Betty didn't expect to find a gift on her doorstep this morning but here it was.
A small black box with a pink bow. Betty opened it carefully and inspected it to see a piece of paper.
Seriously? She thought and shook her head.
"The pink-blue outside is yours."
That was all it said.
Betty was confused, she didn't understand exactly what these words meant but she was curious so after washing herself, she walked outside.
Her eyes widened as they darted to a pink-blue bike. It had the similar pink bow on top of it.
Who did this? Betty wondered. It must have been Alicia, maybe this is how she's trying to bribe her to stay. But she doesn't need to. After finding that envelope Betty couldn't go anywhere. She had to stay to protect her mom.
Even if she felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of using her grandmother's gift, she started biking. It's been some time since the last time she biked with Chloe.
The guards opened the gate without a word.
Betty felt a small smile creep up on her face as the fresh air hit her.
She felt free.
After a while she decided to rest before going back. She stopped the bike near a big oak tree and sat down for a moment to admire the scenery.
She was looking around when she noticed that she wasn't alone. Far away, to her left, she spotted a figure who was speaking to two children; it seemed like the person was teaching them how to ride a bike. She smiled involuntarily at the scene. She could only see his back until the kids started riding; then he turned around, and finally Betty could see his face.
And for some reason, she felt drawn towards him.
She didn't realize that the person was staring right back at her.
After a moment Betty stood up and got on her bike, riding back home.
_______
"I'm leaving, are you coming?" Ronan asked his grandmother as he walked down the stairs.
"You're not eating breakfast?" Alicia asked, concerned about his health.
"I'll have my assistant deliver me something, don't worry about it."
"But Ronan-"
"I'm leaving." He stated just as the front door opened and Betty walked in.
Ronan raised an eyebrow, even though he knew where she must have been. So she liked the bike, huh?
"Elizabeth, have breakfast with Kai." Alicia beckoned her to the dining room.
Betty sat down next to Kai who gave her a small smile. "So," He started before trailing off as he didn't know how to convey his thoughts.
"Yeah, I was thinking," he hesitated but as Alicia walked into the room, his face lightened up. "We should spend some time together, I already have everything planned so you don't need to worry."
Betty opened her mouth to disagree, she had to go to work with Alicia and even if she didn't, she had much more enjoyable ways to spend her time. "I have to work."
Work? Is that what is was? Betty didn't know but she was sure Kai understood what she had meant.
"Oh, it's no problem. Grandma said it was okay."
Betty's eyes snapped to her grandmother who gave a little nod. "Have fun, Elizabeth."
Why does she call her Elizabeth. Betty didn't like it. Ever since she was little everyone called her Betty.
"I can't wait." Kai quickly finished his breakfast, waiting for Betty to do the same.
__________
At first they went to an arcade. Betty felt a little uncomfortable with so many people around. Kai noticed this and quickly shot a text to his friend, telling him to close his restaurant, where they were heading next, so it would only be them and no one else.
Betty didn't talk much, she listened to Kai. He told her a lot of stories from their childhood and adulthood but never mentioned business unlike his brothers and Alicia.
After they tried each game, Kai brought Betty to his friend's restaurant.
"Don't worry, only my friends will be here."
Betty only nodded, not understanding what he meant until she stepped inside the place. All the tables were empty except for the one, where six people were already sitting.
As they approached the table, Betty could make out four guys and two girls.
One of the boys, who was wearing a suit and a baseball cap got up as they were closer.
"Kai." He hugged Betty's brother for a whole minute before stepping back. "And you must be Betty. Kai told us much about you, even though he's only known about your existence for a few days."
Betty offered a small smile. "Come on, I'll introduce them." Kai nodded towards the direction of his friends.
"Wait, I haven't said my name yet." The boy complained, "Marcus." He extended his hand as to shake Betty's but she just nodded. "Betty." She replied and looked towards the others.
Kai started introducing them, saying their names. Some of them waved while others just nodded.
There was only one name Betty could remember. Jacob. And that is because she felt uncomfortable by the way he was staring at her.
"Let's sit." Kai didn't notice his sister's discomfort. Betty shook her head and sat down next to him. Marcus took the seat next to her.
"So, Betty where have you been?"
"Didn't you hear what Kai said. No questions."
"What's the point of having her then?"
"Shut up, dude." Marcus waved him off and leaned closer to Betty. "Don't listen to them, they're always like this with everyone."
Betty didn't say anything but she definitely didn't like these people. She didn't understand why Kai would be friends with them. They spend the entire evening talking shit about others and their lectors.
"We should go to a karaoke bar next." Jacob slurred. Realizing they were all drunk and not in their right mind, Betty decided to leave.
"Where are you going?" Kai questioned as she made a move to get up. "To breathe some fresh air."
"I'll come with you." Betty didn't have time to protest as Kai grabbed her hand and practically dragged her outside.
"How are you going to drive like this?" Betty asked, after they were alone, jerking her hand out of his grip.
"That's a great question, I'll text the driver." Kai checked his pockets but his phone wasn't there. "I must have left it at the table. Wait here." He slurred and Betty gave him a disgusted look as he went back into the restaurant.
Why did he have to bring me along for this? She wondered while taking a deep breath.
She's been waiting for some time when she caught sight of Jacob coming her way. Feeling uneasy, she ignored her brother's request and crossed the road.
She didn't have money for an Uber and she also didn't have her new family's numbers.
