𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 | ✓

39 - Customer Service

VALENTINA'S POV

Walking out of the apartment, I was greeted with the familiar stench of the grungy streets I lived in, but it was all washed away as I turned the corner to see my one true love.

My motorbike.
It had been my prized possession and one of the things I spent most of my starting money on, besides my apartment. But I didn't regret it a bit.

This was a 2007 Suzuki motorcycle, sleek black with white wings custom painted on the sides. She was the best bike I could ask for.

As I stood next to my bike, I checked my phone to see that everyone was already on their way to school, so I was late. I immediately put on my helmet and the engine is brought to life. Music to my ears.

Once I got on the road, I started to blaze off to school, the roads were slick from the night's rain and there was morning mist in the air. My smile grew within the tinted helmet.
Passing by the flashing lights of LA, I hit the brakes when the lights switch from orange to red. My chest heaves from adrenaline and I adjust the mirrors only to see a black car behind me.

It was larger than me and my bike that's for sure, but I could feel something drop inside me as I saw it.
It looked like something of the past.

The light turned green, and I sped up a bit, making sharp lefts and rights but not trying to overreact. The gut feeling inside of me stung when I saw the car kept up with me, tailing right behind me.

Looking at my watch I could see that school was starting soon and I wasn't going to be late so I did the only thing I could think of.
Turned into an alleyway at high speed.

By my luck it was long but there was a brick wall cutting me off. The alley was too skinny to let the SUV come into but I was going to be trapped. My mind went a million miles per hour, and once I saw a raised wood plank leaning on a garbage bin, I knew I could make the trick. 

I sped up, onto the wood and flung myself over the wall.

Landing on the floor perfectly, I let a breath out and stopped driving as I heard the tires of the car screech to a stop on the other side before a door clicked open and angry footsteps sounded.

I stared at the wall, knowing the person there was standing and staring too, I left. I drove off, the roaring of my engine in my ears but before I was out of earshot, a voice shouted my name.
It made my heart pound against my chest and my palm sweat on the handles.
The words weren't my name.
Not Valery.
Valentina.

-

The pit in my stomach was painful and \ grew as I entered the school gates and saw Leila.
"Girl, where were you!" She says worriedly and I shook my helmet off.

"Well, some idiot was following me, so I had to shake them off my tail," I said in a casual tone, but she gasped.

"You need to report things like that, Val!" She insists but I turn back and look at her like she's crazy.

"It isn't a big deal Leila, forget it. We're already late to class." I say and she grunts and follows me into class, persisting on the topic.

I had a first-class with most of my friends again and as I entered, I sat next to Tyler

Tyler looks at the pile of paper next to me- that I had written the night before out of stress- and then at me like I was crazy. "What?" I scoff.

"Never mind. Can you help me with this?" He asks and passes me a paper- his paper- but I just give it back and laugh at him.

"Maybe you could do your own work?" I suggest and he groans which I laugh at.

"Don't worry I'll be there for moral support." I tease.

-

After a while, I started to cave into helping him due to his annoyance, and he thanked me as the bell goes and we rush into the hall to get to lunch. I see my group is already sitting at the lunch tables, and I head over to them, already knowing what Leila was going to say she death glared at me from across the table.

It was loud at the table so Leila cleared her throat and gained everyone's attention, whilst I hung my head low so I couldn't see anyone.

"So, Val. Care to share what happened this morning?" She asks and I glare at her before turning to the rest of my friends, looking at their curious faces.

"I just got followed by a car," I uttered quietly but everyone else gasped loudly and I groaned at their reaction.

Ally, who was sitting next to me started staring me up and down and repeatedly asking if I was okay and I just nodded my head with a plastic smile, but I could see Tyler was furious.

"Why haven't you reported it yet!" he asks, glaring at me and I just stare at him blankly.

"Just don't think that it's worth the drama." I shrug and he laughs.

"Valery, we all know you hate drama, but this is serious and something that you need to do," Chelsey says and I sigh, my shoulders slouching down.

But it will only cause attention as to why they were following me. And the last thing I need is my face in the news.
"Okay, fine." I groan and they nod contently and talk to each other. I stared out the window and dazed off into my own thoughts.

What if it was one of his henchmen in the car, or him? I could feel my heart racing at the thought.

No. He would've already come to my school and... and taken me already. Yeah. My body was tense as there were pictures of him looking at me in my mind and I could feel the shivers travelling through my body.

"lery-!" a voice rang behind me and I turned to see Leila staring at me with questioning eyes.
"Why do you keep zoning out today- you know what never mind!" she says to herself and takes me by the hand pulling me off my seat.

"Sorry Leila, I think the following car thing just got me dazed a bit," I say as an excuse and a small smile forms on her lips.

"Exactly why you should go and report it to the police!" she lectures, and I chuckled while I nodded my head.

"Will do," I utter, walking to my next class.

-

I was just let out of class and I'm already late for my shift at the cafe.

Stuffing all the books I had in my bag I said goodbye to my friends and rushed out of school on my motorbike, racing to the cafe, where Ollie was already at.

As I passed the window and saw that the cafe was busy, so I rushed inside putting an apron on and serving customers straight away, but I had a lingering feeling of getting stared at, but looking around, it was too crowded to catch anybody's eyes.

The rush was soon over, and I took my break. I was sitting in the staff room having a break until Ollie came running into it, looking for me.

"What is it?" I asked, already suspicious since he already looked frazzled with a note in his hand.

"This crazy rich dude is sitting in a booth but when I tried to serve him, he just gave me a fifty-dollar tip and told me 'I would like Ms Collins as my server.'" He said the last part in a low tone.

My eyebrows knitted together and when I walked past him, I ignored him when he called out asking who he was.

I walked up to the mystery man who had his face shielded as he looks into the window. I looked down at my notebook, not daring to make eye contact with the man through the glare of the window.

"What can I get for you?" I ask casually but freeze as he talks, and I look up without hesitation.

"5 minutes of your time." His eyes glint as they investigate mine.

-

Do you know who it is?