12 Correlation and Causation

"Well, come in and sit anywhere!" I welcomed Theodore into the apartment. He had already closed the door and proceeded to observe his surroundings.

"When I came up, I didn't really think twice about where I was going," Theodore slowly said as he sat down on the couch, still looking around the room.

"Well, Geneva didn't really give you anything else other than the location," I half smiled at the thought and also sat down near him.

"So this is your home, very homey," Theodore finally turned to me and smiled, "you vaguely mentioned your sister earlier this morning, so I guess your sister is sleeping? I hope I'm not intruding or being loud."

"It's fine, as long as you're not shouting it should be okay, but welcome to my home," I officially welcomed, "sorry that Geneva kind of just made you come up here, and that I almost stood you up."

"It's fine, Geneva and I are childhood friends," Theodore said, "but I guess you already know that. And I didn't think you'd be comfortable with me asking you anywhere else than the cafeteria, which is why I suggested it in the first place."

"All your top-notch rich folks all grew up together anyway," I said rhetorically, "but thanks for being so considerate, I wouldn't have minded anywhere, as long as it wasn't too crazy."

Theo nodded and responded, " duly noted."

"Well, I guess I should make this quick and painless since it is getting late," I finally spoke out regarding yesterday and today's incident.

"You have the floor," he responded.

I began to fully explain my own version of the events leading to today, starting from Hayden's interrogation and his treatment while I was at his place, to ending from this morning's incident where he had made me quit my job and offered to become his personal assistant in exchange for my debt being paid. I tried to be as neutral as possible and emphasized that in certain situations I was left with no choice but to obey and comply with Hayden's demands, but overall the experience was more odd than suspicious by any account. After hearing my detailed explanation, Theodore sighed deeply, but he definitely wasn't going to lecture me on how I made my decisions.

"And that's that, we're here and I am just not sure what to do, but I figured letting you know what's happening since you got involved was the best idea," I admitted.

"I'll also admit that I do appreciate you giving me all the details, but I'm certainly not sure how to help you with this. I was involved, but I wasn't involved enough to be able to have any influence on Whitehall, unfortunately."

"I know, I guess I just wanted someone to talk to, so I texted you first," I claimed, "but I didn't anticipate Geneva would come over, so I guess this is the second time I'm talking about it to someone."

"What did she say about the situation?" Theo asked.

"She thought it was strange that Hayden wanted to be my friend, but she was looking forward to the overall development, I guess."

"Of course she'd say that," Theo cracked a slight laugh, "to be honest I am also looking forward to it, it's certainly strange that he's offered such a position to you, and to think he also promised to pay your bills for you."

"So you also think it's a bit weird, it's not just me or Geneva," I said worriedly.

"Well, I'm sure Geneva told you about why she thought it was weird, and I can certainly explain why I think it's weird, but only if you want my opinion of course."

"Yeah, why wouldn't I? Although we met just yesterday, I consider you a friend and I'd like your opinion for sure."

"If I know Geneva, she must have told you about how it's weird that Hayden's status doesn't really match yours, to say the least," Theo claimed.

"Yeah, exactly what she said."

"Well, it's not that weird, it's just uncommon," he added.

"How so?" I asked curiously.

"Take me for example, I'm still friends with Whitehall, as surprising as that sounds, but lately we're not on good terms because of an incident. It's partly my fault for pushing him, but we're still friends and that's the point. I may be an heir or an 'elite' in your terms, but it's not really all that simple."

"Right," I responded intriguingly, definitely wanting to know more.

"Geneva put it to simple terms, but in reality, everyone is multidimensional, and people have complex relationships, and therefore while not likely that someone like Whitehall can have a friendship with a commoner, it's still very possible as there's no disadvantage to being just friends with someone."

"So you're saying a friendship can go a long way?" I asked.

"Yeah, exactly that, who knows what may happen if you two become really good friends? You would have all your debts paid off by him by then and maybe, just maybe, you'd feel like you are indebted to him. Maybe in the future, you will be business partners because of that, or maybe help him when he is in need."

"You're right, that's very likely," I admitted, suddenly understanding partly why Hayden may want to be my friend.

"Whitehall is definitely smarter than he may appear sometimes, so I'm not surprised. You're a scholarship student and without wealth, that is true, but you had to be intelligent and capable in order to even qualify for Valentino. So if the school recognizes you as someone with potential, who says Whitehall doesn't also think so?"

"I guess," I said, "to be honest I think I just got lucky, apparently no one with my score applied to Valentino this year for some reason, which is why I was able to get in so easily."

"No matter the circumstances, you still got admitted here and that's important," Theo added, "there's not many scholarship students in this school, and historically they have all graduated with successful careers and are on par with most students' families at this point. Which further proves my point that he may not have approached you with that job out of charity only. It's for his own benefit to have a good reputation by mingling with less wealthy students," Theodore explained further.

"I guess reputation matters here too, despite wealth and power?"

"Well reputation matters everywhere, you don't want to be behaving in a way that will disgrace your family right? Which helps to prove my next point, it benefits him to befriend you as much as it benefits you. It's a mutually beneficial relationship, he finds your character entertaining and refreshing, while you benefit from his high status. It's a win-win for both of you."

"I guess I shouldn't be too suspicious about this deal then," I responded, "I really overthought about all this. But you really broke it down for me, thank you so much."

"You're very welcome," he smiled, "overall I wouldn't be alarmed if I were you, but I wouldn't be too relaxed if I were you. Make sure you read the contract carefully so you don't get trapped in something fishy."

"I guess we'll know tomorrow," I sighed deeply.

Before we both knew how long we had been talking to each other, the clock had already stricken midnight. Not wanting to disturb my sister and me further, Theo insisted on leaving. I wholeheartedly thanked him again and walked him out of the door, bidding goodbye for now. Theo waved one last goodbye before he disappeared in the corner, leading me to close and lock the door behind me.

After an exhausting day, I prepared for bed and left myself alone to my thoughts while laying down. I continued to think about being Hayden's personal assistant and the drastic changes in my life within a short span of forty-eight hours. There was certainly no way I could have fallen asleep immediately after having such an intensive day, I was too excited, maybe even borderline nervous for tomorrow. But at the same time, I was nonetheless still slightly skeptical about the concurring events.

What would it be like? Fun? Strange? Exhausting? How crazy of an experience will this be for such an insanely payout? I really hope he doesn't make me do his homework or attend his exams on his behalf. Afterall, I was certain that since he is of Whitehall ancestry, there would be absolutely no complaints coming from the school no matter what he does.

All I know is that everything I need to ask will be left for tomorrow, I reassured myself as I slowly fell into deep slumber.