CHAPTER 4: Revenge Glam

Roxy’s POV

My face flourished with mild make up, pink blush and lipstick, my light Olive skin gleamed, all thanks to my newly acquired beauty products and my hair was gathered in a pineapple updo, with well laid edges and thanks to my curl-enhancing product, my curls were defined and voluminous dangling down my high ponytail. My revenge glam was activated.

“Roxette Benette.” The clerk called and I rushed to her standing desk. I had been waiting for over thirty minutes, and I was starting to get hijacked by nerves.

“Good day Ma’am” I rested my elbows on the desk, taking her face squarely.

“You transferred from Stanford?” It sounded like both a question and a fact. She had only just let her head up the computer, with an astonished look.

“Yes” I smile.

“Why?” Her face wrinkled like a squeezed orange. She looked like she pitied me.

My lips moved but I couldn’t find the words. Where is the lie, Roxy? Find it!

“My uh…. father is dying, terminal disease.” I make a crying impression with my face.

My father is already dead; does it make me less evil using his name like this?

She swiftly offers me a tissue. “I am so sorry darling.”

“Now I have to stay in South Carli with him. He has only a year left and I have to be with him. I am all he has.” I dab the invincible tears on my face.

“You will be fine darling…. South Carli University is a great place to start your Law career.” She squeezed my hand warmly.

“Thank you Ms…...”

“Silas. Patricia Silas.” She answered with a sympathetic smile. “Here, you are all set….” She handed me some documents including my ID card. “I’ll fix you in a very nice accommodation.”

“No.” I shoot, almost blowing my cover.

“No?” She’s confused.

“No, I mean….” I recover my act, tweaking my voice to sound pitiful. “I’m going to be spending a lot of time at home anyway; I don’t need something comfortable so I can always remember my dad.”

“Oh dear…. I’ll look for something medium for you then.”

“No, I want the worst, the absolute worst.”

“Ms. Benett, our accommodation placements are permanent, you won’t be able to switch until next year.”

“Yeah, by then my Daddy would be dead.” I burst into fake tears.

“Oh dear, I understand…. Here.” She hands me more tissues, and I continue dabbing my fake tears. “Let me find a problematic space for you….no one has been in this room for a while now.….and you won’t have a roommate….”

“Oh, that’s fine ma’am.”

“Here’s your key dear” I receive the key with a smile. “And here are the rest of your documents.”

“Thank you, Miss. Silas.” I received them and with a smile, I summarized my Oscar winning acting and left, feeling her sympathetic gaze follow me out.

•••

My nose cringed at the dust infested room that was now my accommodation for the year. Ms. Silas had really hooked me up with the worst room—The wooden floors creaked underfoot, chastising my Swade shoes, the walls were painted a faded cream, adorned with vintage posters; the last occupant must have been really into the oldies. I make a mental note. The windows were large and drafty, offering a view of an overgrown courtyard, the bed was neatly made with mismatched beddings of white and brown and then a couple of worn-out chairs sat alongside.

I sneezed, already frightened by the thought of sleeping in here, there were surely bugs lying in those sheets. The real definition of a necessary evil.

Why did I need the worst room on the block?

To activate STEP 4 of my Avenge Lucas plan—Find a way into the McLain house. I had to be close enough to Aaron West if I wanted to get him to fall for me completely and become the glorified pain in Professor Mclain’s *ss and for that I had to have a helpless living situation.

Professor McLain doesn’t know it yet but sometime soon, she is going to offer me an accommodation in her home because she thinks she will be helping me out of a helpless situation.

Helpless situation equals bad living situation.

I scanned the room satisfactorily, it will do, with a little touch.

Come on Roxy, you can do this. For Lucas.

I took a deep breath before I parked my boxes and held my hair in a bun, squared my shoulders, pinched my nose and tried to restore sanity in the room.

I threw my brown wool duvet over the sheets and plugged my buttocks on the bed. I was already exhausted from the little cleaning I had done but I was not in any way deterred.

