Amiya and Basil wanted to go shopping with Alyssa. It was a Saturday. Mia was on a date with John while Tarlos was at a fashion exhibition. So it was just the three of them. They went to the closest and the one and only mall in Mel's Town.
Though Alyssa had gotten used to it, it still shocked her at times to consider how small a bubble Mel's Town was compared to Winchestor.
They went to the clothing store. Most of the clothes there would have to be classified under comfy rather than stylish. But Alyssa liked it, they were different from the ones she used to wear back in Winchestor, when she used to hang out with the likes of Fanny - who didn't even miss her when she moved.
Alyssa's eyes focused on a white, full-sleeved dress, with black and red flowers printed towards the base of the skirt. It looked so similar to a dress Catherine had given her on her fifteenth birthday. She hadn't brought that dress to Mel's Town, but seeing this one made her remember Catherine. Her only relative left.
Catherine wasn't her blood relative. She was Liarane's best friend. When Catherine had moved to Winchestor for her husband's job, Liarane was the first friend she'd made. Her Congolese descent wasn't favoured by most people there, who thought they were superiors to her.
Now Catherine was back in her old village. She'd left the very day Alyssa had. And they would never meet again... She would never head from her again either, unless it be through letters.
It hurt Alyssa, almost as much as Liarane and Ander's death did.
Amiya propped her head on Alyssa's shoulder, bringing her out of her daze. "Go on, try it," she said.
Alyssa shrugged. She would just buy it, because truth be told, Alyssa regretted having left so many memories in Winchestor – a place she never planned on visiting again, unless it was to be buried beside her parents there.
Though Alyssa and Basil were done with their shopping, Amiya still wasn't. So Alyssa and Basil sat in front of the changing room, talking about random stuff, graciously deciding that further arguments with Amiya would only result in further delay.
Basil was asking her about some doubts she had regarding the history project. She and her partner, Shana, had already started working on it. "Where the heck is Jason Rios?!" Alyssa wondered.
"At least I'm glad it's not one of the boys," Basil said when Alyssa asked her how Shana was as a partner.
"Why?" Alyssa questioned, slightly amused at her friend's fright of boys.
"They're just so...unwilling to do well and well, scary." Basil shuddered and pursed her lips. She was unwilling to state anything else on that topic.
Well, I doubt Parker would've been unwilling. It's a pity he's not in your class."
Basil blushed red and stuttered out... "Oh come on, not him. He scares me the worst."
Alyssa gave her an 'are-you-kidding-me?!' gaze. It was obvious to everyone that Parker liked Basil more than he did any other girl he tended to flirt with. But Basil always seemed to be so frightened of him, when he was one of the least scary and most approachable guys, both in appearance and nature.
"Let's talk about something else," basil said and immediately drove into a talk about the antics of her puppy, Chocopie. That was the fastest she'd seen someone change subject in a conversation.
***
After their cloth shopping, the three of them went to Starbucks and ordered their favourite coffees. Amiya was talking about her upcoming Drama show of a shorter and more realistic version of Maleficient. That was one of the biggest plays their school theatre group was to perform.
"When wit?" Alyssa asked, her mouth full of the fluffy cream and sugar she'd swallowed.
"December 1."
"Whefinitely coming to wat wit," she managed to say, her mouth already burning with the too fastly gulped coffee. The only thing she could think though, was – "Definitely not coming to watch it."
She didn't think she could survive a theatre show without revisiting Liarane's plays...
As she was trying to prevent her tongue from burning from the coffee, however, her phone rang. At the most unlucky time. Alyssa didn't know whether to swallow the coffee first or pick it up.
Finaly, she managed to excuse herself and ran out to the washroom.
"Hello?" she asked, annoyed. Whoever it had been, had called at the worst time possible.
"Yo, it's Jason Rios."
And Alyssa didn't know whether to scold him or meekly listen, since her not-so-dear History marks were at stake.
"Yes?"
"We're starting tomorrow, right? At four?"
"Okay, I'll be needing your address."
"Or you could be waiting at the school gate since that's near your hostel and I'll pick you up. Bye."
And dead went the line.
Alyssa had to look at the phone screen to make sure he really had hanged up, without even waiting for her reply.
Well...she hoped tomorrow's project wouldn't be too hard...