"You. Did. What?" Surprisingly her tone was flat not exactly how I thought she would react. I couldn't tell if she was angry or.. was it... the calm before the storm?
"Mom there wasn't anything else I could do, Wenie can't stop school" I tried to reason with her.
"I love that you look out for your younger sister but somethings are still my responsibility" she sounded so disappointed at herself and I didn't like it.
"I'm already off age mom, I'm nineteen and right now I should have a good contribution in this family" I was already looking out for more suitable jobs I could take on because Mr. Wilson's mood swings were worse than that of a pregnant woman.
For all I knew he could wake up the next morning and decides he has had enough of me and I need work that would actually get me some cash because Mr. Wilson doesn't pay me, my service is for an exchange for something else.
"I won't mind if it was any regular job but look at the time you're home.. you clean the whole school alone everyday right?" I nodded my head slightly. Mom sighed, she was looking really older than her age due to stress, her once perfect sculpture was presently looking like something forcibly crafted out of the annoyance and impatience of the artist.
"And the smallest rooms there are in bad conditions, you also.. clean those?" My silence to the question gave the answer away and she fumed. I wasn't sure who her anger was directed to though.
"That man! what does he do with the school funds, he doesn't even put anything in place, does his cramped sense even recognizes there's a thing called renovation?" She was almost yelling now, I just stood and said nothing. What can I say?
What Mr. Wilson spends money on is not such a big secret anymore, women! The audacity of his infidelity these days is hardly unnoticed. Anyway, I couldn't care less.
"Jena you could get infected, so you're quitting that job" she said as a matter of fact
"And Wenie's fees? You've raised the money?" I asked tentatively
Silence followed and I knew the answer was negative.
She didn't speak again and just exited through the door that linked my room to hers.
I slumped on my bed and let out a breath, principal Wilson had made me clean and wash all the toilets every day. He never let go of any opportunity to remind me of my predicament, to make me regret my decision but I just never let him get to me. I wasn't his servant, I was doing this for Wenie.
I have been ignoring the rumbling sounds of my stomach since afternoon and would have gone ahead to ignore it also this night as I had no appetite but I had promised to take good care of Jena so I got up and made my way to the door.
Upon opening the door I heard hurried footsteps run off before I stepped out.. this could only be Wenie, she had been outside all along and.. probably overheard us. Or, had she come to eavesdrop on purpose?
I thought to go after her, but decided against it and walked off to the kitchen, to respond to the agonizing screams of my stomach.
...
"Someone's been paying good attention to herself lately" I heard principal Wilson's voice behind me as I was mopping the hallways. Startled, I turned to him and he was wearing a friendly smile which seemed very out of place from his face as I was very used to a grumpy and over the edge Mr. Wilson.
He smiles at me, yes! but it was always a mocking smile so the expression on his face today made me feel like maybe it was today I'm finally going to die and he probably knows. That's why he wanted to be nice to me until my last moments.
This thought made me take a few steps back from him.
"Mr. Wilson is there somewhere else you want me to clean?" No! I didn't want to clean any freaking where else, I just had to say something as the atmosphere was turning really awkward with Mr. Wilson's smile creeping me out.
"You're looking really beautiful recently Jena, why don't you reconsider my offer huh? There's a vacant spot available, the Dean fell I'll and it doesn't look like he will survive it"
"Are you wishing him death Mr. Wilson?" The unbelievability of this man is something else.
"Oh please, what's the good of his misly life anyway?" He rolled his eyes
"And you think yours is any better?" I didn't realize I said that out loud and increased the distance between us more.
"I'd pretend I didn't just hear what you said Jena" my hands flew to mount making a zipping gesture to him and I shook my head, wordlessly telling him I didn't say anything at all. He continued
"But.." he eyed me, "if I'm happy, then you could get the position. Even with your.. um.." he coughed "..unqualified status, I mean you don't have a certificate yet right?"
For the first time he was trying not to sound rude while speaking to me but I think it's best if he'd be straight out rude because I wasn't having any of this.
