Love, Hate and the Line

Chapter 2

The car ride took us quite a while. We had to bring David to his school, which was close to the public school Jake and Cam went to but on the other side of town of Serenity Lake Academy. Considering they were already late, I urged them to get out at their school before hopping a bus to SLA's campus.

They had protested at first but I'd consoled them, saying that I had Chemistry lab and that my classes would start later today.

I got a bear hug from Jake and Cam ruffled my hair. 'Have fun on that posh little school of yours,' Cam said, grinning. I scoffed good-naturedly and made my way to the bus stop.

I had to walk for a bit after getting out of the bus because it didn't stop at SLA's campus. It wasn't all that weird, though, as no one who went to the Academy did so by taking the bus.

I didn't mind walking. It cleared my head and gave me room to think. Rest was hard to find at home. There would always be something to do. If it wasn't helping Jake and Cam with their homework it would be making sure David was properly clothed and ready for school. If it wasn't cooking it would be doing the dishes. If it wasn't doing the laundry it would be ironing my dad's shirts.

Still, I would never complain. It wasn't in my character to do so and even if it was, I'd still want to help out as much as I could. My dad worked long hours to pay for the house and Jake, Cam and David's schools.

I was glad that I didn't have a very hard time at school. If I had problems with any of the courses I'd taken up, I wouldn't be able to do as much at home as I did now. Still, because I had so much to do at home and had to keep my scholarship at SLA, I didn't sleep enough. It felt sometimes like I was on a train that never stopped and to be honest, I was constantly tired.

The downside of walking was that the weather wasn't always kind and at the time I reached campus, I was completely soaked.

As I stepped inside the main hall, I couldn't help but gaze at its sheer beauty. It was extremely high, the marble walls sporting a variety of Latin quotes. The main staircase led to the principal's office (although a hall the size of a ball room could hardly be called an office) and the other hallways were filled with offices occupied by the school's board members.

Usually I'd get straight to the Science building since most of my classes were there but I had to sign some papers regarding my scholarship so I had to go to the principal first.

As I made my way to his beautiful albeit slightly ostentatious office, I heard a few men talking. I didn't want to intrude but I had to get to class in a couple of minutes if I didn't want to be late so I walked in.

'Excuse me sir, I didn't want to interrupt but you wanted me to sign a few papers?' I stuttered nervously. The three men that were standing in the room turned around to face me, and I couldn't help but glance at them.

The man who attracted most of my attention stood in the middle, his face sporting a condescending scowl. He was tall and I had to stretch my neck to see his face. I couldn't deny that he was the most attractive guy I had ever seen. His pronounced cheekbones surrounded his piercing hazel eyes and his strong jawline. His chiseled features where completed by his mouth, his lips tilted in an arrogant sneer.

Next to him was a man who looked quite a bit like him, including the scowl. Being about 30 years older, I figured the man was his father. He didn't look quite as handsome as his son but I guess that made sense. I recognized him as Richard Ashford, one of the richest and formerly most influential men on the planet. We had studied him and his business strategies in one of the Finance and Economy classes I took and to be honest, I didn't understand why he did most of what he did. Under his reign, the Ashford capital had grown substantially but the company had gotten a ruthless and controlling attitude. While his father had started the company with the intention of creating a small, steadily growing company to help farmers by giving out loans and producing equipment, Richard Ashford had bought more and more companies for the sole purpose of making money fast. The company had grown but hadn't been stable until his son, who I recognized as the younger man beside him, had started playing a role in the company. His father became ill and Ben Ashford had started to change business strategies under the supervising eye of his grandfather. The company had always been his as his grandfather had decided that his son, Richard Ashford, wasn't capable of leading the company the way he wanted to. To say that there was a lot of pressure on the shoulders of 20-year old Ben would be an understatement.

My principal, meanwhile, looked utterly nervous, being in the intimidating surroundings of the two men. 'Of course, Anna, I'm sorry for forgetting. You can see I'm kind of in the middle of something but I'll get your scholarship agreement papers and put them at Hetty's offi-'

'There are scholarship students in this school?' the younger man suddenly interrupted, looking annoyed and thoroughly disgusted. His father stepped in, but instead of scolding his son, he said: 'How will Serenity Lake Academy protect its prestige if you just let every nobody attend this private school. I thought only high-class students such as my son were attending this academy and I am appalled to find the opposite. I don't want my son being schooled at such a low-class institution.'

His eyes met mine and his lips turned into a disgusted sneer. 'Just look at her, not wearing any sort of uniform and completely soaked. If I hadn't heard otherwise, I'd think this is a school for the homeless.'

I was more than a bit offended. My first instinct was to dent their faces with my fist but I restrained myself and managed to stay calm.

'With all due respect, sir, your assumptions regarding scholarship students are not merely outdated but ridiculously uninformed as well. Judging someone based on their social-economic status or the fact that they actually have to work to achieve something is even worse. If it consoles you, I am the only scholarship student in this entire academy but allowing more of them instead of just another priviliged and spoiled teenager such as your beloved son would certainly improve this school's GPA. Rather than being disgusted at the fact that this school's admissions office doesn't concern itself solely with the thickness of the applying students' wallet, you should be appalled at your own behaviour, as you are being so effortlessly rude. At least a low-class student such as myself knows the difference between being rich and having manners.'

I focused my eyes on Mr. Van Der Waal, the principal. "I will be back to sign those papers, sir. Have a good day."

As I walked out the room, I couldn't ignore the piercing stare of the younger man. I was surprised to see an impressed look on his face before it turned into the condescending scowl he had been sporting earlier.

A/N

Hey everyone, I decided to upload because I had 5 reads (I'm pathetic I know). Two of them were probably mine but I won't let it spoil the fun (=

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