"Miss, it's time for morning exercise." A nice voice called out. I wrapped myself in my sheets, enjoying my sleep. I was taken aback to be yanked out of bed by Leroy.
"What the hell was that for?" I yelled at him. "It's time for exercise," he said, pulling me behind him
"Wait up, is morning exercise part of our routine?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"Oh, yeah Miss, I realized I haven't been working on you for some time now and it's time to get back to work, since it's what I'm being paid to do."
"Psst... So the exercise is just between us?"
"No Miss, the entire family is taking part." Leroy replied, dragging me to the field, to see my family members (sort of), working out.
"This is insane, I've not done this for some time now." I whined, stomping my feet while I walked.
"Don't worry Miss, it'll be part of your routine now." Leroy replied, trailing off to meet the rest of the family. I was so unlucky to be next to my worst nightmare, Chloe. Fudge! I cursed under my breath.
"Oh yeah sweetheart, you're fucked already but then you deserve one from me." She whispered.
"Eew! You're weird." I scrunched my nose in disgust. "Speaking of weird, take a look around Tiffany and tell me who looks weird." She grinned wickedly. I looked round and guess who the weird one was ME. Everyone was looking all sporty while I looked like a piece of shit gotten out of a trash can. Thanks to Leroy for the humiliation.
"Teefunny the weirdo." She cracked into laughter and I look at her like she was crazy, except she is. "Since when did my name become Teefunny?" I mimicked the way she pronounced my name, my ear steaming in anger.
"Uhm... I think this morning, since you look hilarious." Chloe giggled. I made a move towards her but was interrupted by Leroy's voice.
"Okay everyone, let's all get into position, we don't have all day." Leroy stated, quite authoritatively. He led us through the exercise and trust me, it was horrible. How the hell did he expect me to touch my toes with my hand, when I was seated upright. I had a hard time following up with the exercise and please remind me to strangle Chloe for knocking me over severally.
After what seemed like forever of physical torture, Leroy blew the final whistle, signalling the end of the exercise.
"Finally!" everyone chorused, exhausted. I lay on my back, trying to catch my breath before Katherine walked up to me with a bottle of water on her hand.
"Hey," she muttered, as the passed the water to me. "Hi," I replied, taking the water from her.
"Uhm, I was wondering if you could join us at the spa today?" She asked.
"Us?" I asked, confused. "I mean the girls and I, we all decided to all visit the spa today."
"Oh, when was this anonymous meeting held?" I asked, sitting up. She shifted her weight on her other leg, looking uncomfortable.
"Before you got to the field this morning and I'm sorry for not involving you." She said remorsefully. "Yeah, me too Katherine, I'm sorry." I dusted the dirt on my clothes, making an attempt to walk away before she spoke.
"Why, you busy or something?"
"Yeah, I'd be going shopping at noon and won't be back till later." I replied, looking at her briefly before turning my gaze on Leroy who was already heading into the house.
"Oh I see, maybe we could have asked you before deciding on it." She smiled lazily.
"You should have, Katherine." I said, before walking away. I walked into the dinning after taking a hot shower to see everyone having breakfast. They seemed all happy and didn't realize I was missing from their midst. I quietly took a seat next to Perry and allowed the maid standing next to me to pour me a cup of tea.
I sipped my tea quietly, not wanting to join in the conversation that took over the room.
"So when will you come visit your old Grandma?" Grandma Oli asked and I rolled my eyes.
"Not anytime soon." I replied.
"That's rude." Uncle West cautioned. "What? I'm just being honest." I defended myself. Grandma smiled, before taking a bite of her apple.
"I thought you've grown past this?." Aunt Maze asked, shooting me a disappointed look. I ate my pancakes without replying her. The room was silent for a while before Dad broke the silence.
"I heard all the ladies are going to the spa." He smiled at no one in particular.
"Oh sweety, it's just the girls and I." Katherine corrected sweetly, returning his smile and I gagged.
"Hope you're going?" Dad asked me. I opened my mouth to speak but Katherine beat me to it.
