Secrets of the Solomons

10. Rylie:

*30th June,2023 9.00 a.m*

As I pack my bags to go to school, I can't help but feel mad. I'm not too fond of it. I couldn't see Fiona for two days. They wouldn't let me see her or talk to her. And whenever I go to school, I hear people gossiping about her.

She's become the talk of the school. Some people she used to talk to actually said stuff like, "Oh my god. I told you guys she's weird and a freak."

Fiona helped these people, and now they're here talking behind their backs. Not that I care that much, though. She's always helped people and did not expect anything in return. She said something about how she was always disappointed when she expected something.

It's too late, anyway. I will never be able to speak to her again. There's a chance she could get sent to prison for life with no parole, and some wardens are so petty with some prisoners that they don't even let the prisoners meet visitors. Knowing her and her big mouth, it might just be in her bad luck that Shell gets such a warden and will never be able to meet any of us. I'm not sure if she wants to.

Even if most of us studying at this school come from wealthy and influential families, no matter how affluent our families are, we have never been able to defeat the Solomons regarding wealth, success, power, or anything else. We become weaker while they become more robust.

Fiona is from a whole other world. One that is drastically different from ours.

As lunch break comes around, the whole friend group sits down at our usual spot in the cafeteria. It sits beside the window. Fiona always loved sitting here during break time. The sun would shine perfectly in this spot, and the windows would light up. The windows and the area—everything was perfect during these moments. We would all sit here and enjoy our lunches while talking and laughing. Living in the moment as we eat and enjoy our lunches while the sun shines on us

But none of us here will be able to relive that moment. Ever again.. Maybe we will. But I won't ever be the same. Because then she wouldn't be here.

None of us can speak as we sit and eat our lunches. We all keep on eating, waiting for someone to start the conversation. Typically, it was always Fiona who would speak first, but she is away. We all sit in silence. Typically, we were the liveliest in the whole cafeteria. Now, we are all just silent.

After school ends, the gang wants to meet up at a cafe. I skip it because no one will talk there either. So, instead, I go to one of our old, usual spots. The school's old campus The whole gang would always come here. It was where we spent our days singing and dancing in the abandoned classrooms and gossiping.

As I walk up the stairs, I notice someone. I was surprised to see a man, probably in his 40s. He was just as surprised as I was to see me. Before I could see anything, he ran away as fast as he could. It was as if he were running for his life. He quickly ran out the back door, as if he knew this place like the back of his hand. At this point, I didn't have the energy or the time to run after him. I sat at a nearby table and just took out a beer from my bottle. I drank it, and it tasted bland. I can't have scotch or tequila in my bag, so I'm drinking beer.

It's underage drinking. But for us rich kids, it's nothing new at all. Most drink it because it's the only way to escape reality without using drugs.

I slowly drifted off to sleep while holding my can of beer. I miss Fiona.