"Broken"

Thirty Five

Alexa's POV:

That night I sat in Shawn's living room, waiting anxiously to hear from him.

Aaliyah came and sat down next to me. I could feel the tension building in my shoulders. She didn't know the details of our situation, and she shouldn't have to, she's 10 years old for god's sake. Damien really is a sicko, but that's nothing new.

She tapped on my shoulder, making me look her way. Her bright eyes and her wide smile made me forget everything that was going on, even if it was for just a brief moment.

My thoughts were pushed aside as she began to speak.

Aaliyah: "Alexa?"

Alexa: "yeah? What's up?" I answered, turning to face her.

Aaliyah: "did my brother tell you where he was going?"

Alexa: "yeah, he just had something to take care of with someone from school, don't worry about it, he'll be home soon" I said smiling, trying to convince myself of that at the same time.

Aaliyah: "okay..." she said, nodding her head.

Alexa: "so, what do you wanna do in the meantime?"

Aaliyah: "hmm...let's make cookies!"

Alexa: "perfect! I have the best recipe!"

Aaliyah: "yay!" She squealed before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the kitchen.

We gathered all of our supplies and materials, pre-heated the oven, and began to make our batter. A few minutes into the process, Aaliyah began to speak.

I anxiously tightened my grip on the whisk, afraid she would ask for more details about Shawn's whereabouts.

Aaliyah: "is your full name Alexandra?" She asked, tilting her head.

I laughed quietly as my grip loosened, and a feeling of relief soared through my veins.

Alexa: "yeah, it's Alexandra Amelia Coleman" I said, still chucking softly.

Aaliyah: "wow, that sounds like it would be a princess's name! I love!"

Alexa: "haha, thank you. I think Aaliyah is a pretty cool name too" I said smiling

Aaliyah: "thanks" she said laughing "does anyone call you Alexandra?"

Alexa: "my grandmother does, and my mom does whenever she's mad at me" I said jokingly winking at her and she laughed.

Aaliyah: "so what do people call you?"

Alexa: "I mean, it depends on the person honestly. Most people call me Alexa, but my close friends and family have all given me different nicknames."

Aaliyah: "really? Like what?" She said, sounding intrigued.

Alexa: "well, your brother calls me Ally, my parents call me Lexi, and the guys from hockey call me Alexatraz"

Aaliyah: "Alexatraz? Where did that come from?"

Alexa: "well, I was a goalie for one season, and alcatraz was this like crazy insane prison we were learning about in history, so since only one person ever scored on me, they started calling me that because it's like a combo of Alexa and Alcatraz, and only one person was ever able to escape from there so...I don't know, it's honestly kind of stupid, but they insisted on calling me that, so I don't object" I said, chuckling. 

Aaliyah: "Alexatraz...I like it" she said, laughing.

As soon as the laughter died down and we continued with the baking she began to speak again.

Aaliyah: "so...what can I call you?" She asked

Alexa: "whatever you want" I said, looking back at her with a smile.

Aaliyah: "I don't know..."

Alexa: "how about I come up with a nickname for you, and you come up with one for me?"

Aaliyah: "okay!"

After a few minutes, she finally spoke again.

Aaliyah: "I've got it!"

Alexa: "me too! You go first!"

Aaliyah: "okay, how about... LEXA!"

Alexa: "I love it!! And yours will be Liyah!!"

Aaliyah: "Lexa and Liyah!!"

Alexa: "haha yes! I love!"

Just as we were laughing, and celebrating our nickname breakthrough, I heard a loud knock on the door, and stopped dead in my tracks.

***
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading chapter 35!!
Who do you guys think is at the door? Shawn? Damien? Who could it be?
Hope you enjoyed it, and as always, if you want to follow me on my socials, my Instagram is @1d.mendes_updates
and my Twitter is @OneDirecShawn98
Love you guys! -ShawnsDirectionxx
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