Heaven By Your Side

Chapter Four

Best friends?

More like sisters.

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Since I know Lo doesn't lock her bedroom door I know that I can walk into her room without any problems.

I know, right? Who the hell doesn't lock their bedroom door?

It's because Lo has this paranoia that if something were to happen she won't have to lose those few extra precious seconds of her life to open the door when she could well be out of the house already.

I know, that is deep of her to think like that. Except for the fact that she forgot to think about the part that if someone were to come attacking and stumbles through her door first, those few seconds that it could gain her to escape through the window won't be there at all, because you know, she doesn't lock her door.

So on this lovely sunny Saturday I've decided that along with Lo, and my two cousins Ree and Leah were going to go shop for clothes to prepare ourselves for the Christmas Ball, the biggest, most popular party we ever have. It's literally the place where young people look forward to because that's where they usually meet their significant other. That was where mum and dad met.

Hopefully, that'll be where I'll meet mine someday.

It's the same place, an annual event that I hope Gabe and I will reunite.

This is the twelfth year since he's left and I'm slowly giving up hope that we will ever meet again.

Is he still out there somewhere?

God, I hope so because I don't know how I'll survive without him.

Twelve years and look at me now...I'm barely surviving.

I barge into Lo's room without her lock stopping me and pull her blinds open. Did I mention how sunny this Saturday was?

Grinning at Lo's groan from under her comfy doona, I pull her doona off her with one pull.

"Get up, Lo!" I yell, grinning.

Lo moans something about her lack of sleep and I laugh.

I roll my eyes at her dramatics and tug her doona further. "C'mon, we're going shopping today!"

"Who says?!" Lo complains back.

"Me. I've decided that it's a beautiful day to go for our gowns for the Christmas Ball."

She pulls the doona over her head again. "No. You and the girls go. I don't want to go."

I roll my eyes at her and then pull the doona again, this time holding it captive. Lo was sleeping cocooned on her side, her long hair spread out on the pillow.

"Go away, Deja," she moans, "and shut the blinds!"

I throw the doona back at her and hearing her muffled oomph, laugh.

"Ten minutes top!" I yell over my shoulder as I walk out the door.

Lo can't ignore an instruction so she'll be up soon.

Five minutes later, Lo walks down the stairs and glares at me.

"It's a Saturday," she mutters darkly, "I should be sleeping in."

I roll my eyes at her. "You'll thank me when the Christmas Ball arrives, and you look damn good."

"I don't care how I look." She retorts, "I'll go in my sleepwear if I could."

I shudder at the thought of Lo entering the annual Christmas Ball in my brother's t-shirt and her faded coloured short.

"No," I emphasise, "you are not going anywhere dressed like what you wear to sleep!"

Lo rolls her eyes and opens the front door. "Let's go before I decide to change my mind and let you walk over to Ree and Leah's place."

Oh she would, wouldn't she?

~

After six hours of shopping, and constantly saying, "No. Not that one", "Ew, so not your colour!", "Mmm, maybe not", "Gross! Off with it now! Never wear anything like that again!", we collapse on the Leah's bed, exhausted and drained.

God. I'm officially sick of shopping now.

That is...until I need new clothes again.

"Thank God we all got something or I'll be throwing another one of my tantrums right now." Lo growls out. "It'll be a waste!"

"Second that," Leah agrees.

"No more." I agree tiredly.

"Maybe...we can still see if there's anything better?" Ree asks hesitantly.

All three heads turns to Ree.

Lo's jaw literally drops, Leah's eyes widen, and I literally just splutter at her incredulously.

As the youngest, Ree was the most excited and still wants to go out. Us on the other hand...no, we just want to get what we need and come back home to chill.

"You're kidding, right?" I choke out. "We were literally at the mall for the whole day!"

Ree gives us a defensive look and shrugs. "Well, what if we're missing something?"

Before I could say something, Lo interrupts. "Ree, we didn't miss anything. Leah and Deja would have said so."

Leah and I share a grin.

"That's so true," Leah agrees wholeheartedly.

Ree sighs. "It was worth a shot."

Lo pats Ree and pulls her for a hug. "Ree, honey, when you're older you'll definitely understand."

Ree blows out a breath and glares at all three of us. "I hate it when you say that."

Lo, Leah and I share a laugh because we do say it a lot due to the fact that we were all closer in age and Ree was just a bit younger.