The Fundamentals of the Wealthy

Are All Teenagers This Angsty?

“What was that Mr. Raleigh conversation about?” Ryan prodded me, the second we escaped Victoria’s manicured clutches. We had left just as the skyline tinted a cotton candy pink, as Ryan had to do and redo her makeup dozens of times, when she kept changing her mind about which color scheme she wanted.

I watched my roomate for a few moments, sizing him up. He seemed trustworthy, and an honest worker. I so I told him, describing the general guideline of Mr. Raleigh’s special project, but, obviously, leaving out the contract. I wasn’t sure of the legal terms that came with it.

His brown eyes glittered eagerly with the juicy gossip, expanding with every sentence.

“So he’s trying to get with Victoria? Really? Her??”

I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, “Maybe she was really nice in high school.”
Ryan guffawed.

We passed the Raleigh house on our way to the apartment, and as if waiting behind the window the entire time, Mrs. Raleigh burst through the Victorian gate with a booming slam.

Ryan screamed, and I fell onto the sidewalk. I thought my heart stopped working.

“Piper! I need you to watch Andrea and her friends! I have another party to go to!” She ordered anxiously, jogging in place and holding a foil wrapped pie dish, “This apple pie is all organic, non-GMO, wild farmed, sugar free, and the apples are imported from China! One slice is only five and a half calories!”

I held my heaving chest, still recovering, and raised a thumbs up.

“Gotta run!” Mrs. Raleigh darted down the sidewalk like a headless chicken, calling behind her, “And make sure Andrea doesn’t get into the wine cabinet!”

“Wait!” I regained my breath and brushed off my jeans, standing and calling, “Were you even invited?”

Her footsteps faded quickly, and after several seconds came her response, muffled, “No!”

“That lady sure has some stamina,” Ryan squinted, hands on his hips, watching Mrs. Raleigh’s figure grow smaller and smaller.

“She runs around a lot,” I chuckled.

“Who’s Andrea?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

We let ourselves in and headed to the kitchen, where the teen was sitting at the island with a few of her friends. Some of which looked a bit older than high school age.

I dropped my bag on a stool and glanced at one of the guys who looked like he could be working as a branch manager in Scranton.

Andrea’s blue eyes rolled towards mine, and she groaned.

“Oh my god. I thought Laura fired you already! I’m gonna have to talk with that woman,” She side-eyed her friends and gave a little smirk. Her friends raised their eyebrows. I found that Andrea really liked to show off in front of her friends, calling Mrs. Raleigh by her first name whenever her mother wasn’t around to make it seem like she was the head.

The girl hated me - probably because Mrs. Raleigh always made me tell her her punishment, so she wouldn’t have to do it.

“No, I’m still here. And where did you get that?” I lunged over the island and snatched the beer she was holding, dumping it out in the sink before she could protest, “You’re sixteen! You should be playing board games or something!”

“Oh my god,” One of her friends held her bottle protectively, shielding it, “That’s like, such a waste! Andy, you’re gonna let your nanny boss you around? I thought you said you paid her!”