Life Unscripted

Irene paced back and forth, her anxiety building it had been 32 hours yet that child was nowhere to be found

She could feel the mocking gazes of the neighbors they all gloated at her misfortune

She was worried and scared for her daughter she may have not been the best mother to that child however that child was still her child her own flesh and blood

In the past one year even if that child went in and out as she pleased she always returned home never sleeping out she couldn't help but wonder what went wrong

"The child must have gone out to play why worry so much?" Tony smiled bashfully his eyes couldn't help sizing Irene up

He liked this woman

She looked better than the average woman in the slums who had tanned over and though hardship had told on her she still had a good figure with an average face

Sometimes everyone wondered if she was in fact Oceana's biological mother as Irene had a little over average looks with light brown eyes and brown hair while Oceana had black curly hair with striking resemblance to that woman ~Priscilla Jones~

Irene's mother and Oceana's grandmother

"Tony what do you want?"irene couldn't help but ask feeling irritated seeing Tony. "I'm equally worried about your daughter she's like a daughter to me"Tony sighed and Irene glared at him "you couldn't possibly be turning down kindness right?" Eleanor asked and Jocelyn snickered. "The child has finally run away"she said and everyone nodded in agreement they voiced their thought openly ignoring Irene's feeelings

They didn't care the slightest and they equally weren't fond of Oceana either all they cared about was the juicy gossip from the mother and daughter duo

Irene didn't want her mood getting reeled up by the crowd of foes hence she walked back up the stairs into the tiny apartment where she grabbed a coat and walked back out, she was going to put more pressure on the police

Her daughter must be found

However she bumped into Oceana just outside seeing her Irene's eyes welled up with tears "where have you been!"Irene snapped clearly pissed and hurt by this child

"Why do you care?"Oceana asked with disinterest as she walked up the stairs to the apartment she didn't linger long she merely grabbed her bag, changed her clothes and headed out however Irene blocked her path. "I asked you a question young lady!" She frowned at Oceana's guts the child had the guts of a wild animal, so unrestrained and nothing like what a daughter should be like

"What I do has nothing to do with you"Oceana replied impatiently and Irene laughed "I've been up all day searching for you and you tell me it's none of my business!"irene clapped back however Oceana wasn't fazed she only stared at Irene like the woman was crazy

"I have to get to school and work"Oceana frowned even more seeing as Irene won't budge from the door she contemplated throwing the woman off. She had things to do, the constant nagging was tiring to listen to

"You'll get even more bullied!" Irene panted she was so angry she felt she might faint any time soon "I promised grandma I'll study hard, I don't care what they do to me... I'll continue to study!"oceana said with burning determination

Irene was dazed this child was nothing like herself or that man who did she take after? Her own mother Priscilla? Maybe partly but not completely "stay home today I'll cook"Irene finally relented and Oceana's brows tightened she's rather eat from a gutter than feed on the burnt offerings Irene called food

A trait she found amusing between the mother and daughter Priscilla and Irene was the fact that both were terrible cooks

Her grandma couldn't cook

She didn't know how to and wasn't interested in learning and same for Irene

"I have things to do in school" Oceana said and Irene sighed helplessly "I just want you to be okay….. if you're facing any difficulties you can tell me"Irene bit her lips, she really did feel like crying "mm" Oceana nodded and Irene stepped to the side "I'm bringing Lester over"Irene voiced out and Oceana paused in her tracks however in the end she decisively left without once turning back

Whatever Irene did had nothing to do with her, she was fine as long as no one was pushing their luck with her….

Irene sighed she felt helpless, her tears threatened to roll down her cheeks still she stubbornly fought them back and clenched her fist reminding herself to be strong, she would have preferred if her daughter screamed at her or voiced her dissatisfaction like every teenager her age but that child was unpredictable and unreadable it bothered her greatly in the end she prepared her goods and went out to sell

The neighbors were never tired of petty gossips seeing Irene ignited their interest in the happening behind closed doors however Irene wasn't bothered with them she had to make money to support her daughter and her grandson.

