The road trip took about two days to reach their destination. The whole ride consisted of talking and stopping for breaks to eat and sleep. Violet learned that they could eat regular food, but it wouldn't do anything for them. It was also still a struggle to get used to everyone and what they did everyday, but she managed to push through especially since Aiden hardly spoke a word.
"We're in Vegas now," Colton announced. Delsin and Colette cheered. It was already midnight and everyone was tired.
"Finally," Riley said. She was the first one out of the van. "Time for fun."
"We have to focus on our mission," Colton said before yawning. "And get some sleep."
Delsin's phone rang and he pressed the answer button immediately. "Em? Where are you?" He paused to listen. "Yeah, we're here already." He nodded. "Okay, we'll meet you tomorrow morning. Be safe." He looked up at them. "We're meeting her at a hotel she's staying at."
Colette wiped her tired eyes."Alright then lets get some rest."
"Is it okay if we all share a room with you? I'm trying not to spend too much since we're staying at a hotel and all." Colton asked Violet.
She nodded. "Yeah it's fine." The only person she wasn't okay with was Aiden but he was in his own bubble at the moment.
The moment she entered the room, Violet wanted to step in the shower and block out the world. Too bad, Colette beat her to it.
"I'm showering first," Colette said aloud. Violet walked to the bed on the right and set down her bag. The left bed was for Colette and Delsin while the bed on the right was all for Violet. Colton and Aiden were going to sleep on the floor and as for Riley...she had other plans.
"I won't be sleeping here tonight so it's fine," Riley said. "Sleep is for the weak anyway."
Colton glared at her and furrowed his brow. "You and I need to talk. I've been meaning to for a while but things got out of hand lately."
She rolled her eyes and walked to the door. "Way to ruin the fun. I actually wanted to explore tonight." She left while slamming the door shut. Colton sighed and went after her.
Delsin, Aiden, and Violet stared at each other awkwardly. Feeling the tension, Delsin cleared his throat. "Well, I'll get ready for bed then." He got up to look through the backpack he brought along.
Aiden turned away and walked right out the door silently. Violet waited a while for Colette to finish showering, but Delsin slipped right into the bathroom right as she finished. Violet sighed and rummaged through her bag for a few coins. She needed a snack and all of her food was gone.
"I'm going to find a vending machine," she said.
"Okay," Colette replied.
Exiting the room, Violet scavenged for a vending machine. She wanted specifically an energy drink to avoid sleeping that night due to the dreams she's been experiencing. For the past two days, Violet had relived the moment she stabbed the lady in the woods. It was a repeating nightmare and constant reminder that she tried her hardest to ignore, but nothing was working. No matter what she did, it haunted her. Every so often she would think about what Colton told her but that only helped temporarily. You're not alone. The words rewinded in her head as she searched for the machine.
Violet pushed the buttons for a redbull along with some jalapeño chips and grabbed the cold drink in her hands. It was quite expensive to be almost seven dollars total but luckily, she had a sufficient amount of coins. It felt satisfying to snap open the can and allow the refreshing liquid to run down her throat.
After a few sips, she decided not to return to the room and walked around for a bit. Violet was heading to the elevators so she could go to the lobby and exit the building but ended up getting lost instead. The hotel they were staying at was huge and had too many hallways. In the middle of trying to figure out where to go, she suddenly heard voices, which was odd since she had been all alone since her trip to get snacks. Peeking around the corner, she found Riley and Colton. They were being loud and looked frustrated. Don't be nosy, Violet thought, but she couldn't help herself. So instead, she kept watching.
"Why are you so immature?" Colton said. "I don't know what happened to you."
"Look, I care about this as much as you do. Sometimes I just need a way to cope through it all," Riley answered. "You guys sulk way too much and that's why I try to cheer myself up a little.
He glared at her. "But everything you do just makes it all worst. You messed with Aiden and look what he did. You try to get into Violet's head and it's all making me really tired of your shit."
She blinked her eyes a little bit. "Why do you care so much? She shouldn't even be with us in the first place. Ever since she came here, I was immediately pushed out of your way when I'm the one in more need of your help. She was just stupid enough to intervene."
