Chapter. 21- "Tell Me Something Historical."

Twenty-One: "Tell Me Something Historical."

Occasionally, life bestows you with omens that you shouldn't ignore. The human mind is fascinating how it can sense things even before they can happen--- a series of events that lead to an unfortunate event.

And I don't mean Lemony Snickets!

For instance, this morning I'd dreamed of the time when I was studying at St. George's School back in Scotland during the sixth form. It happened during Edinburgh's Winter Wonderland where most of our activities, social events and outings were with the boys from Merchiston Castle School. We always had joint activities.

During this event, Rupert MacFadyen, the hottest boy from Merchiston Castle, who'd spent time with me during the Moon Festival and the Chinese New Year, had divulged that he fancied me and wished to go together to Wonderland, I'd been thrilled and excited in equal measure to attend it with Rupert and also make sure my plan came to fruition.

I, of course, had an ulterior motive: make Kayden jealous by posting pictures of Rupert and me, and invite him and his girlfriend on a double date.

But that had backfired as Rupert left me heartbroken during the Winter Wonderland at the school lawns for Rebecca O'Ceallaigh because of an outrageous erroneous identity. He'd told me that he'd mistaken me for that wench because of our names and after some thorough investigation realised that the person he had exchanged letters with was a completely different individual and didn't feel any connection and spark with me until he'd bumped into the original Rebecca at the ball. His parting words were even more insolent; he'd politely added that she was much hotter than I.

I was left to weep in agony until Loganberry (Logan) my closest mate from Merchiston found me having a mini sob-fest all by myself. He'd instantly scooped me up in his arms and just held me. It was during this time that I'd found out about Kayden and his girlfriend, so I'd tried to disregard it by dating Rupert but I'd been such a daft cow!

Hysterically wailing in Logan's arms, he'd held me without judgement but I could sense he was feeling uncomfortable, so he opened his filthy mouth.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this opportunity," he began, "but...it's quite disappointing, it's like embracing a lad, I can't even enjoy this."

When I'd caught on as to what he'd meant, I'd thumped him in the chest which made him rattle and choke at the same time. "You smarmy bastard!" His chest rumbled, yet he'd made me feel better.

"If that was to be accurate, I'd be taking advantage of you, but I'm a gentleman."

"But you aren't one," I countered back, and wiped the snot from my nose. He was anything but a gentleman, he was downright filthy and a renowned skirt-chaser, but he hadn't tried any of his smarmy ways with me.

"You're right. Now, let's go thump that cunt!"

After that disastrous evening, Rupert required surgery for his nose and it's still crooked to this day and Rebecca left him for another boy!

************************

Uni is a mad concept. I honestly pay these people to stress me out. If you're in Uni and don't know what's going on don't worry that's just part of the experience. You signed up, it's in the terms and conditions!

I was on my way to the library. Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus housed King's College London's arts and sciences faculties, and the Maughan Library. It's on the right-hand side as you walk up Chancery Lane from Fleet Street. As you enter, straight ahead, you'll find the Meet & Greet point and staff can be recognised by their purple lanyards. After swiping my student ID card, I walked ahead.

The No eating allowed--- in bold black font and what was once bright but now a dull yellow poster was visible. Only lidded drinks were permitted (except in the Rolls Café on the Lower Ground Floor).

Inside the library was a dodecagonal reading room, inspired by that of the British Museum, and a former medieval chapel, now an exhibition space showcasing the special collections of the library. Perhaps King's most impressive study space was the dodecagonal reading room which has been featured in several films, a music video and a novel. It's a stunning space to work with a silent serious atmosphere for effective thinking.

Spread across four floors and mezzanines, the library hosted a variety of amenities, including three different Zones in the library which are colour-coded on the Floor Plans--- Group Study rooms, Computer Rooms, Postgraduate Zones, Assistive Technology rooms and a Wellbeing Room. You could choose a zone that suited your study needs but you'd have to be respectful of others studying around you. Then there was the Rolls Café (on the Lower Ground Floor), 2x Bike Sheds, Weston Room (Exhibition space on the Ground Floor) and of course, water fountains!

Initially, I'd wanted to occupy one of the Skype pods, but decided against it and pulled out a chair in the dodecagonal reading room. I could hear the sound of books being placed on the table, metal chairs scraping against the floor, pages being turned, pen scribbling on paper, whispered chatters and feet shuffling around softly. The atmosphere was conducive for intensive studying and also for those who wanted to get away from reality.

I was sat at the library for nearly two hours now, at least that's what it felt like because when I checked my phone it'd only been thirty minutes. I internally groaned and began making important notes on Hellenic Studies. Sighing, I got up and went to the ancient history section.

