Double Life - Book 1 of the Vaiya Series (26 page)

Eddy wasn’t the smartest; even his team
members couldn’t always compensate. Not knowing what he could’ve
gotten, Ian simply guessed. “B+?”

“A+.” He smiled. “And it’s all thanks to my
good friend Alan and zany ole Jasmine.”

Ian nodded pleasantly. “I’m glad to see you
three finally getting along.”

Here Eddy threw his hands up in the air. “You
wish.” An evil smirk. “I made them do all the work.”

Reality settled. He didn’t even want to know
what had happened. “That’s not very nice.”

“It doesn’t have to be. The losers seemed
happy that I included them at all.”

“Eddy.” He sighed angrily, then dismissed his
thoughts as suddenly as they’d come upon him. What Eddy did was
beyond his control. He just had to accept it. Besides, he’d
promised to be nicer to Eddy so that meant no more jabs, no more
punches, no more yelling at him, at least not until he really
deserved them.

Despite his nonviolent way of addressing the
issue though, Eddy didn’t seem too thrilled about it. His face
showed obvious signs of irritation. “Ah come on, Ian. It’s not as
bad as you think.” He shrugged. “I watched them draw the diagrams
and write the descriptions. I even helped proofread the final
document.”

Ian raised an eyebrow, half-smiling. “Well,
I’m glad you at least did something,” he said, trying to keep the
sarcasm from his voice as he patted Eddy on the back, letting go of
his frustration. “But next time split the work evenly. You plan on
going to college, don’t you?”

Eddy only grinned.

Bewildered, about to ask him what he was
trying to imply, Ian heard somebody say his last name and
instinctively turned around, gazing into the hostile eyes of Kenn
Ashton, his friend Jeff Burnes trailing only a few steps behind
like a dark shadow.

Uneasy, Ian tried to make small talk.“Yeah,
hey, Kenn. What’s new?”

But Kenn disregarded the question, as if
below his dignity, resentfully brushing his long black hair to the
side, a stiff cold tone in his voice. “Making new friends I see,
Hansen.”

“Yeah, I am,” he said, tensing at the bitter
tone, wondering where he was going with this.

A faint sneer crossed his face. Then he
scoffed. “Bet you love surfing the wave of popularity. Life must be
a real treat, Hansen.”

Ian’s eyes widened, startled by his words and
even more disturbed that he kept calling him by his last name.
“Well, it’s not bad, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Nodding his head ever so slightly, Kenn
lowered his eyes into slits and glared unflinchingly at Ian, his
tone cutting into Ian like razors: “The sea’s fun now, Hansen, but
the big waves are comin’. Get out of the water before you get
hurt.”

As if he’d uttered some profound wisdom meant
to help Ian, he smirked, an arrogant look taking over his face as
if Ian should tell him “thank you”. Then his eyes darkened, as he
looked over at Jeff Burnes and whispered something to him. Giving
Ian another dirty look, Kenn, further malice left unspoken, walked
towards his algebra II class with Jeff, strutting like a rich kid
who’d won a popularity contest.

Eddy just shrugged his shoulders and shook
his head. “What’s his problem, man?”

“I wish I knew,” he murmured, wondering where
all these water references were coming from. Kenn used to be on the
swim team, but somehow he didn’t think that that had anything to do
with it.

Wiping the irritation from his face, as Eddy
muttered something about Kenn being a spoiled brat, he then walked
into Spanish class with Eddy, deeply unsettled. The only good thing
about this encounter was that at least Eddy could see for himself
how repulsive Kenn was. However, besides that, the conversation had
all been negative and Ian wished it had never happened; it left him
with a premonition that he’d only seen the tip of the iceberg of
Kenn’s mysterious resentment, and a deep sinking feeling in his
stomach told him that something bad were about to happen.

“We’re here.” Jimmy pulled into Shadowcrest
Manor and parked his truck. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He unbuckled,
opened the door, and stepped outside into the scorching heat.

Ian copied his movements, trying to find the
opportune moment to tell Jimmy that girls would be eating with
them. “Yeah.” As Eddy, who’d been texting Skyler, a sign of their
improving relationship, finally stepped out of the truck, Ian
stared at the large building: short gray stone walls encircled it,
except for an opened gate and a red brick pathway where people
could enter the restaurant. Lush gardens surrounded the outside of
the walls, and turrets arose from the thick stone building in the
center. So far, this place was definitely exceeding his
expectations. If it were just the three of them, this place would
definitely be enjoyable.

