Gunn sat in the empty meeting room, spinning in the office chair to pass the time. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't had dinner. She was supposed to be eating with him tonight, although she probably would rather not be. He was locked out of the building again, waiting for his mother to finish her meeting with the board.
Just as he was starting to get bored, he heard Robert Benson, a new bank employee and his mother's latest lover's voice carrying down the hallway. But it wasn't his usual calm and collected tone - he was yelling. Gunn's curiosity was piqued, and he stood up to peek out the door. Who had managed to piss off the thorn in his side?
As he looked out into the hallway, he saw him standing by the reception desk, his face red with anger. But what caught his attention was the girl standing next to him - Selena MacDonald, the Ice Queen of St. Theresa High School and a girl he had tortured for a month.
Gunn's eyes narrowed as he watched Selena, who was fired up and arguing with his mother. She had her passbook out and her book bag slung over her shoulder. Gunn noticed that she had switched to a crossbody bag, and a sly smile spread across his face as he remembered that her original backpack was currently residing in Jenna Whitecomb's locker.
Gunn's mind started racing as he weighed his options. It was too late for him to try to date Selena, but maybe he could try to befriend her instead. After all, she didn't know that he was one of the ones who had been hazing her, did she?
He weighed his options. His hand paused on the door knob. He cracked the door open and peered out. Gunn's hand paused on the door knob as he hesitated. Should he try to make a move and introduce himself to Selena, or should he just stay out of it and let things unfold on their own? He cracked the door open a little wider, watching and waiting to see what would happen next.
Robert looked at the girl in front of him. She was a walking liability. Robert still stood his ground and said, "You don't know what you're doing; this isn't child's play where you can use your babysitting or quinceañera money to gamble with." He rubbed his neck. He couldn't stand seeing little girls cry; she needed to know better. Luckily, she had not resorted to tears; what little girl would cry over setting up a trading account?
"Why won't you help me set up a trading portfolio? I have the money to invest, I just need someone to represent me because I am not of legal age yet. Is it because I am a girl that you are rejecting me?" Selena confronted the man in front of her. His name tag read Robert. Selena stood firmly as he tried to brush her off.
"Or is it because I could be a person of color? Is that why you don't want to serve me, Robert?" Selena asked. The man sputtered, his face turned red. Selena willed her eyes to water. It was not difficult; she had a life's worth of trauma to pull from, and her head hurt.
Gunn watched her dressing down the employee, she was terrifying and it was exciting. Gunn prepared to set up at the right time to be a hero.
"You should save this money, you have no idea what you are getting into. This is not playing Ms.MacDonald." Robert countered. The situation was getting out of hand, never had he encountered a 14 year old girl who wanted to start investing. The girl had money, but surely it took her years to amass the small fortune.
Gunn opened the door and walked into the bank." Hero time." he thought. She could not tell him off if he was helping her. It was the opportunity to be a friend, but he and Jakob had made a pact about her already.
They both wanted to date her, but their relationship was more important than any romantic one. Their families were prepared to weather the upcoming storm together and had signed the pact. "Bros before-" Gunn thought to himself before hearing the yelling grow louder.
"I'm not rejecting you because you're a girl or a person of color," Robert sputtered, taken aback by Selena's confrontational tone. "It's just that...well, you're only 13-14 years old. Investing in the stock market is a serious business, and I'm not sure you're ready for it."
Selena's eyes flashed with anger. "So it's ageism then? Look, I've done my research, and I know what I'm doing. I just need someone to represent me because I'm not of legal age yet. Stop wasting my time! Can you help me or not?"
Robert hesitated, clearly unsure of how to handle the determined young girl in front of him. Her money could be gone in a flash; what if it was her quinceanera fund? Just as it seemed like he was about to refuse her again, a voice interrupted their conversation.
"Excuse me, Mr.Benson, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Perhaps you can assist this young lady with her investment portfolio? She's a friend and very smart."
Selena turned to see Gunn Whitehaven, the wealthy and influential student from her school, standing behind her. He smiled charmingly, and Selena felt uncertain in her heart. She wanted to both punch him in the throat and ruffle his hair at the same time.
He was a cute little boy now, as young as she was physically, but she was a grown adult mentally.
Selena's memories were still clear about the orphans she helped raise after the 50-year-old him made such a grievous decision. Those children's parents had not even been born yet. She could let all the months of harassment go if she could start training. He had the cutest curly hair, fluffy like a Labradoodle's.
"Hi? I didn't think you'd be here." Selena said, taking the olive branch. She needed to get this done while she could afford to buy what she wanted.
Robert looked relieved to have someone else take over the situation. "Ah, Young Master Whitehaven, thank you for stepping in. I'm sure I can help her, did you want to personally advise this young lady on her investment options."
Gunn smiled again, this time at Robert. "No, I'm 14. Robert, just do what she wants to do." he shifted his gaze back to Selena? I will grab you a drink. Would you like water or orange juice?"
