Chapter 18- Conversations with Kanye West
Ally was welcomed the Sunday morning with the dreadful loud voice of her seventy something grandmother. The shorts hanging loosely on her legs and the fact that she woke up at ten in the morning, were enough for her to be the target of her grandma’s critiques.
“Ally…” She dragged her excessively loud voice as she entered the living room. “Sweetie… this isn’t the right time to wake up. You should be up as the sun comes and help your mother in the kitchen.”
She didn’t pay any heed to her comments as she lazily slumped on the couch. “And look what no work has done to you. You’ve become fat since the last time I saw you.”
“Gee. Thanks.” It was the only way she could think to respond to her. She was always too fat or too slim or too dark for her.
“I think she’s okay.” Her mother interrupted in a light tone. Her mother could easily see the anger igniting inside her daughter.
“At least go and comb your hair sweetheart.” Her grandmother went on in her bitter sweet tone. She would always talk about how pretty she was in her twenties. It was hard to believe for her since she was just wrinkled stout woman now.
“Good morning, oldies.” Alex said coming in to the living room. He slumped next to Ally leaning his head on her arm playfully. She cringed at his weight and dirty hair but smiled at his childish behavior.
“My handsome grandson has returned.” The grandmother remarked with a wide smile and sparkling eyes. It was a big thing for the family when Alex agreed to go to college because he was always considered to be the rebel. So his return was always welcomed with great pride and joy although he was hardly passing the semesters.
“How’s college going dear?” Their grandma asked.
“The same old boring stuff. Just one more year to go.”
“Well why? You should take interest in your studies Alex. They are important. After you successfully pass college nobody is going to bother you anymore.”
“I don’t like studying. I’m only doing this ‘because y’all told me to. After college I’m going to do what I always wanted to do.”
“And what is that?”
“Making custom cars.” He answered in a quiet tone. All aggression was gone from his voice. She believed in her brother’s dreams. He wasn’t made to do a job sitting on a desk all day.
“That’s not going to happen if you do not work hard, son. There are a lot of technicalities you don’t know about.” Her father said joining in the conversation. She could hear her brother sigh beside her. She felt sorry for him but there did not seem a way she could help him. He talked a lot about how much he loved cars and how he wanted to start his own business. But he was never supported by their family partly because he never took the first step and partly because their family didn’t think it to be viable career choice.
She escaped the coming conversation. The talks about her brother’s future could go on till hours and she wasn’t in any mood to sit through all that. Ultimately she knew the conversation would drift to her career prospects. That was the thing she absolutely hated.
The evening came quickly for Ally because she was locked up in her own room doing her homework. Downstairs some of her relatives had ganged up to visit their dear Alex, but he had already sneaked out from the back door. The uninvited guest did not take this hint and they were eagerly waiting for him. Her living room was locked up with people and their irrelevant talks which she avoided in her room.
Somewhere in the middle of math homework her phone started ringing. She searched for it in the pile of books basically knocking down everything off her bed. When she found it her hopes came crashing down, it wasn’t Jake calling for her; it was ‘Fucking Miller’. “Hello.” She answered exasperatedly.
“Hey. Do you want to play GTA right now? Ryan’s coming over too.”
“Ugh… No I can’t come right now. Got a lot of homework to do and my whole freaking family is here.”
“And that’s a bad thing? I thought people liked meeting their families.”
“You don’t know mine.” She told him thinking about the many times she was the victim of their scornful comments.
“At least you have people. Well I’m alone here… and that’s why I called you and Ryan.” She could hear his gloomy voice.
“Where are your parents?” She asked out of curiosity but empathized with him. Even though she had a big family they never failed to make her feel like an outcast.
“Work as usual.” He said exhaling. Tiredness was evident in his voice. There was silence at both ends.
“I’ll call Luke then.” He said breaking the long strange pause.
“Sure. But he’s with Haley I guess... she texted me.”
“Oh… well then it’s going to be me and Ryan then.”
