Chapter 3 - All for a Cup of Noodles

I did a lot of thinking as I laid on the bed with my growling stomach. Regan treated me the way she did because my family practically lived at their mercy.

I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. My parents own a few farms where we plant corn and soybeans. But three years ago, we had the worst harvest ever. Uncle Pete, Regan's dad, who came visiting, suggested I follow him to Michigan and school with his daughter, to ease my family off some burden because we were four kids in all, of which I was the eldest. Of course I agreed. And here I have been. 

Thing is... Regan never welcomed me because she saw me as a local country girl who came to steal her dad and invade her perfect life. 

Regan was registered into our current school, Blue Lake High, by her mum's elder sister, Aunt Elena, who had no child of her own and considered Regan as hers. She was a very rich and influential lady from what I heard, a successful YouTuber and a dentist.

I made it via scholarship the previous year, thanks to her dad, and it totally got on her nerves. Though she was a year older, we were classmates. Yet, she sought every little opportunity to belittle or bully me. Heck. It was so exhausting. But I was willing to put up with her till I got my diploma. At least that was the wisest thing to do.

I didn't realize when I dozed off, but when I opened my eyes the next morning, it was past nine. 

"Shit! Algebra starts by nine!" I exclaimed, dashing out of the bed and out of my room only to walk into my aunt, Cecil, who sipped coffee at the dinning. Lord. I dreaded the woman. She was way worse than her daughter. 

"You know, I'm actually reconsidering your stay in this house." She began cooly. 

My gaze flicked to the clock. "Please.. can we do this later? I'm super..." 

"Late." She finished for me. "Yeah, obviously. Exactly why you shouldn't bother going today. There's no point." I watched her take another sip of the coffee. 

"But if I really hurry I could..." 

“Forget it!” she snapped, slamming her cup down with a loud thud. “I never imagined in my wildest dreams that my husband would bring home a country bumpkin from nowhere to harass my daughter.”

My heart dropped. Her words re-echoed in my ears. A country bumpkin from nowhere. I bit my lower lip to curtail my countenance. I won't let her see me break down. She tossed a list at me. 

"Go get these items from the store." She rose to her feet. "And next time, you should know better than to attack my daughter and wake up late." 

With that, she grabbed her handbag and left for work. She worked as a designer in an upcoming fashion house. But I never got a single new clothing from her, except her husband, uncle Pete decided to advocate for me, and when I usually did, it would be a hand me down or thrift store clothing.

Phew. Not like I cared. As long as I was strong and healthy, I was fine.

I half opened my mouth when I stared at the list. It was an endless one for grocery shopping. 

And I was to do it alone. 

An hour later, after eating and getting ready, I was about to leave when my phone buzzed with texts. 

Miami Harp, 10:15am : Where the hell are you? What on earth did you do to Asher yesterday? He's been looking everywhere for you!

I frowned. Mia has never texted me. This was a first. 

"Didn't I tell the idiot to send me the bills?" I muttered to myself angrily without bothering to reply her. That was when I saw the texts Asher had dropped earlier. 

Jerk, 8:50am: Where are you?

Jerk, 8:52am: Grace Williams?

Jerk, 8:55am: Are you ignoring my texts now?

Jerk, 9:10am: Are you so shit scared you can't rear your ugly head or even reply my messages?

Ugly head? Not me. Somehow, the words bit me down a bit. It's not like I wanted a jerk like him to find me attractive, but him seeing me as something far from beautiful wasn't going to help my pride or morale.

I sent a rolling eyes emoji. 

Good Grace, 10:18am: Tomorrow, dude.

I smirked as I hit the send button, then switched off my phone. If he thought he was a king ruling over everyone, then I would play a very big role in humbling him. Afterall, I already promised to pay for the damage. Even though I had absolutely no idea how.

The shopping actually took longer than I anticipated, and by the time I was done, it was two in the afternoon. I was so exhausted I thought I might collapse on the sidewalk. By the time I was about to leave the convenience store I went to get the last set of items I needed, it was swarming with a lot of customers. I pitied the elderly woman at the counter who looked overwhelmed. Her assistant was absent and she didn't seem able to handle all the customers. I felt a nudge to stay back and help. 

