The eight hour flight from Pennsylvania to Louisiana was a painfully long wait. When the plane finally touched down in the Lakefront Airport in New Orleans the first thing Eric wanted to do was get outside and have a smoke. He was very irritable when he finally walked out the gate, and he was tapping his foot furiously while waiting for his luggage to show up on the carousel. He ended up waiting ten minutes for his luggage to show up before making his way through customs and getting outside. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his lighter and a pack of smokes. The lighter was a gift from a friend back in his early days in high school. It was black with flame decals, the kind of design you'd see on a hotrod.
Once he lit his a cigarette he started looking around at the people coming and going. They all dressed differently than back in Plainfield, with their dress shirts and slacks, not to mention their expensive looking shoes. They weren't kidding when they said New Orleans was a city for the rich. Eric suddenly felt very out of place in his black leather jacket, jeans, and running shoes. Actually, now that he was outside he started to regret wearing the leather jacket, not because it made him stick out like a sore thumb but because it was scorching hot. It was the beginning of spring, yet it felt like the middle of July. Eric slipped out of his jacket and dropped it on top of his rolling suitcase.
Eric spotted a white limo parked on the corner of the street. Beside it stood two men, one of them was obviously the limo driver, and the other wore a pristine business suit with the jacket piece slung over his shoulder. The driver was holding a sign that read, "Eric Sanders." They must be the ones who were picking him up.
When he approached the man in the suit looked at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated when he noticed the cigarette in Eric's mouth. "Eric Sanders?"
"That's me. Is something the matter?"
He shook his head. "Sorry, I just didn't know you smoked."
"Is that going to cause any problems?" Eric asked. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance he was getting, and he didn't want it to be ruined because of his habbit.
"Not at all," he said, straightening up a bit. "As long as you keep it outside or in your own room I have no problem with it." He extended his hand. "I'm Robert Sinclair, your father and I spoke on the phone."
Eric shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."
"Likewise. Your flight must have been exhausting, I'm sure you're dying to get settled into your new home for the next year." As if on cue the driver tucked the sign under his arm and opened the passenger door before grabbing Eric's luggage and taking it to the trunk. Robert got in first, but before Eric could climb in he stopped him. "I'll have to ask you to put out that cigarette before getting in the limo. Wouldn't want the smell to get into the seats, you know."
Eric took the cigarette from his mouth and looked at it for a moment. He had only been smoking it for a minute or two, and he was a little annoyed to let it go to waste. But, he was going to be living here on this man's dime, so he had to do whatever he was told. He tossed the cigarette on the pavement and put it out with his shoe before climbing into the limo.
The inside of the limo was very spacious, there was easily enough room to fit at least ten people. Mr. Sinclair had taken one of the side seats, so Eric decided to take the other one so they were sitting across from each other. "Nice ride," Eric commented.
"Is this your first time in a limo?" Robert asked. He smiled when Eric nodded. "You'll have plenty of chances to ride it while you're here, Richard will be driving you to and from school everyday." The driver gave a little wave from the front when his name was mentioned. "Speaking of which, you'll be attending Edgeworth Academy, one of the best private schools in New Orleans. A diploma from there will guarentee you a job anywhere in the country."
"Excuse me if I come off a little blunt, but why are you doing all this for me? I know you're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart," Eric said. Before he left his father had told him to expect Mr. Sinclair to give him some sort of job to do while he was living under his roof, though he wouldn't say what at the time.
Robert was a little surprised by Eric's question, but gave a little chuckle before saying, "Straight to business I see, I like that." He leaned forward a little in his seat. "Your father and I were friends in college, and when he told me that you were an accomplished black belt I figured you'd be the best person for the job."
"And what job might that be?"
"My daughter has been having some trouble with some of the boys at school. She doesn't have a boyfriend so they constantly pester her for the opportunity, despite her refusal. It's gotten to the point where some of them sneak onto our property at night to try and see her. I'm at my wits end, I've spoken to the dean about this on countless occasions, but despite the efforts of the teachers these boys continue their pestering. I wanted to hire a bodyguard for her but the school's regulations prevent anyone other than students and teachers to be on the grounds during school hours.
"That's where you come in. You and my duaghter will be going to the same school, attending the same classes. It'll be your job to look after her whenever she leaves the house, and in return you will recieve the education that your parents always wanted you to have. Not a bad deal, wouldn't you say?"
Eric thought for a moment. Ever since he was expelled from school for putting another kid in the hospital his parents were worried sick about his future. It had been in self defence, but the principal didn't care. There hadn't been any other highschools in the area that he could attend, and his family was too poor to move somewhere close to another school. This was the only chance he would have to get a decent education and make his parents happy, if it meant looking after this man's duaghter then so be it. "If it means going to school, I'll guard her with my life. But I hope you realise that not every guy who tries to approach your duaghter is going to back down just because I tell them to."
"I'll take care of any reprecussions your actions may cause, all that matters to me is my duaghter's happiness and safety," Robert told him. "If it means you have to rough up a few kids, then so be it." The limo came to a stop in front of a white, two story villa. "Ah, we've arrived. Welcome to your new home."
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