"Oh no, Tiffany has other plans, it's my fault I didn't get to ask her before deciding on it."?Katherine said, slightly touching my Dad's hand.
"But you can move your schedule, you know, it's girls day out." Dad finished, hoping I'd change my mind. Dad always came up with different words, today it's girls day out.
"I'm sorry but I can't." I muttered, trying to be a little sweet.
"It's fine Tiffany, maybe we could hang out together some other time." Katherine said, sounding sad. Dad shot her an apologetic look and she gave him a wry smile.
"Can I replace her?" Bruce asked, his mouth slightly open as he anticipated a reply.
"No you can't, it's strictly for girls, besides you guys can have fun." Katherine said. Bruce looked around, scanning the faces of the guys in the room.
"Damn! You guys are no fun," he concluded. "Language please." Deby, Chloe's aunt cautioned. He shrugged, before facing his plate.
After breakfast, I rushed to my room to get dressed. Rummaging my closet, I finally decided to go casual, just like every other teenage girl, only that I wasn't like other girls. I'm simply Tiffany, the only offspring of Brown,who owned one of the biggest company in America and I love me a lot, I wasn't ready to change for anyone.
I put on a white Adidas polo, a white shorts, a pink Adidas shoes to compliment my wear. Not forgetting my make-up, I applied a little bit of mascara to my lashes, making it look longer. I also applied a nude lip stick and let my hair fall to my shoulder. I complemented my reflection on the mirror. I wore a perfume before picking up my black Gucci satchel in front of my dresser and heading out.
I walked downstairs, heading to Leroy's room. I was about to knock, when he opened the door and shooting me a weird look.
"Hey." I said softly. "Morning to you too Miss." He said and I rolled my eyes before letting out a sigh. He just reminded me Mr Pedro. That's right, Mr Pedro has been in the hospital for some time and I haven't visited him. What a wonderful fan I am, I thought, ironically.
Leroy snapped me out of my thoughts before I drown in it.
"Miss, you came here for a reason, and I'd like to hear it," he said.
"Oh yeah..." I stuttered. I automatically forgot why I was standing in front of Leroy's door at 11:50am (I guess).
"Uhm... I came because..." He motioned me to speak up but when he realized I must have forgotten, he gave me a clue.
"Okay...you're all dressed Miss like you're about going somewhere." I looked at myself and he was right, I was dressed up. Then it hit me.
"Aha! I'm heading to the mall and wanted you to go with me." I said, snapping my finger. Leroy chuckled.
"What?" I asked, innocently. "Nothing Miss. You walked all the way to my door only to forget what you wanted to say, where have I seen that movie before?" He asked, but it was more like a rhetoric question.
Leroy placed his hand on his jaw, looking into space and pretending to think of something. "Now I remember, I've seen that in a movie when the girl find the guy stunning," he said, grinning.
"Oh please, don't flatter yourself, I was just thinking of Mr Pedro and how terrible he must think I am for not visiting all this while." I defended myself.
"Oh, you hurt my feelings Miss." Leroy clutched his chest, feigning disappointed and pouting. I slapped him on his arms.
"Ouch! What was that for?" He asked, cutely but I ignored his question.
"Are you coming or not?" I asked, walking away from him.
"Alright fine, let me get my sunglass, I know the sun would be at its peak and besides, I don't want people drooling over me," he finished.
"Jeez! Who has been feeding you with those lies that you are cute?" I jokingly asked.
"A lot of people Miss and soon you will be one of them." He winked at me, heading inside.
"You wish Leroy, Maybe in your next life and besides, I find you quite disturbing and annoying." I said, loud enough for him to hear. He stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
"You know, that's a compliment in disguise." He said, smirking. "That's not a compliment, I didn't say you look good or anything."
Seems I was too busy to take note of his outfit. He was in a white polo, a stripes button up shirt which he left open, a gray head warmer and black pants. He sure looked good, well let's just say 'Not bodyguard-ish.'
"Take a picture Miss, I bet it'll last longer." He winked and I gasped, so speechless. The drive to the mall downtown was quiet but we were comfortable in it.
