ALEXA
Friday, August 10th
It was the third day-Friday that something interesting happened. My period was finally finished, I was no longer feeling like death and I was willing to socialize. We were sitting around the living room, eating pasta that I had proudly made, by following the steps I knew by observing Cindy, who had made the dish a week before.
"This is really good," Nate moaned, shoveling another forkful into his mouth.
"Yeah," Isaac agreed, "It tastes just like mom's".
I blushed at the brothers' compliment.
"Can you guys stop your moaning and groaning, I'm trying to watch this interview," Arianna hissed, before raising the television volume.
We all watched the screen and sure enough, there was Arianna's favorite boy band, being interviewed. I thought the sight of the five boys together was odd considering the band was on hiatus. Then I realized it was an old interview considering Niall's hair was still a shocking blonde, Harry's hair was short and Zayn was still in the group.
"I swear Harry is so adorable," I heard her mutter.
Her brothers rolled their eyes and continued to eat their food. Then there was knock at the door. We all tensed, considering that we were home alone, and it was in the middle of the night.
"I'll get it," Isaac announced, before rising from his seat. He placed his half-eaten plate on the table and inched towards the door.
He peeked through the hole before he chuckled and unlocked the door, revealing a grinning Shaniah.
She was dressed in a skin-tight black dress that accentuated her curvy figure, and her usual straight brown hair, cascading down her shoulders in ringlets. She held a duffel bag in her hands.
Isaac let out a whistle and immediately grabbed her face and kissed her.
Nate sighed as he shook his head at the couple, "I keep telling you guys to get a room,"
Shaniah waved the comment off, and grinned at him, "Oh shut up and get dressed. We're going clubbing."
Nate considered Shaniah's words for a few seconds. Isaac sighed," Nate you're going, get dressed. It's been a while since you've had some fun,"
Shaniah turned to me, her smile growing even wider, "You're coming too! Alexa!"
Nate paused on his way to the hallway, "I don't think that's a good idea,"
"You're such a killjoy. Such a dad." Isaac grumbled, stomping his foot like a three-year-old.
"Mom said we shouldn't take her out the house unless it was to carry her back home," Nate reminded him, furrowing his brows.
Arianna growled, her eyes finally snapping from the TV screen, "Why don't you all go? I'm trying to watch my husbands in peace."
I snickered at Arianna's outburst and she gave me an apologetic smile, "Just don't be an idiot and put her in danger." She added, glaring at Isaac.
"Why is it always me?" He whined but Arianna's attention was back on the screen.
"C'mere you big baby, let's go get dressed," Shaniah cooed, shutting the door behind her and leading him down the hallway.
" Guys! I have nothing to wear!" I yelled at the retreating couple, Nate had already returned to his room.
"That's perfect! You'd fit perfectly at the club!" I heard Isaac yell back. Then I heard the sound of someone's face being smacked.
"Ow!"
Shaniah returned a few seconds later, next to me with the duffel bag, " Sorry. He can be such an idiot sometimes. And I almost forgot I brought a dress and heels for you to change into."
"Arianna, we're borrowing your room to change." She called over her shoulder, as she dragged me towards the hallway.
Arianna grumbled incoherently in response, her eyes still focused dreamily at the television. We passed Nate's closed bedroom door and entered Arianna's.
Shaniah closed the door behind us and grinned, "Time to give you a makeover,"
~~~~~~~
An hour later, I was staring back at someone completely different. This girl had strikingly, electrifying blue eyes and a short dark bob. Shaniah had swiped some mascara on my eyelashes, highlighting my striking blue orbs.
"This is amazing," I muttered, running a hand through the wig.
"It's my sister's. She's into theatre, she owns a lot of these wigs home."
"And the contacts?"
"Yeah, those were hers. Don't worry they won't hurt your eyes. They were never used and they're non-prescripted."
I smoothened my dark dress, and turned in the mirror, Shaniah whistled encouragingly.
"Who knew you had all those potential curves hiding under all those poufy dresses for all these years?" She chuckled and I rolled my eyes.
"Oh please, I don't look as amazing as you," I gestured at her.