“And beer.” His parents were out he might as well enjoy the freedom, she thought. She closed her notebooks and stretched her legs on the bed. She was craving for a good video game and cold drink right now.
“Not tonight. There are kids round here.”
“Oh yeah…” she said reminiscing and asked “You have a sister right? How old is she?”
“Lucy’s four. She...” his voice was cut off and all she heard were softened mix of voices.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Ryan’s here.”
“Hey sweetie. How ya doing?” Ryan said in a cheeky voice. She almost toppled on her bed in laughter. Ryan was always the kid in the group.
“What is wrong with you?” she could hear the amusing voice of Cameron say to him. He continued, “Turn on the TV bro and you’re not allowed to flirt ever… with anyone.” He was chuckling on the phone making her smile too.
Another set of loud noises which she identified to be from the TV set filled in. “Cam, are you coming?” She heard Ryan’s distant voice followed by Cameron’s silence.
“You guys play have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She said her goodbye half heartedly. She was clear about one thing; conversations with Cameron were much more fun than conversations with her family.
--
The next school day didn’t start off good; she had got detention in the second period itself for not doing her homework. The overwhelming weekend had made her forget about the English essay she had to submit. She had worked till eleven yesterday thinking she had completed everything.
During lunch she was talking to Ryan about the same thing when someone dressed in all black with a snapback on his head sat beside her. At first she didn’t recognize him with his square sunglasses but soon she identified him as Cameron who never failed to surprise.
“Whoa there. What happened to you Kanye West”? She said laughing at his ensemble. He was looking exactly like a white version of the rapper.
“Bad hair day.” He replied before digging into his food. She removed his cap to see the proof.
“Whoa.” His hair was a tangled mess when they fell on his forehead making him glare at her. He snatched it and placed it back on.
“Okay that was bad… But Ally I don’t see a sun in here.” Ryan said referring to his sunglasses.
“Well, I thought I might as well use it as a disguise from Rebecca.”
“Yeah, dude you are totally unrecognizable from like… Africa.” She said trying to look dead serious but the attempt failed and both friends laughed at him.
“Ha-ha. Go ahead make fun of me. But that girl is like a stalker. She follows me everywhere.”
“Just tell her strictly you don’t want any contact from her.” suggested Ryan.
“I did that’s not working. But today she didn’t come to me at all. I guess the disguise is working.” Her eyes were fixed at Rebecca who was stabbing her fork while shooting daggers at their table. Ally returned her stare; Rebecca finally looked away but not before giving Cameron one exhausted look. Even from a wide distance Ally could see she was furious for an unknown scaring reason.
“Or I think she’s really over you.” She said still thinking about what she just witnessed.
“What?” Both boys said simultaneously.
“She looked over here and she was damn pissed off.”
--
Before detention she went to her chemistry teacher at her call. She had no idea of what was coming to her next.
“Mrs. Bennet.”
Her head lifted from her pile of papers and she looked at Ally strangely fixing her glasses. “You called me.” Ally reminded her.
“Oh yes. Ally Parker, remember I asked you to tutor a freshmen?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a boy, he’s really poor in chemistry. And he really needs a tutor.”
“Sure. I’ll try to help.” She said nodding her head. Mrs. Bennet added, “I called him, he should be here by now.” She said glancing at her old gold watch.
She awkwardly waited there while her teacher tried to start a pointless conversation about weather. Ten minutes of awkward silence later, the staff room door opened slowly making all eyes to travel towards him. Their eyes met and a knowing look came over his face. Then it dawned on her, he was the same boy once she encountered at Cameron’s house.
She was staring at him in recognition when Mrs. Bennet said, “You’re here.” He was standing besides her looking with a closed mouthed smile at his teacher.
“Ally, this is your new student Callum Miller.”
**
A/N: Hey guys! So I will keep this short, thank you for reading and please let me know what you think. Your feedback is very important for me. Thanks!!