A job offer

"Rachel, don't you get it? I don't want to talk you, I don't even want to see you," Val felt annoyed by Rachel's persistence.

"Look, I know you don't want to see me, Gosh if I were in your place, I wouldn't want to see me either but Val please, just hear me out even for a minute," Rachel obviously didn't want to let go of Val. She had a lot to say to her.

Val sighed, she could feel her head beginning to hurt. "Okay I get it, maybe you are innocent, maybe you are also a victim in all this, maybe none of this is your fault but I don't want to hear of it now. Just leave me alone, we'll talk when I'm ready,"

"Okay, but promise me that that you won't take long," Rachel decided to compromise.

"I promise," Val couldn't wait to see Rachel leave. Her presence alone made her feel uncomfortable.

"Then I'll look for you again in the future, don't push me away when that time comes," Rachel said before leaving. From the beginning to the end, she didn't notice the figure behind her.

"Having fun?" Val glanced at him. He was looking at her, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You looked like an angry tigres just now ," he said, a small laugh escaping his thin pink lips.

Val shrugged, leaning back on the railings. She closed her eyes and placed her head on her hands. Her headache had intensified, it made her feel like plucking it off her neck.

She suddenly felt something warm cover her back. She looked over her shoulders to see Kelly's father placing his suit jacket on her.

She turned around to look at him, "are you being a gentleman now ?" She asked him smiling her two dimples showing on her cheeks.

"I can be nice at times," he said. He was still fixing his jacket on her so he was too close to her. When he spoke, warm air splayed all over her face making her shiver.

"Thank you," she said before taking off the jacket, "but I don't need it anymore as I'm leaving."

"What, you don't like my jacket?" He asked taking a step back.

"No, I just think you need it more than me," she said handing it back to him. "See you," She said to him before making her way inside.

As she walked through the crowd, she bumped into Jayden again.

"We meet again," he said taking two glasses of wine from a waiter. He gave her one of the glasses.

"Yeah," she smiled putting her glass on the table.

"I wanted to ask if you've gotten a job?"

"No, not yet, still looking," she answered wondering why he'd ask her such a question.

"Do you want to work in our school? The pay is good and you can also have a free accomodation if you're interested," he said surprising her.

"You are offering me a job?" She asked feeling excited. This was exactly why she was here.

Jayden's father privately owned a school, Starlight high school, which was located in a nearby town. The reason Jayden pursued teaching was probably because he was going to work there as he was going to take over as the school director sooner or later.

"Well yeah, you were the best in our class back then so I think it'll be a win win if you work in our school," he said.

"Okay, then I'll go think about it," although the job was what she needed, she couldn't ignore other factors. Starlight was two hours ride from her home so of she was to work there, she might have to move which wasn't convenient considering the fact that she had Adam to take care of.

"Please do and contact me when you've decided," he said giving her his card.

"Sure, will do," she said taking the card.

"Okay, then I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, see you" she answered him before leaving his table.

She saw some friends she used to hang out with in campus and decided to go say hi.

"Hey girls look who's here!" Jasmine , a short haired lady in a red dress drew the others' attention on her.

"Valarie? Long time no see, and wow you look gorgeous," Morgan, who was standing beside Jasmine said, a big smile forming on her lips.

"Hello to you too Morgan, you look great as well," Val said hugging them one after the other.

"I've missed you guys," Val genuinely liked this girls. They could be considered her friends as they spent a lot of time together. They used to live in the same hostel and so they would at times go out together.

"We've missed you too, it's like you ghosted us," Morgan complained.

"A lot has been going on, so I've been quite busy," she explained.

"Oh yeah, we heard about your mom and dad, sorry we didn't attend your mom's funeral," Jasmine said giving her a pat. "How's your dad?"

"Still in coma, but I believe he will wake up soon," Val had decided to stay positive, at least it'll give her the energy to look for the surgery fees.

"Everything is going to be okay," Jasmine and Morgan gave her a hug before getting back to their chatty mood.

"By the way I saw  Rachel with Damien, Gosh, they make such a perfect pair, one is a bitch and the other a scumbug," Jasmine said.

"But don't you guys think it's weird that Rachel would do that? I mean she's our friend, why would she do that?" Morgan asked.