"Don't you get bored being alone?" Leroy asked, looking at me from the front mirror. I heaved a sigh, running a hand through my hair.
"You know, at times I feel lonely but then, it's now a part of me." I said, calmly. I looked outside the window, trying to get the question out of my head.
"You really don't have to shut yourself out Miss, there are lots of people who love you but you're so mean to them. Maybe if you were a bit nice to them, you wouldn't feel alone." Leroy said, looking at me from the mirror.
"I just don't think I can, things have changed, and so have I. I'm not the that sweet girl I used to be." I said frankly but sadly. "I understand," he said softly.
"I don't think you do, the only friend I had, Dad took her away from me. Do you know how it feels not having anyone to share your craziness with? The house is full but my heart is empty." I said, feeling a tear escape my eye. I wiped it off immediately, not wanting to look pathetic.
"You know, I was employed to discipline you but then, I got to understand you and I want you to help yourself become better without me being hard on you. You should see those I disciplined before you, I was hard on them but I want this to go a different way. I request you stop seeing me as someone on a mission to work on you and start seeing me as a friend." He finished.
His words pierced my heart and it rendered me speechless. "I want to be your friend Miss, I want to help." I scoffed.
"What makes you think I'd be friends with you?" I asked, crossing my legs.
"I know you more than you think Miss and I know you could really use a friend now." Leroy stated once more.
"Interesting." I managed to say.
"Friends?" Leroy asked. I was silent for a while thinking of his proposal. I could see him stealing glances at me from the mirror.
"Friends." I said, giving my lips the permission to smile. I could see Leroy grin from the mirror.
"Please can you stop calling me Miss, since we are friends?" I said but Leroy frowned, probably thinking about it.
"I'll try to, but I'll call you Miss when you're with company." He said and I smiled.
"I'm cool with it, so you'll call me Tiffany right?" I asked, just to confirm.
"Oh no, I've always had a name for you." He replied, smiling to himself. He went silent and I got curious, eager to know the name he had in his head for me.
"And what could it be?" I turned to look at him.
"Uhm... Butterfly?" He said, but it was more like a question. "I like it, but why butterfly?" I asked, smiling.
"You are beautiful" He said, smiling at me. I frowned, biting my lower lip. I've never had any male figure, aside my relatives tell me I'm beautiful. Leroy just said it and I didn't know how to react to it. He just told me I'm beautiful, he seemed so sincere and even smiled at me. Leroy's eyes met mine and I could feel my cheeks burn.
"I'm blushing." I said, stating the obvious. When was the last time I blushed at someone's compliment? I looked out the mirror, trying to prevent him from seeing me blush.
I never knew his words could have such effect on me.
Leroy's POV
I was so happy when Miss Tiffany agreed to be my friend. I wanted to be close to her, I wanted her to share her deepest secrets with me, her smiles, tears and fears. For no particular reason, I wanted to be an important figure in her life.
"And what could that be?" She asked.
I looked at her from the front Mirror and I could see the spark in her eyes. She reminded me of butterfly because it's beautiful, possessing different colors and most importantly it's fragile. Little Miss was so fragile even though she refused to admit it.
"Uhm... Butterfly?" I said, but then, it sounded more like a question. I could see her eyes light up in excitement. I knew she liked it but I needed a confirmation.
"I like it, but why butterfly?" She asked. I had a lot of reasons but I just had to give her one reason and keep the rest in my heart gallery.
"You're beautiful" I replied. I could see her expression change, she seemed tense and I noticed she always bit her lower lip when she was nervous, angry, or lost in thoughts (yeah, that's how much I've studied her).
I wondered what was going on in that little head of hers.
Few seconds later, I could see her cheek flushed. She was actually blushing and tried hiding it from me by looking out the window.
I never knew my words had such effect on her.
Tiffany's Pov.
I spent hours shopping for mostly short gowns, shoes and rings. Leroy was very useful because he had good dress sense. He helped me pick out some nice stuff and in turn, I bought him a nice shirt and a matching shoe.
