by Eva Hart
“Yeah, sounds like it. What happened that night, anyways?” I asked.
I figured it was only fair to hear. My dad sighed.
“Well, I found out one of the girls OD’d on some prescription drugs. Turns out they were mixed into her food. It was a girl named Freya, and it seems that Luca was her ex. She is still not in the best shape, and another girl was with them too. A girl named Bailey,” he said.
“Yeah, I heard about that,” I told him.
“I see. Well, that night as well I was going to suspend all of them, but it turns out that Thorn’s mother died that night. I had to let Thorn go to pay his respects, but when he came back, all three of them had the power to override my mandate to expel all three of them. I’ve wanted them gone for a while,” he said.
“Yeah, I can tell they are bad news,” I said.
“Yes. Don’t get involved with them Jules. They’ll ruin your life. It’s all a game of them. That’s all they want from this. Please, if nothing else, be safe. They’re monsters,” he said.
I mean, I could tell they saw this as a game. They didn’t care about anyone else but themselves.
“I mean, I’ll try not to get involved, but I feel like they’re everywhere,” I said.
“They certainly are. As tenacious as a goddamn cockroach I’ll say,” he said with a laugh.
“Yeah, I get that,” I said.
The dinner soon became tense, and then, at the end my dad looked at me with a smile.
“This was nice. I would like to have more time together. If that’s fine with you,” he said.
On the one hand, I liked spending time with him. He was a good man, but on the other hand, I feared that the more I spent with him, the more likely I was to tell him everything.
And that would completely ruin my life here at Kingswood.
I nodded. “I’d like that too,” I said.
“How about three nights a week? I can cook too, so we can have dinner at my place,” he said.
“Sure, that’s fine,” I said.
We parted ways, and as I looked back at my dad, I could see the warm smile on his face. Despite all the shit I was going through, I felt better about this too, and I was definitely in a much better mindset than I was before. Maybe things would get easer with that extra bit of help on my side.
Maybe.
My dad barely talked to me still, even after meeting up with him for dinner. I felt both happy, but also a bit concerned. The jeers and taunts at the school didn’t stop, but I didn’t think they would. I mean, it’s not like me reconnecting with him would do me any good.
My dad only wanted what was best for me. I knew that. I felt like if I understood that better, it would be a bit easier for me. But still, I didn’t like that I was the talk of the school.
One night during dinner, my dad and I were sitting around, when finally, he spoke.
“By the way Jules, I’m going to be busy for the next couple of weeks. There’s a lot of projects happening on the administrative side of the school, and I’m going to need to spend most of my time working on those,” he explained.
“Okay dad. It’s not just for the principal, right?”
“Course not. Security needs to be tighter around here. I’ve been hearing of instances of bullying from whispers the kids made. I don’t tolerate that, and it makes me look bad if something isn’t done about it,” he said.
“Right. Well good luck,” I said to him.
I could tell he was doing his best, but the victim of bullying was me of course. But I didn’t know how to tell my dad anything, nor did I tell him the truth, that I was being harassed. I wondered if this was just another small step in fixing the school that wouldn’t change anything. I guess the only answer to that would be to wait and see.
Things didn’t get better, but deep down, I was just happy to at least have my dad on my side kind of.
Chapter 8
That night began the ritual of three nights a week of my dad and I meeting up and talking about things. Although they usually lasted about an hour, at first that hour felt like hell on earth. I mean, what do you talk about with the man who was basically a sperm donor until recently? The thing is though, I soon learned how to bond with him shortly after.
We soon started talking about little things, like what I did as a kid, aspirations I had, and the like. However, it was starting to become less awkward.
I soon learned that my dad wasn’t as bad of a person as I thought he was. He just took this job because of his military background, and that this experience as a security guard at a prestigious academy was harder than any battle, he was in.
“Taking the job here at the school wasn’t easy. I was surprised that the previous principal kept me around. But, most of the kids enjoy having me here. I try to make things as enjoyable as they can be,” he said.
“Yeah. I guess you were just doing your job,” I pointed out.
“I was. The truth is though, I felt bad that I couldn’t be there as a parent. When I would talk to your mom about coming back into your life, she was always hesitant on it. She told me she was fine on her own. I would send child support, but I doubt that would even be used, because it was never taken out of my account,” he said.
“No, she never did. She was one of those independent woman types, and she was always working. Even as a kid, she would let me run amuck,” I said.
“That might explain why you are the way that you are Jules,” he pointed out.
I laughed at his words.
“Nah, I just also don’t really care about what others think of me. It’s why I’ve survived here for so long,” I said.
“Yeah well, I wonder how different everything would be if I actually raised you like how I wanted to,” he said.
I did wonder this. My dad told me a little more about his past. He didn’t know what happened to me, other than I existed. I remembered the last time he talked to me.
