Alyssa didn't bring many dresses. More than half her clothes were lying in her cupboard, back in Winchestor. Left unused and untouched, even though Catherine had tried to sneak in a few extra clothes into Alyssa's bag.
"Seriously, Alyssa, you're in dire need of some clothes. There are barely enough here," Tarlos said, examining her luggage.
"We can go shopping sometime!" Amiya yelled, bumping the air with her fists. "I'll call dad and ask him for some money..."
Tarlos nodded. "I'll tell Mom, too."
Alyssa face tightened, as her friends made these plans. All her money was already in the bank. She didn't have any mom or dad to call. She wished she could though... even if it only be to hear them scold her for having spent too much cash. She wished she could listen to their voice again...
But no...
"Alyssa, you okay?" Amiya asked.
"Yes...yes," Alyssa didn't know whether she was trying to convince them or herself that she was okay. Because in truth, she was not okay. Far from it...
Though Amiya's eyes did narrow slightly, she backed off the topic. "Did you find anything for her to wear, Tarlos?"
"Yeah...what about this?" Tarlos pulled out a royal blue, turtleneck dress that had been gifted to her by Liarane on her 16th birthday on 9 February. The last birthday she'd had with them. Because five months later...
Alyssa shook her head. She was about to tread into the danger zone...
"Perfect," Alyssa croaked. Though she wasn't sure if she would be able to wear it without bursting into tears...
***
"This Challenger is awesome!" Amiya whooped, as Alyssa made a swerve for the direction towards which Amiya had pointed.
"You've been saying the same thing ever since you saw it, Amiya!" Tarlos said, amused. The Challenger had been a gift to Alyssa after the success if Beverly's Princess, one of Liarane Taylor's most hit plays of all times.
"But still...Hey, Liz, how fast can you drive?"
"These roads are too crowded. I'll show you someday. I love driving fast!" Alyssa said, smiling, as adrenaline took control. She rolled down the windows, feeling the wind slashing across her face. It was a feeling no one should miss...
Alyssa swerved right to avoid a car, and as she drove away, she could no longer hear the driver cursing her for driving 'recklessly fast'. But Alyssa knew what she was doing well enough...
"Right," Amiya directed.
After a few seconds, they had finally reached their destination. Alyssa cut off the ignition. Her hair was messy, but she was happy. She beamed.
But Amiya whined, "Gosh, my pretty hair!"
Her red hair had finally turned into a bird's nest, much to Alyssa's and Tarlos' amusement.
The coffee shop was nothing like a typical Starbucks or CCD. It was small but cozy, and soft music floated from within. Built near a small river, it overlooked a wonderful scenery. Definitely a stress-buster place.
Alyssa followed Tarlos in, and they took a seat at the corner table, which could seat over ten people and was the largest table there.
"Wait, did you invite someone else?" Tarlos asked Amiya.
Alyssa looked around, momentarily blocking out their conversation.
The room was wood-panelled, with flower-pots and pictures in the corners. A couple of nature photos were hanging from the walls. There was a sweet aroma in the air.
An old man, who was apparently the waiter there, asked for their orders. Amiya told him that they would order after the others arrived.
And Alyssa closed her eyes, leaning against the back of her chair. The musicians were playing Titanic and Alyssa let the music engulf her.
It was the first time Alyssa was listening to any kind of music, in almost a whole month. First time since then that she felt the music speak to her again. First time...that she let the old passion overwhelm her again.
She hadn't allowed it the last month. She had been so depressed that she had given up her biggest love, just because of how much it touched her. And she hadn't wanted to be touched.
But now, she couldn't refuse it, and it unnerved her... Too much.
Thankfully, though, before Alyssa could fall deeper into something she didn't want to fall back to, her friends arrived. Alyssa was so deep into her thoughts, she'd jumped up in fright when Amiya poked her. But now, she was grateful... They had saved her from the emotions she desperately wanted to get rid of...
The 'friends' just happened to be their guy-pals, and to Alyssa's horror, Jason Rios...
