Chapter 7: When The Hamsters Come Out To Play
"It's nothing, Trisha. We're just having relationship troubles. Not everyone is perfect." Aubrey spoke to the laptop screen
"I knew you couldn't keep a college guy. I should have given him to Alaine or something. I heard she's a tiger in bed." The blonde spoke back
From Aubrey's facial expression I could tell she was crushed. Silence filled the air and the girl spoke again when she heard the silence.
"Don't tell me I hurt your little feelings, Aubrey. Society is cruel. You'll get over it. Talk to you tomorrow." The red button on the screen glowed and it went back onto the contacts page.
I watched as Aubrey slammed the laptop top down in anger. Tears rushed down her cheeks. Something had to happen. She was on Skype two in the morning and balling her eyes out. I came out from hiding and watched her eyes dart to my feet before she turned away quickly to fix herself.
"Aubrey? I heard everything. I think it's time we talked." I said spinning her chair around so she could face me.
"This doesn't involve you, Cerise." She says about to get up, but with a slight push she falls back into the chair.
"Haven't you ruined my life enough?"
"Don't blame your break up on me. Those girls aren't your friends, Aubrey. I am. Heck, I'm your sister! We're suppose to look out for each other!"
She sat there with a bewildered expression. I had never been one to unleash all that on a person. But right about now, I was truly angry. She then relaxed and sighed.
"We went to this club. Ramona, Cherry, Dirk and two other guys." She started
"Underage club?" I asked dryly. I wasn't surprised. Aubrey's friend Cherry might have been a dumb brunette, but she was a master at fake I.D's.
She nodded. "Things got a little out of hand. Ramona got drunk and Fabian insisted that he dropped her home, but I didn't want him too. Even though Ramona can't stick to one guy, she's a great friend and I wouldn't want anything to happen to her."
I listened attentively as she spoke. That thing about Ramona was definitely true.
"So Dirk told me to let him carry her, I didn't listen. Ramona was singing all over the place. So then Dirk and I started arguing about the matter. Then the owners put us out. So they asked Ramona who she wanted go with. She wasn't thinking well. Under the control of alcohol and she chose Fabian. They left me after my tantrum, including Dirk. And he called me this morning."
"And broke up with you?"
She sniffed which I'm assuming was a 'yes' that answered my question.
"Well, guess what? Dirk is a Dirk. " I laughed knowing she knew what I meant, but I hated swearing or any related words. What? Remember; we're talking about a girl whose afraid of clowns here.
Aubrey managed a slight smile at my comment.
"I'm really sorry." She apologizes. "For everything."
"Its okay. Just know that I'm your sister and you can come to me with anything." I smiled, turning to leave.
"Did - Did they find the people who broke in?" She asked
I stopped and turned around.
"Not all, but they will. Get some rest and remember; there are a lot of fish in the sea." I add with a wink leaving for good this time.
*
"Far in the woods I sit down against a pine. The moon has her porches turned to face the light. But the deep part of her house is in the darkness."
I watched as our 'Theater Arts' teacher or director, Ms. Blakely recited a list of her favorite poems. It had been going on for at least an hour now. She patted her grey bouffant and fixed the collar of her light purple one button coat.
"That there students is a work of beauty from none other than Robert Bly." She smiled, her wrinkles pulling back slightly in the process as she put away her stack of poem papers into a neon folder . The students all sighed in relief in unison.
"Well, one more never hurt anyone." She says going to take them out again, but the class begs her not to.
"I'm kidding!" She teases fixing the papers properly and adjusting her spectacles.
"I'm sure that you all are aware of our Art Competition this week. I'm looking forward to seeing many of your works "
The Art Competition. Wow, we didn't have one of those since the eight grade. It was almost a little fundraiser that the school would throw to get a bit of money when they were running out. Sometimes to make it interesting we would compete against other schools. I continued listening to the woman, but my concentration seemed to be unstable thanks to the elbow nudging me in my side every three seconds.
"What is it, Kelly?" I yelled whisper. Kelly was a bit startled by my tiny outburst, but talked anyways.
"Are you entering?" She asked with a sharp roguish evil villain kind of smile
"No." I replied directly, trying to ignore her
"C'mon. You're drawing is amazing! I'd kill to be able to draw like you."
I gave her a petrified glance before turning my attention back to the teacher
"Okay, maybe not kill." She whispered. "But you should enter."
"No. Why don't you enter?" I whispered back from the corner of my mouth not bothering to look at her.
"Sure if there's a first prize for 'Most Glorious Stick Person', I'll absolutely win." She answered sarcastically.
"Look, I'm not entering. I—"
"Cerise, dear. Anything to share with the rest of the class?" Ms. Blakely tilted her head
All eyes fell on me and I just felt like covering up my whole body with the grey knitted sweater dress I was wearing if such a thing was possible.