“Remember when we contacted each other that one time about five years ago? You wanted me to come out here but I said I didn’t want to, it’s where all the rich yuppies were?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, I remember that. that was probably your mom telling you that. she hated it out here. I told her that I would even pay for everything if she did. But she always wanted to sing. I admired that about her. Maybe that’s why I hooked up with her when I did. I was fascinated by the way she acted, by the way she loved, and I mean…sometimes I wonder if I did make the right decision never following up with her after what happened,” he said.
“I don’t know, but I like hearing about this side of her. This side she refuses to tell me. She’s too busy trying to be a star to let her daughter know about any of this,” I replied.
It was pretty interesting learning about that. However, every time we met; he would ask me if I knew about Alice. I tried to call her a lot, and every time I did, it would go to a busy line, or straight to voicemail.
“Have you been able to contact her?” my dad asked.
“Nope. It’s like she had a SIM card just to tell me to go with you, but then, after everything was said and done, she had no desire to actually raise her kid.”
It pissed me off in all honesty. I wish that she would just be honest about what she was doing. I started to feel the frustration boil within me.
Finally, I resorted to email. I knew she answered all of her emails because most of them were work-related. That’s how talent contacted her. After a day, when I got home after another day of torment from these girls, I opened up my computer, checked my email, and noticed there was one from Alice.
When I read it though, frustration began to erupt within me.
Hey Jules.
I’m sorry I never got your messages till now. email is the best way to contact me. For now, I’m going to be busy with this new guy. His name is François and he is TO DIE FOR. I feel like this is really love, and he’s got a lot of money. If we get married, I’ll contact you right away, and you can come to live in Europe with me.
/> Keep your chin up, and hopefully I’ll be back in the states soon with my new boyfriend~
Mom
I gripped the desk, frustration building within me. I couldn’t believe this woman! She is supposed to be raising a kid, yet here she is joyriding all over Europe with some rich new guy. All of this, while I was here getting bullied by every fucking popular kid in school.
I felt like telling my dad, but it would just seal my fate that I was meant to be here. I didn’t want to stay here though. I wanted to leave. I started to look through my phone, seeing that Magdalena contacted me once again.
Hey, so any chance you’re coming back soon? We have a really sweet place in Vegas, and if you want to head back, we’ll take care of you. Plus, we have a bunch of new guys that are looking for sweet, hot asses like you.
We’d been chatting back and forth, and I knew she was trying to convince me to run the fuck away and go back to my previous life. Where would I stay though? I mean, maybe Magdalena had a place for me.
The other girls didn’t. I contacted them, asking them if they could help me out, and ten they’d ghost me. Magdalena was the only one who kept talking to me, who said that she could get me some gigs. Today though, I read the message, and I immediately thought twice about this.
It was a message about another guy who wanted to pay me for some content. I read it over, thinking twice about what I should do here.
“Hey Jules. It’s me. Listen, you should come back at this point. There’s a guy who will pay a ton of money for a 15-minute video. If you know what I mean of course ;).”
I read it over. The money was tempting. If I did go back to Vegas, I could just continue escorting out there, and having fun with random guys. But how would I even get down there again? I wondered this, and then sighed. I fell down onto my bed, thinking about the way life was going.
This wasn’t how I wanted it to be, and I started to feel like it would only progressively get worse from there. Thankfully, there weren’t any dead rats or anything to deal with for once, but there was the frustration of well…life right now which was eating away at me.
The next day, I had dinner with my dad again. I wondered if I should tell him about Alice. But, when we sat down, he looked at me with a serious glance.
“I found out where your mom is,” he said.
“You messaged her too then?”
“Well, email was the only way to contact her. Looks like you’ll be here for a while,” he said.
Yeah, that’s what it was turning out to be. I didn’t want it to be like this. I honestly just wanted to get away, to hitchhike to Vegas if I had to, to go back to escorting. But, it’s not like I had the money for it either.
“Yeah, I’m stuck here at this crappy school,” I muttered.
“Don’t be so down about it. Trust me, it’ll be good for you. You’ll get an education, and you’ll be much happier as well. I think it’ll do you some good, build you some character,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah,” I said.
I didn’t want to stick around here, I just wanted to leave, and go away forever, but I had to bide my time. When it was time for me to make my move, I would. I would get those damn Elites, and stop the bullying if I had to.
I’d stop at nothing to get what I needed, and that was that.
I didn’t even bother contacting my mom after that. I wouldn’t be so pissed if I wasn’t just left here to fend for myself. It’s like she didn’t care.
“Don’t take it personally Jules. Your mom apparently does this a lot. you’re in a much safer location, and you don’t have to worry about anything here,” he said.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any easier,” I muttered. My dad didn’t know of the harassment, and this was just another low blow. I tried to keep my head held high, and I tried to make everything out to be okay, but I could feel my resolve crumbling.
I wasn’t happy, and this would certainly continue down this path until something gave.
Chapter 9
I was still upset about the fact that my mom left me in the dust for some rich bastard in Europe, but it’s not like I had a choice in options. I could either continue to be pissy, or do something with myself. And right now, I chose to do that latter.