"But she already did that Morgan. She slept with he friend's fiance and nothing is going to change that. Maybe we didn't know her well enough. Besides they're getting married, if she had some conscience she wouldn't have agreed to marry him."

Val listened to the girls' argument absentmindedly. So they were getting married? If that was the case then why was Rachel trying so hard to gain her forgiveness? Did she want her to go bear witness to their marriage?

Or maybe she wanted her to be her maid of honor? A bitter smile escaped her lips. She wished she'd never met that pair in her life.

She composed herself before looking at the girls in front of her, "come on guys let's not talk about it anymore," she didn't want to hear any more of Damien and Rachel.

"You are right let's not talk about those two, they ain't worth our time," Morgan said.

"By the way, we saw you with Jayden," Jasmine said giving her a teasing look.

"Oh come on, it was nothing he just offered me a job," she defended herself.

"A job? You should take it, I am sure he won't make you suffer besides I heard he's been made a deputy director in Starlight."

"Deputy director!" Val exclaimed. Life was really different for everyone. While she was still searching for a job, her fellow was being made a deputy director.

"Yeah, his father wants to train him to take over the school. I heard the director wants to retire early," Morgan explained. Just like Jayden, Morgan was a heiress of her parents' law firm. This was the reason why she'd studied law in the university.

"Yeah, I heard that too but if you don't want to go there you can just tell us. I'm sure we can get you something," Jasmine added.

"It's okay, I'll consider it," Val didn't want to take advantage of her friend but if things get bad, she might resort to asking for their help.

"Girls, look who's coming," Jasmine whispered.

They both looked at the direction Jasmine was pointing at to see her ex-fiance making his way towards them. Val sighed, guess it wasn't her lucky day.

"Hi, Val can I talk to you for a second," he requested when he got to their table.

"Hell no!" Jasmine and Morgan exclaimed at the same time.

"Our friend doesn't have time for scambugs," Jasmine added

"It's okay girls' let's hear him out," Val said to her friends before looking at Damien. "If you have anything to say to me, then just say it, I'm not going anywhere with you," she said looking sternly at him. She couldn't help but remember his coldness to her at the coffee shop. She hadn't wronged him in anyway but he cut her off without any explanation. The efforts she'd put in her relationship all turned to dust.

Looking at the man in front of her, Val felt nothing but hatred. He ruthlessly abandoned her for her best friend yet he didn't even give her any explanation.

"Val, I just need a few minutes privately with you," Damien stubbornly said.

Val scoffed, "do you want to invite me to your wedding."

"Val, if you don't want to talk with me in private then I won't waste anymore of your time," he huffed walking away from her.

Val looked at Damien's arrogant self retreating away from her and wondered what she'd seen in that man. When they were together, he'd been so gentle and understanding to her. Maybe that's what blinded her from seeing his true nature.

She looked at Jasmine and Morgan, "I've got to go, I'm getting tired."

"Okay bye and don't think too much about that person, he's not worth it," Jasmine said giving her a hug.

She hugged Morgan as well before making her way out.

Once she had exited the hall, she took out her phone to call a taxi.

"Do you need a ride?" a cool familiar voice entered her ears.

She turned around to see the familiar figure leaning on the wall.

"No, I'm taking a taxi," she politely declined his offer after all they weren't very familiar with each other.

"Come on I won't bite," he said, a small teasing smile playing on his lips.

Val rolled her eyes at him, who said she was afraid?  Just when she wanted to press call, her phone was snatched from her.

"Give it back!" She shouted at him trying to snatch her phone.

"Not until you accept my offer to take you home," he said raising his hand higher. He was a head taller than Rachel so Rachel obviously couldn't reach the phone. She tried jumping but he raised it higher making Val feel hopeless.

"Careful there otherwise someone might think you're harassing me," he smirked looking at the woman in his arms. She'd stumbled when she jumped and fell on his arms.

"Harassing my foot! You are obviously the one harassing me," she shouted moving away from him.

"Then let me give you a ride and I'll stop harassing you." He shamelessly admitted that he was indeed harassing her. Val felt like punching him. His demands were absurd. The phone was hers and besides, who forces people to accept rides from them? She didn't even know his name!