Maid for Hire

Chapter 1: Meet Andrea, the Party Girl with Serious Financial

Problem

this might be one of my first attempt to make a humorous story. My friends often comment that I have a great sense of humor so don't worry, this won't be that bad.

edit: 17-08-2013

THIS STORY IS INFESTED WITH GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. Please proceed with caution.

Aside from that, thank you for giving this a chance. It's the first time I finished a full novel in english, and I have no one but you guys (especially the earlier readers) to thank. :) I'm currently editing this offline, in prospect of publication.

---Chapter One: Meet Andrea, the Party Girl with Serious Financial Problem

I put up my hands above my head, moving my body according to the music that blasted off the big stereo. All of my girlfriends were dancing around me, a similar euphoric smiles were on their faces.

The place was filled with at music that was bound to make your ears bleed and your chest thump like crazy. Initially, I never thought that I'd like parties, but soon I changed my mind. While I couldn't really afford going to a club, house-parties were great and free (well, most of the time). Besides, this was the only time I could lose myself from my crazy, erratic lifestyle.

"My God, Andrea, this is the best night that I've ever had... EVER!" Hannah screamed at me, her face was all red and her hair (which I'd helped her to straighten) had been reduced into a bush of flyaways.

I put up a smile. Hannah was my bestfriend, it was a pity that she always got her heart broken by boys, but fortunately a good party could always ease her up in a snap.

"Next Friday night, you'll be going to say the same thing!" I shouted back at her because the music was too loud. She was grinning and nodding, before then she noticed a cute boy next to her and shifted closer to him. She fluttered her eyelashes expertly and in just a second, they were already grinding. I bet that tomorrow Hannah was going to call me, telling me that she had fallen in love... again.

As for me, I don't fall in love easily. Don't get me wrong. I swoon when a cute boy walk by, I talk about boys and relationship all the time with my girls and I watch romantic movies in a healthy dose. But I don't think I'll ever be ready to date a guy seriously.

Why, you ask?

Simple, because I don't have the time.

I felt my cellphone vibrated on my pocket and I stifled a mental groan. Here we go again...

I got out from the dancing floor and checked on my phone. It was an old Sony Ericsson that my uncle gave me for my thirteenth birthday. There were numerous dents on the shell, but I managed to mask it with bling stickers that I made myself. My friends had gushed that my phone was cute, but they didn't know how much of a

slowpoke it was.

Still, it was good to having a cellphone, though.

The text from my coworker Dani showed up on the screen:

ANDREA, H3LP ME, PLZ! I HV AN EMRGENCY SITUATION, PLZ COVER 4 ME! I OWE U BIG TIME LOVE XOXO <3!!!!

I sighed, wondering what kind of situation Dani, a ditzy but endearing young single-mom, was having at 10PM in Friday night. Probably her babysitter dozed off again, or probably one of her twins tried to eat the neighbor's dog poo.

Yes, it happened before.

I glanced at Hannah, who seemed like she had totally forgotten everything about her last boyfriend. I felt the corners of my lipglossed lips tugged into a smile. I loved Hannah, really. She was my dearest friend, and we had done everything together ever since the start of high-school.

I pocketed back my cellphone and progressed to exit the house. But then a voice came up from my behind and made me shudder from top to bottom.

"Leaving already, Andre?"

The voice belonged to the single most annoying boy in Merryweather High, Alec Blaze.

And why he was annoying? Because he was an arrogant, big-mouthed, good-for-nothing player who broke Hannah's heart. And not just Hannah, prior to Hannah, he had dumped around twenty girls.

Of course, I'd told Hannah that Alec was trouble, but Hannah wouldn't listen to me. No girls could ever resist Alec, his good looks and suave manner always charmed the girls into bending their knees over him. And then the inevitable happened, Alec dumped Hannah because he was bored, and Hannah spent about five hours crying to me over the phone.

Five hours. That's the most Hannah had cried because of a guy.

That was two years ago, and that marked the time that Alec and I became arch nemesis. Hannah forgave Alec not long thereafter, but me, I still breathed fire whenever he came around my vicinity.

My nostrils flared as I spurned around. His arrogant face adopted a perpetual annoying smirk as he stared back at me. On his left hand was a red plastic cup, on his other hand was a girl who clung to his torso like there was no tomorrow.

"Hey, Allie, how fascinating to see you here," I said while scrunching my nose up. "Oh, and look, you found yourself a girl!"

Alec smirked as he took a glimpse to the poor brunette who was dangling on him. It was so typical Alec to show up with a new girl every month. I was sure he had dated at least 75% of the female population that Merryweather High had. But sometimes he also dated girls from other school, and at one time, a girl from China flew here just to get dumped three days later.

Verdict? Despicable asshole.

"Honey, who is she?" the girl pursed her mouth more than necessary as she spurn out those words.

"Oh, just a friend, Mindy." Alec said in a mellifluous voice, the voice that he'd used to hundreds of other girls prior to Mindy.

Mindy scanned me, her eyes slightly squinted and her jaw tensed as she took in my appearance. She was comparing how much of a competition I was to her. Finally, her plump lips opened: "Is her name really Andre? Why is she calling you Allie, anyway?"

I arched an eyebrow, actually waiting for this girl to surprise me with her level of stupidity. According to Alec's report cards alone, he summed up to be a smart boy with higher IQ points than most people. Why he chose to keep bimbos around him was beyond my grasp.

"It's just a little inside joke between us," Alec explained, but his eyes were directed to me.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, Allie. The only reason I call you with a girl name is because I think you're not man enough to posses a masculine name."

Alec bent his back to whisper (quite audibly) to his new girlfriend. "Poor Andre here doesn't know how to express her infatuation with me. That's why she resorts to bullying and name-calling."

Mindy giggled as her eyes cast something that looked much like pity. I felt my cheeks blaze. How dare he! That's one of Alec's favorite mean jokes: he liked to tell new people that I was hopelessly infatuated with him.

"Alec Alec Alec," I shook my head. "Why can't you stop acting so obnoxious all the freaking time?!" "I'm not obnoxious most of the time," he grinned. "only around you. Your reaction is always so amusing." I grounded my teeth, I was sure that my eyes looked like something feral.

"See? That expression is priceless!" he actually drew his cellphone (which, go figure, is the newest iPhone 4s) off his pocket and took a snapshot of me. The whole action happened so fast and by the time I realized what was happening, he was already showing his phone to his girlfriend, who giggled oh-so-cutely at my candid photo. "Hey, that's a violation of privacy! You can't just take a photo of someone without their permission!" I lunged at the phone, but Alec was faster, taller. He held the phone up on his hand and dangled it in front of me.

"Here-here, Kitty," he taunted me.

"Give it to me!" I tried tiptoeing, I tried jumping, but still I couldn't reach his hand. "Give it to me, asshole!" Alec was laughing all the while he did it. "Why should I? You looked so goddamn funny grimacing like that. It's like a work of art."

"Go to hell, Alec!" I screamed as I realized that no matter what I did, I'd never be able to take the phone from him. Not when he was raising his arm like that. My mind raced fast, and before I could even process my train of thought, I lunged for his arm and sunk my teeth on his skin.

It was painful. I nearly forgot that Alec played basketball and football. It was only natural that his arms built formidable muscles that were so hard it made my teeth tingle. He yelped, though, and his hand lost its grasp of the phone.

My eyes bulged as I watched the brand new iPhone 4s fell down in slow motion and crashed against the hard floor. There was a loud, resounding CRASH, before a noticeable crack formed on the screen.

Oh, God, no...

"B-Baby?" Mindy blinked her eyes several times. Alec only stayed there, his expression strangely calm. Shit. Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit!

