Finding Your Aladdin

Searching For Vinegar

It's been three hours forty minutes and fifty two seconds since lunch and my hair still stinks of Heinz Pasta Sauce, my school uniform is still covered in bits of pasta and Chelsea is still breathing and digesting all my food in my room.

What an improvement, I must say.

"Chelsea, stop eating my Pringles and help me get rid of this sauce in my hair!"

Chelsea looks at me with a blank expression and I groan.

"God!"

"Amen," Chelsea pipes.

Kill me now.

I hear the door open and I jump up and cover my head with a towel, grab a magazine and leap into my bunk, nearly causing Chelsea to fall out.

"Hey!" She pouts.

"Guys, Mum says dinner's going to be ready at ten- why does it smell of pasta sauce? You know I hate pasta sauce," Chrys says as she walks into the room.

"This new guy at school was made at her so I hid her in her pasta!" Chelsea says excitedly.

"Oh Chelsea," I groan.

Chrys just casually raises an eyebrow.

"So that's why you're wearing a towel, Lyss hasn't been out of the bathroom since she got here so I was wondering how you had a shower."

"Yeah," I sigh, " I've been trying to get all the sauce out but, as you can tell, it just won't come off!"

"Oh that's easy, just get some lemonade and vinegar and it'll come out," Chrys shrugs.

(DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME)

"What, really?" I say excitedly.

"Yeah, tell you what, here's a fiver, you go down to Tesco's and get some vinegar, we're all out," Chrys smiles, handing me a five pound note.

"Aw thanks- hey wait a minute! You never-"

"Shoo! Both of you!" Chrys interrupts, grabbing Chelsea's sleeve and dragging her along whilst pushing me out with her other hand.

"Freedom!" we hear Chrys shout as the door slams in our faces.

I look at Chelsea.

"Well that was interesting."

"Interesting? More like heart breaking, I left my Pringles in there!"

"God!"

"Am-"

"Shut up."

*****

"Did you find any vinegar?"

"No, you?"

"Same."

"Oh."

That sums up all the conversation me and Chelsea have had since we got here and to say it wasn't awkward would be a lie.

I'm almost 100% positive, however, that if Chelsea hadn't gone round to every single customer who complained about the overwhelming smell of pasta sauce to explain exactly why it smelt like that, I would've continued the conversation.

"Attention all customers, the store is about to close, please proceed to the counter with your items."

"Oh great. Just great," I mutter as I pick up a bottle with some Chinese writing on it and toss it into my basket.

"Hey, Jas! I think I found something!"

I literally fly over to Chelsea and then I hear a rattling noise.

Confused, I look around and then one light goes off.

"Jas?" Chelsea whimpers, "Jas, the ligh-"

And then another one goes off.

And another.

They've closed the shop.

"Jas!"

I quickly whip my phone out and put the torch on.

"Shh, it's okay Chelsea, don't worry we'll just find a security guard and get out! Here, take my phone."

Now you're probably wondering why I'm being so nice to Chelsea all of a sudden.

Well, under any other circumstances I wouldn't have, but considering how she's terrified of the dark...

Yep it's time to be a good friend.

"Umm...Jas?"

"Yep?"

"There's no one here."

I sigh and cross my arms impatiently.

"Chelsea, trust me we-"

And then I hear the noise of someone locking a door.

We've been locked in.