Searching for Love, Found Wealth

I walked away from them and joined the line. Since when did Reuben become my problem? They could both argue till death if they liked.

I was too close behind Chris so I moved back. But he turned and gave me a cheeky smile, I casually smiled back.

“Hey, bro” Chloe came behind me and greeted Chris.

“Sup” and he turned back again to move forward as someone left.

The line didn’t move till the next till the next twelve minutes. I was tired of school for a day and wanted to go home. Today was going too long with lost of realizations.

Chloe stretched her neck to see who was delaying and face slammed.

“Who?” Sheena and I said at the same time.

“Who else? The goddess Cara” she whined tiredly.

I kind of knew it would be Cara. She’s been too quiet and hadn’t been acting up. I’d been looking forward to her.

“Hasten your butt, would ya? We still have other classes” Chris yelled at her.

I tried to look over to see what exactly she was doing but my height and Chris’ broad shoulders said no.

It was like she was looking for who’d speak against her cos the moment Chris spoke she bounced to us.

A student among us wanted to use the chance to move forward to sign but Cara blocked the student and pushed her backwards.

“Hey Chris, you ask like you even care about the class. Like you aren’t hoping for today’s school classes to end” she eyed him from head to toe.

“Well yeah, help me hurry so the classes would end then” he replied.

She returned to the table and still stood there doing nothing.

Jasper walked away from the line. Reuben looked back to ask him where he was heading to but Jasper zoomed out of the gym hall.

There was no gym teacher to control us so Cara just stood there, unmoving.

When Reuben saw Sheena, Chloe and I behind him, he dragged Jacob by the hand and came behind us.

“Ladies first” he pushed Chloe, Sheena and I ahead. Chloe looked confused but Sheena just thanked him. I said nothing. To avoid sparking another Reuben talk.

“Cara, I haven’t said anything you know” Jennifer sighed. She was directly behind Cara.

Cara faced her with a smug grin. It was obvious to me that Cara had been waiting for Jennifer’s reaction.

“What does our Class rep. have to say? Cara teased.

Cara must have been feeling sore about her rival being the class rep. Like she could have done a good job if she was given the position?

“Hurry up. We have other classes” Jennifer said calmly.

Cara shook her head and kept on resting at the desk.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

My phone beeped. I carefully took it from my pocket and saw a message from Charles:

“Come out of the school now. I brought lunch for you”. I reread the message to be sure I wasn’t dreaming.

“Boyfriend?” Sheena asked from behind Chloe. I looked up to her.

Reuben was behind her and had heard her, he was looking at me suspiciously. I’d use suspiciously not jealously.

“Um… no. My friend. He’s outside the gate. I have to hurry” I said to her.

Reuben looked back. He turned back and avoided my steady gaze at him. Okay, that was weird.

Jasper came back with two snack pack and handed them to his brother and Reuben, “Since we won’t be leaving anytime soon and I’ve sworn not to interfere with Cara’s madness” he scoffed as he gave them.

Jacob smiled and tore the pack open. Reuben still avoided my gaze so I turned before Jasper caught me staring and assumed things.

“So Cara can I hurriedly sign? I have to leave now?” I spoke up to Cara.

She acted like she didn’t hear me. Chloe gave me an unsure look but I didn’t plan of standing for twenty minutes just bearing with her personality disorders.

“Hurry and sign. You don’t have a signature or you enjoy attention?” I folded my hands as I broke off my the line.

Jacob’s snack fell from his hands. He staring at me surprised.

Yeah, I was very sure no one spoke to Cara like that but if Charles was with a delicious meal outside for me then I gotta go.

Cara stormed to me and stopped in front of me, “You want a piece of me?”.

“No. Full body out of that desk? Yes” I replied without hesitation.

She pulled my shirt and looked into my eyes, “I don’t care who your mom is…”.

I swung her hand away and pushed her into the desk, her back hitting against the desk’s edge.

“What are you doing?” Sheena whispered to me but Chloe clapped in tiny.

“Don’t involve my mom in this. She’s too busy to be dragged into your personality issues. You can stand in front of the desk when everyone else is done signing. Stop being a pest” I yelled at her.

I signaled for Jennifer to sign but she didn’t move. Fine, I signed and walked off.

Really hoping that the meal Charles brought was worth my drama. One thing I won’t be regretting is warning Cara to let my mom be.

Mom is really too tired to be dragged in all her stupid talks.

The gateman gave me a suspicious look before letting me go outside the gate. He followed me and saw the car outside.

He then raised four fingers meaning four minutes. I nodded and dashed towards the car.

I flexed my fingers for the attack I was about making on Charles.

“Heyyy” he waved.

I slammed the car behind me and went straight for his neck, attempting to choke him.

“This caller cannot be reached. This caller cannot be reached. How dare you put me on voice note” I gagged at his neck.

He tore my hands off his neck and gasped for breath.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been hanging out with Cara the tigress from your school. How has your grip become stronger?!” he frowned.

I stopped my hands from reaching his neck, “You know the jerk Cara?”.

He frowned deeper, “Don’t tell me you guys had a bad start now”.

