Chapter 35: Sugar.

Chapter 35: Sugar.

"Rise and shine, delinquents." The police officer says, hitting the gate of the cell with his baton.

Asshole.

I groan as I sit upright. This metal bed hurts. Zachary yawns beside me. The police officer opens the cell up and I rush out, leaving Zachary behind. I'm shocked when I see Alicia standing there with a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her.

"I came to bail you out." She tells me.

"I don't remember calling you." I say with sass.

"Well, word travels fast. I'm here now so, let's go." She tells me.

Zachary walks out behind me and Alicia raises her eyebrow at me.

"Tell me you guys didn't do it in jail." She says with a smirk on her face.

"Shut up." I tell her as I start walking towards the reception.

I tell the receptionist that Officer Andy took my phone and never gave it back. She tells me that he dropped it here before he got off work. I mentally thank God that that creep didn't take my phone home. She hands me my phone and I walk out of the police station.

We get into Zachary's car and we drive to Alicia's hotel. She'll be staying at my house for now. Things are still a little bit shaky between Alicia and I, but I can't let her stay at that hotel.

"That was quick." I comment as Alicia puts her luggage in the trunk.

"Can we go now?" Alicia asks as she enters the car, sprawling in the backseat.

Zachary starts moving again and we're in my house in like ten minutes. Alicia gets down to take her suitcase out of the trunk.

"I guess I'll see you around." Zachary says, clutching the steering wheel.

"Yeah." I reply dryly as I undo my seatbelt. I try to open the door when Zachary stops my hand.

"Let go." I tell him but he just stares at me as if I'm not talking to him.

He grabs my face and tries to kiss me but I use my free hand to cover my face. I push him away and I get out of the car.

"Took you long enough." Alicia says as she rolls her suitcase towards the front door.

***

"You need to get laid." Alicia tells me.

"Just because you've been doing the dirty with my ex doesn't mean you get to give me advice on sex." I tell her and she raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh-kay. Somebody's still pissed about the whole Spencer thing." She says, putting her hair up in a ponytail.

I don't reply her, I just keep picking at my toenail.

"Look, it was a mistake. I wasn't thinking. I genuinely am sorry for the hurt and pain that my actions have caused you." She tells me.

"It's fine. I'm over it." I say, flipping my hair to the side.

Alicia rolls her eyes.

"Really." I add, laughing.

"So, when do you leave for college?" She asks me, grabbing a bottle of green nail polish from my dresser.

"Like a month from now." I tell her.

It's really getting closer. I'm finally leaving this devil town.

"Aww, no fair. I have to leave Langston this Saturday before I head back home to pack my stuff." She tells me.

"I'm so terrified but excited." I squeal.

"Our lives are changing, Vee." Alicia says, wrapping her hands around my shoulder.

"They sure are." I reply with a smile, leaning into her touch.

"I'm gonna miss you, Vee." She tells me.

"Me too, Al." I say, hugging her now.

"We should totally go to the theme park." Alicia suggests.

"The nearest theme park is two hours away in Greendale. So, no." I tell her with a smile on my face.

"Come on, Vee. I leave in two days. Do it for me." Alicia says, giving me puppy dog eyes.

"That doesn't work on me." I tell her.

"Oh, come on." Alicia says, letting out a sigh.

"Fine." I say as she claps her hands.

"But I can't drive, so André will drive us." I say and she nods eagerly.

"We have to look smoking for this." Alicia says, going through her luggage.

"No, we don't." I interject.

"I need to get my Gucci sweater." Alicia says but I grab her arm before she can look for it.

"No, let's go already." I tell her as I push her towards the door.

"I didn't even grab my phone." She complains.

"Oh, forget it." I tell her as we walk out of my room.

***

"I want the blue one." Alicia demands like a little kid.

"We'll have two, please." I tell the vendor at the cotton candy station.

"Let's go on the brain twister." Alicia suggests.

"We've been on six rides already, calm down. And the park's closing anyway." I tell her and she frowns.

"Stop acting like a toddler." I tell her as I collect the cotton candy from the vendor. I give him the money and I pull Alicia to walk with me because she keeps on looking at the brain twister ride.

"Let's get on it, Vee." She tells me, yelling in my ear.

"You're so loud." I tell her and I hear a voice I cannot forget.

I look around searching for him and then I spot him at the arcade. He has a blue shirt on and his hair is sticking out in different places. An arm is wrapped around his waist as he picks up a ball, trying to hit the bottles.

"I might be wrong but isn't it that Zachary dude I'm seeing over at the arcade?" Alicia asks me.

"Sure is." I reply, tight-lipped.

"Do you know that girl?" She asks me.

It's the girl from the camping trip.

"I've never seen her before." I lie. "Come on, let's go ride this brain twister of yours." I tell her.

"Yay." Alicia cheers.

Well, the brain twister definitely lived up to its name. My brain has successfully been twisted. I'm currently at the ice cream cart because Alicia wanted some ice cream. This is the last thing I'm getting for her. She's already on a sugar high.

I wait patiently as the guy at the ice cream cart whips up my order. I hear giggling behind me and I turn around. I see Zachary and the blonde girl walking towards the ice cream cart.

Oh, hell no.

"Can you hurry up, please?" I ask the guy as he scoops ice cream inside the cone.

He doesn't even give me a reply.

Their voices are getting closer and sooner than later, they are standing behind me. I finally get my order and I turn around.

"Hey, Val." Zachary says, like we didn't just spend the night at the police station sixteen hours ago.

"Hey, Zach." I quip.

"This is Sierra. She's my..." Zachary says but Sierra cuts him off before he can finish.

"Girlfriend." She says with a smile on her face.

Well, this is news to me.

I raise my eyebrow at Zachary and he avoids my gaze.

"Oh really. How long have you two been together?" I ask her, faking interest. I can feel the ice cream melting in my hand

"A couple weeks." She replies.

"A couple weeks? Wow." I say, looking at Zachary who is still avoiding my eyes.

"Yeah. How do you two know each other?" She asks me.

"Zachary and I went to high school together." I tell her.

"Really? What college are you going to?" She asks me again.

If I wanted to take a quiz, I'd take one bitch.

Chill out with all the questions.

"Bradford." I tell her with a tight smile.

"Oh my God." She says, screaming. "Me too. Zachary got in too. Him and I are planning on getting a place together." She tells me and my mouth falls wide open.

"Really. That's certainly news to me." I reply, still staring daggers at Zachary.

"Well, I'll see you at Bradford." She tells me before she walks away with Zachary by her side.

Was that a fucking dream or something?

Did that really just happen?

I walk over to the bench I left Alicia on and I see her sleeping on the bench. I tap her gently and she springs up immediately.

"Damn, sugar is bad for you." I tell her. "I got you your ice cream." I say, giving her the half-melted dessert.

"Thanks." She says, licking it frantically.

"Slow down, would ya." I tell her but she just keeps going. "We need to get you home." I say as I pull out my phone and I call Andrè.

***

Alicia was asleep when we pulled up to the house, so I had to carry her in. Andrè assisted me and we succeeded in laying her on the sofa.

"Oh, I'm glad you're back." My mother says, looking relieved now that she has seen me.

"Why? What's wrong." I ask her, getting scared.

"I've been looking everywhere for my China plates. I want to serve my beef bourguignon on them. We are having special guests over today." She tells me.

"Um...about that." I say, scratching the back of my head.

"Valarie!!!" My mother says in a firm tone.

I hate my life.