Drop Dead Bitches

Chapter 15: The Lost Girl
Derek rolled out of bed and looked at the clock. Who would be at his house at two in the morning?
“Coming,” he called as he made his way towards the ringing front door.
He peaked out of the window and confusion struck him. He opened the door and Alexis looked up from the swinging bench on his front porch. “What’re you doing here…?” he asked, deeply concerned.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled, still looking down.
“Did you walk here in the rain?” he sniffed her. “And you’re drunk.”
“I think I just got out of the shower,” she said as he wrapped her arm around his neck and swept her into his arms.
He chuckled. “You think.”
Derek got Alexis up to his room and laid her on his bed. Right before he left the room to get her some dry clothes, she called him back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, kneeling down beside her.
“Don’t leave,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“I’m just going to get you something to change out of. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“No,” she cried frantically, grabbing his arm. “Please stay.”
He looked her in the eyes and something about them seemed… different. Like the tall walls that were built around her to keep herself safe were finally letting him through again. “Of course,” he murmured.

Alexis groaned as she sat up from the bed, squeezing her head. She looked around the room that wasn’t hers but in fact Derek’s. What was she doing here and why was she in Derek’s clothes?
Slowly, she got out of bed but right when she stood up, she ran to the bathroom; her hands over her mouth. As she leaned over the toilet, Derek was suddenly there to hold her hair back from getting into the vomit.
“Thanks,” she breathed, taking the paper towel from Derek.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked.
“A little better now,” Alexis sighed.
“Here, take this.” He handed her a glass of water and an Advil.
After she took it, Derek helped her back into bed and he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
Too shocked to say anything, stared at him with confusion.
He smiled. “You really don’t remember anything, do you?”
“The last thing I can remember is crying in the bathtub then… breaking into my father’s liquor cabinet…. Oh jeez,” she groaned, knowing that by now he had already discovered it.
“Let me go get your something to eat then we can talk about it. Sounds good?”
She nodded her head, her face turning bright red. She had a faint idea of what might have happened the night before but she refused to believe it like how she refused to believe everything else going on in her life.

“How is Alexis?” Isabella asked as she took a bite of her parfait.
“How’d you know?”
“My room is across the hall, cousin Derek. I can hear everything, silly!”
He smiled at her as he cracked open the egg shells. They weren’t organic eggs but Alexis would have to settle. “So what exactly did you hear?”
Suddenly Isabella’s phone started to ring and she looked at it. “It’s Poppa!” she squealed, running out of the room with her phone pressed against her ear.
He chuckled and continued to cook breakfast for Alexis. Once he was finished, he put her omelet on a tray along with a glass of orange juice he squeezed himself and a flower from his mothers garden in a little crystal vase.
He knocked on the door, “Alexis, I have breakfast,” he called.
There was no answer.
“Alexis?” he opened the door and the room was empty.
“She left,” Isabella said from behind him.
“What? Where’d she go?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “But she did ask me to deliver this letter to you. Don’t worry, I did not read it.” She handed it to him with a smile and she walked back into her room.
Derek set the tray down on his bed and unfolded the piece of paper.

Derek,
I remembered last night. It didn’t mean anything.
-Alexis

He slumped his shoulders and sighed in annoyance. When was Alexis finally going to quit this act? He wondered.

“Hey, bro! What’s up?” Colin said as he walked into Ryan’s home.
“Hey, Colin! How’ve you been?”
“Alright. How about you? I haven’t seen you around school lately.”
“I’ve just been laying low,” he said indifferently.
Colin chuckled. “Do you mean just laying in bed? You look like you just rolled out of one and it’s two in the afternoon!”
“Hmm, didn’t realize,” he mumbled as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.
“We really need to get you out of this place,” Colin sighed.
“Why?!”
“First of all, it smells like shit. When was the last time room service cleaned this place? Second of all, you look like shit. When was the last time you showered? And third of all… is that shit?”
Ryan looked over his shoulders and made a disgusted face. “Sure hope not.”
Colin pulled the bowl of cereal away from Ryan. “Go shower, get dressed, we’re getting you out of this place.”
“Fine,” he grumbled.
Colin backed away and scrunched up his face. “And brush your teeth…. Five times.”

