A NIGHT WITH THE CRAZY CEO

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

*MONDAY MORNING*

**MARIANNA**

“Marianna, Marianna. Wake up. It’s time for school.” My mother’s voice penetrated my deep sleep.

“Ugh mom! Five more minutes please.” I moaned and snuggled closer to my pillow.

“Five more minutes? It’s 7:55 and you’re still sleeping. Have you forgotten that today is your first day at ROYAL GATE HIGH SCHOOL and you’re running late already!” Mom snapped and I groaned loudly before what she said finally registered in my mind and I woke up immediately.

“Did you say the time is 7:55 mom? Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” I cried loudly while scrambling to get off my bed because my blanket was somehow tangled with my leg.

“The time is 7:57 now and don’t put the blame on me. I have been trying to wake you up since but you kept on telling me to give you five more minutes.” She stated.

“Oh shit! I can’t believe I’m gonna be late on my first day of school.” I said and was finally able to be free from my blanket and literally ran to the bathroom. I hastily got rid of my clothes and took my bath before I quickly brushed my teeth. I dried my body with the towel and wrapped it around my body before stepping out of the bathroom and saw that mom was not in the room again.

I went straight to the wardrobe and picked out my underwear and put it on. I selected a blue mid-thigh denim skirt, black tank top and a blue denim jacket. I completed my dressing with white sneakers which I got as a present on my birthday.

I braided the front part of my hair and packed it in a high ponytail. I applied lip gloss on my lips and I was ready to go. I picked up my school bag from a corner of the room and walked out of the bedroom. I went to the kitchen and saw mom and Brianna eating.

“Morning sis, morning mom.” I greeted the two of them.

“Morning darling. Morning sis.” They replied simultaneously.

“I can see you’re ready for school.” Mom said.

“Yes I am.” I replied.

“That’s great. Sit down and eat. Brianna served your food already.” She stated.

“I can’t eat right now. I’m late already.” I uttered.

“But you can’t go to school on an empty stomach. Sit and have a few bites before you go.” She said convincingly but I was about to decline when Brianna said something.

“I prepared pancakes.” And that was when I saw what they were eating. Pancakes and maple syrup, one of my favorite food.

“Damn, you know I can’t say no to pancakes.” I smiled and licked my lips before taking my seat. Mom and Brianna chuckled at my reaction.

“Foodie.” Brianna commented and I giggled.

“A man can’t ignore his favorite food when he sees it.” I stated and they both laughed as I began eating.

Within some minutes, I had finished devouring the tower of pancakes (just kidding). I drank a cup of water and a loud burp escaped my mouth.

“Excuse you young lady.” Mom said with a playful glare.

“Pardon me.” I said to her and Brianna innocently while patting my tummy.

“Silly girl. You can go now, I’m sure you don’t want to be later than you already are.” Mom stated.

“Yeah, I’ll be on my way now.” I uttered.

“Let’s go together. I’m also going to work.” Brianna said and picked up her handbag that was on the floor.

“Bye mom.” Brianna and I said simultaneously.

“Bye girls. Have a nice day.” She said to is as we walked out of the house.

We took a taxi when we got to the main road and Brianna alighted first since we would get to her place of work first before we get to Royal Gate High School. As we got closer to the school, a nervousness that I had not been feeling before suddenly washed over me. Different thoughts filled my head. Royal Gate is a school for the rich only. How would I behave among them? Would I blend in with the students? Are they friendly? Would they want to be friends with me if they know that I’m poor? Thoughts like this fueled my nervousness and I couldn’t shake them off.

“We’re here miss.” The taxi driver’s gentle voice interrupted my train of thoughts and I exhaled deeply. I was about to open the door of the taxi when the voice of the man stopped me.

“I can tell that you’re nervous miss, and I can also tell that this is your first day in this school. You don’t have to be nervous, just act like yourself and I’m sure you will be okay.” The man said kindly.

“Thanks a lot for this sir. This is exactly the motivation I needed.” I uttered with a smile and he smiled back at me.

“You’re welcome. Now go in there and just be yourself.” He encouraged me and I felt calm immediately. All the feelings of nervousness I was feeling suddenly died down.

I got down from the car and the driver gave me a thumbs up before he drove away. I faced the gate of the school and entered. ROYAL GATE HIGH SCHOOL was written in a gold in big and bold letters on the tallest building. The walls of the buildings were mostly made of glass that you could see what was happening in the rooms.

Students were moving around with books in their hands. Some were in groups and they were probably talking about how they spent their weekends lavishly. Oh well! I looked around the area I was in to eye-search for my friends. We decided to meet at the school gate this morning so that we can all go in together but I can’t find them. Seems like they left when I didn’t arrive on time. Well then, I have to find the principal’s office myself and collect the necessary things I’ll be needing.