She winked, "Let's see what the boys think, c'mon they're waiting for us outside."
Once we were out in the living room, the brothers' jaws dropped.
"Holy shit," Nate muttered.
"Shaniah you're a genius!" Isaac exclaimed at the same time.
Shaniah bowed and gave her boyfriend a wink, "She's unrecognizable,"
"Alright, I feel a little bit better about this plan," Nate voiced, glancing once more at me. He gave me a meek smile and I returned it.
"Well, let's go then, it's already 11," Shaniah snapped, glaring at her watch, "I want to reach in time for free drinks,"
Isaac shook his head at his girlfriend and proceeded to walk out the door.
"Anna, make sure to lock up okay? We wouldn't stay out too long,"
Arianna scoffed, "Stay out as long as you'd like, MTV has a throwback One Direction special. All their interviews and music videos are showing, even their movie. I'm in heaven. It's as if they've never broken up,"
"Well... enjoy that, we're off." Isaac replied dismissively.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NATE
We reached the lounge at around 12 and got in without any problems. Luckily for Alexa, Shaniah had picked a lounge rather than a club, and the bouncers let us in rather than requesting ID.
The way to the club, however, was difficult. Alexa and Shaniah complained of their feet hurting, halfway down the path leading into town, so Isaac and I had to carry them on our backs. By the time we had reached town, we were both tired and cranky, and Alexa had become paranoid. Her posters were plastered everywhere, her piercing green eyes, staring back at us, wherever we walked. We quickly got a train, and luckily there weren't many passengers boarded at that time. Shaniah helped a lot with Alexa's transformation, but her appearance was still uncanny. You can still recognize her from her posters, with her heart-shaped face and soft, almond-shaped eyes. If you stared at her for too long, you'd just recognize.
Once inside the lounge, Shaniah wasted no time in dragging Alexa towards the bar. I lingered behind them vigilantly, concerned for Alexa's being.
Isaac recognized one of his friends and walked over to him. The two exchanged a fist bump and got into an animated conversation.
By the time my attention had returned to the two girls, they had shot glasses of golden liquor in hand.
"Shaniah, be careful, I'm sure Lex isn't used to-"
"It's fine Nate," Alexa giggled, dismissing my concern. She turned to Shaniah and grinned before they both downed the liquid.
Alexa's face contorted into pure disgust and I couldn't help my laughter that escaped due to her cute antics.
She smacked her lips, "That was disgusting,"
"And that's all you'd be drinking," I warned.
Shaniah's eyebrows raised teasingly, "Are you her father? She can decide for herself."
"Not when she's drunk," I protested.
"Are you drunk yet, sweetie?" Shaniah asked, surveying her face.
Alexa shook her head, her face lit up like a little kid, "Nah, I'm fine. I feel a little buzzed though."
"Let's go dance it off," Shaniah grasped Alexa's hand and led her to the dance floor.
It was a little after 12 now, and the liquor had started to seep into everyone's veins as they drifted to the floor. Some bopped along to the music, while others ground against each other.
The overwhelming smell of alcohol and sweat swarmed my nose and my stomach churned.
Isaac returned to my side then, and punched my side, "Why are you standing here like a bouncer? Drink have some fun-or don't drink-" He added in the last part as my eyes narrowed at him.
"You don't need alcohol to have fun," He continued, he accepted his glass of coke from the bartender as if proving his point.
"Tell the girls that," I grumbled, gesturing to the girls that were dancing along to a pop song.
"Ah, you know Shaniah, she loves to drink," He shrugged as he took a sip of his drink.
I continued to vigilantly watch the girls and surveyed the buzzed crowd for a half-hour as I noticed everyone's movements becoming slower. Shaniah whispered in Alexa's ear before leading her back to the bar. They both sat on the stools and grinned sloppily at the bartender as if we weren't standing right there. It had only been a half-hour and one tequila shot and they were already tipsy.
"Another shot," Shaniah ordered. Her eyes flickered over me and Isaac as if now recognizing us. Thankfully, her eyes still seemed alert and conscious. Shaniah was an expert at this, she was merely tipsy, not drunk as yet. Alexa, on the other hand, was beyond tipsy.
