Waiting For Nick

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

How worse could the day get?
   Cissy mused as she struggled with four bags filled with groceries and a lot other stuff.
She'd awoken to find Lance leaving, her mother had suddenly decided to make her go on a death trip to buy half the store, and now, here she was, almost toppling over all the bags in her hands.
Cissy began to walk away from the store to get a cab home since her mother had had to go in the car to attend a fundraising meeting.
Five steps and more grumblings later, there was an earsplitting sound. A Gunshot?
Cissy nearly dropped all four bags in her hands. She turned around to find people everywhere, running and screaming. Yep, that definitely must have been a gunshot.
Another shot was fired. But Cissy, in all her fear, stood rooted to the spot, wondering which way to go, with four stupidly heavy bags.
Just as she began to walk-run in the left direction of the store, a car swerved and came right by her side.
"Cissy! What the hell! Get in the car now." The driver shouted above the pandemonium around.
Cissy spun around and despite the tense atmosphere around her, she couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face. She wasted no time in throwing the bags into the back of the car and then herself before he drove away.
"What's going on Nick?"
"Not sure. But it looks like the cops are after a few bad guys. They tried robbing that store. And what on earth were you doing, standing akimbo in the middle of a gunfire? You coulda been killed!"
She shrugged. "Not like I'm afraid of death."
"What?" Nick looked totally horrified, Cissy just had to laugh.
"What?" He asked again, this time in reference to her laughter. "If you could see the look on your face." Cissy said as she began to calm.
"Gee, thanks for laughing at me."
"Its my pleasure." She replied and saw him smirk.
"Thanks for driving me." She said, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah. Of course, I should get you home safely."
"So, what were you doing around there anyway?" She asked him.
"Wanted to get a few things before I went home, but then decided my life was more important than a couple cups of icecream for two hazardous kids.
Cissy chuckled.
He had kids? Was he married or something? Cissy mentally kicked herself for that question. Come on, who had two kids at what? Eighteen? She wanted to ask him about them but they could after all turn out to be his kids and his monstrous heart-eating wife's.
God, look where her imaginations had gotten her.
Just then, her phone rang. It was her mom.
"Hey, mom."
"Cissy! Oh, Cissy. I heard what happened. Are you alright? Are you hurt? Were you hit? Have you left the store? Are..."
"Mom...mom! I'm okay, alright?... Yeah I'm sure... Yes, very sure. A friend picked me up. I left the store a few minutes before it happened. I'm okay."
Cissy heard her mom sigh on the other end.
"Thank goodness, baby. I was so worried. Now, listen. Don't even bother trying to go home yet. There's no way. There's information that traffic's heavy and people should try staying somewhere safe till those guys are caught."
"Well, my house is safe!" Cissy deadpanned.
"Cee, they're still around there somewhere. Pls go home with this friend of yours. Would that be Iris?"
"No, mom. It's someone else."
"Whatever. I'll come pick you up myself, okay?"
"But mom..."
"Just do it, okay? Love you baby. Take care of yourself for me. And say hi to that nice friend of yours. Bye."
"Mom..." Cissy began but her mom had hung up. She turned to face Nick and sighed.
"My mom. Guess I'd be staying at your place for a while till this fuss dies down."
"Oh, ok. I think that's a good idea. Let's go home then."
Cissy nodded absentmindedly.
Her head came up when it really registered.
Wait...what? She was going to Nick Trenton's house?