The Rise of Alexander Black (the Errand Boy)!

Chapter 2

“Is this a clown costume?” Alex asked, more from bewilderment than from curiosity.

The guys nodded, grinning.

“What... is it for?” He asked, still in wonderment.

“You’re supposed to put it on, man; it's for the job.” The first guy gestured, starting to look irritated.

Once again Alex felt that these guys were trying to prank him or humiliate him in some way. What job would he possibly need to put on a clown costume for?

The second guy seemed to understand his confusion and explained.

“The guy who asked to hire someone for this job wants to ask this hot chick out. The proposal will be spectacular. And he wants you to perform at the proposal as a clown. A privilege if you ask me.”

The other guy nodded in agreement.

A smile formed on Alex's face unwittingly. Of course. He wasn’t new to these rich folks splashing exuberant amounts to declare their interest in a lady on campus. He'd done some deliveries for extravagant proposals like this in the past, although no performance art was involved.

He couldn't help but feel a bit superior to those guys. He'd won Emily over with nothing but true love and an intelligent game plan; no exuberant and overtly showy gesture was involved.

“Thanks, guys. Where is the proposal taking place?”

“The Economics Groove. The guy is there waiting for you right now.”

Alex nodded and hurried off. He needed to deliver the assignment quickly so he could give the money to Emily and save their relationship.

On arriving at the groove, he saw it was none other than Dustin Walts who was waiting for him.

Alex wasn't surprised. Dustin was one of the richest kids in the faculty and, as a result, always had his pick of women. He used that advantage to the fullest, winning girls over with expensive gifts and gestures, then playing them as he liked with no regard for their feelings or what anyone thought. Alex wondered what poor girl was unfortunate enough to be his target now.

“Errandboy, you're the one they hired?” Dustin chuckled with a smirk on his face.

Alex nodded. He didn't have anything to say to him.

“Well, it's simple enough; I want to make her laugh. While I'm asking her out, just hop around and make funny gestures, okay? Nothing too dramatic, just make her laugh.”

“Alright, I understand.” Alex affirmed.

“Well, don't just stand there.” Dustin jerked his thumb back towards the building behind them. “Get in there and change; she’ll be here soon. You've been paid, haven't you?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Alex mumbled and hurried into one of the empty classes to change.

He didn't mind at all. It would be a tad embarrassing, yes, but he'd had to do more embarrassing things in his life. And he didn't even have a reputation he was trying to protect; no one took him seriously in the school so it was no loss.

The foremost thing on his mind was: Get the job done, save his relationship.

He was dressed in about ten minutes and quickly rushed back outside. Surprisingly, a crowd had already gathered. The girl must have arrived right after he left. He hoped Dustin wouldn't request a refund, seeing as he ought to have been there at the beginning.

He quickly got into character and rushed into the crowd to try and salvage what little time he had left. It didn't matter that Dustin's lifestyle disgusted him; right now he was a client–  that had paid serious money.

As he rushed over and began to jump around the crowd, making funny gestures and trying to get past them, the students began chanting, “Say yes! Say yes!” He too joined them to chant as he broke through the crowd to do his performance to make the girl laugh.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he finally broke through to the center and saw the girl Dustin was asking out.

Everything slowed and he heard blood rushing through his ears. He blinked several times, but the image before him didn't change.

Right in front of him was Emily Marks, his girlfriend.

Holding a bouquet of expensive flowers and a jewelry box from a very expensive brand, blushing and acting like a bride as everyone chanted for her to say yes to Dustin's proposal.

Before he could stop it, he held himself cut into the moment and demand.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Everyone was visibly shocked; all eyes turned to him, looking ridiculous in his clown costume.

Dustin's surprised expression turned into one of smug satisfaction, then irritation.

“Would you shut the hell up and do the job you were paid to do! What the hell are you doing?”

But Alex's concern wasn't Dustin; his eyes were on Emily, the minute their eyes had locked, she'd looked away like she didn't see him.

Having no idea where the courage came from, he walked over to Emily, ignoring everyone else—they really didn't concern him; she was all he cared about.

“Babe, what are you doing with him? You know who he is, right? What he does with girls—”

Emily eyed him with disgust and moved away to stand beside Dustin, wrapping her hands around his arm like she was scared.

Alex's heart dropped; his tone became desperate.

How could this be happening?

“Em, is this because of the money you asked for? I have it now. I told you I'd do anything to—"

Emily recoiled, moving behind Dustin to hide from him.

“I have no idea what you're talking about, Errandboy. Are you high on something? Oh my gosh, Dustin, what if he tries to hurt me?” She screeched.

Everyone around began to yell ‘Boo!’.

Reality crashed in on Alex and his brain recalled that he was in the center of a crowd.

Dustin's face had turned to stone and he stared Alex down.

“You had one job, pauper. What the hell do you think you're doing?”

“Look, you don't understand—” 

He looked around, his palms halfway up in the air like he was trying to calm them down.

“Boooooooo!”

“Is this what Dustin paid you to do? Can't you get anything right in your life, you urchin?”

“Guys, Emily is my girlfriend—

“Booooooooo!”

“You seriously expect us to believe you bagged Emily Marks?”

“— please just listen —”

“What a joker!”

“That's why he's in a clown costume!”

Alex turned back to face Emily—who was now peering from behind Dustin—as it was obvious the crowd would not listen to him.

“Emily, why are you doing this? Please tell them, you know how much I love y—”

“I'm giving you one more chance to get back to the job, you dumbass lowlife!” Dustin cut in angrily. “Either you do that or you refund what I paid you for this job!”

Alex stared at Dustin, his hurt and desperation morphing into anger. This spoiled brat was stealing his woman and talking down on him all because he had money.

He had two choices now, although on further thought, he could hardly call them choices.