"Drunk off of one tequila shot?" Isaac cried incredulously, as Alexa giggled too loudly at something Shaniah had told her.
"It can happen. Depends on each person, especially if they're not used to drinking." I stressed the last part, gesturing to her.
As quickly as they did with the first shot, they downed the second one before we can protest it.
"Shaniah, I think that's enough," Isaac warned, clutching her arm, "You might be able to handle it, but poor Lex can't keep up with you."
"She's fine guys, let her experience a little." She scoffed, heading for the dance floor again.
Alexa rose from her seat and stumbled slightly, her cheeks reddening as her eyes met ours.
"You okay Lex?" Isaac asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Peachy, never been greater," She replied, somewhat swaying.
"Maybe she should dance it off," Isaac suggested, turning to me.
I nodded before grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look up at me.
"No more drinks or shots. Only water after this," I instructed. She nodded but I wasn't too sure that she had heard me over the deafening guitar riff that sounded as another song started.
"I wanna go dance," She answered, peeling away from my touch. I watched as she wandered her way to Shaniah, who clutched her hands as they began to dance.
"Maybe you should join them," Isaac nudged me, sending me a wink. I shook my head, "Dancing's not my thing."
He gave me a pointed look and leaned in towards me so that I could hear him over the deafening music, "You've stood here for the past forty-five minutes looking after the girls like their security guard. They're fine Nate, have some fun!"
When I didn't reply, he shrugged.
"Suit yourself," He approached the girls and joined their crazy dancing, twirling them both in his hands.
I stood there watching for a few minutes before I felt a sense of longing to join them. I rested my empty glass on the counter and turned to join my friends when a pair of green eyes appeared before me.
It was a girl. She seemed around my age and she tossed her fiery red hair behind her shoulders before smirking at me.
"Hey," Her alcohol-ridden breath punched me in the face and I backed away slightly.
"Hello," I replied politely, she furrowed her brows and I wondered why she had become confused. I had to admit, she was hot. Very hot.
"I'm Kendall," She smirked again, moving closer to me, she leaned over slightly so that I had a clear view of her busty chest.
"Nice to meet you," I grimaced, peering around her massive curls to look for my friends.
Kendall's suggestive nature had quickly turned me off although she was quite attractive.
The small part of my brain started arguing with me, about a attractive girl in front of me that I was rejecting.
Isaac and Shaniah started dancing suggestively with each other as a slow song came on, and Kendall seemed to have gotten the same idea. As I searched the room for Alexa, she pressed herself against my leg and started grinding against it provocatively. That did not please me in the slightest. As her green eyes batted at me, my mind wandered to another green-eyed girl I knew, and I pushed Kendall off, determined to look for Alexa.
"The hell is your problem?" Kendall snapped, adjusting her top so that more cleavage was exposed.
I rolled my eyes, deciding that she didn't deserve a response, I stalked off, hunting for Alexa's dark wig. I spotted her seated on a bar stool, some feet away, downing another shot.
"Lex, you're drunk. You need to stop drinking," I hissed, pushing away the second shot that had just arrived.
Her eyes lazily flickered towards my face and an unrecognizable look surged through them momentarily as she cooed, "You know... you're actually pretty cute."
My grasp on her shoulder slackened, and I peered down at her hesitantly."What?"
She shook her head and furrowed her brows as if her own words had surprised herself. She blinked slowly and for a few seconds, she almost seemed sober.
"Did you just say-" I stuttered.
Her eyes widened, and then as quickly as she seemed sober, her dazed expression returned, "You should meet my friend Nate," She giggled, grasping my hand.
She was definitely drunk. A small part of me felt disappointed that Alexa's compliment only resulted because of her drunken state.
"I think it's time we get you home," I grumbled, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was half-one.
"Noooooooo," I heard her protest, she struggled against my grasp and pouted at me.
"I wanna dance some more," She laughed, stumbling off her chair, "Have some fun!"
Isaac must have spotted my predicament because as I turned helplessly to call him, he was already on his way over.