Alec stared voicelessly to the phone, before then he picked it up and dusted off the screen. Thankfully, the phone was still on, so the damage wasn't really that bad. I could only gape at him, I was at loss of words. As much as I hated him and his nifty expensive gadget, I never intended to break it.

"You stupid bitch!" Mindy was shouting. "You broke Alec's new phone!" "Like it's not obvious already," I muttered under my breath.

"Did you say something? Just apologize to him, you idiot!" Mindy stomped her foot. "Alec, why don't you say something to her?"

Alec furrowed his brows as he glared at me. I expected him to just yell at me or say something, but he didn't, and it made the situation worse.

"I'm so sorry," I heard myself saying. "I never thought... I didn't think..." I gulped. "I'll replace it. Give me some time, and I'll buy you a new phone."

Still not saying anything, Alec stretched out his hand and presented me with his open palm. "What?" I was utterly confused by his behavior.

"You said you're going to replace my phone," his voice was devoid from any humor that he possessed just a few minutes ago. "I want my replacement phone now. I accept money, too."

I fumbled my fingers like crazy. Here I was, stuck with the same phone for four years and working my butt off in hope of buying myself a new one. And now I was to give everything that I'd saved to the person that I hated the most.

I mentally kicked the back of my head. Of course I have to! I was the one responsible for this. I'll be haunted by nightmare if I didn't do anything to amend this.

With shaking hands, I reached for my wallet, also an old secondhand from my mother. I thought I had about a hundred bucks here, in the form of twos and fives. But just as I withdrew my wallet, I heard Alec laughing hysterically.

I tilted my head, confused as to what's so funny. He doubled over, and there were tears welled up at the corners of his eyes. Alec was a good-looking boy with his copper hair and striking green eyes, but when he laughed, his whole face brightened up ten fold, causing tentative heart attacks for the unprepared and the weak-hearted. This was the major reason why girls fell for him all the time despite his obvious womanizing history.

"You... you really going... to pay me... oh, you idiot! You... you gullible... hilarious... girl..."

I chewed on my lips, suddenly very angry. Alec still hadn't recovered from his euphoric state and wiped tears off his eyes. I waited until he was absolutely silent before I opened my mouth. "Of course I'm going to pay. I broke your phone and it's only sensible if I replace it."

He laughed again as he shook his head. "It's really okay, you know. I'm bored with these Apple products anyway. Besides, your expression back there was more than anything money could buy!"

I was pretty sure my face had turned green in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. It was no secret that Alec Blaze was rich, but I never thought that he would be type who treated money like it was nothing.

I pulled all of my money from my pocket, and even though it pained me much to do it, I pushed all of it to Alec's hand.

His eyes widened as he worked on his mouth, opening and closing it without any words coming out. What? Is it so surprising to see a girl who was willing to replace something that she broke? Was the only type of girl that he knew was the ones who regard money as something higher than gods?

I held my chin high as he turned around and left the house. The café that I worked was about three miles from this place and I had no more money for cab. But that's okay, I could take a little walk. I needed some time to soothe myself, anyway.

As I took steps away, I saw people turning their heads towards me, inaudible whispers followed afterwards. I tried to keep my gaze straight to the street. My name is Andrea Robinson and if there's one thing about me that I'm goddamn proud of, then it's my pride.

Chapter 2: Meet Andrea, the Girl who Kicked a Guest's Gut

After about half an hour alternating between walking and running and jogging (and planking, if you count the embarrassing fall), finally I could see the pink sign of ‘Vinyl Café’, the place that I’d been working for about five months.

Panting, I brushed off my forehead, which was drenched with sweat. If only I still had any money on my pocket, then I’d be able to take a cab or a bus here, but my stupid pride made me give Alec everything that I had.

Woe is me, woe is definitely me.

No, oh no. I rapped my skull with my knuckles, trying to knock off the negative thoughts off my head. No way, Andrea, you don’t have the time to self-pitying yourself. Get your butt to work now! Remember that walking is good to tone up your body!

With the newfound determination shrouding me, I entered the café.

I guess I came much later than Dani would like. By the time I walked in, she was in the verge of crying. Well, hold that thought, judging by her red eyes and puffy nose, she very probably had.

“Oh, Andrea!” she screeched. Fortunately, the café was empty at that time so no customers were bothered. “Andrea, Andrea, I was afraid that you wouldn’t come! Why didn’t you answer my text?”

I gave out an apologetic smile. “I’m out of credit, Dani. It’s nearly the end of the month.”

Dani looked at me with her big doe-eyes, and I almost felt guilty. Dani had this effect to everyone. She was pushing thirty, but her lithe body and her silky blonde hair diminished years off her exterior. Also, her big chocolate eyes were so warm that it forced you to agree with whatever she said.

This, I decided, was her biggest asset.

“Thank you so much Andrea. Don’t worry, I’ll give you parts of my salary. You’ve helped so much! Right now I need to go home because the twins almost cut off all of my babysitter’s hair. Mwah, mwah, I love you baby girl!” she managed to hug me, planted a kiss on both of my cheeks, and then unhook her apron while blurting out all those things. This was yet another of Dani’s asset: she could multitask like crazy.

I was in the middle of processing all of her words when she already bolted to the exit. I turned around to see her leaving back, her high heels clicked measly on the way.

“Oh!” Dani’s voice boomed as she returned to the café. In a speed that no normal woman could possess while wearing high-heels, Dani came up to me and gave me a ten.

“For you to go home, and for credit,” she said, before then she exited the place. And now, I was stuck in the café, alone, at eleven PM.

-There was a reason why I was assigned from 3-9PM and Dani from 9-2AM. I was easily angered, snarky, and when sleepy, very violent. Dani was the opposite of me. She was sweet, laughed a lot, and even when she was sleepy, she was always courteous. Dani somehow elicited an aura of serenity, and that was something pivotal when we had to deal with annoying midnight customers.

Like right now.

Three middle-aged men trudged towards the café. As soon as their feet stepped in, I scrunched up my nose. The smell of alcohol wasn’t strong, but I assumed that the amount was enough to make some of them forget basic manners.

“Young babe working now!” one of the men pointed at me, his pudgy finger was smeared with something that suspiciously looked like coke.

“Aww, I miss my blondie babe,” another one drawled. They were talking about Dani.

I crossed my arms. Their hands were nearly nowhere me, but I was already feeling harassed. The after effects of breaking Alec’s phone didn’t help lifting up my mood either.

“What do you want to drink, gentlemen?” I asked, although my voice came out snappy.

“Oh, easy easy little girl.” The third, and the fattest tried to touch my chin with his finger. Fortunately, I had fast reflex. “We’re not going to do anything to you. Why don’t you accompany us to pass time? The blondie always do that.”

“Well, if you haven’t noticed already, I’m not ‘The Blondie’ and I’m not interested with surrounding myself with you filthy old men.”

I knew I was being unnecessarily rude, but the best defense is good offense. “Isn’t she a little rude, don’t you think?” one of them asked.

“And we’ve done nothing wrong but being nice to her,” the other one was burrowing his brow in palpable disappointment. “Blondie never shouts at us.”

The third one didn’t contribute on their series of complaining. He was already asleep with his eyes open.

“I told you before. I’m not Blondie, and if the three of you aren’t planning to buy any coffee, then get the hell out of here!”

The remaining two looked at each other and then smiled in unison. And then, to my horror, they approached the door to inside the counter. My heartbeat fastened in a sudden panic. Oh, shit, oh, shit. My cellphone was out of credit and even if I scream, nobody would hear me out at this time!

I racked my brain for ideas fast. Two of the men had already reached the counter, and they were approaching me with drunken smiles plastered on their pudgy faces. I gritted my teeth in revulsion, and in attempt of self defense, I kicked one of them on the stomach.

