" what would you like for breakfast ?" asked Bella
aleksis opened the fridge ,took a bottle of water and walked past her .
" why are you not talking to me??" Bella called out as she grabbed aleksis hand
" why should I talk to you?"- aleksis scoffed and pulled her hand away from her " - if you think what you did last night was appropriate, fine , I won't talk about it " she said and walked away .
Bella stood frozen in her spot ,she didn't think much of it initially at least it is normal to have sex but doing it in a place that is special to her is just not right ,she ran her hands through her hair
' fuck my low alcohol tolerance ' she looked at aleskis door for a moment before rushing back to the kitchen,fortunately she has more trick under her sleeve
aleksis sat on her bed going through the files she brought home from the office
from time to time she would peep out of her room to check on Bella ,she wanted Bella to apologize for what she did ,the house held a lot of memories for both of them ,they decided years back in college that the house will be their little heaven ,a place of rest and comfort where the harsh reality of life won't be able to penetrate ,it is disrespectful to her and the memories implanted in the house to see her best friend with a one time boyfriend doing the deed in their private heaven
" she really won't apologize,huh ?" opening the door gently she tiptoed out of her room into the kitchen ,she saw a plate of chicken and waffles aleksis mouth fell open looking at the watering meal laying on the kitchen island, ' I will just take a bite ' she said convincingly like a mantra ,drawing a chair closer to herself she sat down and started eating
she would at times run to the door to check if Bella is anywhere around
click*
Bella took a picture of aleksis eating wildly ,she silently laughed and replaced her phone back in her pocket ,she put on a shocked face and shouted
"how dare you steal my food??are you now considering stealing as a part time job ??" her hands on her waist with a stern face reminded aleksis of her childhood nanny,oh good old days
" I was hungry " she said meekly ,her eyebrows lowered and pulled closer together with her mouth stuffed with chicken
Bella couldn't keep the stern face anymore and let out a uproarious laughter ,still not getting why she was laughing aleksis looked her in confusion
"you look like a cute little puppy" bella pointed at aleksis puffed cheek and bursted into another round of laughter
" you know what ?? just stop laughing ,OK ,its not funny - " aleksis annoyingly said " and for the record I am still fucking mad at you _"
Bella hugged her from behind burying her face in the nook of her neck drowning the words off her mouth
" I am sorry ,I shouldn't have brought him home -" she sniffed " forgive me ,I promise not to act foolish again" she muttered in broken voice trying hard not to cry
though Bella is smart and outspoken but in terms of maturity she won't be able lit a candle beside aleksis
while aleksis is reckless and faint hearted ,Bella is calculating and courageous
both of them complimented one another ,the contrasting attributes between the two girls makes them a strong team
"if I forgive you, will you cook steaks for me?? " aleksis asked after a while ,she knew this would be her last opportunity to bill the pleading girl ,Bella usually calls her steak her special recipe and rarely cook them for anybody including her parent
" wait ,what??" she slightly pushed aleksis,Bella eyebrows knitted together as she narrowed her eyes staring at aleksis ,seeing that aleksis is damn serious about eating her special recipe she could only sigh and nodded
" I forgive you " aleksis said happily and skipped out of the room smiling mischievously
"..."
Bella prepared the steak and lot of side dishes grudgingly ,she was forced to wear a pink apron she made funny faces and pleaded with aleksis ,she hated the colour pink because it makes her look childish and ridiculous , 'how could aleksis do this to me' pouting her lips she inwardly complained
after two hours of cooking different meals she was already exhausted and slumped on the couch while aleksis ate like a glutton consuming all the food,humming silently and shaking her head approving the meal and giving thumbs up to Bella
" Tasha invited us to her birthday party tonight? " it Bella said with a frown as she stared at the invitation email sent to her, it sounded more like a question to aleksis
" are we going ?? should we decline the invitation?" she swallowed and poured herself a glass of water .Tasha was a college friend who she hated to the core ,they were once close friends until Tasha started accusing aleksis of stealing the limelight from her
though aleksis never minded the accusations and would apologize she kept on repeating her baseless tantrums anytime things goes wrong for her blaming it all on aleksis until they both had a fall out and separated
" not at all ,we are definitely gonna be there" Bella said with a smile ,yes, she knew Tasha had something bad in store for them and she couldn't wait to watch her fail with whatever she had in mind
aleksis lowered her head and gulped nervously
" hey, you don't need to be scared -" she patted aleksis on her shoulder "I will be there with you ,OK??as long as I am alive nobody will bully you " Bella declared
left alone she wouldn't attend the party but aleksis needs to start being brave and not hide away because of some silly past ,she won't always be available to protect and fight for her so this is the perfect time to push her out of her shells .
