𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗥 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟𝗦: 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗦

chapter nine

It was early Saturday morning when Alyssa Luttrell showed up to work at Light Waves. It was her first shift since being interviewed by the cops, but because Nick and Sawyer had their date today, she was stuck working with only Andy and Riely, and although she didn't mind this, she much preferred working with Sawyer.

"Hey, Ally, what's up?" Riely greeted as she entered the fitting room. 

"Ew, what'd you just call me?" Alyssa gave him a disgusted look. 

"Ally. You don't like it?"

"Uh, no," Alyssa laughed. 

"Noted," he nodded. "But what's up? Anything new?"

"Nope, nothing really," she shrugged. 

"Well, I've been meaning to ask you," Riely began, "would you wanna go out with my sometime?"

"Like... as friends or on a date?" She raised her eyebrows. 

"A date," he nodded. 

"Uh... yeah, sure, why not?" Alyssa agreed with a shrug.

"Great, how about next Friday? There's gonna be a new movie out," Riely suggested. 

"Sounds nice," Alyssa nodded. "Next Friday it is."

"There's like no one working today," Riely commented, noticing they were the only two out on the floor at the moment. 

"Yeah, Sawyer and Nick both took the day off to go on their date," Alyssa smirked. 

"Are they dating?" Riely gasped. "I knew it--"

"Well, they aren't dating, they're just going on a date," Alyssa shrugged.

"I didn't know there was really that big of a difference," he shrugged. 

"Well... for Sawyer there definitely is," Alyssa nodded. 

"What about for you?"

"I think after one or two dates if things go well and you keep going out, you're basically dating," Alyssa shrugged. "Although, I do think it's nice to make things official."

"Noted," Riely smirked. 

"Slow your roll there," Alyssa joked. "We haven't even been on our first date and you're already thinking about us dating?"

"I like to be prepared," He jokingly winked, earning an eye roll and a scoff from Alyssa. "It'll take a long time to have a candlelit dinner--"

"Oh, do not," Alyssa rolled her eyes, walking out of the fitting room.

The second Alyssa was able to take her 10-minute break, she instantly called Sawyer, despite knowing she was bowling with Nick. Sawyer took the phone call outside, leaving Nick at their lane to watch their belongings. 

"Wait, he what?" Sawyer exclaimed, a smile across her face. 

"He asked me out!" Alyssa cheered. "Like on a date. Next Friday we're going to see a movie."

"Oh, yay!" Sawyer praised her friend. "He better pay. If he doesn't pay, I'll hit him the next time we work together."

"Well, he better," Alyssa agreed. "He's always claiming he's a gentleman so if he doesn't pay..."

"I'll make him pay," Sawyer nodded. "I've got to go, though, it should be my turn to bowl soon."

"So, is your date going good, then?" Alyssa smiled. 

"Yeah, he's really sweet," Sawyer lied. "Keep me updated on Riely, I'll talk to you later."

"What was that about?" Nick raised his eyebrows as Sawyer re-entered the building, joining him at their lane again.

"Riely asked out Alyssa," Sawyer couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, really?" Nick grinned as well. "What a cute pair. Now you don't have to worry about him flirting with you."

"Oh, what a relief," Sawyer laughed. 

She took her turn to bowl. Sawyer raised the ball in her left hand, approaching the lane, and thinking; if Brooke likes me, let me get a strike.

"Oh, wow!" Nick applauded Sawyer, the girl walking back with a smirk after getting a strike.

"I'm talented, what can I say?"

She sat down, watching as Nick prepared for his turn. Sawyer never could make up her mind if she was superstitious. She enjoyed horoscopes, thought it was bad luck to play or watch anything with the volume on an odd number, and she always put her right shoe on before her left. 

However, after bowling a strike, she still couldn't help but wonder if maybe Brooke didn't like her. Sure, it was a sign from the universe or whatever... but what if the universe was wrong? It'd been wrong so many times before; she'd gotten countless of tarot readings telling her she'd get a partner within a week and then she never did, so was the universe really the most reliable source of information?

"What's wrong? You seem out of it," Nick commented, sitting down next to Sawyer.

"Do you want to come back to my house?" Sawyer quickly blurted. "After we're done? No one's home right now, my parents are on a work trip and my siblings are with my grandma."

"What--uh... yeah, sure," Nick nodded. 

"Okay."

Sawyer stood up and went to bowl again. She didn't know why she'd done that, why she had invited him back to her house. She didn't want him to come back with her, she didn't even want him. Was she really going to sleep with him just to try and get over Brooke?

Was her first time really going to be with a guy she didn't like? A guy that she was using as a rebound? She didn't want it to be, but she couldn't get over the fact that she still liked Brooke. So she didn't say anything, and let Nick drive them both to her house. 

She let him walk through her kitchen and living room, and let him walk up the stairs. She let him into her bedroom, which she truly believed was a sacred place and only certain people were allowed in. She let him sit on her bed, which only her best friends could do. She let him hold onto her squid stuffed animal, the one that Brooke had won her at the Landler fair right before they kissed on the ferris wheel. Sawyer let Nick kiss her, pretending it was Brooke. She let him run his fingers through her hair, wishing it was Brooke. And she almost let him take off her shirt. 

And then the doorbell rung.