Alexis drove up to the DuPaul driveway and got out of her car. She wore the clothes she had on when she arrived at Derek’s house, her hair was up in a sloppy ponytail, and she simply looked like a complete mess. She ran up to the door and knocked frantically, looking around, hoping no one would see her in this condition.
“Alexis!” Caitlyn said in surprise. “What’re you doing here?”
“I need a place to stay,” she said desperately.
“Of course! Come in you look-”
“Tragic?”
“I was going to be nice and say exhausted but that too! What happened?”
Over a cup of coffee, Alexis told her the story from what she overheard her parents talking about to waking up in Derek’s bed.
“Did you too…?”
“Of course not! Derek… he isn’t my type at all.”
She gave Alexis a doubtful look and smiled.
“That was a temporary lapse in judgment!”
“Whatever you want to call it,” Caitlyn laughed.
“So where are you off to?” Alexis asked, checking out Caitlyn’s white floral sundress and perfectly curled hair that bounced to her waist.
Her face turned bright red as she smiled and played with a strand of hair.
“Where are you two going?” Alexis asked, already guessing Caitlyn’s plans.
“He’s taking me out to dinner. He hasn’t told me where but I’m sure it’s going to be somewhere nice.”
“Burger King?” she laughed.
“No! Did you know that his family has money?” Caitlyn asked, still surprised herself.
“Sure,” Alexis scoffed.
“No, I’m serious! Both of his parents are lawyers.”
“Then why does he look like trash all the time and drivers to school in a clunker?”
There was a knock at the door and Caitlyn rushed out of the living room to open it.
“Hi!” Caitlyn chirped, throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss.
“You look amazing,” Nick said with a smile.
Her face turned red once again.
Alexis walked to the door. “Hello, Nick.”
“Hey there,” he said with a half-hearted smile.
“Is that a limo…?” Alexis whispered to Caitlyn.
Caitlyn smiled at her and nodded her head.
“We should get going now,” said Caitlyn. “I’ll be back soon, Alexis. Just… make yourself at home!”
“No, no, it’s fine! You two lovebirds take your time. I’ll just be here,” she said awkwardly.

Caitlyn giggled as Nick placed the blindfold over her eyes and tied it behind her head. “What’s the big surprise?” she asked, smiling.
“You’ll see, Little Miss. Anxious! We’re nearly there.”
“Can you give me a hint?” she pleaded.
“Pshh, yeah right!”
“Nick!” she groaned.
“Caitlyn!” he said in the same tone.
“Can I at least guess?!”
“Nope! We’re here anyways. Come on, this way!” he helped her out of the car and once she was out, he swung her into his arms.
“Oh my gosh!” she squealed and laughed. “Why am I in your arms?!”
“Because if I let you walk there it would give it away, silly!”
“I think the sound of the waves already did,” she said and smiled widely at him.
“Darn it! I didn’t think of that….”
“But you can still carry me there if you’d like?”
He chuckled. “Of course.”
Nick carried Caitlyn all the way to the shore of the beach where a blanket was laid out with two tiki torches on each side. On the blanket was a little basket, the one they used when they had their picnic that ended a little too soon.
“It’s all so beautiful,” she whispered and leaned up to kiss him.

Alexis wrapped her towel around herself and tucked it in before opening the door to change into her pajamas for bed.
“Caitlyn, is that you?” she called when she heard the front door shut. “Do you mind if I borrow one of your bras? I’ve been wearing the same-”
“Alexis, it’s Colin,” he called in a disturbed tone.
“Oh jeez,” she sighed in embarrassment. “Sorry! I thought you were Caitlyn.”
“You can check one of those drawers though,” he said.
Alexis jumped in surprised, the towel wrapped around her falling to the ground. “Oh my Louboutin!” she squealed.
“Oh… wow,” Colin breathed.
“Turn around you dog!” she yelled as she quickly grabbed the towel off the ground and held it in front of her.
“I’m… sorry. I didn’t know you were…,” he chuckled. “And did you say ‘oh my Louboutin’?”
“Shut up! Get out of here!”
“I live here.”
“Out!” she yelled, throwing Caitlyn’s pillow at him. He dodged it and laughed as he walked away.

“See you tomorrow,” Caitlyn murmured and smiled.
He leaned in and kissed her again. “Can’t wait.”
“I had an amazing night.”
“So did I. Those drunk kids from school running around in school made it even better,” he chuckled.
She giggled. “Well I better get inside and check on Alexis. She’s going through a pretty tough situation with her family.”
“Okay, I’ll come by around noon tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She leaned in for one more kiss before going inside her house. She shut the door and smiled, her face bright pink.
“What’s up?” Colin asked as he walked over to Caitlyn.
She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, not knowing a way to express the way she felt.
“I still don’t like him,” he said.
“I know,” she sighed, not caring but still as love-struck as before.
“So you didn’t tell me Alexis was staying here….”
“Oh yeah! There’s stuff going on with her family and she needed to crash here. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Wow, you two have gotten pretty close. She didn’t even tell me about that,” he mumbled to himself. “But no, not at all! Besides the fact that she sucks at tucking in her towel,” he chuckled.
“What do you mean?”
“She got out of the shower and her towel-”
“Oh goodness,” Caitlyn laughed. “What happened?!”
“She was pissed,” he said, “but I just laughed.”
“So what did you think?” she asked, extremely curious.
“What do you mean…?”
“You know…,” she said and shook her upper body.
He exploded with laughter, realizing what she was saying.
“Oh, you know you liked it!”
“I never said I didn’t!”
“Ooh la la!” she sang as she began to walk up the stairs.
“Caitlyn, you better not say anything,” he hissed!
She turned her head and smiled at him.
“Caitlyn!”

Still haven’t caught onto my plan, have you? Well mystery is a bitch and so am I.