The school campus was packed with students, Oceana walked in briskly she had her hood on which covered most parts of her outline

Her head was lowered however if one looked closely they could in fact feel the coldness radiating from those eyes

She hated school yet she couldn't give up she had made a promise to her grandma and she sure wasn't one to relent on her own words

"You should open your face more often" Cairo whispered from her side as she sat her eyes lowered even more and her fists clenched tightly, she waited for him to attack yet nothing came and she subconsciously looked to the side catching a glimpse of his dark eyes

She wondered why he was sitting at the back

Which was only occupied by her

"You're beautiful"he added nonchalantly and Oceana's brows furrowed she ignored him, he couldn't help but chuckle with interest

"No one has ever told you how beautiful you look? Surely the mirror don't lie" Cairo teased his eyes were solely focused on her ignoring the glances of everyone in the class

There were glances of disdain, scorn even scoffs could be heard. Everyone thought he was stupid for interacting with Oceana

The lecturer soon walked in and he frowned seeing Oceana in his class, her presence spelt trouble for middle class men like them

If only she wasn't a member of that family she had great prospects he thought as he began to scribble words on the board. The students focused squarely on him while Oceana fiddled with her phone a slight frown etched on her face. It had only been a day off yet her boss has fired her for no reason, she was used to being laid off here and there however she was slightly bothered being laid off meant one less stream of income and bills kept rising…..

She would rather work this odd jobs than get involved in something she so desperately wanted to get out of.

"Oceana" Mr Winslow called and Oceana whipped her head up as she starred at the man her gaze held a questioning edge to it and that annoyed the man he couldn't help but glare at her hatefully "What's the answer to this!" Mr Winslow asked and everyone snickered the question on the board didn't go in line with Mr Winslow's teaching however they were all excited to see her fail. Oceana glanced at the question which seemed like something straight out of an alien nation or space

It didn't look humanly possible to solve this and she was no genius, she may be academically sound and studious however she couldn't be considered that one genius out of the whole world. "This is professor xenir's course" she frowned and the man laughed clearly so angered he almost spat blood he wished he could bang her head and see how she thought. It was amazing how she could get under the skin of every lecturer "great just great get out!"he snapped and Oceana picked up her bag naturally and walked out. This was a normal occurrence in class so much that it had become a ritual

Tika couldn't help but glance at Oceana fragments of her nightmares surfaced in her mind and she frowned. Why was she thinking about this things? She thought seeing Oceana walk out. The other students laughed in mockery clearly everyone was happy with this turn out

"This has nothing to do with your course" Cairo pointed out and Mr Winslow glared at him "she's to blame for being distracted in class" he glared at Cairo and proceeded to continue teaching

It didn't matter whether or not she stayed in class it made no difference as she would still end up amongst the top 10. Blake being the scholar of the class knew Mr Winslow's thoughts and he clenched his fist. He hated Oceana from the bottom of his heart how could she a scorn get such good results effortlessly?

Cairo on the other hand didn't share the same thoughts as everyone he stood up and walked up casting a disdainful look at Mr Winslow before heading out. He didn't have to look long to spot the scorn of the whole school a smile unconsciously spread on his lips as he watched her

This was her safe spot in the whole school she would always come here to paint and let out all her pent up emotions through her brush

"Can I buy this?" He asked and she glanced at him a frown settled on her lips " you should smile often" he chuckled as he then sat next to her. Oceana shifted unconsciously and continued to paint if there was one thing she was good at it was ignoring people

Hence she continued to pour her emotions into her painting ignoring the disturbance beside her and so the two sat side by side for over two hours till she was alas done painting

He grabbed the painting carefully before she could change her mind. "I'm buying it" he said as he fished out some cash from his pocket he glanced at her face to gauge her emotions however she was indifferent as always he wondered if she ever smiled.

She took the money and turned away "let's have lunch together" Cairo pointed out and she tilted her head halting in her steps "why?" She finally asked "because I want us to be friends" he said and she frowned the word was very foreign to her, she didn't believe him obviously in life nothing came easily

Everything was a give and take which was a principle ingrained deeply in her mind hence she wanted to know his motive

"I'll agree to lunch" she relented, she wasn't one to turn down free stuffs having been a spendthrift all her life she could save the few dollars for lunch by accepting his lunch offer

"Ooh" Cairo was taken aback, he really hadn't expected her to accept in the end he led her to the restaurant he frequented

He wasn't a fan of cafeteria food hence he ate out even if the cafeteria food was relatively cheaper it wasn't the most hygienic for him. Cairo picked up the menu and handed it to her once they were seated she glanced at the menu and ordered a bowl of noodles, students didn't have a lot of allowance especially the average students even the rich kids had to spend their allowances wisely hence she didn't intend to take advantage of him still he ordered a meat dish and some vegetables with a bowl of noodles for himself