"How bad is she?" Isaac asked as he approached us, a tipsy Shaniah in tow.
I spun Alexa around to face Isaac, and she gagged, her eyes fluttering.
"Shit, let's get her home before she pukes."
And that's exactly what happened next. All over my shoes.
"Here man," The bartender said, handing me a few napkins. He'd obviously seen that thing happen multiple times before.
"Make sure to throw those in the bin, I don't want my bar to smell like puke," He muttered, casting a disgusted look in Alexa's direction.
Alexa swayed slightly to music, a slight smile etched on her face. I nodded as I held my breath, wiping most of it off my shoes. I jogged over to the trash and pitched the stained tissues away.
I picked Alexa up, surprisingly earning no protest from her, and followed Isaac and Shaniah out the lounge.
~~~~~~~~
As soon as I entered our room and placed her gently on her bed, I stood up and cracked my back. It was definitely going to hurt the next day. I switched the a/c on and covered her with her comforter. Then I headed for the shower, throwing my towel and a pair of boxers and briefs over my shoulder.
On the way, I peeked my head into Isaac's room to see that both he and Shaniah were fast asleep already, still dressed in their club clothes. I shuffled away, a slight smile on my face at the sight of my favourite couple. They were disgustingly cute at times but I was happy for my brother. I peeked my head into Arianna's room to see her sprawled across her bed, a book on her stomach and her reading glasses still on her face.
Shaking my head to myself, I entered the room and placed the book on her bedside table along with her glasses. She shifted slightly, her eyes fluttering.
"Night Anna," I smiled, pulling her cover over her. She groggily smiled at me, before her eyes fluttered closed. Then her nose wrinkled slightly.
"Ew. you smell awful, go shower."
I nudged her gently before stalking out the room and switching the lights off. I finally headed to the bathroom to get the stench of Alexa's puke off of me.
When I returned clean and smelling puke-free, Alexa was sitting upright in her bed.
"Hey," I smiled, climbing into my bed. I was exhausted, carrying a drunk girl all the way home in your hands is quite challenging.
"My head hurts, " She croaked, clutching her temples. Her words were still slightly slurred but she seemed soberer than she did at the club.
"Why don't you take a cold shower and see if it helps," I suggested. She nodded slowly and grimaced as if the simple movement caused too much pain.
She slowly shuffled towards the bathroom and I heard the door close behind her. Although I was exhausted, I quickly went to mom's room to retrieve her migraine tablets. I plucked it from Mom's basket and was about to leave the room when something caught my eye. I crossed the room, to her dresser and there stood two picture frames, along with her bible and lamp. I grasped the first frame and ran my fingers along the picture.
A younger Cindy grinned back at me in the picture, her left hand slung over her husband's shoulder while her right rested on 11-year-old Isaac's shoulder. Her stomach was enormous, Arianna was to be due in a few days. Her dark hair was much shorter, and her eyes sparkled in amusement. Isaac's eyes glinted at the camera as he made a peace sign.
Cindy's husband, Andrew, smiled weakly at the camera. The camera flash reflected against his shaven head and it gave his pale skin, a sickly glow. His gaze seemed distant and I was wondering if he was counting down the few days he had left with that awful disease. I checked the date at the bottom of the picture. It was dated the 9th of December in 2006. Five days after, Andrew's body gave out on him in the hospital, succumbing to cancer; leaving behind his wife and son and soon to be born daughter.
I heard the creak of my bedroom door, which signaled that Lex had returned from the shower and was changing. I placed the frame back on the dresser and picked up the second one.
My heart swelled at the sight of seeing myself in the picture. It was my sixteenth birthday and Cindy had taken us all out to a fancy restaurant in town. I cringed at the sight of my longer hair and chubbier face. 20-year old Isaac and 9-year-old Arianna both wrapped their arms around my waist as we all grinned at the camera. My finger grazed the date at the bottom. August 15th, 2015.
My bedroom door creaked from down the hall and I heard Alexa call out for me.
"Coming," I yelled back.
I placed the frame down and jogged the kitchen, quickly filling a glass with water.
