Miss Naughtie Two-Shoes and the Rebel

Chapter 10

“Let’s get out of here.” Andy snatches her backpack and grabs Nikki by her wrist, and Nikki reaches over and grabs the unopened pack of Yakult on the table.

One teeny bottle of Yakult doesn’t cut it, it has to be a whole pack. On one go. Normal people get drunk on beer or tequila; Nikki gets drunk on Yakult. According to her, she’s been guzzling the heavenly concoction since she was weaned off formula milk at age three. So that means she’s been hooked on the probiotic milk drink for fifteen years. Her intestinal flora must have been swimming in too much good bacteria, the bad bacteria might as well be extinct.

“Oh-God-Andy-you’re-friends-with-Trae-too?” Nikki asks all in one breath as they hurries off to exit the cafeteria. Out of the prying, judgmental, surly, envious stares of all the females in there, including the food stall ladies. “How many more rich friends do you have? I feel so little and inadequate.” She fake-groans as she lets Andy pull her along. Andy side-eyes her with a scowl and she instantly retreats. “Just kidding.”

They flop on the grass beneath a fire tree behind the oldest building in the campus - their favorite spot. It’s quite the hike from the Arts and Sciences building but it’s worth it. It’s cool and breezy in this area in the afternoon while everywhere else feels like the sun has moved a little closer to earth. The trees are a sight to behold when in full bloom in the months of April to May - the height of summer, when you can practically cook an egg on the roof of your car. Locally known as Caballero, the fire trees appear to be in flame because of their vibrant red-orange flowers, hence the name. In other parts of the world, they’re called flame trees or flamboyant. They’re so beautiful they give Japan’s cherry blossoms a run for their money.

“You seem to know a lot about Trae.” Andy takes a piece of Yakult from her, shakes it and drinks it - bottoms up so she has no time to think that she’s actually drinking living organisms: wriggly, squiggly microorganisms that you can only see under a microscope. There’s a reason Nikki is so addicted to it. It’s a tad sweet for her own liking but Nikki loves anything sweet.

“And you don’t? God, are you living in a cave?”

Nikki takes a bottle herself and gives it a shake so vigorous the lactobacilli organisms ought to have vertigo and throw up. Imagine, the poor things floating in their own vomit.

Good thing Nikki is not paying attention to her because she's smiling an i***t. “Not actually a cave.” A library. “What else am I supposed to know? I just learned a while ago his last name’s Morello.”

“Yup, Trae Morello. They own the tallest commercial building in the city. Real fancy. He occupies the whole top floor all to himself. Like a penthouse. And also, his family owns Harvey-Clark College.”

Andy’s mouth hangs open. “Harvey-Clark College? Then his father is Congressman Herman Morello?”

“Yep, last time I checked. And correction, former Congressman. He likes to be called Dr. Morello now. Not the medical sort though, as far as I know.”

“Then, what the hell he’s doing in Robertson-Valley?” More than the fact that they’re practically one of the wealthiest families in the region, Andy is dumbfounded that Trae is the son of the powerful and influential Herman Morello. Well-known and well-loved for championing the grassroots, part of his mass appeal is his insanely good looks. His grizzled hair in slicked-back style only adds to his manly charm. It’s quite unfair how men can get away with old age, wrinkles and grey hair and still be called a stud. But when you’re a woman, you’re a cougar.

A dashing debonair who is also an eloquent orator and a business magnate, the old Morello has dark eyes, prominent cheekbones and a saturnine face. And now that she thinks about it, she can see the stark resemblance between Trae and his dad. Dr. Morello is so telegenic he could pass up as a Mexican telenovela leading man and Trae can play his much younger self. News agencies used to run stories about him all the time and he’d also been a favorite feature in both business and entertainment press. The media mileage had secured him landslide victories for three terms. Uncle Chris will be psyched if he knows that Trae’s father is the great Morello.

“We’re mere mortals. Why is he walking among us? Why is the government paying half of his tuition when they can buy the whole school?” Andy wonders aloud.

