The head boy

Part 47 - Everything has changed

(William's POV)

Everything has changed, or maybe that everything is just back to the way it was months ago...

We all do our jobs, we don't talk, we don't laugh, we barely look at each other.

"William, give me the Kellington file," if a gaze could kill, he would be a murderer. Tom Edmonstone is back to being ruthless, icy cold and secretive.

"Here," I place it on his desk as he keeps scratching paper with a pen while tapping something on his laptop at the same time. We barely see him at The Royal, hell, we barely see anyone at The Royal.

That's the way it is.

"Concerning the vacant position in the administration, should we-"

"Enough with that," Tom cuts Lin off before she gets to finish, "we don't need anyone else, plus, the summer holidays are near and at this time of the year most student are either too focused on their exam or on the prospect of being the perfect example of idleness somewhere on a polluted beach surrounded with noisy families and they're crying babies sipping on a cheap cocktail."

Silence...

"I'm fucking bored..." Lin moans.

"You're not here to have fun, Miss He Zhong, you're here to be a perfect employee, you're here to work hard and you're supposed to do it in silence."

"Fuck you!"

He finally lifts his murderous eyes from his laptop and glowers at Lin, "you're lucky I can't afford to lay off anyone else, and even though our former employee was completely useless it doesn't mean that you and your good work are safe after comparison."

"She wasn't useless and you know it, the baby boy is just sour because he failed at something which is being a comprehensive fucking boyfriend," Lin points at him, standing from her couch as she slowly raises her voice.

Tom stands up too, his fists clenched, for a second I wonder if they're about to fight and then I wonder who would win but I snap out of my thoughts when Tom speaks again, "fuck you."

Yes...everything has changed.

***

We're in the car, on our way back to The Royal after yet another day of boring paperwork in silence. "If I don't get this by tomorrow you're fired and I'll make sure that your whole family gets fired too!" Hearing Tom shout at people through the phone has become my daily routine, I get woken up by the sound of his voice as he threatens people in the morning, I spend hours in his office listening to him as he reminds people that he knows their grandmother's address and would be more than happy to send them the dismissal letter directed to their grandsons and granddaughters and I try to fall asleep with a surprising and deafening silence.

They used to be noisy, full of life, there was laughter and even I didn't enjoy hearing Tom's bed banging against the wall again and again at night. I still miss it somehow...Not in a weird way though.

"I can't bear to work with such imcompetent buffoons anymore..." Tom sighs.

I don't say anything, he might shout at me if I say something wrong and I'm scared I might shout back and lose my job. So I look through the window instead, students are everywhere, walking to their next class, running to the coffee trolley. Most people dropped the coats and scarfs and are now wandering in thin sweaters or jackets. The good days are coming.

I'm randomly scanning the crowd when I notice a girl I know well, Kala, she's beautiful even from the back, it's been difficult for us to see each other since Tom refuses anyone or anything that reminds him of you-know-who (yes he also forbids us from saying her name) into The Royal. But when Kala takes a left, I finally get to see who she's walking with, she-whose-name-shall-not-be-pronounced, I only get to see her for a mere second before they both disappear around a corner.