Ms Wilson's Replacement

32: The truth about sand castle

"The truth comes out... I think when you fight you find out who you are"
~Chris Weidman

Quynn's POV

I decide to take a rest in the garden after about an hour of sketching and drawing and I adjust my chair and my eyes briefly close. I don't know for how long I was out, but as I open my eyes, I see Joey with a blue plastic helmet, standing beside my chair with a mischievous look on his face. I properly glance at him and find him holding a bowl of dirt and a shovel in his hand.

"What do you want?" I groan loudly. Since Joey returned, he has dragged me into one problem or the other and I don't know if it's because he's having fun or if he's just trying to torment me and I didn't want to do that anymore.

It is bad that I can't call Anna and tell her the major change that has taken place, being Joey returning from school because that goes against rule #16 which I have broken so many times and trying not to anymore. She hasn't called for almost a week now and most days, I feel like my life is on fire. Joey wasn't planned for because Anna specifically told me he wouldn't be back until two more weeks and by that time, I would no longer be here, but here I am and here he is .

Well if he didn't break his arm while playing, he wouldn't be here.

"I lost my slippers while building my sandcastle." He explains with a sad pout.

Since he has been home, Eli has kept a keen eye on him, making sure that he's safe and kept out of harm's way. His arm has been in the cast since he got back and it would be a week before it would be examined by the doctor to know if he can start using it without the cast. Though he was recovering, it didn't stop him from being hand full.

There was no rule to follow not guidelines with him because Anna didn't anticipate his return. And just like I've done to those things which haven't gone as planned since I've been here, I created sets of new rules, rules that would be in line with the old rules. I tried to not get too close to the boy because even though he was cute and adorable, he was trouble and I didn't want to get attached.

The other day he asked for advice about a girl he liked at school and I gave it to him and he later came to me and said I was the worse of them all because my advice only made the girl mad when he called her. Eli who was beside me chuckled and said we were fun to watch.

If I had known Joey would return home, I wouldn't have agreed to stay at the mansion when Eli suggested it, but I did and here I am paying for that and having my peace of mind taken every single hour.

I glance down at his leg and I see that while the other leg is having a slippers on, the other has no slippers. I lay my head back on the chair, "No, Joey, go away, I'm not helping you find your slippers, go and ask Nneka to help you with that."

"Nneka is busy with Caleb and Rosalina is making dinner, you're the less busy one." argue the smart boy.

"I am not less busy Joey, I am resting." I groan and wave him off even though I know he won't shoo like I want.

"You said you were my friend, friends don't abandon friends when they need their help, friends help." Joey nags, sounding hurt and grumpy all at the same time.

Who the hell raised this manipulating boy?

Oops, that's Eli.

Being guilt-tripped into doing things I don't want to do because I absentmindedly agreed to be his friend isn't cool.

"Fine," I groan and roll my eyes when he cheers. "Where is it?"

He takes my hand with his that isn't in the cast and pull me along, "Over there, come, I'll show you."