BANE OF HIS EXISTENCE

Chapter 10:UNWANTED VISITORS

MAYA.

As I stepped out of my last class for the day, a knot of anxiety twisted in my stomach. My best friends, Eric and Sasha, were engrossed in an animated conversation about a supposed legendary party that was rumored to take place over the weekend. But I couldn't afford to indulge in their excitement, not with the weight of Mrs. D's text message lingering in the back of my mind. Her simple yet ominous request to meet her at the Villa after my classes today had left me on edge.

Eric's voice snapped me back to reality, his fingers clicking in front of my face.

"Halloo...earth to Maya!" he teased, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Sasha's expression, however, was laced with concern.

"Are you okay, Maya? You've been spacing out for like...the whole day," she asked, her brow furrowed with worry. I swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump that had formed in my throat.

"I'm fine, guys," I replied, forcing a reassuring smile onto my face. But my friends' skeptical gazes told me they weren't buying it.

I cut off my friends' conversation with a hasty "Sorry guys, gotta drop by the Villa real quick. See you guys later" before making a swift exit to my car. As I drove, my mind began to wander, consumed by questions about Mrs. D's unexpected summons. Why had she asked to see me out of the blue? Did I do something wrong?

I chuckled wryly to myself, thinking about my propensity for getting into trouble. Yikes, indeed! If anyone knew me, they'd realize that I was always getting into some kind of mischief. It was as if trouble had a personal vendetta against me. But, I rationalized, the better question to ask would be: did I do something wrong that I was not aware of?

A sudden jolt of anxiety shot through me as I recalled the hideous-looking, yet ridiculously expensive, flower vase I'd accidentally broken the other day. Oh no, please don't let it be about that! I thought, my heart sinking at the prospect of facing Mrs. D's wrath over my carelessness.

"No, no, no! It couldn't be," I muttered to myself, my mind racing with the possibility that Mrs. D had discovered my secret. I had bought a replica of the vase with her Mastercard, thinking I'd gotten away with it. But now, my conscience was eating away at me. How did she find out? Did that sweet old housekeeper betray my trust?

I let out a string of frustrated curses, banging my head against the steering wheel in exasperation. The car horn blared to life, startling me, and I quickly shut off the engine, stepping out of the car to collect my thoughts.

As I walked away from the car, I tried to concoct a convincing lie. "Remember, Maya, you only took the credit card to buy a vase to replace the one Andrew broke," I told myself, attempting to sound believable. But the words rang hollow. I was not only a thief, but now I was a liar, too? The weight of my actions settled heavily on my shoulders, and I couldn't help but wonder: who had I become?

I stood frozen, my ears perked up as I eavesdropped on the hushed conversation coming from inside the visitor's room. Mrs. D's voice was firm, yet laced with a hint of exasperation.

"I don't understand why you came all the way here without informing me first. I explicitly told you she would hear everything from me first, before anyone else."

Her words were tinged with a sense of warning, and I wondered who she was addressing. Her husband? And what was it that I needed to hear from her first? A shiver ran down my spine as I contemplated the possibility of being sent to one of those notorious reform schools for troubled teens.