Chapter 6: Partner. Oh, partner.
I stared at the furry cinnamon and white syrian hamster that happily wondered around its homely container. She looked so happy in her habitat. A happiness I envied.
"Have you decided what you're going to name it yet?" The voice asked.
I looked up to see Kelly and Vince coming towards me. She held the same housing container, but with a purple lid. A brown and white chunky hamster roamed around inside theirs, sharing the same happiness as mine.
"He's adorable." I cooed tapping the container, but she instantly moved it feigning offense.
"It's a she." She corrected bringing it back slowly
"Right. Don't you think it's too early to give it a name?" I ask, watching Vince scroll through his phone.
"Earth to Vince." Kelly waved her hand in front of his face.
"Yeah, what Kelly said." he said, his eyes still glued to the screen.
"But she hasn't said anything yet." I remarked, now laughing at how quickly his neutral expression changed to a panicked one when Kelly grabbed his phone.
"Hey!"
"Are you going to pay attention? " She asked him, distancing the device farther away as he edged closer.
He childishly pouted. His face was just adorable. His set of crystal blue eyes that seemed to twinkle like stars and absolutely put Kelly in some sort of trance.
"If you give me back my phone." he gambles
"Fine" She sighs, handing him the phone.
He then keeps his promise and puts his phone away, running a hand in his light brown hair tiredly.
"So what were we talking about?"
"Tell Cerise your brilliant name choice for our baby." Kelly smiles as his eyes widen at the sound of the last word. "The hamster." She says dryly
"Oh, right." He laughs. "What's wrong with Countess Chunk Face?"
"That's what you were planning on calling the hamster?" I asked in disbelief, trying to control my laughter.
"I'd be so sorry for her if she ever tried to get a job and put that on the resume." Kelly shivered hugging the container tightly
"What did you have in mind?" He asked her with folded arms
"Chizzy." She said, her darling dimples etching into her cheeks as she smiled when the name was said. "It's cute and simple" Kelly finished.
Vince strokes an invisible gotye and nods. "I like it." He then agrees.
"Now if I only had enough courage to go find my partner." I muttered, but Kelly heard me anyway.
"You need to go find Carter. " She says handing the container to Vince.
"No way. Not again." I shook my head
"What do you mean 'not again'? You went looking for him before?" She says wiggling her eyebrows mischievously
"No, actually. I found him and Serena behind the bleachers." I said trying to control the jealousy underneath my sleeves.
"Baking..cookies?.."Kelly asks awkwardly with an innocent smile.
I rolled my eyes."I'm just going to do this project alone and I absolutely don't need Carter's help." I say aloud
"Well. Where would the fun be in that?" The voice asked
I turned around and eyed the walking masterpiece that approached us. He smiled wide and it seemed as if in that moment the sunlight hit him exactly and he glistened a bit. His dark brown hair contrasted against his smooth skin. There was a small curve to his lips, as if there was something terribly funny that only he knew the joke to. And me on the other hand just stood there dumbfounded. I knew any minute now the stammering would start and guess what? It did.
"Y-You-I-" I turned red and started to stutter.
Kelly took no time stepping in.
"You're suppose to be helping her with this project so I suggest you get your act together, Woods." She said, poking him in the chest interrupting his fist bump with Vince.
"Hey, watch the shirt. I paid for this." He said with a slight laugh, removing Kelly's polished finger nail away.
"Well I hope you have the receipt for your face because when I'm done with it, you won't be able--" Vince grabbed Kelly by the waist, stopping her mid-threatening sentence.
"Feisty, huh?" Vince smirked.
I couldn't help feel so weirded out by the events that were occurring around me right now. I looked down at the hamster lid, tracing my fingers on the top.
"Unlike some people, I actually care about my grades. So," he looked down at me amused. "I'll help you out with the little weasel." He then taapped the container.
" It's a hamster." I corrected
"Now we talk. Hm, I like the sound of your voice." he winks, but I hide my blushing with a roll of my eyes and fail tragically.
"Carter, stop being such a douchebag. You have an evil egotistic, perfumeholic girlfriend, remember?" Kelly tilts her head, but Carter only shrugs
"A little flirting never hurt anyone. So whose place?" He asked.
"For the project?" I asked
"You tell me." He leaned against the locker. Kelly groaned.
"You guys can do it at the bakery. Now since we're done here. C'mon, Cerise. We have to head down to the station." Kelly says snapping me back to reality. No, I wasn't staring.
"Sta-station? For what?" I raise my eyebrows, but then remember that I asked Kelly to come with me to the station for more intel about our break in. She gave me an annoyed look. "Oh, right."
"Police station? Well that's my cue to leave." Carter chuckled leaning off the locker.
"I have to lock up today. So come around five!" I shouted out.
"Yeah, yeah." He threw his hand up as he walked away.
"Inconsiderate jerk." Kelly muttered
"He's not that bad. Good guy, horrible choice of women." Vince laughed and we repeated his action.
"I almost feel bad for him. Dating Serena Eagan? Matchmade in hell." Kelly smirked. "Well. We can continue this project at my place, Vince."
"I shall count the moments. And I'll take little Chizzy." He tapped the container.
