HAUNTED PRINCE by DENIS DANIEL (uplifting books for women .TXT) 📖

at lunch waiting for her and she seemed to be taking longer than she was supposed to. I almost thought she changed her mind that she finally realized that there was no one who could help me; I was a lost course. I sipped on the pineapple juice that I had and started to eat my lunch which was just sandwich, then a person dropped on the chair sitting very loudly.

I couldn’t know who it was because I was looking at my plate which I did a lot. Automatically at first I assumed it was Lexi so I didn’t bother looking up but then the shadow grew bigger and the air felt chiller than usual. I hesitated to raise my head but I had to, so I finally looked up and saw him. Bratt was looking at me with his smug smile like a wolf who has caught his prey in a corner, and in that second I knew the end won’t be pretty. Together with his three bodyguards glaring at me they were going to give me whatever it is that they kept this entire time.

“Hi,” I said trying to keep it cool.

“Hi Steve.” Bratt responded cheerily almost like he meant well, “it’s been a while, you know I’ve been dying to get together with you. You know practices and big matches, of course you wouldn’t know anything about that, because you are nobody. Anyways, I’m here for some catch up.” He snarled,

“What do you want?” I asked,

“You’ll find out soon.” He pointed to his guys to come and grab me.

“Boys,” a voice from behind them called but with Bratt huge form and his guards I couldn’t see who it was, but we all knew who it was so they stopped in their tracks.

Lexi just saved me again from that damn bully. Sometimes I wished he could just get injured really well so that he wouldn’t come to school. He was a bad person always picking on people who are weak; he getting hurt will definitely let some of us breathe. I found myself sigh really loudly like I was just saved from a wild beast.

“We are not done, Steve boy.” He said and walked away with his minions.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you just now. Where the hell have you been?” I admitted,

“Here and there. You know you are not my only business here, right?” she said while sitting right where Bratt was sitting before.

“Actually, I kinda thought I was.”

“Change that, so are you ready to let me help you now or not?” suddenly she was unusually serious totally different from the girl I was used to see.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to risk your life. I don’t think I have to explain my situation to you either. Because pretty much everyone knows about it.”

“Don’t worry about my life. I can take care of myself.” She said curtly as if she was annoyed with my statement.

“Okay.” I backed off.

“So?” she stared at me straight in the eyes.

“I’m in. For the record I won’t be responsible if anything happens to you.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” she said under her breathe but I heard it. “Here is want you are going to do.”

“We are already in a mission?” Quickly I figured I was being an idiot, “sorry, that came out wrong, you were saying?”

“One of Ashley friends is going to have a party at her house tonight. Make sure you take her there and I will meet you there.” I didn’t know how she knew about the party.

“We don’t go to parties because Ashley hate teenage parties, and since no one like me they discounted us from such occasions.”

“They don’t hate her they hate you. So just drop her there and tell her you’ll come to pick her up. And I will come for you from the driveway.”

“Even if Ashley agreed to go mom will never allow us to go.”

“Well, you’ll have to convince her then. Just make sure you get to that party, no excuses.” That was the first time I saw her so serious and firm, like she could kill me if I didn’t show up.

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Good, see you there.” She got up and turn to leave.

“Hey, aren’t you going to art class?”

“No, you go ahead. I have something to do.” She said and then she disappeared to the hallway.

Sometimes it was like school wasn’t all that important to her. And that left me with a question, she was just a teenage girl but why was she acting so different like some busy grown up? She wasn’t concerned with other teenagers’ stuffs; like being beautiful and hanging out with cool crowds or finding a boyfriend. She was here one minute and gone another, she could never settle in one place.

I was the only thing she paid more attention to school than even the classes. It was hard to believe she just wanted to help me and she wanted nothing more. I appreciated that she wanted to help me but still I had my doubts. I didn’t know much about people but I was certain they didn’t go after strangers and offer them help even without being asked. I couldn’t deny it was noble and all, but it was also very suspicious. It is good thing I was going to find out soon enough what she really wanted.

And that’s what I was thinking about when I was in art class. She wanted me to take Ashley to one of her friend’s party and she would come and meet me there. But I had no idea how I was going to do that, how was I supposed to convince Ashley to go to a party she didn’t even want to go? How was I going to convince mom that it was okay to let us go to this party?