I walked deeper into the school and some students stopped to stare at me. It was as if they were staring deeply into my soul. They might be wondering who the new girl is. I continued walking aimlessly around the school without finding the principal’s office. I thought I could get to his/her office without any help but I think I might be needing someone’s help right now.

“Need some help?” Someone asked behind me and my heart jumped out of my chest. It’s just as if the person was reading my mind. I turned around and was met with the someone’s chest. I moved back a little and looked at the face of the guy in front of me. He looked really cute and I got lost in staring at him for a little while.

“Do you need some help?” The guy asked again.

“No, uh I mean yes. Yes I need help.” I answered nervously.

What do you need help with?” He questioned.

“I need help in finding the principal’s office. I can’t seem to find it and it seems like I’ve been walking around in circles.” I said and he chuckled.

“Okay. I’ll help you. Come with me and I’ll take you there.” He said and I obliged. He led the way and I followed behind him quietly. We soon arrived at a door with PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE written on it. The cute guy went to meet a lady who was sitting at her desk that was beside the door and said something to her. The lady entered the office and came out some seconds later.

“You can go in now.” The lady said and I nodded.

“Thanks for bringing me here.” I said to the guy.

“Anytime. You can go and meet the principal. I’ll be waiting here for you.” He said and I smiled before entering the principal’s office.

A middle-aged man was sitting behind a mahogany desk and he was busy writing something.

“Good morning sir.” I greeted and he stopped what he was doing to look at me.

“Good morning. Have your seat please.” The principal said curtly and I sat down.

“I guess you’re Marianna Jackson, one of the scholarship students from Crescent Valley High School right?” He stated.

“Yes I am, sir.” I replied.

“Okay. Wait a minute.” He uttered.

“Miss Courtney!” He called calmly and the lady that was sitting outside the office entered.

“You called for me sir.” She said.

“Yes I did. Help me give Marianna here her time table, locker number and school uniforms and the other necessary things.” The principal said to Miss Courtney.

“Alright sir. Come with me Marianna.” Miss Courtney stated simply and I stood up.

“You’ll have come back later to collect your textbooks.” The principal said to me and I nodded.

“No problem sir.” I said and walked out of the office with Miss Courtney. The guy that brought me to the office was still waiting patiently.

“Hey, don’t you have a class?” I asked him.

“I don’t. I still have twenty minutes before my first class begins.” He said after looking at his wristwatch.

“Oh okay.” I stated simply.

“Marianna.” Miss Courtney called.

“Yes?” I answered and turned around to face her

“You’re a science student right?” She asked.

“Yes I am.” I responded.

“Okay. Have your timetable and school map so that you can know your way around the school. This is your locker number. When you get to your locker, you’ll set up a code that only you will know to prevent other people from getting access to your locker.” She said and gave me three pieces of paper where my timetable, school map and locker number were on.

“Okay ma’am. Thanks.” I appreciated.

“You’re welcome. Come with me so that you can collect your uniforms.” She stated and I followed her to a room.

She entered another room and came back with three transparent plastic bags.

“This is the uniform you’ll be wearing on Mondays.” She said and showed it to me.

“This one is your sportswear for Wednesdays.” She also showed it to me.

“And this one is your uniform for Thursdays.” She showed me that one too and I nodded.

“What of Tuesday and Friday?” I asked.

“Tuesday and Friday are no uniform days. You are expected to wear your normal clothes.” She answered.

“Okay. Thank you.” I said and collected the plastic bags from her.

“That’s all for now. Come back for your textbooks later.” She uttered.

“Alright.” I nodded and went back outside to meet the cute guy.

“Are you done?” He questioned when I got to his place.

“Yes I’m done. All I have to do now is to find my locker. Can you help me in finding it? I don’t want to get lost again.” I told him and he chuckled.

“Sure, what’s the locker number?” He asked.

“It’s locker 356.” I responded and he nodded.

“Okay, let’s go.” He said and I followed him.

“Your name is Marianna?” He asked suddenly.

“Yes. How did you know?” I asked back.

“I heard Miss Courtney calling you that. You can’t even ask for my name?” He questioned feigning an offended face.

“Pardon my manners please. What’s your name?”

“My name’s Aiden. Aiden Walter.” He answered.

“Oh, nice to meet you Aiden.” I laughed and he laughed along with me.

“We’re here.” He stated and stopped in front of a locker. I tried to open it and it was unlocked. I dumped the plastic bags that contained my uniforms and set up my code before locking it.

“Phew!” I sighed and dusted my hands.

“What subject are you having first?” Aiden asked when I was done. I checked the timetable and my first subject was Chemistry.

“I’m having Chemistry.” I replied.

“Oh really? I’m also having Chemistry.” He said.

“What a coincidence.” I smiled.