There was a considerable pause, before then the one who got kicked collapsed to the floor. He was prostrating, his back trembled a bit as pained moan escaped his lips.

The last man looked at me with widened eyes, the fear on his face was so obvious that it amused me.

We looked at each other for a good ten seconds. I took in his reddened eyes, his disheveled hair, the extreme widow peak and the beer gut. Everywhere I searched, I saw nothing but ‘middle-aged troublemaker’ on every inch of his body. But he also looked scared, and I might as well take my chance before he could try anything funny.

I balled my fists, and the man took a step back.

I took a step forward, my eyes were narrowed and my mouth pursed into a malicious scowl. The man took another step back.

And then, feeling mischievous, I yelled: “BOO!”

With a chilling scream, the man ran away from me to the exit door, leaving his two companions unconscious inside the café. Satisfied with my saint-like work, I crossed my arms and lifted my chin up high. Nobody messes with Andrea Robinson, not even middle-aged men with expensive suits.

When the clock struck 2AM, I was glad that nobody stepped into the café. The two men was still unconscious, and I contemplated between dragging them out or locking them inside the café. After the inner-battle, though, I dragged each of them out, before locking the café with the spare key that the manager gave me.

After everything was done, I sighed in exasperation. I was so tired and my bones felt like they were cracked all over the place. I inserted my hand to my pocket and felt my lips tugging into a smile as I felt the ten dollar. I could save some energy and call a cab with this money, but I thought further than that.

I removed my shoes. They were already scraping against my heels and I needed absolute feet comfort if I wanted to come back home on foot.

-At weekends, I always turned off my alarm. To be more exact: at weekends, I sleep my butt off thorough the day. Saturday was sacred, Saturday was hallowed and I would not allow absolutely anything to disturb my Saturday morning.

Which was why I nearly break my own phone when it wailed at nine at the effing morning. RING! RING! RING!!!

At that time, I was in the middle of a very good dream. In my dream, I was Cinderella. But not the scrubbing floor kind of Cindy, I was at the ball with my white gown, the good Cindy part. It was cliché, and it was a little sad even, but nevertheless that dream was the only good thing that happened to me this week.

RING! RING! RING!!! Goddamn it.

“Hello?!” I snapped to the phone. All of my friends knew me well enough to not bother me before twelve o clock at Saturdays, so it must be someone else. I swear if the person calling me in such ungodly hour was anything akin to salesman, then I’d fillet his eardrums.

Fortunately, Dani’s voice was on the other end of line. “Oh, Andrea! Finally I can reach you!” And that’s the only thing that I could digest, before she went on a nearly incoherent ramble.

“Huh?” I tried sitting up. My eyelids were still practically glued to each other so I rubbed my eyes. I also rubbed the skin above my nose, trying to knock some life on my drained brain. “What?”

“The boss is furious at you, Andrea!!!” Dani’s voice suddenly boomed against my ear. Now, that certainly was an alarming wake-up call.

“What?!” my mouth felt dry. “Why?!”

“Did you harass anyone yesterday, Andrea? Anyone who are supposed to be our customers?” My face fell.

Oh. No. Please not this.

“Well, kind of,” I admitted. I heard Dani sucking breath, ready to launch a long lecture about how to be courteous and polite all the time, but I wasn’t going to hear any of it. I had my reasons! “But they’re the one who harassed me first! They were drunk, and all of them look like they could pass as criminals!”

For the first time, I felt that Dani was out of words. We fell into an awkward silence, except for Dani muttering ‘Oh, Andrea, Oh Andrea’ in a subdued pity. I felt my heart being drowned into a sea of possibilities… bad possibilities…

-It was official now. This was the worst Saturday I ever had.

First, I woke up at nine freaking o clock. And then, a bad news was literally thrown towards me. Yes, I was now jobless.

No, the men that I harassed earlier weren’t criminals. They were drunk, yes, but they were incapable of

committing any crime. The three of them were just normal white-collar workers who found happiness by buying coffee and conversing with other people. All of them being gay took the cake.

Yes. Gay.

I tried to explain everything to Dani, but the sympathy that she spared for me was nothing compared to the sympathy she gave towards the men. They were the best customers that the Vinyl Café could possible have: they were rich, good-humored, and they were generous beyond belief.

And when the two of them tried to approach me behind the counter? Most likely they were just trying to humor me by showing a simple magic trick.

I felt like a mace was beating me up when Dani spat out those facts. Not only I felt guilty, I also felt like a violent animal out of cage.

I didn’t know who-or what- to blame but myself. I was so engulfed with rage yesterday my vision turned everything into something that it was not. Maybe if I was in good mood, I’d figure out that those men hadn’t meant any harm. Maybe if I didn’t break Alec’s mighty iPhone, I wouldn’t be so enraged thorough the night. Maybe if I hadn’t been so impulsive, I wouldn’t had bitten his arm. Maybe-maybe-maybe…

Oh, stupid, inept Andrea…

“So what do I do now, Dani?” I said over the phone. My mouth had dried out so much my voice was barely above a whisper. “I need to work. I need money…”

“Aren’t your parents working, Andrea?” Dani said carefully.

“Yes, they are,” I sighed; unknowingly I’d lowered the volume of my voice. The thin walls in my house allowed everyone to become a professional eavesdropper, my decrepit father included. Fortunately, like me, my parents considered Saturday as Sleepingday. “My mother doesn’t make much as a catering-woman and my father’s been sick for months. He can’t work like before…”

I couldn’t see Dani’s face, but according to the silence on the phone, I could imagine her furrowing her eyebrows in absolute sympathy. “Andrea, I’m so sorry to hear that…”

“Oh, Andrea…” Dani sighed again. “Wait while I ask around for any openings, okay? I’ll text you later, okay, honey?”

The way her voice had tremendous effects to my initial panic was astounding. I found myself nodding and managing a smile as I said okay and hung up. But after Dani’s voice didn’t eat up my concentration, I found myself staring at the empty walls.

My family had never been rich. We were a little higher above working class before then my father fell sick with heart problems and brought the whole financial-condition to the scraping ground.

The doctors were nice and generous, but that didn’t mean the medicines weren’t expensive. While my father was saved, the doctors advised him not to work as a construction worker anymore. And that was when everything went downhill. We only managed to get by because our family nearly used up every saving that we had: my parents’ savings for their pension, my own private saving. The only thing that they didn’t dare to touch was my college tuition.

It nearly made me cry whenever I thought about our situation. But while it stressed me in the most agonizing way, I didn’t want to tell any of this to my friends. Our school wasn’t prestigious, but most of my friends came from the richer families. To admit that I lived off discount and dollar coupons would make them think differently of me and I absolutely wouldn’t want that.

I didn’t want them to think that I was a gold-digger. I didn’t want to give them a reason not to trust me.

Dani was taking her time asking around so I decided to stop whining and start doing house-chores. I took a bath, swept on the floor and made breakfast for my parents. I was in the middle of tearing up vegetables when my phone finally vibrated.

DO U WANT 2 WORK AS A MAID? MY SISTER WORKS IN THIS BIG HOUSE AND THE FAM PAYS WELL BCOZ THEY’RE RAGING RICH. PLZ REPLY IMMEDIATELY, THIS KIND OF

OPPORTUNITY SELLS FAST!!

Upon reading this, I quickly bolted out of the house and bought credit for my phone in the nearest grocery store. Once I’d entered the credit digits, I sent Dani a reply:

YESYESYESYESYESPLEASE!! I’M IN!!

Being a housekeeper might sound incredibly repulsive to some people, but beggars can’t be choosers. If Dani’s sister said that it paid well, then more the reason to say yes!

Dani’s text came almost immediately after that.

