𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑅𝑆𝑇𝑅𝑈𝐶𝐾, djs

[CHAPTER 8]

𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑅𝑆𝑇𝑅𝑈𝐶𝐾

Alex woke up later that morning with a pounding headache. She blinked and slowly sat up, rubbing her sore temples, holding back a hiss of pain.

She looked around her bedroom, taking notice in the open window and the note that laid on her nightstand. On the note in messy writing were the words,

"Thanks for letting me stay la casa de Barnes last night princess. I'll pay you back sometime I guess for letting me stay over. You'll probably have a hangover once you wake up. We both drank quite a lot last night, it was fun though. Just have some Advil and water and you'll be good as new. Also, check your phone, 2 people named Madison  and Liv were spamming you. -Daniel '

"So I have a hangover, great," Alex muttered, reaching over and grabbing her cell phone.

Daniel had been right; Madison and Liv had been spamming her with calls and texts all night.
She slowly dialled Madison's number.

"Alex!" Madison screamed.

"We thought you died."

"Talk quietly will you, it's still early," Alex sighed, rubbing her temples.

"And I'm not dead yet."

"Uh Alex, it's 11am," Madison  shouted in the background.

"Are you saying that you just woke up now?"

"That's not important Liv," Madison chided,
"Where did you go last night Alex? You scared us so bad."

Alex sighed, the events of the night before filling her mind. 'Shit I need a lie,' she thought quickly before saying, "Well you guys took so long last night in the night club that I just took a taxi home. My phone died while I was waiting for you guys."

Her eyes landed on the hoodie that laid on her desk, a sigh escaping her lips as she shook her head.

"Oh," Madison sighed.

"Makes sense. Just call us next time Alex, okay?"

"Okay I will, sorry mom." Alex giggled, the simple action causing a groan of pain to escape her lips.

"Are you okay Alex?" Liv asked, clear concern and worry in her voice.

Alex nodded though they couldn't see her.

"Yeah I'm fine, just tired," she lied again, rubbing her sore temples.

"Okay.." Madison said, clearly not sounding convinced by her answer.

"Anyways, Liv, Liam, Caleb and I were planning on going to Starbucks if you wanted to come with us."

Alex put her phone on speaker phone and began to get dressed, "Yeah that's fine, I'll come join you guys."

She picked up Daniel's hoodie and placed it in her drawer. She didn't need Charlie or her father finding the article of clothing and bothering her with overprotective and annoying questions.

"Okay meet us at Starbucks in 10 minutes," Liv said, the sound of a zipper being pulled up rang out clearly in the background.

"Okay bye guys," Alex replied, hanging up the call right as Emily came running into the room, her pink sneakers lighting up as the young girl ran.

"Hi Alex." Emily giggled, her eyes bright and happy as she climbed onto Alex's bed.

"Good morning." cracked a smile, taking a seat on the bed and pulling her sister into her lap.

"Charlie sent me upstairs to tell you he's taking me to the park and that mom and dad are at work and that you have the house to yourself."

The young girl smiled, wrapping her arms around Alex's waist and hugging her.

"I'm going out with my friends anyways Emily."

Alex pressed a kiss to the top of Emily's head.

"So I'll see you later okay?"

Emily nodded and climbed off of Alex's lap, running out of her bedroom.

"Love you!"

"I love you too Emily."

Alex smiled, slipping on the sneakers she had borrowed from Madison and grabbing Advil pills and a bottle of water before leaving her house.
Alex made her way down the streets of California, the hot sun beaming down on her as she walked.
The memories of the night before replayed in her mind in a continuous loop.

Alex found herself starting to get annoyed that her mind couldn't focus on anything else except for the boy who had hit her in the head with a door and had showed up at her window with alcohol in the middle of the night.

He wasn't special, her encounter with him wasn't special. She didn't care; so why was her mind telling her otherwise? She made her way to Starbucks and walked inside, ordering a Caramel Frappuccino.
Once she received her drink, she went over to her friends and took a seat.

"Hey guys." Alex smiled, taking a sip of her cold drink.

"Hey party girl." Liam grinned, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You had fun last night?"

"I'm glad you're not dead, Alex." Caleb smiled, throwing an arm around Alex's shoulders.

Madison rolled her eyes.

"Boys be nice." She pushed Caleb's arm off of Alex and replaced his arm with her own.

Alex smiled and leaned into Madison, sipping her drink, her hangover headache still lingering.
Liv noticed, "Hey Alex are you okay?
You look kind of out of it."

Alex nodded. "I'm fine Liv; I just have a bad headache..."

She mentally cursed herself for lying again, but knew she couldn't tell them about what truly happened last night.

"Did you drink last night or something?" Liam asked, wrapping an arm around Liv.

"It sounds like you might be hungover."

Madison scoffed, "Alex isn't like that. She wouldn't drink," she looked at Alex,
"right Alex?"

Alex nodded again, "Yeah of course I wouldn't drink. I'm underage and that's illegal. I'm a good kid."

'Lies, lies and more lies, Alex thought, a sigh escaping her lips.

The truth was, she enjoyed last night. She enjoyed talking with someone who wouldn't judge her and wouldn't care if she was reckless or not.

And that someone was Daniel Seavey.

Alex was growing addicted to that fun and the risk she experienced the night before by letting a boy stay at her house and sipping at the glass bottle of burning liquor.

She knew she couldn't tell anyone about what she had done and her encounter with the superstar the night before. Alex placed a hand to the bump on her head and sighed; deep down she knew that this web of lies would only continue to grow.