Truth or Death? [on hold]

At Royal Crust's

Hi people who are kind enough to give this story a try :)

The chapter is unedited, so please be nice? I don't mind you telling me if I made a mistake, just don't be rude about it :) thank you.

Well have a good read and tell me what you think!

~Rosie

At Royal Crust's

Once again I was sitting on one of the wooden benches at Royal Crust’s, my backside almost numb from all the waiting. I don’t know why I even bothered anymore considering that everyone else had lost faith at this point. Maybe because unlike them, I was too scared to let go.

                “Hey sweetie, don’t you think that you should go home? It’s getting dark out there.” I glanced up at the bleach blond middle aged woman and sighed loudly—she probably wants me out to free the place for the other customers.

                “Can you get me a black tea, please Stacie,” I said hoping that she would just drop it and leave me alone; as long as she was getting some money out of it, I don’t think that my presence would be considered as nuisance—at least not as much.

Reluctantly, she gave a quick nod and left without another word. I win, I thought whilst looking at the Christmas lights that hung outside. I placed my cheek on the window and unfocusedly stared at the lights that seemed to become blurrier and blurrier; rich gold, electric blue, crimson red and acid green spots stood out from the darkness, all filling my sight with their magical contrast. I slowly closed my tired green eyes and enjoyed the pleasant coldness that spread on left side of my face.

My reverie was cut short when Stacie brought me my tea, though I didn’t bother to open my eyes. I waited a few seconds for her to leave, but now she was sat across from me on one of the wooden chairs. Her brown eyes were ringed with a thick layer of eyeliner, making them ‘pop’ even more, and her skinny hands were cupping the coffee mug she brought with her, along with my small cup of tea.

                “Alexandra Belle Evans, you have to give it a rest. It’s been four hours! Seriously, I know how har—”

                “It’s Lexi,” I said as balled my fists under the table, digging my nails in my palms. I swallowed all of the nasty words I was about to say and simply smiled at her. Moved my left hand, whilst my right one still rested on my lap, and brushed my cold cheek with the tip of my finger—I like how the cold seemed to melt under my touch, how it felt like ice under an early spring ray of sunlight. If I ignore her, she’ll give up and leave.

                “Fine, Lexi. Stop torturing yourself, he’s gone and you know it, everyone knows it. It’s been two years and even up ‘til now, haven’t heard anything from the police!” I flinched at her words and tried to form my own but nothing came; every single one of them died on my lips. I sat there with my mouth hanging, not knowing how to respond.

Aware of the effects of her words on me, Stacie shot me a look full of pity and walk off. Funnily enough, although I tried to ignore her and her brutal ways, I couldn’t bring myself to hate her or even despise her. She was right. I glanced down at my warm cup of tea and brought it to my lips; the hot liquid glided down my throat, sending an orange coloured warmth through my cold body. I smiled at the goodness of the herbal mixture and stayed sat for another hour or so.

At this point, I knew I should’ve left but something in my head kept telling me that if I did, he would show up and think that no one believed in him. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want him to know that everyone was trying to forget about his disappearance or that my father had become a stranger to me. I didn’t want him to know that I waited here because I didn’t feel comfortable at home and that everything had changed since then.