Carousel

Chapter 3: The Secret Behind The Mask

Chloe's POV: 

       As we pulled up to granddad's house, I let out a deep sigh. It's been a long time since I've had my best friend over. It'll be good to catch up with her. I actually have something I've wanted to tell her for a while now. I need to find the right time to tell her.
 
      Vic parked his car a block away. I told him that's how it always has to be because my granddad doesn't know about him. I'm glad Vic listens. We grabbed our bags, and I leaned over to kiss Vic. 

     We made out for almost a minute until we were cut off. "Ahem. Could you not swallow each others' faces while I'm here?" Alexa said. 

     "Ya know there's always room for another," Vic suggested cheekily. I smacked him playfully. Alexa's eyes widened from shock.
     
      "Hey, I'm not sharing you. Plus, Lexa isn't that kind of gal. I'm glad she isn't. Anyways bye, babe. Thanks for the ride. " I said, kissing him once more. Vic walked around to open the door for both of us. 

      "You're welcome, sweet thang," Vic said while smacking my ass. My eyes widened. "Don't act like you don't enjoy my hands on you, baby." Vic teased. I rolled my eyes playfully. He wasn't wrong. "Shut it," I said, pulling him in for another kiss. 

     He got back into his car and waved goodbye. I linked arms with Alexa like we always do. We walked to my house.

      "So. I'm hungry. Please tell me your granddad is cooking his famous bourbon chicken for dinner. " Alexa said, pleading playfully.

     "Actually, he made some before he left for work. He texted me and said it's in the fridge. " I explained, smiling sweetly.   

     Here we are—my house. My aunt planted beautiful begonias by the front porch. Sigh. We walked to the front door, and my cats, Jaxon and Roxy, brushed up against our legs. Roxy was a beautiful, Russian Blue cat. Jaxon was a Persian cat with beautiful deep blue eyes. 

      They exchanged meows, and I knew I had to feed them. "You go ahead and put your things in my room. I'll put some food in their dish for them." I said as we entered my house.

     She nodded, and I watched her walk up the stairs for a few seconds before I grabbed food for the cats. I walked over to the kitchen to grab the food out of our pantry. They only like the cat food from Blue Mountain. I don't know what the difference is, but if they like it, they like it.

     I opened the bag, still annoyed by the crinkling sound it makes every time and grabbed a scoop of the cat food. I walked it outside to their dish and pet both of them before I walked inside.

     When I came back into the kitchen to put away the scoop and wash my hands, I saw that Alexa had helped herself to the chicken.

      I could only shake my head and smile. "You must be quite famished, darling. " I said, faking a British accent.      

    We ate the delicious food and raced upstairs to watch some Inuyasha. Alexa's favorite show right now. Mine will always be Supernatural and Game of Thrones. 

*Fast forward until Granddad gets home*

    We heard the garage door open and a vehicle that is parking. Then the garage door opened. "I'm home!" Granddad shouted. We rushed over to him and gave him a big hug. He picked us up and swung us around. 

     "My my, Alexa, you haven't grown much since I last saw you, sweetheart. How ya been?" He asked, with his sweet and caring tone. "I've been pretty good. I've missed you two a lot, though. How about you?" Lexa said, smiling sweetly.

   "To be honest, not that great. But I'm managing." He said, trying to mask the melancholy in his voice by being positive. Oh boy, I hope he doesn't tell her what I was going to tell her.

   "Why is that?" She asked, confused in tone. I looked at my granddad and put my index finger to my lips. "It's nothing to worry about, dear. Enjoy your night." He said reassuringly. Thank you, Granddad.

   I pulled Alexa up the stairs and shouted "Goodnight" when I reached the top of the stairs. "Goodnight, girls." I heard as we entered our room.

   "Let's watch Inuyasha," I said Lexa, as I grabbed a Dr. Pepper and a Minute Maid fruit punch from my mini-fridge.

   I handed her Dr. Pepper. She received it with caution. "Hm... I don't remember you ever suggesting anime when we're together. What's your deal? You've got something on your mind, I can tell." She said warily. Shit.

   " You're right. I have something I need to tell you. I wasn't entirely truthful when I said my granddad wasn't allowing me to go over to your house to hang out after school. You see, my aunt, she's been really sick ever since school started. I had to take care of her in the evenings after school, and my granddad watched her while I was in school. I didn't want to talk about it because she was rushed to the hospital a couple of nights ago. She slipped into a coma when she got into the ambulance." I explained, with a little tear rolling down my left cheek. 

   "Oh, my goodness, gracious. You could've told me. I would've helped you. Prayed for you. You're my best friend. Mi Familia." She said, pulling me into a hug.

    "I know. I wouldn't tell you if it wasn't that serious. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you sooner." I replied, squeezing her back. "It's okay. At least you told me." She said, smiling at me. I nodded.

  "Let's change into our PJs now. Do you still have my Batman ones? The flannel shorts and a t-shirt?" She asked, searching for them in my dresser. "Yes, ma'am, I do. They're in the second drawer to your right." I replied, smiling at her. 

  I went to get my Spider-man PJs, and I put them on. She grabbed her fave blanket from my closet, and we climbed on top of my bed with our drinks after I turned off the lights. She pressed play for Inuyasha. After 4 episodes, we were knocked out. We were that tired.