NEXT YEAR APRIL
"Baby?" Nate heard Lucy speak as he woke up.
"Hmm," he grunted.
She kisses his neck. "Wakey wakey. Do you have any rolling papers?"
"Papers?" He mumbled.
"Yeah I just capped before breakfast," she chuckled.
He felt her nails tickle his chest. Since last year, her entire wardrobe had changed from her usual casual L.A. Girl look to outfits like cut up tie-dye shirts from thrift shops that showed her midriff, baggy jeans, & ratty Chuck Taylors. People would tell her that she downgraded because of her careless look & they'd place the blame on how she handled her parents' divorce. But she'd tell them that the divorce did nothing but open the doors she kept close. She began wondering what the point of everything was; why she felt the need to uphold a certain standard since she lived in Beverly Hills. So she became more relaxed. Her hair was a little shorter & dyed a magenta hue. She tossed out all of her expensive perfumes & sticks to flowery scents from body oils. All of her expensive jewelry was pawned & the money went directly to charity. The only thing she kept was her pearl necklace which was given to her by her late grandmother.
Lucy had become Nate's own 90's stoner dreamgirl. He wasn't changing his outfits, though.
Nate shook his head 'no'. "I don't have rollin' papers for you. You only get what's already rolled."
"Oh?"
"Mmhmm. 'Cause you my lil princess."
"Hmm, that's where you're wrong, Maloley."
"How so," his eyes opened a little more as he reached over to his college apartment's nightstand to begin his morning toke. For his sophomore year, he and some friends from his college freshman year, had decided to all live in a house right next to campus. The 3 of them also rent out the 4th room for students that come and go.
"Well," she lights his blunt for him. "I'm not a princess, never was. I've always been a goddess. And you are nothing short of a god."
"Oh shit, word? You never said that before."
"You've never done what you did last night, before." She takes the blunt out of his mouth as she continued to straddle him in only her t-shirt & underwear. After taking a hit, he pulls her down to him so she could shotgun the smoke into his mouth.
"Mmm, minty kush," he grinned.
"Yes, brushing your teeth is great. Hint hint," she joked.
"Smart ass," he quietly laughed.
His phone suddenly rang and he answered it.
"Yo," he said. "...Oh shit, right now?"
. . .
Gilinsky and Vanessa are laid up in a hammock in her backyard. While she rests on his chest, she reads a magazine; her engagement ring sparkling behind it. Gilinsky's fast asleep but she doesn't know it yet. It was only a month ago when she finally accepted his proposal. They had traveled to Ibiza for spring break and during a celebration, they both got lost in the unruly crowd of faces they've never seen before. Terrifying moments always bring the outcome of people getting closer than before. Gilinsky had found her just in time before a group of male partygoers began to grope her. A fight ensued but not for long. A nearby policewoman saw what happened and let Gilinsky go. On the flight back home, Vanessa was still a little shaken up but she knew she would always feel safe with him.
"If that offer is still on the table," she had told him. "I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with you."
Gilinsky was so overjoyed, that he ended up telling the entire plane.
The early morning breeze was perfect as they laid in that hammock.
"I don't know if I want a big wedding or a small wedding," she thought out loud. "I definitely don't want all of my family there, only a choice few. So maybe small...but your side of the family is huge, it would be lopsided. Ooh, what about a winter wedding? It doesn't get too cold here, it would be the perfect outside wedding. Somewhere more toward the quiet suburbs, where there's way more greenery. Ooh! Napa!"
Her eyes glittered with happiness as she paged through the magazine, mentally planning her happily ever after.
"Hmm, I don't think my Dad would pay for a honeymoon to Dubai." Gilinsky's phone rings. "Oh...that's yours babe."
When Gilinsky didn't move, she looked at him to see him knocked out with his mouth opened. She rolled her eyes and answered the phone for him.
"Hello," she answered. "Dude, he's totally passed out...I know (giggles) but what's up?...(gasps) No way!"
. . .
Sammy is in the middle of having sex when his phone rings.
