Star by Eliza Witte - HTML preview

37

‘Nonsense!’ protested Jessie but she was already searching her wallet. ‘What did you do with the money you got yesterday then?’

‘He didn’t pay me for yesterday either.’

Jessie was paying the taxi-driver when she thought that it was about time she adopted the mum’s attitude. To take care of Annie as she always had ever since she got to know her was something natural and sweet because Annie responded to this with affection, sincerity, and a terrific sense of humor – something that was practically very rare at this College where only selected young ladies and gentlemen were allowed in.

Nobodies like her and Annie who had to work to support themselves in their studies were not very popular and their popularity decreased even more if they were talented (like Annie) or, beautiful (well… like Jessie). For the main activity of the rest of their college mates, especially women, was hunting and chasing after men. As for the men chasing after a ball. No reciprocity.

They were walking through the park to their dorm and Jessie lectured Annie, ‘You are not going to allow Louie not to pay you. You have a contract.’

‘Yes, I know. I saw it.’

‘Evenings, when you finish, he must pay you. You will make him pay! Is that clear?’

‘Yes, Jess,’ agreed Annie but something was bothering her, ‘Jess, do you know, Louie does have money. I saw it.’

‘Of course he does but instead of showing it he might as well have paid you.’

‘He showed me 20$. He talked about his relatives today – Uncle Sam and Uncle Dollar and tried to make me believe that the money he took out of his pocket could guarantee that uncle Dollar was a royalty.’

Jessie burst into laughter. That was Annie! That was why she loved her. She invited her to come over to get the watch and while they were walking to Jessie’s room Jessie suddenly asked, ‘Will your people come tomorrow to the Parents’ Day?’

‘The Parents’ Day?’ As usual Annie didn’t have an idea what was going on at the College.

‘Yeah, the competitions are tomorrow afternoon. Parents at school. Ve-e-ery smart!’

protested Jessie again while opening her door. ‘The watch is in my toilet-set in the bathroom.’

They both went to the bathroom and Jessie took out a colorful watch. She also put it herself on Annie’s wrist and kissed her on her cheek. Annie looked happy as a small child and was fully concentrated on studying the small object when Jessie gave a cry, ‘My Goodness, I look terrible!’ She started quickly brushing her hair. This gave Annie got her thinking - She looks terrible? What would happen if she looked like Annie did? Then she 38

said aloud, ‘Jessie… You promised that I could look like you.’ Jessie smiled, ‘Tomorrow morning! We can fix this tomorrow morning.’

‘Oh, this will sure be swell!’

‘We’ll have a coffee together downstairs and we'll go to the shop.’

‘I didn’t know you could get a new face in a shop!’

XXI

In another dormitory block at the same time everybody was disturbed by a guffaw of laughter, ‘Dian, quiet! You’ll wake up everybody!’ Stu tried to hush her up.

‘What do I care? Tonight I had the best fun ever, plus if I don’t sleep nobody else does,’ she said and then continued, ‘I didn’t know you could be so romantic, Stu – dinner and all.’

‘Well, I can be,’ said Stuart shyly while enjoying the view of her long legs on high heels and a waist of a wasp slowly swaying to and fro before him. She was wearing a very short cocktail dress. Her raven black hair was loose and was reaching the middle of her back. Tock, tock, tock – she was marching the corridor in front of him and continued to prattle, ‘Well, the best part was in the club, of course. Tell me! Tell me once again –

was I the best on the dance floor?’

‘Of course, Dian. You were the best on the dancing floor!’ repeated Stu unlocking the door of his room.

‘Yeah, it was quite so. That’s because I’m beautiful, am I not?’

‘You truly are the most beautiful girl I’ve seen,’ smiled Stu and being already inside, he leaned to kiss her. However, she mischievously pushed him back.

‘Don’t you like it?’ asked Stu a little disappointed.

‘Sure I like it but… Stu, when will you introduce me to your parents?’

Stu was quite unprepared for this outcome.

‘I don’t know. Why?’

In the next few minutes, Stu appeared to be devastated by the question, but Dian turned on all her charm to get what she wanted. She was a pretty girl but apart from that you hardly can describe her as something else. She firmly believed that she deserved nothing but the best from this life and she was never too squeamish about the methods she needed to get it. ‘Charming’, ‘sensitive’, ‘smart’ or ‘sweet’ couldn’t apply to her as these were only too simple definitions! But look, you could try with ‘a killer-chick’, ‘a man eater’, ‘cash-bent’, much more complex qualifications that became her only too well, as Dian was a girl full of complexes.