Monsieur Dubois stood waiting with a scowl on his face in front of Vincent's apartment waiting for him. He finally saw him with a look of happiness on his face. His eyes possessed what Monsieur Dubois would casually call a fool's glimmer.
Today was the day the rent was supposed to be due, why on earth did he look so happy? Monsieur Dubois asked, his hand grasping hard to the walking stick that he held, shaking with tremendous annoyance at the young fool's behavior, prancing into the hall way like he owned the place.
Once he got closer, Monsieur Dubois fired off with his question. "Where is my money?"
It caught Vincent off guard, but in no time, he returned the scowling look on Monsieur Dubois with a smile.
His behavior was shocking, but not any more than it was annoying and provoking to the man's anger. But before he could say any other word, Vincent was with a wad of cash that Monsieur Dubois' eyes were not fast enough to see from where it was that he pulled the money.
"Take," Vincent said, putting the cash on the old man's frail hand. "This is enough for not just this year's rent but for also the next five years. I'm leaving. Thanks for doing business with you, Monsieur Dubois!"
With no words to say, he felt the breeze passing by his body from Vincent moving excitedly into his apartment to get all his belongings. He was speechless throughout the ideal, even as he saw the lanky tall boy moving out with his bicycle behind a luxurious car, he still did not say a word. For if he could, it'd be: "how the hell did any of this happen?"
Vincent's new apartment was beautiful. A penthouse, perched at the topmost areas of one of the most luxurious buildings in town, from it he was able to see the Eiffel tower in all its beauty, the lights of Paris reflected into the building from the glass that covered it and made it so that he was able to see.
He spent the rest of that day exploring the place, still surprised at just how fast his world had changed at the end of the day, he fell right on a sofa and fell asleep right above the lights of the city of Paris.
He woke up finding out that he was late. With a smack on his face he got into the shower took his bath and left in such a hurry that he did not think of taking with him any of his cars.
He took his bike wearing his same old usual clothes. Once he arrived at the school premises he was greeted by the surprised looks from students who all stared at him like he was back from the dead. He heard whisperers floating right over his ears. The only bits he could make out was:
"Ugh, don't tell me he is still with us."
"I thought he was thrown in jail."
"Was he not supposed to be dead or something? Would that not be a good thing?"
"Why does he have that smile on his face? What sort of idiot is he?"
"Is he mocking us."
Despite all of this, he glided past them like a fish in water, unscathed and unmoved until he heard a familiar voice that called out to him in topmost excitement.
"Hey, Vin," the voice called out as a man almost as tall as Vincent came giving him an embrace. He looked extremely happy. "What are you doing here? I thought you were expelled."
"Well, quite a lot has happened," said an excited Vincent, not being able to find the exact words to tell him anything but give out a rather strange smile that had the other young man looking at him suspiciouly.
"What happened then?" he asked worried.
"I will tell you later about it, Denis. You sure I will. For now, I just have to make sure I don't lose my head while being in this school. We have to go to class."
Denis had always been the only one to stick around with Vincent right from time. Both were best friends as best friends could be. Vincent at times had wondered why exactly Denis stuck with him, and even with not a question asked, Denis on the other hand saw Vincent as interesting and funny, as the latter always had something going on in his life. Both young men always looked out for one another.
In class Vincent's presence brought forth the attention of everybody else once again, even the teacher, that it became quite a distraction for the whole day. When the class was over, Denis found a right time to ask the questions he had asked before of what exactly happened.
"So you see," Vincent began, but before he could continue talking the door of the classroom was opened violently and Henri and his gang made their way in.
"You bastard," he wailed, walking closer till he rested his hand on the desk of Vincent's seat. "You're going to tell me exactly what and how you managed to get back in here. After all you did. I will talk to my father about this, and you will be sent back to the street where you belong.
"Can you stop and look at yourself?" Denis said to him in annoyance. "Why are you getting this worked up because he is attending a school he paid for?"
Not able to believe the audacity that was being churned right through the mouth of Denis, Henri looked at him and laughed. A very dry and sarcastic laugh. Vincent did not say a word.
"What exactly are you?" He said. "I see... The both of you idiots actually fit each other, as the most wretched couple ever to grace the halls of this school."
A round of laughter followed from Henri's friends applauding him. The entire class too joined into laughing at the joke even though it was nothing more than a dry joke.
"Listen to me," Henri continued once more, banging his fist to the table. "So long as you are in this school, I don't care what anyone has to say; this is my school and I will make the both of you suffer for even thinking you would have been accepted here in the first place."
After saying that he left with his gang of friends. Vincent and Denis did not say a word.
"So what are we going to do to them now?" One of Henri's friends asked in the hallway.
Henri kept quiet for a minute before replying. "I'm going to be hosting a party at my place in the weekend. From there we will show them who exactly is who in this school. But first I want to get them into attending the party. We will humiliated them when they do."
"So what is the plan?"
"The plan is for all of you to go telling the other students in the school to try persuading the two degenerates to come. Tell them that if they do, I'll be giving each and every one of them a new phone."
"You're so smart lord Henri."
“Do that now."
As soon as that was said, they all dispersed, all his friends to go telling everyone to come to the party, equally telling everyone of them to try persuading Vincent and Denis.
