EIGHTY-TWO

ANISHA'S POV

After Dylan had left me, I felt a bit lonely, having no friend at the event.

"Look, that's the girl who has been clinging to Dylan. who is she? Let's check her out!" I heard a girl speaking just behind me. Two girls appeared in front of me and one of them sneered,

"Oh so you think you're good enough to marry into the de Milo family? Who are you anyway? Which family are you from?"

I remained silent, when the other girl, the taller of the two, came closer to me and spoke in my face, "Dylan is just using you! Do you know Harper. You know her, don't you? Well I hate to be the one to break it to you; but she is the girl for him! They dated and…."

"And they broke up twice! Many years ago!", I answered in a mocking tone.

"So what if they broke up? So why is Harper here tonight? Dylan invited her, because he still loves her!"

"You may be beautiful," the taller girl went on, "but believe me, Dylan would never fall in love with you! He is too rich to date any other random girl. He's just using you for your beauty, but when…."

"Enough", a voice called out, and the three of us turned around to see Raelynn walking towards us.

The two girls, who obviously recognized Raelynn, telling from the way they looked at her, apologised and walked guiltily away. I was rather surprised, for I had never imagined a day when Raelynn would come to my rescue. She sat on a high stool next to where I was standing, motioning with her hand for me to take the stool next to hers.

"Anisha, nice to meet you again", she smiled. "I figured we could use this time to get to know each other better. Forgive me, Anisha, the first time we met, I was rude to you. I'm sorry I was just having a bad day."

She leaned forward and rubbed my shoulder in a very sweet way. I smiled and assured her that she was forgiven. The Raelynn who had shouted at me at the mall was surely totally different from the Raelynn who at that time sat before me.

"Well, seeing you and Dylan are good friends, and me and Pete are getting married soon; and seeing Pete and Dylan are best friends, it means you and I have to be friends too, doesn't it?" she laughed.

I simply smiled and nodded my head. Something in my heart told me that she was not genuine, yet when she laughed and smiled, I still saw some gentleness and sincerity in what she said.

"Let me tell you a bit about myself. My mum is a university professor; and my dad used to be a university professor too, before he left to open his own school."

"Oh really? That's good. How big is the school?", I asked.

"Oh, pardon me, I forgot to mention. They are colleges. Technical colleges."

"Wow", I could not help but admire Raelynn's dad.

"There are six colleges in all, scattered around Lakeworld. He managed to open the seventh college in Yellowleaf recently, so I guess I can say he's doing pretty well. They, my parents, also own a university." She smiled and looked around before saying to me, "let's find a waiter and order some drinks."

"Ok," I just nodded my head.

"My dad," she went on "is into quite a number of businesses. Besides the colleges; he also does a lot of other businesses. He has quite a lot on his plate."

"Oh! So do you work in any of his businesses?" I inquired.

"Who? Me? No ways!" Raelynn laughed out loud. "I wouldn't want to work in any of his companies. He's too tough. I am currently concentrating on my PhD. I'm into IT. IT is my thing. I live IT. I breath IT. It's my life." She looked around and continued to talk, "Let's get some wine. Which one would you like?", she smiled at me.

"I...I have never taken wine before," I stammered.

"Well you can start today?"

"No thanks umm, I will have a sprite," I told her.

"My usual please, and a sprite for my friend here!", she called out to one of the waiters who had just appeared from behind her. The waiter acknowledged the order before moving off.

"Tell me about yourself", Raelynn smiled at me.

"Umm, as you already know, I am Anisha Meyerton. I am still a student of music and theatre. I have one sister; Valentina. We're virtual twins."

"Your parents? What do they do?" she smiled brightly, tossing her hair gently behind her shoulder.

"My parents are both late. But a loving lady raised me as her own child." I explained, not willing to get into details about my upbringing.

Raelynn seemed to pick my reluctance. She rubbed my shoulder again and gave me a comforting smile.

Our drinks soon came, and Raelynn pulled my hand, "come, let me show you around the place. If we stay here, many ladies will come to say things to irritate you! Remember most of them came here to attract Dylan, and they're not happy to see you!", she giggled and pulled me along.

I was surprised by how friendly Raelynn was to me, but all the same I followed her. When we were in one of the floors of the manor, I suddenly started to feel very uncomfortable. With all the guests at the rooftop, the place was painfully quiet.

"I'll show you the room that Dylan used when he was around ten or so."

"Oh! You knew him since he was ten?" I asked, shocked.

"No I didn't. I only got to know about it when I visited here, and Pete and Dylan showed me around the place."

"Oh!" I was not sure how to respond.

She slid the door and we entered. She smiled at me and said, "why aren't you taking your sprite? Its nicer when it's cold!"

I nodded my head and took a sip.

The first room was a mini lounge with a study desk and chair on the other corner of the room. There was a huge bedroom with a bed too big for one person; as per my thoughts. Raelynn started showing me some framed pictures which hung on the walls. There were old pictures of airplanes on the walls.

"He loves airplanes", I murmured to myself.

"Huh? What did you say?" Raelynn smiled at me.

"I just commented that he loves planes; or maybe he loved them as a child?. There're too many pictures of airplanes in this room."

"Oh yah I see that too." She smiled brightly at me. I smiled back. I took a few more sips of my sprite, and I could not help but comment, "it tastes a bit different from the usual sprite that I know."

Raelynn just laughed it off and did not say anything. She drank all of her wine and put the glass on the table which was in the room.

"Finish off your drink and I will show you one more room before we can go and join the others at the rooftop. Oh by the way, may I use your phone? I forgot mine back at the rooftop," she said to me.

I handed her my phone and said, "will Mrs de Milo be happy with you showing me around?"

"Don't worry about her. Pete is like a son to her; so since the time we met, she has always treated me like her own daughter. I am allowed to show my friends around."

I just smiled but in my mind I was wondering oh! So we're already friends now?!

In one huge gulp, I finished off the contents of my glass and placed it on the table next to Raelynn's.

The room was neat and clean, but one could tell that no one had been using it for a long time. Dylan's old room. Interesting. I tried to imagine what used to happen when he was a little boy. So during all those days that we used to see him at Olga Children's home, he would have come from the same room? Oh, it felt good to have pieces of his history, and to know from where he came.

A slight pain flashed across my forehead, and I felt as if something had slightly clouded my vision. The feeling was very brief, it disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Wondering what could have caused that, I concluded in my heart that I must have been too tired, and it was time for me to sit down. Besides, I was not even supposed to be in that room. What is Mrs de Milo saw me there? I also had a feeling that Dylan could be looking for me.

"I think we should go back to the rooftop now." I told Raelynn.

"Sure", said Raelynn.

I made a move intending to go towards the door, but Raelynn blocked me.

"Not so fast," she flashed an evil smile at me!