"I am not going to that school with Drake, Dad," said July as she dropped her cutleries.
It was the morning after the gala, and her father had the great thought of joining her for breakfast at the gazebo in their garden. The ambience was perfect, especially for breakfast and for relaxation, but as of that moment, relaxation was way too far from what she hoped her morning would be.
"July, darling... Why not give it a chance?" Mr Watson said as he leaned back in his chair.
"I barely know the man, Dad — "
"You know him when you were little. A little catching up, and I think you'll be closer than you were before — I'll even bet you'd be inseparable sooner or later."
July scoffed and crossed her arms.
"I'm starting to worry that there might be some love potion or whatever witchcraft in my coffee, with your confidence, Dad. And, no, we weren't close, and what do I get from marrying him anyway? It's not like I need a man to — are we bankrupt?" Her voice faded into a whisper as she said the last part of her remarks.
"No —"
"Then why are you forcing me to marry him?"
"Well, I see a good future for our businesses if you marry that boy Drake. He's into both business and politics. It's an advantage for our businesses," Mr Watson explained calmly and confidently.
"Really? Am I hearing this right, Dad?" July disbelievingly replied. "Good for the future of our business? How about me? Were you ever thinking about me when you were planning this?"
"That's – That's not what I meant, darling."
"You just said it, Dad."
A resigned sigh escaped her lips.
"Come to think of it, the business would thrive even more. It will be good for your future, July, darling."
"What if he kills me, Dad? I barely know him – What if he's an abusive husband? Then surprise — one day you'll find me floating on a river, or worse you will never find me again because he might burn me to ashes and throw me in the ocean.
Mr Watson burst into laughter, his eyes watering as he did so.
"Goodness, darling. You really need to stop watching those crime documentaries," said Mr Watson, almost choking between his laughter.
July sighed and bit her inner cheek as she calmed herself.
"My point is, he is a stranger, and I don't want to learn how to love someone, Dad. I want to fall in love, not to learn how to love someone."
"I don't see any difference at all, July," Mr Watson paused as he massaged the bridge of his nose.
"What I mean is, I want to fall in love with someone to whom I didn't expect to fall in love — to fall in love because I didn't mean to fall in love, not to learn it. Learning how to love Drake is like a lifetime assignment —"
"So, you're telling me... that you want to fall in love with someone you don't know? To someone you least expect to fall in love with?"
"Yes —"
"Then Drake, it is."
"But —"
"You barely know Drake, but at least I know his background, and if he hurts you, he's within reaching. If I were to murder him if he fucks up. Drake isn't very close to you, then he's the person you least expected to fall in love with. He's the unforeseen love you were talking about —"
"Dad, you don't understand ."
"I thought you wanted to go to the university?"
"I wanted to, but you never let me because you said it was too dangerous – and now suddenly Drake comes in, and you allow me? How am I supposed to feel great about this when everything's about Drake and business? Nothing's ever about me, Dad."
July barely showed her father her tears, but at that moment, they freed themselves from her eyes, betraying her.
"You wanted me to marry him because he's into politics and I'm into science? You wanted me to marry him because he's into business and I'm into music? Why don't you just say that you wanted me to marry him because he is the son you never had – "
"That is enough, Gabriella July!"
July gritted her teeth and shut her mouth as her stepmother, Valerie arrived. She never liked Valerie, and she knew Valerie felt the same too. Valerie entered their lives ten months after her mother's death. She knew the chances of her father marrying another woman were never zero — and no matter how it hurt, she knew she had to be open to the idea but the grief was still fresh as yesterday when her father married another woman.
She made her father promise not to marry too quickly, but he broke the promise.
There wasn't a casual conversation between her and her father since the day he introduced Valerie to her. She could still remember purposely wearing a black dress and her late mother's locket the day she was scheduled to meet her father's new girlfriend to emphasize that she wasn't ready for a potential stepmother, but nothing was ever about her.
"You do not talk to your father that way!" Valerie scolded as she stood behind Mr Watson, placing her hands on his shoulders.
July rolled her eyes, then eyed Valerie's hands on her father's shoulders with utmost disgust. A smirk formed on her lips as she took her sight back to Valerie's face.
"This conversation is only between me and my Dad, Valerie. In case, you don't see it clearly. You're not a part of this discussion."
"How dare you speak to your father that way when he just wanted what's best for you?" Valerie replied. The pent-up desire for outrage appeared to simmer in her tone.
"Best for me? Or best for you?" July stood from her seat.
"July," Mr Watson warned.
"Oh, I see it now – I see why you're really into this, Valerie... You wanted me to marry Drake and enrol in MU so you could finally get rid of me."
An emotion flickered in Valerie's eyes as her expression softened under insult or whatever was it that offended her, blinking as though something in July's words struck her straight in her emotions... or ego...
"You – You still think of me that way, July?" Valerie's eyes began to shine with tears.
"Is... is that the way how you understood all of this?" Valerie continued, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks.