“No one knows for sure. And it only gets interesting. Harvey-Clark was named after his brothers, Harvey and Clark. He’s the middle child.” Nikki is on her third bottle of Yakult and looks very sleepy.

So that’s the etymology of the school name. “Why not Harvey-Trae-Clark? Why is his name’s not included?” Andy continues to grill Nikki, her full interest piqued. The more she learns about Trae, the more questions she has.

“Yeah, that’s the thing. And your guess is as good as mine. Obviously some family drama. No one knows for sure whether his living on his own is his own choosing or he was banished from his parent’s house. He moved farther away. Family secrets.” Nikki yawns for the third time and lies on her back on the grass, clasping her hands beneath her head for pillow.

Andy feels a pinch in her heart. “That’s so cruel. Leaving out one of your son’s name from what is supposed to be a family legacy. What kind of parents do that?”

“Well, the kind Trae has. Rich people. So full of secrets and surprises.” Nikki rolls on her side to face Andy and props herself on her elbow. “And you know why the school is giving him so much leeway? That he can do pretty much whatever he wants?” Nikki asks.

“Why?”

Nikki flashes her a teasing smile, a drunk smile. The Yakult has kicked in. “The female population has doubled up since he was enrolled here. Not just any girls. Rich girls. They just started coming in from everywhere. The school benefits from his clout and in return, he gets special treatment. Also, Robertson earns bragging rights for having a Morello under their roof. But to give him some credit, he is freakin’ Einstein with computers. He’s earned it.”

“Isn’t that taking away from the students who really need the assistance?” Andy muses.

“The government doesn’t discriminate. You should know better than that,” Nikki reminds her. “And it’s semi-private so they’ll squeeze in as many students as possible to generate revenue.”

“You’re right. “ Andy leans back and crosses one outstretched leg on top of the other then wiggles her feet. “How come you know all these things even though you haven’t seen the guy until earlier?” She asks suspiciously.

Nikki rolls on her back again and stares at the canopy of leaves shielding them from the harsh heat of the sun. “You know when you’re invisible, you get to listen to people talking all the time. In the hallway. In the line to the registrar. The library. People just love to talk about other people’s lives. And don’t blame me, I didn’t choose to gossip. The gossip chose me.” In her near-sleep state, she adds, “it’s only when I met you that I’ve hearing a lot of my own voice.” She ho-hums once more.

“Which is a good thing, right?” Andy just wants to be sure.

“What are you talking about? I’m having the best time of life. And you’re the best friend I ever had.” Nikki gets up on her feet. “We need to get back to class before I fall asleep. I’m a sound sleeper, you won’t be able to wake me up once I go under.”

*****

“Holy f***! They’re really seeing each other, Trae and that b**ch.” Jane exclaims, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “And you’re just gonna let it pass?” What she won’t pass up on is the opportunity to provoke Kelly. Things get interesting when she’s provoked.

“Nope, I’m not giving up without a fight. And believe me when I say this, whoever she is, I’m gonna destroy her.” Utensils clatter and liquids slosh inside the glasses as Kelly bangs her hand on the table. Stewing in resentment, the expression of her face is equal parts anger and determination. “I’m too invested in Trae to back out now. Did you know how hard it was to convince my parents to let me enroll here? And I had to lie my ass that Robertson Valley has the best Tourism program in the South, making up numbers to give an ounce of credibility to my lie. And the biggest of all lies is that I don’t want to get separated from them. Gosh, I can’t wait to move out of the house. I can’t stand my parents. They’re so overbearing.”

“What’s our next move?”

“Find out where she’s parked.”

*****

Inside Kelly’s Honda Civic, they watch Andy park her bike in front of Greasy Chris Garage and disappear into the shop. When she comes out, Andy is in her gray coverall and ball cap, hauling a hydraulic floor jack.

Andy jacks and hoists the Nissan Sentra. After placing a pair of jack stands underneath the car, she removes the jack and disappears again. She returns with a toolbox and a car creeper which she moves around with her feet. She lies on the creeper, which is basically a wood plank with casters attached to the bottom, and pushes herself underneath the car. After a few minutes, she eases out to get some tools and maneuvers the creeper again to get under the engine.