Thinking that maybe some small talk would
make the awful revelation easier for Jimmy, he asked, “So, Jimmy,
why’s it called Shadowcrest Manor? It looks more like a castle to
me.”

“Because this was how manors in the Middle
Ages looked,” he replied astutely, plucking a mere drop from his
vast depth of medieval knowledge. “A castle would have much higher
walls than this and would likely not have the lush gardens around
it as a castle is built primarily for defense.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Ian hesitated,
hating to ruin the moment for Jimmy but knowing that if he delayed
too long it would only make things worse. After a brief pause, he
eventually looked Jimmy in the eye. “Anyway, man, just so you know,
Hazel and her friends are going to be eating out with us.”

“What?” Jimmy’s jaw dropped suddenly, his
face reddening, his palms instantly growing sweaty. “You waited
until last minute to tell me this?”

“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d care.” An
obvious lie. Why couldn’t he just tell the truth one of these
times?

“Didn’t think I’d care? I can’t believe
this!” He ranted, as he gazed at himself in the car mirror and
straightened his curly black hair, his cheeks already pale. “I
can’t talk to girls--you know I can’t.”

“Calm down, man; I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
Eddy stood outside in the hot muggy air, feeling it a good time to
add in his two cents. “Just relax. They don’t bite you know.” He
smiled menacingly. “At least not very often.”

Irritation lit up his face like a torch
inflames a pile of wood. His rant was far from over. “This is
unbelievable! Why didn’t you guys warn--”

“Hey, guys,” Hazel greeted them cheerfully
and walked up to them, ignoring Jimmy’s outburst, and completely
silencing him.

“Hey, Hazel,” replied Ian and Eddy at nearly
the same time, Ian’s tone sounding startled at seeing her.

But Hazel didn’t seem to notice. Facing Ian,
keenly observing him, she remarked on his outfit. “You look sharp
today, Ian.”

“Thanks,” he replied, while subconsciously
looking down at his yellow-collared shirt, plain white undershirt,
faded blue jeans, and new white tennis shoes, noting what type of
clothes to wear in the future. “So, you ready for this?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Hazel nodded with
excitement as her two friends came alongside her. “I can’t wait to
try Shadowcrest’s famous barbeque chicken and lemon mousse dessert.
I’m so hungry--I haven’t eaten since school.”

“Me neither,” he said with enthusiasm, his
mouth beginning to water. “You ready to head in then?”

“Of course! It’s like 90 out here.”

“Yeah, it’s a blazing inferno.” He chuckled.
“Let’s get outta here.”

As they all headed over to the restaurant in
a group chatting with each other, Jimmy trailed behind them like a
wet ghost. Faint, his eyes jittery, his face a concoction of pained
anger and sickly shame, Jimmy was completely out of place, like a
ragged orphan dining with three princesses, or a lone priest
conversing with a band of thieves. Ian pitied him, but nothing
could be done.

Reaching the stained glass doors, Ian pulled
one open and courteously held it open for the girls. As the three
of them walked inside, Tianna and Amanda snickering, Hazel gazing
at him with subdued admiration, Ian went in after them, followed by
Eddy and then Jimmy.

As they waited to be seated, the place being
packed with dozens of people, Ian gazed at the enchanting scenery
around him: knights in polished armor stood up tall and dignified
on both sides of them, and paintings of dragons, kings, and
peasants, filled the place as did wall murals of fierce lions,
majestic eagles, steel-cloaked swordsmen, and green-clad
archers.

The entrancing music from the live flutists,
harpists, and violinists only enhanced the atmosphere’s mystique,
as did the waiters and waitresses, who were all dressed in medieval
apparel, and the taper candles, which shed their flickering light
inside the building and were the sole source of light in the
restaurant’s dining room. This place was just as amazing as Jimmy
had said it would be.

Captivated, Ian continued beholding the rest
of the room, wanting to get the full experience. Jimmy though, was
as silent and somber as a tombstone. His eyes quivered, his arms
trembled, and he took a few deep breaths--this would be a long
night for him, and to think, this was his favorite restaurant. Ian
felt more than a little guilty.

