Afterlife - Stephanie Hudson Page 0,70

then came stomping over to me with a hard red face. I had guessed that this wasn't going to be easy but man did he look pissed!

“What the HELL took you so long?” He pulled me to one side and not in a friendly manner.

“I sent you up there because I knew you were the only one who didn't want to go, so I knew you would be quick, so what... you thought that you'd have a good look around, take a tour, ‘cause it's my ass on the line!”

Oh yeah, he was pissed. How was I going to deal with this? Should I just walk now and make it all go away. I couldn't deal with this now, not after the cold backhanded slap of pain that Draven's words had inflicted. I was about to turn, not say a word but just leave and never look back. I wanted to cry but my fingers were still balled into fists. I was too angry for tears. Then I heard his phone vibrate and frustrated he fumbled for it in his jeans pocket.

His eyes looked down at the screen and then froze in what looked like fear. He cautiously put the phone to his ear as though it might explode.

“Umm... Can I help you?” His voice was shaky and his eyes were everywhere.

“Oh I see...no, no, of course that won't be a problem, no I'll take care of that personally. Yes I understand and it won't happen again...please allow me to apol....” It was clear he was cut off and I felt bad for him. He turned to face me but smiled instead of the evil glare I was expecting.

“So you have been promoted upstairs, well done, you must have made quite an impression for me to have received that call.” I didn't know what to say so I didn't respond.

“Well you start tomorrow night and don't worry you won't have any problems from anyone, I've been instructed to take care of gossip.” He said this with controlled bitterness.

“Look I'm sorry I didn't know. I met Sophia in my History class and...” He tilted his head before interrupting me.

“Sophia?” He stared blankly at me and I continued “Yeah, Sophia... Draven's sister, didn't you just speak to her on the phone?”

“No but umm that makes sense now...anyway start at eight and wear all black.” He started to walk off but my curiosity wouldn't let him leave without giving me the information I needed to know.

“Then who was that on the phone?” My pulse quickened waiting for the answer that I hoped for. I didn't think he was even going to answer me as he didn't stop but then he just looked over his shoulder and said the name I wanted so badly to hear.

“Why it was Dominic Draven himself.”

My shift had finished soon after I got back down from the VIP area and now I had to explain things to RJ. This wasn’t going to be easy. All I wanted to do was go home and try and make sense of what all this meant. I couldn’t get my head around it. Why would a man that obviously didn’t want me anywhere near him be ringing Jerry making sure I didn’t get any trouble from anyone? The only explanation I could fathom was that his sister had put him up to it. He would clearly do anything for her but why didn’t she ring?

I felt angry at myself for even thinking...no, not thinking but hoping that it could be just an inch of what I only wished for. Of course he didn't care. I mean why would he? I was nothing to him, a thorn amongst the roses that surrounded him.

“OH MY GOD! Tell me everything!” RJ nearly bounced into my arms as I walked over to their usual booth. Everyone was there except for Jack, but they all watched me as if I had just committed murder. I just wanted to scream by this point and run all the way home. I didn’t just mean my sister’s house either. Why did things have to get complicated so quickly? I was like a bloody magnetic force that would search out trouble! I just wanted to be normal but I guess you had to know what normal was to begin with. I had never been 'just normal' I knew that much.

Ever since that day at the fairground my life had changed, hell who knows maybe even before then. She had seen it before