Shopping was one of the things I loved doing, most girls seem to be freaked about it. We left the mall, carrying lots of shopping bags with us that my knee felt weak. I slumped into the car seat, exhausted after four hours of shopping.
"I'm hungry." I announced, rubbing my growling stomach.
"Same here Butterfly, should we visit the noodles to make you happy shop?" He asked.
"Yay!" I cheered in excitement. Leroy nodded without saying a word. In less than five minutes, he pulled over in front of the noodles building.
Immediately he turned off the engine of the car, I alighted, too hungry for the due process. We headed to the counter as we got into the shop.
"Hey." Leroy greeted the young lady behind the counter while I just smiled at her and she smiled back at us.
"Two plates of noodles, lemonade for me and.." Leroy turned to me. "What would you like to drink, Butterfly?" He asked.
"Uhm... I'd like a strawberry smoothie." I said. I could see the lady smiling at us.
"Alright, please take a seat and your order will be delivered in five minutes." She said sweetly. We nodded, as we turned to leave.
"Nice thing you've got going on." she said, winking at us. Leroy and I shot each other a confused look before we finally understood what she said. We let out a laugh, before taking a seat close to the window, my favorite spot.
"She thinks we are couples." Leroy said, chuckling. "Yea, that's funny." I laughed, putting my feet on his.
"Butterfly, your feet is on my shoes." He said, pointing downwards.
"Yeah, I know. I love stepping on people's feet, or you're not cool with it?" I asked. "It's fine, I'll adapt." He replied, smiling at me. Our meal arrived few minutes later and we delved into it. We made few stops before heading home.
First was a flower shop, where I went to obtain flowers for Mr Pedro and the second stop was at the hospital. I visited Mr Pedro and I spent some time with him and I also whined about missing his delicious dishes.
I took a cool bathe immediately I got home, before heading downstairs. The teenagers were in the courtyard having a conversation as usual,when I walked in on them.
"How was it Tiffany?" Annie asked. I wasn't quite sure I knew what she was talking about so I shot her a puzzled look.
"I mean your day." She clarified. "Oh! It was nice by the way, thanks for asking." I said, smiling at her. She just nodded.
"So how was yours?" I asked, trying to have a conversation with her.
" It was awesome, you needed to have seen what happened..." Annie began speaking, so excited. The others joined in and began talking about it. When I asked how her day went, I wasn't prepared for the whole drama so I kept nodding. They talked for more than an hour and believe me, it was boring.
"Are you leaving?" Bruce asked.
They all shot me a disappointed look but then, I needed to go to bed as It was past ten.
"Uhm yeah... I need to get some rest." I finished. I realized it was awkward the moment the words left my mouth.
"Who the hell would go to bed in the middle of an interesting conversation?" Annie asked.
"Interesting huh?" I muttered. They all shrugged. "I would've loved to stay but I've got homework."I lied and they all gave me a disbelieving look.
"Geez you're a terrible liar, you really don't need to lie. It's simple, you don't like our company," said Bruce. Now I felt bad and I had to sit my ass down. I liked them a bit but they just didn't understand I needed rest. Leroy walked in, taking me out of my misery.
"Sorry to interrupt but your attention is highly needed, Miss Tiffany." I nodded and excused myself. I walked out with Leroy who seemed like he had something important to tell me.
"What is it?" I asked as he halted. "I noticed you wanted to leave so badly that's why I came to your aid."
"You're a life saver, I was so tired but they felt I didn't like their company"
"Do you, Butterfly?" Leroy asked, tilting his head to look at me. I smiled.
"I do like them a little." I shrugged. Leroy walked me to my room. I stepped into my room before turning to meet his eyes.
"Thank you for today." I said in a whisper. "You're most welcome, Butterfly." He smiled at me. I smiled back before shutting the door behind me.
Authors note.
This is it, I hope you like it. I'm so glad Leroy and Tiffany are friends now and also the name he gave to her. What do you think about this chapter? Please drop your comments and also vote. Have a great week. I'll try to update soon.
Kisses to you😘