As they waited for a table for two minutes
while Amanda chatted with them about her new blog site called
Gardening Mania, a hostess finally came up to them, dressed in a
long red dress with white frills at the end of the sleeves, and
asked them how many were in the party. When Amanda told her six,
she led them to two large booths that seated three people each,
which, fortunately, were open from both sides--otherwise, it would
have been a real nuisance.

While the hostess hurried away, her chestnut
brown leather shoes almost noiseless against the dark cherry wood
floor, the girls sat on one booth while the guys took the
other.

As Amanda rambled on excitedly to Tianna and
Hazel about the latest episode of Curb Appeal, a show on HGTV, a
brown-haired waitress asked them if they were all taking the
buffet, and they said they were. Then, she asked them what they’d
like to drink. Everyone said water except for Eddy, who, wanting to
be different, asked for a Dr. Pepper.

A graceful smile formed on her face, making
her appear even more noble in her crimson dress embroidered with
gold designs with cream-colored frill on her long sleeves. “Have I
met you before?” she asked with some hesitation, after writing down
all their drinks and orders on a small notepad.

“Yeah, maybe,” Eddy replied, seeming to enjoy
the extra attention. “You remind me of one of my girl cousins.”

“I’d certainly not hope to remind you of one
of your
boy
cousins,” she said, her rosy smile causing Eddy
to blush slightly, a rare occurrence for him. Then, seeing another
four people being seated at another table in her area, she bowed
once, and said, “I’m sorry I’m so busy; I’ll talk to you later,”
before leaving to help three teenage guys and their dad with their
food and drinks.

When she was safely out of the area, Amanda
turned and stared at Eddy, a gossiping glint in her bemused eyes, a
deep grin on her face. “What was that all about, Eddy?” she asked,
ready to burst out into laughter. Tianna and Hazel looked similarly
amused.

Eddy grinned like a man who’d just been asked
to dance with the prettiest girl in the room. “I’m not sure. I
honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen her before in my life.”

Amanda lowered her eyebrows, unconvinced.
“Then why’d she appear to recognize you?” She pulled out a pink
mirror from her small purple purse, decorated with Disney character
stickers, and straightened out her long wavy black hair, while
continuing to gaze at him, still chuckling to herself.

Eddy just smirked. “Isn’t it obvious,” he
began, “she clearly wants a higher tip.”

“Yeah, that makes perfect sense,” Amanda said
sarcastically. “That explains why she only paid attention to you,
and not to her other five paying customers.”

“You just wait,” said Eddy, nodding his head
in deep assurance. “I’m sure she’ll even the score out by the end
of the night.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“What can I say then,” said Eddy with a
shrug, smiling narcissistically. “I’m good-looking. What girl
wouldn’t want to talk to me?”

As Amanda broke into laughter, covering up
her face with her hands as if embarrassed at his words, Ian smacked
Eddy on the shoulder, while the other two girls looked mildly
disgusted by his conceitedness. Jimmy, whose face appeared to be
succumbing to attrition, seemed to lighten up a little upon hearing
this, but it wasn’t enough to undo the damage already done. Still,
no one paid him much attention; Eddy had claimed it all.

Tianna in particular, wouldn’t let his action
escape without comment. Delicately picking up a large blue plate,
holding it in her hands as if it were expensive china, she shook
her head at him in mild displeasure: “Now
that
was
arrogant.”

But her words reflected off him, having
little effect. “Yeah, I think that’s a safe assumption,” Eddy said
with a smile, as he scooted off the booth and grabbed a wood plate
from a large stack near Tianna, the others soon following suit.
“Still, you’ve gotta admit it’s pretty close to the truth.”

Tianna just rolled her eyes at him seemingly
trying to forget his words, as she then glided over to the meat
section, where she stuffed her plate with pulled pork, rotisserie
chicken, Shadowcrest’s famous barbeque chicken, and a Delmonico
steak, before dumping barbeque sauce on everything until the meat
wasn’t even visible. Then she pulled out two seasoning bottles from
her purse, one looking like Cajun powder, the other a type of
crushed herb, and sprinkled them on all of the meat, ignoring the
weird looks Ian and Eddy gave her.