"Mr. Wilson I thought I've pointed out that I'd be doing just wo-"
"Do you like work that much?!" He looked pissed now and I almost smiled seeing him angry.
"No I don't, but.. in this life you only get to do the things you don't like, no?" I stated
"And some people likes to take advantage of other people's helplessness and push them to a tight corner, making them do things they don't like. So it's not really my fault" I smirked at him.
He was fuming now, I could literally see horns on his head "those people should endeavor to desist from their crooked ways" I added with a smile, ending my little speech.
We heard stifled laughter and tilted our heads same time to know who was around.
Cassandra stood a little farther from us looking as professional and pretty as always in a light green shirt and black pencil skirt. Seems like she had arrived for a while now in search of Mr. Wilson, to inform him of the arrival of someone waiting for him at his office.
But he had been too busy hitting on me that he failed to notice her.
Cassandra had always had just the perfect expressions for her job, not cold and not too welcoming but her desperate attempt to stop herself from laughing was very obvious as she stood now with her face bowed. This fueled the principal's anger as he glared at her.
Turning to face me he said with a sneer
"You asked if there was any other place left for cleaning right?"
Damn my life!
"Actually, there is. When you're done here, COME CLEAN MY F*CKING OFFICE!! MOP THE WALLS!!! DUST THE CEILING, THE ROOF, THE TABLES AND CHAIRS AS WELL. EVERYWHERE SHOULD BE CLEANER THAN YOUR WHOLE EXISTENCE!!!!" He stormed off, I just stood rooted to the ground while Cassandra gasped in horror, her jaw literally hit the ground.
Seeing Mr. Wilson never turns out good.
It was going to get dark pretty soon so I hurriedly moped the remaining parts of the hallway, washed the toilets, swept, emptied the trash and every other countless things I had to do.
After rounding up, I prepared to go to Mr. Wilson's office to clean the roof as he had said. I practiced the smile I would plaster on my face and to control myself while facing him without breaking a verse on his damn head.
Reaching his door, I plastered the signature smile on my face before knocking. I had to be polite or I'd not only get to be mopping his office roof only, I may have to re-clean the entire school if I angered him more.
However, immediately I stepped in after he gave his permission, upon sighting me his expressions drastically changed, he almost tripped over as sprang up from his sit rushing to me
"Mi.. Miss... Green" he stammered, hastily collecting the cleaning equipments I came in with. What. The. Hell??!! Is this some sort of joke?
"Mr. Wilson? Is everything okay?" I was very careful with my question
"Miss Green everything is fine, include your data to that of the staffs tomorrow, you're hired! Congratulations!" He beamed at me
"Is this your idea of a joke?!" Is this man with his senses?
"No, no! no one's joking here, tomorrow you can resume as the new Dean, don't worry about your qualifications, it's already settled"
I was shocked! Where's Mr. Wilson and what was done with him??
I was still gaping at him but his next action made my jaw prefer to be on the floor than remain together with my face.
"And here's your salary for the previous months you worked with good compensation for the delay" he handed me a very fat envelope.
"I'm sorry you had to receive payment this way, but it was urgent and I didn't have time to send you the money so I could only settle for some cash" he bowed in apology.
"And.." he seemed to have remembered something, turning around he picked up a what looked like clothes and handed them to me. "Here's the staff uniform, you don't have to wear this tomorrow"
He was referring to the cleaner's uniform and cap I wore.
"Wasn't I going to mop your roof and ceilings Mr. Wilson" I asked, still trying to get my mind around what the heck was going on.
"Oh, about that.. I could ask Cassandra to do it" he gave Cassandra who had been quite all this while a glance and her face turned ashen.
"Or I could hire a cleaner" he shrugged
"Or how about you do it yourself?" I rolled my eyes at him. But then he..
"That won't be a problem from my side" I almost fell down from shock, I wasn't expecting this reply, gosh! I didn't even mean what I said.
...
After the whole scenario I was just about leaving the gates of Hills Academy, when I saw a familiar figure storm out from the side and zoomed off in an SUV..
That was.. Alfred?
She couldn't be the reason for Mr. Wilson's drastic change right??