Solo

Chapter 4

Wes walked through the front gate of his new house. The house seemed to be in a great neighborhood and was smaller than what his family was used to in OC. They were only staying for a few months, so his parents thought it was better to have a small home, just for the experience. He entered the front door of the newly decorated home. He had always found it to be ridiculous that by the time he had gotten to a new home, everything had been completely unpacked by the staff. He wondered what amount of money his parents used to not see a packed box once in a move. Wes attempted to walk straight to the stairs to avoid any contact with his family.

"Hello?" Wes froze for a moment, realizing he was being noticed. He turned and headed towards the kitchen where he could hear his mother cooking. "Hey." "Oh, you're here! How was school?" Wes's mom gave him a smile and caring eyes as he walked towards her. He gave her a look unsure of why she asked him that. There must be a camera. It was a common theme of hers to pretend as if she cared about his day when cameras were present. Wes learned that quickly. She was wearing a red apron and had flour on her face. Wes scanned the room and found exactly what he was looking for. The cellphone. "You're live right now?" She turned from what she was doing and smiled, "I sure am. I'm making cookies." She pulled Wes closer to her and pinched his cheek in the direction of the camera. "Look at my handsome son. He's single and about to graduate. Big things ahead of him at Ducre!" Wes managed to slip from her grasp. "I'm good on making cookies. I have homework. I need to go." "Okay, bye son! I'll see you at dinner time!" 

Her words hit him in the chest. He walked away with a broken feeling. He held in the tightness in his chest until getting to his room. How could she say that? Why would she say that? His parents hadn't eaten dinner with him in over three years. The thought of those words being something his mother was comfortable lying to the world about brought an unexpected pain. He knew she had her issues with their family, but that felt too far. His mother was a model for years before he was born. After she married his father and had Wes her life wasn't the same. She spent the last 18 years ashamed of the physical conditions his birth brought to her. Wes always figured since he caused her pain, her pushing him away made her feel better about herself. It was very important to his father that they gave a good look in the media. His mother twice a week would go live and connect with the small following she had left. 

Wes was always expected to be there and to look good at least for a minute. He took out his laptop and checked his email. He clicked on an opened message from CSU. Congratulations, you have been accepted into... Just a few more months, and I'm out of here. Wes wasn't crazy about going to school for Communications and Business, but anything would be better than to spend even more time with his family. Wes loved his father, but he was always talking about the company. He knew that once he graduated the pressure of being the heir to Ducre was going to be even heavier. His father, like his grandfather, gave his whole life to Ducre. Wes was sure that he wanted to continue the company for his family but lived in constant fear of being just like his father. 

 He started going through his backpack and looking at the reading list for his final classes before graduation. Though he wasn't excited about going to a new school, he found that the academics were up to par with how he wanted to finish this year. His teachers were all kind; his classmates were not that interesting. Well, except for Isa. He thought she was funny. She didn't seem fazed by his cold demeanor. Wes opened his phone and looked up Isa on Picgram. "Isa Jones. Hmm." He looked at the photos of her wearing ballet clothes. She's a dancer? That's- Wes stopped himself from the train of thought he was beginning to go down. He saw her with her two friends in the next picture. They seem nice. He kept scrolling and saw pictures of Isa with her father. He was a nice tall black man. His eyes were kind and somewhat sorrowful. He liked that she seemed to have a father who cared for her. 

He was glad that she seemed to have people who loved her in her life. He had noticed that she wasn't very popular at school. One blonde girl was rude to her in the hall before class that morning. He didn't understand why she wasn't popular. He found her charming and kind. When he bumped into her on the sidewalk, he almost couldn't speak. She was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid eyes on. She made him nervous with her confidence and warmth. He loved how she stood out with her dark skin, beautiful eyes, and gorgeous smile. Wes, you can't go there. Graduation. He let go of his lingering thoughts about Isa and continued his studies. If he gets through graduation, he can dip. He promised himself he wouldn't get involved in a friendship that wouldn't last long. Not this time. Not again.