ONE HUNDRED AND THREE

I yelled and ran back into the building but she speared me down and covered my mouth and said,"Shush you boulder brain!"

I bit her hand and she yelled in pain then removed her hand and slapped me with her other hand...

This is definitely Rose...

I didn't want to calm down, I knew she was going to kidnap me too then yelled,"I know you want to put me through even more torture you wench! Leave me alone!"

She said,"I'm just trying to help you."

"Well I don't need your help!"

I get that a lot.

She then said,"Please, let me help you."

I calmed down.

Please?

I shook my head and asked,"How did you even know I was gone?"

"That guy isn't dumb enough to act as you and I received some inside information. A guard told me."

I knew it was the guard who took care of me, it had to be him.

She then said I should follow her as there was a lockdown. She slid below the closing door and I rolled under it.

She took me to a car and said,"Get in."

I quickly did as guards were coming from everywhere.

She said,"Put on your seatbelt."

"Wait, you can drive?"

"Yes, now shut up."

She stepped on the gas and I was absorbed into the seat.

She started driving in a way only Ms Lucy and Mark could, dodging the guards. The windows exploded as bullets broke through them and I sent my head down.

When we reached the ocean, she got me into her helicopter and it ascended.

I could see liberty island before I asked,"You're a good person, aren't you?"

She looked at me, confused then I rephrased myself,"I mean, you're not as bad as you make people think you are, it's like you have had some bad experience which is making you mean to people...but why?"

She said,"Like you said, it's a bad experience and I don't want to talk about it."

I respected her privacy.

She took me—via taxi—back to my apartment building then I stretched my arm out for a hand shake.

She looked me up and down then took my hand and squeezed it so much I thought it would be crushed then said,"If you dare tell anyone I rescued you, I will make sure I physically torture both you and that person till your faces are utterly indescribable, understand?"

I stuttered,"Y- y- yes, now please, l- l- aw! Let me go!"

She left my hand then I walked in.

I ran to Mark and hugged him and he asked,"Tommy, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in school."

I said with tears in my eyes,"I missed you so much...that person in my school is not me! He's my doppleganger and he's stolen my identity! I'm telling the truth, you can even conduct a DNA test."

Mark already knew and hugged me back. Then I said,"We have to get that imposter!"

"No...why don't we play his game? Just a little longer."

I didn't understand what Mark meant...

Chienembe came home, bummed out and met Mark then Mark asked,"What happened Tommy?"

"I don't know? I just met the girl I like, Ruby and then she slapped me across the face and called me a featherbrained hypocrite."

Mark pretended to be sorry for him. Just then, Chienembe got a call on my phone. It was Ruby, she wanted to apologize to him in person so he told Mark.

Mark agreed to drive him.

He got to Ruby's dorm with Mark and saw her with...

Tommy!!

She cracked her knuckles and started counting.

He tried to run but Mark had blocked the door. He burst into tears and yelled,"I'm so sorry! I'm an orphan who lives with his grandmother. That lady threatened to kill her if I didn't do her bidding, I'm sorry!"

We felt, for lack of extra impressive vocabulary, sorry for him and Mark touched his shoulder and said,"I wouldn't let anything happen to your grandmother."

He wiped his tears and hugged Mark.

I couldn't help getting a little jealous...and it got worse when Ruby also joined in, I pulled him from them and said,"Why don't we all just get some rest?"

They agreed and I let out a sigh of relief.

From that day, it was Mark's main focus to find Chienembe's grandmother while I tutored him at home.

Ruby also came for visits but I tried to stay natural with Rose, just to protect her secret.

That included me staying away from her, me acting as if she was the worst person in the world...etc.

She also stayed natural with me, bullying me, sending her boyfriends to bully me and more, but I didn't let that get to me...I knew then, that her grandpa was right.

Whenever someone asked me how I escaped, I told them,"A guard helped me."