GRT!! NOW GET UR PRETTY ASS HERE, BEFORE OTHER GIRLS PRECEDE U!

Below was the address of the house. I blinked at the screen of my phone, and without any more ado, I ran home and got on my bicycle. I didn’t even put on make up or wear nicer clothes.

All I wanted to know is that I got the job for sure.

---Whew, and that's the second chapter! :D Thank you for everyone who have voted and added this story to your precious libraries. :D I really appreciate it. If you like this chapter, please vote as it makes me feel extremely motivated to write more and update faster. Thank you!! :D

Chapter 3: Meet Worthington Boy, the Boy Who Became a Legend

My eyes bulged three times their normal size as I gaped at the humongous white house looming over me. When Dani said that the family was raging rich, I thought I could prepare myself to face a staggering amount of wealth, but I was wrong. Dead wrong.

This family was openly displaying their wealthy in the least surreptitious way. And gosh, judging by the size alone, I thought the family could build at least three soccerfields inside the house and still had enough room for the bleachers.

I looked down on my shabby clothes and my ratty bike. Suddenly I felt lousy and the confidence that I had took off to Neverland. Thank God I saw Dani and her sister waiting from my outside the mansion’s humongous gate. Dani rushed to me, her face was a mixture of panic and relief. “Andrea, there you are!”

Dani’s sister, Donna, nodded at me in acknowledgement. At first glance, you wouldn’t believe that these two women were sisters. Dani was blonde, lithe, and when she looked at you, you knew that she’d accept you no matter what. Her life was constantly surrounded by people begging to help her and easy money that came from her countless suitors.

Donna, on the other hand, was round. I didn’t even know any other word that could describe her without being demeaning. She was round, plain and simple. Her silhouette was a perfect ball with a pair of legs and arms. Her blonde hair was a bit lighter than Dani and was always up in a bun. Her skin was pale, bit translucent actually, and even though she had Dani’s kind eyes, her mouth wasn’t exactly as ‘smily’ as her sister’s.

“Any minute later, and you’re not going to get the job,” Donna said at me curtly. “Sorry, Donna.”

She looked at me from head to toe, and cringed a bit when she saw my bike. “Maybe it’s better if Dani takes your bike home. Let Mrs. Worthington thinks that you came here on foot.”

“Is there something wrong with my bike?”

“Nah,” she took another glance at it. “It just looks like it hasn’t been washed for five years, and Mrs. Worthington’s big on hygiene.”

Although a bit offended, I let Dani took my bike from my hands. “Sorry, Andrea. Your bike is fine, really. The thing is, the Worthington is not used to goods that look older than a year.”

I thanked and waved at Dani, who took my bike home for me. Donna gestured for me to follow her to get inside the house. I noticed that we were circling around to enter the house from the backdoor.

“I’m sorry that you lost your job, Andrea,” Donna said. “It’s okay, it’s my fault anyway.”

“Well, it is your fault,” Donna deadpanned. “Just make sure that you don’t randomly kick anyone here. The Worthington family has enough power to have your legs amputated whereas the law turns a blind eye for them.” Donna opened the backdoor and we were bombarded with a lot of girls my age chatting and joking to each other. The Kitchen was filled with around thirty women, and I had a feeling that all of them were trying to apply the same job as me. While there were a good number of middle-aged women, the amount of girls around my age was astonishing to say at the very least. Most of them were well groomed and pretty and caked with make up.

Suddenly I felt the need to spray a deodorant to my armpits. I felt dirty, smelly, and not to mention ugly. “Why do all the girls here wear make-up?” I whispered to Donna.

Donna’s jaw was tight. “Because, the Worthington son is really, and I mean really really really really attractive.” I blinked. “Oh.”

There was an awkward silent between Donna and I as we listened to the girls gushing about their excitement to work here. I noticed three common topics that flitted through all the girls here:

1.The size of the house, which, according to these girls, make it look like a castle.

2.The amount of wealth the Worthington family owned, which, according to these girls, would put the family in the same level with the Royalties.

3.The so-called Worthington son, which, according to these girls, was so attractive that he could pass as a prince. I couldn’t help shaking my head at the shallowness of my competitors. To me, the Worthington son’s

handsome and rich, why the hell did he spare his time with a freaking maid?! He could have easily snatched a girl of his own level: a princess with her own castle-sized house.

I stole a glance to Donna, who stared at the herd of these fantasy-filled girls with eyes that looked like they were going to burn. I noticed that she wasn’t wearing any make-up.

“If the son is so handsome, why are you not dolled up?” I asked her. “The other maids too, aren’t wearing any make up.”

Donna shuddered a bit. “Because, Andrea, and this is important,” she looked around, making sure that there wasn’t anyone in espionage. “Mrs. Worthington is really, and I mean really really really scary.”

-Fifty-five minutes later, I experienced firsthand at how scary Mrs. Worthington could be.

The girls who applied to work were all lined up horizontally at the living room. We were told to stand upright and had our eyes on the front all the time while Mrs. Worthington judged us based on our looks. She had been yelling and jabbing and pointing at the girls.

So far, none had made it.

“Cakey foundation, check! Neon lipstick color, check! Scary eyeshadow, check! Excuse me, young lady, but do you take my house as a place for showcasing your terrible skills at putting on make up?

The poor girl gasped as she looked around. She certainly wasn’t expecting this kind of interview before. “Get out!” Mrs. Worthington screamed straight to her ears.

Reduced to tears, the poor girl scurried to the exit. She was the fifth girl who shed tears.

Mrs. Worthington sighed in a very exaggerated manner. Her green suit fitted her slim body, even though she had hinted previously that she was over fifty years old. She was a freakishly tall woman with a face that looked like it had been injected too many times. Her muscles were all taut and when she yelled, she only opened her mouth very lightly.

She downright the scariest person that I’d ever met.

Not only physically, her personality proved to be extremely scary, if not unpleasant. She was very judgmental. If the girl was too blonde, then she wouldn’t make it. If the girl was too thin, then she wouldn’t make it. If the girl was too pretty, then she also wouldn’t make it. Too old, too young, too pale, too much make up?

No chance. Nada.

A few minutes later, after the girl beside me sobbed her way out, Mrs. Worthington’s blue eyes glared down at mine.

“You’re not wearing any make up,” she stated. “I’m not,” I said.

“Do you not know that my grandson is very attractive,” she inclined her head a bit, her eyes narrowed to the point where I wondered if she could still see anything at all.

“Yes, I know, Ma’am,” I said. “I just don’t think that it matters.”

To my surprise, Mrs. Worthington leaned closer to me. I gasped audibly, but managed to keep my back straight. I could sniff a bit of her expensive perfume, and the smell attacked my nose so bad I almost fainted.

Her cold blue eyes twinkled. “How old are you?” “Seventeen, Ma’am.”

“Do you have school?” “Yes, Ma’am.”

“What’s your grade?” this time, her voice became a little more hoarse. I tried to gulp as inaudible as possible. “S-Straight A, Ma’am.”

“Ha! You stammered! Did you lie to me, young lady?!” she screamed straight to my ears. “A seventeen year old who goes to school doesn’t work as a servant!”

I couldn’t answer that.

Mrs. Worthington spared me another glance, but not more than one millisecond, before then she took another step to the girl beside me. No, this couldn’t happen.

I had to get the job, I had to work and I had to get money. No matter how hard my mother worked, she wouldn’t get enough for the whole family to eat. My father was hopeless; he could barely walk a mile without panting. I should be supporting my own family, and this was my only chance!

“They don’t, but I do!” I said, not realizing that my volume had risen to match hers.

A few seconds of total silence passed before Mrs. Worthington turned around to face me. The lower part of her face was totally frozen, but her enlarged eyes showed how much of a shock my sudden outburst was.