"Cairo brought a female"Auntie shen grinned knowingly and Cairo blushed, true to their words he always came here alone his friends would either eat at the cafeteria or better looking restaurants but he was drawn to the simplicity and the delicious meals "the food here is good" he said to her however she wasn't picky or concerned about food as far as her stomach was full and she could work that was okay with her. The food soon arrived piping hot, the delicious aroma assailed her nostrils and her expression cracked revealing a thin smile. Cairo chuckled having witnessed something so great he couldn't help smiling himself "the girl is so beautiful" auntie Shen smiled watching Oceana dig into her bowl of noodles and Oceana choked at the woman's words "Don't be shy with me, Cairo is a good boy" Auntie Shen didn't stop and Oceana grew paler by the second, she wished she could disappear from the table. Auntie Shen had clearly misunderstood "Eat more meat and vegetables it's delicious" Cairo pointed out he wanted her to eat more seeing how skinny she was, Oceana ate she wasn't one to stand on ceremony "the girl eats so well" Auntie shen smiled happily, she had already taken liking to Oceana and Oceana sighed she wished she could disappear from there however the food was indeed delicious "I'll bring her more often since you like her so much auntie" Cairo smiled and Auntie shen slapped her thigh happily "you should bring her over more often I'll make some good meals for her she's too skinny"Auntie shen pointed out the obvious. Cairo sighed truly she looked thin and pale compared to the other girls in school he couldn't help but wonder the hardship this girl was facing in her daily life and with constant bullying. "I'll bring her often auntie" he smiled and Auntie shen nodded in satisfaction

The duo were soon done with their meals and Auntie Shen handed some steamed buns over to Oceana "don't stand on ceremony with auntie, you should eat more okay" Auntie shen patted her head and Oceana lowered her eyes she didn't know how to feel however she still responded "yeah" Cairo pulled her out after paying for the food

Arriving outside she pushed him away from her, glaring at him fiercely "stay away from me" she glared him and he laughed flaring his hands up to show his surrender she grunted and continued on her way "I'll treat you to lunch tomorrow" he said and she continued to walk away she would be a dog if she were to ever turn down free lunches

She didn't ask him to, however if he wanted to be a Good Samaritan she obviously didn't mind. Auntie shen's meal tasted far more superior than the horrible things that woman cooked. Her phone rang seeing the caller id she sighed "there's work come quickly" the voice spoke out hurriedly once it connnected she sighed as she stared up at the sunny sky before hurrying away

She multi tasked from various odd jobs, her only stable job was that of a night cleaner after the day of sales and business

She had quit her job at the bartender due to those disgusting men

She arrived the site kept her bag away and began to work on the task at hand

The company needed to clear out all their old stock and this was the perfect Opportunity for her to earn more hence she got busy

~Lester Lanchester~

Stared at his mother the last time he saw her was so long he couldn't remember however the woman who stood in front of him was different from the woman he knew dressed in flashy colors and heavy makeup

This woman wore a simple dress and her hair wasn't overly styled, it was tied neat in a simple bun. "You are no different from your father" she glared at him and he hummed, he had his grievances however he couldn't say much she had supported him in more ways than he could remember "I'm nothing like that man"he retorted and Irene rolled her eyes at him. If not for her grandson she really wouldn't look his way she solely wanted to focus on her daughter now and make amends

She had a lot of children scattered in different relationships all for wealthy families

They weren't the richest families however they had a level of power in the city

And Lester's father was one of this people

"Grandma" Leo hugged Irene and her heart melted she could feel her maternal instincts kick in as she held him now she wished more than ever that she could have held Oceana this way. Her daughter

"I'll find a job you don't have to be overly responsible for me" Lester pointed out and she glared at him "you aren't a kid any longer I surely wouldn't come cleaning up after you I don't have much money the little I make can barely get us by" she retorted and he sighed this was his mother that fiery temper only belonged to Irene

In Cairo's dorm room he hung the painting and stared at it longingly It was beautiful. Each stroke conveyed emotions

He wanted to understand her

He wanted to know more about her

What was the dreams he was getting?

Looking down at his thigh there was a scar

He sighed as he ruffled his hand through his hair "What are you thinking about?" Saki asked and Cairo tilted his head slightly

"What do you think of Oceana?" He couldn't help but ask and Saki sighed "she's pitiful" he replied and walked away to do other things

He surely didn't want to get involved but Cairo's question ignited a fire in Saki