Chapter 32: Game Over.

Chapter 32: Game over.

Just breathe, Vee.

"Miss, I'm gonna need you to put your hands where I can see them." Officer Mallen tells me.

From the corner of my eye, I see my parents get down from the car and I just know I'm screwed. What are they doing here? They're not supposed to be back for another two days.

"Her parents are back." Someone inside the house yells.

I shut the front door immediately.

The outside lights go off and total darkness consumes the front porch. I am somewhat thankful as this gives me time to create a diversion.

"Ow, my leg." I scream out in pain.

"What's wrong, Valarie?" Officer Higgins asks me.

"I fell and I landed on my leg." I lie, praying to God that my parents focus on finding a flashlight instead of coming inside the house.

"I'll put on my flashlight and I'll check you out." Officer Mallen tells me. As he says that the lights are turned back on.

"Valarie Nicole Stone, what in God's name is going on?" My mother asks me as she walks towards the front door.

Game over, Vee.

"Good evening Ma'am, there was a noise complaint and we just came to check it out." Officer Mallen tells my mother.

"Noise complaint? This house sounds pretty quiet to me. Don't you think so, honey?" She asks my dad.

"Yeah." My father agrees with her.

"Then you won't mind if we check inside, would you?" Officer Mallen asks me.

"Not at all." I tell him as I open the door. To my surprise, the house is organized. Like nothing happened. Just the way my parents left it. The kegs are gone, there's no DJ booth. There's no beer pong table.

No way.

The police officers and my parents walk in after me.

"Everything seems good, don't you think so, Brandon?" Officer Higgins asks Officer Mallen.

"Yeah. We'll be leaving now." Officer Mallen tells us before they leave the house.

"Valarie, what was that about?" My mother asks me.

"I...have no idea. I was just reading some Charles Dickens upstairs when the doorbell rang." I say, putting my hands on my hips, trying to act natural.

"That's weird." She says and I see somebody run past the living room. Luckily my parents are facing me, they couldn't see anything. I look up the stairs and I see two people trying to come down. I mouth the words "Go back."

"Why is your mouth moving like that?" My mother asks.

"Like what?" Yawn. " I'm" Yawn. "Just so tired." I lie.

"Well, you should go to bed, it's getting late. Your father and I will be in the study." She says, winking at me before they leave the room.

"Eww, mother." I gag.

"I thought they'd never leave." A blonde boy says as he comes out from behind the chair.

"Get out of my house." I tell him and he nods at me before he walks out the door.

"C'mon guys, this way." Zachary says, leading the crowd towards the door.

A few minutes later, the house is totally cleared out. Zachary and I are in the backyard picking up plastic cups and dirt.

"This was fun." Zachary says, tying a bean bag.

"Totally." I retort, with a smile on my face.

"So, how have you been?" He asks, trying to make small talk.

"I've been better, but it doesn't matter. What matters right now is how I'm going to tell my mother that her eighty-five-year-old China plates are broken." I sigh.

"It's going to be fine." He tells me as he puts the bean bag in the trash can.

"Well, I gotta head out. I'll see you tomorrow." He says before he enters the house.

Tomorrow?

Did he bump his head?

I trail behind him and I lock the front door as he leaves.

"I want all the tea. Spill." Alicia says behind me.

I thought she left.

"I thought you went back to the hotel." I tell her.

"I decided that I'll bring my bags here in the morning, but in the meantime, your clothes will do." She says rubbing the arm of the hoodie she has on.

"Um...that's actually Zachary's." I tell her before I walk past her and head up the stairs. I walk into my room and I crash into the bed. It's so soft.

"You never really told me about this Zachary character. Was that him you were talking to by the door?" Alicia asks me as she walks into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"In the flesh." I reply as I peel the dress I have on, off my body.

"He's a cutie." She swoons.

"But he's also Satan." I add.

I put on a lavender cashmere sweater and some white shorts before I sit beside Alicia on the bed.

"Why haven't you hit that yet?" Alicia asks me, tying her hair up.

"Well, he's the reason I left Langston and came to Ravenswood. He's just bad news and I need to stop talking about him because I'm boosting his street rep by having his name in my mouth." I tell her.

"I bet that's not the only thing of his you've had in your mouth." Alicia says, smirking.

"Okay, eww." I say in disgust.

"But what really went down though?" She asks me in a serious tone.

"Let's just say my biggest mistake wasn't falling for him, it was thinking he had fallen for me too." I tell her with sad eyes.

"Oh, Vee." Alicia says, stretching her arms out to hug me. I lean into her arms as I stay in the comfort of her touch.

"The moral of the story is no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we want it...some stories just don't have a happy ending." She tells me, rubbing circles around my back.

"But it still hurts. I just need to get out of this town." I rant.

"And you will. What college did you get into? I got into Brown." She tells me with a smile on her face.

"OMG, that's great. Well, I'm trying to decide between Bradford and Harvard right now." I reveal.

"Lucky." Alicia says as she playfully slaps my arm.

"Ow! It's not my fault I'm so smart." I joke.

"You wish." She says as she grabs her phone from my bedside table. She smiles as she looks at her phone screen.

"Who are you texting?" I ask her, folding my arms.

"No one." She snaps, trying to block her phone from my view.

"You are going to tell me." I tell her, as I jump on her, making her fall to the ground. Her phone falls in the process and we both scramble around to grab it. I grab the phone first and I stare at the screen.

"No way. You're texting Spencer." I say as my heart sinks in my chest.

"We're just talking." She defends.

"The eggplant emoji is beside his name. What are you guys talking about? I sure as hell don't remember Spencer being a farmer." I say, glaring at her.

"Okay fine. We kinda had a one-night stand situation." She says as she blocks her face as if I'm about to hit her.

"What the hell?" I yell.

"It meant nothing, Vee." Alicia tells me but all I see is red.

"Get out of my house." I yell.

"Valarie, I promise you it-" She says but I slap her before she can finish.

"GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE!!!" I snap, yelling at her even louder than before. Alicia grabs her phone and puts her clothes in her purse and she is about to leave before I stop her.

"I need my fucking hoodie back." I tell her, folding my arms.

"Vee, I'm wearing nothing under here." She tells me.

"I don't care. Give it to me" I tell her and she gives me an ugly stare.

She takes the hoodie off and covers her chest with her purse. She walks out of my room and I lock the door immediately.

Can you believe this bitch?