And not the good kind of shock.

I gulped again. “…Ma-Ma’am,” I stammered to complete the sentence.

For the first time, Mrs. Worthington’s jaw wasn’t tense. She was actually satisfied with my answer. Ever so slightly, she gestured me to the kitchen. “You work from four to nine, everyday except weekends. You will clean my grandson’s room and clean all the jugs that we have. Now go to the kitchen to get instruction from Donna.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I was the girl who was always down with luck. I was the kind of girl who never won anything, and never would, because I was that unlucky. This was the first time I could get something that nobody else could get.

I almost gagged when I said thank you, and Mrs. Worthington regarded it with a slightly appalled nod. “Right, now scram before I change my mind,” she said before she resumed her bullying.

Donna was the first to welcome me as I entered the kitchen. “I made it!” I said to her. “Donna, I made it. I was the first to be accepted!”

“I always knew you’ll make it, Andrea,” Donna’s voice was deprived of enthusiasm. It didn’t bother me, though, I knew that it wasn’t in her nature to be emotional.

“So what does she want you to do?” Donna asked

“I get to clean the jugs and the grandson’s room,” I grinned.

“Oh, no she didn’t,” Donna didn’t look too happy. “Andrea, listen, there’s a reason why the Worthington family is always looking for maids.”

“Yeah?”

“Most of the time, it’s because the Worthington son is always fooling around with them.”

“Donna,” I smiled at her, the sweetest smile that I could manage. “I don’t get smitten by good-looking boys that easily.”

“The Worthington boy is a snake, Andrea,” Donna hissed. “He knows how to flirt with women. He always takes home different women and when Mrs. Worthington is out of town, he hosts crazy parties.”

“And that’s more the reason why I won’t be smitten by him,” I said firmly. “He sounds like a party animal who likes to disrespect women. I hate boys like that.”

“But the Worthington boy is also the sweetest boy, Andrea,” Donna wasn’t losing this argument. “When he wants to, he can spurn out the sweetest words that can melt my knees. My knees, Andrea! My knees just don’t melt to anybody!”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” I waved my hand at Donna offhandedly. “Now, why don’t you tell me how things work here?”

Donna stared at me, silently pleading at me to take some heed of her words. But I was too happy to even consider anything, all I wanted to do was to start working and started producing money. Realizing that I wasn’t going to budge anytime soon, she reached for the nearest cabinet and snatched a few napkins.

“Alright, Andrea, don’t say that I didn’t warn you-“ she said before she began my training.

-At eleven o’clock, I was supposed to wake up the Worthington son with breakfast in bed. The Worthington family had at least thirty rooms in this mansion. All of them were situated in a complex position that took months to memorize. They didn’t need any thief-catching gadget to ensure the house’s security. With this kind of maze, the thieves wouldn’t be able to find their way out.

As a maid, I was entitled with my own map. I had to give in a copy of my ID in exchange of the map, and to ensure that I was going to be loyal and faithful to them. While this made me wince, I understood their preposition.

At eleven o’clock sharp, the cook prepared the Worthington son’s breakfast on a silver tray. I balanced the tray on my hands, quite unused to its weight. Donna was already on her own duty, so she couldn’t help me around anymore.

Recalling the memories of the map inside my head, I found my way to the Worthington son’s room. To be honest, I was also curious as to how did he look like. Donna said that there were already around thirty maids fired because they were all caught fooling around with this boy. Not only that, the girls who came here earlier were also enticed by his looks.

Just, how attractive he really was?

Finally, I found myself staring at the door that would lead me to his room. My breath fastened as I twisted the doorknob, wondering what kind of face that I would see. Did he look anywhere near Logan Lerman? Zac Efron? Mrs. Worthington had copper hair and blue eyes, so he must had the same features.

When I stepped inside the room, I found myself in awe at the display at so many gadgets. A forty inch TV on the wall. An expensive rug with the shape of a tiger. There were posters everywhere: bands, movies, although a lot of them were about noir movies. The table was almost free from books, but I saw a lot of Apple products that I was sure he could open his own mini Apple store.

I placed my tray on the bedside table. The sight of his Apple products piqued my interest more than the sight of the owner. Besides, the boy sounded that he was still sleeping, the steady breath and the soft snore proved that. Carefully, I tiptoed to the aluminum table. Beside the table, there was a huge stereo with humongous speakers. The whole mansion may announced ‘old money’, but this room was very modern it may look like it was an electronic store.

On the table, a lot of cellphones were sprawled. There were every generation of iPhones and androids and iPads, even the newest one.

And then, I saw one cellphone that looked eerily familiar. An iPhone 4s that had a crack on its screen.

I didn’t dare to touch any of his things, so I only stared long and hard at the cellphone. I felt like I had seen this kind of crack before, the webbed lines looked familiar.

And then, beside the phone, there were a pile of crumpled twos and fives.

I never forgot the shape of my money, no matter how bad. When my wallet was filled with money, I always took time to memorize the shape they were and how much there was in it.

This money, this money had been mine.

With aghast horror, I turned around to the sleeping boy. And then, slowly, I approached him. “Mmm,” he moaned a bit and I almost jumped.

Shit, shit, shit.

Even his voice sounded familiar.

I couldn’t control my breath anymore, and they became erratic. I had to close my nose to prevent the sound of my breathing from becoming too loud. The boy was covered in white duvet, but I could see a tuft of his copper hair. I took a step closer, and then I stopped.

I stared at his face for one second. Two second. Three. After fully realizing who this boy was, I slowly tiptoed my way out of the room.

It took me all of my willpower to not just scream in place.

The Worthington son, the snake boy who had made thirty maids got fired. The sweet boy who could render Donna’s knees into jelly. The boy who had enticed so many girls to apply to be his maid.

The Worthington son was my arch enemy. Alec freaking Blaze.

… … …

Okay, okay, calm down now Andrea. Let’s take ten deep breaths and then give this situation a once over. Start from one… two… three…

four-Fuckity fuck. I’m working for Alec fucking Blaze.

One. Alec recognized me and magically didn’t give a damn that I was working as his maid. Probability that this would happen? Zero.

Two. Alec recognized me and tortured me to do every dirty work he knew I couldn’t stand. Like scrubbing his underwear clean. With my own hands.

Probability that this would happen? Seventy five percent.

Three. Alec recognized me and tortured me to do every dirty work he knew I couldn’t stand. And he told everyone at school that I was working as a maid in his house.

Probability that this would happen? Two hundred and twenty five fucking percent.

“Hey, you,” Alec’s voice suddenly seeped through the expensive door, sending shiver through my spine. My whole back was pressed against the door as I stopped breathing.

Did he call for me?

“You’re the new maid, right?” I heard a little chuckle came along the sentence. His voice took a friendly tone, one that would actually lure people into answering everything he asked.

I had to stop myself from instinctively answering his question with an equally friendly manner. After I was convinced that I wouldn’t be too reckless, I held the tip of my nose and tested my voice.

It came out higher than my usual voice.

“Yes, Mr. Worthington,” I said. I had to keep my identity hidden as long as I possibly could. “Please, Alec is fine. Mr. Worthington makes me feel old,” he said through the door.

What the hell? One minute, and already he already flirted with me?! This guy was a manwhore through and through.

“So what’s your name?” he asked again.

At this time, my brain decided to abandon me on my own and refused to think straight. I was looking for a name that would sound forgettable and had an air of plainness, but all I could think was my own name.

“I-I don’t know, Alec,” stupidly, it was all I could think about.

“Don’t be stingy, Ms. Maid. You don’t want to be called Ms. Maid all the time, huh?” “Actually, that’s a good nickname.”