“Let me grab my books and we can go to class together.” He said and I followed him to his locker. He grabbed the books he will be needing and we were on our way to Chemistry class. Different sets of eyes stared at us as we passed by them but I just ignored them. We soon arrived at the door leading to the Chemistry class and I stopped walking immediately, Aiden looked at me.

“Why did you stop?” Aiden questioned.

“I’m kinda nervous.” I uttered.

“How do students in this school react towards new students?” I asked.

“Well, they stare at new students as you must have noticed, they often make fun of their dressing and laugh at new students when they make mistakes. There are some that bully new students if they find out that the new students are from poor families. Only few of us in Royal Gate High are nice.” He explained and I sighed.

“Okay. Thanks for the info.” I said.

“Cam we go in now? It’s almost time for class.” He stated and I bobbed my head.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” I replied and he opened the door and we entered the classroom together.

The class that was noisy before became quiet immediately I entered the classroom with Aiden and then they all began whispering amongst themselves.

“We have another new student.”

“Wow, she looks beautiful.”

“What is she doing with Aiden tho?”

“Do they know each other from somewhere?”

These were the different types of comments I heard from the students.

“Why are they standing so close to each other?” Another student commented and I moved a little farther from Aiden.

“Wow Aiden, seems like you’re popular.” I whispered to Aiden and he laughed a little.

“Yeah I guess.” He said with a smile.

“I can clearly see that you’re popular. Thanks for helping all this while. Let me find myself a seat.” I said to him and walked deeper into the class.

“Marianna! Marianna!” A female voice called. Who knows my name here? I looked towards where the voice was coming from and it turned out to be Vanessa. I smiled upon seeing her.

“Come and seat here. There’s an empty seat here!” She shouted and I went to the empty seat that was beside her and settled down.

“You guys couldn’t wait for me to come?” I asked with feigned anger after I had sat down.

“We waited for some minutes but you didn’t arrive on time and the students were already beginning to stare at us and saying things so we stopped waiting and found our way to the principal’s office.” She explained.

“Oh okay.” I bobbed my head.

“Where are the others?” I asked.

“They are in there respective classes.” She answered.

“Who was that guy?” She asked.

“Which guy?” I asked back.

“The one that came in with you.” She stayed.

“Oh Aiden? He was the one that helped me in finding the principal’s office and my locker. He’s really nice.” I stated.

“He’s really cute!” She gushed.

“Yeah sure.” I said simply.

“What…..?” She was saying but was interrupted by the voice of the Chemistry teacher.

“Silence!” The teacher shouted when they refused to keep quiet and the class became as quiet as a graveyard immediately.

“Bring out your Chemistry textbooks and open to page 97.” She said and the students began bringing out their textbooks.

“Where are your textbooks?” The teacher asked Vanessa and I when she noticed that we didn’t have textbooks with us.

“We don’t have textbooks yet. We were told to come and collect our textbooks later.” Vanessa said for the both of us.

“Alright. You two are part of the scholarship students right?” She asked.

“Yes ma’am.” Vanessa and I answered simultaneously.

“Okay. Introduce yourselves to the class.” She instructed and the students turned their heads to face us.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Hi guys! I’m Marianna Jackson. I hope we can all get along and do well together.” I introduced myself and waved and some chorused ‘Hi’ and ‘Hellos’.

“Hi my fellow students! The name’s Vanessa Hathaway. I hope we would become friends and interact with one another.” Vanessa introduced herself and the students said ‘Hi’ and ‘Hellos’ to her too.

“You can sit down now.” The teacher said and we sat down.

“Let the class begin.” She said and began teaching.

*TWO HOURS LATER*

Two classes after and we finally have a free period. Vanessa and I used that free period to go and collect our textbooks and we were on our way back with a tower of textbooks in our hands.

“How do you like the school so far?” Vanessa asked me as we walked.

“I love it already. There are very good teachers and teach very well.” I answered.

“I also love it. There are very cute guys here too.” The slut in Vanessa said and I shook my head.

“Seriously?! You bitch! Did you come here to learn or to chase cute guys?” I asked laughingly.

“Don’t blame me. I particularly have eyes for that Aiden from this morning.” She stated seriously and I laughed again.

“Tell me you’re joking. You don’t even know…” My speech was cut short when I bumped into someone and my textbooks went flying in all directions.

“Oh shit!” I exclaimed and immediately bent down to start picking up the textbooks.

“What the hell is this? Can’t you watch where you’re going or are your eyes not working well?!” An angry voice shouted.

“I’m very sorry but it’s not entirely my fault. You should have also watched where you’re going too.” I said also.

“You must be crazy. Seems like you don’t know who you’re talking to in this manner.” The person uttered

“Who the hell are you that I can’t talk to in this manner? Are you God or are you the freaking President that I can’t talk to you this way?” I questioned and raised my head to look at the person that was shouting like a maniac.

“You!” I exclaimed wide-eyed.

“You!” The person exclaimed too.

TBC