19. Adeline
1688 Words
ADELINE
It’s been three days. Yeah, you’re right, three days since I made a deal with the devil in expensive suits and agreed to sign my life over to him. And that was enough time for whatever voodoo that had been at work when I made that deal to wear off. Now, all I could think about was how much I would have to give up, fine, I had given a few terms, but if I was being honest I didn’t even want to be within a hundred feet of the man. He was infuriating, lacked basic human decency and worse of all, was blind to it all.
I would be giving up what little pride I had left to get rid of the blogs, blogs that wouldn’t have existed if he was just a normal person and stayed away! Was it really worth it? Was it worth it to give up all that and still give up being in a relationship, building a life, an actual one with someone outside the contract. That had been part of the contract last time. s**t. I should have added that to my terms. Why hadn’t I even considered that?
I swiped my earbuds from the bed before heading out. The ‘breathable’ leggings clung to my body like a second skin but thankfully it wasn’t tight enough to give me a wedgie before I made it to the living room and out of the house.
The sky was still quite dark save for the leftover light from the moon which was no longer visible when I looked up. The cold morning air teased my cheeks as I began with slow steps. There was a park nearby, I should be there and back before the sun comes up.
The further I brisk walked away from the house, the quicker my steps became, the calmer my mind was. Since I left his office, I hadn’t been able to stop the invading thoughts of the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybe I shouldn’t’, it was already reaching its peak of bothersome and now, I had to deal with school too.
Thanks to Damian who I got to meet through the little s**t devil, Grayson, I received the confirmation mail from New Brown two nights ago.
I bent over on my knees and forced air into my lungs, sweat trickled down my forehead and onto my gray tank top. Youtube lied. Mornings walks were not relaxing in any way. I felt like the grim reaper was beckoning to me and my heart was threatening to go with him.
I was supposed to resume today. My first day of college. It was long overdue, but no amount of re assurance from Kris and Jay had stuck passed a few minutes. The blogs were still going crazy, I swear the creativity they’ve shown with how easily new derogatory names popped up for me was scary.
I had no choice though. I tried to picture it but going back into a contract with Grayson just seemed like going back to my cage, only this time it would be of my own making.
I was winded by the time I made it to the park and the only thing that stopped me from not jumping on the next available cab back, was the fact that there wasn’t any in sight. I almost tear up at the thought of doing it all again, almost.
The walk back was surprising easier than the first though and I made it back home before 6, before Kris woke up from her man candy dreams.
It took me exactly an hour to get dress. I wanted to be excited, I mean I was when I left Grayson’s mansion, but now? With everything going on, excitement was almost impossible to find.
“Hey sleepyhead! It’s only a dream, I’m off!” I screamed in Kris’s room and ran off giggling before she could chug a vase my way.
Life buzzed all around as I made my way down street and closer to the highway to get a cab. The last time I went to New Brown for the registration, it felt like a journey and I was sure today was going to be no different. Maybe I should get a place closer to campus? There goes another reason the contract was a bad idea, Grahyson would never agree to me living anywhere else but his mansion because of Johnny, it was closer to campus than Jay’s, but still…One problem at a time Adeline.
The large expanse of free land covered in well trimmed grass came into view in almost an hour and the cab slowed to a stop at the open gate. I paid, thanked him and walked the rest of the distance to the auditorium. My thighs screamed with every step I took but the adrenaline coursing through my veins numbed it.
The open area just before the entrance to the main auditorium was abuzz with at least fifty different faces, all of which were in groups. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out which group was which. I hate to be stereotypical but the jocks all had the typical jersey kind of look, the cheerleaders had tennis skirts and crop tops, the nerds had their glasses, the gamers had this look about them and their signature ruffled hair.
A shrill sound broke through all the noise. The auditorium bell was nowhere in sight but it was loud enough to cut through the noise to pass its message. The freshers orientation was about to begin. I hastened my steps, stumbling just a little when I took in just how big the auditorium was. Chairs were stacked in a stadium type of setting, all meeting at a common point, the podium.
I snaked my way through the mass of people. The whispers always followed until I walked by and then it would suddenly go quiet until I was passed them. At first, I chalked it up to mere coincidence, but when it happened a second time, then a third with a different group of people, it became harder to lie to myself. I was overthinking things again, surely they couldn’t tell from just seeing me in person for the first time.
I found an empty space five seats from where the cheerleaders sat. I sunk into it and kept my head low just incase.
A man in his late fifties took to the podium and droned on and on about what the school rules were and all that jazz, but for the life of me, I didn’t hear passed New Brown is well on its way to an being an ivy league school.
It felt like years after before we were asked to head to our respective classes. I sprung out of there like I was about to be staked and who knew, maybe I was about to be with the accusing looks on the faces of the cheerleaders as I walked passed them. That can’t be good. I shoved the thought to the back of my mind, but I could only live in denial for so long.
I exited through the opposite end of the auditorium from where I had entered earlier, it opened up with an equally large hallway with troughs of students. A hush settled in the hallway the moment I stepped into it. Maybe the whispers were in my head but the eye daggers directed at me were definitely not.
It was everywhere. I might have been imagining things, but it was getting louder. The farther into the hallway I got, the louder they got, the bolder the stares got. The walls closed in around me, my chest tightened making it harder to breathe. Unable to bear it anymore, I entered the first classroom I saw and slammed it shut behind me.
I rested against the door and forced air through my mouth. It felt like I was suffocating.
“Are you okay?” I almost bent my neck with how quick I turned towards the voice.
I relaxed a little when I saw who it was. It was Damian, Grayson’s friend. “I’m fine.” I managed to say.
He went quiet for a moment, “Is it the rumours?” He suddenly asked after a moment of awkward silence.
“What rumours?”
He tilted his head to the side like he was trying to decide if I was for real or just lying.
“They know about the blogs.” He shrugged like he didn’t just confirm the one thing that was going to make my time there a living hell.
“Grayson said he would take care of that.” Even before the words left my mouth, I knew how it sounded.
“When you signed the contract, he has done his part, revised the terms you insited on, but your signature isn’t on the paper.” I figured, but still…I hoped he would have a change of heart.
“He told you about that?”
“He’s my bestfriend.”
“How am I even sure he would be able to do anything now? everyone already knows.” I remained at the door, a safe distance from him.
“What they know is what they read. Change the story and it’s gone. If Grayson says he can reverse it, believe him. He can and he will.” He said so passionately you’d think he was talking about someone else, not the asshole Grayson. “And I would personally make sure he does his part.” He held my gaze. I had my doubts about Grayson but Damian had never done anything to embarrass or belittle me.
“Fine. I’d go finalize things with him after class.”
“You really want to go back in there?”
“Not really.”
“Figured. I could take you to his office.”
What the hell? Might as well. “Alright.” I said, pulling the strap of my bag tighter.
She finally pushed past it and decide tjat she was going to sign it.
- Writer