I returned to my room and Alexa was freshly dressed in an oversized tee shirt, her brown hair haphazardly wrapped in a bun.
Her eyes were shut tightly and I wondered if the light was bothering her.
"Here," I outstretched my hand, approaching her bed. Her eyes flickered open, and the sight of her real emerald ones and not the fake blue contacts threw me off guard. They were bloodshot and watery but sparkled beautifully nonetheless.
She accepted the migraine tablets and gulped them down with a swig of water.
"Thanks, Nate," Her words were still slightly slurred and if it weren't for her alert eyes, I would have guessed that she was still stone drunk.
I took the glass from her and placed it on her bedside table.
"No problem Lex,"
She giggled and then winced, probably regretting laughing.
"You called me Lex and not Princess," She pointed out, once her pain had subsided.
"Eh, I interchange from time to time,"
She yawned, snuggling into her pillows. I flicked the lights off and climbed into my own bed.
"Good night," I called out, before turning my back to her.
"Good night Nate,"
--
I had probably only drifted off to sleep and was enjoying my dream about my date with Kate Upton, when I felt pressure on my stomach, waking me out of my sleep. I groaned, irritated that I had awakened just as I about to kiss her.
My eyes flew open, and I was surprised to see that I was facing in the opposite direction that I had fallen asleep. My eyes landed on a figure beside me. My heart dropped at the sight, and I felt breaths quicken. I wriggled my toes and fingers to make sure that I wasn't experiencing sleep paralysis. I had experienced that once in the orphanage and it was extremely terrifying.
Once I felt feeling in my body, I sat up, inspecting the body beside me, and the grogginess dissipated from my brain as realized it was Alexa.
I touched her face slightly, and from the little light that seeped through from the hallway, I saw her eyes flutter open.
"I couldn't sleep- nightmare," She muttered, rubbing her face.
I nodded, then remembered she couldn't have seen my face.
"Okay,"
"You're not uncomfortable, are you? I'd go back to my bed if you want, you were just the first person I thought of to make me feel-"
She hesitated as if she was searching for the correct word.
"Safe," She continued, I felt her search for my hand in the darkness and I clasped her tiny warm hand in mine.
"You're welcome anytime you need me to protect you, Princess. " I murmured, snuggling back into my pillow. My alarm clock reflected an eerily green shadow across her face as she smiled at me.
"My hero," She said before releasing a yawn.
"Ugh, did you brush your teeth after you puked your guts out?" I teased.
I felt her tense and I was happy that I couldn't see her expression through the darkness.
"I'm kidding," I chuckled as I closed my eyes.
Despite puking all over my shoe at the lounge and twice on the way back to the house, her mouth managed to smell minty, as she probably brushed her teeth when she took a shower.
My eyes burned, indicating that it was time to return to slumber and I wondered if my date with Kate, would be waiting for me.
I snuggled back into the comforter that Alexa had brought over and peered through the eerie green light of my clock to see that her eyes were wide open. I nudge her and her gaze shifts to me,"Still having problems sleeping?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'll fall asleep eventually. I already feel better sleeping here,"
Wordlessly, I pulled her towards me, and buried her face in my chest, we stayed like this for a few seconds, and she finally relaxed into my embrace.
Without thinking, I began humming a song I've heard her singing softly to herself a few times, hoping that it soothed her. It did the opposite. After a few seconds of humming, she tensed once more into my embrace.
I felt my chest vibrate as she spoke into it, her voice slightly distorted, "You know that song?"
"Not really," I admitted, clearing my throat. "I heard you singing it to yourself as you went to sleep a few times. Thought it might help,"
Her body relaxed, and I felt her nod her head.
I continued to hum the song, stroking her hair every other minute, until I felt her breathing stabilize. She was sleeping.
I smiled down at our embrace before my eyes droopily closed and I pleaded with the Sandman that my Kate dream continued.
~~~~~~
A/N: My precious babies :)
Do you think that the story is moving too fast? / Too slow?
What are your thoughts so far?
Lots of love and thanks for you guys' support love you lots!
~Sierra