My fingers skimmed on countless spines of books as I read the titles softly. Pulling out a book, I opened the pages to the contents section, my eyes scanned along the words to find a chapter on it, but I didn't. Growling softly, I closed it shut and put it back in its original place and moved along as I searched for another one.

Stuffing my hands in the back pocket of my denim trousers, I began looking at the bookshelf, whilst simultaneously tapping my feet against the floor. After ten more minutes of searching, I finally found a book and made my way back to my desk. If I was being genuinely honest I was in no mood to study. I just read the first four lines of the book and quickly lost interest, so I looked around the room, majority of the students had earphones in with a few books in front of them studying with unbreakable determination whilst some others stared around gormlessly instead of studying. And I was pretty sure the lad next to me was watching Peaky Blinders on his phone.

I'd already felt like I'd read the entire book, so I took a wee break.

And that's how I spent the rest of my time at the library, by moving into the Wellbeing Room. If you're feeling low and wanted to recharge your batteries, then going to the Wellbeing Room was the best option and that's exactly what I did! Located in room 2.24 in the Maughan Library, the Wellbeing Room had comfy bean bags for students to take a break, relax their minds and find new inspiration. Picking up my phone I scrolled through Instagram, then switched to Snapchat and Netflix.

Ha! Students will study for 20 minutes and lose concentration take a break for 2 hours and watch a series and not miss a scene... I am students!

My phone popped up with a notification from Kayden, my lips thinned instantly.

Kayden❣: Hey, gorgeous!  Are you free tonight?

No, you gimp boy! I'm rather expensive tonight!

Of course, I didn't tell him that.

Me: I think so

Kayden❣: Fab! I'll pick you up at 7! X

That didn't fill me with confidence. Yet, a part of me was excited to meet him tonight but the other part was prepared to be disappointed once again.

Kayden had developed an awful habit of cancelling our dates at the last minute since I arrived from New York. He didn't give me a proper explanation and when he did, it was vague. It bothered me that we didn't spend much time together and when we did get the chance, he'd cancel. Sometimes it felt like we weren't even dating each other, it was almost as if we were only friends and nothing else. I'd begun to doubt Kayden's intentions towards me, but when he spoke to me for hours on the phone, I could see the affection, thus making me feel better.

Perhaps this is exactly how Charlotte felt when Sebastian cancelled at the last minute because of his schedule. I couldn't deal with all these thoughts, so I left to get some coffee from the Rolls Café. As I arrived at the reading room I saw Olivia waving at me.

"Want some coffee?"

"I could drink an entire cauldron!"

*************************

"Peter!" Olivia yelled.

Peter was scowling at somebody but as soon as he'd heard Olivia, a smile broke out on his face and rushed towards us (Olivia) and wasted no time kissing her.

"Hey!" They grinned. And Peter pecked her lips once more.

Anyone could tell they were madly in love and dating each other. But if you saw Kayden and me together you wouldn't be able to tell nor assume that we were dating, unless we told you. I began comparing my relationship with others and started having doubts about us.

"What's wrong?"

"Why is being a speccy fucker so expensive? £170 for new glasses and an eye test I've just had to pay on top of the £28 I pay a month for contact lenses. I didn't even ask to be blind!" He cried, then looked at me. "Hey, Rebecca!"

"You can see me?"

"I may not be blessed with 20/20 vision, but I can still see, Becky!" He sneered.

Peter and Rachel texted us informing that they were going to join us at the Café as they needed some coffee. Peter was the first one to arrive. After ten minutes, Rachel came bounding towards our table.

"Hey!" Exhaling, she sat down.

"I see, you've finally decided to study."

''Indeed! I'm well-rested and watched all my series so that I don't get distracted whilst studying. How long have you guys been here?" She was right knackered.

"Nearly three hours."

"Bloody hell! I'm going to study now, don't disturb me!" She opened a notebook and started writing something, the book looked so colourful, everything was highlighted with different highlighters.

"Won't you highlight that as well?" I pointed to the heading which wasn't highlighted. Rachel rolled her eyes and highlighted the heading as well.

"You lot are quite busy studying, no?"

All of us directed our attention toward the voice. Emma popped up out of nowhere with several thick hardbound books and dropped them on the table rather loudly. The table shook and a few drops of coffee splashed on Rachel's highlighted book but she was too focused on her phone to notice, I scoffed.

"Indeed! I'm losing my mind over Political Economy, its Approaches, Concepts, The International Politics of Energy, Contemporary Issues in Political Theory, Political Change in Europe, The Political Theory of Capitalism, and Post-Colonial Theory!" Olivia cried. "Ugh, I've only been here for three hours!"

"I'm so ashamed, I haven't done anything productive in the two hours that I've been there. I've been scrolling through social media and even watched a series. Ugh! I hate the exam period, it stresses me out, and I've got to read about Ancient Greece, Rome, and remember dates."

