Children of America: We are the Future

He's a Rich Boy

Maya POV

Caden's words echo in my head as I walk the halls to my next class. There is no way I can be the number one mage in the world when I just got accepted into this school at the beginning of the year. He must be mistaken, or like he said, there could be another Maya in the city that actually fits his description. No way I can even be described as beautiful, attractive or stunning when I have to work overtime just to put food on my table. I just do not have to money to look that great, or the desire to waste what we do have to impress people. Neither do I have a naturally curvy body type. Nobody would want to date plain old Maya, even if I got rid of that so-called "attitude" I have according to Caden.

"You're late Maya. Wait outside until the lesson is over and since that's your fourth late in a row, I'll see you after school for detention in my office." yells my teacher as I close the door again. I thought my destruction teacher was mean. Think again Maya. I know I'm always late, but detention; I've never gotten one before.

I slouch against the door and thoughts of Caden enter my mind once again. By far the most attractive guy I have EVER met. Well the most attractive guy who has actually talked to me! Maybe I should lose the attitude and if I am the Maya he met, he might date me like he said. Then I'll be better than my sister. I may not have the fancy clothes or natural beauty or even relatively decent grades, but I would at least have a great guy be my side. I laugh to myself. That could never come true. Only in my dreams; where all good things happen would Caden ask me out.

DING!!!

I get up and head to my last class, illusion. I better not start ranting inside my head and be late again, because now I just missed an entire lesson. My mom will get the phone call saying I was not in class and she'll think I skipped class. I didn't really skip. I skipped with permission from the teacher because she made me sit outside for the whole lesson, the contents of which I am going to be so far behind. Lilia holds the door open for me and I enter the room, taking my seat beside her.

"Maya where were you last period?" Lilia asks me.

"Uh don't you remember, I was late. I walked into the room like five minutes after the bell."

"What! That means I was like ten minutes late? If I was late, why didn't she ask me to sit outside like you?"

"Because you're rich and I'm poor. Nobody ever does anything for the poor kids around here or anywhere in the city. Remember the magic testing at the beginning of the year?"

"Yeah of course Maya, I was there. They ranked me 20th in the world."

"Lilia, I was there too and I never got my results back. They never bothered to enter the poor sector like it was rigged with some kind of disease." I say with a frown.

"That's not right at all. They should have at least made the effort. After all, you made the effort to come out to the testing and participate."

"She had to get her results from me, in first period." I jumped at the voice who sat down on the other side of me. Caden. Interrupting me again.

The class went silent at the sudden entrance of our teacher, Mr. Richardson. Tall and lean, he put his hands on his desk and ordered us to take out our books and open them to the section on love illusions. Great. We're probably going to get to an assignment and Lilia's going to ditch me for some rich kid. Leaving me, just like this morning. I open my book and turn to the correct page number.

After what feels like hours, the bell rings and we get dismissed. But I'm not free to go yet, I have to go to my restoration teacher's office for detention. I get one foot out the door when Caden stops me yet again,

"Hey Maya, wanna walk home with me? I'll even give you a tour of my neighbourhood." he asks with a huge grin on his face.

"Caden I'm so sorry. I have detention with Miss Hunter and she hates me being late. Maybe another day."

"No it's going to be today. I can talk to Miss Hunter and get you out of detention. I'm one of her favourites. I was late to her class today too, but she just smiled and let me sit down."

I nod and we walk up the stairs to Miss Hunter's office. Caden motions for me to stay outside as he enters the office and closes the door. I listen to their conversation and am very surprised at what I hear. He's actually trying to get me out. Only my friends would ever do something like this for me.

"All clear. I told her you are the number one and you're now her second favourite; next to me of course!"

"Second favourite. Sounds perfect." l say, liking the idea of having the same privileges as the rich kids in school. No more detentions ever again.

Once we are outside, Caden holds my hand and leads me down the main street of New York. There are traffic lights everywhere, the stop and go of hundreds of cars fills my ears and thousands of people walk on the sidewalks on either side of the road. The people are all wearing clothes I judge to be from designer stores, coats with fancy fur trims and the clink of high heels is unescapable. So much different than my neighbourhood, where the people are lucky if they are wearing something other than rags from a thrift shop. Skyscrapers line the road on either side. They are hundreds of stories tall, covered with thousands of glass windows and packed with people . Some must be office buildings based on the amount of bodies entering and exiting, while a number of others are just apartments. Suddenly we stop and I wonder why.  I thought he is showing me the beauties of the city, but we are stopped at a simple two-story house. Although the design is simple, the external features are lavish. Vines cover the side walls, arches for doorways, lamp-posts are posted at the end of the driveways and a couple of the windows are stained glass. If the outside is so stunning, I don't even want to know what the inside is like. Probably maids and butlers running about like at Lilia's place, paintings covering the walls and people dressed in the latest expensive fashion trends.

"Like it Maya? You're drooling in awe of what is my house" he says laughing at me. I didn't even realize what my body is doing. All I know is that I am in love with this house compared to mine.

"Of course I like it, I love it!" I exclaim.

"If you like this so much, you'd want to see my grandparents' house. Downtown core of the rich sector, exactly where I'd want to be living right now with the girl of my dreams." he says, almost like he's hinting at something or someone; which I ignore and keep staring at the building right in front of me.

"Do you know your way back from here?" Caden asks.

"Yeah, I walk around the city all the time."

Alright, see you tomorrow to work on that assignment Maya." he says waving goodbye.

"Yep, the assignment. Bye Caden, it was really nice meeting you."