I sat at my desk, playing The Pretty Reckless’s “Fucked up World” and nodding my head to the music. However, I looked up, noticing JJ there. I looked up at her, smiling.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Hey. I couldn’t help but overhear you listening to The Pretty Reckless,” she said.
“You like them too?” I asked.
“Y-yeah. I really enjoy their songs. It’s one of their best songs,” she said.
I looked at JJ with surprise. Who would’ve thought the straight-laced girl would listen to a band like that.
“Wow, you surprise me. I always thought you were too straight-laced for this type of music,” I told her.
“Yeah well…you know. I try to sometimes branch out of my normal music tastes,” she said.
“Right. Well, want to sit down. We can listen to them for a little bit,” I said to her.
“S-sure,” she said.
I could see the tenseness of her body, and as she sat down next to her, I could tell she was looking around. She was scared to associate with me, and I understood why. But man, if she could calm down that would be great.
“Sorry for being so distant recently,” JJ said.
“Hey, it’s fine. You had to keep your distance, with all the bullshit that was happening,” I said.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to be another victim of their torment. But I guess…I guess we can at least hang out in public view. I just don’t really want to deal with any of the bullying either,” she said.
I understood that. I didn’t want JJ to get hurt either. I mean, she was a really nice girl, too sweet for her own damn good. I didn’t want her to fall into this trap.
After a little bit, the teacher came in, looking over at the two of us.
“Put that music away,” she said.
I almost retorted back, but then Phoenix spoke out.
“Yes, we need to be nice and quiet for class today. You should be watching yourself Jules, especially since you can’t fail any classes here,” he said with a smile on his face.
I felt my hands tense in annoyance. Good ol’ Phoenix trying to make a scene once again.
A couple of kids in class began laughing, and I soon spoke back at him.
“You know, nobody was saying anything about it till you started complaining there Phoenix,” I muttered.
The class stayed quiet, looking at both of us. Phoenix then rubbed his hands through the back of his hair, looking at me.
“Big talk there miss. I think we should settle this with a friendly debate,” he said.
This guy really was going to sit here and try to debate me? I mean, this was government class. I accepted this challenge, and I could see the smoldering look in his eyes. He got a thrill out of this.
“You’re on,” I said.
I didn’t have time for this shit. The teacher then looked at us, speaking.
“Alright, enough about that. right now, we do have debates to do. Today is the day you’re supposed to present your statements and then debate them in class. First, we have JJ and Walter,” the teacher said.
JJ got up, and I smiled at her. She go up there, starting to debate with the other guy, clearly winning. But I could see Phoenix looking at me with a devilish grin. I couldn’t help but feel like he wouldn’t let this go. The little outburst right before class was going to spiral not something else, that I was sure of.
The other kids continued to go, until it was time for me to go up there.
“Julianna, you’re to debate with Phoenix on the role of government in the people’s lives,” she said.
Fuck. Was I really going to have to fight this bastard on this? I mean, I did somewhat predict this to happen, but now that it actually was, I felt my guard drop for a moment
. How could I win.
The answer was simple. I wouldn’t let him get the satisfaction of beating me.
He grinned at me, a smile present on his face.
“Well, here goes nothing,” I said, getting up. I would be for the people, and he would be a government controlling the regulations.
“I do believe that the government shouldn’t be controlled by anyone else but the people, and some affairs of the government should be restricted, and they shouldn’t bump into the problems of people if it can be resolved peacefully by people,” I said.
“I disagree. Without the government, we wouldn’t have the control that we would need. Anarchy would prevail,” he said.
“I disagree. I do believe the people can peacefully come together to form democratic authorities, in order to improve the state of the land,” I said.
“Really now? but do you think the common man can come together with the rich in order to provide an orderly reason together?” he said.
He was looking at me, and I could see the fire in his eyes. The teacher probably felt like this was a normal debate, but I could tell from the way he wouldn’t stop making eye contact with me that it was only going to get worse over time.
“I do think so. I believe the rich will let the common man sit down and take control,” I said.
“I don’t believe so. When you have money, you have power, and I believe that the government checks this from happening.”
“I disagree Phoenix. In fact, the government is the reason why this keeps happening,” I spat back.
The class was all on their toes, and I could see Phoenix’s gaze unwavering.
“If the common people don’t get a voice, then they won’ be able to make the appropriate changes. It’ll only create more class distinction, and more boundaries. I believe that working together, while also limiting the power of the government is the best way,” I stated.
“How do you combat the desire for power then? We both know ha power is what he rich crave, and what he poor lack,” he said.
I knew he was trying to jab at me, but then, I sighed.
“I do believe that we will have to also control the power that’s given to the rich. The rich shouldn’t have all the power, but they also shouldn’t have no power. I believe working together is the way to do it. I know that ulterior motives exist, but it’s better to push forward, and overcome the trials that happen throughout the working together. You get that?” I said.