Kendra...

I again found myself standing in the gymnasium of Winston Elementary, overseeing another school event. I scanned the tables, making sure everything was still set. I watched the hoards of people in the room and hoped it was all moving smoothly. I checked my little helpers, praying that I saw no frosting or chocolate stains on their shirts. Especially Kyle.

I had never hosted a silent auction before, and it might be one of the hardest things I've ever done. I didn't know so many things went into having a successful auction. I had to deal with sponsors, a budget, venues, and auction items. This auction also came with an added challenge.

Brooke Hawthorne.

It seemed that the blonde had wanted me to fail and was going out of her way to do so. This time around I had a good bit of parent volunteers, most of which had secretly hated Brooke and was finally grateful for a chance to be a part of something she had no part in. The plan was to go bigger than Brooke ever had, and it was settled that we would do a dessert auction, auctioning off baked goods made by Washington's finest bakeries.

That's when all the problems started. Bakeries would somehow not get our letters, some would flat out decline, while others would accept and then randomly change their mind. In the end, we only ended up with two bakeries willing to donate. Even the usual sponsors of the school's auctions were backing out one by one. Every big thing we had planned started falling apart. It wasn't hard to find out that Brooke was using her pull to get at people and ruin everything.

For a few days, our committee was discouraged. How were we supposed to beat Brooke at her thing when we didn't have the resources to? But that's when it hit me. We didn't have to do things Brooke's usual big way to outdo her.

We reached out to parents at the school, and it turned out that there were a lot of amazing family deserts that they wanted to share. The parents who couldn't provide desserts, donated in some way. Before we knew it, things were back in full swing. No, it was nothing like Brooke did over the years. There was nothing fancy or grand about it. But by the way, things were going and the way the guests were enjoying themselves, it didn't matter.

I was proud of myself for what I had accomplished and I thought things couldn't get any better. But I was mistaken.

"Are you Kendra?" Someone tapped on my shoulder.

I turned to see a woman standing there. She looked to be in her late thirties, rocking a tight low bun and a casual formal outfit of blue jeans, white shirt and a black blazer. The first thing that popped out at me was her flawless skin that was a tad bit lighter than my own. She must have a good skin regimen.

"Yes, I'm Kendra," I answered.

"Oh thank goodness, I've been looking everywhere for you," the woman said relieved.

I had no idea who she was. She might have been a parent, but I don't think I've ever seen her around before.

"Do you need anything?" I asked.

She lifted her hand to me, "Angela Grant."

I froze for a few seconds then spoke. "Grant, as in..."

"Yes, that Grant," she said before looking down at her still raised hand "Are you going to leave me hanging?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said before quickly grabbing her hand "It's great to meet you, Ms.Grant."

"Likewise."

Angela Grant was a part of one of the wealthiest, prominent families in the east. It was their family foundation that would get the money raised from this auction.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"Well, a friend of yours made a call to my brother, letting him know about what you were doing here and how it would mean a lot if one of us showed up. My brother is actually here in Washington but his lazy behind made up some excuse for not being able to come, so, here I am."

I smiled to myself.

Eli.

He insisted that he could get someone to make this event big, but I didn't pay him much mind. But with Angela standing in front of me, he obviously pulled through.

We've gone on many dates since our first and things were going great. I was at the point where I was considering taking things to the next level, but I was afraid of whether it would be too fast. I must say though, what he just pulled off had convinced me to want to take that step.

"I would have to thank my friend later. Thank you so much for coming."

"No problem. I needed a break from the office anyway," she said as she looked around "Well, this is certainly different from what I expected"

"Not as fancy as you expected?' I asked.

"I was told this was usually a grand event, with fancy decor and outrageous outfits. I was expecting to see a spectacle."

"Sorry to disappoint," I said, regretting a little that I hadn't gone all out, "It's my first time hosting and I wanted to do something different."

"No, it's fine. I actually like this better. It's more welcoming and family-friendly. It doesn't feel like some rich person's gala, and I like that," she said.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"And I love that you got the kids to come out and help."

"Thought they should at least get a chance to help with a school event. They seem to be enjoying it."

"How did you get them to do that?"

"Told them there'd be an extra stash of cookies just for them," I said and Angela laughed.

"Should have used that tactic to get my brother here," she said before asking, "So you planned this all on your own?"

"Not all of it. Had a lot of cooperation from some parents. Couldn't have done it without them honestly."

She smiled, seeming impressed with my answer. For about thirty minutes the two of us talked about the event. I asked where the money raised was going, and she spent a while talking about the reading programs it was going to help. The way she spoke, let me know that she was very passionate about it. But all of that stopped when Kyle came by to ask a question and she gushed all over him. After that, she wanted to know every detail about my life.

"You moved out here all by yourself with your son? Wow!" She seemed impressed. "So where do you work now?"

"I'm a writer for Cooper's Chronicle."

"Oh, you work for Bernard."

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he and my dad go way back," she said.

Maybe that's how Eli got to her, Mr. Cooper must have helped.

"You plan on working there forever?"

"Actually, I always wanted my own magazine," I answered shyly.

"That's pretty cool. Maybe Grant Publishing can help you with that when you're ready," she smiled.

"I hope you remember saying that when I show up at your office," I said and we both chuckled. "You know, I'm here telling you my whole life story and I haven't heard a thing about you yet."

"You're right. So what do you want to know about first? The family business? My amazing parents? My not so amazing brother?"

I chuckled at the mention of her brother. He probably wasn't as bad as she kept saying he was, she was just being a typical big sister.

"What is it with you and this brother of yours? I'm sure he's not that bad," I said.

"Not that bad? Well, let me tell you about the time E..."

