I wake up with a pounding headache. I open my eyes and everything is a blur. Someone hands me a glass of water and I take it gratefully. Once I downed the whole cup of water I lay my head back on the pillow.
Then it all comes flooding back like a bad dream. I sit up and open my eyes and look at the person sitting at the edge of my bed. For a split second I was relieved. Then I was embarrassed.
"Hey-" My voice cracks because it has been a while since he spoke. Mornings did that.
"Guess I should always have a glass of water when I am around you. Do you want to explain what you were doing laying on your floor smelling like a bar."
Mrs. Evans sat at the end of my bed, awaiting my response. I looked at her for a long time because my headache made me want to go back to sleep.
"Uhm-Well I wa-"
I don't want to hear it. I realize the kind of pressure you are under with school and finding out you might receive a 10 billion dollar company. But you are underage and what you did was illegal. Imagine if the press found out! We would have been ruined."
"I am so sorry..." I could not remember her name!
"Sheila. God, at least learn the names of the people who care about you. Me and Rob do care by the way." Guess I know her name know. Wonder if I will remember.
"I'm so sorry sheila. It won't happen again."
"Well it had better not. Look, I won't mention this to my husband if you promise you won't drink anymore. Not until you are 21 or course."
"Promise." I wonder why she is being so cool about this.
"Okay well, you may go to sleep if you want. Breakfast is down now if you are hungry..."
She kept talking but I stopped listening. At the mere thought of food, my stomach was ready to bring up all of last nights faults.
I hoped out of bed and to the toilet while Sheila left to "Fetch a maid".
While leaning against the wall, my mind went to Liam. Thinking about him made me realize that I had passed out right in front of him. Which then made me realize that I kissed Miles and I liked it. I couldn't tell who I wanted more. As I was about to make a pro vs. con in my head a women I had never seen(Mrs. Evans hires/fires so many people)came in and asked me if I needed assistance.
"No, not physically. But can I ask you a question?"
"Of course you can, Sir."
"Jake, actually. Nobody calls me,...sir" I say the word like it is makes me wanna hurl. Again.
"My apologies Master Jake."
"Just Jake please. Anywho, what is your name again?" I realized I hadn't asked for her name.
"Agniya." she said.
"Og-knee-yuh?" I said it slow and exactly how she said it.
"Yes. Your question si-Jake"
"Do I seem like someone who would ever fall in love to you?" I said thinking about what Miles had said the night before.
Agniya looked at me from head to toe before she said, "You want total honesty or no?"
I looked down at the clothes I had wore yesterday and woke up in today. I was wearing black ripped jeans and a white polo. My hoodie and jean jacket on the floor of the bedroom not being shown to Agniya.
"Yes. I actually want to know." I really did want to know what people saw when they looked at me.
"You look like love would be game. Not an emotion that is meant to consume and become part of you. So no, you do not look like someone who would fall in love. As Americans say." The maid put the towels on the counter, slightly bowed for a goodbye and walked out on Jake.
This is bullshit. Jake thought to himself, I am just enjoying my life.So what if I haven't fallen in love yet. I'm still young!
I got in the shower and washed the regret off of me. When I was done I wrapped the towel around my waist and looked in the mirror. I only saw me. I didn't see what everyone else saw.
I walked out of the bathroom and changed into a loose fitting shirt and sweatpants. When I got to the dining room the food was still sitting out with one plate set on the seat I usually eat at. Guess everyone already ate, I thought to myself. Which is reasonable considering it is almost 1 in the afternoon.
I walked out of the dining room and looked out of the kitchen window. I am doing lots of walking because I feel like my body needs it. When I was about to move on from the window I saw the mailbox had the 'flag' up.
I grabbed my shoes and went down the driveway and got the mail. I stood by the mailbox as I flipped through the mail. I was expecting my paycheck because I hadn't went and picked it up this morning, what I had found instead was a newspaper with my face on it.
The title was, "New Heir to the Throne or Public Sympathy Stunt." In big Bold letters. I skimmed the article and was stunned to see what Jennifer P. Vo was saying about me, I mean, I had never even talked to her before. The article had things in it that no one but my social worker, old parole officer(long story), and child protective services knew. Things that were in my very private very concealed file. Not even the Evans were to know the really bad stuff until they decided to keep me(if not, they don't get to know).
"Jake Evans who has also been known as Jake Robinson, Smith, Jackson ect...,"(how does she know these things?!?) "Has been known to runaway, sell drugs, lie and rob previous foster parents. Not only has he done this in his own life, his biological parents seem to have been the ones to give him these traits. "
I was scared, I stopped reading the article and started to walk back to the house. I knew that 1) The Evans were going to see this if they haven't already and 2) People at school are about to make my life hell. I haven't had to fight anyone sense I got here. My favorite thing about moving place to place was the fact no one knew these things about me. Now everyone knows.