Twice Over

Chapter Forty Six - Interloper

interloper
noun
1. a person who becomes involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted or are considered not to belong

[What do you call a sad coffee?] I'm on my way out of school, heading towards the exit nearest the car park that has easy access for those who are picking up their kids, or in my case, their employer. I can see Ms Palmers in the new black SUV waiting way back in the line to come into the pickup bay, so I wait beside a low rock wall that is the perfect height to lean on.

[A depresso. I've had a hard day at the office. Wanna play RPG games?] I send Grant the answer to my silly joke then ask for some fun.

[OK, but if I win again, no complaining.]

[Whose complaining? I'll be home soon.]

"Shouldn't you be studying instead of playing computer games?" I scream as a deep voice speaks in my ear. Jackson has obviously been reading my phone over my shoulder and I didn't even know he was there.

"You need a bell on that collar of yours. Frack, you almost gave me a heart attack." I held a palm over my thumping heart.

"It would be a perfectly horrible way to ruin such a beautiful heart. Watch your six," he replies then lobs away, gets on a black Ducati motorbike that is parked nearby and blats on out of the student car park.

"My six?" I turned carefully and look behind me to see Eyva holding court with four or five girls and three guys. She looks my way then pretends a sad face looking down at her Jimmy Choos. So, so sad. Its heart breaking even if she doesn't have a heart.

"Goddess, just what I need outside of school on my first day." I quickly dial Ms Palmer's number and start walking towards the end of the bay towards the street.

"Are you alright, Ms Twice?"

"I have a stalker in the form of a step sister on my six brewing up a foul storm. I'm walking towards the loading bay exit where I need you to meet me on foot. Please park the SUV now and arrive at my position within the next minute." I hang up and keep hobbling along, ignoring the catty complaints behind me.

"I can't believe she has a car delivered to pick her up, but you were forgotten? That's awful, Eyva. I feel so sad for you." A girl's voice spoke.

"That's not right. Maybe your step sister is supposed to pick you up and take you home as well and she just forgot to tell you?" One of the boys questioned the hypothesis.

"No, I'm OK. I can take a taxi. Please don't worry about it." Eyva's softly spoken voice leaks sorrow and forgotten dreams.

"Do you think the new girl forgot to tell Eyva about the pick-up?" The voice snorted.

"Its probably more like she refused to take Eyva along," another agreed.

"She is so nasty. How could our Goddess Eyva be treated like this. Someone needs to tell that horrid new girl off."

"Why not just take her car and driver? Aren't they the estates anyway? Who died and made her queen? She's not even an Overmeyer!" That last comment caused a general consensus for someone taking over my ride and forcing me to walk home. On crutches. With a bung knee.

I couldn't move fast enough away from the growing crowd and they caught up to me just as I reached the spot where I was to meet Ms Palmers, but there was no sight of my bodyguard.

"Hey, you interloper. Who told you to take what doesn't belong to you." A hand pulled on my bag and I nearly fell over. What is with these stupid child-girls pulling on school bags all the time? I looked at them and shook my head in exasperation.

"Don't touch her, she's not worth it," came another voice.

'Supplanter."

"Usurper."

"Ugly step sister." Ooooh that one is going to stick, I just know it.

"Eyva, just take her car and driver. Aren't they yours anyway?" Someone suggested again while they were starting to crowd around me and block my exit.

I needed to step off school grounds if they are going to take things any further. I need off official school property so I can fight back. I held my crutch in front of me and gently moved people aside so I could move off the foot path and onto the street. That proved to be a bad mistake.

"Ow, why did you hit me with your crutch?"

"She is so ruthless. Don't let her get away with it." This came from one side of me then more shocked complaining came from where they'd blocked my egress pathway at the front. The crowd parted and in stepped my knight in six inch steel capped boots.

"Make way, move it or I will have charges pressed for harassment of my client. If I use damaging force, please be aware that you have all stepped off of school grounds and are not longer protected by the education board if you continue to get physical with my client. Move back NOW!"

They all stepped away as Patricia moved in to help me just as I lost my balance. She turned me around to show them where I was, standing on the road and not the foot path of the school. She then took a photo of the scene in front of us, capturing an image of everyone who played a part in bullying me.

"Please take note, everyone here, that I am not employed by the Overmeyer estate, nor am I driving a vehicle that has been bought or paid for by the Overmeyer estate. My client is Miss Lily Twice who has paid for my employment of her own resources."

"I bet she got money from her new step daddy," someone yelled out.

"Nope!" I popped the 'p'. "Not that it is has anything to with with any of you, I used my father's inheritance money to buy my car. But that is none of your business anyway. And for your information, I'm not even going to the same place as Eyva Overmeyer, so why should she demand a ride home with me? She's not even going home." I turn around and with Ms Palmer's help, we move away towards the car.