Can of Worms

Tony Jacobs' body was sprawled on the king-size bed in a funny way. One might think he's actually dead except he isn't because he has stopped the bed alarm clock for the fifth time and continued with his sleep.

Edward came into the room and did what he enjoyed doing to Tony on mornings like this. He went straight to Tony's nostril and blew some air from his unwashed mouth into Tony's nostrils. it did the magic because in the next seconds, Tony jumped off the bed.

"You're insane, Eddy!!" Tony wiped his nose vigorously in desperate efforts to recover from the unbearable odour he just digested.

"C'mon, I know my breath is as refreshing as Lucy" Edward said. he was smiling, Lucy was their neighbor's daughter that Edward had once said he was going to have sex with 'very soon'. Tony was even more pissed that he could smile at such joke.

He immediately took a peek at his bedsheets to make sure there was no damp area on it. He has been having wet dreams on weekly basis recently.He made sure no one was aware of this, especially Edward and the countless number of maids and servants in the house. Elvis and Edward would just accuse him of bed wetting.

"Hope you guys are done? I have an important inspection to do at the winery this morning!" Elvis called out from the sitting room.

Tony looked at his watch and gasped.

"Blue devils! We are almost late!" He grabbed his towel and disappeared into the bathroom.

Edward went to his stereo set and started playing a hip hop music in it's loudest volume. All pleas from Tony to turn down the music fell on deaf ears.

The rest of the morning activities went as fast as Tony could hope for.

At quarter to nine, they got to Lasville Royal High school. The fountain in the middle of the school compound caught Tony's attention, it looked so glorious.

Lasville had giant buildings and the compound seemed endless. He fell in love with the football pitch. the grass in the field looked so green and thick it almost looked artificial.

Elvis was not exaggerating when he said it was the best high school in Los Angeles. And the most expensive ofcourse, Tony had thought, when he first heard the enrollment fees.

He has just transferred to Lasville Royal high school. And he happened to be in his third week in Los Angeles. He's currently staying with his uncle and his family. Elvis and Edward were their children.

Edward has just finished his university education and has started working at Jeh-nerals; One of the biggest wineries in California. Jeh-nerals winery is also owned by his uncle, Desmond Jacobs.

Yes, surely, they were rich folks. And Tony was tired of being amazed and overwhelmed at such accumulation of wealth. His own family were just second class citizens in Alhambra. He wouldn't say he was exactly happy while staying with his uncle, but at least, everything here was like a fantasy.

His uncle's wife,Nessa Jacobs, was the only bad side of Las Vegas for him. She always made him uncomfortable, he knew she doesn't like him and he definitely does not give a shit about her too.

Nessa always look at him in ridiculous manner. At the dinning table, after his showers, when he comes back with Edward in the evenings after playing soccer, so many times, long uncomfortable stares….

"And here we are. this is the principal's office, I think?" Elvis said. He was given the task of registering Tony in his new school. A very hectic process that Elvis had started since last week.

"They're not normal beings like the ones you've lived with at Alhambra, Tony" Elvis had told him on a sunday afternoon, when he asked Elvis why he had to go to such lengths just to register a student in a school.

"you'd come to understand" was what Edward told him yesterday as he checked out his new school uniform.

And here they are now, where he'd come to understand.

Edward excused himself and left for his class. Elvis and Tony entered a room that was too cozy and overly furnished. The woman sitting before the glassy mahogany table smiled at them.

Elvis shook her hands. The woman was fat, hefty even. Tony thought of a Buffalo, a pregnant Hippopotamus maybe.

"Hello, young man, how are you?" The woman greeted, but Tony was lost in thought. He stood there,dazed. He was checking out the furnitures and electrical systems in the room, everything here could buy them a duplex in Alhambra and..

"Hey, Tony!" Elvis touched his arms.

"-uh, I'm sorry. Nice meeting you ma'm" Tony said. The hippopotamus was no longer smiling.

"You can call me Maggie. I'm the school vice principal. I would have loved you to meet the Principal and the Dean of studies but they're not available now. You see, The principal is going through some rough patches now. he's on his way to his fifth divorce now and he has not been himself. I don't even…."

"-Please, is it possible to process his entrance as quickly as possible?" Edward was watching his wrist watch,he was obviously in a hurry to leave. Tony was grateful for that. how the hell did they make that buffalo-chatterbox the school Vice?

"Oh don't worry dear. Everything has been documented. you can leave him here and attend to your matters" She's smiling again. Edward looked at Tony and adjusted his Tie even though his tie was just alright.

"Here" He gave Tony a credit card. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"what is this for?" He was scratching his head as he looked at his cousin, confused and Perplexed.

"I don't have cash on me. just use this for now. Dad will give you another one when he comes back from Paris" He shoved the credit card into his hands and dashed off.

Tony was still stunned, a lot of things were happening at same time. This sort of thing will never happen in Alhambra. who was even rich enough to try that?

He remembered the various odd jobs he did just to get his dormitory and School fees in Alhambra. But here, wonders were happening on daily basis.

"So Mr Anthony Jacobs, welcome to Lasville high, wait, I'll call your class president to show you your class" She must have been looking at him all this while as he stared at the credit card.

He did not like the way she called out his full name, but then again, all school principals had that feature imbibed in them, even the principal of Charles college {His former school} was not an exception.

Maggie telephoned someone and within minutes, the class president, A hunky, Latin American guy came in.

"Maggie you sent for me?" The boy asked.

"Yes I did. That's your newest classmate over here, Anthony Jacobs, take him to your class" She was gesturing with her eyes.

"Tony? nice of you to come here, I'm Austin, your class president" He patted him on the shoulder.

Tony immediately thought everything about the class president was weird and rude too. From the way he said 'nice of you to come to here' to the way he patted him on the shoulder instead of the normal handshake.

They got to the class. Everything was so white and Neat. A female teacher was in the class.

"he's a newcomer" Again, the way Austin said it was so disrespectful but no one said anything.

The teacher smiled at him.

"Such a fine Man, can you introduce yourself to the class?" The teacher said, brimming with smiles, Tony deemed it a little weird.

"Hi, I'm Anthony Jacobs, Tony for short. nice meeting you guys.I hope we all get along" Tony said in one breath. Eyes were watching him, Eyes that were examining him, checking out the quality of jewelries on him, his stature, he felt an eye looking at his crotch. His palms were sweaty now.

No one clapped like they do in Charles College and no one smiled either. He just stood there, like a moron, for some moments.

"Wow! he has a sexy voice too. Alright go and make yourself comfortable on that empty seat. Mike is a good seatmate" the teacher said.

' Sexy voice?' Tony thought. is she hitting on him or what? He approached the empty seat and sat down quickly, he didn't bother looking at the proclaimed good seatmate.

He took in a deep breath as he gradually stole some quick glances at everyone in the classroom. he felt like an Alien here, but time will tell whether he was an alien or not, Time will tell.