Francesca Romano

Chapter 23 | Baby Lock The Door

Waking up at 9 am by someone screaming in tears has got to be the worst morning experience, but don't take my word for it everything sucks in the morning. I was hungover and not only was my head aching but so was my hand.

I got out of bed and head downstairs which was still not far enough from Beverly yelling over the phone. I got a glass of water and drank half of it with pain killers. I left the rest of the water for Beverly. I walked back upstairs and down the corridor to her room and walked in.

I placed the glass of water on her dresser along with two pain killers. She was walking back and forth all around her room with tears falling down her now red face. I took the phone away from her and looked at the caller. It was Ava so I put the phone to my ear as I grabbed the water and pills for Beverly.

"Im not sure what's going on but we're suffering from hangovers meaning 9 am is way to early for this. I will have Eve call you later." I explained as kindly as I could and waited a few seconds to see if I would get a response but all I heard was crying so I hung up and threw the phone in the bed.

I looked over at Beverly who wiped away the tears from her face and let out a sigh of what sounds like a sigh of relief. "God I thought it would never end." She said drinking down the pills with later. "Do I want to know?" I asked her. "Didn't stay in her place as a friend and started crying when I told her she's a friend and I have the right to talk to other girls."

"She's a friend after how you treat her? Beverly? Come on." I was so unbelievably shocked by her words. "If I wanted to be in a relationship I would be in one." I turned and looked in her mirror that was hung on the wall and noticed my hair was curly. "Then why the fuck were you crying?" I asked running my hands through it and remembered I went to sleep with my hair wet.

"I was mimicking her behavior." I rushed out of her room walking down to my room. "You manipulating her Eve." I yelled as I got a comb and tried combing through my thick curls. "Call it what you want but you finally came to terms with your hair." She smiled at me as she stood next to me. I looked at her not knowing if I was frustrated or wanted to cry.

"Or not." She whispered. "I have to straighten my hair but my hand hurts when I move it." I said sitting down in my chair. "I don't see what so bad about your curls, love. You look like a bratz doll." She came behind me and puffed my hair some more. "Yeah I didn't see what was so bad about it to. But I'm not reliving anything to do with him."

Beverly sighed as she grabbed my flatiron. "I'll help." I smiled at her when my phone rang and picked up to my moms voice. "Hey Vanessa." I teased as Beverly started parting my hair. "What I do early this morning?"

"Nothing just wanted a reaction, hi ma. Are you not at work?" I could hear her heels hit the floor she was walking on as I placed her on speaker. "Yea I am but I have them doing a test so I stepped out. I need to ask you something." She said. "Go be a professor, ma." I rolled my eyes, she loved giving out tests, as a college professor.

"Francesca your birthday is in a few months and I would actually like to do something this year." I scoffed. "I'm working." I felt Beverlys hand hit the back of my neck. "No shes not, she's happy to attend anything you plan." She nudged at me as she started straightening the back of my head. "Hello Beverly and thank you, but I just wanted to know if you preferred a Cotillion ball or a Hunt ball?"

'What is that?' I whispered to Beverly. 'A Hunt ball is like a Black tie event and a Cotillion Ball is a ball where you have to learn rehearsed dances.' She explained quietly. "Francesca?" My mother said three the phone. "A Hunt Ball ma, I don't have time."

"Okay well thats it." She said ready to hang up. "Wait ma I need you to send me the lock smith company you use, I need to change the locks here." I said and I saw Beverly's face turn into confusion. "What's wrong, someone broke in?" She asked and I heard her heels start tapping against the floor again. "I guess, and they keep leaving pink envelopes taped to my mirror with short, creepy messages on them." I heard her gasp through the phone and she stopped walking.

"Pink envelope, you don't say." I looked at Beverly who was done with half my hair, looking at the curly side of my head made my heart ache. "Yeah, sounds familiar?"

"I don't know, does it have a wax seal on it?" She asked and I paused before answering. "Ma, yeah a red one with A.S. molded into it."

"Francesca I'll text you the lock smith information right now but I have to head back to class, okay?" She rushed off the phone not even leaving me to say good bye. "Is that why you asked if my door was unlocked last night?" Beverly questioned. "Yeah but I wouldn't worry probably just the kids in the neighborhood, you know."

"Francesca every one of the houses here are a mile apart, and there's only like 15 houses." She almost made me worried. "The locks will be changed by tonight." I reassured her and she finished on my hair.

Kings Point of View

"King where are you?" My father's voice came from the other side of the phone as I sarcastically looked around. "Well it looks like I'm in a room which is in a house which is also in Germany."

"I'm serious, are you by anyone?" I could hear the concern in his voice. "No I'm alone whats wrong? Is it mom?" I sat on the edge of my bed and placed my glasses back on my face. "No it's Halston."

"Halston? Who's that?" I was confused. "Halston Adams. Vanessa just called saying someone's been breaking into Francesca's house leaving pink envelopes." As he continued to explain my memory was refreshed and my heart was beating fast.

"That's impossible. Halstons dead, I blew up the place myself." Silence ran over us, an annoyingly loud silence. "So it's a copycat?" He asked. "If it is, it's someone we know personally back in Italy, we didn't tell everyone about this."

"I'll be home in about two days, just need to tie up loose ends, in the meantime talk to Reid and his, tight circle." There was that silence again. This made no sense and I wasn't the only one confused here. I could swear I killed that man, I mean Reid was there he saw it and Gabby.