French Vanilla

I woke up for the third time that hour, looking at the clock again. It's been four hours and Skylar still hasn't returned. She hasn't returned any of my texts either. All I wanted was to wake up to her being in my arms again, kiss her awake, and - if I was feeling better - get smashed to oblivion.

Picking up my phone, I dialed her all-too-familiar number. "Hi, you've reached Skylar; I'm not here right now or I don't give two shits about you so don't call again. And if you leave a voicemail, I will murder a unicorn. Fuck off. Bye!"

Of course her phone would be off. She probably forgot to charge it again. Groaning, I rolled out of bed and slipped on a shirt and a pair of shoes. I looked at my belt on the floor and blushed to myself thinking of why it was there. Skylar. She was something else.

"Olleh?" I called into the hallway. I pushed his bedroom door open and peaked in. "Have yeh seen Skylah?

He looked up from his doodles on his desk. "Uh, no? Why?"

"'Cause she was supposed to pick up somefin from Drop Dead fo' me but she hasn't come back yet."

He frowned and put down his pencil. "Yeh mean the two shirts I asked Sam to give to yeh? I texted him a few hours ago and said not to bothah yeh 'cause yeh aren't feelin' well."

"Are yeh sure?"

He nodded. "Yea, he said he'd hit yeh up tomorrah or somefin."

I frowned. "I wondah what happened then."

"Want me to go wiff yeh to the shop? I have to drop a few fings off anyway, and I'm assuming she has yeh car."

I nodded and watched as Oli grabbed the papers and his keys. I felt like I was going to spy on my girlfriend, and it only made my stomach more queasy than it already was. I trust her - I just don't trust other guys.

We pulled up to the store and I saw my car parked in a managers spot, instantly causing a smile to appear on my face. At least she was still here.

"Come on, lad." Oli got out of the car and I followed, trying to calm my nerves.

Something just didn't feel right - at all.

"Sam?" Oli called when he entered the store.

"He's not 'ere, mate. Bloody left right in the middle of his shift!" Travis, a sales kid, yelled.

"What?" Oli's face took over with anger. "What 'appened? What the hell!"

The poor seventeen-year-old's face whitened. "He just left leaving me alone with the store! I've been busy chargin', sellin', restockin', managin' this whole store by mehself. I 'aven't even had the chance to call yeh or anyfing because we've been so busy!"

That caused me to frown too. Managers were not supposed to leave the sales kids alone, especially when it was only the two of them working today. "Where'd he go?" I muttered, anger spreading across my face.

Travis shrugged, "I have no freakin' idea, lad. Fawkin' bastard left wiff someone wiff purple hair. Pretteh lass. He didn't even say where he was goin'. Went into the back and I haven't seen the two since."

"What!" I yelled, sprinting into the back room.

No one was in the offices when we entered. The package was on the floor. I picked it up and placed it on the desk, noticing Skylar's cell phone there.

"Maybe they juss stepped out," Oli suggested, looking around.

My eyes widened staring at the object as the world around me began to work in slow motion. "Olleh-"

"I'm goin' to kill Sam. His job is-"

"Olleh," I repeated as I stared down at the mechanical device.

"What?"

I lifted the phone into his view, barely speaking. "It has blood on it..."

His eyes widened before he pulled out his phone. "Tommeh, get in the car."

"What are yeh doin'?"

"Callin' the guys. Someone's going to die tonight."