Reliving Yesterday ✔

Chapter 40.

My father was almost giddy with self-pride the day he announced to me that he had taken two weeks off travelling and would be working from home in lieu of my birthday, and every single day before and after. It was almost too much to see him awake and bright eyed every morning before I went to school, readying breakfast and assuring me that I had a lunch that would knock every other high-schooler's out of the park. 

It was fun to see him as I walked through the door after a particularly long and tiring day of school, eager to hear about my day, but also respectful of those days that I needed to not talk about my day. It was fabulous to get dinner ready with him and then to sit down and eat it as the small family we were, over stories of places he had been and things that he had seen. 

It was especially wonderful when he would come into my room and kiss me goodnight on the occasion that I did go to sleep before he did and then start the whole process again the next day. It made for a comforting routine that I had not had the pleasure of having for years.

It had been a few days since Parker and I had spent any sort of time together. My father chalked it up to the fact that he was at home and I was taking advantage of his presence. I didn't try to argue with him. He was happy and I was happy avoiding Parker.

The same couldn't be said for Parker, however. From the day he left me alone in that motel, he has been trying to apologize, but I refuse to hear anything he has to say. I wanted an explanation, but the way Parker had handled things were just not right. I was furious.

"What do you want to do on your birthday?" my father asked me over dinner one night.

I shrugged, unable to think of anything I wanted other than his company.

He smiled. "I'm sure Parker has big plans," he told me, raising his eyebrows.

My laugh came out in almost a scoff, and I quickly took a sip of water. "Yeah, Dad, I'm sure he does," I told him, not wanting to worry him.

He didn't ask me about my plans and I didn't want to elaborate.

Four days into my father's eighteen-day home stay, I was snuggled up in my bed, a book in hand. The house was silent and my father had already retired for the night. I had heard his snores as I walked past his room earlier.

Instinctively, I always listened to the sounds coming from the street. It was an oddly quiet night and our street was never busy. Parker and I used to just lie in the street during summer nights and watch the stars.

I lifted my head to look at the glow-in-the-dark ones that adorned my ceiling and thought of Parker.

Why was he so stubborn? Why did he refuse to tell me anything?

Before I even knew it, I had drifted off to sleep.

My father woke me up the next day and pushed me off to school where I experienced a complete and utter lack of Parker.

"Someone's birthday is coming up," Hanna sang as she snuck up on me as I relieved my locker of the books I would be needing. I closed my locker door and turned to smile at her.

"What have you been planning, Han?" I asked her, knowing full well that she had something up her sleeve.

"Let's hang out after school today?" she asked, "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

I sighed. She was right. It had been eons since I had a proper hang-out session with Hanna, so, I agreed. "Sure, I'll tell my Dad."

"Great. I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

I agreed and headed off to class after sending my Dad a text saying I wouldn't be home after school.

Before I went to join Hanna for lunch, I stopped by the admin office to check on Parker.

"Hey, Ms. Winters," I said to the administrative secretary, a tall, slim woman, with an immaculate bun placed at the nape of her neck and stereotypical grandma shaped glasses hanging around her neck on a chain.

She put on her glasses and looked at me. "Alexandra Hale," she told me, like I might have forgotten my own name, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Uh, is Parker Wesley in school today?" I asked, smiling at her.

She eyed me with a raised brow and then lowered her eyes to a ledger in front of her. She ran a long, bony finger down one page and up the other.

"His mother called and said he wouldn't be in today."

"WHAT?"

Ms. Winters eyed me again. "Dear girl, are you deaf? His mother –"

"Yeah, I heard. Thanks, Ms. Winters."

I pulled out my phone and tried calling Parker to no avail. I sent him about five texts, but there was no response.

All throughout the next four periods, I tried to contact Parker, but there was absolutely no getting through to him. I assumed he would be in the Lake Town. His mother calling in for him was the worst news I could have heard.

I had almost forgotten everything about the day, standing outside school after last period, wondering what to do, when Hanna bounded up to me looking like she did whenever we watched Bambi.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Oh, Alex, I gotta go home," she whimpered, "My Mom called and told me that we've got to go visit my grandparents this weekend, so we're leaving tonight."

"Oh, that's alright, Han," I said to her.

"I promise I'll take you out next week, okay?" she said.

"It's a date," I replied, smiling.

She pulled me in for a hug, planted a kiss on my cheek and bounded away, swinging her pretty blonde hair back and forth.

I sighed, feeling so utterly tired.

I walked out of school, figuring I'll go get a drink and a snack and maybe head home. I turned a corner taking a slightly empty street towards my favorite snack place.

I had walked a few yards when I started getting an eerie feeling, like someone was watching me.

I immediately turned around, in time to see a man close in on me.

"Alexandra Hale," he said, smoothly, smirking.

I looked at his face. It was the same man from the back room in the Lake Town. The same man who had pulled a gun on Parker.

"Uh, sorry, you've got the wrong person," I said as calmly as I could and turned to walk away.

"Not so fast," he said, grabbing my hand and getting ahead of me.

He pulled his coat back to reveal a gun in his holster. "Don't try anything," he warned me, "I'm sure we can overpower you." He nodded down the road to two other men – the other two men from the Lake Town – standing a little further away from us.

"You've got the wrong person." I said, again and tried to move forward, but he put his arms up and cut in front of me.

"Oh, I'd beg to differ," he told me.

I stuck my jaw out and raised an eyebrow. "Then beg."

I started walking away and I could hear him chuckle.

"You're feisty," he said, catching up to me, stopping me and turning me to face him, "I can see why he likes you, Alexandra. Or Alex. That's what he calls you, right? The boy. Alex."

I just stared at the man.

"I'm sure you don't want Parker to get hurt, do you?" he asked.

I didn't reply.

"I didn't think so. So, here's what you're going to do, Alex. You're going to come with us, without resisting, because as you saw, I have a gun and you should know that I don't care about you enough to not hurt you. So, if you want that boy to ever see the light of day again, I suggest you come with us."