"Awesome." Kelly blushed as he left
"You so like him" I blurted out
"Do not. You know my heart is set out on Aven." She defends
"So you admit you like Aven. Too bad you never give him the time of day." I tell her as we exit the school doors, walking down the cement steps.
"I don't know. West tells me he's really not the type to have a serious relationship." She shrugs and adjusts her bag strap on her shoulder properly.
"Oh. But maybe he'll reconsider. Because from where I was standing a year ago, I'm pretty sure he almost died for you." I tell her brewing up memories of when I went on vacation with Kelly's family to Malibu. Horrible shark attack..but no one was hurt partially.
"He did, didn't he? That was really sweet of him." she sighed dreamily.
I laughed then waved over at Rita. She drove her silver Nissan beside the sidewalk and rolled down the glass.
"Took you girls long enough." She smiled
"Sorry." I apologized and hurried to get into the passenger seat. I laughed at Kelly who was still standing near the sidewalk thinking.
"Wait, no fair! You know I always ride shotgun!" she whined running to my door.
"No one told you to daydream about Aven." I stuck my tongue out playfully. She frowned.
"Aven? Isn't that the handsome fella who just adores Kelly." Rita winks
"Yeah, but she's kinda stuck in some love triangle. She likes this guy name Vince too." I comment
"No, I don't. Ugh! My life is stupid" She groans jumping into the backseat and closing the door behind.
"I remember when I was younger and I had a crush on two guys." Rita sighed
"Which one did you pick?" I asked her watching her getting ready to drive again.
"Neither. There was a foreign exchange student named 'Lubro' that transferred the next day." Rita laughed
*
"Okay, so here's what we gained." The same skinny blonde police lady said picking up something from behind the counter. She lugged mum's jewelry box onto the surface.
"That's it. What about the television?" I asked her scanning the box making sure there weren't any marks or scratches.
"There's a officer questioning him in the interrogation room as we speak. Would you like to see one of the men?" She asked with hands on her waist
"Uh, sure." I nodded and gave Rita and Kelly the signal that I'd be right back.
"Right this way." She said leading me into the back
We entered a small dark room. We were on the outside of the glass. I saw the police officer from that night talking to a man in his late forties. He had an untamed beard and wore an old worn out plaid jacket and grey beanie with green holed cargo pants. But I couldn't really see his shoes, because he was sitting down and had them cuffed to the legs of his chair.
I've been in an interrogation room before. No, I'm not a criminal. I can barely kill a fly. It was a field trip in the third grade. Its really quiet besides the air condition running and the the hand cuffs, cuffed to the table, and the mild muffled sounds of people talking outside the door. Its cold in there, and extremely bright. A window that separates you and whoever is on the other side of it. Smells like coffee beans and cologne.
"That there is Jack Dently." The woman says pointing to the man. I simply nod, but the name starts to make my head hurt. The name sounds awfully familiar.
"He didn't pull it off alone." she adds. "He had three other helpers, but there's no trace of them. We have a feeling they have your television stashed somewhere."
"Do you know where?" I ask her, but she gives me the look of 'If we knew where, don't you think we couuld go there to retrieve it?', but she simply shakes her head.
"But we have our officers on the case. There was recently calls of numerous amount of televisions going missing in other neighbors. We have a feeling that they are all linked. But until further notice, do you think your mother could come down here? We need her to sign a few documents."
I looked down at the floor. My mother? Mum was way too busy to come down here. And the last time she called she was in San Deigo. Her new job had her travelling a lot.
"Mum isn't in the city." I stated
"Any other legal guardian that's related to you?"
"My older sister Harmony, but she's in college at the moment. All the way in Okhla."
"I'm sure she won't have any trouble coming down here Saturday afternoon." The woman smiled.
"Okay, I'll see."
*
"You know I was about to leave." The voice said
I locked eyes with Carter who was getting up from his seat.
"Sorry. Police station." I apologized, removing my eyes quickly from his.
"Whatever. Can we just get this over with?" He asks
"Actually, I'm really tired. Maybe we can continue this tomorrow." I sighed heavily.
The bakery looked so different when it was closed. I had at least spent three hours at the station. Rita was trying to bribe the officer in letting her sign the documents, but it was no use. We needed Harmony. I felt like there was a huge weight on my shoulders. Like there was a enormous boulder laying on it. But Carter's expression seemed to cheer me up a bit. He studied me carefully and I saw a shot of sincerity in his eyes. Did he actually feel sorry for me?
"Well. Um, get some rest." he suggested softly with a sympathetic smile grabbing his car keys off of the table.
"Thanks." I mumbled watching him exit through the doors.
A smile crept up on my face.
"You two are so cute together!" Gabby's head popped up from behind the counter.
"Were you there the whole time?" I jumped
"Just since he arrived." she laughed
"Whatever. Come here." I laughed pulling her into a hug. "Let's go get some rest. Rita's shuffling the bread again."
She agreed and we went into the kitchen. Most of the times we fell asleep in the break room because Rita liked to get an early start at the bread. She loved to place them in size or taste order.
"Where's Aubrey?" I asked her
"Home." Gabrielle yawned
"Alone?" I raised my eyebrows.
"She looked horrible. I think that guy finally dumped her." Gabby frowned
"Oh."
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