"No ma'm." I muttered softly
"Good. So I suggest you and your partner in crime pay attention." She said returning to her conversation with the students
"Thanks so much. " I said with a load of sarcasm
"Anytime." Kelly went to laugh, but hid it when Ms. Blakely sent her a glare.
*
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please......." She begged even longer
"For the hundred time, Kelly. No. I'm not entering in that stupid contest." I groaned dragging my palms over my face.
"But you're really good." She insists
With one last glare I turn towards my locker and start to do my combination. Giving her the 'silent treatment'. What? She deserved it.
"Don't tell me you're playing that game, again. You suck at it." She laughs doing the same to her locker.
"No I do not!" I protest, but then my cheeks flush red when a triumphant smirk surfaces on her face.
"You were saying?"
My locker opens and I start hiding my art notepad under several of my other books. There's no way I would let Kelly spot it. But then my ear is almost drenched in blood from the nailing small scream that breaks away from Kelly's mouth as she opens her locker.
"This is not good. So not good." She mumbled to herself over and over.
"Very funny. If this is a little joke to get me to talk to you, it won't work." I say but then realize that I just talked to her. Stupid.
"It's no joke, Cerise. Chizzy is missing." She pants
"What'd you mean she's missing? Didn't Vince take her home yesterday?" I asked her getting worked up by the minute. Okay, maybe she wasn't kidding.
"This morning I took her back and placed her in my locker, she was in the container. But the lid is off and she's not inside. What am I going to do?" She panicked.
"Okay, first. You need to calm down. If you were a hamster on campus. Where would be the first place you go?" I ask her slowly nodding my head.
"I don't know! I'm not a hamster!"
I groaned in frustration. "I said 'if'. Big difference."
"Look, we just need to find her. I can't fail that project and she's like my baby. Imagine how sad Vince will be when—" She starts, but stops when she say the tiny smirk forming on my face.
"Imagine how, extremely angry Vince will be. You know how he hates to fail. His grades are everything to him. That guy and school." She says casually.
"Whatever. Let's look in the cafeteria."
*
"Here, hamster hamster. Mommy Kelly has some lettuce for you." Kelly called out under one of the crowded cafeteria tables getting weird glances from the students who sat there.
I pulled her by the arm, causing her to almost hit her head. "She's not under there!" I yelled whisper watching the people going back to their foods.
"Maybe she's in the lab or—" She cuts me off
"What if some weird evil scientist found her and is dissecting her? Or what if some Italian Chef found her somewhere and went to make some Italian hamster casserole out of her? Or—"
"Kelly. First off; there's no such thing as Italian hamster casserole, I don't even know if that's legal! Second; we're going to find her. Just calm down." I reassured her.
"Maybe if we made flyers." She suggested
I open my mouth to tell her that she's overreacting when a familiar scream breaks out in the cafeteria. Everyone's eyes dart to the table surrounded by jocks and cheerleaders. What's Serena screaming for? Kelly's eyes widen more than mine when we spot the chunky, brown and white furred hamster on the top of Serena's pasta.
"Oh no."
"Well. Do something." Kelly gave me a little shove on the shoulder.
"The last time I checked it was your hamster." I gave her a little shove back. And before I knew it we were having a private little shoulder shoving contest when I finally gave up.
"Fine!" I rolled my eyes at Kelly's little laugh behind me as I approached the table. Serena still sat with a screaming posture just staring at the creature as if it was the most foul thing on Earth.
"I'm really sorry." I apologized reaching out my hand, letting the creature crawl on it.
"Ugh! You're disgusting! Having pets in the cafeteria!" She barked. Everyone's eyes still glued to the event that was occurring right now.
"It was an accident. I swear—-" She interrupted me again.
"I bet they're your only friends." She mocks, the table follows behind her with laughter.
My hands start sweating like they usually do and I feel like vanishing from public view. In a second my embarrassment is accompanied by a combination of sweating, nervousness, stammering, and fidgeting. I can tell any minute now Kelly is about to enter the conversation, but just as she's about to step a feet closer to me, the silence of the cafeteria is demolished.
Carter enters the cafeteria.
"Wow, Serena. Scared of a little hamster." He laughs looking at his phone screen which I'm assuming is a picture of her screaming like a banshee.
"I- I- I wasn't scared." She gives a nervous laugh.
"Sure? It kinda looked like it from my perspective." He shrugs showing one of his male friends at the table. The guy then breaks out in laughter and so does the whole table as Carter shows everyone.
"Whatever. I'm not afraid of a little hamster." She scoffs flipping her hair. "Get lost, Brookes." She shooed
I pull the creature closely to me before doing so and walking out of the cafeteria with Kelly trying to catch up with me.
"Hey, wait up!"
"What's her problem?" I say through gritted teeth handing the squirming animal to Kelly.
"She's just- I don't know. But did you see Carter out there? Totally helping you out. I think he might actually have a little place for you somewhere along the line." She smiles.
"Think again."
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