Jaden, as usual, greeted Alyssa with a huge smile and took a seat beside her. He'd ditched his skull ... ornaments for that day, it seemed. Though Alyssa was shocked to see the change, she decided to ignore it and go to the more serious topic at hand.
"Any progress with Jason?" she quickly asked him, because Jason was as blank as usual.
Jaden pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, haven't told him yet."
Alyssa nodded. Well, at least she would have to bear the bad news yet. Jason was sitting across from her, beside Parker. He was busy on his phone, and parker being himself, was busy flirting with poor, shy Basil, who honestly looked scared out of her wits.
Everybody ordered coffee or tea, except Tarlos and Jason, and then they all began chatting about school, teachers, passions... And then a game of truth began.
First, Amiya received answer, and parker question.
"So...which boy do you like the most in the school?"
As a matter of fact, Alyssa knew that Amiya had a boyfriend named Ethan Witherspoon, but he wasn't in their school. Nevertheless, Amiya replied calmly, "Calvin Hayes."
"Oh ho? And who is this Calvin Hayes?" parker asked, wriggling his eyebrows ridiculously.
"A cute boy from class two. He's basil's brother." Amiya smiled proudly. Alyssa snorted. He had to praise Amiya's idea. Most people would've stuttered at that... Only Parker still looked confused.
"Brother?" he murmured. "You never told me you had a brother!" he cried, cupping his cheeks like a child, as he stared at Basil.
Basil rolled her eyes, evidently feeling much bolder than before. "Can we continue the game?" she asked Jaden with a sober expression on his face.
And thus, it continued.
Alyssa received a few answers herself. None of them were too awkward, for all Alyssa cared. They didn't involve her past, at least.
Though Amiya had once asked her if she was a virgin. Alyssa had deadpanned her 'yes'. Surprisingly, Alyssa found out that almost everyone was a virgin there, except John, Mia and, to her surprise and to Parker's horror, Basil.
At that, Alyssa remembered Fanny's words to her. "No one at our age is still a virgin, Liz..." Fanny had rolled her eyes, with a mocking look on her face. "You don't have to worry about your dad or your mom, just get laid! You have a suitable choice in your boyfriend already."
Alyssa winced at her memory. Right now, she was glad that Ander had given her that massive lecture, when he heard of those opinions from her mouth. She was glad she had listened to him, because she never could anymore...
Bringing Alyssa back to the present, Tarlos asked her about her passions. And for a second there, Alyssa didn't know what to say. Should she include singing? She hadn't sung for so long... But Alyssa didn't want to lie anymore than she already had. So she said, "Singing and driving."
Alyssa wanted to move on, but giving up singing was only another way of holding on to her past. If everything were to be normal again, then Alyssa's biggest passion would definitely have been singing. And Alyssa wanted to be normal again.
"Really? You can sing?" Amiya asked excitedly.
Alyssa smiled. "Yeah." It felt strangely good to reply in positive to that question.
"Oh, Liz, do sing a song for us!" she said excitedly. "I love music, but I was never very good at it..."
And then, Alyssa's smile fell. She hadn't sung in two months. Would she be able to do it now? Should she? But the excitement in all her friends' faces was too hopeful for her to refuse. Even the boys were excited...except of course, Jason.
Alyssa sang Fix You by Coldplay. It was a song most true to real life. Each and every word. That's why she chose it; that's why she loved it.
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse...
But she couldn't go on anymore. Her breath was stuck in her throat... She was having to stifle her tears and stifle the memories. It was hard, and she had to remind herself...she couldn't cry in front of them.
She didn't feel sad, though. She didn't feel sad singing those four lines, though she hadn't been able to continue.
But when she looked up at the faces of her little audience, she was surprised to find them already clapping. Her friends looked surprise and happy...
"That was amazing, Alyssa!" Jaden clapped her on the back.
"Yeah," Parker yelled. "I'm in love already! Hey, Jasy-Poo, why don't you do a duet with her sometimes?" he asked, pretending to wipe his tears emotionally.
And Jason merely stared at her dubiously, for a moment, with a strange expression on his face... However, he quickly got over it and gave Parker a deathly glare for his words.
"Don't call me Jasy-Poo!"