The Broken Ones

Chapter Seventeen

"So how was the essay you wrote?" Alesia asked politely.

"Good-d," Valeriana replied. "Y-you?"

"Alright," Alesia answered.

The two girls had decided to meet at Harendale Library to talk about the essay writing contest.

"W-what did y-you write about-t?" Valeriana asked.

"It's personal," Alesia admitted

"S-same," Valeriana agreed. "I didn't submit m-mine."

"Why not?" Alesia asked.

"S-some written pieces don't need to be s-shared with anyone but your-yourself," she explained.

Alesia smiled. "I like that"

"D-do you w-want to c-check the next p-prompt?" Valeriana questioned.

"I'll look it up," Alesia told her as she pulled out her phone. "'If you could have any superpower in the world what would it be and why?'"

"I w-would want-t t-to b-be able to turn in-invisible," Valeriana commented.

"Time travel," Alesia added. "Do you want to go buy coffee?"

"Y-yes," Valeriana cheered. "I t-thought you w-would never a-ask."

The two girl stood up and left the library to explore Harendale shopping centre in search of a café.

"T-that o-one l-looks-s n-nice," Valeriana said as she pointed towards a small café.

Alesia followed where she had pointed to. She felt the colour disappear from her face as she saw who was seated at one of the tables.

"Can we go somewhere else?" Alesia asked urgently.

"W-why?" Valeriana wondered.

Alesia couldn't drag her eyes away from the woman seat there. "Valeriana, please somewhere else."

Valeriana followed Alesia eyes. "D-do you know h-her?" she asked when she saw the woman.

Alesia nodded. "She just someone I used to know."

"L-lets go elsewhere," Valeriana said. The two girls turned and walked away. As the distance between Alesia and the women increased, she couldn't help but feel grateful that Emily hadn't turned around to see her.

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"We should go this more often," Frankie told Alesia, The two were seated at a table at a local café. It was three days after Alesia had gone out with Valeriana.

Alesia smiled. "Yes, we should."

"Are you ready to order?" A male waiter asked the two as he stopped by the table.

"Two cappuccinos please," Frankie said.

The waiter wrote down their orders. "We have your orders soon," he said as he returned to the kitchen.

"I think he has a thing for you," Alesia told Frankie as she watches the waiter leave.

Frankie shook her head. "He doesn't, even if he did it wouldn't matter."

"Why not," Alesia questioned.

"He's not my type," Frankie replied.

"Then what is your type?" Alesia asked curiously. She looked around the coffee shop at the other men in the room. "Is he your type or maybe him?"

"Alesia," Frankie interrupted. "None of those people are my type because none of them are girls."

"Oh," Alesia said as she let Frankie words sink in. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Frankie shrugged. "It just, I would like to think my sexuality isn't the most important thing about me." She explained. "When I first came out of the closet my friends at the time didn't really have the best reaction to it."

"You were scared of what I might think of you?" Alesia stated.

Frankie nodded.

"You didn't have any reason to be scared of my opinion because I do not have a problem with it," Alesia informed her. "Your sexuality doesn't change the fact you're my best friend."

"Wow, I have known you for five weeks, and I have already been given the title of best friend," Frankie smiled.

"It not that much of an achievement. I don't have many friends," Alesia explained.

"Neither do I, and you're my best friend too," Frankie added.

Alesia looked up to the counter of the shop. "So that female waiter behind the counter, is she your type?"

Frankie turned around to see who Alesia was talking about before turning quickly back. "Definitely."

"Can I tell you something?" Alesia asked. "Something I have never told anyone ever before."

"What is it?" Frankie asks.

"I'm not attracted to anyone, male or female," Alesia told her. "I have faked feeling before just to fit in, but I have never had a crush on anyone. I don't know what is wrong with me."

"Maybe the truth is there is nothing wrong with you," Frankie told her.

"I'm scared Frankie," Alesia told her. "I scared that I am going to spend the rest of my life alone."

"You won't Alesia," Frankie told her. "You're an amazing girl, and you will fall in love one day."

"Are you sure?" Alesia asked nervously.

"Yes, I'm sure," Frankie told her.

"Hey guys," Johnny said as he and Valeriana enter the coffee store. "Sorry, we are late the bus got delayed."

"Well you're here now," Alesia said with a smile. Alesia and Frankie shared a look that signalled their talk was over.

"We have already ordered so you should go to the counter to order something,"

"I'll order," Johnny announced he turned to Valeriana. "You want a Latte right?"

"Y-yes," Valeriana replied as she sat down next to Alesia.

"Well you two are really getting close," Frankie teased Valeriana as Johnny left to order the coffee.

"W-we're just f-friends-s," Valeriana assisted.

"Are you sure?" Alesia said as she joined in.

"Y-yes," Valeriana replied harshly.

"Are you sure he knows that?" Frankie asked.

"Y-yes," Valeriana repeated but this time, she didn't sound as certain.

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Alesia looked over the letters in her hand. She had received four more letters from her mother. Unlike the first letter she could bring herself to throw them out but she also could bring herself to open them.

Alesia sighed in frustration and hid the unopen letters at the bottom draw of her desk. She sat down on the desk chair and opened her laptop so she could continue her essay. She had almost finished, only about one paragraph to go. Before she started writing Alesia checked for emails.

There it was waiting for her.

An email from her Criminology lecturer. Alesia opened the email, fearing the worse.

Dear Alesia Floros

I would like to meet with you to discuss a unit that we will be studying in Introducing Crime and Criminology. Are you available on Tuesday 12th of April at 10 am for a short meeting?
Regards Crystal Nolan.

Alesia shut her laptop forcefully. What had I done? Alesia through to herself. Why does she want to see me? Am I failing?

A million possibilities ran through Alesia's head. Each one was worse than the last.