"Well, am I wrong?" July asked as her eyebrows creased, too far from being convinced of her stepmother's emotional downfall.
"That is enough, July!" Mr Watson yelled as he stood and comforted his second wife.
July felt sick as she witnessed Valerie's shoulders shake from sobbing. Her jaw clenched as she tried to tolerate the irritating sight of Valerie burying her face into her father's chest as though she was treated so badly.
"You know what, I think it's better if I fucking go —"
"Language, July." Mr Watson warned firmly.
"You want me to go away to that university with the smart, rich, politician guy? Then fine! Anywhere is better than here with that whiny second wife of yours."
The next day, July woke early to pack her most personal things and asked her maid to deal with the others. She had called Drake the night before and almost spilt the whole truth of the reason why she finally agreed to enrol at Marygoldstein University.
Drake offered to drive her to MU, and she had no clue whether she'd find it wonderful or uncanny. The closest person she had for a friend that day was Drake, and she had blended feelings about it. She waited for her father to offer and drive her off to college as most parents do, but the photos of Valerie in their private jet having champagne on her father's Instagram profile gave her the answer.
"We will surely miss you, Miss July," said Delia, her personal helper.
The maids lined up along the staircase on the great hall to send her off – the thing her father should've been doing instead of going on a vacation with his second wife while his daughter was upset and leaving for college.
"Are you we can't go with you?" Asked Lily, the helper who's closer to her age and one of her father's scholars.
"Oh, trust me, Lily, I really wish I could bring all of you with me – but I'm afraid I can't," said July, holding her tears back.
"You're leaving us here with Valerie?" Asked Lily as she whispered Valerie's name.
Delia and the others giggled and nudged each other as they tried their best to suppress their laughs.
"Well, if I were you, Miss, I'd do the same too. I've only been here for a couple of months, and god forbid the things I wanted to say to that woman," Lauren whispered.
July couldn't help but giggle and swiftly wipe the tears from her cheeks.
"Well, don't worry. This isn't goodbye – I'll come to visit," said July, comforting herself and their helpers.
"You better, Miss," said Delia as she walked towards July and wrapped her arms around her.
"Oh, I smell like fish – I'm so sorry."
"Try to let go and see what happens," said July as she embraced Delia tighter.
Her helpers gathered around and hugged her. Most of them were crying, and some held their tears back.
"When something's wrong, call us right away, okay?" Said Delia as she pulled away, sniffing and close to sobbing.
"Miss?" Called Joe, one of her father's securities.
"Mr Mctyler is here," Joe announced.
A thin smile appeared on July's lips and faced her maids one more time.
"So, this is it. I'll see you guys soon, all right?"
The maids nodded their heads and waved their hands at her.
July turned around and clutched the handle of her handbag. She swallowed the painful lump in her throat and cruised towards the main door of the mansion.
She could hear her maids wishing her a safe journey, and others exclaimed how they would miss her presence in the mansion. She never dared to look back, fearful that if she ever did so, she might not have the courage to leave again.
The moment she stepped out of the mansion, Drake was already there waiting for her. He was leaning against the hood of his car, arms crossed as he was checking the time on his wristwatch.
He wore sunglasses as it was a sunny early morning. July hated to admit it, but he looked rather gorgeous as he leaned against the hood of his car, wearing an army green polo shirt and a pair of white trousers. The outfit complemented his height and his figure.
"Take a picture. It'll last longer, Gabriella," said Drake, snapping her back from the pit of her thoughts.
July blinked several times as she realized she was devouring him with her eyes.
"Oh, uhm – I'm so sorry – " she stuttered with her words, and decided to put on her sunglasses, something to do to distract herself from the embarrassment flooding her system.
"Don't worry, I'm used to reactions like that," said Drake as he smiled, showing off the pair of dimples on both of his cheeks.
He walked around the car and opened the door for her.
"Hop in, and we'll be off," said Drake.
"Uhm..." Mumbled July as she looked around looking for her suitcases.
"Suitcases are already on the trunk. Some of them are on the backseat," said Drake, noticing the way July's sight wandered around.
"Oh, I see."
"Let's go?"
Barely ten minutes of travel and thoughts of jumping out of Drake's car already took over her head. The silence was deadly and deafening. She tried diverting her attention by looking out the view of her window, but the realization kept weighing her down.
"Hey," called Drake.
"Hmm?"
"Something wrong?" Drake asked softly.
"Nothing's wrong..." July answered in a whisper and leaned her face against the window.
"Well, I'm not convinced at all. I'm a good listener, you know," Drake said encouragingly.
"It's – It's nothing, Drake," July insisted.
"Okay, but if something's bothering you, I'm always here," Drake assured.
A long pause settled in the air as the trip went on for another five minutes, and then a thought lit up in July's head, causing her to break the long silence.
"Did your parents send you off to college? Or high school? Or even grade school?" July paused. "Did they drop you off every first day of school?" July added.
