Twice Over

Chapter Twenty Four - Purloin

purloin
verb
1. steal (something)
2. make off with belongings of others

"Thank you, that sounds heavenly," I replied as another nurse arrived in the room. The second nurse was an older lady called Emily who was really strong. I was helped out of bed and taken to the bathroom for a shower, and dressed again in boy leg panties with a sports bra and tank top. They helped me back to bed and propped my leg up again with the ice packs and covered me with a blanket.

When I settled back down I noticed that Eyva was gone and so was my phone.

"Have you seen my phone anywhere?" I think Nurse Emily changed the sheets on my bed while I was in the shower. She looked at me then over at the empty seat that Eyva was sitting in.

"Um..."

"She took my phone didn't she?"

"I saw her with two phones a moment before she left. I can't say if it was your phone with her or not." She then busied herself cleaning up the rest of the room before leaving without another word. She obviously didn't want to get involved at all.

Grant walked in with breakfast a moment later in two take away boxes.

"Eyva took my phone. Can I please use yours to contact mum or Wallace, please? Thanks for this too, by the way. It looks great."

"She dumped your breakfast as soon as we got out of the car here at the hospital, pretending like she tripped and accidentality let it go. She is a total bitch and I have no idea why she has it out for you." He sits down again next to my bed.

"Nurse Monica? Could you open the curtains for me now? I was scared she'd take photos of me half naked."

"She'd do something like that? That's awful!" I can only nodded at her then turned to Grant.

"You were pretty quiet when you arrived. What did she do to you?" I ask Grant, but he only scowls and shakes his head, but that is enough to tell me she was bagging on his style.

[Hi Wallace, this it Lily on Grant's phone. I went for a shower and now my phone is missing. So is Eyva. I don't know if she has my phone, she may have picked it up accidentality. Do you think you could ask her to keep an eye out for it for me please?]

[Why would she have your phone?] was his reply.

[I think our phones are nearly identical. Most likely she picked my up by mistake.] OK, that's an outright lie. Her phone looks nothing like mine.

[She just left you at the hospital now? Did she say where she was going?]

[She had an appointment. That is what she said after she first arrived. Maybe she's going to school?] at 10am in the morning? Yeah, right....

[OK, thanks.]

So he now knows she possibly took my phone. And is either late to school, or not going to school today. Feels good to get her into trouble.

"You told him on purpose?" Grant asked after reading what I'd text Wallace on his phone.

"In a round about way, giving him facts, but letting him draw his own conclusion. I learned from the best of the freakin' best." He tilted his head to the side as he ate his breakfast. My eggs were yummy too.

"Who, if you mind me asking."

"Need to know. And you don't." I giggled at his frowning face. "No need to mess that handsome face of yours. Thinking will hurt your brain. What's left of it." I giggle again, laughing harder this time when he pretends to throw his fork at me.

"Wanna play an RPG?" I ask him as we finish up eating breakfast.

"Yeah, sure." He pulls out his phone as I pull out my laptop.

"The Witcher? W.O.W? Mass Effect? Final Fantasy Ass-Creed?" He shook his head at every suggestion. "Um... Disney? Stardew? South Park?" I'm giggling again, choosing all the kiddy games. I sigh an over dramatic sigh and slump down on my bed.

"I givvvve uppp!" The up sounded with a 'pop'!

He gently donked me on the head and shook his phone at me. I grabbed it off him.

"Zelda? Really? Hahaha!"

We played until lunch time with Mum arrived with our lunch.

"Thanks for hanging with me today, Grant. It's been swell." I'm only miffed at losing to him in a tally of points. I lost everything, he won everything. I hate him...

"Better luck next time."

"How about a re-match. Mass Effect - this time I will kick your arse. OK?"

"Sure, sure. What ever." He waved an arm over his head on his way out the door after saying goodbye to my mum.

"Hey!" I yelled to get his attention. He turned around and raised an eyebrow in question.

"You forgot something, Grant." I lift my arms, begging for a hug goodbye. He gave a funny little smile and came over to me in the bed and hugged me real tight.

"Hmmm, that was a good hug. Thanks bro. Later dude."

He walked out chuckling at my stupid antics.

"You sure he's gay?" Mum asked and I could only giggle.

We had a chicken salad each for lunch with extra mayo and a shake with extra protein. Both were super yummy. I talked to mum briefly about how Ayva was last seen with my phone and she let me borrow her private phone for the day, until my phone was found.

I was thinking about if there was anything on my phone that would indicate that I had leaked the mall CCTV video footage, but apart from having a copy of it on my phone there was nothing else.

I messaged the hacker via my laptop from a secure site that wasn't a social media site and didn't have an app on my phone. So I was happy that, although she might be able to get into my phone, she couldn't accuse me of sending the video out to her school mates.

Because, if I think about it, all those sports jocks who picked on Grant yesterday at the mall and caused me to fall over the banister, they were in Eyva's group of friends who believed the ruled the world. Or at least, this little slice of it, anyway.

"Mum, did anything happen to those guys from the incident at the mall? Did Wallace do something, or was the police called?"

"Wallace didn't call the police just yet." I frowned at this.

"Why not?"

"Because they are all young boys from influential families who have bright futures ahead of them. If this goes on their records legally, if will affect not just them and their families, will cause problems with not only my company Gemini, but about a dozen other companies that rely on both Wallace's and my businesses. Between the two of us, we are responsible for nearly six thousand employees and contactors and affiliates. Understand?"

"Yeah, actually I do." I reply. "It sux, they deserve to hurt like they made Grant and I hurt, but I get it." I grumble, folding my arms and sulking like a baby.

"Mum, why does life have to be so freakin' hard?" I ask, wondering if knowing the future will make things any easier the second time around.