I heard him let out another laugh. This was not the kind of laugh that he used to me. For me, his laugh was obnoxious and possessed a hint of shameless gloating. For ‘Ms. Maid’, his laugh was sincere and uplifting. The kind of laugh that would make people like you.

But then again, maybe Alec was trying to get into Ms. Maid’s pants, so it was necessary for him to be charming. “So when are you going to come to my room, Ms. Maid?” he challenged. “You’re supposed to wake me up at eleven, right?”

“Clearly, you’ve woken up now. There’s breakfast on your bedside.”

“I know,” and after that, a sound of munching came through. “I’m eating right now.” “Which marks the end of my job,” I said.

He laughed again. “Nope. You’re still up to clean my room.” Goddamn it.

While he was all friendly and charming, Alec’s voice still held authority. He knew that he had power over his servants, and the lack of ‘Please’ on his statements showed that. I had to exhale a few times to calm down my frantic heartbeats. Five minutes more of this, and I’d be developing an early stage of epilepsy.

“Alright, Alec,” I finally said, still with my hand draped over my nose to disguise my identity. “Here I come.” But I didn’t come to his room in the conventional way. I turned around and had my back facing him when I came, so that my face was in the safe side of concealment. I heard him groaning in exaggerated disappointment when he saw me entering without showing my face.

“Stingy little maid, aren’t you?” he enunciated every word. I couldn’t see his face but I could tell that he was smiling in amusement. “When are you going to show me your face?”

“I’m ugly,” I said, my back was still facing him. “I’m so ugly that your eyes are going to burn when you see my face.”

That seemed to amuse him even more. “What, are you going to clean my room with your back turned to me all the time?”

There was a pause, but I could feel his curious stare bored against the back of my head. I nibbled on my lower lip, trying to contain all kind of curses that were already on the tip of my tongue.

“All right, then,” Alec finally stated. “You don’t want me to see you, fine. I’m okay with that.”

Before I could stop it, my feet already made a little bouncing dance. Luckily for me, it only lasted for three seconds because Alec’s gaze burned deep inside my nape.

Shit, shit, shit.

So this was how he seduced all those girls.

I had to admit. If I didn’t know him and hadn’t witnessed how much of an ass he could be, and I didn’t need money so desperately, I would have fallen into his traps. Alec was good at making girls falling in love with him. Along with basketball, it was his specialty. He knew he had power over the delicate sex, and he used it well. Goddamn. It was not fair. A guy shouldn’t be charming and smart and rich at the same time. It defied the balance of the world.

Suddenly, Alec shuffled off from his bed. I instinctively balled my fists, my feet were tingling for escape. There was no way he was going to forcefully turn me around, right?

I listened carefully for his footsteps, before I could relax a bit and release some tension off my shoulders. He wasn’t approaching me.

“I’m going to take shower,” he announced. I sighed in relief. “Okay.”

He was strangely quiet after that. But I could feel some the voices of his movement. The voices of something… fishy. The voices of clothes… being taken off.

And that was when I realized it.

“Put this on the laundry for me, will you?” he said.

Color rushed to my face, and my breathing became frantic once again. I never considered myself a prude, and I knew I didn’t blush easily. But Alec knew where to push my buttons.

He stripped in the same freaking room with me. (don’t look, don’t look, don’t look)

He freaking stripped. He really did.

I knew that there was a bathroom attached to his bedroom (seemed that the Rich felt that it was pivotal to have a bathroom exclusive to themshelves), and by law, he had every right to strip down in his own room.

(don’t look, don’t look, don’t look) But did he really need to do that?

I heard his feet already taking steps, and once again, I shuddered. I had never been in the same room with a naked boy before. Hell, even I never walked around naked in my room before! Thankfully, I heard the sound of the bathroom door glide.

(don’t look, don’t look, don’t-)

Freaking hell, I turned around just before the bathroom door glided close. Holy mother of…. ass.

Chapter 4: When Things Get All Over the Place

Monday afternoon, after school, I literally had to drag my feet to the Worthington Palace. This was only the second time I’d gotten here but already I developed an early stage of agoraphobia whenever I stepped my foot in the house.

Donna was the first to greet me. As always, she wore an expression of an exasperated woman. “You’re still coming?”

“I need money,” I said.

Usually, I wasn’t this blunt when I was talking with financial issues, but Donna seemed like the type who was so indifferent towards problems like this. Her sister Dani would have looked at me with teary eyes and gave me a long hug. But Donna, as ignorant as she was, only narrowed her eyes. “You materialistic bitch.”

I put on my apron. “Hey. At least I use my body to clean a house, not something emotionally-scarring… like pole-dancing.”

“I’m pretty sure that cleaning a room with a naked boy inside is emotionally-scarring enough.” A pause. “Wait, I mean, sexually-frustrating.”

“You love to torture me, don’t you?” I said to her. It took me the full weekend and twenty episodes of Spongebob Squarepants to get the mental image of Alec’s freakishly good ass out of my mind, but now Donna instilled it back to my brain.

Donna let out a sly smile. “It’s my only entertainment around.”

I rolled my eyes, and then an unwanted tremor ran my spine as my gaze drifted towards the direction that was supposed to be Alec’s room. “Alec also seems to regard me as his entertainment.”

“Well, you do have interesting reactions when being provoked.”

If only Donna didn’t have a feminine voice, and if only I wasn’t so tired, I’d have gotten my knuckles connect with the side of her cheek. Unfortunately, I was against punching women.

“Donna?” “Yes?”

“Please stop talking.” Donna thought about it.

“Are you in the verge of punching me?” Donna took a step back steadily.

I smiled, and that seemed to confirm her suspicion. I never practiced my expressions, but I often got told that my smiles looked lethal enough to make kids have nightmares. That’s why babysitting was a big no-no for me.

Donna wisely took another step back, her eyes were cautious as she looked at my hands. “Fine. Don’t do anything that will make you get fired… like punching me.”

I let out another smile, resulting in another back step from her. “You have lots of layer of fat to keep the pain bearable.”

If Donna was scared, and her words did make her look like she was scared like shit, her face didn’t show it. If anything, her muscles were still in place and her tone was also steady. The only thing that betrayed her

indifference was the look in her eyes. “These will be the last words that I’ll spurt out for now. Now get away from me and only talk to me after you’re normal.”

I laughed, and after collecting my maid-gear, I stepped on to the ladders that would lead me to the highlight of my day: Alec fucking Blaze’s room.

-This time I was more prepared. I had a surgical mask that I draped over my mouth and I let my hair down to cover my face. I almost never put my hair up in school. When you’re a member of female soccer and Track and Field, you don’t want the coaches to give you a reason to cut your hair off.

I inhaled a lot of air before I knocked on the door. Alec quickly answered. “Ms. Maid?”

It was so surreal to hear him talk in such a mellifluous voice like this. Just earlier at school, I was chasing the hell out of him because he (deliberately) spilled his chocolate milk all over my school notes. Alec may be a potent

basketball player, but I was in Track and Field and within three minutes, I got to grab the collar of his polo and planted my foot on his back.

Safe to say that he went home limping.

“It’s me,” I said with my high-pitched voice. “Are you properly dressed?”

“Define properly dressed,” there was an undeniable amusement dripping in his voice. “Is your pretty bottom covered?”

Shiiiiiiii- fuuuuuuu- Grah!! Did I just address his ass as ‘Pretty’?! I bit on my finger, a habit that I couldn’t break. I blamed the slip on my speech to Donna, because she was the one who mentioned Alec’s nakedness to me. Alec, of course, didn’t fail to notice that I was talking about his body. One thing that I was certain about Alec, he was utterly self-absorbed. He might always talk about girls 24/7 but he couldn’t fool me. He still considered himself as the best-looking out of them.