"Hmm..." Drake mumbled as he tried to remember some of the oldest memories of his childhood. "I could remember a glimpse of my mother dropping me off to kindergarten – "
"Your parents allowed you to go to kindergarten?" July asked surprisingly. She sounded interested as she did so, causing the thick condensed ambience to lighten up a bit.
"Your parents didn't allow you?" Drake asked, surprised as well.
"Dad said it was dangerous, so I was homeschooled until yesterday," July confessed.
"So... this is your first day of school – I mean – "
"I know what you mean. Yes, this is my first day of school, like outside the estate."
"You're feeling bad because..."
"Yeah, because Dad didn't even bother to drop me off on my first day of college – pathetic, right?"
"It's not pathetic. You have every right to feel upset about it. I mean it's a special day, you should be with family, but you know what, why don't we celebrate this on our own?" Drake suggested, his eyes glimmering as though he had several ideas in his head.
July scoffed.
"Ice cream?" Drake proposed.
July sighed. "You can never go wrong with ice cream."
"Which flavour?" Drake asked as they looked over various flavours of ice cream.
"Strawberry," said July as she pointed at it.
"Strawberry for the lady," said the ice cream vendor. "And for the gentleman?"
"Coffee crumble," Drake answered.
"Coming right up."
"It's on me," said Drake as he caught July snatching her wallet from her bag.
"I can – "
"Here. Keep the change," said Drake as he handed the cashier a hundred bill.
"Thanks," July said with a smile.
"So, tell me about Marygoldstein," July started as they occupied the table that Drake chose in the middle of the ice cream parlour.
"The University town is pretty spacious. Most freshmen get lost during their first days. The university has fourteen residence halls named after the 14 international elite families funding the school since 1890. Watson, Marygoldstein, Astley, Mctyler, Soleil, Waldridge, Barclay – "
"Morgan, Kellior, Lewis, Astor, Wilson, Ellis, and Mareign," July continued to recite the names of the 14 elites funding the university. "That's a lot of dorms," said July, amazed by the fact.
"I bet you could have the nicest room in the Watson residence hall. why didn't you choose to have an apartment instead?" Drake asked curiously.
"All of my life, I've been studying inside the estate library. I want to be on my own and explore new things. I want to learn how to cook for myself and drive somewhere without my driver and without a bodyguard lurking around. I want to shop alone for my groceries."
"I see... but you should know, being independent isn't always — you know... fun," Drake started as he scooped a spoonful of his coffee crumble ice cream. "Independent life can be lonely and scary as hell. In fact, your father called me last night telling me he'll allow fewer bodyguards around you if he can assure you that I'm watching you close."
"Fewer? So, they'll still be around?" July looked around her and noticed random people looking away as she landed her eyes on them. Two of them continued to eat their ice creams, and the other three scrolled through their phones to avoid her gaze.
"I see five of them," said July hopelessly as she stabbed her ice cream with her spoon.
"There's two outside and a convoy car parked two cars next to mine," Drake whispered casually as he peeked at the security blending in with the customers.
"How did you get your father to agree that you'll stay in an apartment outside campus?"
"It took us almost two hours of negotiating that issue alone, and I guess this is what I get from him in exchange for the freedom regarding the apartment," July chuckled bitterly. "I don't even know if I could call this freedom at all."
"Well, at least we now know he still cares for you despite his absence," said Drake.
"I always get that whenever I complain about my dad's absence, you know."
The ice cream break with Drake was meant to make her feel relaxed, ease the tension in her shoulders, and lighten the heavy weight inside her chest, but instead, it felt like she was on her last meal before she explode as though she was a ticking bomb. She felt stifled by the knowledge that there were at least ten bodyguards who weren't in uniform following her everywhere. To her, it somehow felt oddly strange, not having to determine which were her bodyguards or who was just a creepy person lurking around her.
They travelled for another two hours, and she had nothing to do but listen to Drake share stories about politics and business – the things she had zero interest in. Another thing she had been doing for another two hours was eyeing the car behind them, the car Drake said was her security.
"And I was rooting for her to win because her advocacies were great. I don't know what altered the voters' minds that they voted for him, knowing his credentials were – "
"Drake, could you do me a favour?" July asked out of the blue, still leaning against the window and eyeing the security car in the side mirror.
"Sure – depends though if that's something illegal then, no," Drake said laughing.
"It's something I've seen in movies," said July she said with reluctance, though deep inside she was hoping Drake would do the thing she had in her mind.
"Try me," said Drake.
"Can we lose them?"
"Lose who?"
"The bodyguards. Can we... like drive off and lose their sight of us, just like those in the movies?" Her voice sounded hopeful.
"That's not possible, Gabriella. That's dangerous. Besides they have a tracking device on us. We can't lose them that easily," Drake explained as he purposely decreased the speed and looked over his side mirror.
July's shoulders dropped as she sighed.
"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous, Gabriella. We don't want to disappoint your father on your trip to UM, right?"
"Yeah, it's all right. I understand," she said and dismissed the topic with a thin forced smile.