Unanchored: Inspired by Demi Lovato (book 1 of the unanchored series)

43. ⚓️

"I can't believe I got a ticket." Demi groaned, stashing the ticket in the glove compartment.

"Maybe if you hadn't been doing whatever it was that you call "flirting," then you wouldn't have gotten a ticket," I said, taking off my seatbelt as Demi did the same. I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. As I was waiting all year for Demi to get out of the car, I looked away from the bowling alley that we were about to enter. I turned my head to the left of the parking lot and I notice a woman sitting in a dark green Jeep. Her windows were up and a little tinted, but I could tell that she was staring right at me.

"Are you ready, J?" Demi asked, pulling my scrutiny away from the mysterious woman in the car, who was not too far from where Demi and I were.

I shifted my head back around and answered, "Oh, so now I'm J now?" I walked over to the side of the car. "I don't know, I just figured that since Emma calls you that all the time that you wouldn't mind," Demi says, standing beside me as leans on her car. "I mean, I get it if you don't want me to—" "Demi, it's fine. You can call me 'J'." I chuckled.

"Are you sure?" Demi asked as I turned my head to see if the woman who was previously watching me was still in her vehicle. "What are you looking at? Is everything okay, love?" She asked. I quickly moved my head back and said, "Oh...uh nothing, everything's fine. Let's just go inside and have some fun." I said, smiling and completely ignoring the fact that there was a woman who was ogling me from her car.

I linked my arm to Demi's, steering her to the entrance of Bowls of Fury. When we went inside, the place was wholly magical and whimsical. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I felt like I was in a Kpop music video. Everything in here was colorful. There was not an ounce of bland neutral colors besides the ceiling which was a shade of eggshell white.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Do you mind waiting here until I get back?" She asked. "Sure, " I nodded. "Okay, great. I promise I won't take too long." Demi said, smiling. "You better not," I said, jokingly even though Demi did not crack one smile.

I immediately dropped my smile and frowned at a stern-looking Demi. "Don't be so cheeky, missy." She warned with cocked up eyebrows. "Okay, sorry." I apologized, putting my hands up in defense with a smirk on my face.

Demi lightly pinched my cheek and walked away, leaving me alone to dance to "Malamente" by Rosalía. I found myself dancing to every best before a guy, who looked like he could Jeffrey Dahmer's cousin, started hitting on me. He came up from behind and said, "Hey, there. You look a little lost." The middle-aged man flirted, hovering over me and letting his dick brush against my butt. "Fuck off, you pervert." I berated, trying to walk away from him, but he got a good clasp on my wrist and twisted it.

"Ow, " I exclaimed in pain. "What the hell is your problem?" I angrily interrogated as I was staring him dead in the eye. "Don't you have something else better to do besides bothering underaged teens?" I rhetorically asked, not expecting him give me a response and when he did, I wanted to smack the shit out of him.

"Actually, I do. Every day after school, I take my daughters roller skating here." He admits as if I interested in his life at all. "Listen here, you fucking pedo, I couldn't give two shits about your life background, even if it came out of a monkey's ass. What I know is that you better take your fucking hands off of me and step away before I scream bloody murder." I threatened, yanking my hand out of his grip.

He snickered, "You're not serious. Girl, I could light you up like a Christmas tree and you wouldn't be able to stop me because you're weak. You're nothing but a little girl talking shit out of her ass." Fuck. I felt myself shitting down and breaking into a meltdown.  This guy is right. I am so vulnerable. So vulnerable that every word he says is breaking me bit by bit. I felt myself growing weaker and weaker. A lump built up in my throat and my eyes were glassy. I closed my eyes in fear of showing him that I was in fact weak.

"Step away from the girl." A voice said. I opened my eyes to see a tall black woman with straight hair. She was glaring at the vile man in utter and disgust. "Oh, yeah and what are you gonna do about it, if I don't." The man said. The black woman pulled out handcuffs from her back and showed them to the guy. Instantly, the guy froze up in dismay.

"You see these pretty ladies. They're going to go on you if you don't leave this girl alone." She said with a grim look on her face.

The man quickly moved away from me and skated off into the rink. I couldn't see him anymore because he got lost in between the rest of the skaters.

"Thank you, officer," I said, thanking her. "It's Detective Bennett to you, Jade." She said, making me burrow my eyebrows. "Wait how do you know my name?" I asked. She looked away, sighing. "Maybe, we should do this outside. It's a little loud in here." She suggested as she was walking away. "Wait, are you...my mom?" I asked. She halted and good there for a hot minute before she turned to face me again.

"No, I'm a private detective. Your biological mother, Amy asked me to find you. She's been looking for you, Jade." She announced. "My real...mom?" I asked, alleviating a tear from my right eye.

Wow, today is really sending me on a rollercoaster of emotions.