An hour later, the lecture was over and I bid farewell to the class as they applauded me, satisfied with the ways I had answered their questions. I stayed behind as they filed out of the room, preparing to head to their next classes, shaking some of their hands as they made their exits.
“Fantastic job, Tobias,” Headmaster Greene said as we stepped out into the hall once the room was empty.
“Thank you, sir. And thanks again for inviting me to speak. It’s been an honor to come back here,” I said.
I glanced around the hall, a strong feeling of nostalgia coming over me. Now that the lecture was over, I was able to relax and take in my surroundings more. I remembered this particular section of the campus well. Anderson and I had spent a lot of time roaming these halls, discussing homework assignments and eyeing girls.
“Taking a trip down memory lane?” Headmaster Greene correctly guessed.
I nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking about the time I spent here with my best friend. Do you remember Anderson Lawrence?”
Headmaster Greene laughed. “I most certainly do! He was quite the trouble-maker at times, but he had a wonderful sense of humor and a brilliant mind, much like yourself.”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding and laughing. “We had some good times in this hall. We’re still good friends to this very day.”
“That’s wonderful. Have you run into any of your other classmates?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I have actually. Just last night, I ran into Scarlet Kale. I don’t have much memory of her as a student here though. She thought she remembered me, but she had me mistaken for someone else.”
“Scarlet Kale,” Headmaster Greene said, but this time, there was no fondness in his voice.
I raised my eyebrows. “Do you remember her?”
“Oh yes,” he said. “I may be old, but my memory is still good, especially when it comes to someone like Scarlet.”
I tilted my head, finding something curious about the way he spoke of her. “What do you mean? What do you remember about her?”
The Headmaster shook his head and sighed. “No offense if Scarlet is a friend of yours. But I like you, Tobias, so I feel compelled to warn you. Scarlet…Let’s just say she’s a bad girl, and I don’t mean that in a good way, like the kids say these days. I mean that she’s nothing but trouble.”
CHAPTER 7
Scarlet
With my eyes still closed, I took a long stretch, spreading my limbs and arms straight over the bed before realizing the mattress felt different. Slowly, I cracked open my eyes, taking in the unfamiliar environment around me. That’s when I remembered where I was, and what had happened.
Images of Preston came back to mind, particularly of the long and passionate night we’d shared. In the space beside me, I could still smell traces of his cologne.
I smiled to myself, laughing at the charade he’d kept up all night, pretending to be some guy named Tobias. I had to admit, Preston had probably missed his calling to be an actor. As the night wore on, I had to admire the effort he was putting into his role-playing. He had managed to change so much about himself, from his mannerisms, to the way he kissed…
A pleasurable tingle ran through my body, wondering if when he returned, would I be treated to a date with some other man of his invention. He certainly knew how to keep things interesting, that was for sure.
Climbing out of bed, I stretched again as my bare feet hit the plush carpet. I then retrieved the first shirt I found, which was one of Preston’s. Sliding it on, it came all the way down to my knees.
I walked across the hotel suite, retrieving my cell phone from the coffee table and feeling a twinge of regret as I saw the messages I’d missed, most of them being from Mila. I scrolled through them, seeing that she had been requesting an update of my night and wanting to make sure that I was all right. When I got to the last one, it read: If u don’t say something to me within the next hour or so, I’m gonna hurt u.
I laughed, knowing she didn’t mean it literally. She was just being her regular overdramatic self, and I couldn’t really blame her. If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have been worried about my friend too. After all, it’s against girl-code to let one of your best friends run off with a guy if you don’t know much about him. Our group of friends had always had our set of safety rules when it came to hooking up with guys, although those rules hadn’t been used much lately since most of them were in healthy long-term relationships now. I was the odd-woman out these days.
Maybe not for long though, I thought to myself, thinking about how Preston and I had so easily reconnected with each other despite all the years we’d spent apart.
I stared at Mila’s messages for a while longer, trying to think of what to say. Finally, I typed: Hey girl. I’m fine. I’m with Preston, my old bf from high school.
Just as I had suspected, she must have been literally waiting by her phone for my response, because her reply came instantly. Girrlllll! Details!
I laughed and wrote back, U know a lady never kisses and tells.
Since when have u ever been lady-like, she retorted.
I snorted, stifling my laughter with my hand despite being alone. Whatever! I typed back, followed by, The night was hot tho, if u must know, with a winking emoji.
Mila responded with a blushing emoji, a thumbs up, and a message requesting that I called her later.
Will do, I replied, and then turned off my phone. I rummaged around in my purse for my phone charger, and then plugged it in to a nearby outlet.
I sighed and scanned the room, my eyes landing on a sheet of paper that had been left on the counter. I headed towards it, seeing Preston’s hurried handwriting. I had to laugh to myself once more. It had been a long time, but I remembered Preston’s handwriting from a Valentine’s Day card he had left in my locker one day. He was so dedicated to playing the role of Tobias that he had even disguised his handwriting.
“Unbelievable,” I said, before paying attention to what he had written.
