NANCY

When he arrived home, Jeremy stomped straight into his room.

He spent hours soaking in his bathtub.

He had his bath and gave himself a rich scrub, letting the water and lather soak away his anger.

He combed his hair after his bath and went down to the dining table, where his lunch was already waiting.

He ate quietly, all by himself.

Oh how he despised this country. He unleashed a string of colourful words in anger as he saw it as the greatest punishment his parents had ever meted out to him.

Even when he stomped out of the principal's office, he wasn't really intending to call his father. He'd promised he'd never call them and he'd told them he'd disowned them as parents the moment he packed his bags and left the states.

After his lunch, he was still in his thoughts as he walked up the stairs.

He couldn't call any of his friends from the states as his father had decided to cut off every connection he had with his friends.

Miraculously, none of their phone numbers were going through.

He still couldn't fathom how his father had managed to pull it off.

After doing his assignments and being tired of being cooped up all afternoon indoors, he decided to take a leisurely stroll.

As he passed by the car garage, he instantly changed his mind and decided to drive instead.

Before his driver could register what was happening, Jeremy had already zoomed off.

The driver was a native and had been given express instructions by his boss to drive Jeremy wherever he wanted to go and made it clear that Jeremy was never to be left alone, driving anywhere in the country and yet, here he was completely stunned, Jeremy leaving a cloud of dust behind as he zoomed off.

**********

A 16 year old girl called out to motorists, passersby and generally anyone you could think of on the streets with a tray of oranges on her head.

Her feet were covered in dust, she was bloody exhausted as she had been hawking all day.

The oranges were remaining just 5 and she had to sell every last one else she wouldn't be having dinner that day and her stepmother would pound her to smittens.

Her stepmother would ensure she starved till the next day.

If her stepmother was feeling up to it, the woman would let her have breakfast and if she wasn't, she'd let the girl starve.

The woman could be termed as a bloody sadist.

The girl's name was Nancy.

She muttered a prayer as she walked.

"lord let these things just finish today please"

she kept on muttering and just then, she saw a car parked by the roadside.

She hesitated a bit, before walking towards the car with cautious steps.

The moment she approached the car, she found the occupant looking confused and distressed.

His eyes were darting from left to right.

She put on her best paparazzi salesman smile and said to him "hello"

The boy in the car turned his gaze to her and Nancy was struck by his beauty.

Before she could open her mouth to advertise her oranges, his expression changed and Nancy felt like the temperature had suddenly dropped.

"what is it girl" he asked in an icy tone.

"I...I'm.just .. wanted to ask y...you if you would.. like an ...o.orange" she stammered.

The moment she finished, the boy burst into a bout of laughter.

"Listen you dirty thing...I don't eat street food. How the fuck do you expect me to taste that rotten orange of yours" he sneered.

Nancy was shocked.

How dare he! Here he was looking like a handsome Adonis that had just come down from mouth Olympus to spread glad tidings while in reality, he was an arrogant spoilt rich brat who felt like he was above everyone else. She'd had enough of that bullshit at home and she wasn't about to experience it right here with this hunk.

It made her blood boil.

"why the insult!" she said, firing a retort of her own.

"do you know how disgusting and ugly you look?" she added, watching the sneer vanish from his face.

"yeah I sell rotten oranges, but you're more rotten than the oranges I sell. Rotten from the inside out! Even your attitude stinks from a mile away. At least my oranges don't smell"

Nancy added sarcastically.

"get out of my sight smelly bitch" he replied, his face turning red, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.

Nancy was enjoying his anger.

She laughed hysterically at his actions. Oh she was so going to give him a dosage of his own medicine.

"have you ever tried smelling yourself? if you'd ever tried, you'd know you smell terribly like cow shit. If I were you, I'd learn how to get a proper bath. You had better.... before your stink gets out of hand" she finished and turned on her heels. The boy was shocked and at the same time found it both interesting and amusing.

She was the first girl who'd ever spoken to him in this manner.

Jeremy stared at her as she walked. Yup, her insults really got to him.

He got down from his car and chased after her.

As he got close to her, he stretched his hands and gripped her arm roughly causing her to turn around, the tray on her head, landing on the floor, the oranges, rolling towards the main road.

As if on cue, a car drove by and flattened the damn things to pieces.

The girl placed ber hands on her head and screamed. Yup, this rude Adonis had just killed her.

Tears fell from her face as she turned to him and screamed "what have you just done?"

Jeremy didn't understand what the entire fuss was about.

It was just some damn oranges for crying out loud. Why was she over reacting he wondered as he just stood and stared at her.

"why did you do that? why?" the girl said, softly this time, tears still falling from her eyes.

Jeremy couldn't explain it, but he felt moved by her tears.

He felt a soft tug in his heart and he began to feel pity for the girl.

What the hell? He didn't even know the bitch he wondered. Nope, he wasn't supposed to feel pity for her yet her he was, feeling more pity and more stupid about himself as tears rolled from the the girls eyes.

He was hurting for her.

"I insulted you because you started it first and now you've done the unthinkable to me!

Why not hit me instead or do something else!

Oh ... I'm so dead.. I'm dead dead dead!" the girl cried, pounding Jeremy's chest with her fists.

Jeremy didn't know it when he mumbled "I'm sorry" his own eyes had started becoming moist. His manly pride was the only thing preventing him from crying with her already.

"you're sorry? did I just hear you say sorry? what can your sorry do? would it prevent my stepmother from pumelling me tonight and starving me for a full day and two nights?" the girl said through gritted teeth.

Jeremy bent and picked up the orange which had been smashed, it was utterly useless now.

"I'll pay for the loss" he said suddenly and the girls sobs stopped, her eyes widening.

"Really?" she said, hope rising to the surface of her sinking heart.

Jeremy just nodded and brought out a wad of bills which he placed on her palm.

Why didn't he think of this sooner he wondered.

He could have avoided this entire crying business and rested himself from the girl's troubles earlier.

Nancy released a breath, her tears stopping instantly and removed just one hundred from the bundle and returned the rest.

"thanks" she said to him and ran off immediately.

Jeremy just stood and stared at her as she walked away then he turned and walked back to his car. This country totally had a lot of wierdos in it but he didn't understand why he felt pity for the girl.

He was surprised at himself.He actually felt pity for her! and had even given her money! and was even on the verge of tears for her!

Yup, he was totally loosing it and the fucking place of a country was beginning to get to him, his defenses had to be restored. There was no way on earth and in hell he was about to let them get under his skin. No bloody way!

oh no no no no no. He thought as he put his car in reverse, shaking his head at himself and drove off.

That girl though was a beautiful one he thought as he drove home. The moment the thought appeared, he vanished it and slapped himself mentally. 'Focus you idiot' he chided,

then he realized he hadn't asked for her name.