"Do you need any help?" I asked her. 

"Sure. I would appreciate." She replied eagerly. After dropping my bags aside, I got to work. While she handled payments, I packaged items and restocked shelves from the supply room. I worked non-stop for the next hour and a half until the crowd thinned. The woman was genuinely pleased. 

"Thank you so much, dearie. You are an angel." She cooed when I told her I was leaving. "My shop attendant suddenly bailed on me because her mum fell sick." 

My mind raced. What if my mum or dad suddenly fell sick too? 

"Are you in a hurry to leave? Won't you have lunch at least?" 

To this request, I couldn't decline. After all, my aunt won't be home till night and there was no point rushing home to that cranky girl called Regan. Fresh ideas bobbed my head as I had my taquitos with fountain soda. I wondered how many jobs I might have to work before I would be able to pay off my debts to Asher, if he was really serious about the damaged whatsoever. 

I had three options. The first was to play another stupid deal with Mia Harper. The second was to agree on certain terms and conditions with Asher, which could be to do assignments for him and run errands for a period of time. The last option was to work my ass off and pay him till the money was complete. 

I groaned in frustration. All the options were so stupid and impossible. I needed to start saving up for college as early as possible, not to save up for a rich fool all because of a mistake that was never my fault.

"Grace, are you there?" 

I heard the elderly woman call. I hurried to her instantly. Had she been calling? 

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you calling." I apologized meekly on approaching her.

"It's nothing, dear. I just wanted you to have this." She handed me some dollar bills but I shook my head. I helped her because I pitied her, not for monetary gain.

"It's fine. You don't have to pay me. You gave me free lunch already. I only wanted to help."

"And this is only a token of my appreciation." She insisted, dumping the money on me. I was about to let out another protest when her phone rang. She picked it up immediately, let out a sad sigh after a moment and hung up.

"Is everything okay?"

She sighed again, staring at a cup of noodles she had just heated. "I was going to give that to my boy who told me he was on his way. Now he's saying he can't make it. I don't eat noodles."

My eyes glistened. The soda and taquitos didn't do great justice to my hunger. 

"Now it would be such a bad waste." She moaned.

"Not while I'm here. I love noodles." I sang sharply.

Three minutes later, I was back at the table, enjoying the noodles, pleased with my luck. I was halfway through when I heard her bubbling voice again. 

"Bennie darling. Were you going to surprise me? Didn't you say you wouldn't make it?" 

I couldn't see them from where I sat because I had picked a table away from the entrance. So I was invisible, except someone decided to walk in. 

"You wouldn't believe it. An angel came to help me out today. You know Marie's mum fell ill." 

"Oh really? That's cool. Who was it?"

I heard a masculine voice ask. For some reason, I thought it sounded familiar but I brushed it off. 

"She is still here. She was so helpful, sweet and humble. She even refused the little money I offered."

I blushed at the compliments and wished I was out already. The 'little money' was a hundred bucks. Funny how I made three hundred bucks in two days without any hassle. But it hurt deeply to think that I would use it to pay for damages that weren't my fault at all.

"Are you okay?" I heard her ask him. "You look moody." 

"Nothing much. Just a poor hopeless nobody at school who ruined my devices yesterday and decided to ghost me today."

"Oh, that's so terrible of him." She mulled in anger. "You shouldn't play calm. Get him arrested if possible." 

"Forget it, Nana. I know just what to do."

"Some kids just ruin things out of jealousy and hatred, without minding the cost. You shouldn't take them lightly." She continued.

"Grace!" 

I heard her call after a moment. 

Good thing I was nearly done with my meal. I rushed it now. 

"Grace!" She called again. 

I tried not to choke as I swallowed the last forkful. Time to go. I grabbed my old purse and hurried to her. "You called." I said when I got to her, surprised to see she was alone. 

"I wanted you to meet my grandson. He just stepped ut this minute." She said, craning her neck at the door. "Oh, there he is" 

I looked back and almost stiffened.

Asher?

Lord have mercy.

He was her grandson? Bennie?

And I'm the poor hopeless nobody?