I’ve never talked to Ashley about something even remotely related to parties and so that would make it absolutely suspicious for me to tell her to go a party. Besides she knew I hated parties with all the drinking and puking. I watched movies and saw that more times than I could count. Or maybe it was my excuse to not miss that life.

The teacher told us to draw some portrait and he kept looking at me carefully. I knew I wasn’t fully in class but his stare wasn’t more like the usual warning he gave to students. At some point he seemed like he was studying me and he couldn’t really understand me. I wasn’t surprised though, many people didn’t.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 24;

 

 

It was weird for me to study him though; he was short with bearded chin and glass by his eyes which were almost as big as those of old people use. With his long sleeved brown shirt and brown trousers and old school tie shoes. For a person in his late thirties he was pretty out of fashion like he was bone a generation early or something.

He was never like this before though, he used to be nice and charming and comfortable. Even though his dressing were a little off but it was okay. Now he was just a total creep, with his constant staring wasn’t sure if he even blinked. I wonder if that is what midlife crisis was. He kept staring at me and at last I gave up and finished my portrait so I could leave.

But with a strange coincidence soon as I finished my portrait the bell rang and everybody left. Except for me because the teacher wanted to talk to me. I was already creeped enough by him when he was staring the hell out of me, and now he wanted to talk to me! He was sitting on his desk while he pulled something from one of his drawers.

“This is a beautiful painting Steven.” He showed me the paint of the girl with fiery hair.

“It’s nothing, it was just a stupid imagination.” I brushed off his compliment,

“Well then, you have a very good imagination, it’s not stupid. Most artists use their imaginations. I thought you might want to keep it.” He folded the paper and handed it to me.

“Thanks.” I said shortly and rushed for the door. I didn’t want him to start asking questions, which I knew I couldn’t answer.

Before I could get to the parking lot I shoved the painting into my backpack. I didn’t want Ashley to start asking questions either. I could hardly understand the meaning of the painting myself.

By the time I got to the parking lot Ashley was already there. And from the look on her face, she wasn’t in a great mood either maybe somebody pissed her off in her cheerleading routine or something. And as usual she lashed out on me the same thing she always did when she couldn’t find someone to pour her anger at.

“What took you so long? I have been waiting here forever.” She blurted,

If it was anybody else I would’ve been upset but because it was Ashley, I knew that was the only way she was going to get over whatever unsettled her. So I responded politely instead.

“Sorry, my art teacher wanted to talk to me after school.” And as I suspected she quickly realized she just lashed at me.

“Sorry it’s been a crazy day.”

“You wanna talk about it.”

“Yah, but we need to get out of here first.”

I opened the door for her then she got in and I went in after. In no time were on our way home. What upset Ashley was the last thing in my mind at that time. How was I going to convince her to go to a party which I didn’t even know if she wanted to go? And I had to do that before we got home because mom was there and she wasn’t an easy person to see reasons. I remember how she refused to let us to go to so many concerts and parks and camping saying it wasn’t safe.

I realized Ashley was mumbling about something while I was trying to come up with an idea. And that is until she slapped me hard on the cheek. I figured she finished talking and she was angry as a bull and I didn’t hear a word she said. Basically that wasn’t the way I wanted our conversation to start.

“What the hell Ash?” now I was upset as well.

“If you didn’t want to hear about it, you should’ve said so, jerk, arrrgh!!” she groaned,

“But you didn’t have to punch me either way.” I lied because I knew she would try to defend herself and that would be my getaway.

“I didn’t punch you.”

“It felt like a punch, see my cheek is swollen.”

“No, it’s not and it wasn’t a punch. I barely touched you.”

“I forgive you anyway.”

“And I don’t forgive you.” Then she put on her stubborn face which basically that was a sign she wasn’t angry anymore. I think girls are weird that way, once they get whatever is bothering them out they forget about it instantly, or maybe it was my sister who was like that.

“What were you rumbling about exactly?”

“I’m not talking about it anymore.”

“Come on Ash,”

“Don’t call me that, I’m not telling