The Dawn of Autumn

Frenemies

Chapter 21:

Frenemies

Hanna had an outfit for everything, including stealth. Alison was impressed with her casual dress-down. She somehow made stalking look sexy. Alison wondered why she hadn't seen how pretty Hanna was before now. Maybe she had been jealous of her. Maybe she'd been attracted to her, but had been frustrated about it. Maybe if she had kissed Hanna instead of kicking her around they would have been better friends.

She never would have dreamed that she'd be in a car with Hanna behind the wheel, especially not her car, but here they were. It had been a really intense twenty-four hours. Alison was still trying to process everything. Emily had been so kind and understanding about everything. She had been her rock. The girl was a force of nature in every way possible. Alison was convinced she was superhuman.

Hanna glanced over and saw Alison lost in the screen of her phone. She had been tracking the twins' location. Hanna suspected that it was a power grab...that she was trying to channel all of her focus on her anger rather than to think about the fact that someone had taken advantage of her last night.

Alison reached up and rubbed her right eye. Even with the foundation she'd applied, Hanna could still see the dark circles underneath her eyes. Alison really had looked pitiful when Emily dragged her into the house. Hanna hadn't known what to expect when she got Emily's call. She just assumed that Alison had run off to party her troubles away like she had in the past.

When she found out the truth she felt bad for jumping to the wrong conclusion. She didn't exactly have a lot of love for Alison, but she hated that someone had drugged her. It was fucked up. And even though they weren't close...she wanted the person responsible to pay for it. So if Alison thought that the twins were involved and that it would lead them to answers she was ready to jump into the fight in solidarity with her.

"How's the hangover?" Hanna asked as she turned down the street.

"It's mostly rage now." Alison opened Mindy's Instagram.

There was a new picture of the two of them with Noel. He was sandwiched in the middle with a huge grin on his face. He always had been full of himself. They were all squeezed in together, smiling. They were still at the bakery. Every time she looked at a picture of the twins she felt like putting her fist through their faces. She knew they were up to something. She hated that they were ever friends in the first place. They were toxic.

"So the ibuprofen worked?"

"My headache is gone. I'm motivated by pure hatred at this point. My blood is full of vengeance." Alison unconsciously started grinding her teeth.

"Okay. Creepy."

"Can't you go any faster? They're not going to stay at the bakery forever."

"Calm down, Fast and the Furious. We're almost there."

A message popped up on Alison's screen. It was Emily checking in on her.

I hope Hanna is taking good care of you. How are you feeling?

Alison's rage dissipated a bit. Emily was such a sweetheart. Alison could be having the worst day in the world and all it would take to make it better was one thought of her girlfriend. It's how she knew she was in love. Because the girl consumed every part of her soul.

I have locked the babysitter in the closet and am now running wild in the house.

Glad you're feeling better. Don't be too hard on Hanna. It takes way too long to break in a new best friend. Be nice, Ali.