"Mom!"

Angela stopped speaking and we both turned to my son. I raised a brow at him. He knew better than to just interrupt when I'm speaking.

"Sorry," he apologized, then corrected himself "Excuse me, mother," he said in a British accent

I chuckled at him, "Yes Kyle?"

"It's time to give your speech and announce some more winners," he said normally.

Ah yes, the speech. Apparently every year the event planner had to give a speech thanking everyone for coming out and talking about the charity getting the money this year.

"Thanks, sweetie, I'm on my way."

He ran off and then I turned to Angela. I was about to excuse myself until an idea came to me.

"Hey, I know this is last minute, but do you mind coming up on stage with me to talk about the foundation?" I asked, "You'd be able to talk more about where the money is going."

"I'd be honored to," she answered without hesitation, "But can I quickly go place a bid on a cake? Been eyeing it since I got here," she added, staring at the cake that was a few tables away.

"Sure, just meet me at the side of the stage."

Once she left, I proceeded to check up on the tables, collecting the filled auction sheets. I eventually ended up on the table I had been avoiding for the whole night.

"How're things going Brooke?" I asked, trying to be civilized.

She wasn't pleased to see me at first and looked pretty uncomfortable in her tight red dress and high heels. She probably didn't get the memo that it wasn't going to be that kind of auction this year? Yeah right. She definitely knew, she just did this for attention. The fake smile was quickly put on.

"Not so great. I'm having trouble getting people to bid on my cookies," she pointed to the tray before her.

"Oh, that's too bad," I said.

It wasn't.

"Aren't you going to do something about it? That's what a good event planner does."

Here she goes.

"Well, there's not much I can do Ms. Hawthorne. You're supposed to promote your item when the bidders pass by," I pointed down to the obviously store-bought cookies. Did she not think people would notice? That's probably why almost no one was bidding on them.

"How am I supposed to do that all by myself?"

Is she serious right now?

"Well, where's your son? That was kind of the point of letting them come out to help."

"He's off somewhere with his friends."

"And your husband?"

"He ran off too."

To the girls' bathroom, I assumed.

"Well I'm sorry, but you're going to have to figure out how to sell your cookies," that aren't really your cookies.

"So you're just going to ignore your responsibilities?" she asked as I was about to walk off, she was not pleased with my answer.

"Selling your cookies isn't my responsibility Brooke," I wanted to roll my eyes at her so bad, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a speech to give."

"Oh right, the speech," she said, that pompous air about her more prominent now "Break a leg."

A devious smile made its way to her face, and for a minute I was scared. What was that all about.

I quickly turned and headed to the make-shift stage. Angela was at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me.

"So I'll go up and say a few words then I'll introduce you. That's Ok?"

"Awesome," she answered.

I nodded then made my way up the stairs to the mic stand.

"Hello again everyone," I said into the mic. "Usually, at this time of the night, the event planner comes up and gives a few words about the charity. But tonight, I thought, who better to talk about the charity than the owner of the charity herself."

I watched as widened and whispers spread through the crowd.

"Ladies, gentlemen and children, the CEO of the Grant Foundation, Angela Grant!"

The gym erupted in applause as Angela made her way onto the stage. She grabbed my hand and gave a squeeze before stepping before the mic. I stepped aside.

"Goodnight everyone," she greeted the crowd, "First of all let's give a round of applause for Kendra Wright and the amazing work she's doing here tonight."

Another round of applause started, and I smiled at the appreciation. At the front, Kyle was screaming his lungs out.

"That's my mom!"

I laughed and mouthed "Thank you, baby".

I would have blown kisses at him, but I restrained myself, did not want to embarrass him right now.

"The Grant Foundation was founded in 1990 by my father. He had been donating to other organizations for years and then thought it was time he had his own. Over the years we've donated to starving children, disaster relief, veterans, soup kitchens, and much much more. The other day, I was going through my old bedroom and found my old chest full of books. Fun memories flooded my mind as I saw the colorful covers and titles. I'm sure many of us older ones have a special book we loved as a child. I'm sure some of you young ones have a book you can't wait to get home to read. Some of us have a whole bookshelf full of books we have yet to get to. We all know what it's like to open the pages of a book and get lost in the words of the author. It's a feeling many love. But sadly, many children have never felt that. They come from poor families and neighborhoods and don't have access to the books that many of us grew up loving. So, that is why this year, the money raised by this auction, will go towards schools and afterschool programs to provide misfortunate children with the opportunity to just simply get lost in their imagination."

The crowd clapped.

"I know it does not sound like a big deal, but..."

Angela stopped and kept her body still. The crowd looked on confused.

"Angela, is everything Ok?" I whispered walking up to her.

"The stage, it feels wob..."

Before she could finish her sentence, I felt the stage wobble under us, and before I could register what was happening and make a move, a creak was heard and the stage came crashing down, taking Angela and I along with it. My foot twisted in an odd direction, sending pain up my leg.

"Ahhh," I screamed. Angela let out the same sound right after.

"Mom!" Kyle yelled running up to the rubble of the stage, along with a few people from the crowd, "Are you Ok?"

As people tried to help and call for help, something caught my attention.

Brooke, standing there staring with the devilish smirk on her face. She raised her glass to me.

This bitch! 

And there you have it, chapter 30! I'm not particularly happy with this chapter but I had to come out of hiding and give you guys a little something. School has been kicking by but and I'm tired as hell! But I'm getting through it and it has mean a lot to come on and see that you guys are still reading. So thank you guys for that. I have about a month left in school, so hopefully I'll be back to updating a little more often for the holidays.

But until then, don't forget to vote and comment telling what you think.