"Don't answer it," a female voice says.
Sammy looks over at the caller ID and can't help it. "Shit, I have to."
"Are you...kidding me," she pants.
Sammy doesn't bother stop what he's doing even after he answers the phone.
"This better be good, I'm kinda in the middle of something," Sammy speaks. "Wait, what?...Hell yeah, I'll be there soon...okay, later."
"What is it," the concealed woman asked.
"Nadia went into labor," he answered.
"Oh my God, now?!"
"Yeah," he smiled. "Did you finish?"
"Not really..."
Sammy glances over at the time. "Okay, I'll be fast," he says as he lowers himself back down to her.
. . .
Lucy and Nate arrived about an hour later to the hospital where Nadia & John were. Gilinsky, Vanessa, and Johnson were already there in the waiting room.
"Any news," Lucy asked.
Johnson & Vanessa looked her up & down in confusion because of her clothes.
"Still in labor," Gilinsky told her. "Have you heard from Kali?"
Nate and Lucy both shook their heads & they went to sit down. 30 minutes later, both Sammy and Kali showed up, rushing to the front desk without knowing their friends were seated right behind them.
"Where the hell were you guys," Vanessa asked, causing Kali & Sammy to jump before turning around.
"Caught in traffic," Sammy stammered. "You know how it gets."
"How is she," Kali asked.
"I'd imagine she's in pain," Lucy shrugged. "This is like the 3rd hour of labor apparently. Fuck thaaaat."
Kali gave Lucy the once over & shook it off.
"Where's Stass," Johnson asked.
"At the boutique," Kali & Sammy answered at the same time.
To Lucy and Vanessa, those two seemed suspicious. But what no one knows is that Kali & Stass have since included Sammy as a 'third party' in their relationship. Everyone wants to have fun & all three of them have been living the dream.
Moments later, John exits through the double doors with a huge grin on his face. The gang all rush to his side, waiting for him to speak. He's so elated, he can't even find the words.
"Are you gonna speak or..." Johnson broke the silence.
"It's a boy," he told them & they sighed in awe. "His name is Finn. He's...he's perfect. 8 pounds, 5 ounces."
. . .
Across town, Madison & her new friend Daisy had exited a hardware store, at separate. Daisy was a girl Madison met on campus at a club meeting. They shared a love for the same music & old slasher films. Daisy is much taller than Madison & she always stands out with her bleached blonde pixie cut.
They both walked down the street to Madison's Range Rover with their bags & drove away. When they get to her house, they unload their bags. On Madison's bed lay multiple pieces of cut rope, duct tape, burlap bags, & flashlights.
"I think we're good," Madison grinned in a sinister way.
For a moment, Madison was fine & living her life. She completely shut Jack out of her mind & numbed the part of her that missed him the most. But then she heard of their engagement and it was as easy as turning a light back on. She was livid. For nights she was plagued with thoughts and nightmares about how that could've been her. Even when she should've only blamed herself for the void she was in, she didn't. She blamed the world & the world had to pay for the damages it caused.
"Looks like it's go time sooner than we thought," Daisy said as she stared at her phone. "According to Jack's snapchat, Nadia just had her baby & everyone's there...including Lucy."
"Wait, for real?"
"Yup."
"We just have to figure out when to make a move...haven't thought about that part." Madison tapped her fingers against her leg. "Do you know what hospital they're in?"
"Hawthorne Hospital," Daisy replied.
Madison thought some more & a lightbulb lit up. "The only way to get to Hawthorne from here is Wynbrook Road."
"What?"
"That scary road that winds around, it's the only way to get to Hawthorne. It's more inland, there aren't a lot of main roads to it. It's...genius."
"Still haven't gotten to the point."
"We were just gonna hold them as fake hostages in your shitty basement, scare them a little, right? But what if we do that...but in the woods at night?"
"I-I'm not cool with going into the woods, Mads."
"Oh come on, I've been in there before. Literally the worst thing in there are a bunch of possums. And not a lot of cars take that road. It's perfect."
