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 only one he felt he could be able to find the clothes that he really wanted.
Although Vincent was fascinated about cars, he did not exactly know how to ride one, and hence was one of the reasons he rode only on his bicycles despite being the owner of two very expensive and luxurious cars. But little did he know this would be a really big problem for him in the boutique he was about heading to.
At the gate at first he had noticed that the only people going into the place were car owners, all of them with their very own luxurious cars. He had nothing on him than a bicycle and a bag but he did not let that stop him. He had not even thought of it.
He strolled behind the cars with the bicycle in his hands to the gate. Before he was able to enter, he heard the unfriendly scowling of a security guard.
"Who are you and what do you intend to do here?" The man said in an unfriendly tone.
"I am here to shop for clothes," Vincent said innocently. He still did not understand what was going on.
"You? Shop here?" The security guard mocked. "Have you looked at your self in the mirror, young man? Do you in anyway look the kind of people who shop here? Please, if you happen to know what is good and just for you then I suggest you leave this premises now."
Vincent left as soon as the man had said and tried his luck in one more boutique, only to be given the same treatment. With more and more exposure, he became more aware of the reasons they were chasing him out. But he found it funny because boutiques are places to buy clothes, why does it matter the kind of clothe he was wearing that he was being chased out, whether or not he had the money?
Almost about to give up, he decided to try one last time at a third boutique. It was the same once again: a line of fancy cars going in one by one, and security guards that unleashed on him the most terrible insults he had ever heard in his life.
About to give up, he heard behind him the most beautiful voice he had ever gotten the chance to come across in his entire life.
"Excuse me kind sir," the voice said in so much eloquence that it marveled him, "But your bicycle is on my way."
Vincent looked back to see who was talking and became awe struck by the beauty he saw. A girl, or perhaps if could call her, a woman. Her eyes were green, her skin seemed tanned enough, her lips called out to him in every way possible.
"Excuse me," she said once again, breaking Vincent out of the trance that he had been locked in, viewing her eyes.
"Oh I'm sorry." He said, grabbing his bicycle and wheeling it out of the way, his face saddened and drained of all the color he had before.
"That's right, leave," the security guard roared at him. "And never show your raggy poverty stricken self here again!"
It seemed not to hurt as it used to, Vincent had already heard all the insults that could ever be thrown at him.
"That's not very nice, Gaston," the girl said. "You should apologize immediately. And I mean it."
"But ma'am, he is just a street urchin." The security guard said.
"Doesn't matter. Apologize to him."
She called out to Vincent who turned back to look at the pretty girl calling him as some sort of miracle. He came back as soon as he was called, looking directly into her eyes. "You called for me," he said.
"Yes, I believe you are owed an apology," she said, much to the surprise of Vincent and to the disgust of the security guard whose name was Gaston. "Now Gaston, apologize to him."
The security guard crept close, his back slightly hunched. "I'm sorry" he said immediately, before going back to his post.
"Now does that feel better?" She asked. Vincent thought she was talking to the security guard, only to realize that it had really been him later on.
"Oh well," he started, anxiously. "I guess apologizing is always a good thing. He could not help but look at her eyes, to him, she was easily the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
"So what exactly do you want? You must want something for you to come all the way down here."
"I came to shop." Vincent said this trying his best to resist being sarcastic in anyway. "I know you might not believe me because I am badly dressed."
"Why? Is that not the reason why we get new clothes?"
"Exactly!" He laughed.
"If you do want to go in, I suggest that you get in the car with me. I'm going in to see my mom. She is the owner of this place."
He could not believe it. He was being invited into a car with a girl as pretty as her. He could barely hold the excitement as he hopped in the car without delay.
"My name is Marie Pierre, what's yours?"
"Vincent. Just Vincent."
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
On a windy evening the next day around the school premises, another luxurious car came parking just close to the school's gate. A Rolls Royce. It brought forth the attention of students who all crowded around it with their eyes all lit up in awe of its beauty.The door was flung open and a bald man with pitch black glasses, well framed cheekbones and jaw line and a muscular build, stepped outside of it wearing a white suit.He looked around, as if selecting for a student. His demeanor was nothing short of intimidating, but this did not stop the students from admiring from the distance that they were perched on."Hey you," he called out, pointing at one of the students, a tall lanky boy with glasses and a bulb haircut. The boy walked foreward although his eyes were filled with uncertainty."Take me to the Vice Chancellor of this school," the man demanded, his voice was hoarse and as intimidating as his looks were."Y-yes." The boy replied, his tone shaking.In a few minutes there were
It took them thirty minutes to get to their destination. At that time, Vincent finally broke out of the surprise bubble that he had found himself. He was finally back in the real world, in a car with a one-eyed bald stranger that had just paid a huge amount of money to the VC like some sort of trade to get him.His chest vibrated with the thumping of his heart. For all he knew the man in question could be some sort of organ trafficker that he had just been sold to. Sweat dripped down his face as he bit his lip."I'm sorry, Monsieur driver, sir—""The name is Frank." Frank cut his sentence short, his eyes still focused on the road attentively. "Frank Guillaume. But just call me Frank.""Okay, Frank. I'm genuinely happy to have met you. You took me away from jail so I infact am very happy. But where are we going to?" Vincent sounded unsure and nervous. He had every reason to. Frank was still very much just a stranger to him."Well, no need to panic. It seems you have had a little encoun