What? He really knew her. And bad start? Who wouldn’t have a bad start with someone like her!

~~~~~~

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What? He really knew her. And bad start? Who wouldn’t have a bad start with someone like her!

“I know Cara. She’s not as bad as she seems” Charles said.

I began laughing hard. He looked confused.

“Is she the friend you had monitor me. No wonder she knew about mom’s job. Really?” I just couldn’t stop laughing.

If she was, why was she a jerk to me at first? That girl was just beyond understanding.

“Why not. She’s a good person” Charles said confused.

I wanted to pat his head and tell him how toxic his friend could be but I couldn’t stop laughing so I swallowed my words.

“How bad are you two?” he flicked my head.

I turned back to see the food box and I stretched to reach it. He pulled me back.

“What? Food is in there. And I have only three minutes left” I sulked. He smiled and brought it to me.

I wasn’t disappointed as fried chicken was in there. I grabbed the fork and dived in.

“Cara, Cara, Oh gosh, Cara must not have known you are my friend early. She really said she’d be good to you” Charles kept on complaining.

I shrugged as those chicken wings were taking me to cloud nine already.

“Oh, also, I brought those from that Chinese restaurant. I’m glad it survived the travel. There’s another restaurant here though” Charles patted my head.

The pat made me feel like some good old dog but I didn’t mind. I’ll bark if he wanted. Nothing beats friend chicken, ever.

I had to take the remaining along with me when the gate man came to the gate and waved at me.

“Thanks a lot for this. I’d try to be nicer to Cara, promise” I licked my mouth. He chuckled but nodded.

I held the food box close to my heart as I returned to class. I hoped a teacher wasn’t in but one was. She didn’t mind me and just continued her teaching.

“What did he bring?” Chloe pushed Sheena to peer into my food box.

I shoved it away from her. “He brought food. For me” I had to draw that line. She smiled and raised her hands in surrender. I smiled back at her.

Sheena pushed Chloe back to her seat and returned my notes she had been helping me copy.

I thanked her but she dismissed it as that was what friends do.

I was glad to have a friend finally.

“Stop saying cringe things girl, she’s just repaying the favor for making Cara leave the desk. That’s all” Chloe snickered.

She may look like a hard ball of ice bit I knew Chloe was as chattering and fun as she could be.

The teacher hurried through class and didn’t even bother give us a classwork. She did give an assignment. One that was dreadful.

I rushed to the cafeteria with my food box and wallet. Chloe kept on asking me my friend made it himself.

According to her, eating food made by the opposite gender brings good luck. Wondering where she heard that from.

I tried ignoring Reuben’s burning gaze as Sheena, Chloe and I ate at the cafeteria later that day.

I had hoped Charles’ friend was him. But it had to turn out to be Cara. Of all people, Cara.

I didn’t see Cara around the cafeteria. Maybe sulking somewhere. Good for her.

“Are we not going to say anything about how Reuben is shamelessly staring at you?” Sheena grunted.

“Shamelessly? Like who cares” Chloe spoke with food in her mouth.

I made a disgusting face at her while nodding to Sheena.

“Maybe he thinks I was cool for standing up to Cara”.

“Maybe” Sheena said back to me and gulped down her remaining orange juice.

Chloe gazed into his eyes and tore her sandwich piece by piece. She locked her lips as she did and left me wondering what her aim was.

I asked what she was doing and she said she was trying to ‘break his concentration’. If that wasn’t jealousy, I don’t know what was.

Sheena and I giggled about her while she was busy breaking whatever. Reuben must have turned to her as she have him a flirtatious wink.

“Gosh Chloe” Sheena bowed her head in shame. I stifled in my laughter.

“Reuben called me over to their table” Chloe whispered in my ears then ran out of our table.

Sheena looked offended and glared at them. I dared not turn and hoped on Sheena to tell me what was happening behind me.

Sheena’s face turned from angry to disgust and then to confusion and then to amusement. Chloe soon came stomping back.

Funny enough, her remaining sandwich had been buttered.

“He said he thought I wanted the butter he was using on his bread. Like who gives a flirtatious wink to mean asking for bread butter” Chloe stared down at her sandwich on disgust.

“What then did you want from him?” Sheena asked but Chloe looked away frowning. She held her chest while gasping for breath as she kept on silently laughing.

It reminded me of my chicken and though, very unwilling, I shared it with Chloe. She couldn’t eat buttered food, I guess it was some allergy.

Well, Reuben and his humor struck again. Like who buttered sandwiches?

Finally the day came to an end. School bus shuttle had begun as it was the new week.

Sheena and Jennifer used the shuttle. I noticed Jasper and Reuben sued it but Jacob stayed back.

“He was banned from using the shuttle cos he bothered everyone so usually Jasper goes home to bring their car to pick him up” Chloe explained.

“Why not he just walk home?” I asked.

“No, they lived very far. So I heard” Chloe answered.

She waved bye as she walked on her own. She could have waited for my driver but she was going the opposite direction.

Our class was almost empty except for Nancy, a teacher’s daughter and a sleeping boy who I guess was called Tom. And me, of course.

A man came to call me and I happily hopped outside, waving bye to Nancy.