“Maybe you can offer a drink to our guest?” Roger said loud enough for Atlas to hear. Even though Roger spoke up, Atlas’ attention was on Roger’s hand that was wrapped around my arm. To say that Atlas looked tense would be an understatement.
“Would you like something to drink?” I offered while I tried to nonchalantly shrug my arm away from Roger. “Coffee? Water? We have some Coke too,” I rattled off.
“Coffee sounds perfect. Thank you.” His eyes bored into mine. I wasn’t bothered by it, but I was bothered by the fact that I didn’t find this stranger creepy. I nodded and, before I turned to go to the kitchen, Roger stopped me again.
“Did you ask if he’d like cream or sugar with it?”
Are you hard of hearing, you fucking asshole? Obviously, I didn’t because you had to show off and tell me to ask him, as if I’m incompetent.
Roger laughed sarcastically, as if I were beneath him for not asking about cream or sugar. My ears burned with embarrassment. “Guess book smarts don’t account for much anymore,” Roger said as he looked at Atlas. “Supposedly the smartest kid in his graduating class.”
“Sorry.” I looked at Atlas, and I felt as though he was also embarrassed for the way Roger was acting. “Would you like cream or sugar? We have the sugar substitute stuff in the yellow packets or regular sugar.”
“Yes, please. Two of those yellow packets should do just fine.”
As I went to the kitchen, I could tell my ears were blazing with heat because the breeze I created from walking temporarily cooled my skin. I could hear Pam starting to chat it up with Atlas while I moved around the kitchen.
“Are you a coffee lover?” she asked him.
“I am, yes. Very much,” Atlas replied.
I pulled one of the nice white coffee mugs with a saucer from the cupboard and set the mug under the nozzle. I found one of the regular coffee K-cups and popped it into the coffee maker.
“Does the coffee keep you up at night, Atlas?” she asked.
I enjoyed the fact that I knew Roger was ready to climb the wall because of all the chitchat Pam was trying to start. While thecoffee began to brew, I set a small spoon and two yellow packets on the saucer. I leaned against the counter and listened to the conversation in the living room while I waited for the coffee to finish.
“It does, but it will be a bit of help for me tonight,” Atlas said.
“Oh?” Pam asked. Her tone hinted at desperation, as if begging him to talk to her so she could hear his accent.
“Yes. I’ll be traveling back to New York this evening.”
“Red-eye flight?” Roger asked.
“It probably will be.” Atlas chuckled, and Pam laughed as if he’d just said the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
“Have you been in town long?” she asked as I set the mug on the saucer and headed into the living room.
“Not long at all.” Atlas looked at his watch and said, “I arrived at the airport close to four this afternoon.
This afternoon?
“This afternoon?” Roger blurted out what I had been thinking as I set the coffee on the table in front of Atlas. I sat on the couch on the other side of Roger.
Atlas looked at me as he moved to the edge of the loveseat and picked up the sweetener packets. “Thank you, Ryder.” I nodded. “Yes. I flew to town after arranging the appointment this morning.”
“That had to be expensive,” Roger commented. I really wanted to roll my eyes at him or just flat out tell him to shut up.
“You flew out just to meet with us?” Pam asked.
My pulse sped up as I tried to think of why he’d fly out just to meet with us and talk about the school. Atlas emptied the two packets into his mug and picked up the spoon to stir the sweetener into the coffee.
“Yes.” Atlas took a sip from the mug and then smiled as he set it on the saucer. “Omnia Academy is very interested in Ryder.We’re hoping to have the honor of Ryder being part of our student body come the start of term in January.”
“Can you tell us about the school?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized that I sounded nervous. I wasn’t really nervous; I was full of questions and didn’t know where to start. However, when Atlas looked at me, a sense of calm washed over me. It was kind of weird, but then again not so weird either.
“Omnia Academy is a four-year institution that focuses on grooming a young man to fulfill important roles in life. The academy is exceptionally selective in the students who are invited to attend. Only extraordinary young men are invited. Each year, Omnia Academy’s council spends most of its time researching seniors in high school to see if they’d be a good fit. Not only do they look at academic scores, but they review other extracurricular activities as well, such as clubs, sports, and volunteer work. If the council believes the young man is suited for the program, they’re invited, and a mentor is assigned to the student. Since the student body is small, the academy dedicates ample time to each student to help them succeed and grow. Students arrive at Omnia Academy as young men, and graduate as gentlemen.”