Either return the money and beg Emily—but then he will lose her—or do his job and watch as another guy takes his girlfriend away.

He had no idea what to do.

Before he could regain his voice and thinking faculties, however, Emily cleared her throat and spoke up.

“I can't stand to be around such hooliganism so I'm just going to let everyone know now that—” she paused to bat her eyelashes up at Dustin for effect, “—I’d love to be your girlfriend, Dustin. Could we please leave this dangerous place now?”

The entire place erupted in cheers and happy clamoring as Dustin swept Emily up in his arms and gave her a searing kiss that caused the crowd to go even more crazy.

Alex was in another world, however. His mind refused to comprehend what he'd just heard and what his eyes were seeing.

He developed tunnel vision and the next thing he knew, he felt himself moving. He was no longer in control of himself; all he could do was watch as his primitive beast took over.

He charged at Dustin and Emily, pulling them apart and shoving Dustin backward.

The cheerful shouting turned to angry shouting as everyone rushed in to grab him and pull him away from Dustin even before the latter raised a finger.

“Who do you think you are, bastard!”

“You need to be taught a lesson!”

He felt a hot slap streak across his cheek and his vision blurred.

He was pummeled all around and eventually tossed to the side of the road.

“If you know what's good for you, you'd better leave now or you'll regret it!” One of the guys in the crowd yelled at him.

“What a fucking joker!”

Someone rushed up to him and kicked him in the back.

“You're nothing without us! If we decide to stop using your stupid website, you'll be nothing but a street urchin, and best believe if you don't leave here now, that's what will happen!”

Alex felt spit rain on him from the person.

“Deadbeat!”

“Wannabe fool.”

Different insults were tossed at him as he struggled to get up. At the moment he barely felt the pain from the beating he'd received as pure, unadulterated, angry adrenaline was coursing through him.

He could take Dustin in a fight. The bastard was used to letting people do his dirty work. Alex wanted to challenge him and beat him to a pulp.

But the guy who'd kicked him was right. Without his errand business, he had nothing. If they boycotted his website, he would become dirt poor.

He stood there for a moment, watching as Emily cuddled up to Dustin and people around hailed them as the latest power couple.

He felt his eyes sting and his vision blur as his fists shook with anger.

Life was not balanced.

He sucked in a breath to try and calm down so he wouldn't do anything rash.

He decided the best course of action was to walk away.

“Go lick your wounds like the dog you are!” Someone shouted at him.

The rest erupted in laughter.

“Why don't you walk funny for us, Mr. Clown?”

More people joined in the mockery as he walked away. He felt shame like he'd never felt before.

He kept putting one foot in front of the other, blinking to clear his constantly blurring vision, but having no idea where he was going.

He vaguely registered when he walked out of the school gates, and not long after, the tears he'd been trying to hold back spilled.

Life was so unfair. He was hardworking, he loved Emily truly, and yet she'd dumped him for a jerk just because he was rich.

He barely registered his phone vibrating in his pocket.

When would all this unfairness end? When would the hardship and mockery end?

Another vibration.

Was it a crime to be an honest fellow?

What did he have to do in this world to be treated with at least the bare minimum of respect?

Another vibration.

At this point Alex began to wonder why his phone kept vibrating, but he still ignored it.

He looked up at the sky.

Was this really what was in store for him for the rest of his life?

His phone beeped again.

His face crumpled as it dawned on him that it could be an urgent errand notification. He couldn't ignore it, of course; he needed as much as he could get.

His heart sank further. Even at a time when he was going through a lot, he couldn't properly heal; he had to keep working.

He began fishing his phone out of his pocket resignedly. Another notification came in again.

At this point he was extremely curious—

Alex blinked as his eyes landed on the notification bar.

He quickly wiped his eyes and face of the tears he'd been crying, then cleaned his phone screen against his leg. Surely he must have been seeing double. Or triple.

But no... the messages were still there.

It was a series of credit alerts.

Alex stared and counted, and stared and recounted, for heaven knows how long, but the figures remained the same.

Five credit alerts of twenty million dollars each.

There appeared to be a hundred million dollars chilling in his bank account.

Alex didn't know when he lowered himself to sit on the bare ground.

He scrutinized his bank app as his heart beat wildly in his ears. There was no sender information, there was no description of the purpose of the money…

Alex's mind began to run in circles for the umpteenth time that day.

He'd checked his account balance up to a thousand times already. The money was there for sure.

Was this the universe smiling on him? Should he begin to spend the money?

No, should the owner come for it, he would be in trouble.

Should he hand himself over to the police? 

He shook his head. There were a lot of corrupt cops. He couldn't risk handing himself over to one.

The final thought that came to him was for him to call the bank and report the matter. That was the best thing to do. Alex quickly searched for his designated account manager’s number and called it. 

“Good day, this is Sandra Winter, how may I be of help to you today?”

“Good day. I'm Alexander Black, and I have an account with your bank. Please, I'd like to speak with the bank president.”

There was a short pause on the other end. Then, “I'm sorry, I'm not sure I heard you right, Mr. Black.”

“I would like to speak with the bank president, please; it's urgent.”

The lady scoffed in his ear.

“I'm not ready for such pranks, mister. Do you know what it is to request to speak to the bank president? Who do you think you are?”

“Miss Sandra, it's quite urgent, please. I don't have time for—”

He heard a click. She'd hung up on him.

Alex gritted his teeth.

Why were people so hell-bent on judging people based on a caste system in their minds?

He decided to calm down and call her back.

“Good day, Sandra Winter here, how may I be of help to you today?”

“This is Alexander Black, I really—”

She hung up on him again.

Alex felt white-hot anger swell within him. He got to his feet. He was going to march down to the bank himself.

“Let me see her try to refuse me when I'm standing right in front of her.”