" how do I look ??" aleksis asked as she twirled in front of Bella that evening
she was putting on a black mini dress with a black knee boots baring her legs and smartens up the look with a brown overcoat ,her long silver hair in curls and left falling down her back
" wow ! you look beautiful " Bella who was checking out her skirt couldn't help but exclaim she wasn't putting on any form of makeup or revealing dress yet she still looked gorgeous
aleksis have always been a target to bullies who feel insecure by her outstanding beauty and intelligence as time goes on she began to feel belittled and unappreciated about herself which prompted her to always dress in an unfashionable way in other for her to appear nerdy and unattractive .she would usually wear a large sized old fashioned shirt and baggy jeans with a big ugly shaped glasses , Bella had lost count of the times she would burn those dresses and replaced them with new ones yet the girl would go to a cheap market and purchase new set of rags or was it when she stylishly tricked aleksis to a salon to have a make over but the smart ass showed her that two can play the game of deception by running away through the back door ,Bella waited for almost four hours before aleksis sent a picture of her eating at a famous restaurant ,she was so enraged that she stormed the restaurant and dragged her out by the hair ,she tried and tried until she finally gave up and left her alone with her fashion ruins
" I haven't see you this dolled up in ages,can I take a pic" she grabbed her phone without giving aleksis a chance to protest she click a picture
" in my language ,that is called breaching of privacy"
" erm...hello !!- " she waved her phone in aleksis face "- in case you haven't noticed I don't speak your language " aleksis rolled her eyes,she knows Bella is from a family of old money, her family are well educated and civilized except the prodigal daughter ,Bella!
during college, she was known by all Jakes and Jills. she was popular ,beautiful ,bastardly rich and mingled with the rich kids however she was avoided,why? she was purely TROUBLE
her name was always on the list of kids to avoid ,nobody dares disrespect or talk to her in a rude way the girl would always make sure she destroy the face of the person who dares to go against her ,teachers included not until she became friends with aleksis .Aleksis made her promise not to fight or cause unnecessary trouble again she publicly apologized to those she have offended even though everyone forgave her they still couldn't forget the girl who terrorized the whole school even at that Bella was a good person
with a pure heart ,she protected aleksis like how a mother hen protects its chick and aleksis vowed to always love her either she is the bad guy or the good guy
"you don't look bad too" aleksis said and pecked her on the cheek
" really ??" Bella asked, people have always complimented her beauty but their fake appraisal meant nothing to her compared to aleksis single line of ' you don't look bad'
she quickly turned to looked at herself in the mirror with a wide smile
she wore a black high thigh boot with red lace up leather skirt which pushed out her moderate curve paired with a black turtle neck long sleeve ,her short blond hair was tied in a tight bun with some strands falling at the side of her face making her look like a seductress ,
"it's time to party" Bella said and cat walked dramatically to the car
the birthday is hosted at Tasha 's house which is just two streets away from both their house , Bella drove the car she kept on giving aleksis tips on how to reply back to savage comments ,she knows how bitchy Tasha can be and she will probably try to pick on aleksis .
back in college tasha claimed to the whole school that aleksis did plastic surgery and butt lift to enhance her shape and looks ,a rumour aleksis did not bother clarifying or denying, which further infuriated her and she went ahead to try all sort of nasty things to bring down and disgrace aleksis
Bella could only shake her head mentally seeing that aleksis was not paying attention to her and was busy playing with her phone
they packed their car and walked into the big house ,the house was filled with people wearing tiny piece of clothe and deafening music blared out of the big speaker the disco lights made it more like a club
" hi girls" Tasha shrill voice was heard
though she looked breathtaking in her red strapless gown but her heavy makeup was nothing to write home about,her fake hips swayed as she walked towards them smiling widely
she throw herself on them ,hugging and pecking like old time friends ,Bella reflexively stood in front of aleksis and gently pushed her away before Tasha could try her other awkward type of greeting
because of the sudden distraction she swayed and almost kissed the ground but Bella grabbed her hand and roughly steadied her on her heels
" happy birthday " she smiled ,Tasha noticed the the end of her lips were slightly curved up making it look like she was smiling but she knew better than think that the almighty Bella would forgive her for the foolish mistake she made ,she bit the inside of her cheek hard
" thank you "Tasha blinked a few times before replying with a forced smile ,she stared at Bella for a while before asking them to come inside
she had always know Bella is a hard nut to crack
stepping on her toes have never been something she dare wish to do at least not today when she is damn protective of aleksis
Tasha introduced them to her friends,most of the people in the party are old time college mates
" are you OK ??" Bella asked aleksis softly as they sat down on the chair at the corner of the room
" yeah" aleksis forced a smile she lowered her head
she is not scared or feeling belittled
her nervousness is caused by the weird energy flowing in the room ,she could feel different bad energy
she never really cared about peoples aura until the red haired woman told her that other creatures apart from humans are in existence .
being here ,hearing different heartbeat and feeling different auras she rightly knew that the woman was right ,how could she miss such a thing?? she is not here to enjoy the party or getting revenge she just wanted to confirm her theory,maybe prove the other woman wrong or rather convince her heart
from the corner of her eyes ,she saw them
she slowly looked up and surveyed the room
badump *
her heart slammed against her chest feriously
half of the people in the rooms are not humans they have ugly faces just like those creature she fought some weeks back .
her breath coming out in slow gasps ,she tried to calm herself ..all of a sudden those weird people turned to look at her as if on cue that someone is watching them
she lowered her head once again and gripped her gown tightly
" are you comfortable??" Bella asked again ,she sensed the fear coming out of aleksis ,maybe coming here was a bad idea
"N..." aleksis cleared her dry throat " I am fine "she said and avoided looking at the crowded room
" can I seat with you ??" a young man asked politely
"no" Bella answered curtly ,she was already feeling bad for having brought aleksis to this depressing party
" OK " the young man answered and sat down
" ....."