“My pretty bottom, Ms. Maid? How did you know that it’s pretty? Did you take a peek last week?” My finger was pretty much chewed up. It left a nasty teeth mark. “N-No, Alec.”

“No? Is ‘No’ how you say ‘Yes’, hmm, Ms. Maid?”

Since my hands were full with mop and brush, my feet were twitching. I noticed this twitching as the sign before my body lost connections with my brain and started committing felonies.

No. Take control. Andrea, take fucking control.

I couldn’t just barge in and suddenly kick Alec for the second time today. When I was a kid, I thought that the other girls also had a penchant to punch people, but overtime I noticed that this violent trait only happened to me. Apparently, normal people didn’t think that fighting was the best way to get your emotions across.

Besides, if I punch him now, Alec would definitely recognize me. Girls never punch Alec. At most, they’d slap him. But judging from the girls that Alec dated, these girls’s slaps wouldn’t feel a thing. Most of them probably weighted not more than 100 pounds soaking wet.

“Can you please stop flirting with me?” I finally managed to say.

“I’m not flirting with you, Ms. Maid. You know how strict my grandmother could be. I wouldn’t want you to get fired,” his reply came quick. “And my pretty ass is properly covered so it’s safe for you to come in and start cleaning my room.”

…and start cleaning my room.

Goddamn. Even if he was good-humored, he always slipped bits of authority inside his words. He remembered his position, and he was reminding me that my position was below his. Is that how he manipulated people around him to be his hangers-on?

Putting my head down, I twisted the doorknob and got inside his room. As soon as Alec saw my face, he groaned inwardly. “Come on!” he threw his hands up. “Now that I’m not seeing your back, you put on a mask? Are you kidding me?”

“I told you I’m ugly. Wouldn’t want my face to smear the glory of your room.” I said as I started sweeping his floor. I noticed that there were questionable magazines sprawled all over the marble floor. With the tip of my index finger and my thumb, I picked it up and put it on the table. Boys’s rooms always freaked the hell out of me. Alec didn’t look in the very bit embarrassed that I was touching his stash of porn. He was wearing a wife-beater and a boxer, and while I admitted that this clothing was far from being proper, it was much better than before. “With what I can see, you don’t look ugly, Ms. Maid,” he grinned. And then, with difficulty, he got up from his bed and limped to his table.

“Thanks for picking this up for me. I couldn’t bend down and I need this like crazy,” he said as he dangled the dirty magazine towards me.

He went back to his bed and started reading. He flicked the pages, his gaze travelled all over the magazine, and his mouth tugged into lewd smirks. His casualness seriously bothered me. Either he flirted with me or he acted as if I wasn’t here. I couldn’t decide which option that I hated more.

After a while, though, I decided that I didn’t want to clean my room when my boss was busy looking at porn, no matter how soft-core it was. “So why you can’t bend down?”

He didn’t even put the magazine down. “Are you talking to me?”

Alec laughed, another mellifluous one. Sometimes I wonder if he cultivated the way he laughed to make people like him more. The girls and the boys in my school certainly worshipped the ground he walked on, even though he made it clear that he was a professional jackass.

“Relax, Ms. Maid. Don’t judge me because I get pleasure from looking at these exploited girls,” and to my relief, he threw the magazine away to the other side of his bed. “I couldn’t bend down because someone kicked me on the back. It still hurts like hell.”

I felt my nose scrunched up as I heard this. I knew that my strength was humongous for a girl, but Alec wasn’t complaining when I kicked him earlier. If anything, he laughed and acted that it was all a joke to other people. “Um.. W-Who kicked you?” I stammered.

“A crazy bitch from my school,” he said. “Pretty, yes, but also crazy and violent.”

I felt an invisible sword jabbed against my chest as he blurted out those words. Crazy. Bitch. Violent. Were those how Alec identified me?

Well, it was pretty acceptable, though, since I mostly behaved exactly like that when he was around. In fact, I thought that Alec would describe me with more hatred.

“Maybe you were being a jerk to her,” I said, trying to sound as offhand as I could manage. I was finished with the sweeping so now I was squeezing the mop. “Maybe you did something to tick her off.”

“Nah, that’s not it. That girl’s got grudges towards me, Ms. Maid. I broke her bestfriend’s heart two years ago,” Alec scratched the back of his head. “She’s fiercely loyal to her friends. Sometimes I wished I could be friends with her.”

What the hell?!

Right now, I was glad that I wasn’t facing him, because not only my whole hands were shaking, I was pretty sure that my cheeks turned bloody red.

“Or maybe she secretly likes me, you know?” Alec droned on, and now the words that came out from his mouth made my eyes twitch. “That girl never pays other guys much attention. I mean, I can safely say that I’m the only one who can push her buttons, that gotta count something, don’t you think, Ms. Maid?”

By the end of his ultra-narcissistic monologue, the mop that I squeezed was already dry and there was a

noticeable handprint on it. I was reeling so hard I didn’t realize that my breathing became very audible. When I finally noticed it, it took all of my control to just shrug nonchalantly.

“I don’t know, Alec.”

“Hey, is there something wrong with you?” Alec got up from his bed. “You sound hoarse. Are you sick?” I gulped down my urges to just kick him on the shin. “No.”

“Seriously, if you’re sick, you can stop working now,” there was an honest concern in his voice. “You don’t have to force yourself…” Somehow, he had already gotten out of the bed and was on his knees beside me.

At normal times, I’d be grateful of his concern. But he had just openly told me that he thought I was infatuated with him, when clearly, I did not. An amalgamation of embarrassment, hatred, and disgust settled on my stomach and these emotions spin the insides around.

“Ms. Maid?” Alec called me and I turned around to face him.

While Alec and I were always fighting, I’d never gotten this close with him ever. The only time that I had seen him up close was when I tried to pinch his nose until it changed its shape, the day after Alec broke up with Hannah.

From seven inches away, Alec was… striking. His green eyes had always been his greatest feature, but I now noticed that he also had amazingly arched eyebrows and lips that would make models weep. His nose might be a little crooked, but it suited his face just fine. His skin was also flawless. Maybe it was the expensive creams or his expensive food, but I couldn’t spot any sign of faded zits or even any pores.

I groaned inwardly. Here I was, being cornered by the boy that I hated the most, and all I could think of was how I could punch him without ruining his pretty face.

Alec’s green eyes blinked back at me. “You know, you look kind of familiar.” And that’s the only thing he needed to say to get me back from my reverie.

I got up fast and started mopping the floor. “I’m fine,” I said, back with my high-pitched voice. “Don’t worry about me.”

Alec didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t try to press on. Shrugging, he went back to his bed and resumed his reading. “I didn’t see you this morning, Ms. Maid.”

“My shift starts at four,” I said hurriedly. Already half of his floor already got covered. I shook my head so that it fell on my face, to further obscure my face from him.

“Are you in school?”

“No, I have two kids at home,” I quickly lied. “I’m married.” Alec arched his eyebrows. “You look young for someone married.”

Suddenly, I thought of Dani and started spilling her life-story. “It was an accident.” Alec was strangely quiet after that.

“I fully know that I’m being nosy right now, but is your husband nice to you?” slowly, Alec’s tone became more and more intense. “Is the salary that my grandmother gives you enough to cover everything?”

“Umm…” I wasn’t even close to answering when I saw a few sheets of dollars that looked too familiar being pushed onto me. It was my hundred dollars that I gave Alec a few days ago.

“Take it,” he said, pushing the money onto my hand.

I was frozen in place. My mind drew a blank as I saw his hand squeezing money to my hand. Apparently, Alec considered my silence as a ‘no’.

I blinked at the money several times, contemplating if it was proper for me to take it and if it was proper for me to lie and subsequently, made him pity me. Like any other lie, when you have started, you couldn’t stop.