"She's my friend." He looked serious. "You have done nothing but mess things up since she arrived."
"Well maybe you're not being a very good leader. Isn't that why you let Ace leave us?"
Colton stared at her with loss of words.
"Does it even matter to you if anymore members leave?" she asked and then paused. "Maybe it would be better for you if I left also. That would be great, wouldn't it? You wouldn't even give a shit if I was gone because sounds like all I've done for you was cause trouble."
"I didn't think Ace would actually go through with it. I was mad so I just let her leave. You have no clue how I've felt since then."
"And you supposedly know how I feel? You blame everything on me but really, you're the one screwing it all up. You're the leader so play the role." There was an intense silence. "I'm not the same girl you dated anymore so stop acting like you know what's up because you don't."
He raised his eyebrows. "Are you still upset about that? Is that what this is all about?"
She looked away from him for a moment. "I don't know. What do you think?"
"Riley, it happened months ago." He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I told you I wasn't ready for a relationship. I need to focus on this mission because reverting back to normal is my top priority. It's the truth."
"I know that but it just hurts. I can't wait any longer for you to come back. It makes me want to scream and rip my hair out."
"Then stop waiting and move on. The longer you wait, the worse it will be when you find out that you've been waiting for nothing. I'm sorry but I can't go back to that."
Tears started streaming down her cheeks. "God, how did I ever fall for you? I should've left a long time ago when I had the chance." She attempted to wipe the falling tears. "You know without me, you wouldn't have been as happy as you were back then. If I could turn back time, I would get rid of all of it." She spun around and ran away, causing Violet to duck quickly.
"Riley!" Colton yelled and ran after her.
Violet stood up when the coast was clear. She was speechless. She couldn't believe she had just eavesdropped on them. Hearing footsteps, she zipped the opposite direction to avoid being caught. Her heart was pounding when she finally found herself at the elevators.
It was confirmed. Violet wasn't sure how she felt about him anymore, but it was upsetting to find out that he dated someone right after he left her, especially a girl like Riley. If it took him that fast to date someone, then how come they were never a thing? Oh right, they were just friends. He didn't think of her as anymore than that. Violet always knew it was true, but knowing the truth sucked. She wiped her glossy eyes and laughed at herself. She always dreamed of finding him again and was depressed while he was gone all because of her feelings. Her stupid feelings. Violet knew her love for him had faded, but somehow it still hurt. Maybe it was because deep down, she always remained hopeful that one day he would love her just as much.
Violet took a sip of the energy drink and stepped out of the hotel into the cold night. The city was gorgeous. Lights surrounded her making everything seem magical even if the reality wasn't. She was so mesmerized that she didn't realize she was walking straight into someone.
"What the hell?" Aiden said, dropping a cigarette. "Watch where you're-" He looked up and saw her. "Oh."
She widened her eyes and went stiff. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I didn't mean to do that."
He looked at her weirdly. "Okay, it's whatever."
He was mute during their whole trip, so hearing him speak was a surprise. She wasn't sure if she wanted to run or hide or both. "I'm going to head back now." Violet started walking away.
"Wait," he said. "Hotel's that way." He pointed to the other direction.
Her face went red. "Oh, my bad."
"Why are you out here anyway?" he asked under his breath.
She tried to remain calm. "I needed some air."
He squinted at her, searching her face in the dark. "Were you crying?"
She blinked her eyes and sure enough, they were still watery. Quickly wiping them, she lied, "No."
"It's obvious you're lying," he said.
She sighed and then sniffled. "Fine. Yes. Are you happy?"
He shrugged. "I was minding my own business and then you came and bumped into me. Does it seem like I'm happy?"
"I said I was sorry," Violet mumbled.
"Whatever."
Violet returned to the hotel even though she didn't want to. Having Aiden linger the streets gave her no choice. When she entered the room, everyone else was already there. Delsin and Colette were asleep on the bed and Riley was on the floor with a blanket covering her face while Colton was standing on the other side of the room.
"Where were you?" Colton whispered.
"Just getting air," she whispered back. It felt weird to have eavesdropped on them earlier. Violet couldn't look at him the same.