Destiny had no money and she really did not want to spend the night out in the cold. It had started getting colder very recently. So, it came as a relief when her mother let her go without more probing. At the end of the hall, just before her room, Destiny turned and looked towards her mother and she sighed. Her mother had held so many jobs and she could never keep any one. The little money she did make always went into booze and dope and Ronnie.
She looked like she was on the verge of tipping over. Every night, she prayed that she would not wake up and find the woman dead. She was not a mother, had never showed her any love, but still, she was the only family she had. Besides, once in a while she asked if she had eaten and then, there was the fact that she could have kicked her out but she hadn’t. So, she was better than nothing, Destiny guessed.
Destiny heard the sound of the front door opening and she quickly hurried to her room and locked the door. Another encounter with Ronnie was something that she did not need. She walked to the table beneath the window and emptied the contents of her bag. It was time to get studying. For the first time in a long while, as she studied that evening, she didn’t hear the hungry rumble of her stomach.
CHAPTER FOUR
NOAH
One week later…
Noah was woken by the tiny drops of rain falling on his face. His large gray eyes blinked awake as he smelt the storm that was approaching. He had spent more time on the roof than he had in any part of the house. It didn’t make sense that he had dragged the little room and the back of the house from Natalie. He got it, but he was almost never there. The fridge in the room held some jars of innards in case he went there. Up on the roof, Noah felt close to the world and he loved it; he was one half of two worlds after all. He lifted himself up and looked over the side of the building. His parents were stepping out of the house, and from their appearance, they were heading to some dinner party again. He understood the strategy. They had to integrate themselves into the community and curtail any wagging tongues or drive away any doubts or suspicions. Ignoring invites and staying on the edge only attracted the unwanted. He chuckled. That didn’t stop them from having their fun at events which Aqua Vale seemed to have a lot of.
His father wore a dark blue suit and his mother had her curves fitted in a crimson red gown that had glitters on the hems. He watched his father as he walked towards the car, his hand around his mother’s waist. A smile crept up Noah’s face as his mother leaned towards his father and he helped her into the Mercedes that was waiting at the end of the lawn. They were so much in love and he could feel it even from up on the roof.
They were mates and there was no doubt about it. As he watched them, Noah wondered about his mate and he wondered when he would find her and where. He knew everyone in their pack and he still had not found his mate yet. Most of the males in their pack had found their mates, heck, David found his when he was barely thirteen. It frustrated him to think about it, but his grandmother had told him, “One does not go looking for a mate. Your mate ends up finding his or her way to you. That my dear is the cycle of life.”
And Noah would give everything to hurry the process up.
The car pulled away and he sighed as the rain got heavier. He headed back down the side of the building and got back into his room. He walked to the bathroom and dried himself off, before making a change of clothes. The second he was in his room, Noah settled in front of his laptop and scrolled over to the website that he had been visiting for the past couple of months. Ever since they had all been assigned their respective schools, Noah spent most of his time scrolling through Havana Academy’s website, trying to familiarize himself with all there was to know about the school. The last thing he wanted was to step out of turn and end up attracting attention.
Noah sat back as he scrolled through the pictures on the website. It had been recently updated. Apparently, there had been a track meet the previous Friday and Havana’s representatives had come out in second, fourth and fifth positions. He nodded, not first but it was good. He heard his name and lifted his head up. The door was still closed, but the calling didn’t stop. Groaning, he got up and headed out before Natalie spent his name. He walked all the way downstairs before he found her, and she was waving a tub of ice cream. She winked when she saw him.
“What do you say to popcorn and ice cream night?”
Noah rolled his eyes but walked up to her anyway. Natalie scooped out the ice-cream and offered him a bowl. She placed the large bowl of popcorn between them before turning on the television and putting on a show.
“So are you worried about tomorrow?” Noah asked his sister as he popped a large scoop of ice cream into his mouth as they settled down to enjoy their snacks.
Natalie threw some popcorn into her mouth and Noah watched her as she chewed on it thoughtfully. She swallowed and said, “I would not say worried. I guess the word I would say is curious. This is a completely new place for us and I certainly want to see how things will turn out.”
“Yeah, I agree with you. How tomorrow is going to play out keeps me up.”
“Really? Weren’t you sleeping on the roof a short while ago?” Natalie asked with a raised brow and they both broke into laughter.
“You know what I mean. What if we screw up and do something to jeopardize our position?”
“Trust me bro, we’re too smart for that. Being on the edge constantly will jeopardize our position a lot quicker than a bunch of kids who can’t come first in a track game. I mean what’s up with that. It’s just running.”
The twins’ laughter resonated through the entire house. They stayed up until late in the night, talking about everything and nothing. By the time their parents returned, they were still very much awake. Noah and Natalie were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not realize their parents were back.
“Isn’t it your bedtime already?” their mother’s voice reached them and they looked up simultaneously.