Obviously, I couldn’t stop lying now. Maybe after a while I’d dye my hair and put on twenty pounds and pretend to be someone else. Now that Alec had obviously pitied and took sympathy with me, I couldn’t admit that I wasn’t married and my hymen was still intact and that that money had been mine.

Look at you, Andrea, look at the mess that you’ve created.

---Hey! Thanks for reading. :) I know that Alec's background is still not fully established enough by now, but be patient. You'll get to know more of him soon.

So what do you think? You think Alec really likes Ms. Maid or do you think he likes Andrea? Or maybe he's just trying to mess with Ms. Maid's head? Please don't be a silent reader and give me some signs that you're reading this, okay? I really like it when readers comment and such. Even a vote is really good for me.

Chapter 5: When Everything is Bloody and Messed Up

Something was wrong.

I could feel it with my nose: the smell of perfume being sprayed generously on the bodies of females. A lot of females. I could see it with my own eyes: brand-new hair dye jobs, extensions, and false-lashes were set on some girls’ heads. And finally, I could feel it with my senses: the lethal auras that wafted from these girls, the way they glared at each other like they were ready to pounce at any time.

At lunchtime, Hannah finally filled me in with the answers: “Alec Blaze is single again.”

“You’re kidding me,” I said. These girls wouldn’t be stupid enough to revamp their looks just because Alec was single, right?

No, wait. They totally would. This wasn’t the first time it happened, anyway. Sigh. Talk about the power of a mere mortal named Alec effing Blaze.

“No, I’m not kidding!” Hannah giggled as she twirled her locks; I noticed that they had changed colors, too. It was lighter, and just a week before, the ends of her hair hadn’t reached her boobs.

“Is that extension?” I gaped at her (fake) hair. And then I looked up and saw that she had put on colored contact lenses. “You’re green-eyed now?”

Hannah giggled, which confirmed my suspicion. I gaped at her in disbelief.

“No, Andrea, these changes are not for Alec. It’s for Glenn.” Hannah said as she gestured the cafeteria lady to reduce the French fries from her portion. Glenn was the guy that Hannah met at the house party last week. Six days later, they were officially a couple. As Hannah started blabbering about how awesome Glenn was, I gestured the cafeteria Lady to pass Hannah’s unwanted French fries to my tray.

After we had gotten our food, we sat on our table. I usually sit with the cheerleaders and dancers because our clubs’s activities usually ensue in the same hour. While some nerds swore on their hallowed StarTrek action figure collections that the cheerleaders were mean girls, they actually were not. Maybe they could be intimidating with their constant need to shriek and their obvious lack of moral, but as far as I knew, they were decent.

Then again, I was the kind of person who punches people when I was angered, so I couldn’t judge anyone. “Alec Blaze is single, girls!” Tatiana’s voice was more than a shrill. If I could only use one word to describe Tatiana, then it would be ‘deafening’. It took my ears about a month before they could adjust to Tatiana’s unusually loud volume. Even sometimes I pondered to buy a pair of earplugs.

“Hey, Andrea, maybe you can try to date him this time,” Tatiana winked at me. “Nearly all of us has gotten a lick of Alec’s yummy abs, you’re the only one who hasn’t.”

In unison, all the other girls in my table giggled. It was true, there were about fifteen of them, and Alec had dated each of them in succession. The girls weren’t even being coy about admitting it to each other: Alec was their shared trophy boyfriend.

My friends were mental. Fact.

And no way in hell I was going to go down in the same road with them, no matter how much I loved them. “No, thank you. It’s said that if I date a guy, I’ll also date all of his exes, and I don’t want to date all of you.”

"Glad that I was the first to date Alec, then. I wouldn't want to date all of you, either!" Jenny, a blonde bombshell with a bitchy mouth to match, spat jokingly. We shared a high-five as a series of mock-protest rose from the girls, and I laughed as we started firing jokes to each other. Hannah was dubbed the most idiotic because she was the one who cried the hardest when Alec dumped her. Tatiana was dubbed the sluttiest because she managed to get a new boyfriend before Alec could find one after they broke up. Jenny was the first to date Alec, so she was the early bloomer. Me? I was the Straight-laced Prude because I refused to even think about dating Alec.

And they said it with love.

Well, it seemed I had to rephrase: my friends were more than mental. They were insufferable. Well, at least we stick to the Golden Girl Rule: Sisters before Misters. They knew that Alec was an ass, but they’d still jump the chance to date him if there were one. It was an unwritten rule for us to not really fall for Alec, though.

As always, Hannah was the first to answer. She had quite amazing ears and she could hear from a crazy amount of distance. If only she wasn’t so interested in fashion and practiced her ears more, the FBI would recruit her as a spy.

“Oh, you guys are going to love it,” Hannah put her finger on her lips as her voice gradually became shushed. It was the cue for us to lay down our heads and be quiet. Hannah was going to drop the bomb.

“I heard from a reliable source that Alec has a crush on another girl.”

The impact of this news was incredible, to say at the very least. Some girls gasped dramatically, some started shrieking at the top of their lungs, and Hannah in particular was already red as she bounced on her seat. Tons of ‘Finally!!’ were being thrown here and there.

I was trying so very hard not to growl when I said, “Do you know who Alec’s crushing on?”

Hannah shrugged. “No, it’s a mystery girl. I heard Alec said to one of his friends that the girl wouldn’t even look at him.”

“He deserves it! He needs to be taken down a peg or two when it comes to love!” Tatiana said with fire, and other girls followed with the same amount of enthusiasm.

“I hope this girl will break his heart,” Hannah said with a low voice. While she and Alec were now in good terms, she still had difficulties erasing the memories of her first love. “He needs to know what it’s like to be rejected.” “Or better yet, loved and dumped,” one of the girls barked.

I only faked a smile here and there as my friends started discussing on what this ‘mystery girl’ should do to hurt Alec. My mind was on something else, my mind was trying to convince myself that Alec’s previous words did not have any correlations to his decision to break up with Mindy.

And I should tell you, my mind failed miserably at that.

-Since I couldn’t talk to Alec where my friends could see, I stalked him. You heard me right. I stalked him.

I started at the fifth period, at Mathematics. Our teacher, Mr. Layton was an old geezer with eyes that could be categorized as blind and ears that couldn’t hear anything that wasn’t thunderous. I sat on the very back at the class and started my mission by glaring to the back of his copper-colored head for full twenty two minutes, before the guy beside me tapped on my shoulder.

“A note for you,” the guy said. “it’s from that Alec dude.”

A crumpled paper rolled onto my table, and when I opened it, I recognized the neat handwriting as Alec’s.

Been thinking XXX-rated things about me, huh, Andre?

To say that I was furious would be a vast understatement. I was pretty sure if I were in a cartoon character, I’d be breathing fire to the paper and then proceeded to grow horns on my head. With haste, I drew my pen from my pencil-case and wrote back a reply.

Yes, Allie. It should be rated XXX for the VIOLENCE!

And then, to make sure that I got my point across, I drew a balled knuckle and bandages after the word ‘Violence’.

I gave the guy the crumpled paper, and after shooting me a frown, the guy threw the paper back to Alec, who let out a pretty audible chuckle upon reading it.

The paper came back to me fast. This time, the guy beside me had already tattooed a ‘Pissed Off’ sign across his wrinkled forehead. “You guys should pay me for being a frickin good messenger.”

“He’s the rich boy, not me,” I said as I snatched the paper from his hand. What I read inside almost made me puke.

I always knew you’re the kinky type, Andre. Your frustration must be why you’re so short-tempered. Want me to teach you how to relieve some of it?

And as if it wasn’t bad enough, he drew handcuffs and whips around the words. Now I knew why the guy beside me had been giving me the dirty eye.