The Trinity girls are a mysterious lot.
Every day at noon, standing in the middle of the town square, they hand out flyers to a church no one will attend.
Under a dare, delinquent high schooler Simian dares to pick a pamphlet.
Scribbled, in a tiny...
Jacob gripped his left hand attempting to control its trembling.
Simian had not arrived.
"Call him again," Wekesa said.
Harry obliged dialing Simian for the 5th time.
It was almost noon and there was no sign of him anywhere. Jacob was unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Only one person wins?" he asked Wekesa.
Wekesa sat up, looking over Jacob one more time. This kid was desperate to win but had done nothing about it so far. "Well, I only have one car."
Jacob set into a panic, if Simian won he was as good as stuck in the town for another year. The car would fast track his leaving. Things were getting bad at home. His father was bubbling over with more rage than what he and his mother were used to. Yesterday, he threatened to leave Jacob homeless and withdraw any funding for his university education.
"I'm going," Jacob said as he inched towards the door.
Justin furrowed his brows, "Where?" he sat by the door looking up each time someone passed the shop. He wasn't sure what his plan was when Simian arrived.
Wekesa chuckled, "To the girls? Are you serious?"
Jacob declined to answer and moved towards the door. Harry slow clapped as Wekesa stared in gleeful delight.
"Wait, wait wait?" Wekesa said, "Which girl?"
The faces of the Trinity girls flashed in his mind. He had seen some of them for a while. The probability of one of them responding to his flirtations was highly unlikely. They had been in Trinity too long.
"The new girl."
Justin looked up, "The one Simian talked to?"
Wekesa cackled, "What?!!"
"Get out!" Harry exclaimed.
To Jacob it was simple. She was new, less influenced by the church thus more likely to be swayed. However, Jacob couldn't rid the feeling he'd seen her somewhere-
"Go for it," Justin chimed in.
Harry and Wekesa's faces dropped.
"Well, hello dark side," Wekesa commented. Justin had never been on his side before.
"I can't believe I'm seeing this!" Harry chirped.
"Its-I- Let's shake things up," Justin cleared his throat, "I'm just bored. Something should have happened by now."
Wekesa lifted a fist, "Go forth little Jacob."
Jacob didn't wait.
Harry and Wekesa gathered by Justin.
"He's going to fail so bad," Wekesa said.
"Bomb," Harry agreed.
Justin offered nothing. Jacob had a fearful air about him, no way would any girl think of him as anything but a project. He hoped the gods smiled down on him today and Jacob got the girl. Then maybe Simian... He pushed Simian out of his thoughts, keeping a keen focus on Jacob standing inches away from the clock tower waiting for the girls to alight.
The girls stood in their usual line. Jacob locked eyes with Violet.
She looked past him her eyes searching. Jacob's face fell.
"Violet," the minder called.
Violet dropped her gaze.
His entire life had been was books, tutoring, home, and the restaurant. Girlfriends were for cool people. People who didn't have to hide burn marks and skip birthday lunches trying to hide from their knife-wielding father. He sucked in a breath. He was going to have to try.
Jacob made a beeline for her.
Something flashed before him.
Simian.
"What are you ladies up to?"
The Trinity girls froze, looking to their minder, a middle-aged woman dressed like a tourist guide. She too was dumbstruck. People insulted them but never talked directly to them.
Simian's curls were tied in a bun. He wore his usual jeans and plain black t-shirt combo but something about him seemed unhinged. Intense. Jacob took in his boring sweater and pants. He paled in comparison.
The minder turned to the girls her voice high and melodic, "Ladies, the man asked you a question?"
A short confident girl walked up to Simian holding out a pamphlet, "We are the Trinity Church, all are welco-"
Violet slapped the pamphlet away.
The girls went silent.
Jacob was unsure if he should move towards Simian or not.
Violet squared up to him.
"If you're interested in the church, here," she pushed a pamphlet from her pile into his hands, "If not, I ask you and your friends to stop trying to disrespect us. Please."
Violet stepped back in line ignoring the minder's fierce look.
Simian chuckled as he took the pamphlet.
Turning, he realized Jacob standing behind him. He slipped an arm around Jacob's shoulder and walked back to the shop.
Inside, the boys were silent.
"What was that?" Harry ventured.
Simian ignored them and sat further inside the restaurant. The boys tagged after him.
"Go back," he barked.
"What?" Justin answered
"I'll explain later, just don't crowd me."
The boys did so.
The boys sat in palpable confusion. Justin noticed the girls' minder peering into the shop. He said nothing.
Jacob served them a bare lunch of rice and beans. They watched as Simian scuffed it down.
The energy around him was crackling. He never let the pamphlet go.
4 PM struck and the girls whizzed by in their white van. It had barely left the boy's vision when Simian opened up the pamphlet.
Justin ran to him first. The boys followed.
Simian perused to the back of the glossy pamphlet. Pictures of happy families smiled up at him.
And there it was.
Justin spotted it. Wekesa blinked at it. Jacob ran back to the window, his eyes following the van as it drove out of town. Harry looked to Simian and back at the pamphlet.
Simian ran fingers through his hair. He laid the pamphlet back on the table, his index finger slowly tracing over the tiny scribble lodged in the middle of sentences...
Help
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
*Simian and his secrets! Stay tuned for the explosive reason Simian was late in the next chapter* If you like the story so far, consider voting or leaving a comment. Thank you for keeping up with the story!