Please feel free to order any room service you want. See you soon.
I smiled. From the instant I’d seen Preston, I could tell that the years had been good to him, both physically and financially. Although he still had a down-to-earth personality, there was also an undeniable sense of wealth and high-class about him. The fact that he had just given me free reign to order any room service I wanted just solidified this fact.
May as well take advantage of this good treatment while I can, I thought to myself. After my failed relationships from the past, I had learned long ago to never count my chickens before they hatched. I had only been with Preston for a night, so I wasn’t going to overestimate how long we would remain in each other’s lives. I knew that there was a very real chance that this was all a fleeting fling, so I would be sure to not get too attached.
Figuring he would still be gone for quite some time while he visited Hullen, I picked up the telephone on the nightstand, my stomach rumbling simply thinking about the breakfast I wanted to order. When it was all said and done, I had ordered a meal of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, orange juice, and coffee. To say I had decided to splurge a bit on Preston’s account was an understatement.
“Your order will be there in twenty minutes, ma’am.”
“All right. Thank you,” I said, and then hung up the phone. With twenty minutes to spare, I decided that I could at least shower and freshen up before my food arrived.
I headed to the bathroom, seeing the sink-counter lines with Preston’s toiletries. After searching around, I found some of the soap and shampoo provided by the hotel, which gratefully had neutral scents rather than the masculine stuff Preston had brought with him. I then found a clean towel and hopped into the shower.
Ten minutes later, I wrapped the towel around myself and headed back to my purse, where I found my comb and began working the tangles out of my wet hair. Afterwards, I towel-dried it and pulled Preston’s shirt back on, not wanting to put my party dress back on just ye
t since it was the only clothing I had with me.
I climbed back into the bed, thinking of how I should probably start carrying an extra change of clothes in my car, just in case of events like this. Not that I anticipated this kind of thing happening more frequently, but still, it was best to be prepared.
Finding the remote-control, I turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. All the while, my mind kept drifting back to my time at Hullen Prep. It would have been nice if I had accompanied Preston on his visit. After all, I was an alumnus as well, even if I wasn’t one as prestigious as Preston Walker. Certainly, I would have still been welcomed to revisit my old high school campus. Plus, it would have given me the opportunity to learn more about what precisely Preston did these days at his law firm, if that was truly where he worked.
Thinking of who Preston had been back in school, I’m not sure I would have predicted that he would get involved with a law firm. I always knew he had been business-oriented; we all were after being educated at Hullen Prep. But still, I wouldn’t have predicted he wanted to get involved with law.
Then again, I really had no idea what I would have expected him to get into. We were young back then, and that kind of thing is hard to predict.
Before I could think any more about it, there was a light rapping at the door, letting me know that my room service had arrived. I hopped out of bed, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the fact that I was wearing nothing but one of Preston’s shirts. He was clearly a high-paying guest, based on the fancy hotel suite he’d been given to stay in. It would be just my luck to open the door and have the waiter relishing in the opportunity to spread gossip about Preston having some strange woman in his room.
Oh get a grip. We’re not sixteen anymore, I thought to myself, realizing my insecurities were idiotic. We were both adults. Single adults, at that. Who cares what anyone thought?
I opened the door, finding an impeccably dressed waiter standing on the other side of it. His eyes widened momentarily at the sight of me. Whether because I was barely dressed, or because he was expecting to see Preston instead, I couldn’t tell.
“Good morning, ma’am,” he said, and then tipped his head in a bow.
“Good morning,” I said, my self-consciousness quickly dissipating at the delicious aroma of the food. There was a tray beside him, covered with silver-topped dishes containing my breakfast.
“May I?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said, stepping aside to let him roll the tray into the room. He placed it at the side of the bed and then turned around, smiling.
“Are you a friend of our guest?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, some of my nervousness returning. What did the waiter care about who I was? He continued to stare at me, and I wondered if he was waiting for me to tell him my name. I cleared my throat awkwardly, ran a hand through my damp hair, and folded my arms across my chest, remembering that I only wore Preston’s shirt. “I’m Scarlet.”
The waiter bowed again. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Scarlet. My name is Joe. Your breakfast awaits you. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Yeah, leave, I thought. But instead, I plastered on the politest smile I could muster. “No, that’s all for now. I’m just really hungry, Joe.”
“Well, enjoy your breakfast, ma’am. And please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything else. It will all be added to Mr. Gentry’s tab.”
I blinked, confused. “Uhm…I’m sorry. What?”
“Please feel free to let me know if there’s anything else you want. It will all be added to Mr. Gentry’s tab.”
“Mr. Gentry?” I said, dumbfounded.
Joe eyed me suspiciously. “I thought you said you were a friend of his.”
I swallowed. “I am. I mean, do you mean…?” I paused for a moment, trying to recall the fake name Preston was going by. “Tobias Gentry?”
Joe nodded. “Yes.”
