Little Rich Boy

20

I take a long breath before climbing in on the drivers side. I look at what's her face with pure discuss. I hate her. I hate me for doing this, I hate myself for letting this happen to Hadley.

"Relax. Your little goody two shoes will never know." She smiles a sly grin at me, it send uncomfortable shivers down my spine. She places her hand, palm down, on my chest, I instantly freeze. Her touch is like iced knifes. Cold and dangerous. My breath hitches in my throat as her hands roam me, her lips attach themselves to my face, inching closer and closer to my lips. When our lips meet it's like swamp hit water. I hated this completely. I want Hadley to get back into the school, I really do. But not by doing this. This would hurt her more then being kicked out of Witfer.

I detach my lips from hers as I push her away. She's got this surprised look on her face, like she's surprised I actually just pushed her away. Not like she's made of gold or anything, even if she was, she the kind that turns a word colour after two days.

"What are you doing?" She spits at me. "Don't you want dear old Hailey to get back to school?" She's acting like this is the only choice I've got.

"Yeah I do want HADLEY....," I say over pronouncing her name since she called her Hailey. She just rolls her eyes."to get into the school again, but not like this." I point between the two of us.

She crosses her hands over she chest trying to make it more pronounced. That only angers me further. "Dustin, baby, you have no other choice then. They will never let her back in unless I tell them it's not true." She a damed snake, trying to shoot her venoms words and threats at me. My blood boils in anger at her.

I clench my hands into fists, gritting my teeth. I can't even stand her anymore. "Get out." I say low and angry. I kinda surprised myself at how I sounded.

She just sits there, looking at me like I've just degraded her whole family. Might as well, she can't be from a good one if she's like this all the time. "I said get out." I say agin. When she doesn't move again I reach for the handle of my door. Pushing it open and slamming it closed I see her jump in her seat, her eyes filled with fear. Unfortunately for her, I'm beyond caring. I reach her side of my car and rip open the door.

"Get the hell out of my car!" I yell at her. She scrambles out not really knowing what to do now. She face is fearful, shocked.

I slam the door shut and lock it with my keys. "What now Dustin? Hadley can kiss her education goodbye. " she tells me.

What a fake, in my car, when there is nowhere to run to, no way of getting away from me she's a mere mouse, outside when she had the ability to run, she's a mouse in a lions costume. Funny.

"Oh don't worry, whatever you name is," I smirk at her, with angry flare. "Hadley's getting her spot back. I think you're forgetting who I am dear." I smile at her "I'm a fox. And a fox always gets what he wants."

                *                 *               *

I slam the door behind me, his car was in the garage. He's home, he's got to be. Now to just hope that he will actually help me figure this all out. He's a powerful guy, there is a reason we're rich. My dad worked hard for what he has, he sacrifices a lot and is a very influential man in the business world.

I shake my shoes off my feet, keeping my light jacket on, I race to my dad's office. It's typical to have him be in there when he's home this early. He usually just gets home from the office to work in his home one.

Rushing past the kitchen I see someone sitting at the island from the corner of my eye, I walk back to the kitchens and see my father sitting with a coffee at the island. Okay wired..... but perfect.

"Dad" I say with my voice cracking, I didn't realize how upset I was about this situation until this moment.

He looks up from his mug, "Dustin I'm glad to see you, I thought I would leave work early and hang out with you some. Get some father son bonding in." He smiles at me

Gotta give it to him, I give a smile back. Apparently my dads better at reading me then I thought he world be. He can obviously tell something's wrong.

"Dustin? What's wrong son?" He asked leaning on the island in front of him. I take a deep sigh and sit at a stool beside him. I rest my elbows on the island.

"Dad." I look at him. " I really need your help with something." I admit.

He just looks at me, ready to hear what I have to say, so I continue. "It's Hadley.." I start but he cuts me off.

"She's not pregnant is she?" He ask eyebrows raised slightly.

"No dad, she's been kicked out of Witfer. She was attending on full scholarship and they said she cheated though she didn't I helped her study and figure it out. She aced it so they think she cheated and she's not allowed to prove she didn't. They're kicking her out." It comes out like word vomit, inaudible and spoken quickly.

I'm angry and upset, my hands clenched into fists. My dad puts a hand on my shoulder giving me a small squeeze of reassurance that he's here. "Dustin, I know you're upset but I need to to talk slower so I can understand."

I take a breath, " Hadley's been kicked out of Witfer, they took her scholarship away, and they won't let her prove she didn't cheat. " I say again, this time much slower.

"I'm sorry Dustin, but did she cheat? Your positive she didn't?"

"Yes I'm positive! One, she would never put her scholarship at risk and two, I helped her study and practice for that test." I yell to him with a hint of hostility. Not towards him, towards the situation.

His grip on my shoulder listens slightly. "Listen Dustin, if she can maybe take that test again or a variation of it, perhaps that will clear her name?" He suggests. It's actually a great idea. If Hadley could take another test, a do over. She could prove she knows her stuff without a cheating reputation.

"I'll see what kind of Strings I can pull." He sends me a small sympathetic smile, unfortunately the smile fades quickly when my face remains grim. "Dustin?"

"It's all my fault," I tell him hitting my fists on the island, a sharp pain racing up my arms. My fathers hand move to place over mine and hold them down.

"How could it be your fault?"

"Some jealous freshman didn't like the amount of time I spent with Hadley, the care I gave her. She didn't like the fact that I wouldn't sleep with her. She got Hadley kicked out to get back at me." I spit furiously.

"Listen to me... there was no way you could have know what she..." my father starts to say.

I cut him off. "It's my fault, I hate myself or doing this to her." I mumble.

My father takes my shoulders and firmly turns my body so I'm looking straight at him. His eyes trying to send a message that I can't read.

"You made a mistake, so what? I've made many, Dustin it's a part of growing up. Unfortunately there are also crazy people in this world and we can't always tell them apart from others. " I nod my head so he knows I'm at least listening. "Now are you going to feel sorry or are you going to do something about it?"

I got up and walked into my room, slamming the door slightly. I couldn't even speak. He was right I had to fix it. I needed to. It's not right that Hadley was punished because of me. It's not fair. Yeah I can manage to get her a redo test but that's not going to fix her reputation.

That's all this ever comes down to I n the end, a reputation. Be it good or bad, it's something we all want to maintain in some way or another. She's a smart girl, she works hard, name unknown to almost the entire student body but praised by the school faculty. Top mark in the school, best reputation in the last decade, a great story to tell. All that tarnished and broken by one stupid act, caused in a ripple effect to get back at me.