm met by a familiar limo after entering the man in the driver's seat, George says something that almost makes me laugh.
"You had me waiting for three hours yesterday, Jamie. You could've at least told me you'd be staying after school or even that you'd gotten home safely."
It's funny how he thinks I trust him when he's been working for my dad since before I was born. He's not even my chauffeur he's my father's but he sends him out from time to time to babysit me and make sure I follow my schedule. He always fails because he can never quite find out where I am. Like yesterday I'm assuming he didn't think to check in the back of the library.
My phone vibrates in my pocket.
Mark: Rumor has it the devil's gone bankrupt.
I put on my seat belt and enjoy the ride.
As soon as I arrive home I turn on the TV, something I usually don't do because I have enough drama in my life. The fake stuff usually fails to compare or even entertain. However, Mark's text has me expecting something.
"Jamie Wellsworth the son of the famous owner of Wellsworth Company Mr.Wellsworth, has been revealed to have recently made a very generous donation to the National ALS Lou Gehrig's Disease Organization. It has not yet been revealed how much money he has donated but it has been revealed that the organization is looking into confirming the authenticity of his grand donation. Wow it must've been A LOT. He is truly amazing."
This isn't what I was expecting to see but it never ceases to amaze me how fast news gets around.
"Fletcher Trucking Company has announced it's bankruptcy. It's said that they've been suffering financially for the past 3 years after one of their trucks-"
I cut off the TV and let a smile play on my face. Finally. It's not compensation enough, it'll never be but it makes me happy nonetheless. The son of the company's CEO goes to my school. I almost feel bad for him, almost.
I haven't seen Robin today. Maybe it's over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: Cameron's Picture to the side and a song---> Thanks for making it to Chapter 6
Edited as of: 080315