Despicable Arrogance

Chapter 7

Party. Party. Party. Party. The words kept repeating themselves in my head, causing me to nearly over pour the milk into my cereal. I'm nervous and excited at the same time, if that's possible. But the nerves are overriding the excitement. Realizing that I probably filled the bowl with enough milk, I quickly halted. Good thing I snapped out of the trance and put the milk away. I dropped a spoon into my cereal and sat down on a stool. My mother had left earlier and my father sleeps in on Saturday evenings. He gets up about 20 minutes before I leave. I’m leaving in a half hour and I can hear him clanking around upstairs.

So today, my plans are to go to work, get my Halloween costume after work, and then come home to get dressed for whatever party Lola and Sandra are dragging me to. My father came down the stairs as I filled my mind with excuses I could use as to why I can’t attend the party. If I'm nervous, it's for a reason, right? I'm not just nervous just because I want to be nervous, right? It's a sixth sense. Something bad will happen if I go.

My mother said I can’t go the party. No, they all know about my mother’s enthusiastic responses when it comes to her only daughter socializing with beings her own age.

My father said I can’t go to the party because I have to clean my room. This wouldn’t work either, they all know about how I always have my room clean.

My mother was ripped apart by rabid wolves and I have to go to the hospital to help stitch her back together. Even I was disturbed by my own mind. I shook my head as my father sat down across from me, a bowl of cereal in front of him.

“Hey, are you going to work today?” my father asked me and I nodded as I finished up the bowl of Frosted Flakes. They’re great!

I walked over to the sink and placed the bowl inside of it. “Don’t I always?”

My father laughed. “You’re more enthusiastic about work than I am.”

I smiled. “You have a lot more responsibility than I do. Besides, all I have to do today is help out the little angels.”

“You’re the girl scout helper?” my father questioned.

“Yes, and I’m a proud one,” I replied as I rinsed my hands. I wiped them on the towel before grabbing my bag off of the table. My father sighed and shook his head. “I’ll be home later, if mom calls, tell her to call me, it’s important.”

I kissed my father’s cheek. “What? You can’t talk to me about whatever is troubling you?”

I laughed as I walked towards the door. “It’s girl stuff.”

“I’ll tell your mother!” my father hastily stated and I laughed.

---

When I got to the library, the girls scouts weren’t there yet. I always go to work early. I arrived at 11:30 AM, ready to prepare for the girl scouts arrival. When I entered the library, I heard music blasting. Although the library doesn’t open for lone revisers until 3:30 PM, we still try and keep it quiet in here. It is a library, you know.

I groaned loudly but it was drowned out by the sound of the music. Music means that Grayson was here. I recognized the song, I love it but that doesn’t mean I play it in libraries. I watched in amusement as Grayson danced around. He pretended to play a guitar before he switched to the drums. He bounced around like a hyperactive three year old child. I walked over to his phone, the music distributor, and pressed the pause button. He stopped mid strum and turned to look at me. His frown turned into a glare. “Practicing your ballet, I see.”

“You have the nerve to show up here,” he snapped.

I looked around with furrowed eyebrows. “Where? At my job?”

He glared at me but walked over to his phone and pressed the play button. I pressed the pause button again and walked away. As I was going up the stairs, I heard the music start to play again.

“Grayson!” I shouted over the sound of the music.

I’m guessing he didn’t hear me over the sound of his deafening music. “Grayson!”

I tried again. “Grayson!”

I then realized that he was ignoring me. I scoffed. Like I care, it makes things easier for me. I continued my walk to the couch and took out my book. I opened to the page where my bookmark sat before I attempted to read. I could barely hear myself think. My mind couldn’t focus with music playing. I tried again and failed. I slammed the book down on the table and walked over to the banister.

I glanced down and saw Grayson wiping down the tables. I watched as he sprayed the table and wiped it, while singing and dancing. Why can’t I multitask like that? I remembered why I was angry. “Grayson!”

Instead of answering me, he walked over to his phone. He looked up at the banister and gave me a challenging look as his eyes met mine and he increased the volume. I glared at him before walking over to the couch. I sat down and waited until it was 11:50. I galloped down the stairs and turned off his music. I noticed that he’d set everything up on the tables, including the origami paper with the instruction books, craft lace, and things needed to make bracelets. I heard shuffling and I saw Grayson exit the lounge. He picked up his phone and placed it into his pocket. The sound of doors opening greeted the library and I smiled.

“Audrey!” The little girl’s voices greeted my ears and I couldn’t help but smile. They wrapped their arms around my waist. There were 7 of them: Hailey, Taylor, Grace, Michelle, Asia, Cara, and Bella.

When the other girls let me go, I smiled at them and looked down to see the youngest girl, Grace, frowning at Grayson. He was staring straight at her, a confused look on his face. He’s probably wondering why she’s staring at him. If I’m being honest, I am, too. Isn’t it a coincidence that my favorite girl-scout’s name was so similar to my most hated person’s?

“What’s wrong Grace?” I asked her and she looked up at me with a bright smile. She was missing one of her bottom teeth.

She stood onto the tips of her toes, her blonde hair bouncing around as she cupped her mouth. “Who is he?”

I couldn’t help but notice the twinge of interest in her voice. I smirked as I kneeled down in front of her. “That’s Grayson, why?”

“We have similar names," she blushed and I snorted.

“I noticed that,” I smiled at her. “Now why are you so curious about him?” I poked her stomach and she giggled.

“He’s cute,” she smiled, causing me to roll my eyes.

“I’m gonna tell him!” I giggled as I stood up. She shook her head, latching onto my leg.

“If you tell him, I’ll kill you,” she whispered in a threatening voice. Do you see why she’s my favorite girl-scout? She and Grayson are polar opposites.

I smiled down at her. “I won’t tell him.”

She sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest. “Woo, I thought I was going to have to kill you, Audrey, and I don’t want to have to do that.”