Chapter 4
Elle
I woke suddenly and my eyes stumbled into focus. My head felt like it was being pounded by a gorilla, throbbing inside my skull.
I rolled over and saw that Alice's bed was empty. What the hell was that last night?
My mind was a little hazy but I remembered most of it. We were having a good night until that guy Crash arrived, storming in like he owned the place.
Oh yeah, he did own the place.
Alice had gone home with Kyle. He'd been in a foul mood after Crash drove off and I think she wanted to calm him down. She was still looking out for me, though, making sure Tess got me back to the room safe and sound. Such a sweet girl.
I vaguely remembered having some sort of staring match with Crash in the street. His eyes pierced me like an arrow, they were so intense. The thought of it made me feel a bit silly now, staring down this guy. That wasn't me atall. Well, not the sober me anyway.
I was one of those contradictions, that shy girl who suddenly grows an almighty backbone after a few drinks. I hated waking up the next day sometimes, not quite knowing whether I'd done something stupid. That's why I tended not to drink too often.
My mind swam back to a night when I was just 16. Back then I was properly shy. I mean, now it took me a while to warm to certain people, but back then I literally couldn't even talk to a boy. I went through high school barely speaking a word to any guy, building a friendship group that was exclusively female
That night it was my best friends 16th birthday. Her parents were out of town and gave her an allowance to throw a party. She took it as an opportunity to be a bit reckless, something she wasn't really known for. I think she wanted to win the battle of the sweet 16's that was going around that year.
Frankly, I can't remember if she did.
It was my first experience of alcohol, and was my last for about a year. I got drunk on only a couple of cups of punch, and that's where my memory ended. What I did from there was embarrassingly pieced together from a varietyof accounts over the coming days and weeks at school.
I guess stripping off and skinny-dipping in the pool was something that not many of my classmates would forget in a hurry. Not only was it completely out of character, but it was at only 9 in the evening. By that point most people had barely had a chance to get tipsy, and there I was doing the Full Monty in front of my entire year.
After that, interest in me from the guys in my year shot right up.
The worst thing I ever did under the influence of alcohol, however, was sleep with that creep Brad. It was only a week or so into college when we went out together for drinks and I woke up in his bed.
In retrospect, it was the biggest mistake of my entire life.
But that was in the past now, something that would become a footnote in my life. He was long gone and I was well shot of him. I'd made the right decision to move.
It was something I had to remind myself of as I sat up in bed, looking out of the window. It was difficult being somewhere new, somewhere foreign. I had a sudden feeling of isolation, a familiar punch at my gut. It was the samefeeling I'd felt when I'd originally moved to college 18 months ago.
I guess having such a stark and stripped down room didn't help. Alice's side was bristling with color, while mine was dull and cold, all except for my bedding.
I climbed out of bed and straight into my clothes. It was Saturday morning and I didn't really have much to do, so set to the task of decorating. I had a few pictures and posters to put up, throws and cushions that I could use to bring my side of the room to life.
I unpacked all of my clothes and stored them in the closet. A quick glance over them made it clear that I'd probably need to go shopping for a bit of extra winter-wear. It was coming into spring, but I got the feeling that round here even summer would be cooler than the winters I was used to down in California.
It was about midday when I heard the door click and open. I turned to see Alice traipsing in. She looked worn and weary, as if she hadn't gotten much sleep, and not in a good way.
“Hey Elle, room's looking good,” she said, collapsing into her bed.
A smile appeared on my face. Not for the compliment, just for the fact that I was seeing a friendly face. Hell was I glad my room-mate was nice.
“Thanks, guess it's one plus side of having a room-mate in - makes the whole space look a bit nicer.”
She laughed lightly, too tired for much more. Her face still carried a look of concern on it, a lingering remnant of the same look she harbored the previous night when Crash came bounding in.
“You OK Alice,” I asked, “you look pretty tired.”
“Yeah, just a late night, that's all. Kyle and Crash don't get along well, as you may have noticed.”
“Yeah, that one was hard to miss,” I said casually. “Crash seemed - I don't know - intense.”
“That's what he's like. To be fair to him, he does have a lot on his plate. I don't know him very well, I've only been seeing Kyle a few months, but they've been at loggerheads ever since...” She trailed off.
“Since what?” I couldn't help but ask. I wasn't usually this inquisitive or probing.
“Since their dad died. It's been a burden on all of them.” She sounded grave. It seemed like there was more behind it than merely grief and bereavement.
I didn't say anything more. It really wasn't my place to probe on such a sensitive issue.
“Hey, I'm going to go shopping if you wanna come along? Didn't know it would be so cold here!”
“Maybe in a bit. I need to chill for a little while, can't face that right now.”
“Fair enough. Do you know where's best for clothes?”
“Main Street, you'll find the best stuff along there.” She answered quickly, her eyes now closing as she settled into a more comfortable fetal position.
“OK, um, here's my number.” I wrote it out on a piece of paper and placed it down on her bedside table. “Let me know if you're interested later.”
She nodded, her eyes closed, and grunted some sound of acknowledgement that she'd heard me.
I guess it will just be me then.
....