Their parents stood looking down at them, not more than a few drops of water on them. Their mother’s blonde hair was still dry and Noah grinned before turning to his sister.
“Pay up.” Noah stretched out a hand to his sister.
Natalie groaned and she pulled a hundred-dollar bill out of the pocket of her shorts and handed it to Noah. Slowly, Noah retrieved the money and placed it in his pocket, a grin on his face the entire time. Their parents exchanged looks before turning back to them.
“Do we want to know what that is about?” Analina said.
Noah shrugged. “Natalie was convinced that you would get trapped in the storm and return home drenched. I was more than sure that the raging storms would hold for the Alpha and his beautiful mate. I was right.”
The look of confusion on his parents’ face caused him to laugh. He stood up and walked around his astounded parents, his sister fast behind him. There was really no need staying behind to see how their parents reacted to what had just been said. Noah bade good night to his sister at the top of the steps and they both headed to their rooms. He shut his door and he sighed as he moved a little into the room. He was feeling restless, and he had no idea why, so he opened the door and left his room.
His destination was the room next door. He pushed open the mahogany door and stepped into the dome shaped room. At the center of the room was a grand piano. He walked closer to it and ran a finger over the keys, the room filling up with mismatched melodies. Music had always been the perfect cure for his restlessness. Noah took a seat behind the bench before breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly. His hands settled on the piano keys and the soft tunes filtered into the room and surrounded him. He played a popular classic before moving on to a popular hip-hop tune. After a few more moments at the piano, he headed to his guitar which hung on the walls. Noah wouldn’t say it out loud, but he liked to think he was a musical genius. He made music from the guitar strings, and he hummed along every now and then. It didn’t take long for the restlessness he felt to leave him as the tunes surrounded him. Feeli
ng much better, he hung the guitar back up and headed to his room.
He didn’t fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, but he felt a tad better. It was probably the thought of going to a new place that might just be making me feel so unsettled, he concluded.
***
The storm raged on through the night and when morning came, it was very cold. Noah headed down that morning, shrugging on his coat. He bumped into his mother who was about to head up the stairs with a tray which held two mugs of innards.
“Here you go, just the way you like it,” she said with a smile as she passed it to him and patted his face.
“Thanks mom,” Noah smiled gratefully. He headed down the stairs as she continued on to his sister’s room, he guessed. It was the morning ritual among every family in the clan. It was having enough blood to get you through the day. He headed to the kitchen where his father cradled a mug as he flipped through a paper. His father looked up once he stepped in.
“You’re looking very happy and vibrant this morning. Did you sleep well?” the older man asked.
“It was good, although I was a bit anxious. I think it’s just the thought of starting out in a completely new school,” Noah told his father.
“But there really is no reason for you to feel that way Noah. You have everything working for you,” his mother said from the doorway. She walked in and settled onto a kitchen stool.
“What are you talking about mom?” Noah asked.
“Well, my dear son, you have your looks, your intelligence and finally, your money. Trust me, you have absolutely no problem. Everything is going to work out for you, so really, you don’t have anything to worry about, if you ask me,” his mother said, nodding.
Andrew threw his head back as he broke into laughter. Noah rolled his eyes as he looked from one parent to the other.
“Okay mom, I think you are just exaggerating.”
“How on earth am I exaggerating? It is true, right Andrew? My dear boy, with those large grey eyes that are so easy to fall into. Heck, I fall in love with your father every single day due to those eyes.”
“Okay, I’m done, that is just too much information,” Noah shook his head and set the empty mug in the sink. He raised his hands as he headed to the door, “I’m out of here. Please don’t traumatize me.”
“And then, there is the money that we are pretty much swimming in and…” his mother continued in a louder tone and his father laughed as he hurried out.
Noah met his sister at the bottom of the stairs. While he had asked for a car, she had asked for a trip to Europe for a fashion show she had been looking forward to for years, knowing fully well that it would be very difficult to get them to let her go. Natalie was the rebel one of the twins and she enjoyed doing things that made their parents grit their teeth. Her rebelliousness still did not stop her from being a straight ‘A’ student. She had gotten what she wanted but of course, she had not gone alone. She had been armed with three chaperones.
“Do you want to hitch a ride with me or do you want to go with Anthony?” he asked. Anthony was their chauffeur.
“I’ll go with you. We certainly need to make our grand entrance together. Just wait a bit,” she told him as she headed to the kitchen.
“We don’t want to make a loud entrance Natalie!” he called after her.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. I said grand, not loud,” his sister called back but he could hear the note of mischief in her voice.
***
Noah pulled out of their five-car garage a few minutes later, Natalie seated in the front. As he moved out, he and his sister argued over the station that the radio should be left at. After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, he had to sit through the drive in his own car, listening to heavy metal and wishing that he could rip off his ears.