"Is anybody learning anything at all in Uni? Or are we all just making notes we don't understand?" Emma opened a fat book.

"I do! Learning new concepts is fun, but memorising them for exams isn't!"

"Everything is fun, except for studying!" I yawned.

"I just end up doodling." Peter shrugged. "Why're you studying?"

"I have to be successful because I love expensive shit, Peter. Because me to me: anything you want princess!" Emma pulled a sarcastic face.

Emma had made it clear from the beginning that she didn't possess any interest towards academics but just wanted to experience Uni life and the only thing stopping her from dropping out was the money she'd paid and our acapella group. She'd dreamed of always marrying someone rich. But today she was quite serious about studying and we were all quite surprised.

"What happened to Blaze?" Peter asked. Everyone in our group knew about her and Blaze.

"Currently, Blaze has a cactus lodged up his backside and we're in an open relationship," Emma said glaring at her phone.

Blimey! When I see two people in an open relationship I wonder which one of you came up with the idea and which one of you cries to sleep every night.

"Who came up with this idea?"

"I did," she muttered distractedly as her phone buzzed, instantly her demeanour changed, and she began to type furiously. I peeked a little and she was typing out a whole monologue to someone named BELLEND.

I cringed and felt sympathy for the person at the receiving end after Emma pressed send. A few seconds later her phone rang and Blaze's face flashed with the contact name saved as BELLEND. She answered the phone and got into an argument with him.

I guess I'm not the only one with a complicated relationship...

**************************

I carefully blended my eyeshadow and applied mascara delicately. I took my time getting dressed up. My eyes kept glancing in the direction of my phone, expecting a text message from Kayden, waiting for him to cancel at the last minute. Waiting for him to disappoint me, again.

Taking a deep breath I straightened my skirt. After much deliberation, I'd opted for a blue gingham off-the-shoulder sweetheart neck blouse and a gingham pencil skirt with blue velvet tie-up heels. Kayden hadn't specified so I chose something simple. My hair was in luscious waves and parted in the middle, satisfied with my look, I spritzed some perfume.

"You look nice."

I turned around to see Carter leaning against the door frame, he held a football in his hand. He didn't have a sarcastic expression, but rather a genuine smile. You know you look nice when your sibling compliments you.

"Thanks."

"Where're you off to?"

"On a date with Kayden."

He stared at me for quite some time and I raised an eyebrow. "Mhmm, he doesn't deserve all this." Scoffing, he left me alone. I was stunned by the manner he spoke.

I heard the dreaded buzz of my phone indicating a text message, and my heart immediately sank. If he cancelled tonight, I decided, then I'd go out to the pub and drink. I saw the notification.

Kayden: I'm here! Are you ready?

My spirit lifted when I read that, quickly typing in a reply, I picked up my clutch and went to meet him.

"You look nice, darling," Mum commented as I headed down the stairs.

"Thanks!" I smiled.

"Going someplace special?" She eyed my blouse. It was quite sexy, a low neckline exposing the décolletage and my midriff.

"Not really. Kayden and I are just going out on our date."

"That's nice. Have fun!"

Before she could interrogate me further, I leapt and opened the door to see Kayden with his fist raised to knock. He chuckled and stepped back as I closed the door after myself. The air was a tad warm, but I still carried a jacket in case it got cold later.

"Hey." He grinned.

"Hey yourself." I returned his grin as I watched him gaze at my dress, my heart skipped a beat.

"You look gorgeous tonight," he said softly. "I know I'm overdue, my apologies for cancelling our dates earlier, I had a very important meeting and I've some exciting news." He looked very excited.

"Fab! But how are you going to compensate me?"

"Mhmm," he held my hand and pulled me closer. His warm hands rested on my exposed skin, I trembled at the sudden contact and took a sharp intake of breath. "I've got some promising offers that'll make you happy."

"Like?"

We sprang apart and I turned around glaring at my Dad. I was so embarrassed that he was eavesdropping.

"How long have you been standing here and watching us?" I asked incredulously, I hadn't known when he'd opened the door.

"Where're you off to?" Ignoring my question, he looked at Kayden.

"We...errr---umm going to the cinema," Kayden coughed.

"Right. What promising offers were you going to make?" He stepped out of the shadows menacingly.

Kayden visibly gulped. "N-no, you---you misunderstood, Mr Docherty. I was going to take her out to eat after the movie and go star-gazing."

After scrutinising him some more, my father replied, "Hmm, fine, but no hanky-panky!" With that, he shut the door and we just stood there too stunned to comprehend what'd just happened.

****************************

"You can't be serious," I looked at Kayden gobsmacked.

It was an outdoor cinema picnic and he'd hired the entire place.

