A white cab pulled up and Quinn hurriedly got into the car. She was ready to leave this place and go back to the comfort of her small apartment but the car window was suddenly tapped lightly. When she turned around Lars twirled his finger gesturing that she lower the car window.
Quinn pursed her lips with a hint of unwillingness on her face. She didn't want to open the window at all but what choice did she have? Her face staring straight ahead she lowered the window.
Lars leaned down with a mischievous smile like the god of Mischief. "Miss Quinn, we will be in contact… and um… don't bother changing your number or moving. We know where your mother lives," he said before patting the roof of the cab letting the driver know they could set off.
Quinn swallowed her saliva moistening her dry throat. She had been preoccupied just now that she didn't realise how bad the hangover was. Her temple throbbed like she was being pricked with a needle over and over again.
She leaned back onto the cab seat resting her head on the headrest. Quinn slowly massaged her temples trying to calm her mind. Her complexion was ghastly clearly showing her health state but the cab driver didn't catch the hint.
"Rich people, huh? Very rich, with big house. Your boyfriend?" said the cab driver glancing at her through the review mirror. His english wasn't good but it was understandable. His accent was strong probably from the northwestern continent.
Normally Quinn would take the time to converse and be friendly but she was really having a hard time and it wasn't only about the hangover but that her friend had betrayed her.
It made sense, why Alison would come to her. Back before her grandfather passed away and the family empire crumbled to dust she was the infamous crazy rule breaker. Just the thought of it made Quinn furious.
"No, he is not my boyfriend," replied Quinn as she pressed her fingers on her temples even harder.
"Oh, make sense… that boy playing for the other um ah… what you call it? Like football what they call it…," said the cab driver having a hard time recalling the right word.
Quinn was feeling awful but she still managed to say, "Team?"
"Yes, yes team… No shame in that. Love is love, you know," said the cab driver who was actually open minded.
It seemed he had noticed that Lars might be playing for the other team thus he felt the need to mention it. Quinn didn't need to be told that. She noticed it the very first time she laid her eyes on him but this wasn't any of her business.
The cab driver kept talking and Quinn listened while occasionally nodding her head and humming in agreement here and there. As soon as the car stopped by her apartment Quinn heaved a sigh of relief.
She slowly dragged her heavy feet up the stairs her head hanging so low that she appeared like a dejected giraffe. Because she couldn't see where she was going she bumped into something hard waking her from her trance. With a full thud, a laundry basket fell to the ground and she hurriedly apologised.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry… I am so sorry. I didn't see where I was going," she said helping him pick up the t-shirts and shorts. Lucky for them there weren't any delicates in there otherwise it might have been even more embarrassing for the both of them.
"You look like you crawled out of a dumpster," said Nick looking at the dark circles and frizzy hair which was in complete contrast to how she looked when she left last night.
Quinn wasn't at all offended. She showed a slight smile and said, "As if you look like such a pretty princess yourself."
"Uh snippy as well. It seems you had an eventful evening?... How about I take you to breakfast to improve your mood?" asked Nick but Quinn casually waved her arm while walking away.
"Thanks for the offer but I am just going to pass out. If I am not awake in twenty-four hours you should call an ambulance," she said before pushing the fire escape door.
Nick watched her disappearing figure with a smile but as soon as she was gone, the smile on his face vanished as he walked down the stairs to the laundry room in the basement.
He casually placed the laundry basket on top of the machine and shoved his clothes in one without even separating colours. With a loud bam, he closed the washing machine door and took out his burner cell phone. He flipped it open and pressed a button with the sound of the rotating machine making humming sounds.
In a few rings the line was picked up thus he said, "She is back."
"How long ago," asked the voice on the other end.
"Three minutes ago," replied the man his voice as monotonous as ever.
"Mn," he replied before cutting the call. Leif lowered his head and took one last drag of his cigarette before putting it out. In front of him was a video call with a woman so stiff and terrifying that she would appear in kids' nightmares.
"Your harsh treatment of my daughter was absolutely uncalled for. She already explained to you that it was that Quinn girl who put her up to this," she explained but Leif didn't respond immediately.
Meanwhile, Nick broke the burner cell phone and threw it in the trash before leaning down to check his laundry. His expression turned ugly when he saw the water had turned black with some of his white t-shirts now resembling tie-dyes.
"Tsk," he tsked in annoyance not knowing what to do about this.
***
"Wake up… Quinny, wakey wakey…., wake the hell up otherwise you will get fired!"
That annoying voice wasn't from a phone call or someone speaking to her in person. It was the recorded sound of her mother waking her up that her mother had set as an alarm for her.