After a while, they drove past a large marble plaque which had ‘HAVANA ACADEMY’ written on it and they drove up a long driveway with lawns on either side.
“Whoa, it’s large,” Natalie commented as she stuck her head out the window and looked at their surroundings as they drove closer to the group of large buildings. Noah agreed with her completely. The school and its grounds were way larger than he had thought they would be after he had spent hours poring over those pictures and videos on the website. As he pulled forward, he swallowed hard. He really hoped that they would be able to fit in, because really, they had nothing in common with these people. He felt his sister’s hand on his arm and turned to look at her.
“Relax, brother. From what I can see from all those posh cars ahead of us and what these students are wearing– Wow, is that the newest Chanel bag? Damn! I had no clue that it was out. I have got to make some purchases!”
“Your point Natalie?” Noah rolled his eyes.
Natalie’s head snapped back to her brother and she shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just that bag–”
“Natalie, focus.”
“My point is, from what I can see, the only way one fits in is having cash and obviously, we have more than enough of that. We’ll be fine. So, would you shake off that anxiety and move forward? It’s our turn.”
He looked up and saw that the car in front of them had already moved forward. He drove forward as well and he was shown the right place to park. He drove around the quad and pulled into a large parking space and as his eyes flitted around, he saw that his sister had been right about her observation. The cars he saw spread across the parking lot obviously belonged to a high caliber of people.
“Where do we go to now?” Natalie asked as her eyes followed the teeming population of students that was flocking into the school. “Admissions, right?”
“Right…” Noah was saying and then he trailed off. He had been looking towards the entrance of the school and then, he felt a tightening in his chest and his heart began to hammer in his ears. His eyes followed her every movement and he saw every single action she made. From the flick of her finger as she pushed back a stray curl of hair, to the little twitch her nose made when she adjusted the straps of her bag around her shoulders to the barely noticeable limp in her gait as she walked. He saw it all. He quickly got out of his car and walked towards her, not even noticing that his legs were moving and not even hearing his sister call out to him.
His legs moved of their own volition as he floated towards her and as he did, he felt something wake up within him, something that was desperate to grab her and pull her into a tight hug and never let go. He had found her and he had not even been looking.
CHAPTER FIVE
DESTINY
Destiny sighed as she ran a hand through her hair over and over again as she hastened her footsteps. That morning, the house had been just too chaotic. Her mother and Ronnie had thrown a weekend long party, running through Friday, Saturday and the Sunday party had lasted until morning. They had been awake until this morning, grinding, shouting, doping and drinking. She had barely been able to sleep. When she had finally drifted off into dreamland, the jarring sound of her alarm had shot through the room, pulling her out of her short-lived sleep. Every movement of hers had been sluggish initially until she had succeeded in getting a cold shower. As soon as the cold rivulets hit her body, she had felt more awake. But still, the first few minutes of sluggishness had cost her and she had ended up running most of the way to school.
She was a runner and had been one all her life, so she was not out of breath. She was disoriented. She flicked a stray strand of hair away as she climbed up onto the pedestrian pavement on the school grounds and tried to move quickly past the cars that were driving up the vehicular route. She felt warm on the inside. At least the run has helped warm me up. Jeez, I felt like I was in a freezer when I stepped out this morning, she thought. She flicked back another stray strand of hair and readjusted the straps of her backpack around her shoulder. It was very heavy because of all the contents. She sighed. I feel like taking all these books home was in vain. I was not able to read anyone because of Ronnie and mom. How ironic it is
that the only place I was actually able to snag a bit of reading over the weekend was at the Café where I work, rather than in my own home.
Destiny winced a little as she almost buckled over due to the weight of the bag. Her knees still hurt from her fall the previous day.
The young girl crossed over to the quads and headed towards the main entrance. She bumped into someone and stumbled as her feet stepped on his shoes. Two pairs of muscular arms reached out to hold her by her arms and stabilize her. Slowly, she lifted her head and she swallowed hard. She was staring into the grayest eyes that she had ever seen. His dark hair waved in the wind and a smile tugged at the side of his lips.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his hands still on her.
Destiny jumped back, moving away from his touch. For all she knew, he might end up shoving her to the ground and to be frank, she didn’t want that. She looked him up and down and wondered why he was making an effort to be nice to her. His clothes looked expensive and his watch, it had to be worth a fortune. Destiny wasn’t sure if she had seen him around before, she highly doubted it. He seemed different than the other kids who came here. He seemed more mature.
“Hello?”
Destiny shook her head and she looked down at his feet. She pulled her bag off her shoulders and she opened it as she tried to search for something soft that would do the trick in her bag. Oh no! What am I going to do? His shoes are so shiny that I can probably see my reflection in them! What if he asks me to pay for their cleaning? As she ransacked her bag, she said, “I’m sorry about your shoes. I promise I’ll find something to clean it. Oh, here it is.”
Destiny: BWWM High School Romance Page 4