"So," Daisy's face twisted. "How are we gonna get them there?"
. . .
It's 9 PM and Stass is closing up shop for the night. She counted all the inventory & profit for the day & left the keys with one of the tattoo artists who was cleaning up his station.
"Night Kristian," she told him & walked out.
When she got to the back parking lot, suddenly she was attacked by two people in masks. She felt something poke her side.
"Make a move & I pull the trigger," the masked person whispered hoarsely.
The other person hit her over the head with a blunt object and all she saw was black after that.
Only moments later did she wake up with her mouth, wrists, & ankles taped up with duct tape. She started screaming but not enough sound was escaping. She couldn't even try and take out on of the lights because her hands were tied behind her back.
But she could tell she was in the trunk of her own car due to some items in there with her. The car was in motion & the music was on. She heard the laughter of two females. Little did she know, it was Madison and Daisy in the car. Daisy had Stass's phone and she texted Lucy.
'Can't get through to Kali. My car broke down & I didn't pay my car insurance. Are you around anyone that can help me? I'm on Wynbrook Road and I'm scared.'
. . .
The crew was finally allowed into the room to see Nadia & the baby. Lucy squinted at the message on her phone.
"Hey Kali, Stass said she tried to contact you. Said her car broke down on Wynbrook Road & she can't call a company because she didn't pay her insurance I guess."
"What?" Kali quickly took her phone out her pocket. "I don't have any missed calls or anything."
Kali tries calling Stass's phone twice but gets no answer.
"I have to go get her," Kali said.
"Why don't you stay," Nate suggested. "Me, Jack, and Sam could go help her."
They all look over at Sam whose fast asleep on the chair.
"Doesn't look like he's gonna be of much use," Lucy shook her head. "I'll come with you guys. She said she's scared. She could use some comfort."
"Babe, you sure?" Nate asked.
"I'm a big girl, let's go."
. . .
Lucy is in the backseat while Nate drives and Jack is in the passenger seat. Jack is on the phone with Vanessa who stayed behind at the hospital.
"I got to hold him. He's so cute," Vanessa said on the other end. "Never even cried. I'm not hinting at anything, by the way."
"It's fine," Jack chuckled. "I could see that one day, anyway. But only when you're ready."
"Did you guys get to Stass yet?"
"Not yet," he answered. "It's dark out here though...I could see why she's scared. I'll call you back though, the reception out here is shit."
"Okay love you."
"Love you too."
"I think I see car lights coming up," Lucy spoke. "...Yeah that's her car."
Nate rubs his arm, feeling his sudden goosebumps. Something doesn't feel right to him. But he parks behind Stass's car & gets out with Jack anyway. He keeps the headlights on. Lucy was about to get out the car too but her phone rang, it was Kian calling.
She quickly answered, "Kian, I can't exactly talk right now, what's up?"
"Oh, my bad. Just calling because I heard Nadia had her baby & you were in town."
"Just for a couple days, then I'm going back to campus."
"Did you...come with Nate?"
Lucy rolls her eyes. "Maybe."
She heard a grunt & couple thuds but thought nothing of it. Just figured the boys were checking beneath the car hood. But when she looked up, she saw no one. That was when she also got the feeling of goosebumps.
"What the..." she said quietly.
"What is it? Everything okay?"
"I don't see where Jack and Nate went...they were just outside and now they're gone."
"Where are you?"
She looked all around which wasn't easy since there was hardly any light other than where the headlights shined.
"Um," her voice trembled. "Wynbrook Road. Stass's car broke down and--"
Suddenly the car door opened and Lucy was snatched out of the car by a masked Madison & Daisy. Her phone dropped in the floor of the car and she screamed & struggled until Daisy knocked her unconscious.
____________________
Author's Note:
Let's be honest...
I know Lucy is black like me...and we don't do the woods...so I bended reality a little bit lmao
All jokes aside, things are definitely taking a turn
But yay for Nadia & John's baby! Yes, I gave you guys another flash forward.
Vote & Comment!
xo