For the next few days the entire school had been covered by wallpapers and fliers all depicting the so called party by Henri."I heard there is going to be a pool party there too," Denis said, inspecting the flier as it perched just right there on his locker, "I get it's going to be all big and boujee by the "infamous and rich" Henri Matisse, what I don't get is why they have to put it on our faces. Why are they trying to get us to go by all means?"He ripped off the flier from his locker, his face ridden with an annoying disgusted look."Because they want us to come. It's that simple," Vincent said, tearing the flier off his locker too, "So they will be able to embarrass and make fun of us there. That's his plan. And it's low."Speaking of the devil, there were approached by Judee, a very huge man with a considerable muscular frame. He was known as the most fearsome student in Mattise University de Paris."Oh great." Denis retorted, about to leave with Vincent when Judee blocked them
The forced invitation was a problem as Vincent had thought it to be, but there was another equal issue that he had to face if he really was going to go to the party. On the day before the party, he was standing in front of a mirror again when he found out this one thing, and even felt gobsmacked and stupid that he had never thought of it before: he had absolutely no clothes to wear to a party. The clothes he has bought on the day he was supposed to be on a date with Rory were worn out and spoilt from the fight he got into with Henri and the subsequent events that happened."I have to get myself new clothes," he finally said to himself as he looked on his reflection. With that thought he ran across the house, grabbed a bag and his trustee bicycle, and off he went. There were several boutiques in Paris that were well said to be of impeccable quality, but one, only one of them did he fancy in entering. The large boutique de Gentry. It was the most beautiful according to him, and the onl
In the boutique once again Vincent was greeted with condescending eyes. He could not only see it, he could also feel it; deep resentment resting in the heart of the staff as they saw him strolling behind Marie."Hey, who let you in here?" One internal security guard hallowed in a thunderous tone at Vincent who paused like a man frozen in time. "He's with me." Marie said, touching Vincent by the shoulder. A mere touch from her was enough to make him melt inside. "But Madame, look at his dressing. He looks like a street urchin. Why would you let him here?" The security guard's eyes were still focused on Vincent."Because this is a boutique and I can bring anyone I want inside here," she said, her tone like a fiery sword made from the coldness of ice."No, you don't—”"If you have further complaints you should take it up with my mother."The security guard kept quite and decided to leave, but he gave one look at Vincent that made his blood freeze. Vincent has decided in his mind that
He arrived home that day with all the goods he had bought. His hands full, his pockets empty, and his heart full of shame, thinking about what had happened and how he could have been so stupid and careless.He remembered the face he saw on Marie as the Cashier told her everything. She was not just disappointed, she was also embarrassed. He made way to his room and crashed on the bed like a meteorite crashing into the depths of an ocean. He could feel the stress at that point in time dissipating out of his body. He had sweat all getting drenched out of him and being soaked by the bed sheet.One move of his head to the side and he saw the so-called premium card lying just right next to him. His head spun around as he thought about the problem he had gotten into just for forgetting itHe got up, picked it up, stood up from the bed, grabbed his bag and shoved it into one of its many pockets. "That would do it,” he said to himself. "I would never let this out of my sight again." He had l
The party was on full swing as the students flooded into every room in the house. Neon lights fluttered through the air in their luminescence as heavy music boomed out of the speakers.Vincent and Denis were seated on a table. Both of them were silent, watching each other's back, totally convinced that somewhere somehow, Henri must have made up a plan to embarrass the both of them."So what are we going to do now?" Asked Denis to Vincent who had his palms clasped together right before his face as though he was deep in thought."We just have to wait it out here till whenever the blasted party stops," said Vincent. "I'm tired already."Henri came around with Rory holding drinks on their hands. They dropped a cup each with Vincent and Denis while laughing silently as though there was some inside joke that they were not telling anybody else. To Vincent there was an inside joke. He was the joke. But he did not want to give the impression that he cared. His eyes danced downwards to the tab
Once more, Vincent dipped his hands into his pockets as though by chance or by some magical luck he would be able to grace some cash in it. Cash that he knew for sure he did not have. But again. Again and again. He shoved his skinny fingers returning back up with nothing but air and dust. A cry almost escaped from his lips as he looked right up to the ceiling.His eyes flickered down, casting a gaze on the mirror that stood before him. His reflection looked at him accusingly."What on earth are you looking for?" He asked, speaking to himself. His hand slid up covering his face in a face palm. "This is stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"No it's not," he said once again to himself with a mouth full of conviction, clearing his palm off his face to stare at it with much scrutiny. "You look good. Remember you're going on a date. A date with the most beautiful girl in school. You're dating a total baddie for god'sakes. Be proud. Stand tall. Don't disappoint her. She is, after all, Rory McIlroy. The R
The VC of Matisse University de Paris was an old man. Vincent and nobody that he knew could ever confidently say that they knew his real name. Everybody referred to him as Vice Chancellor Mattise, and if Vincent did not know any better, he might have thought for certain that even his son, Henri, did not know the name of his father. That would have been a terribly comedic thing if it were really true, Vincent thought within himself, having once again one of those inner monologues that he usually had as he was held on both arms to the office of the VC by two security guards.He nearly let out a chuckle as he got thrown into the office immediately, with the view of the old VC staring at him with a face full of scorn; his son just standing beside him, quiet, his lips and parts of his face still swollen.Vice Chancellor Mattise was said to be in his fifties, but his head was already so crowded with white hair, his face, always with a frown reeking of wrinkles, had people guessing that he
Vincent did not offer to fight back. He promptly let himself swing on the hands of the security guards as they strolled out of the premises.With one final swing of his head backwards, he was able to steal for what he felt was the last time, the view of the University. ‘So just like that,’ he thought within himself, he was about to lose the only shot he had at gaining an education and making it out of the pitiful penniless life that he had been leading right untill now.He fought back tooth and nail against the tears that were about falling right across his face. He wished for a second that his eyes had the suction power possessed by his nose to pull back on whatever it had excreted. He has worked hard in getting an admission there. He had to work twelve hours doing multiple jobs everyday in order to pay for his bills. Now everything had gone down the drain and all for what? All for nothing but a girl who was ready to betray him at the mere sound of money.Again, he let his head dan