About an hour later I was cruising along in my little Mazda, looking for somewhere to park. My stupid damn GPS had decided to pack up for some unknown reason, leaving me reading signs and using the force to try to locate Main Street.
Eventually I'd found it, although not without several detours. Now, however, I needed to park, and that was proving more troublesome that I'd have hoped.
I cruised up and the down the streets nearby, my eyes darting around for somewhere, anywhere, to park. Eventually I came upon a lot, a smattering of cars inside, a couple of streets away. It looked to be connected to a casino,a big flashy sign outside with the name - Logans.
I drove in and found a spot at the back, paying for a ticket at the machine and turning towards Main Street.
A few minutes later I was walking down the main shopping street in town. It was filled with chain and boutique clothing outlets, interspersed with small cafe's and the odd bar.
The place was truly bustling, no surprise for a Saturday, and I had to literally fight my way up the street to find the sort of shops I was looking for.
Shopping was, oddly, never a huge passion of mine. I liked wearing nice clothes and looking pretty, but I'd rather do so without having to worry about buying the clothes in the first place. If possible, it would be nice and convenient if the sort of clothes I liked could just be delivered straight to my front door.
I know, I know, what about online shopping, right? Well screw that, if i'm gonna buy something, I want to know it's going to fit properly first!
It took me a surprisingly long time to find the sort of thing I was looking for - woolly sweaters, scarves, hats, a thick coat for those truly cold nights. Most shops I went into seemed to be rolling out their summer wear, with shorts, T-shirts, skirts, and the like gracing the front of their stores.
In fact, come to think of it, most people were cruising round with little more than a layer or two on. It really must be me, coming from warmer climes. Everyone else seemed to be hardy against the cold. Maybe it wasn't even cold to them.
Eventually I'd managed to fill a few bags with appropriate cold weather gear.
“Going to Alaska?” said a guy as he walked past me down the street, peering into my bag.
None of your damn business. Creep.
I walked on, my battle with the crowd now even more difficult than before owing to the bags I was carrying. They served to literally double the width of my body, forcing me to carry them out in front of me as I ploughed on through the masses.
And this is exactly why I HATE shopping on weekends.
I got a few funny looks as I went, before eventually bursting out and turning off Main Street and back towards my car. The crowd thinned immediately, the other streets lacking in many points of interest, although there was a beautiful church that did seem to catch the attention of a group of Chinese tourists.
I let out a gasp as I reached my car, opening it up and chucking my bags on the back seat. As I leaned in I felt a tug behind me, ripping at my arm. It was the strap of my handbag, someone pulling it from my body.
I turned to see a hooded man scrambling at the bag, dragging the strap over my arm as he ripped it towards him.
My heart was almost catapulted from my chest as the mugger hugged the handbag to his pec like a football and turned, twisting on the spot and galloping off out of the parking lot and down the street.
I heard a shout behind me as I stood, stricken against the side of the car.
“HEY!”
In the blink of an eye a man went shooting past me from behind. He sped like a cheetah hunting its prey, flying towards the mugger as he shot off down the street. But he had too much of a head start. There was no way he'd be caught.
F*cking little toad.
I could tell that the chaser realized the game was up quick enough as well. He must have been about 50 meters in front of me when he turned around.
I lost a breath when I saw who it was.
Crash.
That intense, irritatingly good looking, guy from last night.
As he turned I saw that his eyes were burning in rage again, although they quickly changed at the sight of me. I didn't exactly consider my purse getting stolen to be funny, but his face made it pretty clear that those were his thoughts on the matter.
Of all the people to try to be my savior.
He slowly walked towards me, the amusement in his eyes gradually washing away at the look on my face. I wasn't quite sure what to think, so much had already happened in the last 24 hours that I wasn't even sure if I was actually awake.
OK Elle, time to wake up. Lets get back to reality.
But this was reality. I had actually been mugged. I was actually now glaring at this guy walking at me, the type of guy I'd usually be too shy to even look at.
“Are you OK,” he said as he got closer. He was taller than I remembered from last night. He must have been at least 6' 3”, his shoulders wide beneath his jacket. He wore a sharp suit without a tie, dark grey over a black shirt.
“I'm fine. Thanks for trying to help.” I spoke more confidently that I usually would with a guy like this. I guess it must have been the adrenaline. Somehow talking to a hot guy wasn't quite so intimidating when you'd just hadyour bag snatched away from you.
“Don't mention it. Elle, right?” He eyed me up quickly, snaking his eyes over me and reaching out a hand.
I nodded, taking it. I was surprised he remembered my name. He didn't seem to take any notice of me at all when Alice introduced me last night.
His grip was firm, his hand engulfing my petite fingers and palm.
“We never met properly last night. I had other things on my mind.” The blaze in his eyes was gone, although I could still see a fire burning back there. I wondered if that intensity ever went away.
“What did he take?” he asked, sliding his hand back away from mine.
I quickly turned to the car to see my keys still hanging in the door. Thank God I still had those.
“My handbag,” I said, turning back. “Shit, I had my purse in there, all my cards, my phone.”
This was the worst timing ever. Why was this happening to me right now. Seriously, why was I being punished like this!
“You'd better cancel your cards right away. Come on inside, you can use my phone.”
“Inside?”
“The casino. It's mine.”