Elitism

I thought I hate Monday, but now I hated Wednesday. Actually, I hated all days that I saw Riley’s face. Today, I had a meeting to go to. A meeting. I was obligated to attend this ‘meeting’ with the rest of the elites after school. This felt really stupid. But at the same time, I was finally going to find out what exactly was it that they do among themselves. This was what Jennifer was waiting for. Who were they as elites?

So here I was, completely bored out of my mind, sitting at a table shaped like a rectangle, while the leader, Riley went over a list like it was a syllabus. Just hearing her talk about upcoming events that needed planning and chores, or tasks that everyone had to do… I felt like life was sucking out of me. This would be a sad day to die.

To keep myself awake, I counted the heads around the table and came up to fifteen. Riley continued to blab on while I shifted my focus trying to fill in the information by drawing up my own logical conclusions.

First thing I noticed was the age. I thought all elites were seniors only. The second thing I noticed were the boys and girls that were sitting in pairs leaving gaps in between, almost as though they were partners. I clued in that each couple represented a year, from freshman to seniors. That explained eight of us, nine counting Riley, ten me.

Hannah was sitting across from me, making her eleven and if my assumptions were correct, she was Riley’s assistant of some sort as Riley stood at the end like a ruler.

The other four were sitting at the back of the room, not even siting at the table, but rather standing up against the wall with their arms folded. I recognized the two girls who tried to beat me in the bathroom and I quickly realized who they were, along with others, two boys.

They were the muscles. Wow. I had to give credits for the way they were organized. However, I couldn’t help but feel something was missing: the last piece of the puzzle. As far as I was concerned, this secret society had been going on longer than Riley had been leading. Who got to decide who was in and was out? How was the decisions made, because I doubt it was democracy.

“And finally, a warm welcome to our new member, Spencer Moreno,” Riley finished off.

Everyone clapped. I froze for a split second. How did she know my last name? I never told anyone. She they have access to the computer school system? I stored that piece of information in the back of my head for later to ask Jennifer.

I realized that ‘15’ was an odd number, yet I wasn’t randomly picked out to be part of this show, an elite. They didn’t recruit without reasons. Either there was something about me they wanted, or they already knew something that I didn’t know yet. Another question to ask Jennifer.

“We have come to a conclusion that there was a flaw in our organization,” Riley continued.

No shit, I thought.

“It’s unfair to others to tolerate us without so much as a warning. And this where you come in, Spencer. You are known for you precisions and you have skills that none of have acquired. We thought why not assign you as a middleman.”

Middleman? What the fuck did I just walk into?

“To put your skills to test, you are given your first assignment,” she smiled casually as thought this transaction was perfectly normal.

“What’s the assignment?” I said bored.

There was something seriously wrong with this group that I couldn’t even put a finger on it because there was so many wrong things on so many levels that I didn’t have enough fingers in the world to point them out.

“Tyler owes us. You will simply pay him a visit and make sure he understands the consequences if he doesn’t pay up.”

“No.”

She blinked. She was completely taken back by my answer.

“You haven’t heard the details,” she said, annoyed. “He has something that belongs to us.”

“No,” I said again. Nothing coming out of her mouth could be trusted.

“You must. It’s an obligation.”

I almost laughed. Obligation? I couldn’t even fathom. Instead, I went along with it.

“How it is an obligation? Where is this shit written?”

“In this book.”

She picked up a small thick black book that was in front of her and held with care as though its valued was priceless. Now there was a book. These people were so fucked up. I grabbed the book, and flipped through it, not really reading it, but catching words here and there like obliged, punishment, deadline as well as names and dates and numbers. This thing has everything and everyone recorded.

This was exactly what Jennifer needed for proof. Jennifer was right. There was something fishy and wrong about all this. The only I could learn more about it was to play along and see how far they would take it. But first, I had to make something very clear. I held the book up, shaking it violently.

“This is a terrible handwritten book. Therefore, your rule is invalid because if everyone just apologized all the time, there wouldn’t be laws. This shit would make a lovely third war.”

I tossed the book back on the table. The room filled with silence. Riley was probably shooting daggers out of her eyes at me. I didn’t care.

“Do it, or there will be consequences for disobedience.”

When I didn’t answer her, she continued.

“Shall I invite your step-sister, Lauren? I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to become one of us?”

I sighed, because I was suddenly tired, but also because I really was not in the mood.

“I thought we were clear on the whole family thing. But if that’s how you wanna play it, by all means, I know some things just as well,” I raised my eyebrows, challenging her.

And I did. If I was going to put myself out there with secrets of mine as well that ran deeper than the stories of the rich, I had Jennifer give me something. To my surprised, she was prepared. More than you think. She gave me enough to rattle them a little. If they thought I would join them empty handed without some sort of leverage, they were very wrong. I wasn’t going about all blind and put myself in a corner. Fuck that. If she wanted to play, I was game.

“Like what?” Riley shot back.

“Like Hannah’s retarded brother.” Hannah gasped.

“Oh Jake’s secret affair with the math teacher.” I didn’t remember the math teacher’s name, but whatever.

“That’s bullshit.” Jake shouted from the back of the room. He was one of the muscle elites.

“Shall I go on?” I smirked.

I actually had nothing else to go on. Jennifer was still digging, but from the look on their faces, they didn’t want me to talk anymore. Some of them looked nervous that I might spill their secrets next, whatever they were.

Riley stepped up, and because she was taller than me, slightly hovering over me getting closer to my face. “Fine. But don’t think I won’t retaliate. Remember, I own you now.”

That just pissed me off. Nobody owned me. Not the girls from my old rival school, the men that my mom brought home. No one.

I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw, yet I remained completely calm and in control of my anger. I said to her in the deadliest voice, “You think I’m afraid of you. But you have no idea what fear is.”

Had she ever been held at gunpoint? Chase? Beaten? Life had been rough for me but it had shaped me in the person I was today. She was a rich brat who was so ignorant to the rest of the world.

“If you’re going to opposed me, do it. Otherwise, keep your empty threats to yourself.”

I wanted to laugh. Empty threats? I wanted to show her what real fear was. I wanted her to suffer like I did. I wanted her to feel pain beyond measure. Instead of turning this into a physical thing, I kept my mouth shut and my arms to my sides.

“Friday night at the party. Get Tyler alone and talk to him,” she repeated. She looked at me, waiting for me to defy her again.

Instead, I asked, “You know how much I don’t want to be here, why are you desperate to have me? Find someone else.”

She stepped back and relaxed as she fell back into the chair. “Like I said, you were picked for reasons not by me, but by someone higher up, which is saying something because everyone here was already hand picked years before they reached high school. Your name wasn’t recorded, but they obviously like you.”

And there it was. There was someone else. A ghost.