"are you perhaps deaf ??" Bella said through gritted teeth
" did you perhaps bring a chair here ??" he questioned back still smiling and obviously unconcerned about the fire breathing dragon ready to spit fire at him
"h_" she was about to retort back when aleksis placed her hands on her lap and pinched her hard
" haha -" aleksis laughed nervously to ease the tension " don't mind my friend ,she is just bluffing " she smiled and nudged Bella with her arm " she likes to make funny joke ,right??" she looked at Bella with a warning gaze
"I.." Bella really wanted to spit fire at the annoying man smiling down at her
"yes " she said and sighed frustratedly
' aleksis is feeling better , I will deal with this fool later ' she thought and smiled lovingly to the man
" I will forgive her rude attitude " his voice infuriate Bella the more
"....."
"...."
aleksis laughed lightly ,she could already imagine him on life supporting machine
"let's go home ,coming here is trash "Bella held aleksis and half dragged her towards the door
"hey ,where are you going ?? the party is just getting started" Tasha blocked them ,she collected two glass of wine from a passing waiter and pushed it into their hands .
"well well well , I'll be damned ,if it isn't the beautiful Alexsis Xander "
the hairs on aleksis neck stood erect ,she felt like disappearing ,that voice ,the face that hunted her dreams continuously in the past stood in front of him with arms crossed and a sly smile
time spinned as she saw him she stood rooten to the ground,she wanted to run ,to hide but her legs refused to move
why is he here ?? did they plan to humiliate her in public like this?? did Tasha deliberately invite them to take her revenge ?? her eyes flew to the two creature at the other side of the room she could see their pitch black eyes and horns ,is Tasha aware that beasts in human forms are in her party ??
why is life treating her unfair?? all this load of confusion is too hard for her alone ?? the creature ,her nemesis ,the humiliation
did she destroy a nation in her past life to deserve torture in this life?? different thought formed in her head
"why are you looking at me like you want me to die?? are you not pleased seeing me alive today??" the voice asked again and the mouth of her nemesis smirked knowing very well the effect of it words
aleksis stared deep into his eyes ,she opened her mouth to utter a word,any word that could save her but none came out ,it felt like all her body parts failed ,her brain shut down as her body trembled slightly
she heard bella calling out to her but how could she respond when her mouth refused to speak and her legs pulled down by a painful force ,she thought she had prepared for this day ,the events of that night flashed through her mind ,the night that marred her.
emotions surged through her .she was frustrated,angry,weak,confused ,angry and worried
mist of tears formed in her eyes ,no , she must not be weak she screamed inwardly ,she must not give him the pleasure of seeing her vulnerable
"stop stressing the girl " the young man who was insulted by Bella stood in front of her protectively and fiercely said to the bad man
aleksis felt her body release from what ever held her down ,she walked hurriedly out of the house
Bella hugged her as soon as they got to the car
aleksis cried for a very long time and Bella patted her back patiently
" you don't have to cry over perverts ,men like that deserves to be punched in the face "
aleksis finally stopped crying and looked at the man who protected her from the bad man
" thanks " she muttered with a crooked voice
"yeah thanks ,Mr hero" Bella said mockingly and hopped into the car
" don't mind her " aleksis smiled ,she really wondered why Bella is being mean to the handsome man
"I am Jake " he extended his hand towards her
" I am aleksis -" she saw him peeping a look in the car " -and she is Bella" she introduced and shook his hand
Jake face beamed as he heard the rude girl's name
he scratched his head and looked once more at Bella he was thinking if he should ask them for a ride or maybe plead for her number
he looked at aleksis and looked back at Bella ,his eyes met with her piercing gaze it felt like she was reading his mind and warning him not to dare get on her bad book ,he winked at her and she savagely rolled her eyes
aleksis opened the door and sat in the car she waved at him .
the car drove away while Bella tried not to talk about what happened at the party ,nobody talked or ask questions
Bella knew best not to force aleksis to speak when she does not want to engage in a conversation
she sneak a glance at aleksis ,she was focused on her phone and looked like she was not thinking anything
****
" did you see the shock on her face??" Tasha laughed heartily
" she should get ready for more shocks "the pale looking man lazily said ,he drowned the glass of wine in one gulp and played with the cards placed on the table
" I have the feeling she knows about us ,I saw the the way she looked around the room with fear "Tasha added absentmindedly
" keep tabs on her ,report her every move and remember not to fail me again ,I won't be merciful next time " he said and stood up ,with his long brown hair shielding his face he staggered out of the room
Tasha watched his slim back with a smug smile,she closed her eyes taking in his fresh scent ,she remembered four years ago when he saved her from her dangerous underworld master ,the man provided and cared for her ,he made her an independent woman and she would do anything to repay him for his kindness
"I won't fail you " she whispered
old money :the inherited wealth of a established upper class family