She could call her mom but she didn't want her to worry, also, what can she really do in this situation?
Betty looked around but she didn't recognize the name of the street. Just great. She sighed and walked into the first store she saw. She would just wait here until their driver shows up.
Through the glass window she had the clear view of the restaurant on the other side of the road.
"Hey, ma'am you need to buy something or leave my store immediately. You can't just stand there."
Betty turned around to see a middle-aged man behind the counter. "Of course." She nodded and walked to the aisle of chocolate bars. Pretending to be looking for a certain one.
The doors of the store opened and the man's attention diverted to the new comers so Betty sighed in relief and relaxed a bit. This was a disaster.
She would never ever do something like this to herself. She knew she should have refused Kai's invitation. Now, look what happened.
Finally Betty noticed the familiar car parked in front of the restaurant. She left the store and prepared to cross the road but that was the moment the lights turned red.
She sighed in annoyance as she watched Kai and his friends getting into the car. Did they even noice that she was gone? Did Kai notice?
Kai didn't have Betty's number either, so he couldn't have called her but why wasn't he looking around for her? Betty couldn't blame him, after all he was drunk.
Finally the lights turned green and Betty started crossing the road along with other people.
But she stopped dead in her tracks when the car drove away.
It was gone. The car was gone, Kai was gone, without her. She was here in a place she didn't recognize, in a place she has never visited before and she was all alone.
Betty managed to pull herself together and finished crossing the road, looking around, desperately trying to find something.
She ran her hand over her face and decided to just go back in the restaurant, but it was closed.
How could they close up so fast? Didn't they have to wash the dishes or something? Clean the place?
Trying not to panick she grabbed her phone and dialed Chloe.
"Betty?" The moment Chloe spoke from the other side, Betty felt a little calmer.
She wished more than anything else to have her by her side, especially in a moment like this. "Chloe, I -"
Betty's voice cracked slightly but before she could continue, her eyes darted to the bus stop a little far away.
She sighed in relief and started walking towards it. "Betty, are you okay?"
"I'll call you back, okay." Betty hung up and opened Google maps on her phone, trying to see which buss to take, which one would take her home. She remembered her home address fortunately.
After she got the answer she's been looking for, she dialed Chloe so she wouldn't worry about her.
During their phone call she heard footsteps and Betty turned to see a person stopping next to her.
It was him. Betty was sure it was the man she saw in the morning. She didn't just recognize his face but she also got the same feeling as earlier.
"Betty, are you sure you're going to be okay? I can order a Uber for you. You should have called earlier, just let me pay okay? Send me your location, it's not safe to take a buss this late. Who knows what kind of a person will be there?"
Betty was snapped out of her thoughts as Chloe kept talking. "It's okay, Chloe." Betty was so worried she didn't even think that Chloe or her mom could order a ride and pay for her. I guess that's what fear does to you.
"I can see it already." It was the truth, Betty noticed the bus, it was already coming so there was no need for Chloe to waste her money. She preferred a bus over a taxi anyway. Who knows what kind of a person the driver could be?
"I'll call you later." Betty hung up and pocketed her phone, about to step forward but when she saw a drunk man coming this way from the corner of her eyes, she stepped back, allowing him to pass.
The man didn't walk away. He stopped right in front of her. "What day is it today?"
Betty's body tensed, realizing the man was talking to her. The way he acted and talked made her feel like he wasn't in his right mind and she took another step back.
"What day is it?" The man repeated again while Betty's heart beat accelerated even more.
What day is it? Betty thought. Why is this happening to her? How can she not remember what day is it.
"It's Tuesday."
The man's head snapped to the source of the voice. Betty couldn't move just yet. It felt like she was glued to the ground. Daring herself not to cry, she slowly turned to see the boy from earlier. Of course, she wasn't alone.
"It's Tuesday, Sir." The boy repeated.
The man smiled and turned towards Betty once again. "It's Tuesday, of course. How could I forget? And why are you so pretty young lady?"
Betty's eyes widened in horror as the man reached out his hand, trying to touch her face but She swiftly moved aside, dodging his hand and as a result she collided with the boy's body.
The boy didn't mind, he even steadied her so she could maintain her balance and pulled her behind himself.
It felt like her heart would jump right outside of her chest at the rate it was beating. Not to mention that the bus stopped and the doors opened, but she was too terrified to walk past that man. Who knows if he would try to grab her again.
The man stared in silence before turning around and getting onto the bus. The doors closed just then and Betty finally managed to breathe.
She closed her eyes for a second, feeling her pulse.
"Are you okay?" She looked up to see the boy staring at her with concern.
She nodded. "Thank you."
The boy looked around. It was just the two of them. "Which bus are you waiting for?"
Betty didn't answer for a moment. How could she tell him it was the one which just drove away and she was too scared to get on it.
She didn't have to say a word because the boy realized after noticing how her eyes darted to the space from where the bus left a minute ago.
He took out his phone and checked something. "The next one will come in twenty minutes."
Betty looked down at the ground.
The boy was quiet like he was contemplating something before finally speaking, "Look, I can wait here with you or you could just give me your address and I'll drive you."
Betty looked up at him. He seemed genuine, he also helped her, not to mention that she felt drawn to him from the first time she saw him.
She couldn't make him wait twenty minutes with her, not to mention that something like earlier could happen again.
"Okay." She nodded and opened her phone. "Give me your number and I'll text you."
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