Selena hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should trust this wealthy and influential stranger. But something about Gunn's smile put her at ease, and she nodded in agreement. "Orange juice would be excellent." Selena needed to take her medicine soon.
A.A estimated that the next installation would happen tonight. It was 5pm. She preferred to be at home when it happened in her bed.
As they walked through the bank together towards Robert's office, Gunn leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get the help you need. I'll make you a bet: if you lose money with your investments you have to eat lunch and spend lunch with me. If you earn money, I will give you enough money to double your earnings and have my car drive you to school every morning."
Gunn friendly jeered. Either way, he'd get a chance to talk to her.
Selena smiled, feeling a sense of excitement and possibility. "Give it two months, and I will take that bet." She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but she was ready to leap more money. Gunn had no idea he just agreed to hand over more than $20,000 to her. It would be compensation for the months of harassment. The little prick deserved it.
Selena did not mind getting free money and a ride to school. Selena was relieved but pissed off a white boy had to step in. They walked to the door, and Selena walked into the office. Robert closed the door and sat down at his desk with a sigh and a grunt. The chair creaks.
Selena looked at the name tag and sat down gracefully, folding her passbook flapping in her hand like the tail of an irate cat, "Robert, I've been doing some research, and I'm interested in investing in Gaggle, Pear, ePay, GameStation, and Ndio. I'd like to sink the whole $10,000 into these companies. What do you think?"
Robert was taken aback and said, "Selena, you're certainly enthusiastic about these companies. Can you tell me more about why you're interested in them?"
Selena sighed impatiently, she obliged the young man infront of her and explained "Well, Gaggle is a tech company that I think has the potential to rival the big players like Us online and Youhoo. Additionally, in the technology sector, Pear is a technology company that's developing innovative new products outside of their personal computers that I have heard rumours on message boards will expand into handheld disc free music players."
Selena took a breath and continued,"ePay is an online auction site that I think is going to become increasingly popular. GameStation is a gaming company that's producing some of the most popular games on the market. They are set to release the GameStation 2. And Ndio is a company that's developing new computer hardware in China, they will become a major global player, trends show an uptick of on-line behavior and personal gaming."
Robert was pleased with her explanation, she articulated herself with maturity. She must be freakishly smart like Gunn, to have caught his attention. "I see. You've certainly done your research. However, before we make any investment decisions, I want to caution you that investing in the stock market always involves some level of risk. Are you prepared to lose some or all of your investment?" Robert responded.
"Yes, I understand that. But I'm willing to take that risk. I believe these companies have tremendous growth potential." Selena responded. She wished he would just get it over with mansplaining things. This man was a level 9000 jerk.
"Alright. Let's take a look at the current stock prices for these companies and see how we can allocate your $10,000 investment." Robert opened up the program on the computer and typed. Selena looked at the man hunt and peck typing in front of him impatiently. She just wanted to be old enough and be able to do this herself.
"Okay, but we need to hurry, Robert. I have to get home and take my medication soon. I also have a... um... physical therapy session scheduled," Selena said, nervously looking for Gunn with the promised drink. She opened and palmed a vintage leather purse that contained her pills and the brick of a cellular phone.
"Physiotherapy? Is everything okay?" Robert inquired, feigning concern for his new client.
"Yes, everything's fine. Focus on the investments." Selena rolled her eyes. Like he cared. He pushed her out of the office, before that pain in the ass finally interjected white knighting. A. A told her to calm down; if she got emotional, it would only expedite the inevitable seizure. He knew her pain now. Selena took a deep breath.
"Alright. Based on the current prices, I recommend allocating $2,000 to Gaggle, $3,000 to Pear, $2,000 to ePay, $1,500 to GameStation, and $1,500 to Ndio." Robert said. Selena slapped a paper on the desk with a clean print out of the very same split.
"That sounds exactly like what I wanted. Let's do it." Selena said as Robert took a look at the print out with an incredulous look on his face.
"Alright. Enough said. I'll execute the trades." Robert paused as he waited for the confirmation of the transfer of the funds from the chequing account to the trading account. A loud printer started printing out documents related to the transaction as Selena handed Robert the already signed and filled out forms. "Okay, it's done. Your investments are now in place."
"Great. Thank you, Robert. I have to go now. Here's my card," Selena said, her head pounding. She pulled one of his out of the deck of them sitting on the mediocre man's desk. He would be eating out of her palm like a deer in a couple of months when he got paid.
"You're welcome, Selena. Take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns about your investments," Robert said. He opened the door as the young girl finished locking all the information in a small leather suitcase. He recognized it as a brand name, albeit old. The girl had an eye. Her accessories, although old, were of quality and well taken care of.
"I will. Thanks again." Selena made it out the door. Her vision was blurred. A.A was alarmed. She was getting close. Selena would have to ask for help.
A.A suggested getting a taxi. The aggravation had only made the whole integration process speed up, not only that the host had epilepsy. Although it would gradually lessen with time and with the integrations, heightened emotions were one of her triggers.