Chapter 11

At the close of school, Emily and Amanda made their way to Leslie's locker. They needed to pack her things since they didn't know the time she'd be coming back. They had already gotten the permission from the principal before doing this lest they'd be in trouble for raiding another student's locker. 

When they were done, they left the school grounds which were already desolate and lonely. The only students who seemed to be within school were those taking extra lessons or those who served punishments for one crime or the other. 

"Em, could you please take Leslie's bag to her. I just remembered, I won't be going home directly. I need to pick up something from the mart first." Amanda said 

"Sure, don't be long. I'll be at Leslie's." Emily said.

"Okay, see you later".

Amanda made her way out of the school, hailing a cab that was passing by. The cab was occupied as it simply drove away. Amanda decided to ditch getting a ride and simply walked the short distance to the Mart. A few meters away from the shop, in a secluded alley, Amanda  heard voices.

She stopped to listen and was surprised to hear Parker's voice. She walked closer, fearing that she was about to discover something bad.

"I'm telling you man, I don't have any money to give you anymore." he seethed.

Amanda didn't understand what he was talking about but one thing was sure to her, it was about money.

"Then you don't want to leave your poverty stricken life I suppose." a much deeper voice said.

Amanda shivered upon hearing that voice. It was chilly and very cold, the kind of voice no sane man should mess with. Amanda had a feeling that the bearer of that voice was anything but good. She moved much more closer to the voices and from her view, she could see them clearly. Parker was pacing about with his hands in his pocket while the other man leaned casually against the wall without a care in the world.

Amanda could tell that Parker wasn't settled, something bothered him deeply and it wasn't only about money.

"So what should I do?"he asked.

The other man whom Amanda had just noticed was far older, probably going to his thirties. The man lit up a cigarette, blowing the fumes directly on Parker's face. Amanda expected him to retaliate, fight back for this insult but to her surprise, Parker remained quiet, giving the man a deathly look.

"Look for more money, that's the only solution I see." the man said, puffing on his cigarette.

"But you know man, things are tight with my family. You know that's the main reason why my pops moved us here, for a fresh start." Parker said.

"Man, look I don't care. Just get the money if you want to get free from all your troubles." the man said.

At that moment, Amanda knew that this man was a fake. He was a scammer, someone who shouldn't be trusted and now, Parker was about to fall into his trap. She had to think of a way quickly to stop him before the man took advantage of him. 

Without thinking, she walked into view. If Parker was surprised to see her, he hid it well. The only indication that he was affected by this was a slight raise of his eyebrows.

"Who's this?" The man asked, spitting out his cigarette.

He had a leer in his eyes, one that Amanda knew so well. She saw it in Ian, saw it in some of the boys who wanted to have their way with her but she had never seen it in Parker which made her stop to think.

"Amanda, what are you doing here?" Parker said.

"You know her?" the man said.

"Yes, I do. Please go Killian, I'll call you when I've got the money". Parker said.

Killian smiled which was all teeth before leaving. Amanda was left alone with Parker and suddenly, she felt stupid for being here in the first place.

"What are you doing here?" Parker said harshly.

Amanda took a step back at the furious look in his eyes. She didn't know why he acted this way when she had just clearly saved him from a scammer.

"Are you dumb or something? Don't you know that he was about to scam you." Amanda blurted.

Parker stopped in his tracks as he tried to understand what she was saying. Amanda could tell that he didn't quite believe what she was saying. She moved closer to him and they were just about one meter apart when she stopped.

"That man or whoever he is is a fraud. I bet he told you he can double any amount you give him right?" She said.

"But how did you know that?" Parker asked with a confused look on his face.

"I've read about all these people and what they do. Parker, don't fall into their trap. I know you to be smarter than this." Amanda said.

For several minutes, Parker remained quiet as he mulled over her words. Amanda took a step back, preparing to leave but she was surprised he called her back.

"I... Thank you, I wouldn't have known." he said.

"Don't mention it." Amanda said, throwing his words back at him.

She remained standing as they both stared at each other. There was a huge tension between them, one they didn't know how to breach. Parker walked towards her, coming to stand right in front of her. There was no distance between them now as they stood toe to toe with Parker towering over her.

"You're beautiful." Parker muttered.

Amanda stood still, fearing that one noise could ruin this moment. She hardly believed her ears, the same boy who seemed to hate her was complimenting her. She was confused on what to say or do and simply remained quiet.

Parker cupped her jaw, staring into her greenish eyes. She stared into his eyes and discovered that his eyes were blue, just like the sky. A blue so bright that it was filled with hope.

They were close now, so close that with a little effort, they would be kissing. Amanda's heartbeat was skyrocketing as she didn't know what to expect now. She didn't know if she was going to allow him kiss her being the jerk he was but deep down, Amanda knew that she was powerless when it came to him.

He leaned closer and just as he was about to brush his lips with hers, something pulled him back.

"Even though you're a sight to look at, that doesn't mean I would kiss you. Have a nice life Amanda." he said, walking away.

Amanda was left there, standing like a fool. She couldn't believe what had just happened but knowing who he was, she wasn't surprised. At that moment, she made a promise never to interfere in anything that concerns him. She had learnt her lesson and she wasn't going to go back on her promise. Once bitten, twice shy.

Amanda left the alleyway, heading to the Mart. She didn't know what she was thinking when she decided to play savior when he clearly didn't want to be saved. As she walked into the Mart, she wondered if he would even pay heed to her advice seeing that he was so stubborn. She shrugged, not caring what he does after all, it was his life to live. If at the end of the day, it fails to work out, he and he alone would bear the consequences of his action and that was something Amanda looked forward to seeing.