I gave a nervous laugh, realizing that Joe was looking at me as if something was wrong. Not wanting to raise any additional suspicion, I waved my hand. “Pardon me. I thought…I mean, I know someone else named…Gentry. I, uhm…Don’t mind me, Joe. It was a long evening. That will be all. I don’t need anything else. Thank you.”
Joe nodded again, although he still looked somewhat suspicious as he left the room.
I hurriedly closed the door behind him and flopped down onto the bed, my head spinning.
There was no way Preston could have anticipated running into me last night, so why would he have already checked into the hotel under a fake name? It just didn’t make sense.
I stared at my food, suddenly not feeling as hungry anymore.
Tobias Gentry? Was Preston taking this faked identity thing too far, or was he really not Preston?
Shit.
CHAPTER 8
Tobias
My speech to the business and entrepreneurship students at Hullen Prep had gone far better than I could have ever imagined, and so had my overall visit.
“Please, Tobias, don’t be a stranger,” Headmaster Greene said as he walked me out of the school building, shaking my hand.
“I won’t. I promise I’ll keep in touch,” I said, with intentions to stay true to my word.
Headmaster Greene smiled. “Good. I’ll hold you to it. And don’t forget to bring Anderson with you next time!”
“Will do,” I said, and then headed to the Uber driver waiting for me.
As my driver headed down the road, my thoughts inevitably returned to Scarlet, wondering if she was still at the hotel waiting for me.
Hoping she was still there waiting for me…
All right, don’t get in over your head, I warned myself.
Yet, I couldn’t shake Scarlet from my mind, especially after the sketchy comment the Headmaster had made about her. The more I thought about it, the more unsettled I felt. I knew Headmaster Greene well enough to know that he wasn’t the type to criticize someone just for the hell of it. And although he could certainly be tough on his students, it had never been with malicious intent. Headmaster Greene’s strictness was always due to wanting what was best for his students.
So what could have made him judge Scarlet Kale so harshly?
I’d been tempted to question him further on the matter, but he had seemed so uncomfortable, I’d found myself unable to go through with it.
All I knew was that from what little time I’d spent with Scarlet, she had seemed like a pretty amazing woman. Not to mention she was a lot of fun. Questionable history aside, I wasn’t ready to part ways with her just yet. I wanted to know more about her, and I wanted to spend more time with her, if only for a little while.
Thinking about the night we had spent together, my patience waned thin. Waiting to get back to the hotel to find out if she was still there suddenly felt like more than I could stand.
I pulled out my cell phone and began scrolling through my contacts. While I certainly remembered a good portion of the previous night, some parts of it had grown fuzzy. Consequently, I wasn’t sure whether Scarlet and I had actually exchanged numbers. But then her name appeared toward the end of my contacts list. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I stared down at my phone, trying to figure out what I wanted to say. The uncertainty made me feel like an adolescent all over again. Conflicted, I wanted to hear her voice, but I also felt nervous about calling her for some reason. Deciding to text her instead, I finally typed: Hi Scarlet. How are you? I’m done at Hullen, and I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner tonight?
I pressed send, and then stared at the phone, a tightness forming in my chest with each passing second. It was taking her forever to respond, and I started to think that perhaps she wouldn’t respond at all.
Maybe this isn’t even her real number, I thought in dismay.
But then my phone buzzed from her incoming message. I hastily opened it. It read: Sure. What time and where?
I stared out the window, debating where I’d like to take her.
“Excuse me,” I said, leaning forward in the backseat toward the driver.
He glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Yeah?”
“What’s one of the nicest restaurants you know of in this area?”
His brow puckered for a moment. “There’s a new joint a few miles from here. Can’t think of the name of it. It’s a real fancy place though. Kind of pricey, from what I’ve heard about it. The food is supposed to be good though.”
We reached a stop light and he quickly typed something into his phone, finding the name of the place.
“Sounds perfect,” I said. “Would you mind dropping me off there? Thanks!”
I texted the name and address of the place to Scarlet, requesting that she met me there in an hour.
The driver huffed. “Now I have to turn and go in the opposite direction.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll tip you well,” I said, as I looked up the phone number to the restaurant so that I could make a last-minute reservation. “Hi,” I said, once someone answered. “I’d like to reserve a table for two, in the name of Tobias Gentry. Do you have anything available for the next hour or so?”
After pulling a few strings, the restaurant made reservations for me. When I arrived, a waiter politely showed me to my table, where I ordered a drink and proceeded to await Scarlet’s arrival.
I sipped my drink, thinking once more about Headmaster Greene’s comment about her, trying unsuccessfully again to figure out what he could have possibly meant. And while I was excited to see Scarlet again, a part of me had grown nervous, contemplating whether I should ask her about the Headmaster. On one hand, I was wondering what she would say. On the other hand, the last thing I wanted was to make things awkward for her if she’d had some kind of unfortunate run-in with him at some point during her time at Hullen Prep.
Maybe it’s none of my business anyway, I thought as I took another sip of my drink.
Besides, I had to keep in mind that there was no guarantee whatsoever that I would even see Scarlet again after this dinner, so maybe there was no need to concern myself about her reputation.
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