"Got to see a film with added romance?" He raised an eyebrow. "What's better than Somerset House?"

Somerset House annually hosted classic film screenings in the courtyard in the summertime, the Rooftop Cinema Club and Backyard Cinema are just a few names of outdoor screening events that have taken over London in recent years. You could take a picnic, enjoy the glistening sunshine or starry nights and watch one of your old favourites on the big screen.

"The movie's about to start, let's sit down."

"Right. Sorry." I took a seat next to him, still stunned. The effort he'd put in to make this romantic and rent the entire place made me feel special and forget about all the doubts I had about us. My heart warmed at the sweet gesture.

The lights dimmed and the film  started. Halfway through the film, I was still waiting for him to try the classic move of stretching his hand and draping it around my shoulder casually, but he didn't cosy up to me, nor did he hold my hand. He was rather occupied elsewhere, he'd been glancing at his phone, which was buzzing from the time the movie started. It was starting to get upsetting, he'd silence it and type something on his phone. I tried my best to dismiss it but there was a certain level of forbearance I had.

After an hour of ignoring the calls, he finally answered them. "Excuse me," he muttered and moved away to a quiet spot.

I was narked but tried to be plausible. He was a very renowned individual and he was bound to be busy. It was inevitable, he had commitments and I couldn't be clingy and immature, so I tried to be understanding. I wasn't concentrating on the movie, I was constantly turning around glancing over my shoulder to see Kayden still conversing with the other person, he looked agitated and I was bored. A sense of foreboding settled in the pit of my stomach when he came back looking contrite and wouldn't look me in the eye.

"What's wrong?" I implored already anguished.

He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, but I've got a meeting and my manager's coming to pick me up in five minutes."

"Oh." I wanted to scream, cry and be foul-mouthed, but I just stood up.

"Rebecca, I'm so sorry. I feel like an absolute tit." He held my hand.

"It's fine." I hid the dismay in my voice by smiling. "We can meet next week."

"I err... have exams from next week, then I'll be graduating," he said as we were walking towards the exit, he was on edge.

"Right. That's nice. What do you want to do after that? Persevere your ambition by becoming a full-time model?"

"I'm uncertain, but I wish to apply for a Masters's degree in mechanical engineering."

He's got beauty and brains!

"That's brilliant! You should!"

"Yeah. What about you?" He asked me whilst he kicked a pebble.

"I don't know. I've still got another year."

"What subject do you read at Uni?" He asked.

I stopped walking and looked at him rather shocked. Did he just really ask me that question? I was appalled. I was quite certain that I'd told him about this during our first date.

"You don't remember?" I asked him. "History, Kayden."

"Sorry, I wasn't sure if you liked history or palaeontology." He gave me an embarrassed smile. "So, tell me something historical."

"Everyone dies." I ground out with a smile.

Before he could react, a very fancy Jaguar came to halt a few feet away, and out stepped his manager. He was a short man, with blonde hair and glasses that covered his beady eyes and crooked nose. At first glance, he looked rather cunning and calculative, his eyes flickered in my direction and I saw him snarl, I knew for certain that he despised me.

"Fucking hell! It's so bloody hard to reach you, Adams. You should know how important this is for you. For us! Now let's go," he spoke harshly, his Irish accent wasn't hard to miss.

"Sorry, Bród. Let's go." Kayden motioned for me to follow him.

"Oh, sorry sweetheart, we're in a hurry right now, didn't you bring your car?" The short man asked quickly.

Wasn't he just jolly!

"No, I picked her up, Bród." Kayden glared at him. "She can't---

The message was loud and clear, Kayden didn't want to leave me alone but his manager's body language spoke volumes. I was far too upset to deal with two imbeciles.

"It's fine! Go. I'll ring Roger to come to pick me up." It was glaringly obvious his manager didn't want me to come along and I was fucking livid.

"Thank you for understanding, sweetheart." The manager gave me a tight-lipped smile and dragged Kayden away. Kayden stood in defiance, but his manager hissed at him, telling him something that made Kayden's shoulders slump. They argued until the car, Kayden gave me one final glance and apologised before getting in.

I exhaled and began to walk down the road. I was fucking furious, being abandoned like this. I decided to go to the Victoria Pub and ring Roger to pick me up later.

I'd only ever felt like this when Rupert MacFadyen... I stopped walking and that's when I realised that the dream I'd had this morning was like a warning, preparing me for disappointment and I hadn't paid heed to it.

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Hello, hello, hello! How have you all been? I hope you're all well and safe.

If you liked this chapter, please comment and vote. And this book WON third place in the seasonal contest, and this is my first ever win on Wattpad, I'm so ecstatic because after constantly being placed in honourable mentions this book has finally won an award! Ahhh, thank you!

Have a nice day/night!xx