“So this is where the mouse works,” Kelly says, her voice laced with distaste.

“Poor thing. Doing a man’s job,” Jane purrs in a bored, mocking tone. She’s resting her chin on her folded arms on the dashboard.

“Yeah, poor people. They make do with what they’re served in their puny, pathetic lives.” She puts the car to drive and pulls toward an empty slot on the service area of Greasy Chris. “Come on. Let’s the rattle the rat’s cage a little.”

“Hi, Misses. What can we do for you?”

Andy hears Ben greet customers. Uncle Chris has gone off to the machine shop so it’s just the two of them. They used to be a staff of eight including her and Uncle Chris. But ever since bigger auto shops began popping up in the area, business has been slow and they had to lay off most of their employees. She peers from under the car and sees two sets of shoes. One ankle has a rose tattoo.

“What can we help you with?” It’s Ben again and still no reply.

Instead, Andy feels a nudge on her bent knee. Not a light nudge. Her knees bumped each other with the nudge.

“Hey!” The female voice calls her out.

Andy grips the edge of the front bumper and pulls herself out from the undercarriage. She lifts herself up and wipes her hands on her suit. “Hi, how can we help?” she asks, forcing a smile.

“I need a car wash. Also, I need my chassit cleaned. It’s been raining a lot lately, I think there’s a lot of muck stuck underneath it.”

Ben can be heard letting out a hastily repressed chuckle. Andy purses her lips, fighting the urge to laugh herself. Why does blondie look and sound so irritated?

“Miss, I think you’re lost. We’re not a car wash. You’ve passed by one and there’s another one if you drive directly ahead. And also, it’s chassis,” Ben chimes in.

“What?” Kelly, the blondie, whips her head toward Ben.

“It’s chas-si(s), not chassit,” Ben reiterates, with emphasis on the silent s at the end.

“Whatever.” Kelly rolls her eyes and turns to Andy again. “But customer’s always right, right?”

“I’m sorry, Miss. We’re not equipped for that kind of work here. We’re strictly an auto repair shop,” Andy explains calmly. She can see Ben shake his head in her peripheral vision.

“But can’t you grab a bucket of water or something? I’m sure you can work something out,” Kelly insists, her impatience written all over her face.

“I’m really sorry, we can’t help you,” Andy says firmly. “Ben, can you guide them out of the garage?” She turns around and is about to get back to work when Kelly suddenly snaps at her.

“You’re sorry? Is that how you treat a customer? I want to talk to the manager.” Kelly raises her voice, her face flustered.

Ben points a wrench at Andy. “You’re already talking to the boss.” To prevent things from escalating, Ben offers, “well, if you want, Miss, I can check under your car to see it really needs deep cleaning.” He quickly gathers the hydraulic jack lying nearby and proceeds to her car.

“Get your filthy hands off my car,” Kelly shouts and startles Ben. Jane is just standing beside her, hands clasped behind her back, twisting her body left and right and looking amused.

“What kind of customer service do you have here?” Kelly whines and nods at Jane. “Let’s go. We’re just wasting our time here.”

They watch the car hurriedly back out of the shop.

“Strange. A driver with half a brain can tell apart a car wash from a repair shop,” Ben remarks and Andy slaps his back, laughing.

They can still hear the roar of the engine as Kelly floors it. A crashing sound stops them dead in their tracks. Alarmed, Andy and Ben stare at each other briefly and race outside. But then, the Honda zooms past them, dragging along a severely damaged bumper cover hanging from one side and a broken down exhaust pipe that creates a trail of spark on the road.

Ben scratches his head as they keep an eye on the Honda. “D’you know those girls?”

“No. But I think I’ve seen that car at school.”

“Andy, did those girls come here to mess up with you?” Ben asks, his tone worried and protective.

Andy shrugs. “Please, don’t mention anything to Tio.”

“Of course, Andy. Don’t let their kind ruffle your feather.”

“Oh, Ben. You have so little faith in me. Do I look like someone who’s easily bullied?” Andy flexes her arm.

“Of course not, Boss.” They burst out laughing.