Bad Boy Vacation

21. You Looking Like A Snack

Nora's POV

I was going to be late!

Connor had texted me asking me out for lunch today. At first, I wanted to politely decline. But then I figured that it had been awhile since I'd gone out with someone, even if it is just for lunch.

I had already tried on five different outfits, all of which were either far too much, or far too less. I mean, who wears formal wear to lunch? It's not fine-dining. At least, I don't think it is.

I decided to just stick with what I had on, which was a black silk spaghetti strap and a pair of skinny jeans. I wanted to wear a cute sweater that I had bought on impulse the other day, but I decided that today's weather was far too searing to wear a sweater.

"Damn girl, you looking like a snack." Adelaide commented as she stood in the doorframe, an approving look on her face.

"You sure?" I second guessed.

"More than sure! I would not be surprised if Connor tries to jump your bones the second that he sees you."

I shook my head in disgust. "Oh my god, Adelaide."

"Have you heard from Charlie?" She asked me.

I readjusted a few stray strands of my hair before responding. "Nope. But I called my parents, they say he's too sick to get out of bed."

"Aw, I hope that he's okay." She frowned.

A text from Connor came through my phone.

"Shit." I say, reading his text.

I was nervous as hell.

"Oh no, what is it? Did he cancel?" Adelaide said with worry as she moved closer to peek at my texts.

"No, he's waiting outside for me." I responded, reaching for my purse.

"Hurry your ass up then!" Adelaide says.

Be right there. I texted Connor back.

"Have fun!" Adelaide's voice called as I exited the room and raced downstairs, careful not to accidentally slip and break a hip, that would definitely be embarrassing.

I walked out the front door and hopped into the passenger side of Connor's car.

"You look beautiful." He complimented me as I pull on my seatbelt and clicked it in.

"Thanks." I offered him a smile. "You look pretty good yourself."

He drove out of the driveway and started towards wherever he had planned for us to have lunch today.

A text came through my phone. Good luck on your date 😉 Nevaeh had texted.

I smiled at her text.

I liked hanging around Nevaeh, mostly because she was my age and I had gotten too used to hanging around my brother's friends, but also because she was nice and we had a lot in common.

Thankssss I texted back, putting my phone on silent before slipping it into my purse.

"So... where are we headed?" I nervously asked Connor.

"There's this really nice cafe—i used to work there during my senior year of high school—but they have an amazing lunch menu." He stated, slowing the car before halting to a complete stop at the traffic lights.

"God, don't you just miss Senior year?" I was struck by nostalgia.

Senior Year was the greatest time of my life. I was the most popular girl at school, and I had amazing friends. There was also Tyson Pruitt: my high school boyfriend.

We were voted as Clarence High School's Cutest Couple in the Yearbook.

"Yeah, back when life was much easier." He says, continuing the drive.

Adelaide's POV

Ace was hungover, again.

He has barely even left the room since the whole fight with Sam. I was genuinely worried about him.

"Ace?" I entered his room.

It smelled god awful in here, so much that I almost passed out. He was dead asleep and splayed across his bed, faintly snoring.

The nightstand beside the bed was coated with drugs. When I say drugs, I'm talking about cannabis, ecstasy and.... Amphetamines?

What the actual fuck!?

Is he seriously that stupid?

And my parents were on their way here to drop off Adam! Imagine what would have happened if they had walked in and seen this!

I walked towards the nightstand and gathered everything to flush it down the toilet.

Afterwards, I stormed back into his room and threw open the curtains.

My chaotic twin brother was in dire need of an intervention.

"Get up!" I shouted loud enough to wake the dead.

He groaned awake. "What the hell?" He mumbled into his pillow.

"Mom and dad are dropping off Adam today! They'll be here any minute so get the fuck up and pull yourself together." I warned him, picking up the empty liquor bottles that scattered across the floor.

"How can you be so stupid?" I asked him, angrily and pointedly. "Mixing drugs with alcohol? What the hell is wrong with you?"

He mumbled something into his pillow again.

I threw the empty liquor bottles into the trash can beside the entrance before turning back to Ace.

I sighed. "That's it, I am telling mom and dad to check you into rehab."

He pulled the pillow away from his face before laughing at me. "Nice one."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm being dead serious." I spoke in a dark and irate tone.

"You should become a comedian." He says, tired and withdrawn, or rather, hungover and lethargic.

"If you don't get your shit together, I swear to god, I will check you into rehab myself." I warned him, turning on my heels and stomping out of his room to wait for my parents downstairs.

"Are you okay?" Clayton asked me as I entered the living room.

Ella, Ryan and him were in the middle of a board game as I seated myself on the couch, fuming. "Ace is infuriating." I groaned. "I don't know what to do."

Clayton's hand found mine. "I know it's not my place to say anything, but I think your brother might need help."

Clayton was right. Ace didn't need me to threaten him with a vacation to a rehab center, he needs to actually be in rehab, or at least see a therapist?

Mom and dad will know what to do.

Nora's POV

The cafe was picturesque.

The exterior was bricked, adorned with wisteria. And the inside had a retro feel to it.

The booths were red and white leathered, and the walls were decorated with records. To add to the retro vibe, neon lights lined the ceiling, casting the interior in vibrant tints of blue and red.

"This place is amazing." I stated, taking a sip from the milkshake I had ordered with lunch.

"Right? I've always loved coming here." He takes a sip from his own milkshake.

At first, I thought that this date would have ended up being terrible. But it turns out that I actually enjoyed myself.

"This was really nice." I tell him.

He smiled at me. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

I felt my phone vibrating in my purse.

"We should do this again?" Connor suggested at I turned on my phone and read over the text.

I gasped loudly. "Oh my god." I said, distraught.

"Is everything okay?" He wondered, a concerned hint in his tone.

"My brother's in the hospital."