Alyssa was back from Jaden's house by noon. At the hostel, she sat alone. She wasn't scared of lonely rooms anymore. And right now, she felt like she really needed some time alone.
She picked up a pen and one of the many exercise books scattered in her bed. her mind seemed blank, but her hands seemed to move of their own accord. She scribbled down some random lines which she remembered writing a long time ago, in an attempt to piece together a lyric.
I'm lonely but I don't want to be alone...
He doesn't leave my mind yet I want him to...
She couldn't ward off the truth for long. She'd been too harsh to Jason. She must apologize. And this time, she knew she wouldn't do it for her history marks. She would do it because she'd told him she would be his friend.
***
Alyssa looked at the table clock. She frowned when she saw the time - it was 4 o'clock. Amiya and Tarlos should've been back way before. She picked up her phone to call them.
At that very moment, her phone rang up. It was Amiya.
"Hey, Liz. I think you should come down to Parker's house immediately. It's the guys."
Before Alyssa could even say a word, she'd hanged up. Her voice had been slightly trembling. From her tone, it had seemed like something very serious had happened. Alyssa did not waste any time. She immediately grabbed the keys and left the room, her mind already filling with worry.
She drove fast, pushed by anxiety, despite the afternoon traffic. Every second, theories were cropping up in her mind, each worse than its precedent. Finally, she reached Parker's house, and parked the car in the driveway.
Her hands were clammy. She wiped the sweat on her skirt, before ringing the door-bell. Seconds later, Amiya opened the door. Seeing Alyssa, she heaved a sigh. She was looking distressed.
"What happened?" Alyssa asked in a worried tone.
"Why don't you ask them?" Amiya replied, climbing up the stairs. Alyssa followed her, while roughly taking in the house interiors. To say the least, Parker's house was gigantic, but for most part of it, empty.
Amiya opened a door and entered.
Parker and Jaden sat on a couch, while Amiya, Basil and Mia occupied another one. Tarlos was standing by the bed, attending to Karson and Jason, both of whom looked downright miserable.
Alyssa's eyes narrowed, her breath hitching up, as she saw the blood soaked clothes. "What the ... "
"Alyssa!" Jaden bellowed, laughing nervously as he foresaw the expression of horror and realization in her face. "It's nothing serious!"
Alyssa frowned. "Don't lie, Jaden. Did they ... fight?" she asked, eyeing Jason, who sat immobile on the bed, his eyes fixed upwards towards the ceiling. The cut on his cheeks and lips were prominent, but Karson looked worse.
"Um," Jaden hesitated, before his face brightened again. "Vandalizing! You have nothing against vandalizing, right? They just vandalized each other, nothing more."
Karson gave out a small laugh, and Jason's glare immediately turned on him. "Why are you laughing, as$hole?" he growled.
Karson's reply to him was a plain mocking one. "Because I have a mouth. You got a problem with that?"
"Actually - "
"Stop it, guys!" Alyssa hissed out at them. Immediately, they fell silent. Alyssa almost gasped in shock. Since when did the world start listening to her commands and requests?
Nevertheless, she went on. "Now, will anyone tell me what the hell this was all about?"
Basil squeaked, immediately ducking her head when she saw Alyssa looking at her.
"Um, Amiya, come with me! I - I have to leave and you're driving me," Basil said, resolutely ignoring Alyssa's stare, as she tried to drag Amiya away with her.
"No!" Amiya whined. "Why don't you ask Parker to drive you? I want to listen to this."
Basil glared at her. "Oh shut up! You're coming with me and that's final!"
Parker coughed. "I don't mind driving you home."
"I didn't ask you, you -"
"Shut up," Alyssa said, before Basil could finish. She addressed Parker. "Drive her home. Amiya is staying."
Just because Karson and Jason got into a fight didn't mean that she couldn't use her newly-attained commanding skills to aid Parker.
They both left.
"And now - " Alyssa began, fixing Jason and Karson with an blank stare. "What happened?"