I opened my pink low-profile box and removed my Avenge Lucas plan Book, along with my pencil. I opened the book and went over my 10-step plan again, and then I circled,

STEP NUMBER 1: Get Professor McLain’s Attention.

The best way to get the professors attention is to keep your hand up, batting every question that was thrown out and that I must equip myself for.

I set my Avenge book aside and dug out my textbooks and jotters. I had a lot of reading to do.

Operation Get my professor’s attention mood activated.

And then, I stumbled into a photo booth picture of Lucas and me.

My heart latched in my chest and a sharp whisper escaped my lips. “Lucas,”

He was wearing a black sweatshirt and pants over his very fair skin. He had a goofy smile on his face; his sand brown hair spilled to his face. His white eyes gleaming with expectations. I was pinching his nose after I had just teased his s*xy hawkish nose. I teased his nose the first time when I saw him in 7th grade and we had been inseparable ever since. He asked me out in senior year, and I said yes.

We had taken this picture four months ago, hours before we went dinner shopping for our two years anniversary as a couple. He was my soulmate. We loved the same things. Wanted the same things and always had each other’s backs. We had never been apart until college. I got into Stanford, and he got into Gould. Our anniversary was our first meeting after months and our last.

I couldn’t stop my mind from drifting to the ugly memory of that day.

“You didn't get the candles knuckle head,” I pinched his rib.

“Oops, I’ll just dash back in.” He said, pinching my rib back.

I laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll dash back in.”

His eyes follow me as I start away. “Oh, you know how I love to watch you walk away.” He narrowed his eyes at me seductively.

I fake a gasp. “Tease.” I giggled and sauntered back into the supermarket, his lingering smile following me all the way into the supermarket.

When I returned few minutes later, there he was, in the middle of the road, spurting blood. A black Phantom speeding into the darkness. My heart pounded, nearly leaving my chest as I rushed to him, the scented candles clattering on the ground.

“Lucas…Lucas.” My voice wavered, he was bleeding from the back of his head, his eyes were fluttering, his legs trembling and his skin paling.

“Lucas, what happened? Who did this?” I cried, tapping his cheeks to keep him awake. “Help!” I screamed just before I shoved my phone out of my pocket and dialed 911 and reported my emergency.

“Hello, 911, what’s your emergency?”

My voice trembling, I rambled into the phone. “There—-been an accident, South Carli Road, please come fast.” I tossed the phone carelessly, my chest plunging with hard breaths. “Stay with me Lucas, stay with me,”

His lips moved weakly with inaudible sounds that I could not comprehend.

I leaned forward, my voice scanty and breathy “What are you saying?”

“Pro-f-” He stuttered, with more effort, spurting more blood from his mouth.

“Help!” I screamed more fiercely, my eyes frantic on the dark empty streets.

His hand tugged on the hem of my black and white stripe stretch shirt, pulling me in, commanding my attention, I leaned in, bringing my ear to his lips.

“Pro-fes-s-” I leaned closer, trying to make something of his words. His voice, breathy and inaudible, feathered my ears. “Pro-fe-ss-or Sarah Mc-L-ain” Those were his last words before a sharp breath escaped his lips and immediately life left his body as if he had only been hanging on to deliver that one piece of information.

“No!” I screamed into the clouds, a blood curdling scream, that I was sure the heavens could hear.

That was the last time I felt pain, my pain had morphed into rage, hate and a desperate desire to see Professor Mclain suffer.

I hadn’t been able to think of anything else since his death, not even his mourning, its like I had become a totally different person, consumed by darkness, it's like I lost my mind and this is the only thing that can save me--avenging Lucas. Nothing else mattered.

My first target was Aaron West, and my next target was her reputation, and finally, her family. I wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine.

Yes, it’s easy for you to judge me. But just don’t do it until you have walked in my shoes.

Until you have lost someone the way I have.

I am meeting Sarah McLain tomorrow and she doesn’t know it yet, but she is going to get me into Aaron West’s office as his Research Assistant.